SUMMARY:
-
MORE THAN SIX MILLION, SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND FAITHFUL WITH POPE
FRANCIS
-
MARY, SOURCE OF HOPE AND TRUE JOY
-
POPE FRANCIS: PEACE REQUIRES THE STRENGTH OF MEEKNESS
-
POPE FRANCIS: THE FACE OF ROME, A MOSAIC MADE UP OF HER INHABITANTS
-
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
-
PAPAL AND HOLY SEE HIGHLIGHTS FOR SEPTEMBER - DECEMBER 2013
______________________________________
MORE
THAN SIX MILLION, SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND FAITHFUL WITH POPE FRANCIS
Vatican
City, 2 January 2014 (VIS) – The Prefecture of the Papal Household
today published a communique in which it reported that during 2013,
since his election on 13 March, more than 6,600,000 faithful
participated in the various encounters with Pope Francis: general
audiences (1,548,500), private audiences (87,400), liturgical
celebrations in the Vatican Basilica and in St. Peter's Square
(2,282,000), Angelus and Regina Coeli (2,706,000). These data refer
exclusively to activities which took place within the Vatican, and do
not include other events in which hundreds of thousands of faithful
have gathered around the Holy Father, such as the apostolic visit to
Brazil in July for World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, and visits
within Italy, to Lampedusa, Cagliari and Assisi, as well as visits
within the diocese of Rome. The total number of faithful who have
participated in these events is estimated at 6,623,000.
The
Prefecture of the Papal Household emphasises that these are
approximate data calculated on the basis of requests to participate
in events and invitations issued by the Prefecture. Additionally, an
estimate has been given for the number of attendees at the Angelus
and the major celebrations in St. Peter's Square.
MARY,
SOURCE OF HOPE AND TRUE JOY
Vatican
City, 1 January 2014 (VIS) – This Wednesday, Solemnity of Holy Mary
Mother of God, and Octave of Christmas, the Holy Father presided at
the Holy Mass in the Vatican Basilica, concelebrated by Cardinal
Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council
“Justice and Peace”; Archbishop Pietro Parolin, secretary of
State; Archbishop Giovanni Angelo Becciu, substitute secretary of
State; and Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations
with States. Today is also 47th World Day of Peace, the theme of
which is “Fraternity, the foundation and pathway to peace”.
The
full text of Pope Francis' homily is published below:
“In
the first reading we find the ancient prayer of blessing which God
gave to Moses to hand on to Aaron and his sons: 'The Lord bless you
and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be
gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give
you peace'. There is no more meaningful time than the beginning of a
new year to hear these words of blessing: they will accompany our
journey through the year opening up before us. They are words of
strength, courage and hope. Not an illusory hope, based on frail
human promises, or a naive hope which presumes that the future will
be better simply because it is the future. Rather, it is a hope that
has its foundation precisely in God’s blessing, a blessing which
contains the greatest message of good wishes there can be; and this
is the message which the Church brings to each of us, filled with the
Lord’s loving care and providential help.
“The
message of hope contained in this blessing was fully realized in a
woman, Mary, who was destined to become the Mother of God, and it was
fulfilled in her before all creatures.
The
Mother of God. This is the first and most important title of Our
Lady. It refers to a quality, a role which the faith of the Christian
people, in its tender and genuine devotion to our heavenly Mother,
has understood from the beginning. We recall that great moment in the
history of the ancient Church, the Council of Ephesus, in which the
divine motherhood of the Virgin Mary was authoritatively defined. The
truth of her divine maternity found an echo in Rome where, a little
later, the Basilica of Saint Mary Major was built, the first Marian
shrine in Rome and in the entire West, in which the image of the
Mother of God – the Theotokos – is venerated under the title of
Salus Populi Romani. It is said that the residents of Ephesus used to
gather at the gates of the basilica where the bishops were meeting
and shout, 'Mother of God!'. The faithful, by asking them to
officially define this title of Our Lady, showed that they
acknowledged her divine motherhood. Theirs was the spontaneous and
sincere reaction of children who know their Mother well, for they
love her with immense tenderness. But it is more: it is the sensus
fidei of the holy People of God which, in its unity, never errs.
