SUMMARY:
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FRANCIS TO THE FAITHFUL: HELP YOUR PASTORS NOT TO BE MEDIOCRE
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TELEGRAM FROM THE POPE FOR THE DEATH OF ADOLFO SUAREZ
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COMMUNIQUE ON THE DIOCESE OF LIMBURG, GERMANY
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THE POPE ENTRUSTS TO MARY ALL THE CITIZENS OF LEBANON
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THE VIRGIN MARY IN ISLAMIC-CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
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FRANCIS
TO THE FAITHFUL: HELP YOUR PASTORS NOT TO BE MEDIOCRE
Vatican
City, 26 March 2014 (VIS) – “The Sacraments of the Holy Orders
and Matrimony, two specific vocations and two great paths to the
Lord” were the theme of the Holy Father's catechesis during today's
general audience in St. Peter's Square. “The ministers who are
chosen and consecrated for this service prolong Jesus' presence over
time, and they do so with the power of the Holy Spirit in the name of
God, and with love”.
“Those
who are ordained are placed at the head of the community. Yes, they
are at the 'head', but for Jesus this means placing their authority
at the service of the community. … 'whoever wants to become great
among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first must be
your slave'. … A bishop who does not serve his community does not
do good; a priest or a curate who does not place himself at the
service of his community does not do good, he is mistaken”.
Pope
Francis emphasised that “impassioned love for the Church” is a
characteristic that always derives from this sacramental union with
Christ. “The bishop, the priest, love the Church in their own
community, they love the Church greatly. How? How Christ loves His
Church. … The spouse loves his wife as Christ loves His Church. ...
The priesthood and matrimony are two Sacraments that represent the
path by which people habitually reach the Lord”.
Finally,
the Pope cited the words of St. Paul to Timothy when he advised him
not to neglect, but rather always to revive the gift given to him.
“When the ministry is not nurtured by prayer, by listening to the
Word of God, with the daily celebration of the Eucharist, and also
with regular confession, the authentic sense of one's own service is
inevitably lost from view, along with the joy that comes from
profound communion with Jesus. … The priest who does not do these
things loses, over time, his union with Jesus and becomes mediocre,
which is not good for the Church. Therefore, we must help bishops and
priests to pray, to listen to the Word of God that is our daily
bread, to celebrate the Eucharist every day and to confess
regularly”.
“Access
to the priesthood cannot be sold. This is an initiative the Lord
takes. The Lord calls”, he added, and concluded by encouraging the
young who hear this call to “cherish this invitation and pray so
that it might grow and bear fruit in all the Church”.
TELEGRAM
FROM THE POPE FOR THE DEATH OF ADOLFO SUAREZ
Vatican
City, 26 March 2014 (VIS) – We publish below the full text of the
telegram sent by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, on
behalf of the Holy Father, to Bishop Jesus Garcia Burillo of Avila,
Spain, on the occasion of the funeral of Adolfo Suarez, prime
minister of Spain from 1976 to 1981, who died on 23 March at the age
of 81. The funeral was held in the Cathedral of Avila.
“Profoundly
saddened by the news of the death of Mr. Adolfo Suarez Gonzalez,
ex-president of the government of Spain, His Holiness conveys his
most heartfelt condolences, and raises prayers to the Lord for the
eternal repose of this distinguished figure in recent Spanish
history. He imparts to the family and loved ones of the departed the
comfort of his apostolic blessing, as a sign of Christian hope in the
Risen Lord”.
COMMUNIQUE
ON THE DIOCESE OF LIMBURG, GERMANY
Vatican
City, 26 March 2014 (VIS) – The Holy See Press Office today issued
the following communique:
“With
reference to the administration of the diocese of Limburg in Germany,
the Congregation for Bishops has carefully studied the report of the
Commission instituted by the bishop and by the Cathedral Chapter to
undertake further investigations in relation to the responsibility
for the construction of the 'St. Nikolaus' diocesan centre.
Awaiting
the diocese of Limburg to ascertain a situation that impedes the
fruitful exercise of his ministry on the part of Msgr. Franz-Peter
Tebartz-van Elst, the Holy See has accepted the resignation presented
by the prelate on 20 October 2013 and has appointed Msgr. Manfred
Grothe as apostolic administrator “sede vacante”.
