Top officials from the Vatican, the head of the United Nations and leading scientists came together at a summit Tuesday in Vatican City to label the fight against man-made climate change as a "moral issue."

"Mitigating climate change and adapting to its effects are necessary to eradicate extreme poverty, reduce inequality and secure equitable, sustainable economic development," said Ban Ki Moon, U.N. secretary-general, in the keynote speech.

"It is a moral issue. It is an issue of social justice, human rights and fundamental ethics," Ki-Moon said, adding that "climate change is the defining issue of our time."

The summit, arranged by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, is the prologue to Pope Francis' June encyclical — one of the highest forms of papal expression — that will promote climate change action, framing it as a moral and religious imperative.

Also attending Tuesday's summit were Francis' key environmental advisers, the presidents of Italy and Ecuador, religious leaders from different faiths, Nobel laureates and respected climate change scientists, the Associated Press reported.

"This is an all-embracing moral imperative: to protect and care for both creation, our garden home, and the human person who dwells herein — and to take action to achieve this," said Cardinal Peter Turkson, who heads the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

"The wealthiest countries, the ones who have benefited most from fossil fuels, are morally obligated to push forward and find solutions to climate-related change and so protect the environment and human life," he said. "They are obliged both to reduce their own carbon emissions and to help protect poorer countries from the disasters caused or exacerbated by the excesses of industrialization."

A group of climate change skeptics from the conservative Heartland Institute were also at the summit. They said the pope should not lend his moral authority to the climate change agenda.

"If Pope Francis goes ahead with his climate encyclical and uses it to essentially lobby nations to commit to a development-limiting U.N. climate treaty, it will be unprecedented action and massively misguided," said Mark Morano who oversees the climate change skeptic site ClimateDepot.com, in a statement. "And to now have the pope jump on that bandwagon would sow confusion among Catholics."

Skeptics had no say in a final statement prepared by conference attendees and released late Tuesday. "Climate-change mitigation will require a rapid world transformation to a world powered by renewable and other low-carbon energy and the sustainable management of ecosystems," the statement read.

The statement also warned that the U.N. climate summit in Paris in December might be the last chance for nations to come together to keep human-caused warming from rising more than 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century, a threshold that scientists say is the absolute limit to keep climate change from drastically altering the planet.

"The pope's leadership will play a very important role in raising public awareness as well as the global moral commitment to take decisive steps towards climate safety in Paris," said Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, who attended the summit. "The expectations around the world are very high for the pope's encyclical this June, and for the pope's speech to world leaders at the U.N. on Sept. 25."

"We have a profound responsibility to protect the fragile web of life on this earth, and to this generation and those that will follow," Ban said in his speech. "Science and religion are not at odds on climate change. Indeed, they are fully aligned."

Contributing: Greg Zoroya

No More Boring Sermons, Says Pope to Priests

Breitbart.com || By Thomas D. Williams || 26 April 2015

On Sunday morning Pope Francis ordained 19 new priests, exhorting them to serve the flock rather than manage it, and to feed the people of God with heartfelt homilies rather than boring sermons.

“Let this be the nourishment of the People of God,” Francis said during the ceremony in Saint Peter’s Basilica, “that your sermons are not boring, that your homilies reach people’s hearts because they come from your heart, because what you say to them is what you carry in your heart.”

The Pope also urged the new priests to practice what they preach, so that their good example will bear witness to the truth of their words. A good example builds people up, Francis said, “but words without actions are empty words, they are ideas that never make it to the heart and they can even do harm rather than good!”

On the fourth Sunday of Easter, Catholics celebrate “Good Shepherd Sunday,” recalling that Jesus presented himself as the good shepherd who was willing to lay down his life for his sheep, and the Pope drew from this image in appealing to the young priests to give their lives for their people.

“Keep always before your eyes the example of the Good Shepherd,” he said, “who came not to be served but to serve; not to stay in his comfort, but to go out to seek and save what was lost.”

“You will share in the mission of Christ,” Francis said, “who is the only Master. Share with all the Word of God that you yourselves have received with joy. Read and meditate assiduously on the Word of the Lord so you may believe what you read, teach what you have learned in faith, and live out what you have taught.”

The Pope also gave practical advice to the new priests: “When you celebrate Mass, be aware of what you are doing. Do not rush through it!” he said.

He told them never to refuse baptism to those who ask for it, and to be ready to hear peoples’ confessions and forgive their sins in the name of Christ and the Church.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Francis said, “I ask you not to grow weary of being merciful. In the confessional, you are there to forgive, not to condemn! Imitate the Father who never gets tired of forgiving.”

Francis also warned the priests to flee from vanity, which only drives people away from God. “Be intent on pleasing God and not yourselves,” he said. “It’s ugly when a priest lives to please himself, and ‘plays the peacock’!”

Later on, after the midday Easter prayer of the Regina Caeli, Pope Francis once again addressed the newly ordained priests, and urged them to see themselves as servants of the people and not as “managers.”

“Follow the Good Shepherd,” he said. “Especially those who have the mission of guiding the Church—priests, bishops, popes—are called to assume the mentality of servants, and not of managers, just as Jesus emptied himself and saved us through his mercy.”

Follow Thomas D. Williams on Twitter @tdwilliamsrome

Vocation Sunday 2015 – Message of Pope Francis

MESSAGE OF POPE FRANCIS
FOR THE 52nd WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS

26 APRIL 2015 - FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

Theme: Exodus, a fundamental experience of vocation

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The Fourth Sunday of Easter offers us the figure of the Good Shepherd who knows his sheep: he calls them, he feeds them and he guides them. For over fifty years the universal Church has celebrated this Sunday as the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. In this way she reminds us of our need to pray, as Jesus himself told his disciples, so that “the Lord of the harvest may send out labourers into his harvest” (Lk 10:2). Jesus command came in the context of his sending out missionaries. He called not only the twelve Apostles, but another seventy-two disciples whom he then sent out, two by two, for the mission (cf. Lk 10:1-6). Since the Church “is by her very nature missionary” (Ad Gentes, 2), the Christian vocation is necessarily born of the experience of mission. Hearing and following the voice of Christ the Good Shepherd, means letting ourselves be attracted and guided by him, in consecration to him; it means allowing the Holy Spirit to draw us into this missionary dynamism, awakening within us the desire, the joy and the courage to offer our own lives in the service of the Kingdom of God.

To offer one’s life in mission is possible only if we are able to leave ourselves behind. On this 52^nd World Day of Prayer for Vocations, I would like reflect on that particular “exodus” which is the heart of vocation, or better yet, of our response to the vocation God gives us. When we hear the word “exodus”, we immediately think of the origins of the amazing love story between God and his people, a history which passes through the dramatic period of slavery in Egypt, the calling of Moses, the experience of liberation and the journey toward the Promised Land. The Book of Exodus, the second book of the Bible, which recounts these events is a parable of the entire history of salvation, but also of the inner workings of Christian faith. Passing from the slavery of the old Adam to new life in Christ is a event of redemption which takes place through faith (Eph 4:22-24). This passover is a genuine “exodus”; it is the journey of each Christian soul and the entire Church, the decisive turning of our lives towards the Father.

At the root of every Christian vocation we find this basic movement, which is part of the experience of faith. Belief means transcending ourselves, leaving behind our comfort and the inflexibility of our ego in order to centre our life in Jesus Christ. It means leaving, like Abraham, our native place and going forward with trust, knowing that God will show us the way to a new land. This “going forward” is not to be viewed as a sign of contempt for one’s life, one’s feelings, one’s own humanity. On the contrary, those who set out to follow Christ find life in abundance by putting themselves completely at the service of God and his kingdom. Jesus says: “Everyone who has left home or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life” (Mt 19:29). All of this is profoundly rooted in love. The Christian vocation is first and foremost a call to love, a love which attracts us and draws us out of ourselves, “decentring” us and triggering “an ongoing exodus out of the closed inward-looking self towards its liberation through self-giving, and thus towards authentic self-discovery and indeed the discovery of God” (Deus Caritas Est, 6).

The exodus experience is paradigmatic of the Christian life, particularly in the case of those who have embraced a vocation of special dedication to the Gospel. This calls for a constantly renewed attitude of conversion and transformation, an incessant moving forward, a passage from death to life like that celebrated in every liturgy, an experience of passover. From the call of Abraham to that of Moses, from Israel’s pilgrim journey through the desert to the conversion preached by the prophets, up to the missionary journey of Jesus which culminates in his death and resurrection, vocation is always a work of God. He leads us beyond our initial situation, frees us from every enslavement, breaks down our habits and our indifference, and brings us to the joy of communion with him and with our brothers and sisters. Responding to God’s call, then, means allowing him to help us leave ourselves and our false security behind, and to strike out on the path which leads to Jesus Christ, the origin and destiny of our life and our happiness.

This exodus process does not regard individuals alone, but the missionary and evangelizing activity of the whole Church. The Church is faithful to her Master to the extent that she is a Church which “goes forth”, a Church which is less concerned about herself, her structures and successes, and more about her ability to go out and meet God’s children wherever they are, to feel compassion (com-passio) for their hurt and pain. God goes forth from himself in a Trinitarian dynamic of love: he hears the cry of his people and he intervenes to set them free (Ex 3:7). The Church is called to follow this way of being and acting. She is meant to be a Church which evangelizes, goes out to encounter humanity, proclaims the liberating word of the Gospel, heals people’s spiritual and physical wounds with the grace of God, and offers relief to the poor and the suffering.

Dear brothers and sisters, this liberating exodus towards Christ and our brothers and sisters also represents the way for us to fully understand our common humanity and to foster the historical development of individuals and societies. To hear and answer the Lord’s call is not a private and completely personal matter fraught with momentary emotion. Rather, it is a specific, real and total commitment which embraces the whole of our existence and sets it at the service of the growth of God’s Kingdom on earth. The Christian vocation, rooted in the contemplation of the Father’s heart, thus inspires us to solidarity in bringing liberation to our brothers and sisters, especially the poorest. A disciple of Jesus has a heart open to his unlimited horizons, and friendship with the Lord never means flight from this life or from the world. On the contrary, it involves a profound interplay between communion and mission (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 23).

This exodus towards God and others fills our lives with joy and meaning. I wish to state this clearly to the young, whose youth and openness to the future makes them open-hearted and generous. At times uncertainty, worries about the future and the problems they daily encounter can risk paralyzing their youthful enthusiasm and shattering their dreams, to the point where they can think that it is not worth the effort to get involved, that the God of the Christian faith is somehow a limit on their freedom. Dear young friends, never be afraid to go out from yourselves and begin the journey! The Gospel is the message which brings freedom to our lives; it transforms them and makes them all the more beautiful. How wonderful it is to be surprised by God’s call, to embrace his word, and to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, in adoration of the divine mystery and in generous service to our neighbours! Your life will become richer and more joyful each day!

The Virgin Mary, model of every vocation, did not fear to utter her “fiat” in response to the Lord’s call. She is at our side and she guides us. With the generous courage born of faith, Mary sang of the joy of leaving herself behind and entrusting to God the plans she had for her life. Let us turn to her, so that we may be completely open to what God has planned for each one of us, so that we can grow in the desire to go out with tender concern towards others (cf. Lk 1:39). May the Virgin Mary protect and intercede for us all.

From the Vatican, 29 March 2015
Palm Sunday

FRANCIS

Pope Appeals to the World to Act to Avoid More Tragedies of Migrants

Vatican Radio || 19 April 2015

Pope Francis has appealed to the international community to take swift and decisive action to avoid more tragedies of migrants seeking a better life.

His heartfelt cry to the world came following news of the sinking of yet another boat carrying migrants in the Mediterranean Sea in which it is feared 700 people may be dead.

The Pope was speaking on Sunday morning after the Regina Coeli prayer in St. Peter’s Square, where he told tens of thousands of people “They are men and women like us, our brothers seeking a better life, starving, persecuted, wounded, exploited, victims of war. They were looking for a better life".

Faced with such a tragedy – Pope Francis continued - I express my most heartfelt pain and promise to remember the victims and their families in prayer.

"I make a heartfelt appeal to the international community to react decisively and quickly to see to it that such tragedies are not repeated," he said, before asking the crowd to pray "for these brothers and sisters".

The latest disaster happened when a boat carrying migrants capsized off the Libyan coast overnight, in one of the worst disasters seen in the Mediterranean migrant crisis.

Just Saturday Pope Francis joined Italian authorities in pressing the European Union to do more to help the country cope with rapidly mounting numbers of desperate people rescued in the Mediterranean during journeys on smugglers' boats to flee war, persecution or poverty.

While hundreds of migrants took their first steps on land in Sicilian ports, dozens more were rescued at sea. Sicilian towns were running out of places to shelter the arrivals, including more than 10,000 in the week ending Saturday.

Since the start of 2014, nearly 200,000 people have been rescued at sea by Italy.

Italy says it will continue rescuing migrants but demands that the European Union increase assistance to shelter and rescue them. Since most of the migrants want to reach family or other members of their community in northern Europe, Italian governments have pushed for those countries to do more, particularly by taking in the migrants while their requests for asylum or refugee status are examined.

Cardinals Discuss Vatican Media and Bishops' accountability

Vatican Radio || Philippa Hitchen || 15 April 2015

The Council of nine cardinals, comprising Pope Francis’ closest advisors, has been meeting in the Vatican again this week to discuss a range of issues regarding the reform of the Roman Curia. In particular the Church leaders have focused on a planned restructuring of the Vatican media and the difficult question of accountability for bishops who have not dealt responsibly with known cases of child sexual abuse.

The so-called C9 group has been meeting behind closed doors with Pope Francis from Monday morning through Wednesday afternoon, discussing ways of moving closer towards the drawing up of a new constitution for the Curia. While the head of the Holy See press office, Fr Federico Lombardi wasn’t setting any definite timeline, he did say the cardinals hope to be getting close to that goal by the end of 2016.

The group has been reviewing more than 60 contributions to the debate made by cardinals from across the globe who attended last February’s consistory, with a particular focus on the setting up of two central structures, one comprising the Church’s charity, justice and peace work, the other including laity, family and life issues.

Regarding reform of the Vatican media machine, Fr Lombardi confirmed that Lord Patten’s 12 person commission has handed in its final report on general restructuring principles. Pope Francis is now due to name a new group, expected to include members of the original commission, to come up with a detailed plan of implementation for these cost-cutting and closer coordinating measures.

Finally, Fr Lombardi said that Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley raised the issue of accountability for priests, bishops or religious superiors who have not dealt effectively with known cases of clergy sex abuse. Cardinal O’Malley, who heads the new Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, met on Sunday with four Commission members wanting to share with the Pope their concerns over a Chilean bishop accused of covering up for a child abusing priest. While the Church now has clear guidelines on how to deal with offenders, O’Malley made clear it must also prioritize the urgent question of how to sanction those in authority who failed to stop such crimes taking place.

Fr Lombardi said the further meetings of the C9 will take place from June 8th to 10th, September 14th to 16th and December 10th to 12th.

Term 'genocide' Angers Turkey, While Pope Says Memory Leads to Healing

National Catholic Reporter || By Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service || 13 April 2015

Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, Pope Francis said atrocities from the past have to be recognized -- not hidden or denied -- for true reconciliation and healing to come to the world.

However, Turkey's top government officials criticized the pope's use of the term "genocide" -- citing a 2001 joint statement by St. John Paul II and the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church -- in reference to the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians during their forced evacuation by Ottoman Turks in 1915-18.

Turkey rejects the accusation of genocide, and the government called its ambassador to the Holy See back to Turkey "for consultations" on Sunday, the same day Pope Francis made his statement. The government also summoned Archbishop Antonio Lucibello, nuncio to Turkey, to lodge a complaint.

Before concelebrating the Mass in St. Peter's Basilica on Divine Mercy Sunday, Pope Francis greeted the many Armenian faithful who were present, including Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan.

The pope lamented the continued forced expulsions and atrocious killings of Christians in the world saying, "Today, too, we are experiencing a kind of genocide created by general and collective indifference" and "complicit silence."

Humanity has lived through "three massive and unprecedented tragedies the past century: the first, which is generally considered 'the first genocide of the 20th century,'" struck the Armenian people, he said, quoting a joint declaration signed in 2001 by St. John Paul and Catholicos Karekin II of Etchmiadzin, patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

The other two 20th-century tragedies were those "perpetrated by Nazism and Stalinism," while more recently "other mass exterminations" have been seen in Cambodia, Rwanda, Burundi and Bosnia, Francis said.

"It seems that the human family refuses to learn from its mistakes caused by the law of terror, so that there are still today those who try to eliminate their own kind with the help of some and with the complicit silence of others who act as bystanders," he said.

Addressing Armenian Christians, the pope said that recalling "that tragic event, that immense and senseless slaughter, which your forebears cruelly endured," was necessary and "indeed a duty" to honor their memory "because wherever memory does not exist, it means that evil still keeps the wound open."

"Concealing or denying evil is like letting a wound keep bleeding without treating it," he said.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the pope used "inappropriate" and "one-sided" language by describing the deaths of Armenians during World War I as genocide.

He said, "Only highlighting one side's suffering during wartime and discriminating the others' pain is not appropriate for the pope," adding that it would fuel racism and anti-Turkey sentiments in Europe.

Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a written statement that Pope Francis' references to events from 1915 as genocide "contradict historical and legal facts" and it claimed the Mass was "instrumentalized for political aims."

Turkey says the deaths were due largely to disease and famine during the "relocation process" and that both sides suffered many casualties during the war.

Meanwhile, Armenian Catholic Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni, who concelebrated the Mass with Pope Francis, said the pope's remarks were not a provocation against Turkey or Muslims, nor was the pope taking sides.

"His vision embraces the world; he expresses the sense of humanity that we all have to share" as caring for one another, he told the Vatican's Fides news agency.

The pope is concerned "about all the oppressed, the poor, the sick of every nation and religion. He has never separated the sufferings of Christians from the sufferings of others, as all of his pronouncements about the conflict bathing the Middle East in blood have shown," the patriarch said.

"Remembering and condemning the horrors of the past can serve as an impediment to those things happening again," he added.

At the end of the Mass, Pope Francis also handed a signed written message to the Armenian Catholic and Orthodox leaders and to Sargsyan asking that "the path of reconciliation between the Armenian and Turkish people" be taken up again. It also prayed that peace would come to the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave in Azerbaijan where tensions have been high since ethnic Armenian residents proclaimed their independence from Azerbaijan after a conflict in the early 1990s.

"Despite conflicts and tensions," Pope Francis wrote, the people of Armenia, Turkey and Nagorno-Karabakh "have lived long periods of peaceful coexistence and, even in the whirlwind of violence, they have experienced instances of solidarity and mutual help."

Living in this spirit of harmony is the only way sacrifice will "become the seeds of justice and peace" and younger generations will have a better future, the pope wrote.

"May this sorrowful anniversary become for everyone an occasion for humble and sincere reflection, and for every heart to be open to forgiveness, which is the source of peace and renewed hope," the pope's message said.

Pope Francis' Yearly Address and Blessing, "Urbi et Orbi"

Aleteia || By Diane Montagna || 05 April 2015

Plenary indulgence granted to faithful who devoutly receive the blessing

Tens of thousands of faithful and pilgrims gathered in Saint Peter's Square on Sunday morning to take part in the solemn celebration of Easter Sunday Mass with Pope Francis. Following the liturgy, the Holy Father at noontime delivered his traditional message and blessing Urbi et Orbi — to the City [of Rome] and to the World, from the central Loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica.

The Church grants a plenary indulgence, under the usual conditions, to those who “devoutly receive” the blessing the Pope imparts Urbi et Orbi. The usual conditions for receiving any indulgence are: sacramental confession and Eucharistic communion, and praying for the intentions of the Pope. To gain a plenary indulgence, a person must also exclude any affection for sin, even venial sin.

Since 1985, this indulgence is granted not only to the faithful present in St. Peter’s Square, but also to all those who, though unable to be physically present, “piously follow” the Urbi et Orbi by radio or television.

With the “new media technologies,” this has now been extended to all who receive the blessing via Internet, as expressed in an announcement made by the Cardinal Protodeacon before the blessing is imparted: “His Holiness Pope Francis grants a plenary indulgence in the form laid down by the Church to all the faithful present and to those who receive his blessing by radio, television and the new communications media. Let us ask Almighty God to grant the Pope many years as leader of the Church and peace and unity to the Church throughout the world.”

Here below is the official English translation of the Holy Father’s message Urbi et Orbi.

***

Pope Francis
EASTER URBI ET ORBI MESSAGE
to the City and to the World
5 April 2015

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Jesus Christ is risen!

Love has triumphed over hatred, life has conquered death, light has dispelled the darkness!

Out of love for us, Jesus Christ stripped himself of his divine glory, emptied himself, took on the form of a slave and humbled himself even to death, death on a cross. For this reason God exalted him and made him Lord of the universe. Jesus is Lord!

By his death and resurrection, Jesus shows everyone the way to life and happiness: this way is humility, which involves humiliation. This is the path which leads to glory. Only those who humble themselves can go towards the “things that are above”, towards God (cf. Col 3:1-4). The proud look “down from above”; the humble look “up from below”.

On Easter morning, alerted by the women, Peter and John ran to the tomb. They found it open and empty. Then they drew near and “bent down” in order to enter it. To enter into the mystery, we need to “bend down”, to abase ourselves. Only those who abase themselves understand the glorification of Jesus and are able to follow him on his way.

The world proposes that we put ourselves forward at all costs, that we compete, that we prevail… But Christians, by the grace of Christ, dead and risen, are the seeds of another humanity, in which we seek to live in service to one another, not to be arrogant, but rather respectful and ready to help.

This is not weakness, but true strength! Those who bear within them God’s power, his love and his justice, do not need to employ violence; they speak and act with the power of truth, beauty and love.

From the risen Lord we ask the grace not to succumb to the pride which fuels violence and war, but to have the humble courage of pardon and peace. We ask Jesus, the Victor over death, to lighten the sufferings of our many brothers and sisters who are persecuted for his name, and of all those who suffer injustice as a result of ongoing conflicts and violence.

We ask for peace, above all, for Syria and Iraq, that the roar of arms may cease and that peaceful relations may be restored among the various groups which make up those beloved countries. May the international community not stand by before the immense humanitarian tragedy unfolding in these countries and the drama of the numerous refugees.

We pray for peace for all the peoples of the Holy Land. May the culture of encounter grow between Israelis and Palestinians and the peace process be resumed, in order to end years of suffering and division.

We implore peace for Libya, that the present absurd bloodshed and all barbarous acts of violence may cease, and that all concerned for the future of the country may work to favor reconciliation and to build a fraternal society respectful of the dignity of the person. For Yemen too we express our hope for the growth of a common desire for peace, for the good of the entire people.

At the same time, in hope we entrust to the merciful Lord the framework recently agreed to in Lausanne, that it may be a definitive step toward a more secure and fraternal world.

We ask the risen Lord for the gift of peace for Nigeria, South Sudan and for the various areas of Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. May constant prayer rise up from all people of goodwill for those who lost their lives – I think in particular of the young people who were killed last Thursday at Garissa University College in Kenya –, for all who have been kidnapped, and for those forced to abandon their homes and their dear ones.

May the Lord’s resurrection bring light to beloved Ukraine, especially to those who have endured the violence of the conflict of recent months. May the country rediscover peace and hope thanks to the commitment of all interested parties.

We ask for peace and freedom for the many men and women subject to old and new forms of enslavement on the part of criminal individuals and groups. Peace and liberty for the victims of drug dealers, who are often allied with the powers who ought to defend peace and harmony in the human family. And we ask peace for this world subjected to arms dealers.

May the marginalized, the imprisoned, the poor and the migrants who are so often rejected, maltreated and discarded, the sick and the suffering, children, especially those who are victims of violence; all who today are in mourning, and all men and women of goodwill, hear the consoling voice of the Lord Jesus: “Peace to you!” (Lk 24:36). “Fear not, for I am risen and I shall always be with you” (cf. Roman Missal, Entrance Antiphon for Easter Day).

Vatican Statistics Show Modest, Steady Church Growth Worldwide

Catholic News Service || By By Carol Glatz || 24 March 2015

The number of Catholics in the world and the number of priests and permanent deacons rose slightly in 2013, while the number of men and women in religious orders declined, according to Vatican statistics.

For the second year in a row, the number of candidates for the priesthood also decreased.

The numbers come from the Statistical Yearbook of the Church, which was completed in February and published in March. The yearbook reported worldwide church figures as of Dec. 31, 2013.

By the end of 2013, the worldwide Catholic population had surpassed 1.253 billion, an increase of about 25 million or 2 percent, modestly outpacing the global population growth rate, which was estimated at 1 percent in 2013.

Catholics as a percentage of the global population was up less than a percentage point at around 17.7 percent.

As it has done in previous years, the latest Vatican statistical yearbook estimated there were about 4.8 million Catholics that were not included in its survey because they were in countries that could not provide an accurate report to the Vatican; for example, China and North Korea.

According to the yearbook, the region where Catholics make up the largest percentage of the general population is in the Americas, where they account for 63.6 percent of the inhabitants, followed by Europe with 39.9 percent. Asia has the lowest proportion, with 3.2 percent.

During the 2013 calendar year, more than 16 million infants and adults were baptized, according to the statistical yearbook, which added that there has been "a general downward trend in the relative number of (infant) baptisms, following closely the trend of the birthrate in most countries." The ratio of children under 7 being baptized to the overall number of Catholics has been going down on every continent since 2008, it said.

It said the number of bishops in the world increased by 40 to 5,173.

The total number of priests -- diocesan and religious order -- around the world grew from 414,313 to 415,348, with a steady increase in diocesan priests present in Africa, Asia and the Americas, and a continued decline in Europe.

The number of permanent deacons reported -- 43,195 -- was an increase of more than 1,000 over the previous year.

The number of religious brothers was down slightly from a total of 55,314 at the end of 2012 to a total of 55,253 at the end of 2013.

The number of women in religious orders continued its downward trend. The total of 693,575 temporarily and permanently professed sisters and nuns in 2013 was a 1.2 percent decrease from the previous year and a 6.1 percent decrease since 2008. The biggest decreases in the five-year period were reported in North America, with a decline of 16.6 percent, and Europe, with a decline of 12.6 percent.

The number of candidates for the priesthood -- both diocesan seminarians and members of religious orders -- who had reached the level of philosophy and theology studies continued a recent downturn.

The number of seminarians dropped 118,251 men at the end of 2013 as compared to 120,051 men at the end of 2012. The number of seminarians had seen small increases each year from 2003 to 2011 when there were 120,616 candidates preparing for priesthood.

Pope Francis Decries 'terrorism of gossip,' Priests and Religious Influenced by Money

National Catholic Reporter || By Joshua J. McElwee || 21 March 2015

Pope Francis has again warned priests and religious against living too closely attached to money, saying during a visit here Saturday that it affects how and who they choose to interact with.

The pontiff has also decried what he called a "terrorism of gossip" in church circles and again spoke out against what he has termed "ideological colonization" of the family, identifying particularly gender theory as "an error of the human mind."

Speaking in a meeting with members of the clergy of this southern Italian city, which the pope visited in a breakneck 10-hour day Saturday, Francis tossed aside his prepared text, calling it "boring," to offer a wide-ranging series of testimonies on the scope and role of the religious life.

Repeating several times over his 30-minute talk that he wanted to talk about "the spirit of poverty," the pontiff addressed that topic first by saying that "when profiteering enters the church, may it be in the priests or in the religious, it is ugly."

Francis then told a story of a "great religious woman" he had known who was the treasurer of her order and did her job well. But, said Francis, "her heart was attached to money and selected people according to the money they had."

"How many scandals in the church and how much loss of liberty for money!" the pontiff exclaimed later in the meeting.

Giving an example of a priest talking to a benefactor who needs to be told a harsh truth, Francis imitated the priest, saying: "To this person I should say something, but since it is a great benefactor and the great benefactors make the life they want, I am not at liberty."

Francis spoke out against gossip while speaking about how priests and religious are called to find fraternity in their individual communities, rhetorically asking what he sees as some signs of division in religious institutes.

Saying he wanted to give an expression, the pope answered: "It is the terrorism of the gossip."

"Who gossips is a terrorist that throws a bomb and destroys," he exclaimed loudly. "Gossip destroys. Speak of differences face-to-face."

Francis was making his comments on religious life Saturday as part of a visit to the Italian cities of Pompeii and Naples, both about 150 miles south of Rome. He was speaking in Naples at the city's cathedral.

Earlier in the day, the pope addressed many of the difficulties facing people in Naples, a historic city that is among the oldest and most visited in Europe but also has been plagued by violence and political influence from the local Camorra mafia.

Addressing members of the mafia directly during his homily at an open-air Mass, Francis said: "To the criminals and all their accomplices, today, I humbly, like a brother, repeat: Convert to love and to justice! Let yourself be found by God’s mercy. Know that Jesus is looking for you to embrace you, kiss you and love you.”

The pontiff addressed the idea of "ideological colonization" during his last meeting in Naples, where he responded to testimonies from a young person, an older person, and a married couple.

Answering a question from the couple about how married Catholics can respond to secularization, Francis said bluntly: "The family is in crisis. It's a social fact."

Identifying several problems facing the family -- from lack of young people wanting to marry, from cohabitation, to gender theory -- the pontiff said there was also the problem of "ideological colonization," a term he first used when addressing families in the Philippines in January.

Directly addressing gender theory, a school of academic thought that considers that people's gender identities may exist along a spectrum, Francis said such theory "is an error of the human mind" and "makes much, much confusion."

Earlier in that meeting, Francis answered a question from a young woman about why God sometimes does not respond to our needs or prayers. The pontiff said God is a God of words, gestures, and silence.

"Our God is a God of silence," said the pope, saying there are no answers to some tough questions, like why children are made to suffer.

"Where do you find the reason from God of why children suffer?" he asked. "It is a great silence from God. We have to get closer to the silence of God, looking at the cross of Christ."

During his trip to Naples, Francis also met for lunch with 90 prisoners from two nearby institutions, including 10 from a prison ward for transgender and gay prisoners and those who suffer from AIDS.

That event was not open to the public or televised. While the pontiff had prepared remarks for that occasion, officials said he did not use them, preferring to speak one-on-one with the detainees.

Francis' trip to Naples was also marked by an unexpected exchange between the pontiff and the city's archbishop, Cardinal Cresenczio Sepe.

As the pope finished his remarks in the cathedral, Sepe brought forward a relic of the city's patron saint, Januarius, for the pontiff to kiss. Referencing a tradition that the relic, a vial of dried blood of the saint, liquefies on significant occasions in Naples, Sepe declared to the congregation: "The blood is already half liquefied!"

Francis responded: "We see that the saint takes the half; we must convert ourselves because he wants us to be better."

[Joshua J. McElwee is NCR Vatican correspondent. His email address is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow him on Twitter: @joshjmac.]

Francis, Pope of Mercy

Aleteia || Fr. Dwight Longenecker || 19 March 2015

The Jubilee of Mercy captures the Holy Father's favorite theme

On the second anniversary of the beginning of his pontificate Pope Francis proved once again to be the “Pope of Surprises” by calling an extraordinary Jubilee year with the theme of mercy. Capturing the theme of his ministry and message, the Jubilee of Mercy echoes the emphasis on mercy in Pope St John Paul II’s ministry and the papacy of Benedict XVI.

The tradition of a Jubilee year dates back to the Old Testament. Every fifty years a jubilee was celebrated to mark the universal forgiveness of sins and pardon for all. Debts were forgiven and slaves were set free. The Catholic tradition of Jubilee years begins in the year 1300 when Pope Bonfiace VIII established a celebration in which sins would be fully forgiven for those who prayerfully and faithfully visited Rome to pray in the basilicas associated with the apostles.

At first pilgrims had only to visit the Basilica of St. Peter, but later the basilicas of St. Paul Outside the Walls, St. John Lateran and St. Mary Major were added. The Jubilee year was first intended to be only once a century, but because of popularity it began to take place every fifty years, then every thirty three years, then extraordinary jubilees were added for special events. Thus in Pope John Paul II’s pontificate there was the usual thirty three year jubilee in 1983 and an extraordinary “great jubilee” for the celebration of the millennium in 2000.

The Jubilee is a perfect way to recognize and celebrate God’s mercy because during the Jubilee pilgrims may accept the fullness of God’s mercy and forgiveness as they faithfully follow the path of the pilgrim and join their lives with the witness of the apostles with the blessing of the whole church. A Jubilee year is therefore an example of God’s mercy in action through the ministry of his church to all people.

In order to fully appreciate the Jubilee of Mercy we have to fully understand what Pope Francis means by “mercy.” The most common understanding of mercy is being excused for a crime. A criminal stands before a judge and knowing his guilt and realizing that he deserves punishment, he pleads for mercy and a lighter sentence. While this understanding of mercy is not wrong, it is also not complete. Mercy is more than simply letting someone off the hook and not punishing them as severely as they deserve.

In fact mercy and justice must be seen as two sides to the same coin. Justice is fulfilled, not denied when true mercy is exercised. This is because the justice which the law demands is always rightly balanced by the mercy which the human heart demands. Justice is completed by mercy and mercy is fulfilled by justice. In the Christian understanding, our redemption is completed when mercy and justice are both fulfilled by Christ’s death on the cross. There punishment for sin is finished and mercy and redemption are won through Christ’s victory.

Mercy is therefore best understood as an outward action of God’s love in the world. Pope St. John Paul II, who so assiduously promoted the devotion to the Divine Mercy, said that “Mercy is Love’s Second Name.” In his 1980 encyclical entitled, “Rich in Mercy” (Dives in Misericordia) John Paul expounds the full teaching of the church about God’s mercy. He explores the Old Testament context of mercy, focusses on God’s mercy revealed through the parable of the prodigal son, explains how Mary is the Mother of Mercy and therefore how the whole church enacts Christ’ s mission of mercy in the world. Pope Benedict followed John Paul in speaking constantly about the mercy of God, and emphasized how the Divine Mercy was the hallmark of John Paul’s ministry and message.

By declaring an extraordinary jubilee of mercy Pope Francis continues to proclaim the central message of the gospel and the core truth of his pontificate. The reform agenda for which Francis is famous around the world is not essentially about financial reform of the Vatican Bank, ridding the church of abusive priests or cleaning up corruption in the curia. All of these efforts and others are simply the fruit of Francis’ emphasis on mercy.

We can think of it like this: for the goodness, truth and beauty of God’s mercy to be seen and experienced, the church must be the clear and clean. Like a lens through which a thing is magnified and clarified, so the church is the lens through which we see and come to know God’s mercy. Corruption and hypocrisy in the church must be purged if the church is to be the clear lens through which the world can glimpse God’s mercy.

Pope Francis realizes that this cleanliness and clarity must extend to all the church’s faithful. Efforts at reform are not simply for the cardinals and curia. Reform and repentance are not simply for the priests and prelates. They are the right action of all of the faithful. As the faithful participate in the joyful jubilee they will know the power and freedom of their redemption. At that point true reform and renewal will come to the church not simply from the top down, but from the ground level up.

Fr Dwight Longenecker is the parish priest of Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Greenville, SC. Read his blog, browse his books and be in touch at dwightlongenecker.com

Pope Francis Announces New Global Jubilee, the Holy Year of Mercy

National Catholic Reporter || By Joshua J. McElwee || 13 March 2015

Symbolically calling on the entire global Roman Catholic church to take up his papacy's central message of compassion and pardon, Pope Francis on Friday announced that he is convoking a jubilee year to be called the Holy Year of Mercy.

Saying he has "thought often about how the church can make more evident its mission of being a witness of mercy," the pope announced the new jubilee year during a Lenten penitential service in St. Peter's Basilica.

"I am convinced that the whole church -- that has much need to receive mercy because we are sinners — will find in this jubilee the joy to rediscover and render fruitful the mercy of God, with which we are all called to give consolation to every man and woman of our time," Francis said in announcing the year.

"Let us not forget that God pardons and God pardons always," the pope continued. "Let us never tire of asking for forgiveness."

"We entrust it as of now to the Mother of Mercy, because she looks to us with her gaze and watches over our way," Francis said. "Our penitential way, our way of open hearts, during a year to receive the indulgence of God, to receive the mercy of God."

The pope also said he wants the church to live the upcoming holy year "in the light" of Jesus' words in the Gospel of Luke: "Be merciful, just as your father is merciful."

A jubilee year is a special year called by the church to receive blessing and pardon from God and remission of sins. The Catholic church has called jubilee years every 25 or 50 years since the year 1300 and has also called special jubilee years from time to time, known as extraordinary jubilee years.