“Mary
has always been present in the hearts, the piety and above all the
pilgrimage of faith of the Christian people. 'The Church journeys
through time… and on this journey she proceeds along the path
already trodden by the Virgin Mary'. Our journey of faith is the same
as that of Mary, and so we feel that she is particularly close to us.
As far as faith, the hinge of the Christian life, is concerned, the
Mother of God shared our condition. She had to take the same path as
ourselves, a path which is sometimes difficult and obscure. She had
to advance in the 'pilgrimage of faith'.
“Our
pilgrimage of faith has been inseparably linked to Mary ever since
Jesus, dying on the Cross, gave her to us as our Mother, saying:
'Behold your Mother!'. These words serve as a testament, bequeathing
to the world a Mother. From that moment on, the Mother of God also
became our Mother! When the faith of the disciples was most tested by
difficulties and uncertainties, Jesus entrusted them to Mary, who was
the first to believe, and whose faith would never fail. The 'woman'
became our Mother when she lost her divine Son. Her sorrowing heart
was enlarged to make room for all men and women, all, whether good or
bad, and she loves them as she loved Jesus. The woman who at the
wedding at Cana in Galilee gave her faith-filled cooperation so that
the wonders of God could be displayed in the world, at Calvary kept
alive the flame of faith in the resurrection of her Son, and she
communicates this with maternal affection to each and every person.
Mary becomes in this way a source of hope and true joy!
“The
Mother of the Redeemer goes before us and continually strengthens us
in faith, in our vocation and in our mission. By her example of
humility and openness to God’s will she helps us to transmit our
faith in a joyful proclamation of the Gospel to all, without
reservation. In this way our mission will be fruitful, because it is
modelled on the motherhood of Mary. To her let us entrust our journey
of faith, the desires of our heart, our needs and the needs of the
whole world, especially of those who hunger and thirst for justice
and peace, and for God. Let us then together invoke her, and I invite
you to invoke her three times, following the example of those
brothers and sisters of Ephesus: Mother of God! Mother of God! Mother
of God! Amen”.
POPE
FRANCIS: PEACE REQUIRES THE STRENGTH OF MEEKNESS
Vatican
City, 1 January 2014 (VIS) – Following the celebration of Holy Mass
on the Solemnity of the Holy Mother of God, and on the 47th World Day
of Peace, Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study to pray
the Angelus with the faithful and pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's
Square. Before the Marian prayer, the Pontiff made some comments on
the theme of peace.
“Following
in the footsteps of my predecessors, beginning with Paul VI, I have
developed this theme in a message, which today I convey to all. It is
based on the conviction that we are all children of one Heavenly
Father, we are part of the same human family, and we share a common
destiny. Thus we all have the shared responsibility to work to make
the world into a community of brothers and sisters who respect each
other, accept diversity and take care of each other. We are also
called to be aware of the violence and injustice that exist in many
parts of the world and to which we should remain indifferent and
immobile: the commitment of all is necessary to build a more just and
caring society. From every corner of the earth, today believers raise
prayers to the Lord for the gift of peace and the ability to bring it
to every place."
“On
this, the first day of the year”, added the Holy Father, “may the
Lord help us to set out more decisively on the path of justice and
peace; may the Holy Spirit act in our hearts, loosening bonds and
warming hardened hearts so that they open up to the tenderness and
weakness of the Child Jesus. Peace requires the force of meekness,
the non-violent strength of the truth and of love.
Similarly,
Pope Francis encouraged the faithful to place their hopes with filial
trust in the hands of Mary. "May she, who extends her maternal
love to all mankind, hear the cry for peace of those people oppressed
by war and violence, so that the courage of dialogue and
reconciliation might prevail over the temptation for revenge,
arrogance and corruption. We pray to her that the Gospel of
fraternity announced and witnessed by the Church speak to every
conscience and break down the walls that prevent enemies from
recognising each other as brothers".
