SUMMARY:
-
POPE FRANCIS: BE OPEN TO GOD'S SURPRISES
-
CELEBRATION OF PENTECOST IN UPPER ROOM UNDER HEAVEN
-
ECCLESIAL MOVEMENTS: THE CHURCH CANNOT BE LOCKED WITHIN ITSELF
-
HUMAN RIGHTS, RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, AND INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION
FOCUS OF AUDIENCE BETWEEN POPE AND ANGELA MERKEL
-
CHRISTIANS AND BUDDHISTS: INNER PEACE, PEACE AMONG PEOPLES
-
AUDIENCES
-
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
______________________________________
POPE
FRANCIS: BE OPEN TO GOD'S SURPRISES
Vatican
City, 19 May 2013 (VIS) – The Mass that Pope Francis celebrated
this morning in St. Peter's Square in front of over 200,000 people
was the concluding event of the two days of pilgrimage for the
ecclesial movements, communities, and lay associations to Rome as
part of the Year of Faith celebrations. In his homily, Francis noted
that, on the Solemnity of Pentecost, “we contemplate and re-live in
the liturgy the outpouring of the Holy Spirit sent by the Risen
Christ upon his Church; an event of grace which filled the Upper Room
in Jerusalem and then spread throughout the world.”
“Newness,”
he said, “always makes us a bit fearful, because we feel more
secure if we have everything under control, if we are the ones who
build, programme, and plan our lives ... This is also the case when
it comes to God. ... It is hard to abandon ourselves to him with
complete trust, allowing the Holy Spirit to be the soul and guide of
our lives ... We fear that God may force us to strike out on new
paths and leave behind our all too narrow, closed and selfish
horizons in order to become open to his own. Yet throughout the
history of salvation, whenever God reveals himself, He brings
newness—God always brings newness—and demands our complete trust:
Noah, mocked by all, builds an ark and is saved; Abram leaves his
land with only a promise in hand; Moses stands up to the might of
Pharaoh and leads his people to freedom; the apostles, huddled
fearfully in the Upper Room, go forth with courage to proclaim the
Gospel. This is not a question of newness for novelty’s sake, the
search for something new to relieve our boredom ... The newness which
God brings into our life is something that actually brings
fulfilment, that gives true joy, true serenity, because God loves us
and desires only our good. Let us ask ourselves today: Are we open to
'God’s surprises'? Or are we closed and fearful before the newness
of the Holy Spirit? Do we have the courage to strike out along the
new paths which God’s newness sets before us, or do we resist,
barricaded in transient structures which have lost their capacity for
openness to what is new? We would do well to ask ourselves these
questions all through the day.”
“The
Holy Spirit,” the pontiff continued, “would appear to create
disorder in the Church, since he brings the diversity of charisms and
gifts; yet all this, by his working, is a great source of wealth, for
the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of unity, which does not mean
uniformity, but which leads everything back to harmony. In the
Church, it is the Holy Spirit who creates harmony. ... Only the
Spirit can awaken diversity, plurality, and multiplicity, while at
the same time building unity. Here too, when we are the ones who try
to create diversity and close ourselves up in what makes us different
and other, we bring division. When we are the ones who want to build
unity in accordance with our human plans, we end up creating
uniformity, standardization. But if instead we let ourselves be
guided by the Spirit, richness, variety and diversity never become a
source of conflict, because he impels us to experience variety within
the communion of the Church. ... Having a sense of the Church is
something fundamental for every Christian, every community, and every
movement. It is the Church which brings Christ to me, and me to
Christ; parallel journeys are very dangerous! When we venture beyond
the Church’s teaching and community ... and do not remain in them,
we are not one with the God of Jesus Christ.”
In
his last point, the Pope observed that “early theologians used to
say that the soul is a kind of sailboat, the Holy Spirit is the wind
which fills its sails and drives it forward, and the gusts of wind
are the gifts of the Spirit. Lacking his impulse and his grace, we do
not go forward. The Holy Spirit draws us into the mystery of the
living God and saves us from the threat of a Church which is gnostic
and self-referential, closed in on herself; He impels us to open the
doors and go forth to proclaim and bear witness to the goodness of
the Gospel ... The Holy Spirit is the soul of mission. The events
that took place in Jerusalem almost two thousand years ago are not
something far removed from us; they are events which affect us and
become a lived experience in each of us. The Pentecost of the Upper
Room in Jerusalem is the beginning, a beginning which endures. ... It
is the Paraclete, the 'Comforter', who grants us the courage to take
to the streets of the world, bringing the Gospel! The Holy Spirit
makes us look to the horizon and urges us toward the very outskirts
of existence in order to proclaim life in Jesus Christ.”