The last jubilee year was held in 2000 during the papacy of Pope John Paul II and was known as "the Great Jubilee." The last extraordinary jubilee year was held in 1983 to celebrate 1,950 years since the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Francis on Friday said the new jubilee would begin on this year's Catholic feast of the Immaculate Conception, celebrated Dec. 8. It will close on Nov. 20, 2016, the day celebrated that year as the feast of Christ the King.

Announcing the closing date, the pope added a new term to the title of Christ celebrated that day, also calling Jesus "the living face of the mercy of the father."

Francis said he has entrusted the organization of the jubilee year to the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization "so that that they may animate it as a new stage of the journey of the church in its mission to bring to every person the gospel of mercy."

The jubilee year will formally open Dec. 8 with the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. The other holy doors of basilicas around the world will then be opened as a sign of God's opening a new pathway to salvation.

Francis has made mercy a central theme of his papacy, speaking of it often in homilies and in his texts. His apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium ("The Joy of the Gospel"), uses the word 32 times.

The pope has also called two global meetings of Catholic bishops at the Vatican -- known as synods, with one being held last year and the next this October -- which have focused on issues of family life.

Those meetings are known to have discussed how the church might use its teachings on mercy to address sometimes difficult contemporary family situations, such as divorce and remarriage and same-sex unions.

In his homily at the penitential service Friday, Francis gave another wide-ranging reflection on the role of mercy and pardon in church teaching.

Recounting the Gospel reading of the day -- in which a woman described as sinful washes Jesus with her hair and tears -- Francis said, "Every gesture of this woman speaks of love and expresses her desire to have an unshakeable certainty in her life: that of being forgiven."

"And Jesus gives this certainty, welcoming her and demonstrating to her the love of God for her, truly for her," the pope said.

Continuing the story to talk about Simon, the Pharisee who owned the house, Francis said he was a "lord" who "cannot find the path of love."

For him, the pope said, "all is calculated, all [is] thought. He stands at the threshold of formality."

"It is an ugly thing, formal love," Francis continued. "It cannot be understood."

"The call of Jesus pushes each of us to never stop at the surface of things, especially when we are dealing with a person," the pope said later. "We are called to look beyond, to focus on the heart to see of how much generosity everyone is capable.

"No one can be excluded from the mercy of God," Francis continued, repeating: "No one can be excluded from the mercy of God!"

"The church is the house that welcomes all and refuses no one," the pope said. "Its doors remain wide open, so that those touched by grace can find the certainty of forgiveness."

"Better must be the love of the church expressed toward those who convert," he said.

After listening to the readings of the day and giving the homily at Friday's penitential service, the pope also heard some individual confessions, spending about 45 minutes in a confessional in St. Peter's with individuals.

The pontifical council, with Francis' backing, has called on all parishes around the world to remain open for confessions for 24 hours Friday through Saturday as possible.

[Joshua J. McElwee is NCR Vatican correspondent. His email address is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow him on Twitter: @joshjmac.]

Pope Francis Asks Churches Worldwide to Offer 24-Hour Confession This Friday

Aleteia || By Diane Montagna || 12 March 2015

Pontiff likely to be the first in line

Pope Francis is inviting every parish around the world to open its doors for 24 hours this Friday and Saturday, March 13-14, so that the faithful might encounter Jesus Christ anew in the Sacrament of Confession and Eucharistic Adoration.

The Lenten initiative, organized by the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization, is called “24 Hours for the Lord.” It is intended also to be a time of reflection and prayer, an opportunity to speak with a priest, and a chance to rediscover — or perhaps discover for the first time — the great mercy at the heart of the Catholic Faith.

The theme chosen for this year’s initiative, in fact, is “God is rich in mercy” (Eph 2:4).

Dioceses, parishes and communities around the world are invited to adapt the initiative to their local situations and needs. A poster of the event can be downloaded for distribution at www.novaevangelizatio.va.

Pope Francis will open the initiative on March 13in St. Peter’s Basilica, the second anniversary of his election. He is expected to repeat what he did at last year’s opening, when he surprised the world by publicly going to confession. The Holy Father then spent approximately 40 minutes hearing confessions in the basilica.

Afterwards, several churches in key locations throughout Rome will remain open for 24 hours, with confessors available and Eucharistic Adoration.

Pope Francis spoke of the initiative in his 2015 Message for Lent. “As individuals, we are tempted by indifference,” he wrote. “Flooded with news reports and troubling images of human suffering, we often feel our complete inability to help. What can we do to avoid being caught up in this spiral of distress and powerlessness?

“First, we can pray in communion with the Church on earth and in heaven,” the Pope said. “Let us not underestimate the power of so many voices united in prayer! The 24 Hours for the Lord initiative, which I hope will be observed on March 13-14 throughout the Church, also at the diocesan level, is meant to be a sign of this need for prayer.”

Asked how the faithful around the world can best become involved, the pontifical council’s president, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, told the National Catholic Register last month that the success of the event depends on how much "we priests are convinced about the good of the initiative” because to open churches for such a period of time “is a challenge everywhere.”

“This is not just a problem of security, not just a problem of overcoming difficulties we encounter. This is a challenge of understanding how we can, for 24 hours, become a concrete sign of mercy and welcome people into our churches,” he said.

The initiative will try to repeat the success of last year in Rome. Well-catechized and committed Catholics, many of whom were young people, stood outside churches and invited passers-by to enter. Archbishop Fisichella said Santa Maria in Trastevere was full of young people coming to confession, even at two in the morning.

Diane Montagna is Rome correspondent for Aleteia’s English edition.

New President of the Catholic Biblical Federation

On Thursday, the 5^th of March it was officially announced that Pope Francis has confirmed the election of Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle as the new President of the Catholic Biblical Federation.

Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle was born in the Philippines, in Manila, on the 21st of June 1957, to a Chinese mother. He studied philosophy at St. Joseph´s seminary Manila and graduated from the Athenaeum of the University of Manila. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Manila on the 27^th of February 1982. For some time he ministered in parishes and seminaries – in one of which he was rector. He was sent to the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. to complete his studies (1987 – 1991). There he received his doctorate in Theology having defending his thesis on the notion of episcopal collegiality according to the Second Vatican Council and the influence of Pope Paul VI on the same. In 1997 he was appointed as a member of the International Theological Commission.

He then worked in various parishes and taught theology in four seminaries for some years when Pope John Paul II on the 22^nd of October 2001 appointed him bishop of Imus, a diocese of 2.6 Million Catholics. On the 13^th of October 2011 he was appointed Archbishop of Manila.

Cardinal Tagle is a theologian, and a much sought after conference giver. He has collaborated with Giuseppe Alberigo on The History of the Council, a work in which he expounds his vision for the Catholic Church in the third Millennium. He was made cardinal on the 24^th of November 2012, at the age of 55, receiving the red biretta and the title of San Felice da Cantalice a Centocelle. In the Roman Curia he is a member of the Pontifical Commission for the family, (he is president of the committee), and for Pastoral Ministry to Migrants and Travelers.

Cardinal Tagle has participated in various Synods of the Vatican (1998, 2005, 2008 and 2012). In the Synod on “The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church (2008), he was a very active participant with his famous statement: “A Church which does not listen to the poor cannot celebrate the Word of God”.

Monsignor Tagle has a television program “The Word Exposed” which has been running in the Philippines since 2008. There, each week, he comments on the readings of the Mass for the following Sunday. He is also the most popular cardinal on Facebook. As well as being an academic, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle is a singer and composer. You can find on YouTube some of his Christian musical compositions which he performs himself.

At an ordinary meeting of the Executive Committee of the Catholic Biblical Federation, this took place in Rome on the 24^th – 25^th of October 2014; Cardinal Luis Antonia Tagle was elected unanimously President of the Catholic Biblical Federation.

Cardinal Tagle will take possession of his new responsibility during the Ninth Plenary Assembly of the Catholic Biblical Federation which will take place in Nemi (Italy) from the 18^th – 23^rd of June of this year. He will succeed Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, who has been President of the Catholic Biblical Federation since September 2002.

Vatican Security Chief Says ISIS Threat to Pope is Real

Crux || By Inés San Martín || 02 March 2015

While acknowledging that ISIS represents a real threat to Pope Francis and the Vatican, the commander of the Vatican gendarmes says security services have no knowledge of a planned attack.

“The threat exists. This is what has emerged from my conversations with Italian and foreign colleagues,” said Domenico Giani, inspector general of the Corpo della Gendarmeria, the police and security service for the Vatican City State.

“At the moment, I can say that we know of no plan for an attack against the Vatican or the Holy Father,” Giani said.

The comments came in an interview with Giani in the March edition of the Italian magazine Polizia Moderna, an official publication of Italy’s state police.

The Italian government went on high alert last week after threats from the Islamic State called Italy “the nation signed with the blood of the cross.”

The video threat, released with images of 21 Coptic Christians from Egypt who were beheaded this month, warned that Islamic State forces were “south of Rome,” in Libya. At its closest point, Libya is little more than 100 miles from the Italian islands of Sicily and Sardinia.

This comes four months after the Islamic State’s propaganda magazine Dabiq ran a cover photo of the militant group’s flag flying above the obelisk in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican with the headline: “The failed crusade.”

In the interview, Giani also said that the collaboration between the Vatican and Muslim countries around the world is good, and that these sources give him “valuable information” on ISIS.

Muslim countries also send “declarations of esteem and admiration for the Holy Father,” Giani said. “I can say that today, Islam regards and respects the Holy Father as the world’s most influential moral authority.”

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Referring to the pope’s attitude regarding the threats against him, Giani said that Francis has no intention of changing the style of his pontificate, which he said is founded on proximity between the pope and the people.

“Even as pope,” Giani said, “he’s still a priest who doesn’t want to lose the contact with his flock. It’s us, those in charge of his safety, are the ones that have to help him, not the other way around.”

Francis’ lack of concern for his safety is not new.

While serving as the archbishop of Buenos Aires in 2009, the Argentinian government once asked Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio to wear a bulletproof vest in response to anonymous reports that a local union leader was planning the prelate’s assassination.

Considering it uncomfortable, and preferring to trust in God’s protection, the future pope wore it only once and then gave it to a friend.

The pope has referred to his own safety on various occasions, most recently during the plane ride from Sri Lanka to the Philippines last January, when he told the journalists traveling with him that he has a “healthy dose of obliviousness” about his own safety.

As for the safety of the faithful who attend one of his events, the pontiff said, “I worry about it, truly.”

Giani said the pope is well aware of the threat he faces, but is mostly concerned for the faithful.

“The Vatican is a place tens of thousands of people pass through every day, between visits to the Basilica, the Museums, and the Audiences. They need to feel relaxed and safe,” Giani said.

Talking about the most dangerous moment of his 16 years serving the Vatican’s gendarmerie, nine of which as a commandeer, Giani pointed to the period after a speech by Benedict XVI in Regensburg, Germany, in December 2006.

“[It was] an intervention that reread today seems prophetic for the denunciation of the degradation of some extremist Islam, which [back] then generated protests and very strong threats against the pope,” he said.

In Regensburg, Benedict XVI quoted an obscure 14th-century dialogue between a long-forgotten Byzantine Christian emperor and a Persian scholar, in which the emperor associates Muhammad with violence.

Giani also said that the 130 police officers who safeguard the Vatican aren’t enough.

“Given the risks that we face, there should be more of us,” he said. But, he added, there are budget constraints and an austerity plan in the Vatican.

When questioned about the profiles of a candidate for the male-only position of Vatican Gendarme, Giani mentioned being Catholic and loving the Church, standing at least 5’8”, and being a high school graduate. Having served in the military isn’t required, Giani said, but is an advantage.

The Vatican’s Financial Reform: The Nasty is Back

Crux || By John L. Allen Jr., Associate editor || 28 February 2015

Francis lifts up the Catholic ‘Eliot Ness’ on sexual abuse, pre-synod shots across the bow, and a pope who kept his word

Over the centuries, court politics at the Vatican sometimes have had a seriously nasty side. If anyone was wondering whether that aspect of its culture had been killed off in the Francis era, or had simply gone dormant, late February 2015 provided a fairly clear answer.

In a word, the nasty is back.

The focus this time is Cardinal George Pell of Australia, the pope’s chosen fix-it man on Vatican finances. Francis tapped Pell a year ago to end a cycle of scandal and corruption in money management, and in the year since he took over a newly created Secretariat for the Economy, he’s become a lightning rod of the first order.

This week the Italian newsmagazine l’Espresso published leaked receipts from Pell’s new department purporting to show that it has racked up more than a half-million dollars in expenses during its first six months of existence, including a tab of more than $3,000 at Gammarelli’s, a famed clerical tailor shop in Rome.

A rumor ensued that Francis had called Pell on the carpet about those expenses, something the Secretariat for the Economy called “completely false” and “complete fiction” in a statement on Saturday. In fact, the statement insisted, the new department’s expenses are actually below the budget set when it was established last March.

In a defiant coda, the statement also asserted that Pell does not even own a Cappa Magna, a fine silk ecclesiastical vestment with a long train that’s become a symbol of old-school liturgical tastes, and which some people believed must have been what Pell bought from that tailor.

L’Espresso also revealed the minutes of a meeting from last September in which some veteran Vatican cardinals objected to various aspects of Pell’s leadership, with one bitterly referring to what’s happening as a form of “Sovietization,” meaning totalitarian control.

On Friday, the Vatican released its own statement denouncing such leaks as “illegal,” calling the criticism of Pell “undignified and petty,” and backing his performance by saying it’s proceeding with “continuity and efficacy.”

The spectacle is eerily reminiscent of the “Vatileaks” scandal of 2012, when a tidal wave of supposedly confidential Vatican documents appeared in the Italian press. Many believe the chaos revealed by those disclosures influenced Pope Benedict’s decision to resign.Top of Form

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In the background to today’s Vatileaks 2.0 is a strikingly polarized climate of opinion in the Vatican about Pell.

On one side are his fans, prominently featuring English- and German-speaking Catholic heavyweights committed to the notions of transparency, accountability, and good business practice that the Australian prelate purports to represent.

Critics, including some longstanding Vatican officials, reply that Pell has surrounded himself with cronies and centralized power in his own hands, while scoring PR points by trying to make everyone else look bad.

It can be difficult to get an objective read on the situation, in part because reaction to Pell is complicated by three factors:

Theologically and politically, Pell is a strong conservative. Some people feel an ideological compulsion to defend him and others to oppose him, neither of which has anything to do with his performance in his current post.

For a financial manager, the fault line that matters isn’t supposed to run between left and right but between red and black.

There’s a longstanding tension between the Vatican’s Italian majority and everybody else. It’s hard to tell sometimes whether reactions to Pell are truly about him, or if he’s become a symbol for deeper cultural divides.
Pell is a hard-charging and sometimes pugnacious personality. In an ideal world, whether people like him personally wouldn’t color their assessment of how well he’s doing his job — yet alas, in the Vatican as the rest of creation, the real world is often far from the ideal.

Why is the anti-Pell resistance cresting right now?

For one thing, Pell clearly hasn’t been intimidated by lower-intensity pushback. On Monday, his Secretariat for the Economy released a set of procedures for closing the books on 2014, which among other things require every department head in the Vatican, for the first time, to sign a legally binding declaration that their reports are complete and correct.

The procedures also stipulate that external assets of a Vatican department have to be certified by the banks or other financial institutions that hold those assets, a classic expression of “trust but verify.”

Pope Francis also returned on Friday from a week-long annual Lenten retreat, and sometime soon he’s expected to issue a new legal framework for Pell’s department and other financial oversight bodies he’s created.

The effect will be either to rein Pell in, as his critics hope, or to turn him loose.

While the catfight may continue for a while longer, a make-or-break moment is approaching. Sometime by mid-year, the Secretariat for the Economy will release its first-ever consolidated financial statement covering the Vatican’s fiscal year in 2014.

If that statement comes off as comprehensive and accurate, most of the objections lodged against Pell will likely fade, seeming like sour grapes. If the perception, however, is that he’s produced the same sort of vague and unreliable report as in the past, then no amount of soothing press releases will save him.

In the meantime, the fracas certainly has made one point clear: The Vatican’s capacity for nastiness may wax and wane, but it never really goes away.

Pope elevates Catholic ‘Eliot Ness’ on sex abuse

This may be an unusual way of announcing the appointment of a new Catholic archbishop, but here goes: Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Boston has some company as the face of reform at the senior level of the hierarchy on the Church’s child sexual abuse scandals.

On Friday, Pope Francis named Charles Scicluna as the new archbishop of Malta, making him the head of the Church on that small but pervasively Catholic Mediterranean island nation. Scicluna had been serving as administrator of the Maltese church since October, acting in place of the ailing Archbishop Paul Cremona.

Though physically small in stature, Scicluna has an outsized résumé as an accomplished canon lawyer, a Vatican official under former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and later Pope Benedict XVI, and a legal scholar and teacher.

He’s best known as the “Eliot Ness of the Catholic Church” for his prosecution of the late Mexican Rev. Marcial Maciel Degollado, founder of the Legionaries of Christ, who was sentenced to a life of prayer and penance by Pope Benedict in 2006 after a Vatican investigation spearheaded by Scicluna.

Accusations of sexual abuse and misconduct surfaced against Maciel in the late John Paul II years, but the Mexican cleric was regarded as invulnerable because of his deep pockets and wide network of Vatican allies. When Scicluna took him on in his role as the Promoter of Justice in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, it was thus seen as an indication the wheels were turning.

After bringing Maciel down, Scicluna emerged as arguably the Church’s most forceful advocate for a “zero tolerance” approach to abuse.

Famously, Scicluna objected to what he called omertà, or mafia-style secrecy, in some sectors of clerical culture. He publicly called for accountability for bishops who mishandle abuse allegations, and also insisted that survivors of abuse must be involved in both framing and evaluating the Church’s response.

From the point of view of some survivors and advocacy groups, Scicluna’s record is not perfect. He’s cast doubt, for instance, on demands for financial compensation from the Church, insisting that liability attaches to the individual offender rather than the institution.

That said, however, few doubt that Scicluna is among the most aggressive reformers on the abuse scandals at the senior levels of the Church.

To be sure, Scicluna’s responsibility will be as pastor of the local Church in Malta, where he’ll face a much wider range of challenges than just sex abuse.

For instance, Scicluna made waves recently by inserting himself in a national debate over spring hunting of birds such as turtle doves and quail. Nature-lovers in Malta charge that hunting those birds during their breeding season is unsustainable, and Scicluna in effect said that he agreed, though he also said the Church will stay out of a referendum campaign on the issue.

Nonetheless, Scicluna’s elevation inevitably will be taken as a vote of confidence from Pope Francis in one of the Church’s most ardent reform voices on the abuse scandals. It’s likely that now-Archbishop Scicluna will be in even greater demand to serve on commissions and boards on the issue, to give talks and lectures, and to appear in the media.

The fact that he can do all that fluently in both English and Italian, of course, is no small advantage.

Pope Francis is not a naïf, and presumably he was aware that he’s just handed Scicluna a bigger megaphone. One has to assume, as with O’Malley, that Francis wants Scicluna to use it.

Pre-synod shots across the bow

Two developments this week suggest that skirmishing ahead of this fall’s second round of the Synod of Bishops on the family, set for Oct. 4-25 in Rome, is well underway.

First, charges and counter-charges have swirled around the delivery of a book to bishops at last October’s first version of the synod — a book about the debate over whether divorced and civilly remarried Catholics should be able to receive Communion.

Titled “Remaining in the Truth of Christ” and published by Ignatius Press in the United States, the book features essays by five conservative cardinals arguing against a proposal to relax the Communion ban floated by German Cardinal Walter Kasper.

Ignatius sent copies of the book to all the participants, in the belief that it ought to be part of their deliberations. Recently Jesuit Rev. Joseph Fessio of Ignatius Press charged that someone inside the synod removed the book from participants’ mailboxes, presumably in an effort to prevent it from having an impact.

Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, denied that charge this week, saying one participant said he actually got two copies.

All this is part of a larger perception in conservative Catholic circles that there was an explicit effort by synod officials to “stack the deck” in favor of liberal views last October.

They charge, for instance, that appointments to a drafting committee for the synod’s final document were skewed in favor of progressives, and that a decision to give the media only a general overview of the discussion each day instead of the individual speeches by participants was intended to minimize dissenting voices.

Aside from Pope Francis himself, the villain in this reconstruction is usually Italian Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, the secretary general of the Synod of Bishops.

In that context, the ferment over the books represents a shot across the bow ahead of the next synod. The message is, “Don’t try any monkey business this time around, because we’re watching.”

Second, the German bishops recently held a plenary meeting in the city of Hildesheim, and around the edges of the meeting, Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich, president of the German episcopal conference, spoke to the media on Tuesday.

Marx took a question about the upcoming synod, and seemed to suggest that the German bishops might press ahead on the question of the divorced and remarried regardless of what it decides.

“We are not a subsidiary of Rome,” Marx reportedly said.

“Every bishops conference is responsible for the pastoral care in its area and has to proclaim the Gospel in its own unique way,” he said. “We can’t wait for a Synod to say how we should form our pastoral care in the fields of marriage and family.”

Marx was a leading advocate of the progressive position during the last synod, coining a phrase that summed up the thinking of most Kasper supporters: “Not in every case, and not in no case,” meaning that remarried divorcees shouldn’t be invited back to Communion indiscriminately, but that the option should exist on a case-by-case basis.

The Marx interview has been taken by some as a kind of preemptive strike, a warning to opponents of change that too rigid a position could encourage some local churches to strike out on their own.

In any event, taken together the fracas over the books and the comments from Marx make one thing clear: Anyone thinking that the one-year interval between last year’s synod and this one might suffice to resolve the tensions that surfaced a year ago is, in all probability, destined for disappointment.

A pope who kept his word

Speaking of Pope Benedict XVI, it’s striking that the two-year anniversary of his resignation in February 2013 came and went on Saturday without generating more than a small ripple of commentary.

In part, of course, that’s because his successor has become such an electrifying and sensational figure that he tends to draw most of the attention. Francis was at it again this week, drawing unusual public rebukes for controversial things he’s said from both a Catholic archbishop and the government of the world’s second-largest Catholic nation.

The archbishop was the head of the Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine, upset that Francis has whiffed on several opportunities to cite Russia’s role in fomenting violence there. The country was Mexico, irked because the pontiff in a private e-mail referred to a possible “Mexicanization” of drug violence in Argentina.

However, the real reason that the anniversary of Benedict’s resignation isn’t more of a cause célèbre is likely because, for the most part, he’s honored his promise to remain “hidden from the world.”

From the moment Benedict announced his intention to step down two years ago to the election of his successor a month later, there was fevered speculation that having two living popes would be destabilizing for Catholicism, perhaps even a prescription for schism.

Benedict tried to calm those fears by vowing to stay out of the way once the transition occurred, but that didn’t stop many observers from speculating that he might try to influence things behind the scenes.

Those fears, however, have never really materialized.

Benedict rarely appears in public, usually only at the explicit invitation of Pope Francis, and when he does, he avoids making a spectacle of his presence. He’s rarely released any writings since his resignation, and the only occasions he’s responded to reporters have been to shoot down speculation that his resignation was somehow invalid.

In other words, the relative silence surrounding the anniversary is, in a sense, a tribute to Benedict’s honor. He said he’d do everything possible to avoid being a distraction, and the fact no one seems distracted suggests he kept his word.

New Pope Francis book

Finally, one nakedly self-promotional note: My new book on Pope Francis, titled “The Francis Miracle: Inside the Transformation of the Pope and the Church,” published by TIME, debuts Tuesday. While there is admittedly already a glut of Francis literature, this is really the first major work in English that’s less about the pope than the papacy, meaning that it’s not a conventional biography, but an assessment of the pontificate to date. I’ll be in New York the middle part of this week doing some publicity for the book.

Pope Did Not Intend to Hurt Feelings of Mexican People

Vatican Radio || 25 February 2015

On Wednesday, Father Federico Lombardi, SJ, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, made a statement clarifying an expression used by Pope Francis in an informal and private email.

The Vatican Secretary of State, he said, has sent a note to the Mexican ambassador to the Holy See, explaining that Pope Francis had no intention of hurting the feelings of the Mexican people “whom he loves very much,” or of ignoring “the commitment of the Mexican in combatting drug trafficking.” Father Lombardi noted that the expression “to avoid mexicanisation” had been used by the Holy Father in a “strictly private and informal email” in response to an Argentinian friend who is very committed to the struggle against drugs, and who had used the that expression.

“The note shows clearly that the Pope intended nothing else but to comment on the gravity of the phenomenon of drug trafficking afflicting Mexico and other Latin American countries,” Father Lombardi said. Precisely because of the seriousness of the situation, he continued, addressing the problem of drug trafficking “is a priority of the Government; to counter violence and to restore peace and serenity to Mexican families, by addressing the underlying causes of this plague.”

Father Lombardi said that drug trafficking is “a phenomenon, like others in Latin America” that the Holy Father has called attention to, even in meeting with Bishops, emphasizing the need for cooperation and consultation at all levels.

Pope Francis Blasts Mafia: ‘Jesus did not take devils to lunch’

Breitbart.Com || By Thomas D. Williams || 21 February 2015

In a meeting with pilgrims from the Italian region of Calabria, Pope Francis slammed members of Italian organized crime, telling them they must choose between Jesus and a life of evil. “Jesus did not take devils to lunch,” he said. “He cast them out.”

The Pope received a large group of pilgrims on Saturday from the southern Italian Diocese of Cassano all’Jonio, where he visited last June. During that visit, he had extremely harsh words for the members of the local Mafia, telling his hearers that the ‘ndrangheta—the Calabrese Mafia—is the “adoration of evil.”

Referring back to that visit, Pope Francis once again zeroed in on the Mafia Saturday, urging them to convert and insisting that no one can claim to be a Christian while participating in organized crime.

“Whoever loves Jesus,” the Pope said, “whoever hears Him and receives His Word and sincerely responds to the Lord’s call cannot in any way give himself over to the works of evil. Either Jesus or evil!”

Though a great advocate of dialogue, Francis recognized that dialogue has its limits. “Jesus did not take devils to lunch,” he said. “He cast them out, because they were evil. Either Jesus or evil!”

The Pope repeatedly stated that a choice has to be made between good and evil, asserting that one cannot have it both ways. He seemed especially interested in underscoring the absolute incompatibility of Christian faith and criminal activity.

“You cannot call yourselves Christians and violate the dignity of persons,” he said. “Those who belong to the Christian community cannot plan and carry out acts of violence against others.”

Francis also said that external gestures of religiosity that are not accompanied by real and public conversion “are not enough to be considered in communion with Christ and his Church.” Likewise, these external gestures “are not enough to qualify people as believers” who “have chosen illegality as their lifestyle.”

The Pope also addressed Mafia members directly, appealing to them to convert before it’s too late.

“To those who have chosen the path of evil and are affiliated to criminal organizations,” he said, “I renew my urgent invitation to conversion. Open your hearts to the Lord! Open your hearts to the Lord!”

To be real, however, this conversion must be public, the Pope said.

“The Lord is waiting for you, and the Church welcomes you,” he said, on condition that your change of life is evident and public, “just as your choice to serve evil was public.”

Pope Francis’ Guide to Lent: What You Should Give Up This Year

Time || By Christopher J. Hale || 18 February 2015

No need to throw out the chocolate, booze, and carbs. Pope Francis has a different idea for fasting this year.

Christians around the world mark the beginning of Lent with the celebration of Ash Wednesday. This ancient day and season has a surprising modern appeal. Priests and pastors often tell you that outside of Christmas, more people show up to church on Ash Wednesday than any other day of the year—including Easter. But this mystique isn’t reserved for Christians alone. The customs that surround the season have a quality to them that transcend religion.

Perhaps most notable is the act of fasting. While Catholics fast on Ash Wednesday and on Fridays during the Lenten season, many people—religious or not—take up this increasingly popular discipline during the year.

But Pope Francis has asked us to reconsider the heart of this activity this Lenten season. According to Francis, fasting must never become superficial. He often quotes the early Christian mystic John Chrysostom who said: “No act of virtue can be great if it is not followed by advantage for others. So, no matter how much time you spend fasting, no matter how much you sleep on a hard floor and eat ashes and sigh continually, if you do no good to others, you do nothing great.”

But this isn’t to downplay the role of sacrifice during the Lenten season. Lent is a good time for penance and self-denial. But once again, Francis reminds us that these activities must truly enrich others: “I distrust a charity that costs nothing and does not hurt.”

So, if we’re going to fast from anything this Lent, Francis suggests that even more than candy or alcohol, we fast from indifference towards others.

In his annual Lenten message, the pope writes, “Indifference to our neighbor and to God also represents a real temptation for us Christians. Each year during Lent we need to hear once more the voice of the prophets who cry out and trouble our conscience.”

Describing this phenomenon he calls the globalization of indifference, Francis writes that “whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. God’s voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades.” He continues that, “We end up being incapable of feeling compassion at the outcry of the poor, weeping for other people’s pain, and feeling a need to help them, as though all this were someone else’s responsibility and not our own.”

But when we fast from this indifference, we can began to feast on love. In fact, Lent is the perfect time to learn how to love again. Jesus—the great protagonist of this holy season—certainly showed us the way. In him, God descends all the way down to bring everyone up. In his life and his ministry, no one is excluded.

“What are you giving up for Lent?” It’s a question a lot of people will get these next few days. If you want to change your body, perhaps alcohol and candy is the way to go. But if you want to change your heart, a harder fast is needed. This narrow road is gritty, but it isn’t sterile. It will make room in ourselves to experience a love that can make us whole and set us free.

Now that’s something worth fasting for.

Pope Tells New Cardinals to Evangelize 'fearlessly'

Catholic News Agency || Elise Harris for CNA/EWTN News || 15 February 2015

After elevating 20 new cardinals, Pope Francis reminded them that true honor is found in service, and urged them to follow Jesus in breaking rigid ways of thinking and touching society’s marginalized.

“Jesus is not afraid of scandal! He does not think of the closed-minded who are scandalized even by a work of healing, scandalized before any kind of openness, by any action outside of their mental and spiritual boxes,” the Pope said Feb. 15.

Rather than seeking to conform to the norms of others or adhere to a ritualistic purity, Jesus seeks to “reinstate the outcast, to save those outside the camp.”

The logic of Jesus and therefore of the Church is “not only to welcome and reinstate with evangelical courage all those who knock at our door, but to go out and to seek, fearlessly and without prejudice, those who are distant,” he said.

“Total openness to serving others is our hallmark, it alone is our title of honor…Truly the Gospel of the marginalized is where our credibility is found and revealed!”

Pope Francis addressed his words to the 20 new cardinals created in yesterday’s Feb. 14 consistory, which followed a two-day meeting in which cardinals from around the world gathered with the Pope to discuss the reform of the Roman Curia.

They celebrated Mass with the Roman Pontiff Feb. 15 to wrap-up the consistory events.

In his homily, Francis focused on the compassion of Jesus in the Gospel, taken from Mark, in which he heals a leper who approaches him and asks to be “made clean.”

After doing this Jesus could no longer go about the town freely, and had to remain on the outskirts, since lepers were considered unclean and were therefore ostracized, the Pope noted.

By healing the leper, Jesus not only shows the man compassion, but seeks to reinstate him into society, and identifies with the man’s shame and suffering by becoming marginalized himself, Francis said.

Although Moses’ law confined lepers to the outskirts of society in order to “safeguard the healthy,” Jesus fulfills that law by showing that welcoming and healing the leper not only kept the healthy safe, but also gave them a new brother.

“Jesus revolutionizes and upsets that fearful, narrow and prejudiced mentality. He does not abolish the law of Moses, but rather brings it to fulfillment,” the Pope said.

By answering the leper’s plea without thinking of the potential consequences, Jesus shows that what is most important is “reaching out to save those far off,” and he is not afraid to scandalize the closed-minded who are stuck inside the rigid confines of the law.

Pope Francis noted that there are two ways of approaching the faith in this regard, saying that the first is to think like the doctors of the law, who fear losing those who are already saved, and therefore cast out the diseased.

The second approach, he said, is to think like God, who embraces and welcomes the diseased man with mercy, and seeks to turn evil into good by reinstating him into society.

The path of the Church, the Pope observed, is not to “condemn anyone for eternity, (but) to leave her four walls behind and to go out in search of those who are distant, those on the ‘outskirts’ of life.”

“It is to adopt fully God’s own approach, to follow the Master who said: ‘Those who are well have no need of the physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call, not the righteous but sinners to repentance.’”

Jesus, by healing the leper, does not harm the healthy but rather frees them from fear, Francis explained. Jesus does not devalue the law, but rather places greater value on those for whom it was given.

Charity, the Pope said, “cannot be neutral, indifferent, lukewarm or impartial! Charity is infectious, it excites, it risks and it engages! For true charity is always unmerited, unconditional and gratuitous!”

He noted that charity must always be creative in finding the right ways of approaching those considered to be “untouchable,” adding that “contact is the true language of communication.”

“How many healings can we perform if only we learn this language! The leper, once cured, became a messenger of God’s love,” Francis said, and encouraged the cardinals to turn to Mary in learning how to embrace the poor and those cast-off from society.

Pope Francis urged them to be true servants of the Church to the extent that all Christians would be inspired to turn to Jesus as well as the outcast, and therefore resist the temptation of becoming “a closed caste with nothing authentically ecclesial about it.”

He told them to seek the face of the Crucified Jesus in each marginalized and excluded person they meet, whether they are prisoners, sick, persecuted, unemployed or those who have turned away from the faith.

“We will not find the Lord unless we truly accept the marginalized!” the Pope said, and prayed that all would remember the example of St. Francis of Assisi, “who was unafraid to embrace the leper and to accept every kind of outcast.”

Pope Offers Strong Defence of Large Families

Aleteia || By Diane Montagna || 12 February 2015

Pope Francis today came out in strong defense of large families and encouraged married couples to treasure each child as a gift from God.

Speaking to pilgrims at the General Audience in a sunny St. Peter’s Square, the Pope dedicated the latest in his new series of catecheses on the family to children.

The Holy Father took as the basis of his reflection the beautiful Old Testament passage from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, which speaks of a parent’s joy in being surrounded by many sons and daughters: “They all gather together, they come to you; your sons sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried in the arms. Then you shall see and be radiant, your heart shall thrill and rejoice” (60:4-5a).

“There is a close bond between the hope of a people and the harmony between the generations,” he said. “The joy of children makes the hearts of their parents throb and opens up the future. Children are the joy of families and society.”

Pope Francis then focefully stated: “Children are not a problem of reproductive biology, or one of many ways to realize oneself [in life], let alone their parent’s possession. Children are a gift. Do you understand? Children are a gift!”

Indeed, he observed, a child carries within him or herself the memory and hope of a love that sparked the life of another unique, unrepeatable human person, willed by God for his or her own sake.

He therefore reminded parents: “One loves a son or daughter because he or she is one’s child, not because he or she is beautiful, healthy or good; not because he or she thinks like me or incarnates my desires. A child’s life is intended … for his or her own good, for the good of the family, of society, of all humanity.”

The 78-year old pontiff also noted that children allow us to discover what he called, “loves most gratuitous dimension”, i.e. “the beauty of being loved first”.

“How often do I meet mothers in the square who show me their belly and ask my blessing,” he said. “These children are loved before they come into the world. This is gratuitousness. This is love. They are loved before they are born, like the love of God, who always loves us first.”

In fact, he continued, being a child is the fundamental condition for knowing the love of God, who is the ultimate source of the true miracle and dignity of every human life.

“Fathers … have perhaps taken a step back, and children have become more uncertain in taking steps forward” but “the heavenly Father leaves each of us free, but he never leaves us alone. If we fail, he continues to follow us patiently without diminishing his love for us. The heavenly Father never steps back in his love for us, never.”

The Pope then elaborated on the harmony that should exist between the younger and older generations, saying: “Children should always be valued, and parents should always be honored.” He also noted that a strong bond between the generations is a hallmark of a healthy society, while the lack of such harmony and mutual care is a sure sign of its decline.

“A society of children who do not honor their parents is a society without honor. When one doesn’t honor one’s parents one loses one’s honor. It is a society destined to be filled with greedy and insensitive young people.”

Pointing to low birthrates in Western societies, Pope Francis then said: “A society that is greedy when it comes to having children, that doesn’t love to be surrounded by children, that considers them above all to be a bother, a burden, and a risk, is a depressed society.”

