SUMMARY:
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GENERAL AUDIENCE: WE WILL NOT BE ALONE AT THE FINAL JUDGEMENT
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THE POPE SUPPORTS CARITAS' GLOBAL CAMPAIGN AGAINST HUNGER
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POPE FRANCIS GREETS AMERICA, “A GENEROUS LAND”, ON THE FEAST OF
OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE
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POPE FRANCIS SELECTED AS PERSON OF THE YEAR BY TIME MAGAZINE
-
THE NECROPOLIS OF VIA TRIUMPHALIS REOPENS TO THE PUBLIC
-
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
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GENERAL
AUDIENCE: WE WILL NOT BE ALONE AT THE FINAL JUDGEMENT
Vatican
City, 11 December 2013 (VIS) – The Pope dedicated his final
catechesis on the Creed to its last article: “I believe in life
everlasting”, focusing in particular on the final judgement.
“When
we think of Christ's return and of His final judgement, which will
show, up to the very last consequences, the good that each person
will have done or omitted to do during his or her earthly life, we
realise that we find ourselves before a mystery that overwhelms us,
that we cannot even imagine. A mystery that almost instinctively
arouses in us a sense of fear, and perhaps even trepidation. However,
if we reflect closely on this fact, it cannot but enlarge the heart
of a Christian, and constitutes a great reason for consolation and
trust”.
Pope
Francis explained that “in this respect, the witness of the first
Christian communities is very interesting, since their celebrations
and prayers were generally accompanied by the exclamation
'Maranatha', an acclamation made up of two Aramaic words which may be
understood either as an entreaty: 'Come, Lord!', or as a certainty
nurtured by faith: 'Yes, the Lord is coming, the Lord is near'. It is
the exclamation in which all of Christian revelation culminates, at
the end of the marvellous contemplation offered in the Apocalypse of
St. John … in which the Church, bride in the name of all humanity,
turns to Christ, her spouse, in the hope of receiving His embrace,
full of life and love. If we think of the judgement in this way, all
fear and hesitation makes way for expectation and profound joy. It
will be the moment in which we will be judged as finally ready to be
clothed in the glory of Christ”.
A
second reason for trust is offered to us by “the realisation that,
at the moment of judgement, we are not left alone. … How good it is
to know that, in that situation, we can count on Christ, our advocate
before the father, and upon the intercession and benevolence of many
of our brothers and sisters who have preceded us on the path of faith
... and who continue to to love us in an indescribable way! The
saints already live in the presence of God, in the splendour of His
glory, praying for us, for those who still live on earth”.
A
third element is offered to us by the Gospel of St. John, when he
states that “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the
world, but to save the world through him”. “This means, then,
that the judgement is already in process, throughout our existence.
This judgement is pronounced in every instant in our lives, as
reflected in our acceptance in faith of salvation, present and
through the work of Christ, or in our incredulity and our consequent
self-centredness. Salvation means opening oneself to Jesus. If we are
sinners, the Lord forgives us, but we must open ourselves to Jesus'
love, which is greater than all things; and opening up means
repenting”.
“The
Lord Jesus gave Himself, and continues to give Himself for us”,
concluded the Holy Father, “to fill us with the grace and the mercy
of the Father. We can become in a certain sense our own judges,
condemning ourselves to exclusion from communion with God and with
our brethren. … therefore, let us never tire of keeping watch over
our thoughts and attitudes, so that we might have right now a
foretaste of the warmth and splendour of the face of God, which in
eternal life we will contemplate in all its fullness”.
THE
POPE SUPPORTS CARITAS' GLOBAL CAMPAIGN AGAINST HUNGER
Vatican
City, 11 December 2013 (VIS) – After today's catechesis, the Pope
mentioned that yesterday Caritas launched a worldwide campaign
against hunger and food wastage, with the motto: “One human family,
food for all”. “The scandal that millions of people suffer from
hunger should not paralyse us”, he said, “but rather should press
us to act – all of us: individuals, families, communities,
institutions, governments – to eradicate this injustice. The Gospel
of Jesus shows us the way: trust in the providence of the Father and
share our daily bread without wasting it. I encourage Caritas in
their efforts, and invite all to join in this 'wave' of solidarity”.
POPE
FRANCIS GREETS AMERICA, “A GENEROUS LAND”, ON THE FEAST OF OUR
LADY OF GUADALUPE
Vatican
City, 11 December 2013 (VIS) – Tomorrow is the feast of Our Lady of
Guadalupe, patroness of all America and therefore, in his greetings
in Spanish during today's general audience, the Pope addressed all
brothers and sisters from the Continent, considering the Virgin of
Tepeyac.
