SUMMARY:
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POPE RECEIVES PRESIDENT OF SWISS CONFEDERATION: COLLABORATION IN
PROMOTING JUSTICE AND PEACE
-
WITNESS TO YOUR FAITH WITH JOY AND COURTEOUSNESS, POPE TELLS NEW
SWISS GUARDS
-
REGINA COELI: TO ALWAYS DEFEND AND PROTECT THE MOST VULNERABLE,
ESPECIALLY CHILDREN
-
TRUE EVANGELICAL, ECCLESIAL, AND MISSIONARY SPIRIT: CHARACTERISTICS
OF CONFRATERNITIES
-
POPE AT LIBERIAN BASILICA: MARY HELPS US FACE LIFE
-
AUDIENCES
-
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
______________________________________
POPE
RECEIVES PRESIDENT OF SWISS CONFEDERATION: COLLABORATION IN PROMOTING
JUSTICE AND PEACE
Vatican
City, 6 May 2013 (VIS) – This morning in the Vatican Apostolic
Palace, the Holy Father received His excellency, Mr. Ueli Maurer,
president of the Swiss Confederation. President Maurer then went on
to meet with Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B.,
accompanied by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations
with States.
During
the cordial discussions—recalling the centuries-old, commendable
service of the Pontifical Swiss Guards on the annual swearing-in
ceremony of the new recruits—the common desire to further reinforce
the good relations that exist between the Holy See and the Swiss
Confederation was emphasized as well as intensifying the
collaboration between the Catholic Church and the State.
Then
issues of common interest were covered, such as the safeguarding of
human rights, the formation of youth, and the international
collaboration in promoting justice and peace.
WITNESS
TO YOUR FAITH WITH JOY AND COURTEOUSNESS, POPE TELLS NEW SWISS GUARDS
Vatican
City, 6 May 2013 (VIS) – Today, in commemoration of the death of
147 Swiss soldiers, fallen while defending the pontiff during the
sack of Rome (1527), the swearing-in ceremony of the new recruits of
that Corps will take place. This year, 35 new recruits will take the
oath at 5:00pm in the St. Damaso Courtyard before the Holy Father's
representative, Archbishop Giovanni Angelo Becciu, substitute of the
Secretariat of State. Cardinals, bishops, members of the Curia, and
representatives of diplomatic delegations to the Holy See will
participate at the ceremony.
The
delegation from the government of the Canton of Zug will be headed by
President Beat Villiger and the President of the Swiss
Conferderation, Ueli Maurer, will also be present at the ceremony.
The oath-swearing day began this morning with the celebration of Mass
at the Altar of the Chair of St. Peter at 9:30am, followed by the
commemoration of the 147 fallen guards in the Square of Roman
Protomartyrs.
Pope
Francis, who received the 35 recruits and their families this
morning, addressed them. “On this day,” he said, “you
commemorate the sacrifice of the Swiss Guards who engaged in the
vigorous defence of the Pope during the 'Sack of Rome'. Today you are
not called to this heroic gesture but to another form of sacrifice,
which is also challenging: to put your youthful energies at the
service of the Church and the Pope. To do this you must be strong,
motivated by love, and sustained by your faith in Christ. … I am
certain that the decision to place years of your lives in service of
the Pope is not foreign to your faith. Indeed, the deepest
motivations that have brought you here to Rome originate in your
faith. It is a faith that you have learned in your family, have
cultivated in your parishes, and that also shows that attachment of
Swiss Catholics to the Church. Remember it well: the faith that God
has given you on the day of your Baptism is the most precious
treasure you have! And your mission of service to the Pope and the
Church also finds its source there.”
During
your stay in Rome,” he continued, “you are called upon to bear
witness to your faith with joy and a courteous manner. How important
this is for so many people who pass through Vatican City! But it is
also important for those who work here for the Holy See and for me as
well! Your presence is a sign of the strength and the beauty of the
Gospel that, in every time, calls the young to follow it. I would
also like to invite you to live the time you spend in the 'Eternal
City' in a spirit of genuine brotherhood, helping one another to live
a good Christian life that corresponds to your faith and your mission
in the Church.”
