SUMMARY:
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The Pope to the Old Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Union of
Utrecht: build bridges of mutual understanding and practical
cooperation
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Cardinal Lozano Barragan takes possession of his titular church
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The Holy See at the UN General Assembly: lasting peace based on
mutual trust, beyond the logic of nuclear deterrent
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Audiences
______________________________________
The
Pope to the Old Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Union of Utrecht:
build bridges of mutual understanding and practical cooperation
Vatican
City, 30 October 2014 (VIS) – “A spiritual journey from encounter
to friendship, from friendship to brotherhood, and from brotherhood
to communion” must be embarked upon by Catholics and Old Catholics
to promote unity of the Church in Christ, Pope Francis affirmed this
morning as he received the members of the the Conference of Old
Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Union of Utrecht, whose visit to
Rome coincides with the fiftieth anniversary of the promulgation of
the Second Vatican Council’s Decree “Unitatis Redintegratio” on
ecumenism, which marked the beginning of a new era in the search for
unity among Christ’s disciples.
In
his address, the Holy Father remarked that the work carried out
during the intervening years by the International Roman Catholic /
Old Catholic Dialogue Commission has made it possible to “build new
bridges of a more profound mutual understanding and practical
co-operation. ... Convergences and consensus have been found, and
differences have been better identified and set in new contexts”.
“While
we rejoice whenever we take steps towards a stronger communion in
faith and life, we are also saddened when we recognise that in the
course of time new disagreements between us have emerged”, he
continued. “The theological and ecclesiological questions that
arose during our separation are now more difficult to overcome due to
the increasing distance between us on matters of ministry and ethical
discernment. The challenge for Catholics and Old Catholics, then, is
to persevere in substantive theological dialogue and to walk
together, to pray together and to work together in a deeper spirit of
conversion towards all that Christ intends for his Church. In this
separation there have been, on the part of both sides, grave sins and
human faults. In a spirit of mutual forgiveness and humble
repentance, we need now to strengthen our desire for reconciliation
and peace. The path towards unity begins with a change of heart, an
interior conversion. It is a spiritual journey from encounter to
friendship, from friendship to brotherhood, from brotherhood to
communion. Along the way, change is inevitable. We must always be
willing to listen to and follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit who
leads us into all truth”.
“In
the meantime, in the heart of Europe, which is so confused about its
own identity and vocation, there are many areas in which Catholics
and Old Catholics can collaborate in meeting the profound spiritual
crisis affecting individuals and societies. There is a thirst for
God. There is a profound desire to recover a sense of purpose in
life. There is an urgent need for a convincing witness to the truth
and values of the Gospel. In this we can support and encourage one
another, especially at the level of parishes and local communities.
In fact, the soul of ecumenism lies in a 'change of heart and
holiness of life, along with public and private prayer for the unity
of Christians'. In prayer for and with one another our differences
are taken up and overcome in fidelity to the Lord and his Gospel”,
Pope Francis concluded.
Cardinal
Lozano Barragan takes possession of his titular church
Vatican
City, 30 October 2014 (VIS) – The Office of Liturgical Celebrations
of the Supreme Pontiff today announced that on Saturday, 1 November,
at 11 a.m., Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, president emeritus of
the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers (for Health Pastoral
Care), will take possession of the title of Santa Dorotea (Via di
Santa Dorotea, 23).
The
Holy See at the UN General Assembly: lasting peace based on mutual
trust, beyond the logic of nuclear deterrent
Vatican
City, 30 October 2014 (VIS) – On 14 October, Archbishop Bernardito
Auza, Holy See Permanent Observer at the United Nations, spoke during
the General Debate of the UNGA First Committee held in New York. “The
past year has seen progress on the elimination of chemical weapons”,
he affirmed; “yet reports of the continued use of chemical weapons,
including chlorine gas, reminds the international community to
redouble its efforts to eliminate once and for all chemical weapons
and any use as a weapon of dual-use chemicals”.
“With
regard to nuclear weapons, the third conference on the humanitarian
impact of nuclear weapons, which will be held in December in Vienna,
Austria, is a sobering reminder of the deep frustration of the
international community at the lack of speedy progress on nuclear
disarmament, and of the inhuman and immoral consequences of the use
of weapons of mass destruction”. He remarked that the ninth Non
Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference will take place very
soon in New York, and that nearly all the States represented in the
room are parties to the treaty. “The NPT’s central promise of
nuclear weapons States to gradually disarm in exchange for
non-nuclear-weapon States to refrain from acquiring nuclear arms
remains at an impasse”.
As
a consequence, he continued, the Holy See delegation “urges this
Committee and the preparation for the ninth NPT Review Conference to
focus on the need to move beyond nuclear deterrence, and work toward
the establishment of lasting peace founded on mutual trust, rather
than a state of mere non-belligerence founded on the logic of mutual
destruction. In this regard, the Holy See urges all states to sign
and/or ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty without further
delay, because it is a core element of the international nuclear
disarmament and non-proliferation regime”, adding that the
establishment of weapons of mass destruction free zones, in the
opinion of the Holy See delegation, “would be a big step in the
right direction, as it would demonstrate we can indeed move toward a
universal agreement to eliminate all weapons of mass destruction”.
The
archbishop concluded by emphasising that the Holy See “welcomes the
progress, however modest, in the areas of conventional weapons”,
but remains “deeply concerned that the flow of conventional arms
continues to exacerbate conflicts around the globe”. He expressed
the delegation’s hope that “this year’s session will respond to
this challenge, and recognise the grave consequences of the
proliferation and use of conventional weapons on human life
throughout the world”.
Audiences
Vatican
City, 30 October 2014 (VIS) – Today the Holy Father received in
audience:
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Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament, and entourage;
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Archbishop Adriano Bernardini, apostolic nuncio in Italy and the
Republic of San Marino;
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Archbishop Henryk Jozef Nowacki, apostolic nuncio in Sweden, Iceland,
Denmark, Finland and Norway;
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Bishop Jose Raul Vera Lopez of Saltillo, Mexico.
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