“When
Our Lady appeared to Saint Juan Diego, her face was that of a woman
of mixed blood, a mestiza, and her garments bore many symbols of the
native culture. Like Jesus, Mary is close to all her sons and
daughters; as a concerned mother, she accompanies them on their way
through life. She shares all the joys and hopes, the sorrows and
troubles of God’s People, which is made up of men and women of
every race and nation.
“When
the image of the Virgin appeared on the tilma of Juan Diego, it was
the prophecy of an embrace: Mary’s embrace of all the peoples of
the vast expanses of America – the peoples who already lived there,
and those who were yet to come. Mary’s embrace showed what America
– North and South – is called to be: a land where different
peoples come together; a land prepared to accept human life at every
stage, from the mother’s womb to old age; a land which welcomes
immigrants, and the poor and the marginalized, in every age. A land
of generosity.
“That
is the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe”, concluded the Pope, “and
it is also my message, the message of the Church. I ask all the
people of the Americas to open wide their arms, like the Virgin, with
love and tenderness. I pray for all of you, dear brothers and
sisters, and I ask you to pray for me! May the joy of the Gospel
always abide in your hearts. May the Lord bless you, and may Our Lady
be ever at your side.
POPE
FRANCIS SELECTED AS PERSON OF THE YEAR BY TIME MAGAZINE
Vatican
City, 11 December 2013 (VIS) – The director of the Holy See Press
Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J., has commented on the nomination
of Pope Francis as “person of the year” by Time magazine.
“ This
fact is unsurprising, considering the resonance and very widespread
attention given to the election of Pope Francis and the beginning of
his pontificate. It is a positive sign that one of the most
prestigious acknowledgements in the field of the international press
has been attributed to one who proclaims spiritual, religious and
moral values in the world, and who speaks effectively in favour of
peace and greater justice.
“With
regard to the Pope, for his part, he does not seek fame and success,
since he carries out his service for the proclamation of the Gospel
and the love of God for all. If this attracts men and women and gives
them hope, the Pope is content. If this nomination as “Person of
the Year” means that many have understood this message, at least
implicitly, he will certainly be glad”.
THE
NECROPOLIS OF VIA TRIUMPHALIS REOPENS TO THE PUBLIC
Vatican
City, 11 December 2013 (VIS) – The Necropolis of the Via
Triumphalis reopens to the public next year, following excavation
works which have lasted two years and which have made it possible to
unite the two sectors of the burial ground, previously separated. The
necropolis, which extends from the north-easterly part of the Vatican
hill, covers an area of one thousand square metres containing tombs,
mosaics, mouldings and frescoes, which date from the first century
before Christ to the fourth century of our era.
The
extension of the areas of the necropolis that may be visited by the
public is the result of excavation works carried out by the
Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities of the Vatican Museums,
generously funded by the Canada Chapter of the Patrons of the Arts,
an international community of benefactors which has for three decades
“adopted” and given economic support to projects for the
conservation, restoration and appreciation of the treasures of the
Vatican Museums.
During
the works, the central area of the Necropolis was investigated and an
ancient path excavated, uniting the two previously divided sectors,
and bringing to light a zone intended for cremations (ustrino), which
is rarely conserved in a complex of this type. It is characterised by
two superimposed layers of baked clay and earth deposits, with
fragments of charcoal and burnt pine cones, used to light the pyre.
The grave goods accompanying the deceased are conserved in two
recently installed display cabinets, while a third illustrates the
most recent excavations, using a stratographic archaeological method,
showing a synthetic panorama of the sections excavations carried out
since 1956, the year in which the necropolis was discovered.
The
tombs belong mostly to freemen or common people, such as Alcimus,
slave of Nero and scene painter for the theatre of Pompey, or
Tiberius Claudius Optatus, an imperial bookkeeper. The necropolis, as
explained by Giandomenico Spinola, director of the Department of
Greek and Roman Antiquities of the Vatican Museums, was
“multi-ethnic”, in that people of Asiatic and Palestinian origin
were also buried there, as is revealed by the inscriptions on the
tombstones.
Thanks
to the new display itinerary, including walkways and a multimedia
installation, visitors accompanied by a guide may admire small
mausoleums, sarcophagi, statues and bas-reliefs. The director of the
Vatican Museums, Professor Antonio Paolucci, explained that “The
aim is to create an excavation laboratory, open to the public. A
place where people are able to view the area and the works while they
are being carried out”.
OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican
City, 11 December 2013 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father appointed
Bishop Stephen Robson as bishop of Dunkeld (area 8,495, population
408,300, Catholics 43,800, priests 46, religious 42), Scotland.
Bishop Robson, previously auxiliary of the archdiocese of Saint
Andrews and Edinburgh, was born in Carlisle, England in 1951 and
received episcopal ordination in 2012.
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