The demographic crisis in Italy continues with the total average fertility rate standing at 1.42 children born per woman, compared to France at a slightly higher 2.01 children, and Spain’s sharp decline to just 1.32 children born per woman. The Italian birth rate has for decades been below minimum replacement level of 2.1 children per woman, but the newer development is the falling marriage rate.

ISTAT reports that in 2013, there were 194,057 marriages in Italy, 13,081 fewer than in 2012.

European societies are depressed, the Pope said, “because they don’t want children, they don’t have children.”

“If a family with many children is looked upon as if it were a burden, there is something wrong,” he said.

The Pope then cited Blessed Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae, saying: “having more children cannot be automatically viewed as an irresponsible choice.” In fact, he boldly said, “deciding not have children is a selfish choice. Life rejuvenates and acquires fresh energy by being fruitful: it is enriched, not impoverished!”

Pope Francis concluded by asking Jesus, who became a child for us, to help the world to rediscover the simple yet profound experience of being a child. He called upon the faithful to defend the noble beauty of large families. And he invited married couples to live out their love for God and one another by welcoming each child as a treasure from God “in faith, and in perfect joy.” Source...

Diane Montagna is Rome correspondent for Aleteia's English edition.

Pope Francis Encourages Participation of Women in “social and ecclesial life”

Vatican Information Service || 09 February 2015

“Women's cultures: between equality and difference” was the theme of the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for Culture, an issue of great interest to Pope Francis, as he affirmed this morning while receiving in audience the participants in the event.

He reiterated the importance of finding “criteria and new ways to enable women to no longer feel like guests, but instead to be full participants in the various areas of social and ecclesial life”.

“The Church is a woman, she is female!” he exclaimed. “This is a challenge that cannot be deferred. I say this to the pastors of Christian communities, here representing the universal Church, but also to lay women and men engaged in different ways in culture, education, the economy, politics, the world of work, families, and religious institutions”, he continued, offering an “itinerary” and a series of “guidelines to develop this effort throughout the world, in the heart of all cultures, in dialogue with the various religious affiliations”.

With reference to the first theme considered in the Plenary Assembly, “Between equality and difference: the quest for an equilibrium”, Pope Francis remarked that this equilibrium must be harmonious, not merely a question of balance.

“This aspect must not be faced ideologically, because the 'lens' of ideology prevents us from seeing reality clearly. Equality and difference of women – like that of men – is best perceived from the perspective of 'with', in relation to, rather than 'against'. We have long left behind, at least in western societies, the model of the social subordination of women to men, a centuries-old model whose negative effects are nonetheless not yet fully spent.

We have also left behind a second model, that of parity, pure and simple, applied mechanically, and of absolute equality. A new paradigm has thus taken shape, that of reciprocity in equivalence and in difference. The relationship between man and woman, therefore, must recognise that both are necessary inasmuch as they possess an identical nature but different modalities. One is necessary to the other, since the fullness of the person is thus truly achieved”.

The second theme, “'generativity' as a symbolic code”, broadens the horizons of biological maternity to include the transmission and the protection of life. It may be summarised in four verbs: to wish for, to bring into the world, to care for, and to let go.

The Pope acknowledges the contribution in this area of the many women who work in the family, in the field of education in faith, in pastoral activity, in education in schools, and also in social, cultural and economic structures.

“You, women, know how to embody the tender face of God, His mercy, which translates into willingness to offer time rather than occupy space, to accommodate rather than exclude. In this sense, I like to describe the feminine dimension of the Church as a welcoming womb for the regeneration of life”.

“The female body: between culture and biology”, the third point for reflection, “reminds us of the beauty and harmony of the body God gave to women, but also the painful wounds inflicted upon them, often with brutal violence, for the mere fact of being women. A symbol of life, the female body is unfortunately not infrequently attacked and disfigured by those who ought instead to be its protectors and companions in life. The many forms of enslavement, commodification and mutilation of women's bodies require us to work to defeat this form of degradation that reduces them to mere objects to be sold on various markets”. “I wish to draw attention, in this respect, to the suffering of many poor women, forced to life in conditions of danger and exploitation, relegated to the margins of society and rendered victims of a throwaway culture”, stressed the Holy Father.

The fourth theme, “Women and religion: flight or new forms of participation in the life of the Church?” is of particular relevance to believers. The Pope reiterated his conviction that it is urgent to “offer space to women in the life of the Church and to welcome them, bearing in mind the specific features and changes in cultural and social sensibilities. A more capillary and incisive female presence within the Church is desirable, so that we can see many women involved in pastoral responsibilities and in accompanying individuals, families and groups, as well as in theological reflection”.

Finally, the Holy Father spoke about the indispensable role of women in the family, and highlighted the importance of “encouraging and promoting the effective presence of women in many areas of the public sphere, in the world of work and in places where the most important decisions are taken”, without prejudice to their role in the private domain.

“We must not leave women to bear these burdens and take all these decisions alone; all institutions, including the ecclesial community, must guarantee freedom of choice for women, so that they have the opportunity to assume social and ecclesial responsibilities, in harmony with family life”.

Pope tells Clergy 'never try to cover up child abuse'

Vatican Radio || 05 February 2015

Pope Francis has sent a letter to the Presidents of Episcopal Conferences and Superiors of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life to ask for their complete co-operation with the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, in order to insure that everything possible is done to rid the Church of "the scourge" of the sexual abuse of children.

Below is the English language translation of the Pope’s letter

Last March I established the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, which had first been announced in December 2013, for the purpose of offering proposals and initiatives meant to improve the norms and procedures for protecting children and vulnerable adults. I then appointed to the Commission a number of highly qualified persons well-known for their work in this field.

At my meeting in July with persons who had suffered sexual abuse by priests, I was deeply moved by their witness to the depth of their sufferings and the strength of their faith. This experience reaffirmed my conviction that everything possible must be done to rid the Church of the scourge of the sexual abuse of minors and to open pathways of reconciliation and healing for those who were abused.

For this reason, last December I added new members to the Commission, in order to represent the Particular Churches throughout the world. In just a few days, all the members will meet in Rome for the first time.

In light of the above, I believe that the Commission can be a new, important and effective means for helping me to encourage and advance the commitment of the Church at every level – Episcopal Conferences, Dioceses, Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, and others – to take whatever steps are necessary to ensure the protection of minors and vulnerable adults, and to respond to their needs with fairness and mercy.

Families need to know that the Church is making every effort to protect their children. They should also know that they have every right to turn to the Church with full confidence, for it is a safe and secure home. Consequently, priority must not be given to any other kind of concern, whatever its nature, such as the desire to avoid scandal, since there is absolutely no place in ministry for those who abuse minors.

Every effort must also be made to ensure that the provisions of the Circular Letter of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith dated 3 May 2011 are fully implemented. This document was issued to assist Episcopal Conferences in drawing up guidelines for handling cases of sexual abuse of minors by clerics. It is likewise important that Episcopal Conferences establish a practical means for periodically reviewing their norms and verifying that they are being observed.

It is the responsibility of Diocesan Bishops and Major Superiors to ascertain that the safety of minors and vulnerable adults is assured in parishes and other Church institutions. As an expression of the Church’s duty to express the compassion of Jesus towards those who have suffered abuse and towards their families, the various Dioceses, Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life are urged to identify programmes for pastoral care which include provisions for psychological assistance and spiritual care. Pastors and those in charge of religious communities should be available to meet with victims and their loved ones; such meetings are valuable opportunities for listening to those have greatly suffered and for asking their forgiveness.

For all of these reasons, I now ask for your close and complete cooperation with the Commission for the Protection of Minors. The work I have entrusted to them includes providing assistance to you and your Conferences through an exchange of best practices and through programmes of education, training, and developing adequate responses to sexual abuse.

May the Lord Jesus instil in each of us, as ministers of the Church, the same love and affection for the little ones which characterized his own presence among us, and which in turn enjoins on us a particular responsibility for the welfare of children and vulnerable adults. May Mary Most Holy, Mother of tenderness and mercy, help us to carry out, generously and thoroughly, our duty to humbly acknowledge and repair past injustices and to remain ever faithful in the work of protecting those closest to the heart of Jesus. Source...

From the Vatican, 2 February 2015

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Pope Francis opens Year for Consecrated Life: Homily

Vatican Radio || 02 February 2015

Pope Francis delivered the homily on Monday afternoon at Mass in St. Peter's Basilica, being celebrated to mark the feast of the Presentation of the Lord and the World Day for Consecrated Life, in the context of the Year dedicated to the same.

Below, please find Vatican Radio's English translation of the Holy Father's prepared remarks.

Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

2 February 2015

Before our eyes we can picture Mother Mary as she walks, carrying the Baby Jesus in her arms. She brings him to the Temple; she presents him to the people; she brings him to meet his people.

The arms of Mother Mary are like the “ladder” on which the Son of God comes down to us, the ladder of God’s condescension. This is what we heard in the first reading, from the Letter to the Hebrews: Christ became “like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest” (Heb 2:17). This is the twofold path taken by Jesus: he descended, he became like us, in order then to ascend with us to the Father, making us like himself.

In our heart we can contemplate this double movement by imagining the Gospel scene of Mary who enters the Temple holding the Child in her arms. The Mother walks, yet it is the Child who goes before her. She carries him, yet he is leading her along the path of the God who comes to us so that we might go to him.

Jesus walked the same path as we do, and showed us a new way, the “new and living way” (cf. Heb 10:20) which is himself. For us too, as consecrated men and women, he opened a path.

Fully five times the Gospel speaks to us of Mary and Joseph’s obedience to the “law of the Lord” (cf. Lk 2:22-24,27,39). Jesus came not to do his own will, but the will of the Father. This way, he tells us, was his “food” (cf. Jn 4:34). In the same way, all those who follow Jesus must set out on the path of obedience, imitating as it were the Lord’s “condescension” by humbling themselves and making their own the will of the Father, even to self-emptying and abasement (cf. Phil 2:7-8). For a religious person, to progress is to lower oneself in service. A path like that of Jesus, who “did not count equality with God something to be grasped.”: to lower oneself, making oneself a servant, in order to serve.

This path, then, takes the form of the rule, marked by the charism of the founder. For all of us, the essential rule remains the Gospel, this abasement of Christ, yet the Holy Spirit, in his infinite creativity, also gives it expression in the various rules of the consecrated life, though all of these are born of that sequela Christi, from this path of self-abasement in service.

Through this “law” consecrated persons are able to attain wisdom, which is not an abstract attitude, but a work and a gift of the Holy Spirit, the sign and proof of which is joy. Yes, the mirth of the religious is a consequence of this journey of abasement with Jesus: and when we are sad, it would do us well to ask how we are living this kenotic dimension.

In the account of Jesus’ Presentation, wisdom is represented by two elderly persons, Simeon and Anna: persons docile to the Holy Spirit (He is named 4 times), led by him, inspired by him. The Lord granted them wisdom as the fruit of a long journey along the path of obedience to his law, an obedience which likewise humbles and abases – even as it also guards and guarantees hope – and now they are creative, for they are filled with the Holy Spirit. They even enact a kind of liturgy around the Child as he comes to the Temple. Simeon praises the Lord and Anna “proclaims” salvation (cf. Lk 2:28-32,38). As with Mary, the elderly man holds the Child, but in fact it is the Child who guides the elderly man. The liturgy of First Vespers of today’s feast puts this clearly and concisely: “senex puerum portabat, puer autem senem regebat”. Mary, the young mother, and Simeon, the kindly old man, hold the Child in their arms, yet it is the Child himself who guides both of them.

It is curious: here it is not young people who are creative: the young, like Mary and Joseph, follow the law of the Lord, the path of obedience. And the Lord turns obedience into wisdom by the working of his Holy Spirit. At times God can grant the gift of wisdom to a young person, but always as the fruit of obedience and docility to the Spirit. This obedience and docility is not something theoretical; it too is subject to the economy of the incarnation of the Word: docility and obedience to a founder, docility and obedience to a specific rule, docility and obedience to one’s superior, docility and obedience to the Church. It is always docility and obedience in the concrete.

In persevering along along the path of obedience, personal and communal wisdom matures, and thus it also becomes possible to adapt rules to the times. For true “aggiornamento” is the fruit of wisdom forged in docility and obedience.

The strengthening and renewal of consecrated life are the result of great love for the rule, and also the ability to look to and heed the elders of one’s congregation. In this way, the “deposit”, the charism of each religious family, is preserved by obedience and by wisdom, working together. And, along this journey, we are preserved from living our consecration lightly and in a disincarnate manner, as though it were a Gnosis, which would reduce itself to a “caricature” of the religious life, in which is realized a sequela – a following – that is without sacrifice, a prayer that is without encounter, a fraternal life that is without communion, an obedience without trust, a charity without transcendence.

Today we too, like Mary and Simeon, want to take Jesus into our arms, to bring him to his people. Surely we will be able to do so if we enter into the mystery in which Jesus himself is our guide. Let us bring others to Jesus, but let us also allow ourselves to be led by him. This is what we should be: guides who themselves are guided.

May the Lord, through the intercession of Mary our Mother, Saint Joseph and Saints Simeon and Anna, grant to all of us what we sought in today’s opening prayer: to “be presented [to him] fully renewed in spirit”. Amen. Source...

Pope Francis Warns of ‘globalization of indifference’ in his Message for Lent 2015

Vatican Information Service || 27 January 2015

The following is the full text of the Holy Father Francis' message for Lent 2015, entitled “Make your hearts firm”. The document was signed in the Vatican on 4 October 2014, the festivity of St. Francis of Assisi.

“Lent is a time of renewal for the whole Church, for each communities and every believer. Above all it is a 'time of grace'. God does not ask of us anything that he himself has not first given us. “We love because he first has loved us'. He is not aloof from us. Each one of us has a place in his heart. He knows us by name, he cares for us and he seeks us out whenever we turn away from him. He is interested in each of us; his love does not allow him to be indifferent to what happens to us. Usually, when we are healthy and comfortable, we forget about others (something God the Father never does): we are unconcerned with their problems, their sufferings and the injustices they endure. Our heart grows cold. As long as I am relatively healthy and comfortable, I do not think about those less well off. Today, this selfish attitude of indifference has taken on global proportions, to the extent that we can speak of a globalisation of indifference. It is a problem which we, as Christians, need to confront.

When the people of God are converted to his love, they find answers to the questions that history continually raises. One of the most urgent challenges which I would like to address in this Message is precisely the globalisation of indifference.

Indifference to our neighbour and to God also represents a real temptation for us Christians. Each year during Lent we need to hear once more the voice of the prophets who cry out and trouble our conscience.

God is not indifferent to our world; he so loves it that he gave his Son for our salvation. In the Incarnation, in the earthly life, death, and resurrection of the Son of God, the gate between God and man, between heaven and earth, opens once for all. The Church is like the hand holding open this gate, thanks to her proclamation of God’s word, her celebration of the sacraments and her witness of the faith which works through love. But the world tends to withdraw into itself and shut that door through which God comes into the world and the world comes to him. Hence the hand, which is the Church, must never be surprised if it is rejected, crushed and wounded.

God’s people, then, need this interior renewal, lest we become indifferent and withdraw into ourselves. To further this renewal, I would like to propose for our reflection three biblical texts.

1. 'If one member suffers, all suffer together' – The Church

The love of God breaks through that fatal withdrawal into ourselves which is indifference. The Church offers us this love of God by her teaching and especially by her witness. But we can only bear witness to what we ourselves have experienced. Christians are those who let God clothe them with goodness and mercy, with Christ, so as to become, like Christ, servants of God and others. This is clearly seen in the liturgy of Holy Thursday, with its rite of the washing of feet. Peter did not want Jesus to wash his feet, but he came to realise that Jesus does not wish to be just an example of how we should wash one another’s feet. Only those who have first allowed Jesus to wash their own feet can then offer this service to others. Only they have 'a part' with him and thus can serve others.

Lent is a favourable time for letting Christ serve us so that we in turn may become more like him. This happens whenever we hear the word of God and receive the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. There we become what we receive: the Body of Christ. In this body there is no room for the indifference which so often seems to possess our hearts. For whoever is of Christ, belongs to one body, and in him we cannot be indifferent to one another. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honoured, all the parts share its joy'.

The Church is the communio sanctorum not only because of her saints, but also because she is a communion in holy things: the love of God revealed to us in Christ and all his gifts. Among these gifts there is also the response of those who let themselves be touched by this love. In this communion of saints, in this sharing in holy things, no one possesses anything alone, but shares everything with others. And since we are united in God, we can do something for those who are far distant, those whom we could never reach on our own, because with them and for them, we ask God that all of us may be open to his plan of salvation.

2. 'Where is your brother?' – Parishes and Communities

All that we have been saying about the universal Church must now be applied to the life of our parishes and communities. Do these ecclesial structures enable us to experience being part of one body? A body which receives and shares what God wishes to give? A body which acknowledges and cares for its weakest, poorest and most insignificant members? Or do we take refuge in a universal love that would embrace the whole world, while failing to see the Lazarus sitting before our closed doors?

In order to receive what God gives us and to make it bear abundant fruit, we need to press beyond the boundaries of the visible Church in two ways.

In the first place, by uniting ourselves in prayer with the Church in heaven. The prayers of the Church on earth establish a communion of mutual service and goodness which reaches up into the sight of God. Together with the saints who have found their fulfilment in God, we form part of that communion in which indifference is conquered by love. The Church in heaven is not triumphant because she has turned her back on the sufferings of the world and rejoices in splendid isolation. Rather, the saints already joyfully contemplate the fact that, through Jesus’ death and resurrection, they have triumphed once and for all over indifference, hardness of heart and hatred. Until this victory of love penetrates the whole world, the saints continue to accompany us on our pilgrim way. Saint Therese of Lisieux, a Doctor of the Church, expressed her conviction that the joy in heaven for the victory of crucified love remains incomplete as long as there is still a single man or woman on earth who suffers and cries out in pain: 'I trust fully that I shall not remain idle in heaven; my desire is to continue to work for the Church and for souls'.

We share in the merits and joy of the saints, even as they share in our struggles and our longing for peace and reconciliation. Their joy in the victory of the Risen Christ gives us strength as we strive to overcome our indifference and hardness of heart.

In the second place, every Christian community is called to go out of itself and to be engaged in the life of the greater society of which it is a part, especially with the poor and those who are far away. The Church is missionary by her very nature; she is not self-enclosed but sent out to every nation and people.

Her mission is to bear patient witness to the One who desires to draw all creation and every man and woman to the Father. Her mission is to bring to all a love which cannot remain silent. The Church follows Jesus Christ along the paths that lead to every man and woman, to the very ends of the earth. In each of our neighbours, then, we must see a brother or sister for whom Christ died and rose again. What we ourselves have received, we have received for them as well. Similarly, all that our brothers and sisters possess is a gift for the Church and for all humanity.

Dear brothers and sisters, how greatly I desire that all those places where the Church is present, especially our parishes and our communities, may become islands of mercy in the midst of the sea of indifference!

3. 'Make your hearts firm!' – Individual Christians

As individuals too, we have are tempted by indifference. Flooded with news reports and troubling images of human suffering, we often feel our complete inability to help. What can we do to avoid being caught up in this spiral of distress and powerlessness?

First, we can pray in communion with the Church on earth and in heaven. Let us not underestimate the power of so many voices united in prayer! The '24 Hours for the Lord' initiative, which I hope will be observed on 13-14 March throughout the Church, also at the diocesan level, is meant to be a sign of this need for prayer.

Second, we can help by acts of charity, reaching out to both those near and far through the Church’s many charitable organisations. Lent is a favourable time for showing this concern for others by small yet concrete signs of our belonging to the one human family.

Third, the suffering of others is a call to conversion, since their need reminds me of the uncertainty of my own life and my dependence on God and my brothers and sisters. If we humbly implore God’s grace and accept our own limitations, we will trust in the infinite possibilities which God’s love holds out to us. We will also be able to resist the diabolical temptation of thinking that by our own efforts we can save the world and ourselves.

As a way of overcoming indifference and our pretensions to self-sufficiency, I would invite everyone to live this Lent as an opportunity for engaging in what Benedict XVI called a formation of the heart. A merciful heart does not mean a weak heart. Anyone who wishes to be merciful must have a strong and steadfast heart, closed to the tempter but open to God. A heart which lets itself be pierced by the Spirit so as to bring love along the roads that lead to our brothers and sisters. And, ultimately, a poor heart, one which realises its own poverty and gives itself freely for others.

During this Lent, then, brothers and sisters, let us all ask the Lord: 'Fac cor nostrum secundum cor tuum': Make our hearts like yours (Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus). In this way we will receive a heart which is firm and merciful, attentive and generous, a heart which is not closed, indifferent or prey to the globalisation of indifference.

It is my prayerful hope that this Lent will prove spiritually fruitful for each believer and every ecclesial community. I ask all of you to pray for me. May the Lord bless you and Our Lady keep you”.

Pope Francis Backtracks on 'rabbits' Comments, Praises Big Families

Aleteia || By Diane Montagna || 22 January 2015

Follows footsteps of predecessors, denies large families are cause of poverty

At this morning’s Wednesday General Audience in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, Pope Francis told the faithful that large families that welcome children are a true gift from God. He also said “we need to defend families from new forms of ideological colonization which threaten its identity and mission.”

In his words to pilgrims, Pope Francis said “it is a consolation and hope to see so many large families that welcome children as a true gift from God. They know that every child is a blessing.”

Papal Precedent

Of course, Pope Francis is not the first pontiff to extol the virtue and happiness present in a large family. Previous pontiffs have also singled out large families for fulsome praise. One of the most eloquent reflections on the beauty and joy of large families came from Venerable Pope Pius XII, who in in speaking to Directors of the Associations for Large Families of Rome and Italy in July 1958 said: “Large families are the most splendid flower-beds in the garden of the Church.”

In the same address, Venerable Pope Pius XII spoke of the “serenity of spirit to be found in parents who are surrounded by a rich abundance of young lives”. He said: “The joy that comes from the plentiful blessings of God breaks out in a thousand different ways and there is no fear that it will end. The brows of these fathers and mothers may be burdened with cares, but there is never a trace of that inner shadow that betrays anxiety of conscience or fear of an irreparable return to loneliness, Their youth never seems to fade away, as long as the sweet fragrance of a crib remains in the home, as long as the walls of the house echo to the silvery voices of children and grandchildren.”

The pontiff also described the manifold benefits of children having many siblings: “When there are many children, the youngsters are spared the boredom of loneliness and the discomfort of having to live in the midst of adults all the time. It is true that they may sometimes become so lively as to get on your nerves, and their disagreements may seem like small riots; but even their arguments play an effective role in the formation of character, as long as they are brief and superficial. Children in large families learn almost automatically to be careful of what they do and to assume responsibility for it, to have a respect for each other and help each other, to be open-hearted and generous. For them, the family is a little proving ground, before they move into the world outside, which will be harder on them and more demanding.”

Cause of Poverty?

Reflecting on the highlights of his recent apostolic journey to Sri Lanka and the Philippines at today's Wednesday audience, Pope Francis drew special attention to his meeting with families last Friday in Manila. Some, he said, have suggested that “families with many children, and the birth of so many children, are among the causes of poverty.”

But this morning he called this opinion “simplistic”, and suggested that the real driver of poverty is an economic system which “has removed the human person from the center and has replaced him with the god of money.”

“We are used to seeing people discarded,” he said. “This is the main reason for poverty, not large families.”

Senior Vatican Adviser for Communications, Greg Burke on Twitter today called the Pope's remarks at the General Audience a "Rabbit-Reframe".

Here below we publish the full text of Pope Francis’ address.

***

Dear brothers and sisters,

Good morning. Today I will reflect on the Apostolic Journey to Sri Lanka and the Philippines that I made last week. Following my visit to Korea some months ago, I again went to Asia, a continent rich in cultural and spiritual traditions. The journey was a joy-filled encounter with the Catholic communities that bear witness to Christ in those countries. I confirmed them in the faith and in their missionary endeavors. I will always treasure the memory of the joyous welcome of the crowds — indeed, in some cases oceanic — that accompanied the defining moments of the visit. I also encouraged interreligious dialogue in the service of peace, and the journey of those peoples toward unity and social development, especially with the active involvement of families and young people.

The culminating moment of my stay in Sri Lanka was the canonization of the great missionary, Joseph Vaz . This holy priest administered the Sacraments, often in secret, to the faithful, but he helped all those in need without distinction. His example of holiness and love of neighbor continues to inspire the Church in Sri Lanka in its apostolate of charity and education. I pointed to Saint Joseph Vaz as a model for all Christians who today are called to propose the saving truth of the Gospel in a multi-religious context, with respect for others, with perseverance and humility.

Sri Lanka is a country of great natural beauty whose people are seeking to rebuild unity after a long and tragic civil conflict. In my meeting with government authorities I emphasized the importance of dialogue, respect for human dignity, and the effort to involve everyone in finding suitable solutions ordered to reconciliation and the common good.

The different religions have a significant role to play in this respect. My meeting with religious leaders was a confirmation of the good relations that already exist between the various communities. In this context, I wished to encourage the cooperation already undertaken between the followers of the various religious traditions, also for the sake of healing with the balm of forgiveness those who still are plagued by sufferings of recent years. The theme of reconciliation also characterized my visit to the shrine of Our Lady of Madhu, which is greatly venerated by the Tamil and Sinhalese populations and is a place of pilgrimage for members of other religions. In that holy place we asked our Mother Mary to obtain for all the people of Sri Lanka the gift of unity and peace.

From Sri Lanka I departed for the Philippines, where the Church is preparing to celebrate the 5th centenary of the arrival of the Gospel. It is the foremost Catholic country in Asia, and the Filipino people are well known for their deep faith, their religiosity and their enthusiasm, also in the diaspora. In my meeting with the national authorities, as well as in times of prayer and during the crowded closing Mass, I emphasized the continued fruitfulness of the Gospel and its ability to inspire a society worthy of man, where there is room for the dignity of each individual and the aspirations of the Filipino people.

The main purpose of the visit, and the reason I decided to go to the Philippines — the main reason — was to be able to express my closeness to our brothers and sisters who suffered the devastation of Typhoon Yolanda. I went to Tacloban, the region most severely affected, where I paid homage to the faith and resilience of the local population. In Tacloban, unfortunately, the adverse weather conditions caused another innocent victim: the young volunteer Kristel, who was overwhelmed and killed by scaffolding that had blown over by the wind. I also thanked all those from across the globe who have responded to their needs with a generous supply of aid. The power of God’s love revealed in the mystery of the Cross was made evident in the spirit of solidarity shown by the many acts of charity and sacrifice that marked those dark days.

The meetings with families and young people in Manila were defining moments of my visit to the Philippines. Good families are essential to the life of society. It is a consolation and hope to see so many large families that welcome children as a true gift from God. They know that every child is a blessing. I have heard it said by some that families with many children, and the birth of so many children, are among the causes of poverty. This seems to me a simplistic opinion. I can say, we can all say, that the principle cause of poverty is an economic system that has removed the human person from the center and has replaced him with the god of money; an economic system that excludes, and excludes always: it excludes children, the elderly, young people without work — and that creates the throwaway culture in which we live today. We are used to seeing people discarded. This is the main reason for poverty, not large families.

Calling to mind the figure of St Joseph, who protected the life of the “Santo Niño” [the Holy Child], so greatly venerated in that country, I recalled that families, who are facing various threats, must be protected so that they may witness to the beauty of the family according to the plan of God. We also need to defend families from new forms of ideological colonization which threaten its identity and mission.

And it was a joy for me to be with the young people of the Philippines, to listen to their hopes and their concerns. I wanted to offer them my encouragement in their efforts to contribute to the renewal of society, especially through service to the poor and the protection of the natural environment. Care for the poor is an essential element of our Christian life and witness — I also mentioned this during the visit; it involves the rejection of all forms of corruption, because corruption steals from the poor and requires a culture of honesty.

I thank the Lord for this pastoral visit to Sri Lanka and the Philippines. I ask him to bless always these two countries and to confirm the fidelity of Christians to the Gospel message of our redemption, reconciliation and communion with Christ.

After his address, the Pope said to all the English-speaking pilgrims who were present:

I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, including the various groups from the United Kingdom, Switzerland, New Zealand, Japan and the United States of America. Upon you and your families I invoke grace and peace in the Lord Jesus. God bless you all! Source...

Pope Francis' Closing Homily In Manila: "Remember Your Deepest Identity And Protect Your Family"

Aleteia || By Diane Montagna || 18 January 2015

Largest papal event in history draws 6 million Filipinos on the feast of the Santo Niño (Holy Child)

In his homily on the feast of Santo Niño [the Holy Child] in Manila on Sunday, Pope Francis called the faithful to see in the Child Jesus their deepest identity and to protect their families against the devil’s insidious attacks against it.

Speaking to an enormous estimated crowd of 6 million faithful in Rizal Park, site to the 1995 World Youth Day, the Pope said that the image of the Child Jesus, which accompanied the Christianization of the Philippines, continues to remind us of “the link between God’s Kingdom and the mystery of spiritual childhood”.

The Santo Niño, he said, reminds us of our deepest identity. “In Christ we have become God’s adopted children, brothers and sisters in Christ. This is who we are. This is our identity.”

Yet Pope Francis also noted that the world and the devil seek to make us forget the truth of who we are.

“The devil is the father of lies,” he said. “Often he hides his snares behind the appearance of sophistication, the allure of being ‘modern’, ‘like everyone else’. He distracts us with the view of ephemeral pleasures, superficial pastimes. And so we squander our God-given gifts by tinkering with gadgets; we squander our money on gambling and drink; we turn in our ourselves. We forget to remain focused on the things that really matter."

“We forget to remain, at heart, children of God,” he said. “This is sin: to forget, in one’s heart, to be children of God.”

The Holy Child also reminds us that this identity, and our families, must be protected, the Pope observed.

“Sadly, in our day, the family all too often needs to be protected against insidious attacks and programs contrary to all that we hold true and sacred, all that is most beautiful and noble in our culture,” he said. “Specifically,” he added, “we need to see each child as a gift to be welcomed, cherished and protected.”

Pope Francis’ words follow his address to families Friday, in which he spoke of an “ideological colonization” that is seeking to destroy the family and reaffirmed the Church’s teaching set forth by Blessed Pope Paul VI in Humanae Vitae.

His comments come in the wake of the Filipino President Benigno Aquino’s signing of a controversial reproductive health bill that would require government-sanctioned sex education for adults, middle and high school students, and a population control program that includes fully subsidized contraceptives under government health insurance.

The Pope concluded his remarks by commending the Filipino faithful to the Santo Niño, asking that he continue to bless the Philippines and sustain Christians in their vocation to be witnesses and missionaries of the joy of the Gospel, in Asia and in the whole world.

The image of the Santo Niño of Cebú [the Holy Child of Cebu] is the oldest religious relic in the Philippines and is considered by many Filipinos to be miraculous.

The 12-inch wooden statue depicting the Child Jesus clothed in royal attire is thought to have been made by Flemish artists and was presented in April 1521 as a baptismal gift by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan to the newly baptized wife of the Rajah Humabon (baptized Charles V).

The image is one of the most beloved and venerated icons in the Philippines. It is housed in the Minor Basilica of Santo Niño, built on the site where, in April 1565, the statue was found in a pine box amidst the ruins of a burnt house believed to have miraculously survived.

When Blessed Pope Paul VI made the shrine a basilica in 1965, he stated that the image of the Santo Niño was “the symbol of the birth and grown of Christianity in the Philippines.” Pope St. John Paul II also acknowledged the Santo Niño’s providential role in the Christianization of the island.

The feast of the Santo Niño is liturgically celebrated on the third Sunday of January. Its special significance for the Filipino people undoubtedly contributed to the enormous turn out for the event.

“The official number that has been given to us is between six and seven million,” Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi told reporters Sunday at a press conference in Manila. He acknowledged that the figures included the faithful who attended the Mass as well as those aligning the Pope’s route.

This surpasses the estimated 5 million people who attended World Youth Day in Manila with Pope St. John Paul II in 1995. Source...

Diane Montagna is Rome correspondent for Aleteia’s English edition.

Pope Francis Defends Freedom of Expression, Admits Limits

CANAA || Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla || 15 January 2015

Pope Francis has defended the right to freedom of speech and expression, but hastily admitted that the same right has a limit and that people need to refrain from ridiculing the faith of other people.

The remarks are against the background of the Paris terrorist attacks in which seventeen people died, among them, eight staff of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, a visitor to the magazine, a caretaker, three police officers as well as four people at a Jewish supermarket. Three attackers were killed by the French security forces.

According to reports, the Pontiff described free speech as “a right and a duty that must be displayed without offending.”

The Pope was responding to journalists during a press conference en route from Sri Lanka to the Philippines in his second and final leg of his journey to Asia.

According to a report by Vatican Radio, Pope Francis was asked by a French journalist about the relationship between freedom of religion and freedom of expression. He replied saying that both are "fundamental human rights" and stressed that killing in the name of God “is an aberration.”

“There are so many people who speak badly about religions or other religions, who make fun of them, who make a game out of the religions of others,” a report quoted Pope Francis as saying.

“If my good friend Dr. Gasparri says a curse word against my mother, he can expect a punch”, the report quotes the Pontiff as saying as he threw a pretend punch in the direction of his associate, adding, “It’s normal. You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others.”

Dr. Alberto Gasparri organizes the papal trips and was standing by the Pope’s side on the plane during the press conference.

The Pontiff also spoke about climate change and blamed human beings who have “exploited nature too much.”

He made reference to his forthcoming encyclical on ecology and expressed the hope that the document will encourage negotiators at a climate change meeting in Paris to make “courageous decisions” to protect God’s creation.

According to Vatican Radio, the Pope also shared about the priorities for his pastoral visit to the Philippines, which translate to solidarity with the poor, including those who suffered during the 2013 typhoon and those who “face so many injustices, social spiritual, existential.”

Earlier in a pastoral letter, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Archdiocese of Manila described the Pope’s visit to his country as an opportunity “to experience grace, to hear callings, to disturb comfort zones, to value the poor, to renew society, to care for creation and to live honourably.”

The Philippines is the third largest Catholic country in the world, after Brazil and Mexico.

Pope Francis Strongly Defends Criticisms of Capitalism, New Interview

National Catholic Reporter || By Joshua J. McElwee || 11 January, 2015

Pope Francis strongly defends his repeated criticisms of the global market economy in a new interview released Sunday, rebutting those who accuse him of "pauperism" by saying he is only repeating Jesus' message of caring for the poor.

"Jesus affirms that you cannot serve two masters, God and wealth," Francis states in the interview, bluntly asking: "Is it pauperism?"

"Jesus tells us that it is the 'protocol' on the basis of which we will be judged, it is what we read in Chapter 25 of Matthew: I had hunger, I had thirst, I was in prison, I was sick, I was naked and you helped me: dressed me, visited me, you took care of me," the pontiff continues.

"This is the touchstone," he states, asking again: "Is it pauperism? No, it is the Gospel."

"The Gospel message is a message open to all," the pope continues. "The Gospel does not condemn the rich but idolatry of wealth, that idolatry that renders [us] insensitive to the cries of the poor."

Francis makes his remarks in an interview published Sunday by the Italian daily La Stampa.

The latest in several explosive interviews given by the pontiff since his March 2013 election, Sunday's interview finds Francis answering wide-ranging questions concerning his view on capitalism and obliquely responding to critiques -- made especially by some U.S. conservatives -- that he does not understand economics.

Sunday's interview is an excerpt from an upcoming book by two of La Stampa's Vatican watchers: Andrea Tornielli and Giacomo Galeazzi.

The book, titled Pope Francis: This Economy Kills, is being released in Italy Tuesday. It recounts and analyzes the discourses, documents and interventions of the pope on the themes of poverty, immigration, social justice, and safeguarding of creation.

The book concludes with an interview given by Francis to the authors in October 2014, from which La Stampa excerpted at length in Sunday's edition of the paper.

Following are excerpts of the interview translated from the Italian by NCR.

Responding to a question to the pope of whether the progress of capitalism over the past decades is "irreversible."

I recognize that globalization has helped many people to rise from poverty, but it has condemned many others to hunger. It's true that in absolute terms it grows world wealth, but it also increased the disparity and the new kinds of poverty.

What I notice is that this system is maintained with the culture of waste, of which I have already spoken several times. There is a politics, sociology, and also an attitude of rejection.

When at the center of the system there is not anymore man but money, when money becomes an idol, men and women are reduced and simply instruments of a social system and an economy characterized, indeed dominated by deep imbalances.