After
the Marian prayer, Pope Francis wished a happy new year, full of
peace, to all the pilgrims and faithful. He thanked the President of
the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, for the words addressed to
the him during the president's message to the Italian nation on the
night of 31 December, and sent his best wishes to the Italian people
so that they "may look to the future with confidence and hope".
He also thanked the various groups that have arranged prayer
initiatives dedicated to peace, in particular the national March
which began on 31 December in Campobasso, Italy, organised by the
Italian Episcopal Conference, Caritas and Pax Christi; the
Sant'Egidio Community; and the families of the Movement of Family
Love, who spent the night praying in St. Peter's Square,and the
volunteers of Fraterna Domus. Before concluding, he addressed a
special greeting to the "Star Singers" (“Sternsinger”),
the children and young people in Germany and Austria who bring the
blessing of Jesus to homes and collect donations for children in
need.
POPE
FRANCIS: THE FACE OF ROME, A MOSAIC MADE UP OF HER INHABITANTS
Vatican
City, 31 December 2013 (VIS) – On Tuesday 31 December at 5 p.m. in
the Vatican Basilica, the Holy Father presided at the first Vespers
of the Solemnity of Holy Mary Mother of God. This was followed by the
exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, the singing of the traditional
"Te Deum" of thanksgiving for the conclusion of the civil
year, and the Eucharistic blessing.
“While
the year 2013 reaches its end”, said Pope Francis in his homily,
“we gather together, as if in a basket, the days, the weeks, the
months we have lived, to offer to the Lord. And we ask ourselves
bravely how we have lived the time that He has given to us. Have we
used it above all for ourselves, for our own interests, or have we
known how to use it also for others? And for God? How much time have
we set aside to 'be with Him', in prayer and in silence?”
“And
let us think also of this city of Rome”, continued the Holy Father.
“What has happened this year? What is happening, and what will
happen? How is the quality of life in this city? This depends on all
of us! How is the quality of our 'citizenship?' This year did we make
our own 'small contribution', to make it more liveable, tidier and
friendlier? Indeed, the face of a town is like a mosaic whose pieces
are all those who live there. Of course, those vested with authority
a have greater responsibility, but we are all jointly responsible,
for better or for worse".
"Rome
is a city of unique beauty. It has an extraordinary spiritual and
cultural heritage. Yet, even in Rome there are so many people whose
lives are marked by material and moral misery, the poor, the
destitute, the suffering, that appeal to the conscience of every
citizen. Perhaps this contrast between the majestic surroundings full
of artistic beauty, and social hardship of those in need is even more
keenly felt in Rome. Rome is a city full of tourists, but also full
of refugees. Rome is full of working people, but also people who are
unable to find employment or who work in underpaid and sometimes
undignified jobs, and everyone has the right to be treated with the
same attitude of acceptance and fairness, because every one of us is
the bearer of human dignity".
“It
is the last day of the year. What will we do, how will we act next
year, to make our city a little better? Rome in the coming year will
be even more beautiful if she is richer in humanity, more hospitable
and welcoming; if all of us are attentive and generous towards those
in difficulty; if we collaborate in a constructive and supportive
spirit, for the good of all. Rome in the new year will be better if
people do not simply look on from afar, as if at a picture postcard,
observing life 'from the balcony' without getting involved in human
problems, the problems faced by men and women who, in the end … and
indeed from the beginning, whether we like it or not, are our
brothers and sisters”.
“From
this point of view, the Church of Rome is committed to her duty of
giving her contribution to the life and future of the city; to
animating her with the leaven of the Gospel and being a sign and
instrument of God's mercy”, concluded the Holy Father.
Following
the Eucharistic celebration, the Pope visited the Nativity display
arranged next to the obelisk in St. Peter's Square.
OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican
City, 2 January 2014 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father accepted the
resignation from the pastoral governance of the archdiocese of Tororo
(area 8,837, population 3,251,000, Catholics 705,363, priests 95,
religious 227) Uganda, presented by Archbishop Denis Kiwanuka Lote,
upon reaching the age limit. He is succeeded by Bishop Emmanuel Obbo,
formerly bishop of Soroti, Uganda.
