SUMMARY:
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The Pope to the faithful of the Malabar rite: St. Kuriakose Elias and
St. Euphrasia, examples and encouragement to the people
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The Pope canonises six new blesseds: the Kingdom of God is built on
tenderness and proximity
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Angelus: the example of the new saints revives spirit of harmony and
reconciliation
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The poor are also evangelisers as they show us the peripheries the
Gospel has not reached, says Francis at the 4th Missionary Convention
of the CEI
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Francis: overcome the isolation that burdens the autistic and their
families
-
Ecclesial movements and new communities: conserve freshness of
charism, respect freedom and seek communion
-
Telegram for the death of Cardinal Fiorenzo Angelini
-
Private meeting between the Pope and the president of the Italian
Republic
-
Audiences
-
Other Pontifical Acts
______________________________________
The
Pope to the faithful of the Malabar rite: St. Kuriakose Elias and St.
Euphrasia, examples and encouragement to the people
Vatican
City, 24 November 2014 (VIS) – This morning in the Vatican Basilica
Pope Francis met with a group of faithful of Syro-Malabar rite,
gathered in Rome for the canonisation on Sunday of Kuriakose Elias
Chavara of the Holy Family, and Euphrasia Eluvathingal of the Sacred
Heart. The Holy Father took the opportunity to thank the Church in
India, and specifically in Kerala, for “all its apostolic strength
and for the witness of faith you have”, he said. “Continue in
this way! Kerala is a land that is very fertile in religious and
priestly vocations. Carry on working in this way, with your witness”.
“May
this time of celebration and intense spirituality help you to
contemplate the marvellous works accomplished by the Lord in the
lives and deeds of these new saints. … who remind each of us that
God’s love is the source, the support and the goal of all holiness,
while love of neighbour is the clearest manifestation of love for
God.”
Pope
Francis described St. Kuriakose Elias as “a religious, both active
and contemplative, who generously gave his life for the Syro-Malabar
Church, putting into action the maxim 'sanctification of oneself and
the salvation of others'”, while St. Euphrasia “lived in profound
union with God, so that her life of holiness was an example and an
encouragement to the people, who called her 'Praying Mother'. He
encouraged those present to “treasure their lessons of evangelical
living ... follow in their footsteps and imitate them, in a
particular way, through love of Jesus in the Eucharist and love of
the Church. Thus you will advance along the path to holiness”.
The
Pope canonises six new blesseds: the Kingdom of God is built on
tenderness and proximity
Vatican
City, 24 November 2014 (VIS) – 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”.
Angelus:
the example of the new saints revives spirit of harmony and
reconciliation
Vatican
City, 23 November 2014 (VIS) – After celebrating Holy Mass for the
canonisation of six blesseds, the Pope prayed the Angelus with the
faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square and greeted in particular the
official delegations from Italy and India, the homelands of the new
Saints.
“The
example of the four Italian saints born in the provinces of Vicenza,
Naples, Cosenza and Rimini helps the Italian people to revive the
spirit of collaboration and harmony for the common good, and to look
to the future with hope, united and trusting in the closeness of God
Who never abandons us, even in the most difficult moments”.
“Through
the intercession of the two new Indian saints from Kerala, a great
land of faith and priestly and religious vocations, may the Lord
grant a new missionary impulse to the Church in India, which is very
great, so that inspired by their example of harmony and
reconciliation, Christians from India may continue on the path of
solidarity and fraternal coexistence”.
The
poor are also evangelisers as they show us the peripheries the Gospel
has not reached, says Francis at the 4th Missionary Convention of the
CEI
Vatican
City, 22 November 2014 (VIS) – This morning in the Paul VI Hall the
Pope received in audience the participants in the 4th Missionary
Convention of the Italian Episcopal Conference, around eight hundred
people. “Every generation is called to be missionary … from the
very beginning”, affirmed the Holy Father. “Remember how the
apostles Andrew and John encountered the Lord and then … set out,
enthusiastic. The first thing they did was become missionaries. They
went to their brothers and said, 'We have found the Lord, we have
found the Messiah'”.
Following
these unscripted remarks, Pope Francis went on to cite his Apostolic
Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, in which he speaks of an outbound
Church, and reiterated that a missionary can only be outbound,
without fear of encounters, of discovering new things, and of
speaking about the joy of the Gospel. “Not to proselytise, but to
say what we have and want to share without imposition, with all and
without distinction. … The particular Churches in Italy have done
much. … I would like to repeat something that a Brazilian cardinal
said to me: 'When I go to Amazonia – because he has the task of
visiting dioceses in Amazonia – I go to the cemetery and see the
tombs of missionaries. And there are many of them. And I think, these
people could be canonised now!' It is the Church; they are the
Churches of Italy”.