CELEBRATION
OF PENTECOST IN UPPER ROOM UNDER HEAVEN
Vatican
City, 19 May 2013 (VIS) – At the end of the Mass celebrating the
Solemnity of Pentecost for the movements, new communities, and lay
associations, the Holy Father prayed the Regina Coeli with the
faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square.
This
“renewed Pentecost,” the Pope said, “has transformed St.
Peter's Square into an Upper Room under the heavens. We have re-lived
the experience of the nascent Church, praying with Mary, the Mother
of Jesus. In the diversity of these charisms we have experienced the
beauty of unity, of being one. This is the work of the Holy Spirit
who always creates unity in the Church anew.”
The
bishop of Rome thanked the ecclesial movements, communities, and
associations, calling them “a gift and a wealth for the Church”
and especially thanking them for having come from Rome and so many
parts of the world to gather together. “Always carry with you the
strength of the Gospel! Do not be afraid! Always have joy and passion
for communion in the Church! May the Risen Lord be always with you
and Our Lady protect you!”
At
the end of the Regina Coeli, the Pope recalled in his prayers the
population of Emilia Romagna in northern Italy who, at this time last
year, suffered an earthquake, also praying for the Italian Federation
of Associations of Volunteers in Oncology.
ECCLESIAL
MOVEMENTS: THE CHURCH CANNOT BE LOCKED WITHIN ITSELF
Vatican
City, 18 May 2013 (VIS) – Today and yesterday, events for ecclesial
movements of new lay communities and associations to reflect on the
theme “I Believe! Increase our Faith!” were held in Rome as part
of the Year of Faith. Over 120,000 people were gathered in St.
Peter's Square this afternoon when the Pope arrived at 5:30pm and,
after greeting the pilgrims, initiated the Pentecost Vigil.
After
the opening welcome by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the
Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization, the image of
the Virgin Mary Salus Populi Romani was brought in a procession to
the centre of the square and then enthroned. After a series of
readings, songs, and testimonials, Pope Francis answered four
questions asked by representatives of the movements. Following are
the questions with a summary of the Holy Father's answers.
Q:
“How were you able to achieve certainty of faith in your life, and
what path can you indicate to us so that each one of us can overcome
our fragility of faith?”
A:
“I have had the good fortune to grow up in a family where the faith
was lived in a simple and concrete manner ... The first proclamation
is in the home, within the family, right? And this makes me think of
the love of so many mothers and so many grandmothers in the
transmission of the faith. … We do not find our faith in the
abstract, no! It is always a person who preaches it to us, who tells
us who Jesus is, who gives us the faith, who gives us the first
announcement. … But there is a very important day for me: September
21, 1953. I was almost 17. It was the 'Students' Day'.... Before
going to the festival, I went to my parish and met a priest I did not
know, but I felt the need to confess. … After confession I felt
that something had changed. I was not the same. I felt a voice call
me: I was convinced that I had to become a priest. This experience of
faith is important. We say that we must seek God, go to him to ask
for forgiveness ... but when we go, He is already waiting for us. He
is the first one there! ... And this creates wonder in the hearts of
those who do not believe, and this is how faith grows! With an
encounter with a Person, with an encounter with the Lord.”
Regarding
fragility: “Fragility’s biggest enemy curiously enough, is fear.
But do not be afraid! We are weak, we know it but He is stronger! If
you are with him, then there is no problem! A child is fragile—I
see many today—but they are with their fathers and their mothers so
they are safe! We too are safe with the Lord; we are secure. Faith
grows with the Lord, out of the very hands of the Lord.”
Q:
The second question concerned the challenge of evangelization and
what the movements should do to put the task have been called to into
practice.
A:
“I will say just three words. First: Jesus. … If we move forward
with planning and other things, beautiful things indeed, but without
Jesus, then something is wrong. Jesus is the most important thing. …
The second word is prayer. Look at the face of God, but above all ...
know that you are being looked at in return. … And third,
'witness'. … the faith can only be communicated through witness and
that is through love. Not with our ideas, but by living the Gospel in
our own lives, which the Holy Spirit brings to life within us. …
Not so much speaking, but speaking through the way you live: the
consistency of your life … which means living Christianity as an
encounter with Jesus that leads me towards others and not as a social
fact. Socially this how we are. Are we Christians? Wrapped up in
ourselves? No, not that. Witness!”
Q:
The third question was how to live as “a poor Church, for the
poor”.