PAPAL
AND HOLY SEE HIGHLIGHTS FOR SEPTEMBER - DECEMBER 2013
Vatican
City, 13 December 2013 (VIS) - Following are highlights of the
activities of Pope Benedict XVI and of the Holy See for the months of
September to December 2013.
SEPTEMBER
2:
Beatification, in Messina, Italy, of Antonio Franco, ordinary prelate
of Santa Lucia del Mela who lived between the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries.
2:
The Holy Father receives in audience Veselin Sukovic, ambassador of
Montenegro to the Holy See, presenting his credential letters.
4:
The Holy Father receives in audience Antonella Mularoni and Denis
Amici, Captains Regent of the Republic of San Marino.
6:
The Holy Father receives in audience the president of the
Plurinational State of Bolivia, Juan Evo Morales Ayma.
7:
Pope Francis convokes a day of fasting and prayer for peace in Syria,
in the Middle East and throughout the world.
7:
The Holy Father receives in audience Peter Sopko, the new ambassador
of the Slovak Republic to the Holy See, presenting his letters of
credence.
9:
The Holy Father receives in audience Piotr Nowina-Konopka, the new
ambassador of Poland to the Holy See, presenting his letters of
credence.
10:
Meeting of the Holy Father with the heads of all the dicasteries of
the Roman Curia, the president of the Governorate and the cardinal
vicar general of Rome.
10:
Private visit of Pope Francis to the Centro Astalli in Rome, the
Italian seat of the Jesuit Refugee Service.
12:
The Holy Father receives in audience the prime minister of Thailand,
Yingluck Shinawatra.
13:
The Pope receives in audience Denis Fontes De Souza Pinto, ambassador
of Brazil to the Holy See, presenting his letters of credence.
14:
Audience with Kiril Liubomirov Topalov, ambassador of Bulgaria to the
Holy See, presenting his letters of credence.
14:
Beatification in Cordoba, Argentina of Fr. Jose Gabriel Brochero
(1840-1914), priest and missionary, known as the “gaucho priest”.
16:
Meeting of the Pope with the Clergy of Rome in the Basilica of St.
John Lateran.
19:
Pope Francis receives in audience the prime minister of the Republic
of Lithuania, Algirdas Butkevicius.
20:
Pope Francis receives in audience Porfirio Lobo Sosa, president of
the Republic of Honduras.
20:
The Holy Father receives in audience Janos Ader, president of
Hungary.
22:
Pastoral visit to Cagliari, Italy, to the shrine of Our Lady of
Bonaria.
23:
Audience with Juan Carlos Gamarra, ambassador of Peru to the Holy
See, presenting his letters of credence.
24:
Message from the Holy Father for the World Day of Migrants and
Refugees, to be celebrated on 19 January 2014, on the theme “Migrants
and Refugees: towards a better world”.
28:
Chirograph by by which the Holy Father institutes a Council of
Cardinals to assist him in the governance of the universal Church and
to draw up a project for the revision of the Apostolic Constitution
“Pastor bonus”, on the Roman Curia.
29:
Holy Mass on the occasion of the Day of Catechists.
30:
During the Ordinary Public Consistory, the Pope decrees that Blesseds
John XXIII and John Paul II be inscribed in the book of saints on
Sunday, 27 April 2014, Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday.
OCTOBER
1:
First of Pope Francis' three meetings with the Council of Cardinals.
1:
The Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR) publishes for the first
time, on its website, its annual report for 2012.
4:
Pastoral visit to Assisi, Italy.
5:
Publication of the Pontifical Letter in which the Pope appoints
Cardinal Joachim Meisner, archbishop of Cologne, Germany, as his
special envoy to the celebration of the 750th anniversary of the
laying of the first stone of the cathedral of Xanthen, Germany,
scheduled to take place on 13 October.
7:
Pope Francis receives in audience their Majesties the King of
Lesotho, Letsie III, and Queen ‘Masenate Mohato Seeiso.
8:
The Holy Father Francis convenes the Third Extraordinary General
Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, to be held in the Vatican from 5 to
19 October 2014, on the theme “The pastoral challenges of the
family in the context of evangelisation”.