“Today
I thank you for what you do in many areas … and I ask you to work
with passion to keep this spirit alive. I see many laypeople
alongside bishops and priests. The mission is the task of all
Christians, not just the few. … The Italian Church, I repeat, has
given many priests and laypeople fidei donum, who decide to spend
their lives building up the Church in the peripheral areas of the
world, among the poor and those who are far away. … I urge you, do
not let yourselves be robbed of hope and the dream of changing the
world with … the leaven of the Gospel, starting out from the human
and existential peripheries. Reaching out means overcoming the
temptation to talk among ourselves, forgetting the many who await
from us a word of mercy, of consolation, of hope. Jesus' Gospel is
fulfilled in history. Jesus Himself was a man from the outskirts,
from Galilee, far from the centres of power of the Roman Empire and
of Jerusalem. … However, His Word was the beginning of a
transformation in history, the start of a spiritual and human
revolution, the good news of a Lord Who died and rose again for us”.
The
Pope encouraged those present to intensify their missionary spirit
and their enthusiasm for the mission, without allowing themselves to
be discouraged by difficulties and, above all, “beginning with
children, who must receive a missionary catechesis. At times, even in
the Church we are overcome by pessimism, which risks depriving many
men and women of the announcement of the Gospel. Let us go ahead with
hope! The many missionary martyrs to faith and charity are show us
that victory is only in love and in a life spent for the Lord and for
our neighbour, starting with the poor. The poor are the travelling
companions of an outbound Church, as they are the first She
encounters. The poor are also your evangelisers, as they show you
those peripheries where the Gospel has yet to be proclaimed and
lived”.
“Reaching
out means not remaining indifferent to destitution, war, the violence
in our cities, the neglect of the elderly, the anonymity of many
people in need and marginalisation from little ones. Reaching out
means not accepting that in our Christian cities the are many
children who do not know how to make the sign of the Cross. This is
reaching out. It means being builders of peace, of the 'peace' that
the Lord gives us every day and of which the world is so in need.
Missionaries never give up their dream of peace, even when they
experience difficulties and persecution, which make their presence
strongly felt today”.
Francis:
overcome the isolation that burdens the autistic and their families
Vatican
City, 22 November 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father today received in
audience the participants in the 29th International Conference
organised by the Pontifical Council for Health Workers (for Health
Pastoral Care), dedicated to autism, including persons affected by
this disorder and their families.
The
Pope thanked the organisers of the Conference for having chosen such
a complex theme, “which appeals directly to the responsibility of
governments and institutions, without forgetting, of course,
Christian communities”, and he emphasised the need for common
efforts to promote “acceptance, encounter and solidarity … to
break through the isolation and, in many cases, the stigma that
burdens people affected by autism spectrum disorders, and frequently
also their families”.
“This
does not mean an anonymous and impersonal accompaniment, but instead
and above all listening to the profound needs that emerge from within
a disorder that is not only often difficult to diagnose, but which
does not easily find acceptance without shame and solitude. In the
assistance of those affected … it would be helpful to create,
throughout the country, a network of support and services, complete
and accessible, involving not only parents but also grandparents,
friends, therapists, teachers and pastoral workers. These figures may
help families to overcome the sensations of inadequacy, inefficacy
and frustration that may emerge”.
Pope
Francis went on to thank, personally and on behalf of the Church, the
families and religious groups and various associations present for
the work they carry out every day with persons affected by autism,
and encouraged scholars and researchers in the arduous task of
discovering therapies and support mechanisms in the treatment and
above all the prevention of these disorders. He concluded, “All
this is to be done with the necessary attention to the rights of
those affected, considering their needs and their potential, and
always safeguarding the dignity of every person”.
Ecclesial
movements and new communities: conserve freshness of charism, respect
freedom and seek communion
Vatican
City, 22 November 2014 (VIS) – Conserve the freshness of charism,
respect freedom and always seek communion were the three directions
that Pope Francis outlined at the Third World Congress of Ecclesial
Movements and New Communities, organised by the Pontifical Council
for the Laity and based on the theme “The joy of the Gospel, a
missionary joy”.
“The
movements and communities you represent are now being projected into
the phase of ecclesial maturity, which requires a vigilant attitude
of permanent conversion, to render the evangelising impulse
increasingly alive and fruitful”, said the Holy Father, who
received the participants in the congress this morning in the
Clementine Hall. Conversion and mission he said, are “intimately
connected. Indeed, without an authentic conversion of heart and mind,
the Gospel cannot be proclaimed; at the same time, if we are not open
to mission, conversion is not possible and faith becomes sterile”.
With
regard to the first indication, conserving the freshness of charism,
Francis remarked that “as time goes by, there is a greater
temptation to become comfortable, to become hardened in set ways of
doing things, which, while reassuring, are nonetheless sterile.
