SUMMARY:
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THE POPE'S MEETING WITH THE COUNCIL OF CARDINALS
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POPE FRANCIS: GOSSIP CAN KILL
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ANGELUS: THE HIGHER JUSTICE OF THE CHRISTIAN
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THE POPE RECEIVES THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS
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AUDIENCES
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
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THE
POPE'S MEETING WITH THE COUNCIL OF CARDINALS
Vatican
City, 17 February 2014 (VIS) – This morning in the Domus Sanctae
Marthae the Pope's third meeting with the Council of Cardinals began.
The Council was created on 13 April 2013 and confirmed by Pope's
chirograph of 28 September, to assist in the governance of the
Universal Church and to draw up a plan for the revision of the
Apostolic Constitution “Pastor bonus” on the Roman Curia. The
meeting will conclude on 19 February. Following the morning session,
a press conference was held in which Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J.,
director of the Holy See Press Office, presented information on the
meeting which begins ten days of intense activity on the part of the
cardinals.
“As
usual the Cardinals initiated their work with a Holy Mass
concelebrated this morning at 7 a.m. in the Sanctae Marthae chapel,
after which they began their meetings in a nearby room. Archbishop
Pietro Parolin, secretary of State and future cardinal, was and will
continue to be present”.
He
continued, “The morning was dedicated to hearing the
representatives of the Commission for Reference on the the
Organisation of the Economic-Administrative Structure of the Holy See
(COSEA). Three members of the Commission were present, rather than
the entire Commission: the president Josef F.X. Zahra, the secretary
Msgr. Lucio Vallejo Balda and Joachim Messemer, who is also the
international revisor for the Prefecture of Economic Affairs of the
Holy See. The work carried out during the eight months since the
creation of this body was presented, but no decision was made.
Following the meeting, the cardinals dined together with Cardinal
Giuseppe Bertello, president of the Governorate of Vatican City
State, and this afternoon they will continue their meeting, but
without the attendance of the COSEA representatives”.
“Tomorrow,
Tuesday 18 February, the Commission for Reference on the Institute
for Works of Religion (IOR) will be heard. On Wednesday, Pope Francis
will hold the usual general audience in St. Peter's Square, while the
cardinals will continue their work in his absence and, in the
afternoon, the cardinals of the so-called “Council of Fifteen”
instituted by John Paul II and responsible for the general
consolidated financial statement of the Holy See and the Governorate
of Vatican City State will meet with the “Council of Eight”, the
cardinals who are participating in the meetings held from 17 to 19
February”.
The
extraordinary consistory of cardinals, dedicated to the family, is
scheduled to begin at 9.30 a.m. on Thursday 20 February in the New
Synod Hall. The work of the consistory will begin with a greeting
from the dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Angelo Sodano,
and there will be an address from Cardinal Walter Kasper. The
participants will meet in the morning session from 9.30 a.m. to 12.30
p.m., and in the afternoon from 16.30 to 19.30. The meeting will
conclude on Friday.
On
Saturday, 22 February in St. Peter's Square there will be a
consistory during which the Pope will create sixteen new cardinals,
and on Sunday 23 February the Holy Father will concelebrate Mass with
the new cardinals. On Monday 24 and Tuesday 25 February, a meeting of
the Secretariat of the Synod and the Council of Fifteen will take
place.
POPE
FRANCIS: GOSSIP CAN KILL
Vatican
City, 16 February 2014 (VIS) – The Roman parish of St. Thomas the
Apostle in Infernetto, in the south of the diocese, received a visit
from Pope Francis yesterday afternoon. Upon arrival the Bishop of
Rome met with the children who will receive Communion and
Confirmation this year, and greeted the faithful in the parish
square, along with recently baptised children and their parents, the
elderly and sick of the parish and the Association of families with
disabled children, and before the Holy Mass he confessed a number of
penitents.
“Once
upon a time, Jesus' disciples ate wheat, because they were hungry;
but it was the sabbath and on the sabbath it was not permitted to eat
grain”, said the Pope in his homily. “The pharisees said, 'Look
at what they are doing! He who does this runs counter to the law and
soils his soul, because he does not obey'. And Jesus answered, 'That
which comes from outside does not soil the soul; it that which comes
from inside, from your heart, that may soil the soul'. And I think it
is good for us, nowadays, to think not of whether or not our souls
are pure or unclean, but to ask what there is within our hearts; what
do I have within, that I know I have, and which no-one else knows.
What is in our heart? Is there love? Do I love my parents, my
children, my wife, my husband, the people in my neighbourhood, the
sick? Do I love them? And is there hate in my heart? Do I hate
anyone? Because often we find that there is also hate. 'I love
everyone, apart from this one, that one, or the other ...'. This is
hate, isn't it?”
“What
do I have in my heart?” he continued. “Is there forgiveness? Do I
have an attitude of forgiveness towards those who have wronged me, or
is there an attitude of revenge? … We must ask ourselves what we
have inside, because what we have inside comes out and causes harm,
if it is bad; if it is good, it comes out and does good. And it is
beautiful to be truthful with ourselves, and to be ashamed of
ourselves when we realise we are in a situation that is not as God
would wish”.
The
Pope commented that in today's Gospel, Jesus says, “'You have heard
that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill ... But I say
to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to
judgement'. And whoever insults his brother, kills him in his heart;
whoever gossips maliciously about his brother, kills him in his
heart. Perhaps we are not aware of this … we gossip about this and
that … and this is what is means to kill one's brother. To
understand one's brother, to understand people, means to love, and to
forgive: it is to understand, to forgive, and to be patient”.