10:
Pope Francis received in audience Ivo Josipovic, president of the
Republic of Croatia.
11:
The Holy Father extends the liturgical cult of Blessed Angela of
Foligno (1248-1309) to the universal Church, inscribing her in the
catalogue of saints.
12:
The Pope receives in audience Carlos Avila Molina, ambassador of
Honduras to the Holy See, presenting his letters of credence.
13:
Holy Mass on the occasion of the Marian Day, in the context of the
Year of Faith celebrations.
15:
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. concludes his mandate as secretary
of State, as announced on 31 August 2013, when the Pope accepted his
resignation in accordance with canon 354 of the Code of Canon Law,
asking him however to serve until 15 October 2013.
15:
Archbishop Pietro Parolin, appointed as the new secretary of State,
takes office.
17:
The Holy Father Francis receives in audience Mahmoud Abbas, president
of the Palestinian National Authority.
18:
The Holy Father Francis receives in audience the president of the
Republic of Cameroon, Paul Biya.
21:
The Pope receives in audience Kenneth F. Hackett, the new ambassador
of the United States to the Holy See, presenting his credential
letters.
24:
Pope Francis receives in audience His Royal Highness Prince
Guillaume, hereditary Grand-Duke of Luxembourg, with Princess
Stephanie and entourage.
25:
The Holy Father Francis receives in audience the president of the
Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.
26:
Publication of the Letter by which the Pope appoints Cardinal
Raffaele Farina, S.D.B., archivist and librarian emeritus of the Holy
Roman Church, as his special envoy to the celebration of first
centenary of the Sophia University of Tokyo, Japan, scheduled for 1
November.
27:
Holy Mass on the occasion of the Day of the Family, in the context of
the Year of Faith celebrations.
31:
The Pope announces his intention to convoke a Consistory for the
creation of new cardinals on the occasion of the Feast of the Chair
of St. Peter, 22 February.
NOVEMBER
1:
Solemnity of All Saints: Holy Mass at the Cemetery of Verano, Rome.
5:
Publication of the preparatory document for the Third Extraordinary
General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, on the theme “The
pastoral challenges for the family in the context of evangelisation”.
7:
The Holy Father decides on the themes for the next three World Youth
Days:
Twenty-ninth
World Youth Day, 2014: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5:3).
Thirtieth
World Youth Day 2015: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will
see God” (Mt. 5:8).
Thirty-first
World Youth Day 2016 (Krakow): “Blessed are the merciful, for they
will receive mercy” (Mt. 5:7).
8:
The Holy Father receives in audience the president of the Republic of
Costa Rica, Laura Chinchilla Miranda.
8:
Presentation of the first issue of the new series of the journal
“Latinitas”, published by the Pontifical Academy Latinitas,
instituted by Pope Benedict XVI in November 2012.
9:
The Holy Father nominates Cardinal Claudio Hummes O.F.M., prefect
emeritus of the Congregation for the Clergy, as his special envoy at
the concluding celebrations of the national pilgrimage to the relics
of St. Roque Gonzalez de Santa Cruz and his companion martyrs, on the
twenty-fifth anniversary of his canonisation, to be held in Asuncion,
Paraguay on 15 November 2013.
11:
Cardinal Domenico Bartolucci, deacon of the Most Holy Names of Jesus
and Mary in Via Lata and former director of the “Sistina”
Pontifical Choir dies at the age of 96.
14:
Official visit of the Holy Father Francis to the Quirinal Palace in
response to the visit to the Vatican by the president of the Italian
Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, on 8 June.
15:
The Governorate of Vatican City State, by agreement with the
Pontifical Commission for Reference on the Organisation of the
Economic and Administrative Structure of the Holy See, mandates an
international team from Ernst & Young to carry out the task of
auditing and consultation in relation to the economic activities and
administrative management procedures of the Entity.
18:
Publication of the Apostolic Letter issued Motu Proprio of 15
November 2013, by which Pope Francis approves the new Statutes of the
Financial Intelligence Authority (F.I.A.).