... It is that attitude that rejects children and old people, and now also affects young people. I have the impression that in the developed countries there are many millions of young people under 25 years that don't have work. I have called them "nor-nor", because they don't study and they don't work: they don't study because they don't have possibility to do so, don't work because they can't find it.

But I would like to also remember that the culture of waste refuses children also with abortion. It strikes me the rates of birth so low here in Italy: Like this you lose the link with the future.

Many times I ask myself: Which will be the next waste? We have to stop it in time. Let's stop it, please!

And therefore, searching for a response to the question, I would say: Let's not consider this state of things irreversible; let's not resign ourselves to it. Let's search to construct a society and an economy where man and his good, and not money, may be the center.

Responding to a question of whether the capitalist system needs more ethical guidance, or complete restructuring:

Many times various heads of state and political leaders that I had the power to meet after my election as Bishop of Rome have spoken with me of this. They said: You religious leaders must help us; give us ethical indications.

Yes, the pastor can make his calls, but I am convinced that there may be need, like Benedict XVI remembered in the encyclical "Caritas in Veritate," of men and women with their arms raised towards God to pray, aware that love and sharing from which authentic development proceeds, is not a product of our hands, but a gift to be asked.

And at the same time I am convinced that there may be [a] need that these men and these women commit -- at every level, in the society, in politics, in economic institutions -- [to] putting at the center the common good.

We cannot wait more to resolve the structural causes of poverty, to heal our society from a disease that can only lead to new crises. Markets and financial speculation cannot enjoy absolute autonomy.

Without a solution to the problems of the poor we cannot resolve the problems of the world. They serve programs, mechanisms and processes oriented to a better allocation of resources, creation of work, [and] integral promotion of those who are excluded.

Responding to a question regarding the "disturbing" charges of pauperism:

Pauperism is a caricature of the Gospel and of the same poverty. Instead, Saint Francis has helped us to find the profound links between poverty and the evangelical path.

Jesus affirms that you cannot serve two masters, God and wealth. Is it pauperism? Jesus tells us that it is the "protocol" on the basis of which we will be judged, it is what we read in chapter 25 of Matthew: I had hunger, I had thirst, I was in prison, I was sick, I was naked and you helped me: dressed, visited, you took care of me.

Every time that we do this to our brother, we do this to Jesus. To have care of our neighbor: who is poor, who suffers in the spirit, who is in need. This is the touchstone. Is it pauperism? No, it is the Gospel.

Poverty is far from idolatry, from feeling self-sufficient. Zacchaeus, after crossing the merciful gaze of Jesus, donated half of his possessions to the poor. The Gospel message is a message open to all, the Gospel does not condemn the rich but idolatry of wealth, that idolatry that renders insensitive to the cries of the poor.

Jesus has said that before offering our gifts in front of the altar we must reconcile ourselves with our brother to be at peace with him. I believe we can, for analogy, extend this request even to being at peace with these poor brothers.

Responding to a question asking for examples to underline his continuity with the tradition of the church:

A month before the opening of the Second Vatican Council, Pope John XXIII said: "The church presents how it is and wants to be, like a church of all, and particularly a church of the poor."

In the following years, the preferential choice for the poor entered in the documents of the magisterium. Someone could think it new, while instead it is an attention that has its origins in the Gospel and is documented already in the first centuries of Christianity.

If I might have repeated some passages of the homilies of the first fathers of the church, from the second or third century, on how we should treat the poor, there might be someone who accuses me that mine is a Marxist homily.

[Repeating from Paul VI's 1967 encyclical "Popolorum Progressio"]: private property does not constitute an unconditional and absolute right, and that no one is authorized to reserve for their exclusive use what he does not need, when others lack necessities.

As can be seen, this attention to the poor is in the Gospel, and in the tradition of the church, it is not an invention of Communism and [we] need not ideologize it, like sometimes happened in the course of history.

When the Church invites us to win what I have called the "globalization of indifference" it is far from any interest and any political ideology: It moves only from the words that Jesus wanted to offer; wants to make its contribution to building a world where you watch over one another, and we take care of each other. Source...

[Joshua J. McElwee is NCR Vatican correspondent. His email address is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow him on Twitter: @joshjmac.]

Pope Francis Strongly Condemns Paris Attack, Joins the French in Mourning

CANAA || Fr. Don Bosco Onyalla || 08 January, 2015

Pope Francis has strongly condemned the Wednesday attack in Paris, France, describing it as “horrendous” and terming it “homicidal violence [which] is abominable and never justifiable.”

On Wednesday, three heavily armed men stormed the offices of the Paris-based satirical French magazine, Charlie Hebdo. The attack claimed the lives of 12 people. According to a BBC report, “Eight journalists - including the magazine's editor - died along with a caretaker, a visitor and two policemen when masked men armed with assault rifles stormed the Charlie Hebdo offices during an editorial meeting on Wednesday.”

According to a statement issued by the director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., Pope Francis called for nurturing the respect for others. Below is the statement as reported by Vatican Information Service.

The Holy Father expresses his strongest condemnation of the horrendous attack this morning that plunged the city of Paris into mourning, claiming a large number of victims, sowing death and causing consternation throughout the whole of French society, and profoundly disturbing all those who favour peace, well beyond the French borders.

Pope Francis participates in prayer in the suffering of the wounded and of the families of the deceased, and urges opposition by every means to the propagation of hate and every form of violence, both physical and moral, that destroys human life, violates the dignity of human beings, and radically undermines the foundations of peaceful co-existence between persons and peoples, notwithstanding differences of nationality, religion and culture.

Whatever the motive may be, homicidal violence is abominable and never justifiable; the life and dignity of all must be guaranteed and protected decisively, every incitement to hate must be denied, and respect for others must be nurtured.

The Pope expresses his closeness, his spiritual solidarity and his support for all those who, in accordance with their various responsibilities, continue to make constant efforts for peace, justice and the rule of law, to heal the causes and sources of hate in this painful and dramatic moment, in France and in every part of the world affected by tensions and violence.

On Thursday morning, Pope Francis celebrated Mass for the victims of the attack at the Sanctae Marthae Chapel.

“The attack makes us think of great cruelty, human cruelty; of such terrorism, both isolated terrorism and state terrorism. The cruelty of which man is capable! Let us pray, in this Mass, for the victims of this cruelty. So many of them! And let us also pray for those who perform these cruel acts, so that the Lord might transform their hearts,” Vatican Information Service quoted the Pope as saying.

Meanwhile, Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin has sent a telegram on behalf of the Holy Father to Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois, archbishop of Paris, France. Here below is the full text of the telegram.

Upon learning of the terrible attack in Paris on the offices of 'Charlie Hebdo', which has claimed numerous victims, His Holiness Pope Francis joins in prayer with the suffering of the bereaved families and the sadness of all the French people. He entrusts the victims to God, full of mercy, and prays that He will welcome them in His light. He expresses his deepest sympathy for the injured and their families, and asks that the Lord console and comfort them in their ordeal. The Holy Father reiterates his condemnation of the violence that generates such suffering, and praying that God grant the gift of peace, he invokes a divine blessing for the afflicted families and the French people.

On Thursday, a minute's silence was held in public spaces in France at midday.

According to a BBC report, “twenty imams joined hundreds gathered outside the offices of Charlie Hebdo to express sympathy for the victims.”

Vatican Asks for Input on 2015 Synod on Family Life

National Catholic Reporter || By Joshua J. McElwee || 09 December, 2014

For the second time in two years, the Vatican has asked national bishops' conferences around the world to seek input from Catholics at "all levels" about how the church should respond to sometimes difficult questions of modern family life, such as divorce and remarriage.

Issuing a document in preparation for a second worldwide meeting of Catholic bishops on family life next year, the Vatican has also stressed the need for mercy in responding to such difficult situations -- even asking the bishops to avoid basing their pastoral care solely on current Catholic doctrine.

The call for input came Tuesday in a document released by the Vatican's Office for the Synod of Bishops, which in October 2015 will to host the second of two global bishops' meetings called by Pope Francis for 2014 and 2015.

The document is partly a summary of the last meeting in October and partly a series of 46 questions meant to help prepare for the next synod. The Vatican synod office is sending the document in coming days to bishops' conferences around the world.

In its preface, Tuesday's document states that the questions are aimed "an in-depth examination of the work initiated" at the last synod.

"The proposed questions which follow ... are intended to assist the bishops' conferences in their reflection and to avoid, in their responses, a formulation of pastoral care based simply on an application of doctrine, which would not respect the conclusions of the Extraordinary Synodal Assembly and would lead their reflection far from the path already indicated," the document states.

Quoting the final document from the 2014 synod, it continues: "It is a matter of re-thinking 'with renewed freshness and enthusiasm, what revelation, transmitted in the Church's faith, tells us about the beauty, the role and the dignity of the family.' "

"For this purpose, the episcopal conferences are asked to choose a suitable manner of involving all components of the particular churches and academic institutions, organizations, lay movement and other ecclesial associations," the document states.

Later in the document, the instructions to the national bishops' conferences are made even more explicit when the Vatican's synod office tells them to involve "all levels" of the church in their analysis of the questions provided.

"It is important to be guided by the pastoral approach initiated at the Extraordinary Synod which is grounded in Vatican II and the Magisterium of Pope Francis," the document states later.

"The episcopal conferences have the responsibility to continue to examine ... thoroughly and seek the involvement, in the most opportune manner possible, all levels of the local Church, thus providing concrete instances from their specific situations," it continues.

"Every effort should be made not to begin anew, but to continue on the path undertaken in the Extraordinary Synod as a point of departure," it states.

The 2015 synod is to be held Oct. 4-25, 2015, at the Vatican on the theme: "The Vocation and Mission of the Family in the Church and Contemporary World." It follows the 2014 synod, held Oct. 5-19, on the theme: "Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization."

The 2014 synod, known as an extraordinary synod, mainly involved the presidents of the world's bishops' conferences. The 2015 synod, known as an ordinary synod, is to be much larger, involving several elected representatives from each bishops' conference.

The 2014 synod was likewise preceded by a questionnaire sent to bishops' conferences around the world, which spurred a massive response from the conferences and also from lay Catholics globally.

Tuesday's document includes the final document of the 2014 synod as a Lineamenta, or an initial preparatory document for the 2015 synod. It then has eight pages of questions, 46 queries in all, to be used by the global bishops' conferences in studying the 2014 synod document and in preparing for the 2015 synod.

Beyond quoting from the final 2014 synod document, the questions also quote extensively from Francis' apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium ("The Joy of the Gospel"), stressing common themes of Francis' papacy so far, such as mercy and being a church that goes to the peripheries of society.

One of the 46 questions takes the theme of mercy head-on, asking: "How can people be helped to understand that no one is beyond the mercy of God and how can this truth be expressed in the Church's pastoral activity towards families, especially those which are wounded and fragile?"

The questions for the bishops' conferences are split into three parts, following the sections of the 2014 synod's final document. In the final series of questions, the bishops are asked to consider how the church cares for "wounded families," such as single-parent families or those who are separated or divorced and remarried.

Recapping discussions at the 2014 synod, the document states: "The Pastors at the Synod asked themselves -- in an open and courageous manner but not without concern and caution -- how the Church is to regard Catholics who are united in a civil bond, those who simply live together and those who, after a valid marriage, are divorced and remarried civilly."

Quoting Evangelii Gaudium, the document continues: "In the synod discussion it was evidenced the need for a pastoral line based on the art of accompaniment, 'the pace of [which] must be steady and reassuring, reflecting our closeness and our compassionate gaze which also heals, liberates and encourages growth in the Christian life.' "

One question asks: "Is the Christian community in a position to undertake the care of all wounded families so that they can experience the Father's mercy? How does the Christian community engage in removing the social and economic factors that often determine this situation? What steps have been taken and what can be done to increase this activity and the sense of mission which sustains it?"

Another question addresses the situation of divorced and remarried persons specifically, saying: "With regard to the divorced and remarried, pastoral practice concerning the sacraments needs to be further studied, including assessment of the Orthodox practice and taking into account 'the distinction between an objective sinful situation and extenuating circumstances.'"

"What are the prospects in such a case?" that question asks. "What is possible? What suggestions can be offered to resolve forms of undue or unnecessary impediments?"

Current doctrine prohibits Catholics who are divorced from remarrying without receiving an annulment of their first marriage. While such Catholics are currently prohibited from receiving Communion, the 2014 synod discussed that prohibition in light of practices in the Eastern Orthodox churches that allow for second, non-sacramental marital unions.

Tuesday's document also addresses a question to the bishops about pastoral care for gay people, but calls them "persons with homosexual tendencies."

"The pastoral care of persons with homosexual tendencies poses new challenges today, due to the manner in which their rights are proposed in society," the document states.

"How can the Christian community give pastoral attention to families with persons with homosexual tendencies?" the document asks. "What are the responses that, in light of cultural sensitivities, are considered to be most appropriate?"

"While avoiding any unjust discrimination, how can such persons receive pastoral care in these situations in light of the Gospel?" it continues. "How can God's will be proposed to them in their situation?"

The Vatican document also touches upon the church's prohibition of the use of contraception, outlined in Pope Paul VI's 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae.

"What are the most significant steps that have been taken to announce and effectively promote the beauty and dignity of becoming a mother or father, in light, for example, Humanae Vitae of Blessed Pope Paul VI?" the document asks. "How can dialogue be promoted with sciences and biomedical technologies in a way that respects the human ecology of reproduction?"

Among the range of other questions directed at the bishops' conferences, the Vatican also asks:

How church teachings might better be promoted and known.

"The Church's Magisterium in all its richness needs to be better known by the People of God," the document states. "Marital spirituality is nourished by the constant teaching of the Pastors, who care for the flock, and grow through their continual attentiveness to the Word of God and to the sacraments of faith and charity."

"What initiatives in catechesis can be developed and fostered to make known and offer assistance to persons in living the Church's teaching on the family, above all in surmounting any possible discrepancy between what is lived and what is professed and in leading to a process of conversion?" the document asks.
How the Catholic theological notion of the indissolubility of marriage can better be respected.

"What is being done to demonstrate the greatness and beauty of the gift of indissolubility so as to prompt a desire to live it and strengthen it more and more?" the document asks.

"How can people be made to understand that Christian marriage corresponds to the original plan of God and, thus, one of fulfillment and not confinement?" it asks at a different point.
How the church might provide "pastoral care" to those living together outside of marriage.

"What criteria in a proper pastoral discernment of individual situations are being considered in light of the Church's teaching in which the primary elements of marriage are unity, indissolubility and openness to life?" the document asks.

"Is the Christian community able to be pastorally involved in these situations?" it asks at a different point. "How can it assist in discerning the positive and negative elements in the life of persons united in a civil marriage so as to guide and sustain them on a path of growth and conversion towards the Sacrament of Matrimony? How can those living together be assisted to decide to marry?"

The Vatican has so far published Tuesday's document online only in Italian, but it is expected to be translated into various languages before being sent to the global bishops' conferences.

The episcopal conferences are expected to be given some months to organize their responses to the document's questions, which are to be sent to the Vatican's synod office in order to be used to create a working document, known formally as an Instrumentum Laboris, for the 2015 synod.

Responses to the questionnaire for the 2014 synod somewhat overwhelmed the Vatican synod office: It received tens of thousands of pages of responses from bishops, lay groups and lay people. Source...

[Joshua J. McElwee is NCR Vatican correspondent. His email address is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow him on Twitter: @joshjmac.]

Accounts of ex-Vatican Bank Managers Frozen, Hundreds of Millions of Euros off Vatican’s Balance Sheet Discovered

Reuters || By Philip Pullella || 06 December, 2014

The Vatican's top prosecutor has frozen 16 million euros in bank accounts owned by two former Vatican bank managers and a lawyer as part of an investigation into the sale of Vatican-owned real estate in the 2000s, according to the freezing order and other legal documents.

Prosecutor Gian Piero Milano said he suspected the three men, former bank president Angelo Caloia, ex-director general Lelio Scaletti, and lawyer Gabriele Liuzzo, of embezzling money while managing the sale of 29 buildings sold by the Vatican bank to mainly Italian buyers between 2001 and 2008, according to a copy of the freezing order reviewed by Reuters.

The money in the three men's bank accounts "stems from embezzlement they were engaged in," Milano said in the October 27 sequester order.

Milano's investigation follows an audit of the Vatican bank by non-Vatican financial consultants commissioned last year by the bank's current management. The Vatican bank earlier this year also filed a legal complaint against the three men. The men have not been charged.

The Vatican spokesman on Saturday issued a statement confirming the freezing but gave no names, amounts or other details.

The Vatican bank said in a separate statement that it had pressed charges against the three as part of its "commitment to transparency and zero tolerance, including with regard to matters that relate to a more distant past". The bank statement also gave no details, citing "the ongoing judicial enquiry".

The investigation is part of a drive to improve the transparency of the Vatican administration and finances, an endeavor that has accelerated under Pope Francis. The Argentine pontiff was elected in 2013 with a mandate to make the Roman Catholic Church more accountable to its 1.2 billion faithful.

Liuzzo, 91, confirmed in a telephone interview that his bank accounts had been frozen. He said the prosecutor’s allegations were "rubbish" and that all money from the sales of the buildings had gone to the bank.

Caloia, 75, did not respond to emailed questions and phone calls to his home and office requesting comment. Scaletti, 88, did not respond to messages left at his home.

The period relating to property sales covers seven years, and two papacies, when the Vatican's administration often operated without oversight.

INFLUENTIAL BANK

John Paul II was incapacitated by illness for years before his death in 2005. His successor, former Pope Benedict, is a theologian who Vatican officials say did not focus on management issues.

During these years, the Curia, as the Church's central administration is known, was marked by feuding among Vatican departments and leaks of papal documents. The tensions were a reason Benedict resigned in early 2013, people close to the former pope say.

The bank, officially known as the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR), is the core of Vatican finances, but its influence stretches beyond Holy See walls, because of tight relations between the religious city-state and Italy.

In recent years, it has changed management and closed hundreds of accounts in order to comply with international anti-money-laundering and anti-financial crimes laws.

Last year, Ernst von Freyberg, a German businessman who ran the bank from March 2013 to July 2014 and worked to apply international financial standards, commissioned an independent audit of the sale of properties that had been owned by the bank.

The audit, which was reviewed by Reuters, details the sales of the 29 buildings, which are largely in Rome and Milan.

In the freezing order, Milano said Caloia and Scaletti regularly under-represented the proceeds from real estate sales in the Vatican bank’s official books. The men allegedly received the difference between the real sale prices and the amount officially recorded separately and often in cash, according to the order.

Some of the proceeds were deposited in a Rome bank account that was not registered in the bank's balance sheet, the prosecutor said. An estimated 57 million euros were allegedly siphoned off illegally between 2001 and 2008, he said. Liuzzi, the legal consultant, received part of the funds, the freezing order added.

In the phone interview, Liuzzi said he had always acted according to the orders of the bank president and director general.

It is not clear whether Milano has finished his investigation. According to a person close to the probe, the prosecutor could seek to involve Italian authorities because most of the sales took place in Italy.

(additional reporting by Alessandra Galloni and Paolo Biondi, editing by Alessandra Galloni and Janet McBride)

Meanwhile, according to the Catholic Herald of 03 December, 2014,

Vatican reformers have discovered hundreds of millions of euros that did not appear on the Holy See’s balance sheet, the cardinal charged with sorting out the Curia’s financial affairs has said.

Writing exclusively in the first issue of the new Catholic Herald magazine, Cardinal George Pell says that the discovery means that the Vatican’s finances are healthier than they first appeared.

He writes: “It is important to point out that the Vatican is not broke. Apart from the pension fund, which needs to be strengthened for the demands on it in 15 or 20 years, the Holy See is paying its way, while possessing substantial assets and investments.

“In fact, we have discovered that the situation is much healthier than it seemed, because some hundreds of millions of euros were tucked away in particular sectional accounts and did not appear on the balance sheet. It is another question, impossible to answer, whether the Vatican should have much larger reserves.”

Cardinal Pell was appointed prefect of the newly created Secretariat for the Economy in February, making him the most senior English-speaking official in the Vatican.

He explains that reformers had to tackle an ingrained sense of independence among Vatican departments.

“I once read that Pope Leo XIII sent an apostolic visitor to Ireland to report on the Catholic Church there,” he writes. “On his return, the Holy Father’s first question was: ‘How did you find the Irish bishops?’ The visitor replied that he could not find any bishops, but only 25 popes.

“So it was with the Vatican finances. Congregations, Councils and, especially, the Secretariat of State enjoyed and defended a healthy independence. Problems were kept ‘in house’ (as was the custom in most institutions, secular and religious, until recently). Very few were tempted to tell the outside world what was happening, except when they needed extra help.”

The cardinal suggests that for centuries unscrupulous figures took advantage of the Vatican’s financial naïvety and secretive procedures.

Vatican finances were unregulated and allowed to “lurch along, disregarding modern accounting standards”. But no longer: new structures and organisations are bringing Vatican finances into the 21st century, and making their workings transparent, with full accountability.

The cardinal writes: “A German princess once told me that many used to think of the Vatican as being like an old noble family slowly sliding towards bankruptcy. They were expected to be incompetent, extravagant and easy pickings for thieves. Already this misapprehension is dissolving.

“Donors expect their gifts to be handled efficiently and honestly, so that the best returns are achieved to finance the works of the Church, especially those aimed at preaching the Gospel and helping the poor escape from poverty. A Church for the poor should not be poorly managed.”

Cardinal Pell says the involvement of lay experts is a fundamental part of the financial reforms. In the New Year, the Vatican will name a lay person as auditor general. This new figure will be answerable to the Pope, but autonomous and able to conduct audits of any agency of the Holy See at any time.

“These reforms are designed to make all Vatican financial agencies boringly successful, so that they do not merit much press attention,” the cardinal writes. “Such ambitions cannot ensure that we will not find some static on the lines in the next year or so. But we are heading in the right direction.”

The cardinal also discloses that bishops around the world are eager to learn lessons from the Vatican’s financial overhaul.

“The responsibilities of the Secretariat for the Economy are limited to the Holy See, Vatican City State and the almost 200 entities directly answerable to the Vatican,” he writes. “But already some cardinals and bishops have wondered aloud whether the new set of financial procedures and chart of accounts, introduced in November this year in the Vatican, might be sent to bishops’ conferences for consideration and use. This is something for the future.”

Pope-Patriarch Meeting Moved Churches Closer to Unity, Experts Say

Aleteia || By John Burger || 03 December, 2014

Choice of words, gestures make big difference in ongoing dialogue.

In words and gestures, Pope Francis and the Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch moved the dialogue between the Eastern and Western Church a few steps closer to full communion this past weekend, say theological experts in the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox Churches.

Francis traveled to Istanbul to meet with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I in what has become a customary courtesy call on the Feast of St. Andrew, the patron of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The two Christian leaders have already developed a close bond, beginning with Bartholomew attending Pope Francis’ inaugural Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica—the first time a Patriarch of Constantinople has done such a thing since the Great Schism of 1054.

Delegates from the Patriarch of Constantinople, regarded as the “first among equals” of the Orthodox Churches, return the favor when they visit Rome on the Feast of SS. Peter and Paul.

Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew, who are said to share an interest in, among other things, environmental issues, met this May in Jerusalem to commemorate the historic encounter of their predecessors, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras, 50 years earlier--considered the start of the modern ecumenical movement. The following month, Francis hosted Bartholomew at the Vatican in a special prayer service for peace in the Middle East.

The effort to reestablish full communion between the ancient Churches of East and West has certainly had its ups and downs over the past half century, but there is general agreement that there are no major theological issues that should keep the two sides from reuniting. The major hurdle that needs to be overcome, according to experts, is a common understanding of the role of the papacy in a reunited Church. The Orthodox acknowledge the Pope of Rome as one of the original patriarchs but deny that he has jurisdiction over the other patriarchs, such as Constantinople, Antioch, Alexandria, Moscow.

It caught the attention of many in the Orthodox world when Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, newly elected to the papacy, presented himself as the “Bishop of Rome.” He has used the phrase often in subsequent appearances and addresses, suggesting to some that he is trying to return to an understanding of Rome as one Church among several apostolic sees.

Francis’ visit to the Phanar this weekend came, coincidentally, just after the 50^th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council decree on ecumenism, Unitatis Redintegratio, which acknowledged that the “Churches of the East, while remembering the necessary unity of the whole Church, have the power to govern themselves according to the disciplines proper to them.”

Francis restated that message in his comments Sunday, at the end of a Divine Liturgy celebrating the patron saint of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

“He said very clearly that the Catholic Church seeks only one thing with the Orthodox, and that is communion on the basis of a shared profession of faith,” said Msgr. Paul G. McPartlan, a member of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue Between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. “So the simple desire for communion on the basis of a shared profession of faith is what he focused on. In other words, there was no mention of any matters of jurisdiction, which is something that often the Orthodox suspect the Pope wants to have with regards to the East.”

For his part, the Ecumenical Patriarch in his address Sunday acknowledged the need for primacy at the universal level, said Msgr. McPartlan, who is also acting dean of the School of Theology and Religious Studies at the Catholic University of America. “He acknowledged that the common tradition that Catholics and Orthodox share recognizes in the constitution of the Church a primacy of love, honor and service within the framework of collegiality,” he said. “In other words, the Orthodox do acknowledge that there ought to be a primacy at the universal level in the life of the Church, very much within the framework of collegiality.”

He said that the Patriarch’s statements echoed a common declaration the Joint International Commission issued in 2007 at Ravenna, Italy.

“So I think there was potentially a remarkable convergence between what the Ecumenical Patriarch said and what the Pope said,” commented Msgr. McPartlan, who participated in the Ravenna talks. “Both of them were saying nothing particularly new but just giving a very focused statement to things that had already been said by the Ravenna statement... And on the Catholic side Pope Francis was echoing the Second Vatican Council.

But they were bringing a new clarity to very important things that had already been said, so we can see much more clearly what we are trying to achieve and see the issues in a sort of crystal clarity.”

The issue of papal primacy is still being worked out by theologians, and nobody expects it to be solved by even a high-level meeting in Istanbul. This year’s plenary session of the Joint International Commission in Amman, Jordan, “made progress” but didn’t reach a solution, Msgr. McPartlan said.

On the Orthodox side, there is still fear that Rome intends to impose its authority over the bishops in the East, said Father Emmanuel Lemelson, an American priest of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and president of the US-based Lantern Foundation. “The Eastern Church would recognize the place of honor of the Bishop of Rome – and always has--as first among equals. Everyone would acknowledge that, but what would it mean in terms of governance, in terms of our ecclesiology?”

“We need to find the balance between primacy and synodality at the universal level in the life of the Church, and we need to draw on the experience of the first millennium as far as possible to do that,” said Msgr. McPartlan—the first millennium being critical because that is when the Churches were in communion. “This is a question I looked at in my book of last year, A Service of Love: Papal Primacy, the Eucharist and Church Unity.

I proposed, from a Catholic point of view, very much looking at the teaching of Vatican II and the history of the Church in the first millennium, how universal primacy might function in the reconciled Church. I identified three services the universal primate could be seen as fulfilling in the Church:

moderating disputes in the Church as the final court of appeal in the Church so that issues can finally be resolved in the Church;
presiding at ecumenical councils. All the councils in the first millennium were presided by the emperor, and now there is no emperor;
serving Eucharistic communion; he is the sign and the servant of that unity which the whole Church has in and through the one Eucharist that we all celebrate.

“One of the very clear statements of Vatican II in Unitatis Redintegratio 15 is that Catholics recognize that Orthodox have true sacraments, apostolic succession, the priesthood and the Eucharist, and that’s the very acknowledgment that Pope Francis was referring to on Sunday...they are indeed Churches. The tragedy is that we are divided, so what we are seeking again is communion.”

But if the choice of words was important this weekend, so were non-verbal signals. Combined with his frequent self-reference as “bishop of Rome,” Pope Francis’ gesture of bowing before the Ecumenical Patriarch and asking for his blessing sent a strong message to Orthodox observers, according to Father Lemelson.

“Francis is truly humble leader. In his great humility and love he knelt before the Patriarch and asked for his blessing as the bishop of Rome, not as the pope,” said Father Lemelson, who was present for the Divine Liturgy in the Patriarchal Church of St. George. “He asked the Patriarch to bless the Church of Rome. That is much closer to the historical, synodal understanding of primacy than we have seen in the last millennium.”

Orthodox are also watching the Franciscan reform of the curia. “He wants to bring more of a synodality back to the Catholic Church. You see it the way he deals with his synod itself, the College of Cardinals,” Father Lemelson said.

Both Msgr. McPartlan and Father Lemelson agreed that the growing closeness between East and West comes at an important time, with Christians in many parts of the world, including in the Patriarch’s own country, coming under increasing pressure from Islamic fundamentalists and other threats.

“What a critical time in history for this to happen,” said Father Lemelson. “When someone is beheaded [by members of the Islamic State group], they don’t ask, ‘Are you Catholic or Orthodox?’”

“I think it’s incumbent on us Orthodox now—we must respond in love” the priest concluded. “We cannot respond with absurd or thoughtless insinuations or suspicions or misundertanding toward our Catholic brothers. We have to get beyond these ego-barriers, and the only way to do that is in love. If these two world leaders can do this, if they can respond to one another like that, so can we.” Source...

John Burger is news editor for Aleteia's English edition.

East and West: Two Arms Spread Wide to Embrace the World

Aleteia || By Fr. Dwight Longenecker || 04 December, 2014

A grass roots ecumenism involving Christians of East and West is what will take Christians into the future together.

When referring to the Eastern Orthodox churches Pope St John Paul II used to say the church needed to “breathe with two lungs.” Given Pope Francis’s physical condition of having only one lung, perhaps it is best to discover a new analogy. Looking at the cross we can say that Christ needs two arms to reach out to embrace the whole world.

In his trip to Turkey last week Pope Francis celebrated the liturgy with Bartholomew, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. Historically, the Patriarch of Constantinople has represented the confederation of Eastern Orthodox Churches. He also stands symbolically for the apostle Andrew who evangelized the East, while his brother Peter went to Rome. St Andrew’s feast day at the end of November is therefore a time for “Peter” to meet his brother “Andrew”.

This year’s meeting between Pope and Patriarch took a fresh direction. Rather than calling the Eastern Orthodox Christians to engage in yet more theological and ecumenical dialogue, Pope Francis called on Catholics and Orthodox to work together to relieve poverty and fight for justice and peace in the world. This, the pope claimed, would show the world the goodness and beauty of the Christian faith, inspiring the young to embrace a genuine goodness that leads to Christ.

Both Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew would agree that the Christian faith is more than simply helping the poor and working to end war and injustice. Repeatedly, Pope Francis has warned against the church becoming no more than another humanistic do-gooding charity.

The idea that the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches might reach out with two arms to embrace the world is a positive way forward in the steady, but sure road to unity. To do this effectively, the Christians of the East and West must not only roll up their sleeves and work together, but they must also drop their suspicions and learn from one another.

A Lutheran convert and blogger, Billy Kangas found his way to the Catholic faith through a detour into Eastern Orthodoxy. In a pair of blog posts , he outlines what Eastern Christians can learn from the West and vice versa. The Western church, Kangas claims, is better at inculturation and therefore has a wider and deeper tradition of spirituality. Paralleling this, the Western church has a more thorough understanding of incarnation. Kangas writes, “This can be seen in the use of the crucifix as a central symbol in worship, it can be seen in the West’s willingness to change their calendar to better reflect the actual position of the earth in relationship to the sun, it can be seen in the West’s more realistic art and statuary, it can be seen in the West’s spirituality that is focused more on the historic events in the life of Jesus through prayers like the rosary and Ignatian contemplation.”

Because of a deeper incarnational approach, Kangas claims the Western church has also has a more consistent theory of peace, justice, and socio-political involvement. He observes, “The West has thought deeply about how to live out Christ’s love in the world, and they have lived lives that reflect that love in powerful ways. The religious life of the West tends to be a bit more action oriented. Catholic monks and nuns are often at the forefront of Justice movements in the world.”

In his praise of the West, Kangas does not disparage the East, for just as West has much to offer East, so the Eastern tradition has much to offer the West. He acknowledges that the East has maintained a liturgical authenticity and integrity that has been too often lost in the West. “The Eastern liturgy teaches us about God,” Kangas says, implying that the Western liturgy is too often man-centered. From the East comes a deep understanding and experience of the Holy Trinity as a dynamic unity. For the Orthodox, the Holy Trinity is not a theological theory, but a dynamic experience. The “Jesus Prayer” or hesychasm is another light from the East. This intensely personal prayer locks the individual into a profound experience of God, while the unique iconography of the East opens windows to the transcendent.

Popes and Patriarchs may meet and embrace, but the two arms of Christ’s church will only be able to reach out to the world as Christians on both sides of the divide stop blaming one another and start learning from one another. Converts like Kangas, who come to the historic church from Protestantism, often have unique insights because they have explored both the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions before making their choice.

The immediacy and mobility of the modern world means an increasing number of Christians are opening out from their narrow understanding of the faith. This grass roots, lived ecumenism involving Christians of East and West, Catholic and Protestant, is what will take Christians into the future together and empower all those who follow Christ to do so with the courage and faith of Peter and his brother Andrew. Source...

The Rev. Dwight Longenecker is the parish priest of Our Lady of the Rosary in Greenville, South Carolina. His latest book is The Romance of Religion: Fighting for Goodness, Truth and Beauty. Learn more about it at his website, dwightlongenecker.com.

Playing the Role of ‘the-Pope-the-priest would be childish,’ Pope Francis Answers Israeli Interviewer

Aleteia || By John Burger || 28 November, 2014

Francis gets candid with Israeli interviewer, revealing hopes and frustrations.

In his first interview with an Israeli media outlet—and a long one at that—Pope Francis has opened up a little more about his life, his frustrations and his approach to the priesthood and the papacy.

The interview was conducted during 10 hours of face-to-face meetings between the Pope and Henrique Cymerman of Israel News, and several phone calls, one of which came in the wake of an attack on a Jerusalem synagogue that left five people dead.

“I harshly condemn any kind of violence in the name of God," Francis told the journalist. "I've been following the worrying escalation in Jerusalem and other communities in the Holy Land with much concern, and I pray for the victims and all those suffering from the unacceptable violence, which doesn't bypass places of worship and ritual. From the depths of my heart, I am urging all the parties involved to put an end to the hatred and violence and work towards reconciliation and peace. It's hard to build peace; but living without peace is an absolute nightmare."

Reflecting on his own visit to the Holy Land this year, a trip that he said opened his eyes to many things, Francis revealed that being in the land of the Incarnation was a spiritual high point. “When I experience powerful emotions,” he said, “I become introverted; and it slowly grows until it is evident on the outside.

Cymerman asked the Pope about the possibility of opening Vatican archives that might shed more light on the role of the Church during World War II, particularly that of Pope Pius XII. Francis strongly defended his wartime predecessor, reminding the interviewer that before the production of Rolf Hochhuth’s 1963 play The Deputy, Pius was almost universally hailed for his assistance to the Jews who were persecuted by the National Socialists who then ran Germany.

“During the Holocaust, Pius gave refuge to many Jews in monasteries in Italy. In the Pope's bed at Castel Gandolfo, 42 small children were born to couples who found refuge there from the Nazis. These are things that people don't know,” Francis said. “I'm not saying that he didn't make mistakes. But when you interpret history, you need to do so from the way of thinking of the time in question. I can't judge historical events in modern-day terms. It doesn't work. I'll never get to the truth like that.”

But the Pope also made the point that today, there is more persecution of Christians than there was in the early days of the Church. He acknowledged the risks to his own person, particularly with the threat from the Islamic State group, but indicated a resigned attitude towards mortality: “At my age, I don't have much to lose.”

More important to him is the ability to be close to people as a pastor. At World Youth Day in Rio, for example, he insisted on forgoing the bullet-proof glass-encased Popemobile. “I told them I wasn’t going to bless the faithful and tell them I love them from inside a sardine can, even if it’s made of glass,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s a wall.”

He said that on his way back from the pastoral visit to Korea this year, he wanted to stop in Iraq, where the Islamic State has forced thousands of Christians and others from their homes, but that his security people "wouldn’t let me.”

The Pope told Cymerman that he regularly signs a waiver assuming responsibility “for anything that might happen” to him in public, particularly on foreign trips.

Asked if he still feels like a “simple priest” or if he has “become accustomed” to the fact that he holds “the highest position in the Catholic Church,” Francis responded.