A:
“First of all, the main contribution we can make is to live the
Gospel. The Church is not a political movement or a well-organized
structure: That is not her. … The Church is the 'salt of the earth,
the light of the world’. She is called to make the leaven of the
Kingdom of God present in society and do it first by witness, her
witness of fraternal love, solidarity … When you hear some say that
solidarity is not a value, that it's a 'basic attitude' that needs to
disappear ... this is wrong! … Moments of crisis, such as the one
we are experiencing ... are not only an economic crisis, not a
cultural crisis. It is a crisis of humanity: it is humanity that is
in crisis. And what can be destroyed is mankind! But mankind is the
image of God!”
“In
this time of crisis we can't just worry about ourselves, can't get
wrapped up in loneliness or discouragement … Please do not get
locked away in yourselves! That is a danger: locking ourselves away
inside our parish, among our friends, in our movement, with people
who think the same way we do ... But you know what is happening? When
the Church becomes closed up in itself it gets sick. ,,, The Church
must go out from herself. Where? Towards the boundaries of existence,
whatever those might be, but get out. Faith is an encounter with
Jesus and we must do the same as Jesus, meet others. .… We have to
bring about encounter. We have to make our faith a 'culture of
encounter' and of friendship, a culture wherein we find brothers and
sisters, where we can talk even with those who do not think like us,
even with those with which have a different faith … Everyone has
something in common with us: they are made in the image of God! …
We must go out to meet with everyone without negotiating about the
faith we belong to.”
“And
another important point: we must go out to meet the poor. … Today,
imagine, all the children who don't have something to eat is not
news. This is serious. We cannot stay calm! We cannot become
starch-pressed Christians, those Christians who are too highly
educated, who speak of theological issues over tea, calmly. No! We
must become courageous Christians and go out in search of those who
are the flesh of Christ. … Poverty, for us Christians, is not a
sociological or philosophical or cultural category. No. It is a
theological category. I would say, perhaps, the first category,
because God, the Son of God, humbled himself, became poor to walk
along the road with us. This is our poverty: the poverty of the flesh
of Christ; the poverty that has brought us the Son of God with his
Incarnation.”
Q:
The fourth question was: How can we help our brothers and sisters if
there is little we can do to change the socio-political climate they
are living under?
A:
“Two virtues are needed to proclaim the Gospel: courage and
patience. They are in the Church of patience. They suffer and there
are more martyrs today than in the early centuries of the Church. …
It should be noted that many times these conflicts do not have a
religious origin. Often there are other causes of a social and
political nature and unfortunately, religious affiliations are used
like fuel to the fire. A Christian must always know how to respond to
evil with good, although it is often difficult. We must try to make
them feel—these brothers and sisters of ours—that we are deeply
united ... to their situation, that we know that they are Christians
who have 'entered a state of patience'. … they experience the
limits, the very limits, between life and death. And for us, this
experience should lead us to promote religious freedom for all: for
everyone! Every man and woman should be free in their religious
confession, whatever it may be. Why? Because that man and that woman
are children of God.“
The
vigil ended with the profession of faith, prayer intentions, and the
singing of the Regina Coeli.
HUMAN
RIGHTS, RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, AND INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION FOCUS OF
AUDIENCE BETWEEN POPE AND ANGELA MERKEL
Vatican
City, 18 May 2013 (VIS) – This morning, Saturday 18 May 2013, in
the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Federal Chancellor of Germany, Her
Excellency Ms. Angela Merkel, was received in audience by the Holy
Father Francis. Chancellor Merkel then went on to meet with
Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.
During
the cordial conversations, the long history of relations between the
Holy See and Germany was recalled and topics of common interest were
focused on, including the socio-political, economic, and religious
situation in Europe and the World. In particular, the protection of
human rights, the persecution of Christians, religious freedom, and
international collaboration for the promotion of peace were
discussed.
Finally,
there was an exchange of viewpoints on Europe as a community of
values and its responsibilities in the world, with the expression of
the desire for all civil and religious elements to commit to a
development founded upon the dignity of the person and inspired by
principles of subsidiarity and solidarity.
CHRISTIANS
AND BUDDHISTS: INNER PEACE, PEACE AMONG PEOPLES
Vatican
City, 20 May 2013 (VIS) – “Inner Peace, Peace Among Peoples”
was the theme of the fourth Buddhist-Christian Colloquium held at the
Pontifical Urbaniana University, sponsored by the Pontifical Council
for Interreligious Dialogue in collaboration with the Office of
Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue of the Catholic Bishops’
Conference of Italy. The participants, coming from Italy, Japan, the
Republic of China (Taiwan), Vietnam, South Korea, Thailand, Myanmar,
Sri Lanka, and India, reaffirmed the need of mutual responsibility to
maintain or to restore peace and to contribute to friendship and
solidarity among persons and peoples.