18:
Pope Francis receives in audience the prime minister of the
Commonwealth of the Bahamas, Perry Gladstone Christie.
22:
Holy Father Francis receives in audience Vjekoslav Bevanda, prime
minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
23:
Publication of the letter by which the Holy Father appoints Cardinal
Walter Brandmuller, deacon of St. Julian of the Flemings, as his
special envoy at the commemoration of the 450th anniversary of the
Council of Trent, to be held in the cathedral of Trento, Italy on 1
December 2013.
24:
The Holy Father presents the Apostolic Exhortation “Evangelii
Gaudium” to 36 representatives of the People of God at the end of
the Eucharistic Celebration on the occasion of the closing of the
Year of Faith, inaugurated by Pope Benedict XVI on 11 October 2012.
25:
Pope Francis receives in audience Horacio Manuel Cartes Jara,
president of the Republic of Paraguay.
25:
Vladimir V. Putin, president of the Russian Federation, received in
audience by the Holy Father Francis.
28:
The Holy Father appoints Msgr. Alfred Xuereb as delegate for the
Pontifical Commission for Reference on the Institute for the Works of
Religion (IOR) and for the Pontifical Commission for Reference on the
Organisation of the Economic-Administrative Structure of the Holy
See.
30:
Publication of the letter by which the Holy Father nominates Cardinal
Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez, archbishop of Santo Domingo, as his
special envoy at the concluding celebrations of the centenary of the
institution of the Ecclesiastical Province of Managua, scheduled to
be held on 2 December 2013.
DECEMBER
1:
Pastoral visit to the Roman parish of “San Cirillo Alessandrino”
at Tor Sapienza.
2:
The Holy Father Francis receives in audience Benjamin Netanyahu,
prime minister of the State of Israel.
2:
Pope Francis receives in audience a group of prelates from the
Bishops' Conference of the Netherlands on their “ad limina”
visit.
2:
The Board of Superintendence of the Institute for the Works of
Religion (IOR) appoints Rolando Marranci as General Director.
3:
Second series of meetings of the Council of Cardinals.
3:
From today, ancient texts held in the Vatican Apostolic Library and
the Bodleian Libraries, Oxford, may be viewed online.
5:
Upon request by the Council of Cardinals, the Pope announces that a
Commission for the Protection of Minors will be instituted.
6:
Publication of Pope Francis' message for the 22nd World Day of the
Sick 2014, to take place on 11 February 2014, liturgical memory of
the Blessed Virgin Maria of Lourdes, with the theme “Faith and
Charity: we too must give our lives for the brethren”.
9:
The Holy Father received in audience the president of the Republic of
the Congo, Denis Sassou N'Guesso.
11:
Pope Francis is elected “Person of the Year” by Time Magazine.
12:
Presentation of the Holy Father's message for the 47th World Day for
Peace, 1 January 2014, entitled “Fraternity, the foundation and
pathway to peace”.
16:
The Pope receives in audience Francesco Kyung-surk Kim, the new
ambassador of Korea to the Holy See, presenting his credential
letters.
17:
The Holy Father sends a telegram of condolences for the death, at the
age of 87, of Cardinal Ricardo Maria Carles Gordo, archbishop
emeritus of Barcelona, Spain.
18:
The Pope extends the liturgical cult of Blessed Pietro Favre,
professed priest of the Society of Jesus (1506-1546) to the universal
Church, inscribing him in the catalogue of saints.
19:
The Pope receives in audience the prime minister of St. Vincent and
the Grenadines, Ralph Everard Gonsalves.
20:
The Pope receives in audience James K. Bebaako-Mensah, new ambassador
of Ghana to the Holy See, presenting his credential letters.
21:
Visit to the Bambino Gesu Paediatric Hospital, Rome.
23:
The Holy Father receives in audience Rodney Alejandro Lopez, new
ambassador of Cuba to the Holy See, presenting his letters of
credence.
28:
The Holy Father Francis appoints Bishop Nunzio Galantino of Cassano
dell'Jonio, Italy, as “ad interim” secretary general of the
Italian Episcopal Conference.
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