The role of priest best reflects my aspirations. Serving people comes naturally to me. Turning off the light to avoid wasting electricity. These are the habits of a priest. But I definitely feel like the Pope, and it helps me to take things seriously. … I'm not trying to play the role of the-Pope-the-priest. That would be childish of me. A priest's approach is first and foremost something internal, and sometimes it is expressed in gestures you make. Ultimately, however, I have responsibilities as the Pope, and there are commitments I need to fulfill.

He said that the conclave that elected him made a number of recommendations for changes, and that he is now putting many of them into effect, such as the Council of Cardinals with which he meets once every two or three months to discuss Vatican reforms.

One change, though, may be attributable to his immediate predecessor, and Francis once again spoke about following in the footsteps of Pope Benedict in announcing an early retirement, if he discerns that that is God’s will. Francis, however, might not stay at the Vatican. He spoke about having already made plans before his election to the papacy to retire to a home for retired priests in Argentina and work as a "rank-and-file priest" and "help the communities."

One thing apparently hasn’t changed for Jorge Mario Bergoglio since he moved to Rome. According to Cymerman, the Pope always carries with him in his white robes a photo of his favorite soccer team, Argentina’s San Lorenzo. Source...

John Burger is news editor for Aleteia's English edition.

Pope says he would 'never close the door' on talks with Islamic State

Catholic News Service || By Cindy Wooden || 26 November, 2014

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM STRASBOURG, France (CNS) -- Pope Francis said he would "never close the door" on dialogue with the Islamic State in an effort to bring peace to a region of the world suffering from violence and persecution.

He also said that "terrorism" could describe not only the actions of such extremist groups but also those of some national governments using military force unilaterally.

Meeting reporters Nov. 25 on his return flight from Strasbourg where he addressed the European Parliament and the Council of Europe, Pope Francis said terrorism is a threat the world must take seriously.

Specifically asked if he thought there was even the most remote possibility of dialoguing with terrorists like those from the Islamic State, Pope Francis said, "I never count anything as lost. Never. Never close the door. It's difficult, you could say almost impossible, but the door is always open."

But Pope Francis also told journalists that the threat of terrorism is not the only horror weighing on the world.

"Slavery is a reality inserted in the social fabric today, and has been for some time: slave labor, the trafficking of persons, the sale of children -- it's a drama. Let's not close our eyes to this. Slavery is a reality today, the exploitation of persons," he explained.

"But there is another threat, too," he said, the threat of "state terrorism," when tensions rise and an individual nation decides on its own to strike, feeling it has "the right to massacre terrorists and with the terrorists many innocent people fall."

Nations have a right and duty to stop "unjust aggressors," he said, but they must act in concert and in accordance with international law.

A Spanish reporter asked Pope Francis about a man from Granada, Spain, who wrote to the pope about a priest who sexually abused him. The correspondence set off a widespread police investigation, the arrest of three priests and a layman, and the suspension of several priests by the Archdiocese of Granada in November.

The pope said he received the letter. "I read it and I phoned the person and I told him, 'Go to the bishop tomorrow,' and I wrote to the bishop and told him to get to work, conduct an investigation," he said.

Pope Francis said he had read the letter "with great pain, the greatest pain, but the truth is the truth and we must not hide it."

Another journalist asked the pope about his remarks at the Council of Europe that in audiences at the Vatican he has noticed differences between young politicians and their older peers. "They speak with a different music," the pope told reporters. No matter what countries or which political parties they belong, the young seem "to not have fear of going out of their own group to dialogue. They are courageous. And we must imitate this."

"This going out in order to find and dialogue with others -- Europe needs this today," he added.

Another reporter told the pope that his remarks at the European Parliament on employment, the dignity of human life and the role of the state in helping citizens made it seem like the pope could be a card-carrying member of the Social Democrat Party.

"I don't want to label myself on one side or another," the pope said, and, besides, "this is the Gospel."

While many reporters and pundits have tried to pigeon-hole the pope's politics, he said, "I have never distanced myself from the social teaching of the church." Source...

Pope Francis Canonizes Six as Blessed

Vatican Information Service || 24 November 2014

During the Mass celebrated this morning on the Solemnity of Christ King of the Universe, the Holy Father canonised blesseds Giovanni Antonio Fraina (1803-1888), Kuriakose Elias Chavara of the Holy Family (1805-1871), Ludovico da Casoria (1814-1885), Nicola da Longobardi (1650-1709), Euphrasia Eluvathingal of the Sacred Heart (1877-1952) and Amato Ronconi (c. 1226-c.1292).

In his homily, the Pope remarked that the kingdom of Jesus is the “kingdom of truth and life, the kingdom of sanctity and grace, the kingdom of justice, love and peace”, and he commented on today's readings show how the Lord established his kingdom, how He brings it about as history unfolds, and what He now asks of us.

Jesus brought about his kingdom “through his closeness and tenderness towards us”, as the prophet Ezekiel foresaw in the first reading that describes the attitude of the Shepherd towards His flock, using the verbs such as to seek, to keep watch, to round up, to lead to pasture, to bring to rest; to seek the lost sheep, to tend to the wounded, to heal the sick, to care for and to graze.

“Those of us who are called to be pastors in the Church cannot stray from this example, if we do not want to become hirelings. In this respect, the People of God have an unerring sense for recognising good shepherds and distinguishing them from hirelings”.

After his victory, that is, after the Resurrection – Jesus' kingdom grew, but it was not a kingdom according to earthly models. “For Him, to reign was not to command, but to obey the Father, to give Himself over to the Father, so that His plan of love and salvation may be brought to fulfilment. … The Gospel teaches what Jesus' kingdom requires of us: it reminds us that closeness and tenderness are the rule of life for us also, and that on this basis we will be judged. … The starting point of salvation is not the confession of the sovereignty of Christ, but rather the imitation of Jesus' works of mercy through which He brought about his kingdom”. He explained that those who accomplish these works show that they have understood and welcomed Jesus' sovereignty, because they have opened their hearts to God's charity. “In the twilight of life we will be judged on our love for, closeness to and and tenderness towards our brothers and sisters. … Jesus has opened to us His kingdom to us, but it is for us to enter into it, beginning with our life now – his kingdom begins now – by being close in concrete ways to our brothers and sisters who as for bread, clothing, acceptance, solidarity, catechesis”.

“Today the Church places before us the examples of these new saints. Each in her or her own way served the kingdom of God, of which they became heirs, precisely through works of generous devotion to God and their brothers and sisters. They responded with extraordinary creativity to the commandment of love of God and neighbour. They dedicated themselves without reserve to serving the least and assisting the destitute, sick, elderly and pilgrims. Their preference for the smallest and poorest was the reflection and the measure of their unconditional love of God. In fact, they sought and discovered love in a strong and personal relationship with God, from whence springs forth love for one's neighbour”. Pope Francis concluded, “Through the rite of canonisation, we have confessed once again the mystery of God's kingdom and we have honoured Christ the King, the Shepherd full of love for His sheep. May our new saints, through their witness and intercession, increase within us the joy of walking in the way of the Gospel and our resolve to embrace it as the compass of our lives”. Source...

Bishops' Conferences to Receive Documents for 2015 Synod “within weeks”

National Catholic Reporter ||By Joshua J. McElwee || 20 November 2014

Just over a month since the conclusion of October's keenly watched meeting of Catholic bishops on issues of family life, the Vatican has announced it's already gearing up for the next meeting in 2015.

Within weeks, the Vatican said in a statement Thursday, bishops' conferences around the world will be receiving preparatory documents for the 2015 meeting, known as a Synod of Bishops.

Pope Francis has called two consecutive synods for 2014 and 2015 to focus on issues of family life. The 2014 meeting, held Oct. 5-19 at the Vatican, drew worldwide coverage for what appeared to be a new attitude of dialogue and debate among the church's prelates during the closed-door proceedings.

Thursday's statement was made following a Vatican meeting Tuesday and Wednesday of the council of prelates who lead the Vatican's office for the Synod of Bishops.

The statement said the Vatican office will send a preparatory document for the 2015 synod to the world's bishops conferences "at the beginning of December" in hopes that an initial working document for the next synod can be ready by summer 2015.

While the initial preparatory document for the 2014 synod, sent in October 2013, made headlines because it contained a wide-ranging questionnaire that the Vatican synod office said was to be distributed "as widely as possible," Thursday's statement does not indicate if the document for the 2015 synod will also have such a questionnaire.

The statement does, however, say that the new preparatory document will "be constituted" of the final document from the 2014 synod along with "a series of points that help in its reception and its deepening."

Thursday's announcement from the Vatican marks the beginning of what will likely be a flurry of intense activity for the synod office as it prepares to organize what it expected to be a monthlong meeting of prelates and lay experts in October 2015.

While the 2014 synod saw an estimated 190 prelates take part in the discussion, the 2015 edition is expected to see at least three times that number, as the 2015 synod is open not only to presidents of bishops' conferences but also several members of each conference, who are being elected to attend by their peers.

Thursday's statement noted the pope was present at the Vatican synod office meetings, saying he had attended those meetings to "underline the importance that he attributes to the synod, as an expression of episcopal collegiality, and to the family, theme of the two assemblies."

The statement also said those at the Vatican meeting "agreed that the period now opening between the two Assemblies, which is unprecedented in the history of the synodal institution, is very important."

The year between the synods, the statement said, "should take the path already done as a starting point and take this special opportunity to study issues and promote discussion at the level of Episcopal Conferences, finding the means and the tools necessary to further involve also the different ecclesial bodies in the synodal reflection on the family."

Among others attending the Vatican synod meetings were Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, secretary general of the synod office, and several members of the synod council, including Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Australian Cardinal George Pell, U.S. Cardinal Donald Wuerl, and Philippines Cardinal Luis Tagle. Source...

[Joshua J. McElwee is NCR Vatican correspondent. His email address is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow him on Twitter: @joshjmac.]

Pope Francis: People and Not Money Create Development

Vatican Radio || 20 November 2014

Saying people and not money create development, Pope Francis called on Thursday for courageous initiatives to rethink our economic system and not become slaves of money. His remarks came in a video message delivered to participants attending a Festival of Social Doctrine in the Italian city of Verona promoted by the local Church.

The Pope urged people not to become discouraged by the economic crisis but instead turn their energies towards ways of “rethinking our economic model and the world of work.” He warned that “the great temptation” when faced with these difficulties is to concentrate “on tending our own wounds and use that as an excuse to not heed the cry of the poor” and all those who are suffering because they have lost their jobs and the dignity that goes with that. The risk, he went on, is that “this indifference makes us blind, deaf and dumb”, closed in to the outside world and only concerned with ourselves.

Pope Francis spoke instead of the need to move beyond and “abandon the stereotypes which are considered safe and guaranteed” in order to respond to the real needs of people. In the field of economics, he went on, we urgently need to take the initiative because “the system tends to homogenize everything and money becomes its master.” Taking the initiative in this field, he added, means having the courage not to allow ourselves to be imprisoned and subsequently enslaved by money.

The true problem explained the Pope “is not money as such but people.” This is because “money by itself does not create development” but instead we need people who have the courage to take the initiative. Pope Francis stressed that taking the initiative in this way means overcoming a tendency to always ask the state or other bodies for assistance but instead use our creative talents to find new ways of earning a living.

He concluded his address by expressing his concern over the high number of unemployed young people, saying we need to invest more in them and give them a great deal of confidence. Source...

Pope Francis Advises Accountants and Doctors to Prioritize Dignity of the Human Person and to Respect all Human Life respectively

Vatican Information Service

Pope’s Message to Accountants || 14 November, 2014

“From your professional observatory, you are well aware of the dramatic situation faced by many people who are precariously employed or have lost their jobs; of the many families who pay the consequences; of the many young people in search of a first occupation and dignified work.

They are many, especially immigrants, who are compelled to work illegally, and lack the most basic legal and economic guarantees”, said the Pope this morning in his address to the seven thousand participants at the World Congress of Accountants, held in Rome from 10 to 13 November.

In this economic context, there is a “strong temptation to defend one's own interests without worrying about the common good, without paying too much attention to justice and legality. However, we are all, especially those who exercise a profession associated with the good functioning of the economic life of a country, required to play a positive and constructive role in carrying out our work on a daily basis, aware that behind every piece of paper there is a story, and there are faces.

In this task … the Christian professional draws strength every day from prayer and the Word of God to carry out his or her own duties well, with skill and wisdom; and then, to go further than this, which means reaching towards those in difficulty; exercising that creativity that allows solutions to be found in situations of impasse; to make the reason of human dignity prevail over the rigidity of bureaucracy”.

Francis affirmed that the economy and finance are “dimensions of human activity and may be opportunities for encounters, dialogue, cooperation, the recognition of rights and the rendering of services, of dignity affirmed in work. But it is therefore necessary always to place man and his dignity at the centre, opposing those dynamics that tend to homogenise everything and place money at the summit.

When money becomes the aim and reason for every activity and initiative, this leads to the prevalence of a utilitarian perspective and the untrammelled logic of profit that does not respect people, with the consequent widespread decline in the values of solidarity and respect for the human person. Those who work in various roles in economics and finance are required to make decisions that favour the social and economic well-being of humanity as a whole, offering everyone the opportunity to realise their own development”.

“You, in your profession”, he said, addressing the accountants, “work alongside companies, but also families and individuals, to offer economic and financial advice. I encourage you always to work responsibly, favouring relationships of loyalty, justice and, if possible, fraternity, courageously facing, above all, the problems faced by the weakest and poorest.

It is not enough to give concrete answers to economic and material questions; it is necessary to promote and cultivate the ethics of the economy, finance and work; it is necessary to keep alive the value of solidarity as a moral attitude, an expression of attention to others and all their legitimate needs.

If we wish to hand our environmental, economic, cultural and social patrimony to future generations in a better condition than that in which we have inherited it, we must assume the responsibility of working for a globalisation of solidarity. … And the social doctrine of the Church teaches us that the principle of solidarity works in harmony with that of subsidiarity. Thanks to the effect of these two principles, processes are placed at the services of humanity and enable the growth of justice, without which there cannot be true and lasting peace”. Source...

Pope’s message to Doctors || 15 November, 2014

This morning in the Paul VI Hall Pope Francis received in audience six thousand doctors, members of the Association of Italian Catholic Doctors, on the occasion of the seventieth anniversary of its foundation. In his address, he commented that “the conquests of science and medicine can contribute to the improvement of human life, provided that they do not drift away from the ethical root of such disciplines”.

“Attention to human life, especially when it is most in difficulty, in the case of the sick, the elderly, and children, profoundly involves the mission of the Church. She is also called upon to participate in the debate on human life, presenting her outlook based on the Gospel. In many contexts, quality of life is linked predominantly to economic conditions, 'well-being', beauty and the pleasure of life in a physical sense, forgetting other deeper dimensions – relational, spiritual and religious – of existence.

In reality, in the light of faith and good reason, human life is always sacred and always 'of quality'. There does not exist a human life that is more sacred than another, just as there is no human life qualitatively more significant than another, simply on the basis of greater means, rights, and economic and social opportunities”, emphasised the Holy Father.

Therefore, he continued, the work of Catholic doctors must offer witness “by word and by deed that human life is always sacred, valid and inviolable, and as such must be loved, defended and cared for”.

The profession of medicine, “enriched with the spirit of faith, is a further reason to collaborate with those – even of different religious beliefs or thought – who recognise the dignity of human beings as a criterion for their activity. Indeed, while the Hippocratic oath commits you to serving life, the Gospel leads you further – to love it always and anyway, especially when in need of particular care and attention”.

“Prevalent thought offers a 'false compassion': that which sees abortion as being in favour of women, procuring euthanasia as an act of dignity, and the 'production' of a child – considered as a right instead of being welcomed as a gift – as a scientific conquest, as well as using human lives as 'guinea pigs', presumably to save others. Instead, compassion based on the Gospel is that which accompanies in times of need, that of the Good Samaritan, who 'sees', who 'has compassion', who approaches and offers concrete help”.

The Pontiff concluded, “Your mission as doctors puts you in daily contact with many forms of suffering: I encourage you to take these on as 'good Samaritans', taking special care of the elderly, the sick and the disabled. Faithfulness to the Gospel of life and the response to it as a gift from God will at times require courageous, counter-current decisions that, in particular circumstances, may lead to conscientious objection, and to the many social consequences that such fidelity leads to.

We are living in a time of experimentation with life. But it is a bad form of experimentation. … Playing with life … is a sin against the Creator: against God the Creator, Who created all things as they are”. Source...

Fr. Lombardi Honoured for Role in Field of Communications

Vatican Radio || 15 November, 2014

The Head of the Vatican Press Office, Father Federico Lombardi SJ, received an honorary doctorate (laurea honoris causa) from the Faculty of Social Communications at the Pontifical Salesian University in Rome on Friday.

The university presented Fr Lombardi with the award during the Solemn Academic Act that was part of its celebrations for the 25th anniversary of its foundation, which included a conference titled “Rethinking Communications: theories, techniques and teaching.”

In addition to being Director of the Holy See’s Press Office, Father Lombardi is also the Director General of Vatican Radio. In remarks on the occasion, Fr Lombardi said, “Communication for the Church and for the people must accompany their life and their historical situation, must interpret their expectations and needs. If you really love the people you continue to walk with them.”

Speaking of his own 25 years of service to the Holy See in the field of communications, Father Lombardi testified “about an aspect of communication that has been a fundamental and fascinating of my service in the past twenty-five years, but that was and still is today - and perhaps even more so than in the past - the subject of discussion”: the Church’s “multi-lingual service for the different parts of the world” which has expanded to every continent, and allows the Church “to enter into dialogue with other cultures.”

“I know well that from Rome we cannot speak all the languages of the world, but I believe that the Church has a duty to show she knows how to speak languages from all continents and is interested in the inculturation of her message in the context of different situations and cultures, that different cultures can feel at home in Rome, and that Rome does not feel foreign to any people. Cultural diversity is a necessary consequence of the universality of the Church, of her real attention to the peripheries.”

The university said it wishes to honour Father Lombardi for his key role in the field of social communications of the Catholic Church over the past quarter of a century, saying he has always displayed great competence, dedication, equilibrium and love for the Church. Source...

New Vatican Financial Rules Increase Transparency and Consistency

Catholic News Service || By Francis X. Rocca || 10 November, 2014

The Vatican's new rules for budgeting and financial reporting, which will go into effect Jan. 1, call for heightened transparency and consistency in the church's central administration and underscore the oversight powers of two economic bodies Pope Francis established in February.

In one sign of the cultural shift they propose, the "Financial Management Policies" were written in English and only then translated into the Vatican's working language, Italian.

Taking little for granted, the 45-page document, which the pope approved Oct. 24, defines basic terms of international accounting standards and generally accepted governance and reporting practices, beginning with "budget."

"The budget of an administration is a commitment, an undertaking to use the resources entrusted to it to carry out specific activities. In one sense, it is a promise about how resources will be used," the document states.

All organs of the Holy See and Vatican City State are now required to propose annual budgets for approval by the Secretariat for the Economy and review by the 15-member Council for the Economy, which includes laypeople as well as cardinals. Final approval of all budgets will be up to the pope.

Even emergency expenses, such as replacing a broken-down heating system, will require prior approval from the secretariat, which is headed by Australian Cardinal George Pell. The office requesting such permission will have to explain "why the cost was unanticipated" and propose ways to finance it, for instance by cutting costs in other areas.

Before any Vatican office can establish a new staff position or hold a special event, it must satisfy the secretariat that there is a "compelling need" for the expenditure, consistent with the requesting office's "specific mandate and approved activity."

"Any departure from any of the policies included in this (financial) manual are to be promptly discussed for approval with the Secretariat for the Economy as soon as it arises. As the financial statements will be subject to rigorous external audit, the Secretariat for the Economy must, without exception, certify any deviation from policy," the document states.

The new rules stand in sharp contrast to previous practice, which was characterized by a lack of unified financial policy and oversight. The economic council's predecessor body met only twice a year.

"The policies are an essential first step in the reforms of the economic and administrative practices of the Holy See," wrote Cardinal Pell and Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising, Germany, coordinator of the Council for the Economy, in a cover letter accompanying the manual. "Those entrusted with the resources of the church are accountable for the way those resources are used for pursuing the mission of the church and regular reporting is essential."

The new policies are supposed to increase accountability, facilitate planning and enhance the value of the Vatican's assets, and will be implemented with ongoing "training, guidance and support," the cardinals wrote. Training specifically in the budgeting process is taking place during the month of November.

The secretariat also will organize a "scanning process" of Vatican assets to determine how their values should be assessed, among other ways, by distinguishing priceless "heritage assets," such as the Vatican's artistic treasures, from other property. Source...

Pope Francis Urges Religious to Wage War on “terrorism of gossip”

Catholic News Service || By Cindy Wooden || 07 November 2014

Religious orders and communities must combat "the terrorism of gossip," which is even worse than an occasional physical confrontation, said Pope Francis, a former Jesuit provincial in Argentina.

Meeting Nov. 7 with Italy's superiors of men's orders, which combined have a total of nearly 19,000 members, the pope said the way members of religious orders live should attract people to Christ and the church, and should be a model for other Catholics of creating harmony among a varied group of people thrown together by a common call.

"Please," he told the superiors, "don't let the terrorism of gossip exist among you. Throw it out. Let there be fraternity. And if you have something against your brother, tell him to his face. Sometimes it might end in fisticuffs," he said, causing the superiors to laugh. "That's not a problem. It's always better than the terrorism of gossip."

In a modern culture dominated by individualism, the assertion of individual rights and "a culture that corrodes society beginning with its primary unit, which is the family," he said, the healthy fraternal life of religious orders demonstrates to the world that it is possible for people to live together as brothers and sisters, helping each other even when it means setting aside their own interests.

"This is important," the pope said. The communities of religious orders mirror what civil communities often are: a group of people of different ages, abilities and interests called to cooperation and mutual respect.

But in a religious community, "we try to live as brothers," he said. "Certainly, we don't always succeed, we make mistakes because we are all sinners, but we recognize we have erred, we ask forgiveness and we offer pardon."

Such an example, he said, "is good for the church. It makes fraternity circulate in the body of Christ. And it's good for society, too."

The way religious men and women live their vows of poverty, chastity and obedience also is meant to help the church grow, he said, because it attracts attention and causes people to ask themselves why a man or woman today would choose to live that way.

The reason religious live their vows must be Jesus Christ, he said. The particular identity or approach of a specific order -- its charism -- must never be such a focus of members' attention that the centrality of Christ is lost. Source...

Pope Francis Ratifies New Norms on Resignations of Diocesan Bishops and Roman Curia Officials

National Catholic Reporter || By Joshua J. McElwee || 05 November 2014

Pope Francis has codified his ability to effectively fire Catholic bishops, saying that in some circumstances, he "can consider it necessary" to ask them to resign their offices.

The move, which the Vatican announced Wednesday, seems to be an attempt by Francis to clear up any ambiguity about the pontiff's power to replace prelates around the world. While Francis and his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, have effectively removed bishops in the past, their power to do so was not previously so explicit in the church's laws.

Wednesday's change comes in a short edict approved Monday by Francis at the request of Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state. Composed of seven short articles, the edict addresses the resignation of diocesan bishops and papal appointees.

Concerning resignations at the pope's request, the edict states: "In some particular circumstances, the competent authority can consider it necessary to ask a bishop to present his resignation from pastoral office, after having made known the reasons for the request and listening carefully to the reasons, in fraternal dialogue."

The competent authority in such an instance would seem to be only the pope, who is ultimately the only person responsible for appointing bishops.

Change in the language regarding bishop firings comes after Francis suffered some criticism in September when he dismissed Paraguayan Bishop Rogelio Livieres Plano.

Livieres, who was accused of mishandling a priest accused of sexual abuse and of causing friction among other bishops, later spoke somewhat angrily about his removal in a posting on his diocesan website.

Questions about the pope's power to remove bishops had likewise arisen in 2011 when Benedict forced the retirement of Australian Bishop Bill Morris, who had written a pastoral letter mentioning the possibility of ordaining women as one of several solutions to the growing priest shortage in his expansive diocese.

After many rounds of discussion between Morris and the Vatican, Morris' removal was carefully worded as a retirement and not a resignation, partly because it was unclear what power the pope had to force a bishop's resignation in such an instance.

The church's Code of Canon Law does not specifically refer to the pope's power in that regard, only saying that a diocesan bishop can lose his office when there is some sort of "privation" -- when the office is lost for some reason, likely because of the prelates' guilt of some sort of ecclesiastical crime.

Wednesday's Vatican edict also makes slight changes to when bishops serving at the Vatican are required to resign because of advanced age.

While the edict allows cardinals serving in the Vatican's curial offices to continue in their roles past the normal retirement age of 75 at the pope's request, it states that non-cardinals serving at the Vatican automatically "lose their office" when they reach 75.

Likewise, the edict states that members of Vatican congregations "lose their office" when they reach 80.

Other articles in Wednesday's edict effectively reaffirm current practice regarding the resignation of bishops. The edict, for example, restates that diocesan bishops are to submit their resignations at age 75, but that those resignations only come into effect when the pope approves them.

Wednesday's edict also states that bishops who serve in office at the national level -- as heads of committees or presidents of bishops' conferences, for example -- lose those offices when the pope accepts their resignations as diocesan bishops.

The edict expresses support for bishops who choose to resign before age 75 because of illness or other issues, saying they are "worthy of appreciation" from the church and that "the faithful are called to show solidarity and understanding for those who have been their shepherd."

Wednesday's edict states that its new norms come partly from recommendations of the Council of Cardinals, a group of senior prelates Francis has appointed to advise him in changing the Vatican's central bureaucracy. Parolin is one of nine members of the group.

Francis is expected in coming months to outline more changes based on the council's recommendations. The council next meets Dec. 9-11 at the Vatican. Source...

The text from Vatican Information Service:

Art. 1: The current discipline in the Latin Church and in the “sui iuris” Oriental Churches, by which diocesan and eparchal Bishops, and those held to be of equivalent office in accordance with canons 381 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law and 313 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, as well as coadjutor and auxiliary Bishops, are invited to present the resignation from their pastoral office upon reaching the age of seventy-five years, is confirmed.

Art. 2: Resignation from the aforementioned pastoral offices is effective only from the moment in which it is accepted by the legitimate Authorities.

Art .3: With the acceptance of the resignation from the aforementioned offices, the interested parties cease to hold any other office at national level conferred for a period determined in concomitance with the aforementioned pastoral office.

Art. 4: The gesture of a Bishop who, by motives of love or the wish to offer a better service to the community, considers it necessary to resign from the role of Pastor before reaching the age of seventy-five on account of illness or other serious reasons, is to be deemed worthy of ecclesial appreciation. In such cases, the faithful are requested to demonstrate solidarity and understanding for their former Pastor, providing punctual assistance consistent with the principles of charity and justice, in accordance with canon 402 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.

Art. 5: In some particular circumstances, the competent Authorities may deem it necessary to request that a Bishop present his resignation from pastoral office, after informing him of the cause for this request, and listening closely to his reasons, in fraternal dialogue.

Art. 6: Cardinals serving as Heads of the Dicasteries of the Roman Curia and other Cardinals holding office by pontifical nomination are also required, upon the competion of their seventy-fifth year of life, to present their resignation from office to the Pope, who, after full consideration, will proceed.

300 Exorcists Convene in Vatican City

KSDK.Com || Pat McGonigle || 31 October 2014

Pope Francis praised the work of modern day exorcists this week, according to an interview on Vatican Radio.

Dr. Valter Cascioli, a psychiatrist and spokesman for the International Association of Exorcists, said Pope Francis supports and prays for those who carry out the ancient Catholic ritual and "suffer because of the work of the devil."

The 300-member International Association of Exorcists gathered for a convention at the Vatican this week.

Dr. Cascioli told The Boston Pilot, the official newspaper for the Boston Archdiocese, that the number of people who turn to "Satanic cults and rituals is constantly increasing and this worries us because it appears to coincide with an extraordinary increase in demonic activity."

While the Catholic Church still performs exorcisms, it is almost always done in extreme secrecy to protect all parties involved.

The most well-documented exorcism in history happened in St. Louis in 1949. Jesuits from Saint Louis University successfully performed the ritual on a young boy.

Much of what the world knows about that episode comes from a 39-page diary kept by one of the Jesuits involved in the exorcism.

William Peter Blatty used the diary as primary source material for his novel, "The Exorcist," which was later adapted into one of the most profitable horror movies in the history of Hollywood. Source...

Gossiping Christians Make People Turn to Atheism, Pope Says

Catholic News Service || By Carol Glatz || 29 October 2014

The way Christians behave can either help and inspire others, or turn them away from ever following Jesus, Pope Francis said.

"How many times we've heard in our neighborhoods, 'Oh that person over there always goes to church, but he badmouths everyone, skins them alive.' What a bad example to badmouth other people. This is not Christian," the pope said at his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square Oct. 29.

Causing scandal and being a bad example turn people off, making them think, "Hey, if that is being Christian, I'll be an atheist.' That's because our witness is what makes people see what it is to be a Christian," he said.

The pope continued a series of talks on the nature of the Catholic Church, focusing on the visible and spiritual reality of the church.

The visible church can be seen in its many parishes, Christian communities and organizations as well as in its people, like the pope, priests and religious men and women all over the world, he said.

But the church -- the body of Jesus -- is also bigger than that because it is made up of the countless men and women who are baptized and "who believe, hope and love," as well as offer "relief, comfort and peace" in the Lord's name, the pope said.

"The visible reality of the church is not measureable, it cannot be known in its entirety," he said, because of all the hidden works of charity and unsung heroic deeds, including within families with spouses being faithful to one another, working hard to raise their children in the faith or with the sick who offer up their suffering to God.

"You can't measure this. It's so great, so great," he said.

But the church also has a spiritual dimension, the pope said. And the only way to understand how the visible and the spiritual work together in the church is to look to Christ, who was both human and divine.

Just as Christ's humanity served his divine mission of redemption and salvation, the church too must use its visible dimensions to serve the spiritual, he said.

The visible sacraments and the visible witness to Christ through serving others are how the church proclaims and brings God's love to everyone, he said.

"The church is called every day to be close to every person, beginning with the one who is poor, the one who suffers and who is marginalized, so as to continue to let everyone experience the compassionate and merciful gaze of Jesus," he said.

"Christ is the model, the model of the church because the church is his body, and he is the model for all Christians, every one of us," Pope Francis said. "By looking to Christ, you cannot go wrong."

However, he said, people are "fragile" and limited. "We are all sinners, all of us," he said, asking his audience to give a show of hands of those who believe themselves free of sin.

"Let's see, how many hands? You can't, because we are all" sinners, he said.

While sin and human weakness can create "scandal" and plenty of bad examples in the church, God also lets people grow in holiness, he said.

"Let us ask then for the gift of faith so we can understand how -- despite our insufficiencies and our deficiencies -- the Lord truly has made us instruments of grace and a visible sign of his love for all of humanity.

"Yes, we can become a source of scandal," he said, "but we can also become a source of witness, to be witnesses of what Jesus wants us to do by what we say with our life." Source...

Bishop of Ebolowa Jean Mbarga named Archbishop of Yaoundé, Cameroon

Vatican Radio || 31 October 2014

Pope Francis has named the Bishop of Ebolowa Jean Mbarga as Archbishop of Yaoundé in Cameroon. Until his appointment on Friday (31st Oct.) the Archbishop-elect has also been serving as Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Yaoundé since July last year following the resignation Archbishop Victor Tonyé Bakot in accordance with Canon 401 paragraph 2.

Archbishop-elect Jean Mbarga was born on the 18th May 1956 in the town of Ebolmedzo. He was ordained a priest for Yaoundé on 5th Dec 1981. On 15th October 2004, St. Pope John Paul II appointed him bishop of the then Diocese of Ebolowa-Kribi.

Pope Francis appointed him Apostolic Administrator of Yaoundé on the 29th July 2013.

In 2010, the territory covered by the Archdiocese of Yaoundé had a population of 1,881,000 with Catholic numbering 903, 000.

Out of a total number of 414 priests, 171 were diocesan serving 132 parishes. There were 408 male religious and 623 female religious in the archdiocese. Source...

Synod's Final Document: Official English Translation

Zenit || 30 October 2014

Introduction

1. The Synod of Bishops, gathered around the Holy Father, turned its thoughts to all the families of the world, each with its joys, difficulties and hopes. In a special way, the Assembly felt a duty to give thanks to the Lord for the generosity and faithfulness of so many Christian families in responding to their vocation and mission, which they fulfill with joy and faith, even when living as a family requires facing obstacles, misunderstandings and suffering. The entire Church and this Synod express to these families our appreciation, gratitude and encouragement. During the prayer vigil held in St Peter’s Square on 4 October 2014 in preparation for the Synod on the family, Pope Francis evoked, in a simple yet concrete way, the centrality [of the experience] of the family in everyone’s lives: “Evening falls on our assembly. It is the hour at which one willingly returns home to meet at the same table, in the depth of affection, of the good that has been done and received, of the encounters which warm the heart and make it grow, good wine which hastens the unending feast in the days of man. It is also the weightiest hour for one who finds himself face to face with his own loneliness, in the bitter twilight of shattered dreams and broken plans; how many people trudge through the day in the blind alley of resignation, of abandonment, even resentment: in how many homes the wine of joy has been less plentiful, and therefore, also the zest — the very wisdom — for life […]. Let us make our prayer heard for one another this evening, a prayer for all.”

2. Within the family are joys and trials, deep love and relationships which, at times, can be wounded. The family is truly the “school of humanity” (Gaudium et Spes, 52), which is much needed today. Despite the many signs of crisis in the family institution in various areas of the “global village”, the desire to marry and form a family remains vibrant, especially among young people, and serves as the basis of the Church’s need to proclaim untiringly and with profound conviction the “Gospel of the Family”, entrusted to her together with the revelation of God’s love in Jesus Christ and ceaselessly taught by the Fathers, the masters of spirituality and the Church’s Magisterium. The family is uniquely important to the Church and in these times, when all believers are invited to think of others rather than themselves, the family needs to be rediscovered as the essential agent in the work of evangelization.

3. At the Extraordinary General Assembly of October, 2014, the Bishop of Rome called upon the Synod of Bishops to reflect upon the critical and invaluable reality of the family, a reflection which will then be pursued in greater depth at its Ordinary General Assembly scheduled to take place in October, 2015, as well as during the full year between the two synodal events. “The convenire in unum around the Bishop of Rome is already an event of grace, in which episcopal collegiality is made manifest in a path of spiritual and pastoral discernment.” These were the words used by Pope Francis in describing the synodal experience and indicating the task at hand: to read both the signs of God and human history, in a twofold yet unique faithfulness which this reading involves.

4. With these words in mind, we have gathered together the results of our reflections and our discussions in the following three parts: listening, looking at the situation of the family today in all its complexities, both lights and shadows; looking, our gazeis fixed on Christ to re-evaluate, with renewed freshness and enthusiasm, what revelation, transmitted in the Church’s faith, tells us about the beauty and dignity of the family; and facing the situation, with an eye on the Lord Jesus, to discern how the Church and society can renew their commitment to the family.

PART I

Listening: the context and challenges of the family

The Socio-Cultural Context

5. Faithful to Christ’s teaching, we look to the reality of the family today in all its complexity, with both its lights and shadows. We turn our thoughts to parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters, close and distant relatives and the bonds between two families forged by marriage. Anthropological and cultural changes in our times influence all aspects of life and require an analytic and diversified approach. The positive aspects are first to be highlighted, namely, a greater freedom of expression and a better recognition of the rights of women and children, at least in some parts of the world. On the other hand, equal consideration needs to be given to the growing danger represented by a troubling individualism which deforms family bonds and ends up considering each component of the family as an isolated unit, leading, in some cases, to the idea that a person is formed according to one’s own desires, which are considered absolute. Added to this is the crisis of faith, witnessed among a great many Catholics, which oftentimes underlies the crisis in marriage and the family.

6. One of the poorest aspects of contemporary culture is loneliness, arising from the absence of God in a person’s life and the fragility of relationships. There is also a general feeling of powerlessness in the face of socio-cultural realities which oftentimes end in crushing families. Such is the case in increasing instances of poverty and unemployment in the workplace, which at times is a real nightmare or in overwhelming financial difficulties, which discourage the young from marrying. Families often feel abandoned by the disinterest and lack of attention by institutions. The negative impact on the organization of society is clear, as seen in the demographic crisis, in the difficulty of raising children, in a hesitancy to welcome new life and in considering the presence of older persons as a burden. All these can affect a person’s emotional balance, which can sometimes lead to violence. The State has the responsibility to pass laws and create work to ensure the future of young people and help them realize their plan of forming a family.

