SUMMARY:
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General audience: the wounds of the family
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The Pope receives the participants in the meeting for dialogue
between Buddhists and Catholics
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Pope's Message for the 50th anniversary of the Joint Working Group
between the Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches
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Other Pontifical Acts
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General
audience: the wounds of the family
Vatican
City, 24 June 2015 (VIS) – Following his recent catechesis on
external threats to the family, such as poverty and illness, during
today's general audience the Pope spoke about those wounds that are
produced as a result of family cohabitation.
In
all families there are moments of discord, but when harmful words,
acts and indifference are ignored, they can be aggravated and
transformed into arrogance, hostility and contempt, which can become
deep lacerations, dividing husband and wife and inducing them to seek
understanding, support and consolation elsewhere. “But often, these
forms of support do not think of the good of the family. … And
frequently the effects of separation have an impact on the children”.
“But
do we still know what a wound to the soul is? Do we feel the weight
of the mountain that crushes the soul of a child, in families in
which the members treat each other badly and harm each other, to the
point of breaking the bonds of conjugal trust?” asked the Pope. …
When adults lose their head … when the father and mother harm each
other, the soul of the child suffers greatly, feeling a sense of
desperation. And they are wounds that leave a lifelong mark”.
“In
the family, everything is interconnected: when its soul is wounded at
some point, the infection spreads throughout. … Husband and wife
are one flesh”, emphasised the Pope, “But their creatures are
flesh of their flesh. If we think of the severity with which Jesus
warns adults not to offend the little ones, we can also better
understand his word on the grave responsibility of safeguarding the
conjugal bond that is at the origin of the human family. When a man
and a woman become one flesh, all the wounds and neglect of the
father and mother are brought to bear on the living flesh of the
children”.
The
Holy Father also spoke about those cases in which separation is
inevitable or indeed morally necessary “to remove the weaker
spouse, or young children, from the wounds caused by arrogance and
violence, debasement and exploitation, estrangement and
indifference”.
However,
he said, there is no lack of those who, thanks to God, “supported
by faith and love for their children, bear witness to their
faithfulness in a bond in which they have believed, however
impossible it may seem to revive it. Not all separated people have
this vocation, though. Not all recognise, in their solitude, the
Lord's call to them. We find many families in irregular situations
around us. And this poses many questions: how can we help them? How
can we accompany them? How can we accompany them so the children do
not become hostages to their father or mother?”.
The
Pope concluded his catechesis by asking the Lord for “great faith,
to look upon reality through the eyes of God; and great charity, to
be near to people with a merciful heart”.
The
Pope receives the participants in the meeting for dialogue between
Buddhists and Catholics
Vatican
City, 24 June 2015 (VIS) – Before today's general audience in St.
Peter's Square, the Pope received in the room adjacent to the Paul VI
Hall the participants in the Meeting for Dialogue between Buddhists
and Catholics of the United States on the theme “Suffering,
liberation and fraternity”, organised by the Focolare Movement and
the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and inaugurated
yesterday at Castel Gandolfo by Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president
of the dicastery.
The
meeting, which ends on 27 June, has involved the participation of
around fifty delegates from New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los
Angeles and Washington, representing Catholics and Buddhist
communities of different traditions. The Holy Father thanked them for
their visit to the Vatican, “a visit that is close to my heart as
it is a visit of fraternity, dialogue and friendship. These are
things that do great good, that are healthy. In this historical
moment, so scarred by wars and hatred, these small gestures are seeds
of peace and fraternity. I thank you, and may the Lord bless you”.
Pope's
Message for the 50th anniversary of the Joint Working Group between
the Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches
Vatican
City, 24 June 2015 (VIS) – Yesterday afternoon Pope Francis sent a
message to the general secretary of the World Council of Churches,
the Reverend Olav Fykse Tveit, on the occasion of the fiftieth
anniversary of the Joint Working Group between the Catholic Church
and the World Council of Churches. The text was read by Cardinal Kurt
Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, during
a commemorative congress held at the Centro Pro Unione in Rome.
Francis
writes that this occasion offers “a moment to thank the Lord for
all that the ecumenical movement has achieved since its beginning
over one hundred years ago, inspired by a longing for the unity which
Christ intended for his body, the Church, and by an emerging sense of
sorrow for the scandal of division between Christians”.
Since
its inauguration in 1965, the Joint Working Group has been active
“not only in ecumenical issues, but also in the areas of
interreligious dialogue, peace and social justice, and works of
charity and humanitarian aid”. He added that the Joint Working
Group “should not be an inward-looking forum”, but instead should
increasingly become “a 'think tank', open to all the opportunities
and challenges facing the Churches today in their mission of
accompanying suffering humanity on the path to the Kingdom, by
imbuing society and culture with Gospel truths and values”.
In
the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, continued the Pope, “I
noted that realities are more important than ideas. The Joint Working
Group must be oriented to addressing the real concerns of the
Churches throughout the world. In this way, it will be better suited
to proposing collaborative steps that not only draw the Churches
closer together, but also ensure that they offer an effective
diakonia suited to the people's needs”.
In
fulfilling this task, “the Joint Working Group distinguishes itself
by its own character and aims. The nine reports produced thus far
bear witness to the growing understanding and appreciation of the
bonds of brotherhood and reconciliation which, in the context of the
changing landscape of Christianity in the modern world, sustain
Christians in their common witness and evangelising mission. We must
recognise, though, that in spite of the many ecumenical achievements
of the past half century, Christian mission and witness still suffer
due to our divisions. Disagreements on various subjects – in
particular anthropological, ethical and social issues, as well as
issues related to the understanding of the nature and conditions of
the unity we seek – demand further sustained efforts. Our dialogue
must continue”.
The
Pope concluded his message by encouraging the Group to further its
discussion on crucial ecumenical issues and to promote ways for
Christians to testify together to the real, though imperfect,
communion shared by all the baptised. “May we always trust that the
Holy Spirit will continue to assist and guide our journey, often in
new and sometimes unexpected ways”, exclaimed Francis.
Other
Pontifical Acts
Vatican
City, 24 June 2015 (VIS) – The Holy Father has appointed:
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Bishop Rafael Biernaski, auxiliary of the archdiocese of Curitiba,
Brazil, as bishop of Blumenau (area 3,835, population 671,282,
Catholics 460,056, priests 67, permanent deacons 53, religious 79),
Brazil.
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Bishop Joao Santos Cardoso of Sao Raimundo Nonato, Brazil, as bishop
of Bom Jesus da Lapa (area 56,300, population 403,000, Catholics
321,000, priests 33, religious 52), Brazil.
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