The
Holy Father finished by reminding the new recruits that their
specific ecclesial experience in the Swiss Guard Corps represents “a
privileged opportunity to deepen the knowledge of Christ and his
Gospel and to follow him, almost breathing here in Rome the
catholicity of the Church. Today, when some of you swear to
faithfully carry out your service in the Guard and others renew this
oath in their hearts, think that your service is a testimony to
Christ who calls you to be authentic men and true Christians,
protagonists of your own existence.”
REGINA
COELI: TO ALWAYS DEFEND AND PROTECT THE MOST VULNERABLE, ESPECIALLY
CHILDREN
Vatican
City, 5 May 2013 (VIS) – “Today, the National Day of Children
Victims of Violence, I give a special greeting to the 'Meter'
Association. This gives me the opportunity to turn my thoughts to all
those who have suffered and who are suffering because of abuse. I
want to assure them that they are present in my prayers but I also
want to forcefully state that we must all commit ourselves with
clarity and courage so that every human person, especially children
who are among the most vulnerable, be always defended and protected.”
These were the Pope's words before praying the Regina Coeli with the
numerous faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square, many of whom were
with confraternities on pilgrimage to Rome for the Year of Faith.
The
Holy Father also noted, in the context of that pilgrimage, that love
for the Virgin “is one of the characteristics of popular piety that
must be esteemed and well-ordered. That is why I invite those present
to reflect on the final chapter of the Vatican II Constitution on the
Church, 'Lumen Gentium', that speaks precisely of Mary in the mystery
of Christ and the Church. It says that Mary 'advanced in her
pilgrimage of faith'. …. In the Year of Faith I leave you this icon
of Mary the pilgrim, who follows Jesus the Son, and precedes all of
us in the journey of faith.”
Then,
explaining that the Oriental Churches that follow the Julian Calendar
are celebrating Easter today, he sent a special greeting to them,
joining with all of them to proclaim “the joyful news: Christ is
risen! Gathered together around Mary in prayer, we ask God for the
gift of the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, who may console and comfort
all Christians, especially those who are celebrating Easter through
trials and suffering, and guide us on the path of reconciliation and
peace.”
He
also mentioned yesterday's beatification, in Brazil, of of Francisca
de Paula de Jesus, known as “Nha Chica” saying, “her simple
life was dedicated to God and charity, in fact, they called her
'mother of the poor'. I join in with the joy of the Church in Brazil
for this luminous disciple of the Lord.”
Likewise
he affectionately greeted all the confraternities present, “coming
from many countries. Thank you for your witness of faith! I also
greet the parish groups and families, as well as the grand parade of
various military bands and associations coming from Germany.”
TRUE
EVANGELICAL, ECCLESIAL, AND MISSIONARY SPIRIT: CHARACTERISTICS OF
CONFRATERNITIES
Vatican
City, 6 May 2013 (VIS) – Yesterday, under incessant rain, thousands
of persons, members of confraternities from Italy, France, Spain,
Ireland, Malta, Poland … paraded up Via della Conciliazione to
gather in St. Peter's Square for the Mass presided by the Holy Father
for the confraternities' pilgrimage to Rome on the Year of Faith.
In
his greeting to the Pope, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of
the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization, said
that “here are represented ten centuries of history that few know
about because it is made of simple, everyday gestures, etched
nevertheless, in people's hearts. Confraternities have been an
expression of faith's most genuine fruit: charity toward the poor,
the abandoned, the suffering, and the marginalized.”
“It
is brave of you to come here in this rain,” the Bishop of Rome
responded. “May the Lord bless you abundantly! As part of the
journey of the Year of Faith, I am happy to celebrate this Eucharist
dedicated in a special way to confraternities: a traditional reality
in the Church, which in recent times has experienced renewal and
rediscovery.”
Continuing,
the Pope recalled that “whoever loves the Lord Jesus welcomes him
and his Father interiorly and, thanks to the Holy Spirit, receives
the Gospel in his or her heart and life. Here we are shown the centre
from which everything must go forth and to which everything must
lead: loving God and being Christ’s disciples by living the Gospel.