7. Some cultural and religious contexts pose particular challenges. In some places, polygamy is still being practiced and in places with long traditions, the custom of “marriage in stages”. In other places, “arranged marriages” is an enduring practice. In countries where Catholicism is the minority, many mixed and interreligious marriages take place, all with their inherent difficulties in terms of jurisprudence, Baptism, the upbringing of children and the mutual respect for each other’s religious freedom, not to mention the danger of relativism or indifference. At the same time, such marriages can exhibit great potential in favouring the spirit of ecumenism and interreligious dialogue in a harmonious living of diverse religions in the same place. Even outside Western societies, many places are witnessing an overall increase in the practice of cohabitation before marriage or simply cohabitating with no intention of a legally binding relationship.

8. Many children are born outside marriage, in great numbers in some countries, many of whom subsequently grow up with just one of their parents or in a blended or reconstituted family. Divorces are increasing, many times taking place solely because of economic reasons. Oftentimes, children are a source of contention between parents and become the real victims of family break-ups. Fathers who are often absent from their families, not simply for economic reasons, need to assume more clearly their responsibility for children and the family. The dignity of women still needs to be defended and promoted. In fact, in many places today, simply being a woman is a source of discrimination and the gift of motherhood is often penalized, rather than esteemed. Not to be overlooked is the increasing violence against women, where they become victims, unfortunately, often within families and as a result of the serious and widespread practice genital mutilation in some cultures. The sexual exploitation of children is still another scandalous and perverse reality in present-day society. Societies characterized by violence due to war, terrorism or the presence of organized crime are witnessing the deterioration of the family, above all in big cities, where, in their peripheral areas, the so-called phenomenon of “street-children” is on the rise. Furthermore, migration is another sign of the times to be faced and understood in terms of its onerous consequences to family life.

The Importance of Affectivity in Life

9. Faced with the afore-mentioned social situation, people in many parts of the world are feeling a great need to take care of themselves, to know themselves better, to live in greater harmony with their feelings and sentiments and to seek to live their affectivity in the best manner possible. These proper aspirations can lead to a desire to put greater effort into building relationships of self-giving and creative reciprocity, which are empowering and supportive like those within a family. In this case, however, individualism and living only for one’s self is a real danger. The challenge for the Church is to assist couples in the maturation and development of their affectivity through fostering dialogue, virtue and trust in the merciful love of God. The full commitment required in marriage can be a strong antidote to the temptation of a selfish individualism.

10. Cultural tendencies in today’s world seem to set no limits on a person’s affectivity in which every aspect needs to be explored, even those which are highly complex. Indeed, nowadays a person’s affectivity is very fragile; a narcissistic, unstable or changeable affectivity does not always allow a person to grow to maturity. Particularly worrisome is the spread of pornography and the commercialization of the body, fostered also by a misuse of the internet and reprehensible situations where people are forced into prostitution. In this context, couples are often uncertain, hesitant and struggling to find ways to grow. Many tend to remain in the early stages of their affective and sexual life. A crisis in a couple’s relationship destabilizes the family and may lead, through separation and divorce, to serious consequences for adults, children and society as a whole, weakening its individual and social bonds. The decline in population, due to a mentality against having children and promoted by the world politics of reproductive health, creates not only a situation in which the relationship between generations is no longer ensured but also the danger that, over time, this decline will lead to economic impoverishment and a loss of hope in the future.

Pastoral Challenges

11. In this regard, the Church is conscious of the need to offer a particularly meaningful word of hope, which must be done based on the conviction that the human person comes from God, and that, consequently, any reconsideration of the great question on the meaning of human existence can be responsive to humanity's most profound expectations. The great values of marriage and the Christian family correspond to the search that characterizes human existence, even in these times of individualism and hedonism. People need to be accepted in the concrete circumstances of life. We need to know how to support them in their searching and to encourage them in their hunger for God and their wish to feel fully part of the Church, also including those who have experienced failure or find themselves in a variety of situations. The Christian message always contains in itself the reality and the dynamic of mercy and truth which meet in Christ.

PART II

Looking at Christ: the Gospel of the Family

Looking at Jesus and the Divine Pedagogy in the History of Salvation

12. In order to “walk among contemporary challenges, the decisive condition is to maintain a fixed gaze on Jesus Christ, to pause in contemplation and in adoration of his Face. ... Indeed, every time we return to the source of the Christian experience, new paths and undreamed of possibilities open up” (Pope Francis, Discourse, 4 October 2014). Jesus looked upon the women and the men he met with love and tenderness, accompanying their steps with patience and mercy, in proclaiming the demands of the Kingdom of God.

13. Since the order of creation is determined by its orientation towards Christ, a distinction needs to be made without separating the various levels through which God communicates to humanity the grace of the covenant. By reason of the divine pedagogy, according to which the order of creation develops through successive stages to the moment of redemption, we need to understand the newness of the Sacrament of Marriage in continuity with natural marriage in its origin, that is, the manner of God’s saving action in both creation and the Christian life. In creation, because all things were made through Christ and for him (cf. Col1:16), Christians “gladly and reverently lay bare the seeds of the Word which lie hidden among their fellows; they ought to follow attentively the profound changes which are taking place among peoples” (Ad Gentes, 11). In the Christian life, the reception of Baptism brings the believer into the Church through the domestic church, namely, the family; thus beginning “a dynamic process [which] develops, one which advances gradually with the progressive integration of the gifts of God” (Familiaris Consortio, 9), in an ongoing conversion to a love which saves us from sin and gives us fullness of life.

14. Jesus himself, referring to the original plan of the human couple, reaffirms the indissoluble union between a man and a woman and says to the Pharisees that “for your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so”(Mt 19: 8). The indissolubility of marriage (“what therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder” Mt 19:6), is not to be understood as a “yoke” imposed on persons but as a “gift” to a husband and wife united in marriage. In this way, Jesus shows how God’s humbling act of coming to earth might always accompany the human journey and might heal and transform a hardened heart with his grace, orientating it towards its benefit, by way of the cross. The Gospels make clear that Jesus’ example is paradigmatic for the Church. In fact, Jesus was born in a family; he began to work his signs at the wedding of Cana; and announced the meaning of marriage as the fullness of revelation which restores the original divine plan (Mt 19:3). At the same time, however, he put what he taught into practice and manifested the true meaning of mercy, clearly illustrated in his meeting with the Samaritan woman (Jn 4:1-30) and with the adulteress (Jn 8:1-11). By looking at the sinner with love, Jesus leads the person to repentance and conversion (“Go and sin no more”), which is the basis for forgiveness.

The Family in God’s Salvific Plan

15. The words of eternal life, which Jesus gave to his disciples, included the teaching on marriage and the family. Jesus’ teaching allows us to distinguish three basic stages in God's plan for marriage and the family. In the beginning, there is the original family, when God the Creator instituted the first marriage between Adam and Eve as the solid foundation of the family. God not only created human beings male and female (Gen 1:27), but he also blessed them so they might be fruitful and multiply (Gen 1:28). For this reason, “a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife and the two become one flesh” (Gen2:24). This union was corrupted by sin and became the historical form of marriage among the People of God, for which Moses granted the possibility of issuing a bill of divorce (cf. Dt 24: 1ff.). This was the principal practice in the time of Jesus. With Christ’s coming and his reconciling a fallen world through his redemption, the period begun by Moses ended.

16. Jesus, who reconciled all things in himself, restored marriage and the family to their original form (Mk 10:1-12). Marriage and the family have been redeemed by Christ (Eph 5:21-32), restored in the image of the Holy Trinity, the mystery from which every true love flows. The spousal covenant, originating in creation and revealed in the history of salvation, receives its full meaning in Christ and his Church. Through his Church, Christ bestows on marriage and the family the grace necessary to witness to the love of God and to live the life of communion. The Gospel of the Family spans the history of the world from the creation of man in the image and likeness of God (cf. Gn 1: 26-27) until it reaches, at the end of time, its fulfilment in the mystery of the Christ’s Covenant with the wedding of Lamb (cf. Rev 19: 9) (cf. John Paul II, Catechesis on Human Love).

The Family in the Church’s Documents

17. “Throughout the centuries, the Church has maintained her constant teaching on marriage and family. One of the highest expressions of this teaching was proposed by the Second Vatican Council, in the Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, which devotes an entire chapter to promoting the dignity of marriage and the family (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 47-52). This document defined marriage as a community of life and love (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 48), placing love at the center of the family and manifesting, at the same time, the truth of this love in counter distinction to the various forms of reductionism present in contemporary culture. The ‘true love between husband and wife’ (Gaudium et Spes, 49) implies a mutual gift of self and includes and integrates the sexual and affective aspects, according to the divine plan (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 48-49). Furthermore, Gaudium et Spes, 48 emphasizes the grounding of the spouses in Christ. Christ the Lord ‘comes into the lives of married Christians through the Sacrament of Matrimony,’ and remains with them. In the Incarnation, he assumes human love, purifies it and brings it to fulfillment. Through his Spirit, he enables the bride and groom to live their love and makes that love permeate every part of their lives of faith, hope and charity. In this way, the bride and groom are, so to speak, consecrated and, through his grace, they build up the Body of Christ and are a domestic church (cf. Lumen Gentium, 11), so that the Church, in order fully to understand her mystery, looks to the Christian family, which manifests her in a real way” (Instrumentum Laboris, 4).

18. “In the wake of Vatican II, the papal Magisterium has further refined the doctrine on marriage and the family. In a special way, Blessed Pope Paul VI, in his Encyclical Humanae Vitae, displayed the intimate bond between conjugal love and the generation of life. Pope St. John Paul II devoted special attention to the family in his catechesis on human love, his Letter to Families(Gratissimam Sane) and, especially, his Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio. In these documents, the Pope called the family the ‘way of the Church,’ gave an overview on the vocation of man and woman to love and proposed the basic guidelines for the pastoral care of the family and the presence of the family in society. In specifically treating ‘conjugal love’ (cf. Familiaris Consortio, 13), he described how the spouses, through their mutual love, receive the gift of the Spirit of Christ and live their call to holiness” (Instrumentum Laboris, 5)

19. “Pope Benedict XVI, in his Encyclical Deus Caritas Est, again took up the topic of the truth of the love between man and woman, which is fully understood only in light of the love of Christ Crucified (cf. Deus Caritas Est, 2). The Pope emphasized that ‘marriage based on an exclusive and definitive love becomes the icon of the relationship between God and his people and vice versa. God's way of loving becomes the measure of human love’ (Deus Caritas Est, 11). Moreover, in his Encyclical Caritas in Veritate, he emphasizes the importance of love as the principle of life in society (cf. Caritas in Veritate, 44), the place where a person learns to experience the common good” (Instrumentum Laboris, 6).

20. “Pope Francis, in his Encyclical Lumen Fidei, treating the connection between the family and faith, writes: ‘Encountering Christ, letting themselves (young people) be caught up in and guided by his love, enlarges the horizons of existence, gives it a firm hope which will not disappoint. Faith is no refuge for the fainthearted, but something which enhances our lives. It makes us aware of a magnificent calling, the vocation of love. It assures us that this love is trustworthy and worth embracing, for it is based on God’s faithfulness which is stronger than our every weakness’ (Lumen Fidei, 53)” (Instrumentum Laboris, 7).

The Indissolubility of Marriage and the Joy of Sharing Life Together

21. Mutual self-giving in the Sacrament of Marriage is grounded in the grace of Baptism, which establishes in all its recipients a foundational covenant with Christ in the Church. In accepting each other and with Christ’s grace, the engaged couple promises a total self-giving, faithfulness and openness to new life. The married couple recognizes these elements as constitutive in marriage, gifts offered to them by God, which they take seriously in their mutual commitment, in God’s name and in the presence of the Church. Faith facilitates the possibility of assuming the benefits of marriage as commitments which are sustainable through the help of the grace of the Sacrament. God consecrates the love of husband and wife and confirms the indissoluble character of their love, offering them assistance to live their faithfulness, mutual complementarity and openness to new life. Therefore, the Church looks to married couples as the heart of the entire family, which, in turn, looks to Jesus.

22. From the same perspective, in keeping with the teaching of the Apostle who said that the whole of creation was planned in Christ and for him (cf. Col 1:16), the Second Vatican Council wished to express appreciation for natural marriage and the valid elements present in other religions (cf. Nostra Aetate, 2) and cultures, despite their limitations and shortcomings (cf. Redemptoris Missio, 55). The presence of the seeds of the Word in these cultures (cf. Ad Gentes, 11) could even be applied, in some ways, to marriage and the family in so many societies and non-Christian peoples. Valid elements, therefore, exist in some forms outside of Christian marriage — based on a stable and true relationship of a man and a woman — which, in any case, might be oriented towards Christian marriage. With an eye to the popular wisdom of different peoples and cultures, the Church also recognizes this type of family as the basic, necessary and fruitful unit for humanity’s life together.

The Truth and Beauty of the Family and Mercy Towards Broken and Fragile Families

23. With inner joy and deep comfort, the Church looks to families who remain faithful to the teachings of the Gospel, encouraging them and thanking them for the testimony they offer. In fact, they witness, in a credible way, to the beauty of an indissoluble marriage, while always remaining faithful to each other. Within the family, “which could be called a domestic church” (Lumen Gentium, 11), a person begins a Church experience of communion among persons, which reflects, through grace, the Mystery of the Holy Trinity. “In a family, a person learns endurance, the joy of work, fraternal love, and generosity in forgiving others — repeatedly at times — and above all divine worship in prayer and the offering of one's life” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1657). The Holy Family of Nazareth is a wondrous model in whose school we “understand why we have to maintain spiritual discipline, if we wish to follow the teachings of the Gospel and become Christ’s disciples” (Blessed Pope Paul VI, Address at Nazareth, 5 January 1964). The Gospel of the Family also nourishes the seeds which are still waiting to grow; and serves as the basis for caring for those trees which might have withered and need treatment.

24. The Church, a sure teacher and caring mother, recognizes that the only marriage bond for those who are baptized is sacramental and any breach of it is against the will of God. At the same time, the Church is conscious of the weakness of many of her children who are struggling in their journey of faith. “Consequently, without detracting from the evangelical ideal, they need to accompany with mercy and patience the eventual stages of personal growth as these progressively occur. [...] A small step in the midst of great human limitations can be more pleasing to God than a life which outwardly appears in order and passes the day without confronting great difficulties. Everyone needs to be touched by the comfort and attraction of God’s saving love, which is mysteriously at work in each person, above and beyond their faults and failings”(Gaudium Evangelii, 44).

25. In considering a pastoral approach towards people who have contracted a civil marriage, who are divorced and remarried or simply living together, the Church has the responsibility of helping them understand the divine pedagogy of grace in their lives and offering them assistance so they can reach the fullness of the God’s plan for them. Looking to Christ, whose light illumines every person (cf. Jn 1: 9; Gaudium et Spes, 22), the Church turns with love to those who participate in her life in an incomplete manner, recognizing that the grace of God works also in their lives by giving them the courage to do good, to care for one another in love and to be of service to the community in which they live and work.

26. The Church looks with concern at the distrust of many young people in relation to a commitment in marriage and suffers at the haste with which many of the faithful decide to put an end to the obligation they assumed and to take on another. These lay people, who are members of the Church, need pastoral attention which is merciful and encouraging, so they might adequately determine their situation. Young people, who are baptized, should be encouraged to understand that the Sacrament of Marriage can enrich their prospects of love and they can be sustained by the grace of Christ in the Sacrament and by the possibility of participating fully in the life of the Church.

27. In this regard, a new aspect of family ministry is requiring attention today — the reality of civil marriages between a man and woman, traditional marriages and, taking into consideration the differences involved, even cohabitation. When a union reaches a particular stability, legally recognized, characterized by deep affection and responsibility for children and showing an ability to overcome trials, these unions can offer occasions for guidance with an eye towards the eventual celebration of the Sacrament of Marriage. Oftentimes, a couple lives together without the possibility of a future marriage and without any intention of a legally binding relationship.

28. .In accordance with Christ’s mercy, the Church must accompany with attention and care the weakest of her children, who show signs of a wounded and lost love, by restoring in them hope and confidence, like the beacon of a lighthouse in a port or a torch carried among the people to enlighten those who have lost their way or who are in the midst of a storm. Conscious that the most merciful thing is to tell the truth in love, we go beyond compassion. Merciful love, as it attracts and unites, transforms and elevates. It is an invitation to conversion. We understand the Lord’s attitude in the same way; he does not condemn the adulterous woman, but asks her to sin no more (Jn 8: 1-11).

Part III

Facing the Situation: Pastoral Perspectives

Proclaiming the Gospel of the Family Today in Various Contexts

29. Discussion at the synod has allowed for agreement on some of the more urgent pastoral needs to be addressed in the particular Churches, in communion cum Petro et sub Petro. Proclaiming the Gospel of the Family is urgently needed in the work of evangelization. The Church has to carry this out with the tenderness of a mother and the clarity of a teacher (cf. Eph 4: 15), in faithfulness to the mercy displayed in Christ’s kenosis. Truth became flesh in human weakness, not to condemn it but to save it (cf. Gn 3: 16, 17).

30. Evangelizing is the shared responsibility of all God’s people, each according to one’s ministry and charism. Without the joyous testimony of married people and families, proclamation, even if done in its proper way, risks being misunderstood or lost in a flurry of words which is characteristic of society today (cf. Novo Millennio Ineunte, 50). On various occasions, the synod fathers emphasized that Catholic families, by reason of the grace of the Sacrament of Marriage, are called upon to be the active agents in every pastoral activity on behalf of the family.

31. The primacy of grace needs to be highlighted and, consequently, the possibilities which the Spirit provides in the Sacrament. It is a question of allowing people to experience that the Gospel of the Family is a joy which “fills hearts and lives”, because in Christ we are “set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness, and loneliness” (Evangelii Gaudium, 1). Bearing in mind the Parable of the Sower (cf. Mt 13; 3), our task is to cooperate in the sowing; the rest is God’s work; nor must we forget that, in preaching about the family, the Church is a sign of contradiction.

32. Consequently, this work calls for missionary conversion by everyone in the Church, that is, not stopping at proclaiming a message which is perceived to be merely theoretical, with no connection to people’s real problems. We must continually bear in mind that the crisis of faith has led to a crisis in marriage and the family and, consequently, the transmission of faith itself from parents to children has often been interrupted. If we confront the situation with a strong faith, the imposition of certain cultural perspectives which weaken the family is of no importance.

33. Conversion also needs to be seen in the language we use, so that it might prove to be effectively meaningful. Proclamation needs to create an experience where the Gospel of the Family responds to the deepest expectations of a person: a response to each’s dignity and complete fulfillment in reciprocity, communion and fruitfulness. This does not consist in merely presenting a set of rules but in espousing values, which respond to the needs of those who find themselves today, even in the most secularized of countries.

34. The Word of God is the source of life and spirituality for the family. All pastoral work on behalf of the family must allow people to be interiorly fashioned and formed as members of the domestic church through the Church’s prayerful reading of Sacred Scripture. The Word of God is not only good news in a person’s private life, but also a criterion of judgment and a light in discerning the various challenges which married couples and families encounter.

35. At the same time, many synod fathers insisted on a more positive approach to the richness of various religious experiences, without overlooking the inherent difficulties. In these different religious realities and in the great cultural diversity which characterizes countries, the positive possibilities should be appreciated first and then on this basis evaluate their limitations and deficiencies.

36. Christian marriage is a vocation which is undertaken with due preparation in a journey of faith with a proper process of discernment and is not to be considered only a cultural tradition or social or legal requirement. Therefore, formation is needed to accompany the person and couple in such a way that the real-life experience of the entire ecclesial community can be added to the teaching of the contents of the faith.

37. The synod fathers repeatedly called for a thorough renewal of the Church’s pastoral practice in light of the Gospel of the Family and replacing its current emphasis on individuals. For this reason, the synod fathers repeatedly insisted on renewal in the training of priests and other pastoral workers with a greater involvement of families.

38. They equally highlighted the fact that evangelization needs to clearly denounce cultural, social, political and economic factors, such as the excessive importance given to market logic which prevents authentic family life and leads to discrimination, poverty, exclusion, and violence. Consequently, dialogue and cooperation need to be developed with the social entities and encouragement given to Christian lay people who are involved in the cultural and socio-political fields.

Guiding Engaged Couples in Their Preparation for Marriage

39. The complex social reality and the changes affecting the family today require a greater effort on the part of the whole Christian community in preparing those who are about to be married. The importance of the virtues needs to be included, among these chastity which is invaluable in the genuine growth of love between persons. In this regard, the synod fathers jointly insisted on the need to involve more extensively the entire community by favouring the witness of families themselves and including preparation for marriage in the course of Christian Initiation as well as emphasizing the connection between marriage and the other sacraments. Likewise, they felt that specific programmes were needed in preparing couples for marriage, programmes which create a true experience of participation in ecclesial life and thoroughly treat the various aspects of family life.

Accompanying the Married Couple in the Initial Years of Marriage

40. The initial years of marriage are a vital and sensitive period during which couples become more aware of the challenges and meaning of married life. Consequently, pastoral accompaniment needs to go beyond the actual celebration of the Sacrament (Familiaris Consortio, Part III). In this regard, experienced couples are of great importance in any pastoral activity. The parish is the ideal place for these experienced couples to be of service to younger couples. Married couples need encouragement in a basic openness to the great gift of children. The importance of a family spirituality and prayer needs emphasis so couples might be encouraged to meet regularly to promote growth in their spiritual life and solidarity in the concrete demands of life. Meaningful liturgies, devotional practices and the Eucharist celebrated for entire families were mentioned as vital factors in fostering evangelization through the family.

Pastoral Care for Couples Civilly Married or Living Together

41. While continuing to proclaim and foster Christian marriage, the Synod also encourages pastoral discernment of the situations of a great many who no longer live this reality. Entering into pastoral dialogue with these persons is needed to distinguish elements in their lives which can lead to a greater openness to the Gospel of Marriage in its fullness. Pastors ought to identify elements which can foster evangelization and human and spiritual growth. A new element in today’s pastoral activity is a sensitivity to the positive aspects of civilly celebrated marriages and, with obvious differences, cohabitation. While clearly presenting the Christian message, the Church also needs to indicate the constructive elements in these situations which do not yet or no longer correspond to it.

42. The synod fathers also noted in many countries an “an increasing number of people live together ad experimentum, in unions which have not been religiously or civilly recognized” (Instrumentum Laboris, 81). In some countries, this occurs especially in traditional marriages which are arranged between families and often celebrated in different stages. Other countries are witnessing a continual increase in the number of those who, after having lived together for a long period, request the celebration of marriage in Church. Simply to live together is often a choice based on a general attitude opposed to anything institutional or definitive; it can also be done while awaiting more security in life (a steady job and income). Finally, in some countries de factomarriages are very numerous, not because of a rejection of Christian values concerning the family and matrimony but primarily because celebrating a marriage is too expensive. As a result, material poverty leads people into de facto unions.

43. All these situations require a constructive response, seeking to transform them into opportunities which can lead to an actual marriage and a family in conformity with the Gospel. These couples need to be provided for and guided patiently and discreetly. With this in mind, the witness of authentic Christian families is particularly appealing and important as agents in the evangelization of the family.

Caring for Broken families (Persons who are Separated, Divorced, Divorced and Remarried and Single-Parent Families)

44. Married couples with problems in their relationship should be able to count on the assistance and guidance of the Church. The pastoral work of charity and mercy seeks to help persons recover and restore relationships. Experience shows that with proper assistance and acts of reconciliation, though grace, a great percentage of troubled marriages find a solution in a satisfying manner. To know how to forgive and to feel forgiven is a basic experience in family life. Forgiveness between husband and wife permits a couple to experience a never-ending love which does not pass away (cf. 1 Cor 13:8). At times, this is difficult, but those who have received God’s forgiveness are given the strength to offer a genuine forgiveness which regenerates persons.

45. The necessity for courageous pastoral choices was particularly evident at the Synod. Strongly reconfirming their faithfulness to the Gospel of the Family and acknowledging that separation and divorce are always wounds which causes deep suffering to the married couple and to their children, the synod fathers felt the urgent need to embark on a new pastoral course based on the present reality of weaknesses within the family, knowing oftentimes that couples are more “enduring” situations of suffering than freely choosing them. These situations vary because of personal, cultural and socio-economic factors. Therefore, solutions need to be considered in a variety of ways, as suggested by Pope St. John Paul II (cf. Familiaris Consortio, 84).

46. All families should, above all, be treated with respect and love and accompanied on their journey as Christ accompanied the disciples on the road to Emmaus. In a particular way, the words of Pope Francis apply in these situations: “The Church will have to initiate everyone – priests, religious and laity – into this ‘art of accompaniment’, which teaches us to remove our sandals before the sacred ground of the other (cf. Ex 3: 5). The pace of this accompaniment must be steady and reassuring, reflecting a closeness and compassion which, at the same time, heals, liberates and encourages growth in the Christian life” (Evangelii Gaudium, 169).

47. A special discernment is indispensable for pastorally guiding persons who are separated, divorced or abandoned. Respect needs to be primarily given to the suffering of those who have unjustly endured separation, divorce or abandonment, or those who have been subjected to the maltreatment of a husband or a wife, which interrupts their life together. To forgive such an injustice is not easy, but grace makes this journey possible. Pastoral activity, then, needs to be geared towards reconciliation or mediation of differences, which might even take place in specialized “listening centres” established in dioceses. At the same time, the synod fathers emphasized the necessity of addressing, in a faithful and constructive fashion, the consequences of separation or divorce on children, in every case the innocent victims of the situation. Children must not become an “object” of contention. Instead, every suitable means ought to be sought to ensure that they can overcome the trauma of a family break-up and grow as serenely as possible. In each case, the Church is always to point out the injustice which very often is associated with divorce. Special attention is to be given in the guidance of single-parent families. Women in this situation ought to receive special assistance so they can bear the responsibility of providing a home and raising their children.

48. A great number of synod fathers emphasized the need to make the procedure in cases of nullity more accessible and less time-consuming. They proposed, among others, the dispensation of the requirement of second instance for confirming sentences; the possibility of establishing an administrative means under the jurisdiction of the diocesan bishop; and a simple process to be used in cases where nullity is clearly evident. Some synod fathers, however, were opposed to this proposal, because they felt that it would not guarantee a reliable judgment. In all these cases, the synod fathers emphasized the primary character of ascertaining the truth about the validity of the marriage bond. Among other proposals, the role which faith plays in persons who marry could possibly be examined in ascertaining the validity of the Sacrament of Marriage, all the while maintaining that the marriage of two baptized Christians is always a sacrament.

49. In streamlining the procedure of marriage cases, many synod fathers requested the preparation of a sufficient number of persons — clerics and lay people — entirely dedicated to this work, which will require the increased responsibility of the diocesan bishop, who could designate in his diocese specially trained counselors who would be able to offer free advice to the concerned parties on the validity of their marriage. This work could be done in an office or by qualified persons (cf. Dignitas Connubii, art. 113, 1).

50. Divorced people who have not remarried, who oftentimes bear witness to their promise of faithfulness in marriage, ought to be encouraged to find in the Eucharist the nourishment they need to sustain them in their present state of life. The local community and pastors ought to accompany these people with solicitude, particularly when children are involved or when in serious financial difficulty.

51. Likewise, those who are divorced and remarried require careful discernment and an accompaniment of great respect. Language or behavior which might make them feel an object of discrimination should be avoided, all the while encouraging them to participate in the life of the community. The Christian community’s care of such persons is not to be considered a weakening of its faith and testimony to the indissolubility of marriage, but, precisely in this way, the community is seen to express its charity.

52. The synod father also considered the possibility of giving the divorced and remarried access to the Sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist. Some synod fathers insisted on maintaining the present regulations, because of the constitutive relationship between participation in the Eucharist and communion with the Church as well as the teaching on the indissoluble character of marriage. Others expressed a more individualized approach, permitting access in certain situations and with certain well-defined conditions, primarily in irreversible situations and those involving moral obligations towards children who would have to endure unjust suffering. Access to the sacraments might take place if preceded by a penitential practice, determined by the diocesan bishop. The subject needs to be thoroughly examined, bearing in mind the distinction between an objective sinful situation and extenuating circumstances, given that “imputability and responsibility for an action can be diminished or even nullified by ignorance, inadvertence, duress, fear, habit, inordinate attachments, and other psychological or social factors” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1735).

53. Some synod fathers maintained that divorced and remarried persons or those living together can have fruitful recourse to a spiritual communion. Others raised the question as to why, then, they cannot have access “sacramentally”. As a result, the synod fathers requested that further theological study in the matter might point out the specifics of the two forms and their association with the theology of marriage.

54. The problems relative to mixed marriages were frequently raised in the interventions of the synod fathers. The differences in the matrimonial regulations of the Orthodox Churches creates serious problems in some cases, which require due consideration in the work of ecumenism. Analogously, the contribution of the dialogue with other religions would be important for interreligious marriages.

Pastoral Attention towards Persons with Homosexual Tendencies

55. Some families have members who have a homosexual tendency. In this regard, the synod fathers asked themselves what pastoral attention might be appropriate for them in accordance with the Church’s teaching: “There are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God's plan for marriage and family.”Nevertheless, men and women with a homosexual tendency ought to be received with respect and sensitivity. “Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided” )Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Considerations Regarding Proposals to Give Legal Recognition to Unions Between Homosexual Persons, 4(.

56. Exerting pressure in this regard on the Pastors of the Church is totally unacceptable: this is equally so for international organizations who link their financial assistance to poorer countries with the introduction of laws which establish “marriage” between persons of the same sex.

The Transmission of Life and the Challenges of a Declining Birthrate

57. Today, the diffusion of a mentality which reduces the generation of human life to accommodate an individual’s or couple’s plans is easily observable. Sometimes, economic factors are burdensome, contributing to a sharp drop in the birthrate which weakens the social fabric, thus compromising relations between generations and rendering a future outlook uncertain. Openness to life is an intrinsic requirement of married love. In this regard, the Church supports families who accept, raise and affectionately embrace children with various disabilities.

58. Pastoral work in this area needs to start with listening to people and acknowledging the beauty and truth of an unconditional openness to life, which is needed, if human life is to be lived fully. This serves as the basis for an appropriate teaching regarding the natural methods for responsible procreation, which allow a couple to live, in a harmonious and conscious manner, the loving communication between husband and wife in all its aspects, along with their responsibility at procreating life. In this regard, we should return to the message of the Encyclical Humanae Vitae of Blessed Pope Paul VI, which highlights the need to respect the dignity of the person in morally assessing methods in regulating births. The adoption of children, orphans and the abandoned and accepting them as one’s own is a specific form of the family apostolate (cf. Apostolicam Actuositatem, III, 11), and oftentimes called for and encouraged by the Magisterium (cf. Familiaris Consortio, III, II; Evangelium Vitae, IV, 93). The choice of adoption or foster parenting expresses a particular fruitfulness of married life, not simply in the case of sterility. Such a choice is a powerful sign of family love, an occasion to witness to one’s faith and to restore the dignity of a son or daughter to a person who has been deprived of this dignity.

59. Affectivity needs assistance, also in marriage, as a path to maturity in the ever-deepening acceptance of the other and an ever-fuller gift of self. This necessitates offering programmes of formation which nourish married life and the importance of the laity providing an accompaniment, which consists in a life of witness. Undoubtedly, the example of a faithful and deep love is of great assistance; a love shown in tenderness and respect; a love which is capable of growing over time; and a love which, in the very act of opening itself to the generation of life, creates a transcendent mystical experience.

Upbringing and the Role of the Family in Evangelization

60. One of the fundamental challenges facing families today is undoubtedly that of raising children, made all the more difficult and complex by today’s cultural reality and the great influence of the media. Consideration, then, needs to be given to the needs and expectations of families, who are able to bear witness, in their daily lives, to the family as a place of growth in the concrete and essential transmission of the virtues which give form to our existence. Parents, then, are able freely to choose the type of education for their children, according to their convictions.

61. In this regard, the Church can assume a valuable role in supporting families, starting with Christian Initiation, by being welcoming communities. More than ever, these communities today are to offer support to parents, in complex situations and everyday life, in their work of raising their children, accompanying children, adolescents and young people in their development through personalized pastoral programmes, capable of introducing them to the full meaning of life and encouraging them in their choices and responsibilities, lived in the light of the Gospel. Mary, in her tenderness, mercy and maternal sensitivity can nourish the hunger of humanity and life itself. Therefore, families and the Christian people should seek her intercession. Pastoral work and Marian devotion are an appropriate starting point for proclaiming the Gospel of the Family.

Conclusion

62. These proposed reflections, the fruit of the synodal work which took place in great freedom and with a spirit of reciprocal listening, are intended to raise questions and indicate points of view which will later be developed and clarified through reflection in the local Churches in the intervening year leading to the XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, scheduled for October, 2015, to treat The Vocation and Mission of the Family in the Church and in the Contemporary World. These are not decisions taken nor are they easy subjects. Nevertheless, in the collegial journey of the bishops and with the involvement of all God’s people, the Holy Spirit will guide us in finding the road to truth and mercy for all. This has been the wish of Pope Francis from the beginning of our work, when he invited us to be courageous in faith and to humbly and honestly embrace the truth in charity. Source...

[03044-02.01] [Original text: Italian]

Marriage Is Under Attack Now More Than Ever Before, Pope Francis

Zenit || By Staff Reporter || 27 October 2014

While acknowledging the never-before-seen challenges Christian families are facing, Pope Francis still offered hope by reminding faithful that the Church is always, regardless of difficulties, being internally renewed.

During a Saturday audience with more than 7,000 pilgrims belonging to the Schoenstatt Movement, the Holy Father admitted the "Christian family and marriage are under great attack” due to growing relativism over the concept of marriage. But, he reminded those gathered, we musn't lose hope, reported Vatican Radio on Saturday.

Gathered in Rome this weekend to celebrate the 100th anniversary of its founding in Germany, Schoenstatt is an international Roman Catholic Marian movement and apostolic organization which embraces members, both lay and clerics, from dozens of nations around the world.

The Schoenstatt Movement was founded in Germany in 1914 by Father Joseph Kentenich who saw the movement as being a means of spiritual renewal in the Catholic Church.

In a dialogue with participants, the Holy Father responded to questions on how marriage and the Christian family is under attack, how to welcome those who feel excluded from the Church, and how the Church experiences “renewal.”

Turning to marriage, he noted that often there is a misunderstanding over the difference between the sacrament of marriage and the social rite.

“Marriage is forever,” Francis reminded those present, “but in our present society, there is a temporary or throwaway culture that has become widespread.”

In response to questions about marriage and what advice he can offer to those who do not feel welcome in the Church, the Pope underscored the need for priests to stay close to each one of “their flock” without becoming scandalized over what takes place within the family.

Giving an example, he recalled that during the recent Synod of Bishops on the Family, it was asked whether priests are aware of what children feel and the psychological damage caused when their parents separate.

In addition to calling on priests to stay near couples, he urged them to be there for children experiencing the trauma of family break-up.

Asked about reform of the Church, the Pope said people describe him as a revolutionary but went on to point out that the Church has always been that way and is constantly reforming itself.

Explaining this further, Francis stressed that the first revolution or way of renewing the Church is through inner holiness and that counts far more than more external ways such as reforming the Curia and the Vatican bank.

Pope Francis also spoke about the importance of having a freedom of spirit and warned against closing ourselves up in a mass of rules and regulations, thus becoming a caricature of the doctors of law.

On the same occasion, the Argentine Pontiff also warned about the devil, reminding faithful he exists and his first weapon is disunity.

Responding to how he maintains a sense of joy and hope despite the world’s many problems, the Holy Father replied that he uses prayer, trust, courage and daring.

“To dare is a grace,” Pope Francis stated, “and a prayer without courage or daring is a prayer that doesn’t work.” Source...

Pope Francis Emphasizes the Responsibility of Humanity in Creation

Vatican Information Service || 27 October 2014

This morning the Holy Father attended the plenary session of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences held in the Casina Pio IV, during which he inaugurated a bust of Pope emeritus Benedict XVI, whom he described as “a great Pope.

Great for the strength and penetration of his intelligence, great for his important contribution to theology, great for his love of the Church and of human beings, great for his virtue and religiosity”.

He recalled that Benedict XVI was the first to invite a president of this Academy to participate in the Synod on new evangelisation, “aware of the importance of science in modern culture”.

Pope Francis chose not to focus on the complex issue of the evolution of nature, the theme the Academy will consider during this session, emphasising however that “God and Christ walk with us and are also present in nature”.

