SUMMARY:
-
THE EUCHARIST: CHRISTIAN INITIATION, PEAK OF SALVATION
-
SOLIDARITY WITH THOSE AFFECTED BY FLOODS IN ITALY
-
PRESS RELEASE ON OBSERVATIONS OF THE UNITED NATIONS COMMITTEE ON THE
RIGHTS OF THE CHILD
-
POPE FRANCIS TO RECEIVE QUEEN ELIZABETH II OF THE UNITED KINGDOM
-
FR. FEDERICO LOMBARDI IS AWARDED THE ¡BRAVO! PRIZE BY THE SPANISH
EPISCOPAL COMMISSION FOR SOCIAL COMMUNICATIONS
-
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
______________________________________
THE
EUCHARIST: CHRISTIAN INITIATION, PEAK OF SALVATION
Vatican
City, 5 February 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father's catechesis in
today's general audience focused on “the Eucharist, heart of
Christian initiation and source of the life of the Church”. “The
Word and the Bread, during Mass, become one, like in the Last Supper,
when all Jesus' words, all the signs he had made, were condensed into
the gesture of breaking bread and offering the chalice in
anticipation of the sacrifice of the Cross”.
Pope
Francis remarked that Jesus' gesture during the Last Supper is “the
extreme giving of thanks to the Father for His love and for His
mercy”, and recalled that “thanksgiving”, in Greek, is
“eucaristia”. This is why the term Eucharist encompasses all of
this gesture, which is the gesture of God and man, a gesture of Jesus
Christ, true God and true Man”.
The
Pope repeated that each time we celebrate this Sacrament, it does not
simply mean remembering, but rather sharing in “the mystery of
Christ's passion, death and resurrection”. “The Eucharist”, he
said, “is the peak of the action of God's salvation: the Lord
Jesus, making himself into bread, broken for us, indeed pours over us
all His mercy and His love, thereby renewing our hearts, our
existence and our way of relating with Him and with our brothers”.
Pope
Francis concluded by inviting those present to pray to the Lord so
that “this Sacrament may continue to keep its presence alive,
within the Church, and to model our communities in charity and
communion, in accordance with the heart of the Father. And this
continues all through our lives, although it begins on the day our
our first Communion. It is important that children prepare well for
their first Communion and that every child does so, as it is the
first step to this strong bond of belonging to Jesus Christ,
following Baptism and Confirmation”.
SOLIDARITY
WITH THOSE AFFECTED BY FLOODS IN ITALY
Vatican
City, 5 February 2014 (VIS) – In his greetings following the
catechesis at this Wednesday's general audience, Pope Francis
recalled in a special way those affected by the heavy downpours which
have affected the regions of Tuscany and Latium for some days now,
causing flooding and inundations and leaving many families homeless.
“We are all praying for you and are close to you with our efforts,
with our solidarity and with our love”.
He
also greeted a group of bishops taking part in a congress promoted by
the Sant'Egidio Community, and participants in a study week on human
formation for candidates to the priesthood organised by the
Pontifical University of the Sacred Heart, expressing his hope that
their visit to the tomb of St. Peter be a “propitious occasion for
the renewal of missionary commitment to the proclamation of the
Gospel, especially to the marginalised and the poor”.
Finally,
he mentioned the sick, who were gathered today in the Vatican's Paul
VI Hall rather than in St. Peter's Square on account of the bad
weather, commenting that he had greeted them prior to arriving in the
square, and that they were able to follow the audience on screen.
PRESS
RELEASE ON OBSERVATIONS OF THE UNITED NATIONS COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS
OF THE CHILD
Vatican
City, 5 February 2014 (VIS) – This morning the Holy See Press
Office issued a communique on the observations of the United Nations
Committee on the Rights of the Child, the full text of which is
published below:
“At
the end of its 65th session, the Committee on the Rights of the Child
has published its Concluding Observations on the reviewed Reports of
the Holy See and five States Parties to the Convention on the Rights
of the Child (Congo, Germany, Portugal, Russian Federation and
Yemen).
According
to the proper procedures foreseen for the parties to the Convention,
the Holy See takes note of the Concluding Observations on its
Reports, which will be submitted to a thorough study and examination,
in full respect of the Convention in the different areas presented by
the Committee according to international law and practice, as well as
taking into consideration the public interactive debate with the
Committee, held on 16 January 2014.
The
Holy See does, however, regret to see in some points of the
Concluding Observations an attempt to interfere with Catholic Church
teaching on the dignity of the human person and in the exercise of
religious freedom.
The
Holy See reiterates its commitment to defending and protecting the
rights of the child, in line with the principles promoted by the
Convention on the Rights of the Child and according to the moral and
religious values offered by Catholic doctrine”.
POPE
FRANCIS TO RECEIVE QUEEN ELIZABETH II OF THE UNITED KINGDOM
Vatican
City, 5 February 2014 (VIS) – On 3 April Pope Francis will receive
in audience Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Northern Ireland. This was made public by
Buckingham Palace and confirmed yesterday afternoon by the Holy See
Press Office.
Queen
Elizabeth II, accompanied by Prince Philip of Edinburgh, will be in
Rome upon invitation by the president of the Republic of Italy,
Giorgio Napolitano. The Queen and Prince Philip will lunch in private
with President Napolitano, and will then be received in audience by
the Pope. It will be the first encounter between Pope Francis and the
Queen, as at the Holy Mass at the beginning of his pontificate the
United Kingdom was represented by Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester.
President Napolitano's invitation was first presented last year, but
neither the Queen nor Prince Philip were able to accept for reasons
of ill health. Since then, Pope emeritus Benedict XVI resigned from
the papacy and Pope Francis was elected.
The
Italian Head of State renewed his invitation earlier this year and
Queen Elizabeth decided to take the opportunity to meet with the new
Pontiff. The same occurred on her last visit to Rome, in 2000, when
she was received by Blessed John Paul II. The Queen met with Benedict
XVI during his apostolic visit to the United Kingdom in September
2010.
FR.
FEDERICO LOMBARDI IS AWARDED THE ¡BRAVO! PRIZE BY THE SPANISH
EPISCOPAL COMMISSION FOR SOCIAL COMMUNICATIONS
Vatican
City, 5 February 2014 (VIS) – The director of the Holy See Press
Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J., will today receive in Madrid,
Spain, the ¡Bravo! Prize awarded every year by the Commission for
Social Communication Media of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE).
Every
year the CEE awards the ¡Bravo! Prize in recognition of the valuable
work of all professionals in the field of communication in the
various media, distinguished by their service to the dignity of man,
human rights and the values of the Gospel. Fr. Lombardi will receive
the ¡Bravo! Special Prize for his “intense service to Church
communication” and for having promoted “closeness between the
Church institution and the social communication media”.
The
director of the Holy See Press Office will also attend an assembly of
diocesan delegates in the field of social communications, where he
will give a conference on the theme “Spokesmanship in the Vatican”.
OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican
City, 5 February 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father has appointed
Archbishop Santo Gangemi, apostolic nuncio in Guinea, as apostolic
nuncio in Mali.
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