“In
both the Christian and Buddhist journeys,” a communique released
today states, “inner freedom, purification of the heart,
compassion, and the gift of self are the essential conditions for the
inner peace of the individual as well as for social peace. In spite
of differences, both Buddhist and Christian ethical teaching on
respect for life is a search for common good based on loving kindness
and compassion. The participants expressed that dialogue between
Buddhists and Christians be strengthened to face new challenges such
as threat to human life, poverty, hunger, endemic diseases, violence,
war, etc., which belittle the sanctity of human life and poison peace
in human society.“
AUDIENCES
Vatican
City, 20 May 2013 (VIS) – This morning the Holy Father received in
separate audiences:
nine
prelates from the Sicilia Region of the Italian Episcopal Conference
on their "ad limina" visit:
-
Archbishop Salvatore Gristina of Catania,
-
Archbishop Salvatore Pappalardo of Siracusa,
-
Archbishop Calogero La Piana, S.D.B., of Messina-Lipari-Santa Lucia
del Mela,
-
Bishop Ignazio Zambito of Patti,
-
Bishop Paolo Urso of Ragusa,
-
Bishop Salvatore Muratore of Nicosia,
-
Bishop Antonio Stagliano of Noto,
-
Bishop Calogero Peri, O.F.M. Cap., of Caltagirone, and
-
Bishop Antonino Raspanti of Acireale.
Cardinal
Dario Castrillon Hoyos, president emeritus of the Pontifical
Commission “Ecclesia Dei”, and
Cardinal
Robert Sarah, president of the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum”.
This
afternoon in the Domus Sanctae Marthae chapel he is scheduled to
receive nine prelates from the Sicilia Region of the Italian
Episcopal Conference on their "ad limina" visit:
-
Cardinal Paolo Romeo, archbishop of Palermo and apostolic
administrator "sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" of
the eparchy of Piana degli Albanesi (of the Italo-Albanians), with
the auxiliary of Palermo:
-
Bishop Carmelo Cuttitta, titular of Novi,
-
Archbishop Francesco Montenegro of Agrigento,
-
Archbishop Michele Pennisi of Monreale,
-
Archbishop Alessandro Plotti, emeritus of Pisa and apostolic
administrator "sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" of
Trapani,
-
Bishop Vincenzo Manzella of Cefalu,
-
Bishop Mario Russotto of Caltanissetta,
-
Bishop Domenico Mogavero of Mazara del Vallo, and
-
Msgr. Giovanni Bongiovanni, diocesan administrator of Piazza
Armerina.
On
Saturday, 18 May, the Holy Father received in separate audiences:
-
Archbishop Miroslaw Adamczyk, apostolic nuncio to Liberia and titular
of Otriculum, and
-
Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith.
OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican
City, 20 May 2013 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father appointed Archbishop
William Goh Seng Chye as archbishop of Singapore, (area 639,
population 5,076,700, Catholics 189,094, priests 144, religious 417).
Archbishop Goh, previously coadjutor of that same archdiocese,
succeeds Archbishop Nicholas Chia Yeck Joo, whose resignation from
the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father accepted,
upon having reached the age limit.
On
Saturday, 18 May, the Holy Father appointed:
-
Bishop Manuel Jose Macario do Nascimento Clemente as patriarch of
Lisbon (area 3,735, population 2,235,000, Catholics 1,869,000,
priests 604, permanent deacons 79, religious 1,507), Portugal. Bishop
Macario do Nascimento Clemente, previously of Porto, Portugal,
currently serves as the vice president of the Portuguese Episcopal
Conference. Since 2012 he has been a member of the Pontifical Council
for Social Communications. He succeeds Cardinal Jose da Cruz
Policarpo, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same
patriarchy the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age
limit.
-
Archbishop Michael Wallace Banach as apostolic nuncio to the Solomon
Islands. Archbishop Banach, titular of Memphis, is also apostolic
nuncio to Papua New Guinea.
-
Bishop Jozef Piotr Kupny as archbishop of Wroclaw (area 8,850,
population 1,200,300, Catholics 1,153,600, priests 858, religious
1,204), Poland. Archbishop-elect Kupny, previously auxiliary of
Katowice and titular of Vanariona, was born in Dabrowka Wielka, Lodz
Voivodeship, Poland, in 1956, was ordained to the priesthood in 1983,
and received episcopal ordination in 2005. He was recently elected a
member of the permanent council of the Polish Episcopal Conference
and is president of the Council for Social Questions and delegate to
Catholic Movements and Associations. He succeeds Archbishop Marian
Golebiewski, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same
archdiocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age
limit.
You
can find more information at: www.visnews.org
The
news items contained in the Vatican Information Service may be used,
in part or in their entirety, by quoting the source:
V.I.S.
-Vatican Information Service.
Copyright
© Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City
No comments:
Post a Comment