“When we read in Genesis the account of Creation, we risk imagining God as a magus, with a magic wand able to make everything. But it is not so. He created beings and allowed them to develop according to the internal laws that He gave to each one, so that they were able to develop and to arrive and their fullness of being. He gave autonomy to the beings of the Universe at the same time at which he assured them of his continuous presence, giving being to every reality.

And so creation continued for centuries and centuries, millennia and millennia, until it became which we know today, precisely because God is not a demiurge or a conjurer, but the Creator who gives being to all things. The beginning of the world is not the work of chaos that owes its origin to another, but derives directly from a supreme Origin that creates out of love. The Big Bang, which nowadays is posited as the origin of the world, does not contradict the divine act of creating, but rather requires it. The evolution of nature does not contrast with the notion of Creation, as evolution presupposes the creation of beings that evolve”.

He continued, “With regard to man, instead, there is a change and something new. When, on the sixth day of the account in Genesis, man is created, God gives the human being another autonomy, an autonomy that is different to that of nature, which is freedom. And he tells man to name everything and to go ahead through history.

This makes him responsible for creation, so that he might dominate it in order to develop it until the end of time. Therefore the scientist, and above all the Christian scientist, must adopt the approach of posing questions regarding the future of humanity and of the earth, and, of being free and responsible, helping to prepare it and preserve it, to eliminate risks to the environment of both a natural and human nature.

But, at the same time, the scientist must be motivated by the confidence that nature hides, in her evolutionary mechanisms, potentialities for intelligence and freedom to discover and realise, to achieve the development that is in the plan of the Creator. So, while limited, the action of humanity is part of God's power and is able to build a world suited to his dual corporal and spiritual life; to build a human world for all human beings and not for a group or a class of privileged persons.

This hope and trust in God, the Creator of nature, and in the capacity of the human spirit can offer the researcher a new energy and profound serenity. But it is also true that the action of humanity – when freedom becomes autonomy – which is not freedom, but autonomy – destroys creation and man takes the place of the Creator. And this is the grave sin against God the Creator”, he concluded.

SIGNIS receives official recognition as Catholic Media Organisation

SIGNIS || 24 October 2014

The Holy See has officially recognized SIGNIS (the World Catholic Association for Communication) as an International Association of the Faithful through its approval of the Canonical Statutes of SIGNIS.

At a ceremony at the headquarters of the Pontifical Council for the Laity on October 24th, the Decree of Pontifical Recognition was solemnly consigned to the President of SIGNIS, Mr Gustavo Andújar, accompanied by SIGNIS Vice-Presidents, Mr Frank Frost and Mr Lawrence John Sinniah, by Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity.

Receiving the decree, Gustavo Andújar commented: “It is only natural that the recognition we are celebrating comes from the Pontifical Council for the Laity. The international Catholic organizations for the media were created in the 1920s through initiatives of lay people, and although the mother organizations of SIGNIS, and SIGNIS itself, have always counted on the enthusiastic participation and support of numerous priests, our organizations have remained mainly an endeavor of lay people, with a growingly clear conscience of the need for an active presence in, and vibrant dialog with, the professional world of the media”.

In his remarks Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko quoted Pope Francis in his meeting with journalists, after his election: “Your work calls for careful preparation, sensitivity and experience (…) It should be apparent that all of us are called not to communicate ourselves, but this existential triad made up of truth, beauty and goodness”.

And he added making reference to John Paul II letter to those responsible for communications The Rapid Development “The Gospel transforms the world when Christians (…) commit to seeking holiness in their daily lives. It is in this sense that we should understand SIGNIS’ efforts to train and support protagonists in the media in their daily tasks”.

Also present in the celebration was the President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, who introduced himself as being first, a friend of SIGNIS. He added to Cardinal’s Rylko remarks that “truth, beauty and good have to be maintained together. And he invited SIGNIS to look forward to a promising future.

SIGNIS is now the only international Catholic association for media professionals, including journalists, officially recognized by the Holy See.

SIGNIS
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1210 Brussels - Belgium
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www.signis.net

Speech of Pope Francis at the Conclusion of the Synod

Aleteia || Vatican Radio || 18 October 2014

Pope Francis describes temptations evident in Synod's deliberations as inevitable and part of a healthy debate.

At the conclusion of the Extraordinary Synod on the Family, Pope Francis addressed the assembled Fathers, thanking them for their efforts and encouraging them to continue to journey.

Below, please find Vatican Radio's provisional translation of Pope Francis' address to the Synod Fathers:

Dear Eminences, Beatitudes, Excellencies, Brothers and Sisters,

With a heart full of appreciation and gratitude I want to thank, along with you, the Lord who has accompanied and guided us in the past days, with the light of the Holy Spirit.

From the heart I thank Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, Secretary General of the Synod, Bishop Fabio Fabene, under-secretary, and with them I thank the Relators, Cardinal Peter Erdo, who has worked so much in these days of family mourning, and the Special Secretary Bishop Bruno Forte, the three President delegates, the transcribers, the consultors, the translators and the unknown workers, all those who have worked with true fidelity and total dedication behind the scenes and without rest. Thank you so much from the heart.

I thank all of you as well, dear Synod fathers, Fraternal Delegates, Auditors, and Assessors, for your active and fruitful participation. I will keep you in prayer asking the Lord to reward you with the abundance of His gifts of grace!

I can happily say that – with a spirit of collegiality and of synodality – we have truly lived the experience of “Synod,” a path of solidarity, a “journey together.”

And it has been “a journey” – and like every journey there were moments of running fast, as if wanting to conquer time and reach the goal as soon as possible; other moments of fatigue, as if wanting to say “enough”; other moments of enthusiasm and ardour. There were moments of profound consolation listening to the testimony of true pastors, who wisely carry in their hearts the joys and the tears of their faithful people. Moments of consolation and grace and comfort hearing the testimonies of the families who have participated in the Synod and have shared with us the beauty and the joy of their married life.

A journey where the stronger feel compelled to help the less strong, where the more experienced are led to serve others, even through confrontations. And since it is a journey of human beings, with the consolations there were also moments of desolation, of tensions and temptations, of which a few possibilities could be mentioned:

- One, a temptation to hostile inflexibility, that is, wanting to close oneself within the written word, (the letter) and not allowing oneself to be surprised by God, by the God of surprises, (the spirit); within the law, within the certitude of what we know and not of what we still need to learn and to achieve. From the time of Christ, it is the temptation of the zealous, of the scrupulous, of the solicitous and of the so-called – today – “traditionalists” and also of the intellectuals.

- The temptation to a destructive tendency to goodness [it. buonismo], that in the name of a deceptive mercy binds the wounds without first curing them and treating them; that treats the symptoms and not the causes and the roots. It is the temptation of the “do-gooders,” of the fearful, and also of the so-called “progressives and liberals.”

- The temptation to transform stones into bread to break the long, heavy, and painful fast (cf. Lk 4:1-4); and also to transform the bread into a stone and cast it against the sinners, the weak, and the sick (cf Jn 8:7), that is, to transform it into unbearable burdens (Lk 11:46).

- The temptation to come down off the Cross, to please the people, and not stay there, in order to fulfil the will of the Father; to bow down to a worldly spirit instead of purifying it and bending it to the Spirit of God.

- The temptation to neglect the “depositum fidei” [the deposit of faith], not thinking of themselves as guardians but as owners or masters [of it]; or, on the other hand, the temptation to neglect reality, making use of meticulous language and a language of smoothing to say so many things and to say nothing! They call them “byzantinisms,” I think, these things…

Dear brothers and sisters, the temptations must not frighten or disconcert us, or even discourage us, because no disciple is greater than his master; so if Jesus Himself was tempted – and even called Beelzebul (cf. Mt 12:24) – His disciples should not expect better treatment.

Personally I would be very worried and saddened if it were not for these temptations and these animated discussions; this movement of the spirits, as St Ignatius called it (Spiritual Exercises, 6), if all were in a state of agreement, or silent in a false and quietist peace. Instead, I have seen and I have heard – with joy and appreciation – speeches and interventions full of faith, of pastoral and doctrinal zeal, of wisdom, of frankness and of courage: and of parresia.

And I have felt that what was set before our eyes was the good of the Church, of families, and the “supreme law,” the “good of souls” (cf. Can. 1752). And this always – we have said it here, in the Hall – without ever putting into question the fundamental truths of the Sacrament of marriage: the indissolubility, the unity, the faithfulness, the fruitfulness, that openness to life (cf. Cann. 1055, 1056; and Gaudium et spes, 48).

And this is the Church, the vineyard of the Lord, the fertile Mother and the caring Teacher, who is not afraid to roll up her sleeves to pour oil and wine on people’s wound; who doesn’t see humanity as a house of glass to judge or categorize people. This is the Church, One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic and composed of sinners, needful of God’s mercy. This is the Church, the true bride of Christ, who seeks to be faithful to her spouse and to her doctrine. It is the Church that is not afraid to eat and drink with prostitutes and publicans.

The Church that has the doors wide open to receive the needy, the penitent, and not only the just or those who believe they are perfect! The Church that is not ashamed of the fallen brother and pretends not to see him, but on the contrary feels involved and almost obliged to lift him up and to encourage him to take up the journey again and accompany him toward a definitive encounter with her Spouse, in the heavenly Jerusalem.

The is the Church, our Mother! And when the Church, in the variety of her charisms, expresses herself in communion, she cannot err: it is the beauty and the strength of the sensus fidei, of that supernatural sense of the faith which is bestowed by the Holy Spirit so that, together, we can all enter into the heart of the Gospel and learn to follow Jesus in our life. And this should never be seen as a source of confusion and discord.

Many commentators, or people who talk, have imagined that they see a disputatious Church where one part is against the other, doubting even the Holy Spirit, the true promoter and guarantor of the unity and harmony of the Church – the Holy Spirit who throughout history has always guided the barque, through her Ministers, even when the sea was rough and choppy, and the ministers unfaithful and sinners.

And, as I have dared to tell you , [as] I told you from the beginning of the Synod, it was necessary to live through all this with tranquillity, and with interior peace, so that the Synod would take place cum Petro and sub Petro (with Peter and under Peter), and the presence of the Pope is the guarantee of it all.

We will speak a little bit about the Pope, now, in relation to the Bishops [laughing]. So, the duty of the Pope is that of guaranteeing the unity of the Church; it is that of reminding the faithful of their duty to faithfully follow the Gospel of Christ; it is that of reminding the pastors that their first duty is to nourish the flock – to nourish the flock – that the Lord has entrusted to them, and to seek to welcome – with fatherly care and mercy, and without false fears – the lost sheep. I made a mistake here. I said welcome: [rather] to go out and find them.

His duty is to remind everyone that authority in the Church is a service, as Pope Benedict XVI clearly explained, with words I cite verbatim: “The Church is called and commits herself to exercise this kind of authority which is service and exercises it not in her own name, but in the name of Jesus Christ… through the Pastors of the Church, in fact: it is he who guides, protects and corrects them, because he loves them deeply.

But the Lord Jesus, the supreme Shepherd of our souls, has willed that the Apostolic College, today the Bishops, in communion with the Successor of Peter… to participate in his mission of taking care of God's People, of educating them in the faith and of guiding, inspiring and sustaining the Christian community, or, as the Council puts it, ‘to see to it... that each member of the faithful shall be led in the Holy Spirit to the full development of his own vocation in accordance with Gospel preaching, and to sincere and active charity’ and to exercise that liberty with which Christ has set us free (cf. Presbyterorum Ordinis, 6)… and it is through us,” Pope Benedict continues, “that the Lord reaches souls, instructs, guards and guides them.

St Augustine, in his Commentary on the Gospel of St John, says: ‘let it therefore be a commitment of love to feed the flock of the Lord’ (cf. 123, 5); this is the supreme rule of conduct for the ministers of God, an unconditional love, like that of the Good Shepherd, full of joy, given to all, attentive to those close to us and solicitous for those who are distant (cf. St Augustine, Discourse 340, 1; Discourse 46, 15), gentle towards the weakest, the little ones, the simple, the sinners, to manifest the infinite mercy of God with the reassuring words of hope (cf. ibid., Epistle, 95, 1).”

So, the Church is Christ’s – she is His bride – and all the bishops, in communion with the Successor of Peter, have the task and the duty of guarding her and serving her, not as masters but as servants. The Pope, in this context, is not the supreme lord but rather the supreme servant – the “servant of the servants of God”; the guarantor of the obedience and the conformity of the Church to the will of God, to the Gospel of Christ, and to the Tradition of the Church, putting aside every personal whim, despite being – by the will of Christ Himself – the “supreme Pastor and Teacher of all the faithful” (Can. 749) and despite enjoying “supreme, full, immediate, and universal ordinary power in the Church” (cf. Cann. 331-334).

Dear brothers and sisters, now we still have one year to mature, with true spiritual discernment, the proposed ideas and to find concrete solutions to so many difficulties and innumerable challenges that families must confront; to give answers to the many discouragements that surround and suffocate families.

One year to work on the “Synodal Relatio” which is the faithful and clear summary of everything that has been said and discussed in this hall and in the small groups. It is presented to the Episcopal Conferences as “lineamenta” [guidelines].

May the Lord accompany us, and guide us in this journey for the glory of His Name, with the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of Saint Joseph. And please, do not forget to pray for me! Thank you!

[The hymn Te Deum was sung, and Benediction given.]

Thank you, and rest well, eh? Source...

Mid-term Report on Family Synod Stirs Controversy among Bishops

Catholic Herald || By Francis X Rocca || 15 October 2014

The official mid-term report from the Synod of Bishops, which uses strikingly conciliatory language toward divorced and remarried Catholics, cohabitating couples and same-sex unions, has proven highly controversial inside and outside the synod hall, with some synod fathers saying it does not accurately reflect the assembly’s views.

Following a nearly hour-long speech on Monday by Cardinal Péter Erdő of Esztergom-Budapest, who, as the synod’s relator, has the task of guiding the discussion and synthesising its results, 41 of the 184 synod fathers present took the floor to comment the same morning, the Vatican said.

According to the Vatican’s summary of their remarks, which did not quote bishops by name in accordance with synod rules, a number of synod fathers objected that Cardinal Erdő’s text lacked certain necessary references to Catholic moral teaching.

“In regard to homosexuality, there was noted the need for welcoming, with the right degree of prudence, so as not to create the impression of a positive valuation of that orientation,” the summary said. “It was hoped that the same care would be taken in regard to cohabitation.”

Bishops also remarked on the mid-term report’s scarce references to the concept of sin, and encouraged the assembly to emulate the “prophetic tone of Jesus, to avoid the risk of conforming to the mentality of today’s world.”

Regarding one of the synod’s most discussed topics, a proposal by German Cardinal Walter Kasper to make it easier for divorced and civilly remarried Catholics to receive Communion, at least one bishop argued that it would be “difficult to welcome some exceptions without in reality turning it into a general rule.”

Some members of the synod made their objections public.

US Cardinal Raymond Burke, prefect of the Supreme Court of the Apostolic Signature, told Catholic World Report that the mid-term report “advances positions which many synod fathers do not accept and, I would say, as faithful shepherds of the flock cannot accept. Clearly, the response to the document in the discussion which immediately followed its presentation manifested that a great number of synod fathers found it objectionable.”

Cardinal Burke accused leaders of the synod of giving the public a distorted image of the proceedings, almost all of which are closed to the press.

“All of the information regarding the synod is controlled by the General Secretariat of the synod, which clearly has favored from the beginning the positions expressed” in the mid-term report, the cardinal said. “You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see the approach at work, which is certainly not of the church.”

Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki of Poznan, Poland, president of the Polish bishops’ conference, told Vatican Radio that Cardinal Erdő’s speech was not acceptable to many synod fathers, because it departed from the theology of St John Paul II and reflected an ideology hostile to marriage by seeming to approve of same-sex couples raising children, among other ways.

The mid-term report “should be an incentive to fidelity, family values, but instead seems to accept everything as it is,” the archbishop said.

The controversy over the report prompted the synod’s General Secretariat to issue a statement on Tuesday lamenting that a “value has been attributed to the document that does not correspond to its nature” and emphasising that it is a “working document, which summarises the interventions and debate of the first week, and is now being offered for discussion by the members of the synod.”

The bishops were to work in small groups of about 20 each, discussing Cardinal Erdő’s speech and presenting their conclusions to the entire assembly on October 16.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of Durban, South Africa, said his group had found in the mid-term report “quite a lot of things which are expressed in a way which we certainly wouldn’t feel that are very helpful to giving a clear idea of where the Church stands on some of the issues that are being raised.”

“Individual things that were said by individuals, may have been repeated a couple of times, are put in here as if they really do reflect the feeling of the whole synod. They’ve been picked up by the media then and made to be the message of the synod. I think that’s where the upset is,” he said.

The cardinal would not specify the statements or topics in question. When asked about media reports that Cardinal Erdő’s speech represented a new overture to divorced Catholics and homosexuals, he said, “That’s one of the reasons why there’s been such an upset among the synod fathers, because we’re now working from a position that’s virtually irredeemable. The message has gone out, ‘this is what the synod is saying, this is what the Catholic Church is saying,’ and it’s not what we are saying at all.”

The cardinal said the mid-term report accurately reflected bishops’ calls to drop “very harsh language that alienates people,” such as cohabitating couples, who act in conflict with Church teachings, but he said Cardinal Erdő had not suggested the teachings themselves would change.

“My worry is that the message has gone out — and it’s not a true message — that this synod has taken up these positions, and whatever we say hereafter is going to be as if we’re doing some damage control, which is certainly not what is in my mind,” Cardinal Napier said. Source...

Synod Document offers New Style of Being Church

National Catholic Reporter || Fr. Thomas Reese || 13 October 2014

Listening, accompanying, respecting, valuing, discerning, welcoming, dialogue are words repeated throughout the new document being discussed by the synod of bishops in Rome this week. Words of condemnation and marginalization were avoided.

The document, called a "relatio post disceptationem," sums up what Cardinal Peter Erdo and the nine-member drafting committee see as the current synodal consensus as they move from a week of speeches into a week of small group discussions. The relatio will help focus the discussions in language groups and lead to a final document that will be the fruit of the synod and provide fodder for conversation throughout the church as it prepares for the next synod in October 2015.

The relatio is divided into three parts: "Listening: The context and challenges to the family," "The gaze on Christ: the Gospel and the family," and "Discussion: pastoral perspectives."

The document begins with an extensive quote from Pope Francis describing in poetic terms the joys and trials of families on the evening before the synod began:

Evening falls on our assembly. It is the hour at which one willingly returns home to meet at the same table, in the depth of affection, of the good that has been done and received, of the encounters which warm the heart and make it grow, good wine which hastens the unending feast in the days of man.

It is also the weightiest hour for one who finds himself face to face with his own loneliness, in the bitter twilight of shattered dreams and broken plans; how many people trudge through the day in the blind alley of resignation, of abandonment, even resentment: in how many homes the wine of joy has been less plentiful, and therefore, also the zest -- the very wisdom -- for life [...]. Let us make our prayer heard for one another this evening, a prayer for all.

What did the bishops hear as they listened to the voices of families?

"The most difficult test for families in our time is often solitude, which destroys and gives rise to a general sensation of impotence in relation to the socio-economic situation that often ends up crushing them," according to the relatio. "This is due to growing precariousness in the workplace that is often experienced as a nightmare."

It notes the varied cultural and religious context of families around the world, where polygamy, "marriage in stages," arranged marriages, interreligious marriages, cohabitation, divorce, children born outside of marriage, family violence, as well as war can occur.

The pastoral challenge then, is "to accept people in their concrete being, to know how to support their search, to encourage the wish for God and the will to feel fully part of the church, also on the part of those who have experienced failure or find themselves in the most diverse situations."

The bishops want to follow the example of Jesus who "looked upon the women and the men he met with love and tenderness, accompanying their steps with patience and mercy, in proclaiming the demands of the Kingdom of God."

In thinking about "wounded" families, the bishops found a "hermeneutic key" in the teachings of Vatican II on other Christian churches. Here the Catholic Church affirmed that "many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside of its visible structure," and "these elements, as gifts belonging to the Church of Christ, are forces impelling toward Catholic unity."

The bishops concluded, just as Protestant churches have many elements of sanctification and truth, so too, can nonsacramental unions. "Realizing the need, therefore, for spiritual discernment with regard to cohabitation, civil marriages and divorced and remarried persons," explains the relatio, "it is the task of the church to recognize those seeds of the Word that have spread beyond its visible and sacramental boundaries."

Rather seeing these situations as pure evil, "the church turns respectfully to those who participate in her life in an incomplete and imperfect way, appreciating the positive values they contain rather than their limitations and shortcomings."

"Pastoral accompaniment should always start from these positive aspects," says the document.

This calls for a new pastoral practice that accepts "the reality of civil marriage and also cohabitation, taking into account the due differences," reads the document. "Indeed, when a union reaches a notable level of stability through a public bond, is characterized by deep affection, responsibility with regard to offspring, and capacity to withstand tests, it may be seen as a germ to be accompanied in development towards the sacrament of marriage." This would not be true of cohabitations that rule out any possibility of future marriage.

The synod wants to carry out its pastoral practice "with the tenderness of a mother and the clarity of a teacher (cf. Eph 4,15)," in imitation of the mercy of Christ. "The truth is incarnated in human fragility not to condemn it, but to cure it."

Important to this pastoral practice will be "the joyous testimony of spouses and families," who will be key evangelizers for couples before and after their marriages.

"It is necessary not to stop at an announcement that is merely theoretical and has nothing to do with people’s real problems." Pastoral practice "is not merely about presenting a set of regulations but about putting forward values, responding to the need of those who find themselves today even in the most secularized countries."

The synod recognized the need for new pastoral paths in dealing with divorced families. "Each damaged family first of all should be listened to with respect and love, becoming companions on the journey as Christ did with the disciples of the road to Emmaus." The bishops realize that priests and laity need to be trained to do this.

The bishops are especially concerned for those suffering from divorce unjustly and for the children of divorced couples.

The relatio reports that the annulment process was discussed and that "Various Fathers underlined the necessity to make the recognition of cases of nullity more accessible and flexible. Among the propositions were the abandonment of the need for the double conforming sentence; the possibility of establishing an administrative means under the responsibility of the diocesan bishop; a summary process to be used in cases of clear nullity." Speeding-up the process "was requested by many."

On the question of the readmission to Communion of divorced and remarried Catholics, the document acknowledges disagreements. "Some argued in favor of the present regulations because of their theological foundation, others were in favor of a greater opening on very precise conditions when dealing with situations that cannot be resolved without creating new injustices and suffering."

One suggestion was allowing readmission to Communion following a "penitential path," under the supervision of the local bishop. Readmission "would not be a general possibility, but the fruit of a discernment applied on a case-by-case basis, according to a law of gradualness, that takes into consideration the distinction between state of sin, state of grace and the attenuating circumstances."

Greater theological study is needed on these issues, admits the bishops, "starting with the links between the sacrament of marriage and the Eucharist in relation to the church-sacrament."

One of the most extraordinary sections in the relatio deals with homosexuals. "Homosexuals have gifts and qualities to offer to the Christian community," affirms the document. "Are we capable of welcoming these people, guaranteeing to them a fraternal space in our communities?"

The bishops note that homosexuals often "wish to encounter a church that offers them a welcoming home. Are our communities capable of providing that, accepting and valuing their sexual orientation, without compromising Catholic doctrine on the family and matrimony?"

The bishops reaffirm that "unions between people of the same sex cannot be considered on the same footing as matrimony between man and woman," but this is a long way from the "intrinsically disordered" language used in the past. It even goes so far as to acknowledge "there are cases in which mutual aid to the point of sacrifice constitutes a precious support in the life of the partners."

Special attention should be given to children of gay couples, "emphasizing that the needs and rights of the little ones must always be given priority." This would seem to rule out denying baptism or a Catholic education to children of gays.

On birth control, the bishops did not change teaching but said, "Probably here as well what is required is a realistic language that is able to start from listening to people and acknowledging the beauty and truth of an unconditional opening to life."

The relatio concludes by noting that the document represents neither decisions nor simply points of view. Rather their reflections "are intended to raise questions and indicate perspectives that will have to be matured and made clearer by the reflection of the local churches in the year that separates us from the Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of bishops planned for October 2015."

However these discussions develop, it is clear that the church is embarking on them with a new pastoral style that is more compassionate and affirming. Source...

[Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese is a senior analyst for NCR and author of Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church. His email address is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow him on Twitter: @ThomasReeseSJ.]

Pope adds Six top Clerics to Team Drafting Final Synod Report

America Magazine || Gerard O’Connell || 11 October 2014

As the synod on the family reached the midway stage on a positive note, Pope Francis took the unprecedented and highly significant decision to add six highly qualified synod fathers to the team that will write its Final Report. That decision could prove to be a game changer.

At almost all of the synods over the past 49 years the Final Report was drafted by the Relator, the Special Secretary and the Secretary General. It had been presumed that the Final Report of the 2014 synod would follow suit and be drafted by the Hungarian cardinal Peter Erdo (the Relator), the Italian theologian-archbishop Bruno Forte (Special Secretary), and Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri (Italy), the Secretary General who is attending the synod for the first time. That is no longer the case.

The Vatican announced today - October 11,that Pope Francis has decided to add six highly qualified synod fathers to assist them in that onerous and all important task. They are: Cardinals Gianfranco Ravasi (Italy, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture) and Donald William Wuerl (Archbishop of Washington D.C), Archbishops Victor Manuel Fernàndez (Rector of the Catholic University of Buenos Aires and the Pope’s main theological advisor at Aparecida in 2007), Carlos Aguiar Retes (President of CELAM), Peter Kang U-IL (President of the Korean Bishops’ Conference), and Father Adolfo Nicolas Pachon (Father General of the Society of Jesus).

The Final Report will be the key text to emerge from this extraordinary synod, and will be based on what has emerged in speeches and discussions during this 2014 synod. It is a most important document as it will provide the basis for discussion in Bishops’ Conferences and Churches around the world between now and the synod of October 2015.

It will serve as the equivalent of a Working Document in preparation for the next synod which is expected to come up with important proposals regarding the pastoral approach to the family in the 21^st century, including those regarding how the Church will respond to the questions of cohabitation, the admission of divorced and remarried Catholics, other irregular situations, same-sex unions and much else.

The Jesuit Pope took this important decision as the first part of the synod on the family ended on an upbeat note and participants moved into the crucial second phase where they will discuss, in ten small language groups, the key issues and then express their majority and minority views on them.

In this first week the 253 synod participants spoke either from prepared texts or spontaneously on one or other topic of the Working Document that had been assigned for that particular day. They have now concluded that part, but already several things stand out that are worth mentioning.

To begin with, participants who have attended previous synods confirm that the climate of freedom and the method that is operative here is significantly different to that of past synods, and they confirm this is producing positive results.

Every participant that I have spoken to in private, as well as those who met the press, gave fulsome credit to Pope Francis for creating a climate of freedom in which everyone has felt totally free to say what they really think on a given topic.

“People are very relaxed, and even make jokes”, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin commented. He said the Pope has contributed greatly to this climate not only by advocating that they speak freely and boldly on the first day but also by arriving early each day, greeting participants when they arrive, and mingling with people at the coffee breaks.

It is well known that in past synods a discreet but effective censorship was exercised by Vatican officials, but what was even more serious and damaging to the realization of an open and honest debate was the “self-censorship” exercised by the bishops themselves at these gatherings.

Archbishop Jose Maria Arancedo, President of the Argentine Bishops Conference, stated this frankly in an interview on October 9 when, referring to past synods, he said, “The worst censorship is self-censorship”.

A second very important factor that differentiates this synod from previous ones is that “the inductive” rather than “the deductive” method has prevailed. Archbishop Paul-André Durocher, President of the Canadian Bishops Conference, highlighted this particular aspect at a Vatican briefing on October 9.

“What’s going on in the Synod is we’re seeing a more inductive way of reflecting, starting with the real situations of people… and finding that the lived experience of people is also a theological source, a place of theological reflection", he stated.

“The bishops are speaking as pastors”, many participants confirmed. They are speaking from personal experience and honest conviction on a wide variety of issues. At times they are doing so with great passion, also from their experiences of the happy or broken marriages of their own parents.

Bishops from the Middle East and Africa, as well as married couples from that part of the world, spoke often in heart-breaking ways about the terrible impact of war and violence on families, while bishops from Asia, Africa and Latin America spoke of the destructive effects on poverty and immigration on countless families.

A great many bishops spoke about the plight of children in broken marriages - “the ping-pong children” who shuttle between their separated parents, and those in situations of war, violence and as a result of immigration. They spoke about how the Church is responding in different countries to such situations and what more it might do.

Several bishops reaffirmed that the Church must show love and respect for homosexuals and lesbians. There was consensus that the Church cannot consider the union of people of the same sex as marriage, but they made clear that there should be no discrimination against children of such unions.

Many synod fathers and some married couples underlined the need for proper preparation of couples who wish to get married in church, and the need to support couples after they marry and have children. Others underlined the need to be close to widows and widowers, and those who have no families.

There is consensus on the question of the indissolubility of marriage, but there are a variety of positions when it comes to applying this principle to concrete cases. “We have to exercise our pastoral responsibilities in the grey areas”, Archbishop Martin said at a Vatican press briefing on October 11.

It came as no surprise to see that different positions have emerged among the synod fathers on such issues asthe relation between doctrine and pastoral practice, how to marry mercy and justice, how one measures faith when a couple wish to contract marriage, and the possibility of a penitential path that can open the door to the reception of the sacraments of reconciliation and communion for divorced and remarried Catholics. As was evident before the synod started there are two different positions on the question of the admission to communion of divorced and remarried Catholics; what is not yet clear is the level of support for each position.

Pope Francis has long favored the inductive method; it was the one that worked well at the 2007 Aparecida gathering of the Bishops Conferences of Latina America and the Caribbean (CELAM), where he was the editor-in-chief of its final document which is now a fundamental text for understanding his thinking. He is convinced that the process of synodality can bear fruits – even unexpected ones - if all the synod fathers participate in it with hearts and minds that are open to what the Spirit is saying in the different situations in today’s world.

It is noteworthy that this climate of freedom fostered by the Pope and the methodology of synodality that he has promoted, has helped avoid polarization at the synod, and it has led participants to think that a synthesis and eventual consensus can be reached even on the most controversial issues by the end of the synod process in 2015.

On Monday, October 13, Cardinal Peter Erdo, the synod’s Relator, will present a Report to the plenary assembly summarizing the more than 240 speeches or written presentations given during the first week. His report will provide the basis for 15 hours of discussion in 10 language groups (3 Italian, 3 English, 2 French and 2 Spanish) over the following three days. It will also prove the frame for the synod’s Final Report.

The input from the ten language groups will be inserted into that frame and will result in the Final Report, mentioned earlier, which will be drafted by the synod fathers mentioned earlier (the original team of three plus the six new members appointed by the Pope).

The synod fathers will vote on and approve the Final Report on the afternoon of October 18. That text will then be given to the Pope, and eventually sent to the Bishops’ Conferences and Patriarchates worldwide, and is also expected to be released to the press. Source...

Pope Francis accepts Bishop Conry’s Resignation

Catholic Herald || Staff Reporter || 06 October 2014

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop of Arundel and Brighton.

Bishop Kieran Conry tendered his resignation to the pontiff after admitting to being “unfaithful to (his) promises as a Catholic priest”. He also apologised for the “shame that I have brought on the diocese and the Church”.

Over the weekend letters written by Archbishop Peter Smith, who leads the Archdiocese of Southwark, and Cardinal Emeritus Cormac Murphy O’Connor were read out during mass services in Arundel and Brighton.

Archbishop Smith wrote: “The announcement last weekend that Bishop Kieran had offered his resignation to the Holy Father came as a great shock and was very distressing. Working with him in the Bishops’ Conference since 2001, and more recently as a Bishop of the Province of Southwark, I am well aware of all his dedicated work in the Diocese and nationally in his work as Chairman of the Department of Evangelisation and Catechesis.”

He continued: “My heart goes out to you at this difficult time, and I just wanted to write and let you know that I have offered Mass for you and all those hurt or distressed by Bishop Kieran’s actions. I will be keeping you and all those involved in my prayers in the coming weeks and months as you continue your preparations to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the Diocese next year.

“The words of Pope Francis in his letter to the Church, Evangelii Gaudium, struck me as particularly appropriate at this difficult time: ‘I invite all Christians everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them; I ask you to do this unfailingly each day.’”

Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor wrote that “thoughts and prayers” were with the people of the diocese.

“The resignation of Bishop Kieran and the events accompanying it have been a great shock and sadness to us all,” he said.

“As it happens, I know Bishop Kieran had intended a letter about the Church to be read out to you today. In it he says: ‘The Church is what joins us to Christ and builds and supports that relationship. It is also what binds us to one another. It is where we find healing and forgiveness. It is where we find support and encouragement.’ We all need that healing and forgiveness as Bishop Kieran does at this time. We are all dependent upon one another for prayer, support and encouragement in times of trouble and failure. I know that you will pray for Bishop Kieran as he seeks God’s guidance for the time ahead, and for all those who have been hurt by these events.”

He continued: “The Diocese of Arundel and Brighton is a great diocese and will continue to flourish and develop with the renewal that has already begun in preparation for the Golden Jubilee. Know that you are and will always be in my prayers.” Source...

Pope Warns Against 'bad shepherds' in Opening Synod Remarks

National Catholic Reporter | | Joshua J. McElwee || 06 October 2014

Says clergy should not be motivated by greed.

Pope Francis opened a worldwide meeting of Catholic bishops Sunday -- a possible landmark of his papacy -- by warning against "bad shepherds" who unduly burden the faithful and who "thwart" God by not being guided by the Holy Spirit.

Francis was speaking in a homily during the opening Mass for the meeting, known as a synod and focusing on modern struggles of family life, in St. Peter's Basilica.

Referring to the Mass readings for the day and to the prophet Ezekiel’s warning about shepherds who care for themselves and not their sheep, the pontiff said some shepherds become tempted by "greed for money and power."

"To satisfy this greed bad shepherds lay intolerable burdens on the shoulders of others, which they themselves do not lift a finger to move," said Francis.

The pontiff also laid out clearly what the synod is not to do.

"Synod assemblies are not meant to discuss beautiful and clever ideas, or to see who is more intelligent," said the pontiff. "They are meant to better nurture and tend the Lord's vineyard, to help realize his dream, his loving plan for his people."

Francis' words Sunday are likely to be met with much speculation over what direction the pontiff hopes the synod, in which some 190 bishops and cardinals will discuss family life topics in closed-door sessions Oct. 6-19, will take.

Preparations for the event, the first of two synods on the topic in 2014 and 2015, have raised expectations that some of the church's pastoral practices regarding family life might change, particularly about how the church cares for the divorced and remarried.

Referring to the Gospel reading Sunday -- a parable from Jesus in Matthew's Gospel about tenants who take over the owner's vineyard -- Francis said bishops can also "be tempted to 'take over' the vineyard, because of that greed which is always present in us human beings."

"God's dream always clashes with the hypocrisy of some of his servants," said Francis. "We can 'thwart' God's dream if we fail to let ourselves be guided by the Holy Spirit."

"The Spirit gives us that wisdom which surpasses knowledge, and enables us to work generously with authentic freedom and humble creativity," he continued.

Francis' words Sunday followed similar remarks the pontiff made Saturday evening in a prayer vigil in St. Peter's Square for the opening of the synod.

Addressing tens of thousands of people in the square, the pontiff called for the group to "invoke an openness toward a sincere discussion, open and fraternal, which leads us to carry with pastoral responsibility the questions that this change in epoch brings."

The bishops' work during the synod, which will take place behind closed-doors in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall, starts formally Monday morning with opening addresses from the prelates leading the event.

There are some 190 prelates who will be present and will be able to vote in the discussions. Some 60 others, mainly non-prelates, have been selected in other roles and will be able to contribute to discussions but not to vote.

Monday afternoon through Thursday evening, the bishops will open each of their meetings with an announcement of the theme for that session, followed by a testimony by a married couple on the theme.

After one week of their meetings, the bishops are to create a draft of a working document for the synod that will then be worked on during the second week of meetings to result in a final document for the synod, to be delivered to the pope.

One cardinal speaking to NCR Saturday said the synod was to focus on the lived realities of people today.

"In the end, what we're talking about always are people's lives," said Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who is the archbishop of Westminster and is attending the synod as the president of the bishops' conference of England and Wales.