When Benedict XVI spoke to you, he used this expression: 'evangelical
spirit'. Dear confraternities, the popular piety of which you are an
important sign is a treasure possessed by the Church, which the
bishops of Latin America defined, significantly, as a spirituality, a
form of mysticism, which is 'a place of encounter with Jesus Christ'.
… Down the centuries, confraternities have been crucibles of
holiness for countless people who have lived in utter simplicity an
intense relationship with the Lord. Advance with determination along
the path of holiness; do not rest content with a mediocre Christian
life, but let your affiliation serve as a stimulus, above all for you
yourselves, to an ever greater love of Jesus Christ.”
He
then commented on the passage of the day's Liturgy from the Acts of
the Apostles that “speaks to us about what is essential. In the
early Church there was immediately a need to discern what was
essential about being a Christian, about following Christ, and what
was not. … Difficulties were overcome: not from without, but from
within the Church. And this brings up a second element which I want
to remind you of, as Benedict XVI did, namely: 'ecclesial spirit'.
Popular piety is a road which leads to what is essential, if it is
lived in the Church in profound communion with your pastors. Dear
brothers and sisters, the Church loves you! Be an active presence in
the community, as living cells, as living stones. The Latin American
Bishops wrote that the popular piety which you reflect is 'a
legitimate way of living the faith, a way of feeling that we are part
of the Church'. This is wonderful! ... Love the Church! Let
yourselves be guided by her! In your parishes, in your dioceses, be a
true 'lung' of faith and Christian life, a breath of fresh air! In
this Square I see a great variety: earlier on it was a variety of
umbrellas, and now of colours and signs. This is also the case with
the Church: a great wealth and variety of expressions in which
everything leads back to unity; the variety leads back to unity, and
unity is the encounter with Christ.”
Finally,
he touched upon the third characteristic of the confraternities:
“missionary spirit”.” You have a specific and important
mission,”he explained, “that of keeping alive the relationship
between the faith and the cultures of the peoples to whom you belong.
You do this through popular piety. When, for example, you carry the
crucifix in procession with such great veneration and love for the
Lord, you are not performing a simple outward act; you are pointing
to the centrality of the Lord’s paschal mystery, his passion, death
and resurrection which have redeemed us, and you are reminding
yourselves first, as well as the community, that we have to follow
Christ along the concrete path of our daily lives so that he can
transform us. Likewise, when you express profound devotion for the
Virgin Mary, you are pointing to the highest realization of the
Christian life.”
“You
express this faith, born of hearing the word of God, in ways that
engage the senses, the emotions and the symbols of the different
cultures … In doing so you help to transmit it to others, and
especially the simple persons whom, in the Gospels, Jesus calls “the
little ones”. In effect, 'journeying together towards shrines, and
participating in other demonstrations of popular piety, bringing
along your children and engaging other people, is itself a work of
evangelization'.”
“May
you also be true evangelizers! May your initiatives be 'bridges',
means of bringing others to Christ, so as to journey together with
him. And in this spirit may you always be attentive to charity. Each
individual Christian and every community is missionary to the extent
that they bring to others and live the Gospel, and testify to God’s
love for all, especially those experiencing difficulties. Be
missionaries of God’s love and tenderness! Be missionaries of God’s
mercy, which always forgives us, always awaits us and loves us
dearly.”
“Evangelical
spirit, ecclesial spirit, and missionary spirit,” the pontiff
repeated. “Three themes! Do not forget them! Let us ask the Lord
always to direct our minds and hearts to him, as living stones of the
Church, so that all that we do, our whole Christian life, may be a
luminous witness to his mercy and love. In this way we will make our
way towards the goal of our earthly pilgrimage, towards that
extremely beautiful shrine, the heavenly Jerusalem.”