However, realities are more important than ideas; even if a certain
institutionalisation of the charism is necessary for its survival, we
ought not delude ourselves into thinking that external structures can
guarantee the working of the Holy Spirit. The newness of your
experiences does not consist in methods or forms, which are
important, but rather in your willingness to respond with renewed
enthusiasm to the Lord’s call”.
A
further issue is how to welcome and accompany people today,
especially the young. “Men and women today experience serious
identity problems and have difficulty making proper choices; as a
result, they tend to be conditioned and to delegate important
decisions about their own lives to others. We need to resist the
temptation of usurping individual freedom, of directing them without
allowing for their growth in genuine maturity. Moral or spiritual
progress that manipulates a person’s immaturity is only an apparent
success, and one destined to fail. Christian education instead
requires a patient accompaniment which is capable of waiting for the
right moment for each person, as the Lord does with each one of us.
Patience is the only way to love truly and to lead others into a
sincere relationship with the Lord”.
Finally,
movements must not forget that “the most precious good, the seal of
the Holy Spirit, is communion”. ... For the world to believe that
Jesus is Lord, it needs to see communion among Christians. If, on the
other hand, the world sees divisions, rivalries and back-biting,
regardless of the cause, how can we evangelise? Remember this further
principle: 'Unity prevails over conflict', because our brothers and
sisters are always of greater value than our personal attitudes;
indeed, it is for our brothers and sisters that Christ has shed his
blood. In addition, real communion cannot exist in Movements or in
New Communities unless these are integrated within the greater
communion of our Holy Mother, the hierarchical Church. The whole is
greater than the part, and the part only has meaning in relation to
the whole. Communion also consists in confronting together and in a
united fashion the most pressing questions of our day, such as life,
the family, peace, the fight against poverty in all its forms,
religious freedom and education”, concluded the Holy Father.
Telegram
for the death of Cardinal Fiorenzo Angelini
Vatican
City, 22 November 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father has sent a telegram
to Vinicio Angelini for the death of Cardinal Fiorenzo Angelini last
night at the age of 98. He offers his condolences to the family of
the deceased cardinal, to the diocesan community of Rome and to the
Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face, and expresses
his affection for “this dear and esteemed pastor, who exercised his
long and intense ministry to build up the Church in Rome, in Italy
and in the world, first as part of Catholic Action, then with
praiseworthy apostolic zeal in hospitals and nursing homes in Rome,
and finally as president of the Pontifical Council for Health Workers
(for Health Pastoral Care)”.
He
continues, “I raise fervent prayers to the Lord that, by the
intercession of the Mary Salus Populi Romani, He may receive this
generous and distinguished man of the Church in joy and eternal
peace, and I impart the comfort of my heartfelt apostolic blessing to
those who mourn his passing”.
Private
meeting between the Pope and the president of the Italian Republic
Vatican
City, 22 November 2014 (VIS) – The director of the Holy See Press
Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., announced yesterday that the
Holy Father received in audience the president of the Italian
Republic, Giorgio Napolitano. The meeting, of a strictly private
nature, took place in very cordial atmosphere and lasted over an
hour.
Audiences
Vatican
City, 24 November 2014 (VIS) – This afternoon the Holy Father is
scheduled to receive in audience Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, president of
the Arab Republic of Egypt, and entourage.
On
Saturday 22 November, the Holy Father received in audience:
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Cardinal Marc Ouellet, P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for
Bishops.
Other
Pontifical Acts
Vatican
City, 24 November 2014 (VIS) – 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father has:
-
appointed Cardinal Robert Sarah, president of the Pontifical Council
“Cor Unum”, as prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and
the Discipline of the Sacraments.
-
appointed Bishop Donald J. Hying, auxiliary of the archdiocese of
Milwaukee, U.S.A., as bishop of Gary (area 4,680, population 809,000,
Catholics 189,000, priests 129, permanent deacons 64, religious 123),
U.S.A. He succeeds Bishop Dale J. Melczek, whose resignation from the
pastoral care of the same diocese upon reaching the age limit was
accepted by the Holy Father.
-
appointed Fr. Victor Hlolo Phalana as bishop of Klerksdorp (area
34,800, population 1,500,000, Catholics 27,000, priests 24, permanent
deacons 4, religious 11), South Africa. The bishop-elect was born in
Erasmus, South Africa in 1961, and was ordained a priest in 1988. He
holds a licentiate in spirituality from the Pontifical Gregorian
University in Rome, and studied African culture at the Catholic
University of East Africa in Nairobi. He has served in a number of
pastoral and academic roles, including parish priest in the parishes
of “Christ the King”, Mabopane, “Good Shepherd” and “St.