"We have to be dealing with these things sensitively, pastorally -- and giving ourselves the space to accompany individuals, real people, in their actual situation," he said. Source...

Bishops share impressions of Synod's opening session

Vatican Radio || 06 October 2014

The Church needs leaders that are listening to their people, speaking honestly, seeking consensus and discerning new ways of supporting family life. Those were the guidelines that emerged from a press conference held at the conclusion of the morning session by four of the key players in this Synod of Bishops. They were Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo, French Cardinal André Vingt-Troi, Italian Archbishop Bruno Forte and Mexican Archbishop Carlos Aguiar Retes.

Cardinal Erdo, who gave the introductory presentation to the Synod’s opening session, stressed changes in the working method of the meeting to better reflect a Church that is listening to the needs of its people. In a departure from tradition, his presentation to the gathering of 253 Synod participants was given in Italian, rather than Latin, and already included some of the ideas circulated by the bishops in response to the questionnaire on the family sent out to dioceses around the world last year.

Archbishop Forte, special secretary for the Synod, stressed the continuation of the work started by Pope Paul VI in the immediate aftermath of the Second Vatican Council, to include the voice of all baptised people in the key discussions of the day. He said the bishops are still learning how to do that and he urged all the Synod participants to heed to Pope Francis’ words and to speak honestly and freely, without prejudice or preconceived answers.

Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, one of three Synod presidents, reminded journalists the meeting is not like a parliamentary debate, with a majority seeking to overrule the minority opinions, but rather a gathering of Church leaders, seeking consensus on key issues that can help the Church grow and support people in their specific, local circumstances. The debate among cardinals prior to the Synod over divorced and remarried Catholics, he said, was not a conflict but rather an important part of the theological discussion process.

Finally Archbishop Aguiar Retes, president of the bishops conferences of Latin American and the Caribbean, stressed the need for a constant pastoral discernment, grounded in the reality of families in their different parts of the world. This Synod, he recalled, is part of a two year process during which the Church leaders must not look for overnight solutions, but rather consult carefully with their people to find practical answers to pressing needs of families around the globe today. Source...

Pope Francis to the Bishops of Chad: The Behavior of the Church is a Model for all Society

Vatican Information Service || 02 October 2014

The implementation of catechetical methods for inculturation, the defence of the family and the role of women, and the need for dialogue with other religions in a country where Catholics are a minority are the main themes of the discourse Pope Francis handed to the bishops of Chad this morning, at the end of their “ad Limina” visit.

The Holy Father writes that the Catholic communities in this country “are growing, not only numerically, but also in terms of quality and the strength of their efforts”, and expressed his satisfaction for the work carried out in the spheres of education, health and development.

“The civil authorities are very grateful to the Catholic Church for her contribution to society as a whole in Chad. I encourage you to persevere along this path, as there is a strong bond between evangelisation and human development, a bond that must be expressed and developed in all the work of evangelisation.

Service to the poor and the most disadvantaged constitutes a true testimony of Christ, Who made Himself poor in order to be close to us and to save us. Both the religious congregations and lay associations who work with them play an important role in this respect, and they are to be thanked for this”.

“However”, he observes, “it is certain that this commitment to social service does not constitute the entirety of evangelizing activity; the deepening and strengthening of faith in the hearts of the faithful, that translates into an authentic spiritual and sacramental life, are essential to enable them to withstand the many trials of contemporary life, and to ensure that the behaviour of the faithful is more coherent with the requirements of the Gospel. … This is especially necessary in a country where certain cultural traditions bear considerable weight, where less morally demanding religious possibilities are present everywhere, and where secularism begins to make headway”.

Therefore, “it is necessary for the faithful to receive a solid doctrinal and spiritual formation. And the first locus of formation is certainly catechesis. I invite you, with a renewed missionary spirit, to implement the catechetical methods used in your dioceses. First, the good aspects of their traditions must be considered and accorded their due value – because Christ did not come to destroy cultures, but rather to lead them to fulfilment – while that which is not Christian must be clearly denounced. At the same time, it is essential to ensure the accuracy and integrity of doctrinal content”.

The Pope goes on to refer to families, who are “the vital cell of society and the Church, and who are currently very vulnerable. … And within the family, it is important that the role and the dignity of the woman are recognised, to bear eloquent witness to the Gospel. Therefore, in this respect, “behaviour within the Church must be a model for the whole of society”

After reiterating the need for the permanent formation of the clergy and the closeness of bishops and priests, Pope Francis observes that the Church in Chad, “despite her vitality and development, is a minority in a population in which there is a Muslim majority and which is still partly bound to its traditional religions”, and encouraged the prelates to ensure “that the Church, which is respected and listened to, occupies the space justly accorded to her in society in Chad, in which a significant element has converted, even though this remains a minority”.

He continues, “in this context, I must urge you to foster interreligious dialogue, which was fortunately initiated by the late Archbishop of N'Djamena, Mathias M'Garteri Mayadi, who did much to promote the co-existence of different religious communities. I believe that it is necessary to continue with this type of initiative to prevent the violence to which Christians have fallen victim in neighbouring countries”

The Holy Father concluded by reiterating the importance of maintaining the good relations established with the civil authorities, and highlighted the recent signing of a Framework Agreement between the Holy See and the Republic of Chad that, once ratified, will greatly help the mission of the Church. Source...

Pope Receives Delegation of Eritrean Survivors of the Lampedusa Shipwreck

Vatican Information Service || 02 October 2014

Yesterday afternoon the Holy Father received a delegation of Eritrean survivors and relatives of the victims of the shipwreck that occurred a year ago in the waters of Lampedusa, Sicily, in which 368 migrants lost their lives. The delegation was composed of 37 people – more than 20 survivors and some relatives – from the various European countries where they have settled, often with family members who were already present there. These countries include Germany, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and Denmark.

Other survivors are due to arrive tomorrow, to join the delegation to participate in the commemoration of the tragedy in Lampedusa tomorrow. A few days ago a proposal was put forward to the Italian parliament that 3 October be declared a “Day of Remembrance for Victims of the Sea”.

The delegation was organised by the “3 October Committee”, chaired by Tareke Brhane, and was accompanied by Archbishop Konrad Krajewski, almoner of His Holiness, and Fr. Giovanni Lamanna, former president of the Astalli Centre, the Italian home of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), an international Catholic organisation active in more than forty countries, whose mission is to accompany and assist refugees and asylum-seekers, and to defend their rights.

During the meeting, which took place in a room adjacent to the Vatican's Paul VI Hall, one of the refugees addressed the Pope, asking for his help and support in work that remains to be done, for instance in identifying the bodies, that in some cases has not yet been possible. Another young person thanked the Pope for his support for and interest in the welfare of migrants and refugees.

The Pope, moved by these testimonies, said, “I cannot find the words to say what I feel. What you have suffered is to be contemplated in silence; one weeps, and seeks a way of being close to you. At times, when you seem to have arrived in the port, we encounter very difficult situations. You find closed doors and do not know where to go.

But there are many people whose hearts are open to you. The door of the heart is the most important in these moments. I implore all men and women in Europe to open the doors of their hearts! I want to say that I am close to you, I pray for you, I pray that the closed doors open up”.

The delegation presented the Holy Father with a sculpture in iron, depicting a bottle in the sea, containing a family. At the end of the encounter, the Pope personally greeted all those present. Source...

The Catholic Church does not have a “magic wand” for everything, Pope Francis admits

The Independent || Heather Saul || 24 September 2014

Pope Francis has said the Catholic Church does not have “magic wand” for evangelizing people as he met with over 2,000 pastoral workers from across 60 countries.

The Pontiff told the international meeting on 'the joy of announcing the gospel' the Church’s main task now is bringing the messages within the Bible to the wider world.

However, he said evangelizing the public be heard work at times and pastoral workers should have “patience and perseverance”, according to the Catholic News Agency.

"We don't have a magic wand for everything, but we do have trust in the Lord, who accompanies us and never abandons us," he said.

The huge workload and demands being made on pastoral workers can make them "run the risk of becoming frightened and withdrawing in on ourselves out of fear and self-defence", he added.

However, people working in the pastoral ministry should avoid getting too caught up in "the song of the Sirens," that call them to engage in countless "frenetic series of initiatives" and campaigns.

Francis made similar remarks earlier this month when he reminded a Mass at St Martha’s House that God does not have any magical powers at his disposal.

He told the crowd gathered n Vatican City: "There is the danger of thinking that God was a magician, who did things with a magic wand.

"God is not a magician, He is the Creator”. Source...

Communicating the Family theme for World Communications Day 2015

Vatican Radio || 29 September 2014

The theme for the 2015 World Day for Social Communications is Communicating the Family: A Privileged Place of Encounter with the Gift of Love.

Please find the full text of the announcement of the theme, below.

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World Communications Day 2015

Communicating the Family: A Privileged Place of Encounter with the Gift of Love

The theme World Communications Day 2015 follows in continuity with the previous year’s message. At the same time, the topic fits into the context of the central theme of the next two synods on the family.

The daily news show us the difficulties facing the family today. Often times cultural changes do not help us appreciate how much the family is a good for society.

“The relationships between the members of the family community are inspired and guided by the law of "free giving." By respecting and fostering personal dignity in each and every one as the only basis for value, this free giving takes the form of heartfelt acceptance, encounter and dialogue, disinterested availability, generous service and deep solidarity.” (John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio, N. 43)

Today, how can we tell people who are perhaps wounded and disillusioned that love between a man and a woman is a good thing? How can we help children know that they are a most precious gift? How can we warm the hearts of people, especially those who are wounded and disappointed, and help them rediscover the beauty of love? How can we show that the family is the privileged place where we experience the beauty of life, the joy and the gift of love, the consolation of forgiveness offered and received, and the encounter with the other?

Today the Church must learn again how to show that the family is a great gift, something good and beautiful. The Church is called to show more vividly that the gift of love, which the bride and groom offer each other, draws all people to God. It is an exciting task because it moves people to look at the true reality of the human person, and it opens the doors to the future, that is, to life.

World Communications Day, the only worldwide celebration called for by the Second Vatican Council (“Inter Mirifica”, 1963), is marked in most countries, on the recommendation of the bishops of the world, on the Sunday before Pentecost (in 2015, May 17).

The Holy Father's message for World Communications Day is traditionally published in conjunction with the Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, patron of writers (January 24). For more on the World Day for Social Communications, click here. Source...

Vatican Media Need to 'up their game,' Adviser Says

Catholic National Reporter || Lauren Dugan, Catholic News Service || 26 September 2014

A new papal commission is looking at how Vatican media outlets can better communicate the church's message "of healing, of love, of hope, and of generosity of spirit," the panel's leader said.

The group is drawing up "proposals that will recognize the particular importance of what the church is communicating and the way in which it can best communicate that message in the 21st century," said British Lord Chris Patten, commission president.

Patten, who formerly served as chairman of the BBC Trust, chancellor at the University of Oxford and governor of Hong Kong, spoke to Vatican Radio on Wednesday about the commission's first meeting at the Vatican since it was established by Pope Francis in July.

Composed of 11 media experts from Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia and Vatican offices, the commission's aim is to propose how the Vatican's numerous media outlets can work more efficiently and closely together.

Mastering newer technologies and making sure different institutions work together is a challenge, Patten said.

"We have to make sure that the wonderful message the Catholic church has to offer is offered in ways which get through to the young, to the poor, and to other groups in the most effective ways," he said.

Using the church's financial resources more effectively is also a goal of the committee, but not at the cost of diminishing outreach, Patten said.

Patten called Pope Francis an "extraordinary communicator," who "makes us realize how much the rest of us have to do -- to use a sporting phrase -- to up our game!"

The Vatican has nearly a dozen separate communication outlets and offices, many of which operate independently of one another. They include the Pontifical Council for Social Communications; the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano; Vatican Radio; the Vatican television production studio, CTV; the Vatican Information Service; the Vatican press office; the Fides missionary news agency; the main Vatican website; the news.va news aggregator; the Vatican publishing house LEV; and the Vatican printing press.

A reorganization of the media structures has been a long time coming. A papal commission kick-started the process in December when it hired the U.S.-based global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company to provide recommendations for making the Holy See's communications' outlets more "efficient and modern."

Patten said the commission wants to hear from everyone, including the Vatican's own media operations, as well as bishop conferences and outside journalists who cover the Vatican.

He said he hoped the commission would have proposals ready by early April to give to the Vatican's Secretariat of State and the Secretariat of the Economy. Source...

Pope Wants Rigor in Child Abuse Cases as Former Nuncio is Placed Under House Arrest

Vatican Radio || Emer McCarthy || September 24, 2014

It is Pope Francis' express will that grave cases regarding the abuse of minors by clergy be dealt with rigorously and without delay, with “the full assumption of responsibility by the institutions of the Holy See”.

This is according to a statement released by Holy See Press Office Director, Fr. Federico Lombardi SJ announcing the news that a former Nuncio undergoing criminal proceedings for the abuse of minors, has been placed under house arrest.

In the statement released Tuesday evening, Fr. Lombardi informed press that the Vatican’s Promoter of Justice [Prosecutor –ed] of the Court of First Instance issued the restrictive measure against former Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski in light of the “grave facts of abuse against minors that took place in the Dominican Republic” where he had served as Nuncio.

Fr. Lombardi states that the “seriousness of the allegation” prompted the investigator’s office to issue the order. However, due to the former Archbishop’s documented medical condition, he has been placed under house arrest at a facility within Vatican City State limits.

Wesolowski was reduced to the lay state following a canonical trial last June conducted by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in which he was found guilty of the crime of child abuse.

The Press Office Director states that the initiative taken by Vatican City State’ judicial organs is in accordance with the Pope’s express will that such a grave and delicate case be addressed without delay, with the just and necessary rigor and with the full assumption of responsibility by the institutions of the Holy See”. Source...

Vision for Reform of Vatican Communications, Committee Head shares

Vatican Radio || Interview by Philippa Hitchen || September 24, 2014

The head of the new committee to reform the Vatican’s media operation, Britain’s Lord Patten, says the Church’s resources must be “spent as effectively as possible” to communicate its unique message of “healing, love, hope and generosity of spirit.”

Speaking to Vatican Radio on Wednesday at the end of the first meeting of the committee, the former chairman of the BBC Trust said the Vatican, like every media organisation, faces the challenge of integrating rapidly changing technologies with traditional forms of communication.

The committee, set up in July, includes 11 media experts from Europe, the U.S., Latin America, Asia, as well as various Vatican offices. It has set a date of next Easter to come up with proposals for a closer coordination between Vatican Radio, television and internet, the newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, the press office and the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

Asked about the need to cut costs, Chris Patten says that some Vatican budgets are “a little more opaque than one might like”, but he insists the main goal is to listen to peoples’ concerns and ensure the different part of the Vatican media work more closely and efficiently together.

Q:At the end of this first meeting, what can you tell us about the goals of this reform process?

A: All of us as Christians and Catholics are aware that the church has a wonderful message of healing, of love, of hope and generosity of spirit and we have a responsibility to communicate that as well as we can. And of course, those who are in the front line in that task are professional journalists and those who help to manage their activities here in the Vatican.

I think what strikes us all, as Catholics particularly strongly, is how His Holiness is such an extraordinary communicator himself and it makes us realise how much the rest of us have to do - to use a sporting phrase – to up our game!

In addition to that, there’s an issue which is relevant to every media organisation, one which I’ve encountered in my recent experience, that the media finds itself having to run constantly to keep up with changing technology. One is aware of the extent to which the young receive information in a different way to which I’ve received it traditionally.

It doesn’t mean they’re not informed, it means they get informed in different ways, so there’s that additional aspect to our work, considering how Vatican media needs to keep up with changes in technology. It doesn’t mean old technologies are somehow irrelevant, for example we all know how important shortwave radio still is in communication with some of the poorest groups around the world, particularly in Africa and Asia.

We all know how much people tend to believe what they hear on local radio which goes well beyond what they are prepared to believe from public authorities. So none of the very expert group of people I’m working with think that you have to forget about what you’ve been doing in the past, but you have to make sure that the different institutions work together and you have to take account of newer technologies.

Q: In announcing your Commission, Cardinal Pell noted that Vatican Radio is the largest media employer, yet he said " fewer and fewer people around the world listen to the radio". How do you envisage this integration of old and new media?

A: It’s perfectly true that if you look at how most people receive in developed countries their news these days, it’s probably through television rather than radio or the written press. On the other hand I’ve occasionally in my role as an author done book tours in Australia and found myself sitting in a studio in Sydney or Melbourne and down the line doing seven or eight local radio interviews, so plainly my publishers thought someone was listening!

No, the point the cardinal was trying to make is that we have to make sure that the wonderful message the Catholic Church has to offer, is offered in ways which get through to the young, to the poor and to other groups in the most effective ways.

Q: Cardinal Pell also talked about the need for cost cutting – how much is this a priority?

A: This is about being more effective and there’s nothing wrong with churches trying to make sure that they use the money that is raised by the faithful in the most effective way possible. We are driven by a moral concern about communicating much better. If, in communicating better, you don’t spend as much money in one area as another, if you use your resources better, that’s terrific.

I spent quite a lot of my life in the last few years in higher education... some people think that trying to run things effectively in terms of resources is a monstrous attack on academic autonomy – not so at all! It becomes an excuse for thinking, I think, when people take that view. No, we want to make sure that the Vatican’s resources, which aren’t limitless, are spent as effectively as possible and that people make rational choices about how they spend money, because I think it’s fair to say that some budgets are a little more opaque than one might like!

Q: In a practical sense, Cardinal Pell has also talked about the possibility of downsizing, of early retirement incentives….can you give us any idea whether this will happen?

A: I can’t really, because we’ve only just had our first meeting. I am absolutely determined that we should finish this process in as reasonably as fast a time as we can and we have set ourselves the objective of trying to report to the cardinals – to Cardinal Pell and his colleagues, the Secretary of State and others by next Easter. We’ve planned further meetings and at our next meeting we are going to start talking to the “stakeholders” – it’s an awful word, but you know what I mean.

We’re going to talk to Vatican Radio, L’Osservatore Romano, CTV, we’re going to talk to others who are part of the media operation and we are going to continue that process from November into December. We also want to hear from others outside, bishops’ conferences, we want to hear from journalists who cover the Vatican and its activities. We will be asking people that if they have got anything they want to say to us to communicate with Msgr. Paul Tighe, who is our secretary.

We will be trying to be as open as possible. But what I don’t want to do is to engage myself in a running commentary on what we are doing because I think that that is extremely unfair, nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. There is always a real danger of leaking little gobbets of information which are confusing or worrying, because people have their professional pride, professional satisfaction, families, careers which they’re concerned about and I want everybody who wants to do as good a job as possible for the Vatican and for its media operations to recognize that we are on their side.

So the only thing I want to say at the outset – and I’m not going to be giving interviews every time we have a meeting – is we’re going to be open to what other people have to say to us; we’re going to be pretty tough about trying to end this process in good time and we hope that we will put forward some proposals that will recognize the particular importance of what the Church is communicating and the way in which it can best communicate that message in the 21st century.

Debate over Communion for Divorced and Remarried Heats Up

Catholic News Service || By Francis X. Rocca || September 18, 2014

The extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family will not open until Oct. 5, but some of its most prominent members are already publicly debating what is bound to be one of its most controversial topics: the eligibility of divorced and civilly remarried Catholics to receive Communion.

In an interview published Sept. 18, a proponent of changing church practice to allow such Catholics to receive Communion answered criticism from some of his fellow cardinals, suggesting they are seeking a "doctrinal war" whose ultimate target is Pope Francis.

"They claim to know on their own what truth is, but Catholic doctrine is not a closed system, but a living tradition that develops," German Cardinal Walter Kasper told the Italian daily Il Mattino. "They want to crystallize the truth in certain formulas ... the formulas of tradition."

"None of my brother cardinals has ever spoken with me," the cardinal said. "I, on the other hand, have spoken twice with the Holy Father. I arranged everything with him. He was in agreement. What can a cardinal do but stand with the pope? I am not the target, the target is another."

Asked if the target was Pope Francis, the cardinal replied: "Probably yes."

Cardinal Kasper, who will participate in the upcoming synod by personal appointment of the pope, was responding to a new book featuring contributions by five cardinals, including three of his fellow synod fathers, who criticize his proposal to make it easier for divorced and civilly remarried Catholics to receive Communion.

According to church teaching, Catholics who remarry civilly without an annulment of their first, sacramental marriage may not receive Communion unless they abstain from sexual relations, living with their new partners "as brother and sister."

Pope Francis has said the predicament of such Catholics exemplifies a general need for mercy in the church today, and has indicated that their predicament will be a major topic of discussion at the synod. In February, at the pope's invitation, Cardinal Kasper addressed the world's cardinals at the Vatican and argued for allowing some Catholics in that situation to receive Communion.

The Oct. 5-19 synod is not supposed to reach any definitive conclusions but instead set the agenda for a larger synod on the family in October 2015, which will make recommendations to the pope, who will make any final decisions on change.

"Remaining in the Truth of Christ," which Ignatius Press will publish Oct. 1, includes essays in response to Cardinal Kasper's proposal by three synod fathers: Cardinal Gerhard Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, prefect of the Supreme Court of the Apostolic Signature; and Cardinal Carlo Caffarra of Bologna, Italy.

On the same day, Ignatius Press will also publish two other books in which synod fathers respond to Cardinal Kasper's proposal: "The Hope of the Family," an extended interview with Cardinal Muller; and "The Gospel of the Family," which features a foreword by Cardinal George Pell, prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy. (Cardinal Kasper's address, published by Paulist Press, is also titled "The Gospel of the Family.")

Cardinal Pell calls for a clear restatement of the traditional ban on Communion for the divorced and civilly remarried, to avoid the sort of widespread protests that greeted Pope Paul VI's affirmation of Catholic teaching against contraception in 1968.

"The sooner the wounded, the lukewarm, and the outsiders realize that substantial doctrinal and pastoral changes are impossible, the more the hostile disappointment (which must follow the reassertion of doctrine) will be anticipated and dissipated," writes Cardinal Pell, who sits on the nine-member Council of Cardinals advising Pope Francis on Vatican reform and governance of the universal church.

Cardinal Muller's essay, previously published in the Vatican newspaper, reaffirms the traditional ban. However, the cardinal notes that many Catholics' first marriages might be invalid, and thus eligible for annulment, if the parties have been influenced by prevailing contemporary conceptions of marriage as a temporary arrangement.

In the book-length interview, Cardinal Muller, whom Pope Francis made a cardinal in February, makes an apparent reference to Cardinal Kasper's argument, which underscores the importance of mercy.

"I observe with a certain amazement the use by some theologians, once again, of the same reasoning about mercy as an excuse for promoting the admission of divorced and civilly remarried persons to the sacraments," Cardinal Muller is quoted as saying. "The scriptural evidence shows us that, besides mercy, holiness and justice are also part of the mystery of God."

Cardinal Burke, head of the Vatican's highest court, warns that any reform of the process for annulling marriages -- something both Pope Francis and Cardinal Kasper have said is necessary -- should not oversimplify the judicial process at the cost of justice, since Catholics seeking an annulment deserve a decision that "respects fully the truth and, therefore, charity."

Cardinal Caffara, whom Pope Francis personally named to participate in the synod, argues that divorced and civilly remarried Catholics may not receive Communion because their situation "is in objective contradiction with that bond of love that unites Christ and the church, which is signified and actualized by the Eucharist."

To lift the ban, Cardinal Caffarra argues, would be to legitimize extramarital sexual relations and effectively deny the doctrine of the indissolubility of marriage. Source...

Pope to Bishops: Men able to Cultivate God’s Fields

Vatican Information Service || September 18, 2014

This morning the Holy Father received in audience the bishops appointed during the last year, who are participating in the congress organised by the Congregation for Bishops and the Congregation for the Oriental Churches.

Francis commented that he was happy to meet them and said that they were “the fruit of the arduous work and tireless prayer of the Church who, when she chooses her pastors, recalls that entire night the Lord spent on the mount, in the presence of the Father, before naming those He wanted to stay with him and to go forth into the world”.

The Pope asked them now that they have overcome their initial fears and excitement of their consecration, never to take for granted the ministry entrusted to them, never to lose their wonder before God's plan nor the awe of walking aware of His presence and the presence of the Church who is, first and foremost, His.

He also reminded them of “the inseparable bond between the stable presence of the bishop and the growth of the flock”. “When the pastor is missing or unavailable, pastoral care and the salvation of souls is at risk. In fact, in the pastors Christ gives to the Church, He shows His love for His bride and gives His life for her”.

He continued, “we do not need superficially happy bishops; it is necessary to dig deeper to discover what the Spirit continues to inspire in your Bride. You are not fixed-term bishops, who always need to change address, like medicines that lose their power to cure, or like those insipid foodstuffs that have to be thrown away because they have lost their usefulness.

It is important not to block the curative force that springs from within the gift you have received, and this defends you from the temptation to come and go aimlessly, because no wind is favourable to he who does not know where he is going. And we have learned where we are going: we are always going towards Jesus”. He added, “in this way, your watch over your flock will never fail to encounter the flame of the Risen Christ”.

“I also beg you not to fall prey to the temptation to change the people. Love the people that God has given you, even when they have committed grave sins, without tiring of turning to the Lord for forgiveness and a new beginning, even at the cost of having to cancel your false images of the divine face or the fantasies you have nurtured of how to ensure their communion with God”.

The Church, he added, is to offer “welcome to all without discrimination, offering the firmness of the authority that enables growth and the gentleness of paternity that generates. Do not fall prey the temptation to sacrifice your freedom by surrounding yourself with courts, networks or choirs of assent, as the Church and the world always have the right to hear from the lips of bishops the Gospel that sets them free”.

Pope Francis advised the bishops to imitate Moses' patience in leading his people, as “nothing is more important than introducing people to God!”. He therefore urged them to begin with the young and the elderly, “because the first are our wings, and the second are our roots. Wings and roots without which we do not know what we are, much less where we are going”. He added that he saw the bishops as sentinels, able to awaken their Churches; “men able to cultivate and ripen God's fields and pastors able to restore unity. “Do not waste energy in conflict and disagreement, but rather use it to build and to love”, he concluded, wishing them “fruitfulness, patience, humility and much prayer”. Source...

World May Be in Beginnings of World War III, Pope Suggests

Aleteia || Team Aleteia || September 13, 2014

Humanity may be in the early days of a Third World War, Pope Francis said during a ceremony marking the centennial of the start of World War I.

The Pope on Saturday morning celebrated Mass at the Italian Military Memorial of Redipuglia. The area was the scene of fighting between Italy and the forces of the Central Powers during the 1914-1918 conflict.

“There are tears, there is sadness. From this place we remember all the victims of every war,” Pope Francis said during a homily at a Mass for the fallen and victims of all wars. He called war “madness” and “irrational” and said its only plan was to bring destruction.

“Greed, intolerance, the lust for power…. These motives underlie the decision to go to war, and they are too often justified by an ideology; but first there is a distorted passion or impulse,” said the Pope.

Speaking at the end of a week in which President Obama announced a new plan to combat the terrorist group Islamic State, and with almost constant news of growing conflicts in various parts of the world, the Pope said that "even today, after the second failure of another world war, perhaps one can speak of a third war, one fought piecemeal, with crimes, massacres, destruction."

Standing beneath the towering Redipuglia memorial entombing 100,000 Italian soldiers fallen in World War I, Francis surely had his own grandfather in mind. The elder Bergoglio fought in Italy's 1915-17 offensive against the Austro-Hungarian empire waged in the nearby battlefields, surviving to impress upon the future Pope the horror of war.

An Italian defense ministry official presented the Pope with his grandfather's military record during the commemorations, and the parents of an Italian soldier killed in Afghanistan last year presented Francis with the distinctive feathered Bersagliere cap worn by the Piedmontese corps, famed for a rugged endurance epitomized by their tradition of marching at a jog. Francis' grandfather, who hailed from the Piedmont region, belonged to the corps, said Redipuglia parish priest Father Duilio Nardin. The military records showed that Giovanni Carlo Bergoglio was a radio operator during the Isonzo campaign aimed at piercing the Austro-Hungarian defenses.

The 12 battles are memorialized at the Redipuglia monument which was dedicated by Italy's Fascist government in 1938 on the eve of World War II.

The elder Bergoglio, who was drafted at age 31 as Italy entered the war, obtained a certificate of good conduct and 200 lire at the war's end, according to documents discovered by the Italian bishops' conference's media outlets. With postwar Italy's economy stalled, he emigrated to Argentina where the future Pontiff — Jorge Mario Bergoglio — was born.

The Pope in the past has recalled the "many painful stories from the lips of my grandfather."

Below is the full text of the prepared homily of Pope Francis:

After experiencing the beauty of travelling throughout this region, where men and women work and raise their families, where children play and the elderly dream… I now find myself here, in this place, able to say only one thing: War is madness.

Whereas God carries forward the work of creation, and we men and women are called to participate in his work, war destroys. It also ruins the most beautiful work of his hands: human beings. War ruins everything, even the bonds between brothers. War is irrational; its only plan is to bring destruction: it seeks to grow by destroying. Greed, intolerance, the lust for power…. These motives underlie the decision to go to war, and they are too often justified by an ideology; but first there is a distorted passion or impulse. Ideology is presented as a justification and when there is no ideology, there is the response of Cain: “What does it matter to me? Am I my brother’s keeper?” (cf. Gen 4:9).

War does not look directly at anyone, be they elderly, children, mothers, fathers…. “What does it matter to me?” Above the entrance to this cemetery, there hangs in the air those ironic words of war, “What does it matter to me?” Each one of the dead buried here had their own plans, their own dreams… but their lives were cut short. Humanity said, “What does it matter to me?” Even today, after the second failure of another world war, perhaps one can speak of a third war, one fought piecemeal, with crimes, massacres, destruction… In all honesty, the front page of newspapers ought to carry the headline, “What does it matter to me?”

Cain would say, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” This attitude is the exact opposite of what Jesus asks of us in the Gospel. We have heard: he is in the least of his brothers; he, the King, the Judge of the world, he is the one who hungers, who thirsts, he is the stranger, the one who is sick, the prisoner… The one who cares for his brother or sister enters into the joy of the Lord; the one who does not do so, however, who by his omissions says, “What does it matter to me?” remains excluded.

Here lie many victims. Today, we remember them. There are tears, there is sadness. From this place we remember all the victims of every war.

Today, too, the victims are many… How is this possible? It is so because in today’s world, behind the scenes, there are interests, geopolitical strategies, lust for money and power, and there is the manufacture and sale of arms, which seem to be so important! And these plotters of terrorism, these schemers of conflicts, just like arms dealers, have engraved in their hearts, “What does it matter to me?” It is the task of the wise to recognize errors, to feel pain, to repent, to beg for pardon and to cry.

With this “What does it matter to me?” in their hearts, the merchants of war perhaps have made a great deal of money, but their corrupted hearts have lost the capacity to cry. That “What does it matter to me?” prevents the tears.

Cain did not cry. The shadow of Cain hangs over us today in this cemetery. It is seen here. It is seen from 1914 right up to our own time. It is seen even in the present. With the heart of a son, a brother, a father, I ask each of you, indeed for all of us, to have a conversion of heart: to move on from “What does it matter to me?” to tears: for each one of the fallen of this “senseless massacre,” for all the victims of the mindless wars, in every age. Humanity needs to weep, and this is the time to weep. Source...

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Protection of Children from Abuse Top Priority for Pope Francis

Catholic News Agency || By Alan Holdren and Kevin Jones || September 10, 2014

The protection of minors from sexual abuse is a number one priority for Pope Francis, says the new secretary of a papal commission to protect minors, who believes that the global Church can play a leading role against abuse.

“Protecting children, protecting those who are defenseless against those who would harm them, especially because they are in difficult situations, because they are poor, because no one is looking after them – this is a gospel priority,” Monsignor Robert Oliver told CNA Sept. 10.

“The Lord had quite strong words about caring for his children. I think the Holy Father really sees this as an important priority.”

On Sept. 10, it was announced that Msgr. Oliver was appointed secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, which is headed by Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston.

Prior to the appointment, Msgr. Oliver has spent years helping the U.S. Church implement reforms to prevent and respond to abuse of minors.

“I deeply think this is a very important area for the Church,” the priest said. “We have a responsibility to our children. Everyone around the world knows the pain and suffering that our children have gone through, that our Church has gone through.”

The council of cardinals advising Pope Francis established the commission in December 2013 to provide model practices that give an adequate and pastoral response to abuse. Its members include men and women who are professors or other experts in psychology, law, and assistance to sex abuse victims.

“I think we now have a place from which we can speak. And when we do speak, people are listening,” Msgr. Oliver said.

He said people are now seeking out and joining with the Church on sexual abuse prevention, “realizing that we are quite serious about this effort and that we really will put in our efforts and we are going to put our best people into this.”

The Catholic Church has been putting “enormous efforts” into child protection for 20 years, Msgr. Oliver said, adding that the Church is working to bring together people from different fields to help advance child protection policies and initiatives that the commission will propose to Pope Francis.

Msgr. Oliver noted that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 2011 wrote to all the world’s episcopal conferences on behalf of Pope Benedict XVI asking them to describe all of their child protection policies and procedures.

“Almost all of the conferences have done that now,” he said, and the commission aims to work with the bishops’ conferences and encourage them in pursuing best practices.

“What we’d like to do is to be a place where all of the different conferences can tell us what’s working, and honestly, what’s not working. What did they try? What didn’t work, and why?”

“We would then be a place to be able to share that with all the other episcopal conferences,” Msgr. Oliver said, so that both bishops’ conferences and institutes of religious superiors can “really move forward based on what’s being learned in different parts of the world.”

In this way, the Church can be a resource and a voice against sexual abuse “that can be used to the advantage of children around the world.”

The priest pointed to a recent report from the government of India estimating that over 50 percent of its minors suffer sexual violence.

“What in the world does that do to a society?” he asked.

Msgr. Oliver served in the Boston archdiocese in the wake of revelations of sexual abuse in the archdiocese stretching back decades – revelations that were followed by the resignation of then-Archbishop of Boston Cardinal Bernard Law. Msgr. Oliver worked in canonical affairs and was a consultant for the archdiocese’s review board on sex abuse cases.

In January 2013, he became promoter of justice at the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In this role, which is somewhat analogous to the role of chief prosecutor in secular law, he was responsible for investigating the most serious violations of canon law, including crimes against the sanctity of the Eucharist, violations of the seal of Confession and allegations of the abuse of minors by clergy.

Msgr. Oliver said the commission’s role is “in continuity” with the work of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s work on sexual abuse cases.

“They are continuing to work on cases, and we will work on all of the protection efforts,” he said.

Msgr. Oliver said that the commission will speak with lawyers, law enforcement personnel and others to discuss the legal liabilities of sex abuse and to answer other questions like, “What is it that the Church is not doing correctly?” and “How is it that we can improve?”

“I think that through those conversations we’ll come to learn their perspectives as well, and it’s another way of strengthening our efforts,” he said. Source...

Vatican tells Roman Shopkeepers to halt the Sale of Papal Parchments

Catholic Herald || By Staff Reporter || September 10, 2014

Papal blessing parchments, which are bought to mark marriages, baptisms, ordinations and first Communions, will soon be available for purchase only from the Vatican after a crackdown on shops selling them.

Until now, shops close to the Vatican have sold the scrolls blessed by the Pope to tourists and pilgrims for anywhere between €10 and €50 (£8 and £40), with only €3 (£2.40) going to the Office of Papal Charities. But from January the shops will be prohibited from selling the parchments.

Papal almoner Archbishop Kondrad Krajewski explained that the office needed the proceeds from donations for the blessings in order to carry out its charitable work on behalf of Pope Francis.

In future the parchments will be available from the office via the website Elemosineria.va. The Office of Papal Charities is known in Italian as the Elemosineria Apostolica. It website points out that “the granting of the papal blessing is absolutely free and that the payment requested is only a contribution towards the cost of the parchment and to defray the expenses of wrapping and postage”.

It adds: “All money paid to the Elemosineria Apostolica for blessing is used for the Holy Father’s works of charity.”

Archbishop Krajewski said that last September Pope Francis gave apostolic nuncios around world the right to grant papal blessings on parchment paper.

He also said that the changes in January would not affect the 12 staff members of the office and the 17 outside calligraphers who produce the blessings.

Leo XIII was the first pope to delegate the right to grant papal blessings on parchment to the almoner. The role of papal almoner dates back at least 800 years. Source...

Vatican

He also said that "terrorism" could describe not only the actions of such extremist groups but also those of some national governments using military force unilaterally.

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