POPE
AT LIBERIAN BASILICA: MARY HELPS US FACE LIFE
Vatican
City, 4 May 2013 (VIS) – At 6:00pm this afternoon, the Holy Father
took possession of the Basilica of St. Mary Major with the
traditional kiss of the crucifix. It is the second time, since the
beginning of his pontificate, that Francis has gone to pray at the
oldest Marian shrine in the West, which houses the image of “Salus
Populi Romani" (Protectress of the Roman People). On 14 March,
the day after his election, the pontiff went to St. Mary Major to
place the ministry he had just received under Mary's protection. This
time, the first Saturday of May, he wished to pray the glorious
mysteries of the Rosary.
On
his arrival, the Pope was welcomed by Cardinal Santos Abril y
Castello, archpriest of the basilica, who greeted him with the words:
“We want to warmly embrace a request that we know well is
frequently on the lips of our Pope: 'pray, pray for me'. We will do
so, even in the future, because it is a pastoral line that we want to
privilege in this basilica—that of seeking to reawaken the faith in
the Christian peoples with a double emphasis: with a Marian touch and
united with the Pope—frequently echoing the Holy Father's teaching
and words … which will urge us toward religious and human margins
where there are so many places to fill and accompany”.”
In
his homily, the Pope highlighted three aspects of Mary's maternity:
she helps us to grow, to face life, and to be free.
“With
his Passion, Death and Resurrection,” the Bishop of Rome said,
“Jesus Christ brings us salvation. He gives us the grace and the
joy of being God’s children, of calling him truly BY the name of
Father. Mary is a mother and a mother worries above all about the
health of her children … What does this mean that the Madonna
safeguards our health? I am thinking mainly of three aspects: … she
helps us to grow, she helps us to face life, and she helps us to be
free.”
Mary
Helps Us to Grow
A
mother helps her children to grow and wants them to grow well. This
is why she teaches them not to give in to laziness—which is
something that also arises from a certain well-being—not to not to
slip into a life of ease that desires nothing beyond material
possessions. A mother takes care that her children grow always more,
that they grow strong and capable of taking on responsibility, of
committing themselves in their lives, and of holding high ideals. …
This is exactly what the Madonna does in us. She helps us to grow
humanely and in faith, to be strong and not to yield to the
temptation of being superficial persons and Christians, but to live
responsibly, always reaching higher.”
Mary
Helps Us to Face Life
Then
a mother thinks of her children's health, also teaching them to face
life's difficulties. You can't teach, can't care for one's health by
avoiding problems as if life were a highway without obstacles. A
mother helps her children to look realistically at life's problems
and to not get lost in them but to tackle them with courage; not to
be weak and to know how to overcome them with the healthy balance
that a mother “feels” between the limits of safety and the areas
of risk. … A life without challenges doesn't exists and a boy or a
girl who doesn't know how to face them, putting themselves on the
line, is a boy or a girl without a backbone! ... Mary lived many
difficult times in her life, from the birth of Jesus ... until
Calvary. And like a good mother she is close to us so that we never
lose courage in the face of life's adversities, in the face of our
own weakness, in the face of our sins. She gives us strength,
pointing us to the path of her Son. From the cross, indicating John,
Jesus tells Mary: 'Woman, here is your son', and to John: 'Here is
your mother!' We are all represented in that disciple.”
Mary
Helps Us to Be Free
One
last aspect … a good mother also helps to make important decisions
with freedom. ... But what does freedom mean? Certainly not doing
whatever you want ... Freedom does not mean, so to say, throwing
whatever we don't like out the window. No, that isn't freedom!
Freedom is given to us so that we might know how to make good choices
in life! Like a good mother, Mary teaches us to be, like her, capable
of making ... important decisions at this time when, so to speak, the
'philosophy of the temporary' rules. It is so difficult to commit
ourselves definitively. And she helps us to make definitive choices
with that full freedom with which she answered 'yes' to God’s plan
for her life.”
“How
difficult it is, in our times, to take make definitive decisions! The
temporary seduces us. We are victims of a tendency that pushes us
towards the ephemeral… Part of it is the fascination of remaining
adolescents our entire lives! We must not be afraid of definitive
commitments, of commitments that involve and affect our whole lives.
In this way life becomes fruitful! And this is freedom: having the
courage to make these decisions with greatness.”