Peter” in Winterveldt; professor in the preparatory seminary of
Hammanskraal and Cape Town; spiritual director of the St. Peter
philosophical seminary; teacher at the St. John Vianney major
seminary, and teacher at the Lumuko Pastoral Institute. He is
currently vicar general of the archdiocese of Pretoria and
administrator of the Cathedral of Pretoria.
On
Saturday 22 November, the Holy Father:
-
appointed Bishop Kieran O'Reilly of Killaloe, Ireland as metropolitan
archbishop of Cashel and Emly (area 3,082, population 83,710,
Catholics 82,118, priests 139, religious 196), Ireland. He succeeds
Archbishop Dermot Clifford, whose resignation from the patoral care
of the same archdiocese upon reaching the age limit was accepted by
the Holy Father.
-
appointed Bishop Jean-Pierre Batut, auxiliary of Lyon, France, as
bishop of Blois (area 6,422, population 340,729, Catholics 185,100,
priests 98, permanent deacons 9, religious 121), France. He succeeds
Bishop Maurice Le Begue de Germiny, whose resignation from the
pastoral care of the same diocese upon reaching the age limit was
accepted by the Holy Father.
-
appointed Rev. Fr. William Nolan as bishop of Galloway (area 9,332,
population 520,000, Catholics 47,700, priests 39, permanent deacons
3, religious 41), Scotland. The bishop-elect was born in Motherwell,
Scotland in 1954 and was ordained a priest in 1977. He holds a degree
in moral theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, and
has served in a number of pastoral and administrative roles,
including vice rector of the Pontifical Scottish College in Rome, and
in the diocese of Motherwell, parish priest of “Our Lady of
Lourdes”, East Kilbride; judge of the National Ecclesiastical
Tribunal of Scotland; head of continuing formation of clergy in the
diocese, and deputy president of the presbyteral council. He is
currently vicar general of Motherwell. He succeeds Bishop John
Cunningham, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same
diocese upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father.
-
appointed Rev. Fr. Stephen Marmion Lowe as bishop of Hamilton (area
49,700, population 678,000, Catholics 96,500, priests 49, religious
73), New Zealand. The bishop-elect was born in Hokitika, New Zealand
in 1962 and was ordained a priest in 1996. He studied spirituality at
the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, and has served in a number
of pastoral roles, including parish priest of Timaru North and
chaplain of the Roncalli College, Christchurch. He is currently
director of formation at the Holy Cross national seminary in
Auckland, parish priest of Ponsonby and administrator of Herne Bay in
the diocese of Auckland. He succeeds Bishop Denis George Browne,
whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese upon
reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father.
-
appointed Rev. Fr. John Yaw Afoakwa as bishop of Obuasi (area 6,350,
population 1,394,910, Catholics 102,260, priests 84, religious 31),
Ghana. The bishop-elect was born in Akrokerry, Ghana in 1955 and was
ordained a priest in 1992. He holds a B.A. in religious education
from the Pontifical Urbanian University, Rome, a B.A. in religion
with sociology from the University of Ghana in Accra, and an M.Sc. in
Education from the Le Moyne College, Syracuse, U.S.A. He has served
in a number of pastoral and academic roles, including teacher and
chaplain at the Christ the King Secondary School in Obuasi; director
of the diocesan Catechetics Office and the diocesan department of
social communications; rector of the Corpus Christi Catholic Church
in Akaporiso; and parish vicar at the Blessed Trinity Parish in the
diocese of Rochester, U.S.A.. He currently teaches at the Bodwesango
Senior High School, and is rector of the St. Louis Rectorate and
chaplain of the St. Louis Clinic, Bodwesango.
-
appointed Rev. Fr. Henryk Wejman as auxiliary of the archdiocese of
Szczecin-Kamien (area 12,754, population 1,053,713, Catholics
1,000,000, priests 663, religious 250), Poland. The bishop-elect was
born in Recz, Poland in 1959 and was ordained a priest in 1984. He
holds a licentiate in theology of spirituality and a doctorate in
theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas
(Angelicum), Rome, and has served in a number of pastoral and
academic roles, including: teacher and spiritual director in the
major seminary of Szczecin, parish priest in the St. Albert
Chmielowski parish, and adjunct professor in the Institute of
philosophy of the University of Szczecin and the “Adam Mickiewicz”
University of Poznan. He is currently professor of moral and
spiritual theology and dean of the faculty of theology of the
University of Sczcecin, and member of the College of Consultors and
the presbyteral council.
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accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the archdiocese of
Cap-Haitien, Haiti, presented by Archbishop Louis Kebreau, S.D.B.,
upon reaching the age limit. He is succeeded by Archbishop Max Leroy
Mesidor, currently coadjutor of the same archdiocese.
-
appointed Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, archbishop of Vienna,
Austria, as his special envoy at the celebrations of the 25th
anniversary of the liberation of the Greek-Catholic Church in
Ukraine, to be held in Kiev on 10 December 2014.
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