“We
must ask the Lord for two graces”, concluded Pope Francis. “The
first is to know what is in our hearts, so as not to be deceived. The
second is to do the good that is in our hearts, and not the ill that
lies therein. And speaking of 'killing', to remember that words may
kill. Our ill-will towards others can also kill. … It often seems
that the sins of slander and defamation have been removed from the
Decalogue, and speaking ill of a person is a sin. … Let us always
ask the Lord to help us to love our neighbours. And if we cannot love
a person, why not? They we must pray for that person, in order that
the Lord might help me wish him well. And we must continue in this
way, aware that our live is rendered impure by the ill-will that
comes from our hearts”.
ANGELUS:
THE HIGHER JUSTICE OF THE CHRISTIAN
Vatican
City, 16 February 2014 (VIS) – The “complete fulfilment of the
Law” in the light of Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount was
the central theme of Pope Francis' comments before this Sunday's
Angelus prayer. The Holy Father explained to the thousands of
faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square that in his first great
sermon, Christ reveals his attitude towards Jewish Law, when He
states, “ Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the
prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfil”, and remarks
that fulfilling the Law requires a higher justice, a truer
observance.
“But
what does this 'complete fulfilment' mean? And what does this higher
justice consist of? Jesus Himself gives us the answer with some
examples”, continued the Pope. “Jesus was practical, and always
spoke through examples to make Himself understood. He starts with the
fifth Commandment from the Decalogue: 'You have heard that it was
said to your ancestors, You shall not kill ... But I say to you,
whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgement”.
With this, Jesus reminds us that words too can kill. … When we say
that someone has a serpent's tongue, we mean that his words can kill.
Therefore, not only is it forbidden to make an attempt on the life of
others, we must also refrain from pouring the poison of anger over
them or striking them with slander. Nor may we speak ill of them.
This brings us to the matter of gossip. Gossip can kill because it
can kill someone's reputation. Gossip is a bad thing. In the
beginning, it may seem enjoyable and fun, but in the end it fills our
hearts with bitterness, and poisons us too. In truth, I am convinced
that if every one of us promised to avoid gossip, we would eventually
become saints!”
Jesus
offers those who follow him “the perfection of love, a love whose
only measure is to be without measure, overcoming any self-interest.
Loving one's neighbour is so fundamental that Jesus states that our
relationship to God cannot be sincere if we are not willing to make
peace with our neighbour. … Consequently, we are called to be
reconciled first with our brothers before expressing our devotion to
the Lord through prayer”.
From
all this, one may conclude that “Jesus does not accord importance
only to disciplinary observance and external conduct. He goes to the
root of the Law, focusing on intent and thus on the heart of man, the
origin of our intentions, both good and evil. To guarantee good and
honest deeds, legal rules are not enough; it is necessary to discover
profound motivations, the expression of a hidden wisdom, God's
Wisdom, which may be received through the Holy Spirit. Through faith
in Christ, we can open ourselves to the action of the Spirit, which
enables us to experience divine love. In light of this teaching,
every precept reveals its full meaning as a requirement of love, and
they all come together in the greatest commandment of all: to love
God with all your heart and love your neighbour as yourself".
THE
POPE RECEIVES THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS
Vatican
City, 15 February 2014 (VIS) – This morning in the Vatican
Apostolic Palace, Pope Francis received the president of the Republic
of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, who subsequently went on to meet with
Archbishop Pietro Parolin, secretary of State, accompanied by
Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.
During
the cordial discussions, which highlighted the good relations between
the Holy See and the Republic of Cyprus, mention was made of several
matters of common interest, such as the positive role of religion in
society and the protection of the right to religious freedom.
Satisfaction was expressed at the resumption of negotiations aiming
at the development of a shared solution to the Island’s current
situation. Finally, the Parties indicated their concern regarding the
political instability affecting the region of the Near and Middle
East, which leads to great suffering on the part of civilian
populations, and shared their hope that the Christian communities in
the various countries may continue to offer their contribution to
building a future of material and spiritual well-being.
AUDIENCES
Vatican
City, 17 February 2014 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father received in
audience:
On
Saturday, 15 February, the Holy Father received in audience:
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His Beatitude Gregorius III Laham, patriarch of the Greek Melkites,
Syria.
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Cardinal Odilo Pedro Scherer, archbishop of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
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Cardinal Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, archpriest emeritus of
the papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls.
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Cardinal Alberto Malcolm Ranjith Patabendige Don, archbishop of
Colombo.
OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican
City, 17 February 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father has appointed Bishop
Gervas John Mwasikwabhila Nyaisonga of Dodoma, Tanzania, as bishop of
Mpanda (area 46,346, population 551,000, Catholics 314,725, priests
17, religious 38), Tanzania.
On
Saturday, 15 February, the Holy Father appointed Fr. Waldo Ruben
Barrinuevo Ramirez, C.Ss.R:, as auxiliary of the apostolic vicariate
of Reyes (area 60,000, population 152,000, Catholics 114,000, priests
5, permanent deacons 1, religious 32), Bolivia. The bishop-elect was
born in Oruro, Bolivia in 1967, gave his perpetual vows in 1996, and
was ordained a priest in 1997. He carried out his studies in
philosophy and theology at the seminary of Cochabamba, and has served
in the following pastoral roles: member and later superior of
missionary team in Santa Cruz de la Sierra and extraordinary
counsellor of the province; collaborator with the master of novices
in Oruro; provincial vicar and master of novices; and priest in the
parish of “Nuestra Senora de la Paz” in Cochabamba. Since 2010 he
has studied in the Pontifical Gregorian University.
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