“Mary's
whole existence is a hymn to life, a love song to life ... The 'Salus
Populi Romani' is the mother who gives us health in our growth, gives
us health to face and overcome problems, gives us health in making us
free to make definitive choices. She is the mother who teaches us to
be fruitful, to be open to life … to never lose hope, to give life
to others—both physical and spiritual life. This is what we ask of
you this evening, O Mary, 'Salus Populi Romani', ... give us the
health that only you can give, so that we may always be signs and
instruments of life.”
After
praying the Rosary, Francis went out of the basilica and addressed
the many faithful awaiting him in the piazza saying: “Thank you so
much for your presence here at the home of the mother of Rome, of our
Mother. Long live the Madonna. She is our Mother. Let us entrust
ourselves to her so that she might safeguard us like a good mother. I
pray for you but I ask that you pray for me because I need it. Three
'Hail Marys' for me. I wish you a good Sunday tomorrow. Until we meet
again. Now I give you the blessing—to all of you and all your
families.”
AUDIENCES
Vatican
City, 4 May 2013 (VIS) – Today the Holy Father received ten
prelates from the Piemonte Region of the Italian Episcopal Conference
on their "ad limina" visit:
-
Archbishop Cesare Nosiglia of Turin,
with
Auxiliary Bishop Guido Fiandino,
-
Bishop Luciano Pacomio of Mondovi,
-
Bishop Piergiorgio Debernardi of Pinerolo,
-
Bishop Alfonso Badini Confalonieri of Susa,
-
Bishop Giacomo Lanzetti of Alba,
-
Bishop Giuseppe Guerrini of Saluzzo,
-
Bishop Giuseppe Cavallotto of Cuneo and of Fossano,
-
Bishop Franco Lovignana of Aosta, and
-
Bishop Guido Gallese of Alessandria.
On
Saturday, 4 May, the Holy Father received:
-
Cardinal Marc Ouellet, P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for
Bishops, and
six
prelates from the Marche region of the Italian Episcopal Conference
on their "ad limina" visit:
-
Archbishop Giovanni Tonucci, prelate of Loreto and pontifical
delegate for the Shrine of Loreto,
-
Archbishop Luigi Conti of Fermo,
-
Archbishop Francesco Giovanni Brugnaro of Camerino-San Severino
Marche,
-
Archbishop Giovanni Tani of Urbino-Urbania-Sant’Angelo in Vado,
-
Bishop Gervasio Gestori of San Benedetto del
Tronto-Ripatransone-Montalto, and
-
Bishop Armando Trasarti of Fano-Fossombrone-Cagli-Pergola.
OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican
City, 4 May 2013 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father:
-
appointed Fr. Zolile Peter Mpambani, S.C.J., as bishop of the Diocese
of Kokstad (area 17,655, population 1,809,000, Catholics 85,400,
priests 21, religious 60), KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The
bishop-elect was born in Umlamli, Eastern Cape, South Africa in 1957
and was ordained a priest in 1987. Since ordination the bishop-elect
has served in several pastoral and institutional roles, most recently
as provincial superior of the Congregation of the Priests of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus in South Africa and, alongside the vicar
general, as pastor of Sterkspruit parish in the Diocese of Aliwal.
-
appointed Bishop Mark Joseph Seitz as bishop of the Diocese of El
Paso (area 69,090, population 848,00, Catholics 662,000, priests 103,
permanent deacons 27, religious 190), Texas, USA. Bishop Seitz,
previously auxiliary of Dallas, Texas, and titular of Cozyla, serves
as a member of the Subcommittee on Hispanic Affairs in the United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
-
appointed Bishop Fernando Carlos Maletti as bishop of the Diocese of
Merlo-Moreno (area 301, population 913,000, Catholics 813,820,
priests 58, permanent deacons 30, religious 254), Argentina. On the
Argentine Episcopal Conference, Bishop Maletti, previously of San
Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina, serves as president of the Commission
for Assistance to Regions in Need and as a member of the Commission
for Aboriginals.
On
Saturday, 4 May, the Holy Father appointed Archbishop Mario Aurelio
Poli of Buenos Aires as ordinary for Catholics of Oriental rite
resident in Argentina and without their own ordinary.
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