The
former Bishop Tebartz-van Elst will in due course be assigned a
different role.
The
Holy Father entreatas the clergy and faithful of Limburg to accept
the decisions of the Holy See with docility and willingness to
rediscover a climate of charity and reconciliation”.
THE
POPE ENTRUSTS TO MARY ALL THE CITIZENS OF LEBANON
Vatican
City, 26 March 2014 (VIS) – Yesterday afternoon Cardinal Secretary
of State Pietro Parolin sent a message, on behalf of the Holy Father
Francis, to the participants in the eighth Islamic-Christian Prayer
Meeting, “Together around Mary, Our Lady”. The meeting, which
took place in Beirut, Lebanon, to celebrate the Solemnity of the
Annunciation, was organised by the St. Joseph University Alumni
Assocation and the College of Our Lady of Jamhour.
The
Holy Father shows his joy at seeing “Christians and Muslims united
in their devotion to the Virgin Mary”, and comments that “the
shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa is a blessed place where
everyone can go to invoke her”. He also encourages Christians and
Muslims to “work together for peace and for the common good, thus
contributing to the full development of the person and the
edification of society”, and entrusts the participants in the
meeting “and all the inhabitants of Lebanon to the maternal
intercession of the Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace and Protectress of
Lebanon”.
THE
VIRGIN MARY IN ISLAMIC-CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE
Vatican
City, 26 March 2014 (VIS) – “The Virgin Mary and
Islamic-Christian dialogue” was the theme of the address given by
Fr. Miguel Angel Ayuso, secretary of the Pontifical Council for
Interreligious Dialogue, during the eighth meeting of the
Islamic-Christian Prayer Meeting which took place yesterday in
Beirut, Lebanon, on 25 March, Solemnity of the Annunciation, which is
celebrated by both Christians and Muslims. It is an important
occasion and was declared a national holiday by the Lebanese
government in 2010. In his address, which focused both on the figure
of Mary and on the mission of the Pontifical Council for
Interreligious Dialogue, Fr. Ayuso emphasised that the feast of 25
March was “a true example of the co-existence between Muslims and
Christians that characterises Lebanese history, in the midst of so
many difficulties, and which also constitutes an important example
for many other nations”.
“Since
Vatican Council II, the Catholic Church recognises that Muslims
honour the Virgin mother of Jesus, Mary, and invoke her with piety. …
Mary is mentioned various times in the Koran. Respect for her is so
evident that when she is mentioned in Islam, it is usual to add
'Alayha l-salam' ('Peace be upon her'). Christians also willingly
join in this invocation. I must also mention those shrines dedicated
to Mary which welcome both Muslims and Christians. In particular,
here in Lebanon, how can we forget the shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon
in Harissa?”
“Devotion
creates sentiments of friendship: it is a phenomenon open to
everyone. The cultural experiences that our communities can share
encourage collaboration, solidarity and mutual recognition as sons
and daughters of a single God, members of the same human family.
Therefore, the Church addresses the followers of Islam with esteem.
During the last fifty years, a dialogue of friendship and mutual
respect has been constructed”.
With
reference to the dialogue between Muslims and Christians, he went on
to explain that the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue
“seeks to establish regular relationships with Muslim institutions
and organisations, with the aim of promoting mutual understanding and
trust, friendship and, where possible, collaboration. In fact, there
exist agreements with various Muslim institutions enabling the
possibility of holding periodical meetings, in accordance with the
programmes and procedures approved by both parties. With regard to
the methods of interreligious dialogue and, therefore, the dialogue
between Christians and Muslims, we must recall that dialogue is a
two-way form of communication. … It is based on witness of one's
own faith and, at the same time, openness to the religion of the
other. It is not a betrayal of the mission of the Church, and much
less a new method of conversion to Christianity. The document
'Dialogue and Proclamation', published jointly by the Congregation
for the Evangelisation of Peoples and the Council for Interreligious
Dialogue in 1991, identifies four different forms of interreligious
dialogue: the dialogue of life, the dialogue of works, the dialogue
of theological exchange and the dialogue of religious experience.
These four forms demonstrate that it is not an experience confined to
specialists”.
Fr.
Ayuso concluded by analysing the role of Mary, in the light of the
motto of the national holiday in Lebanon, “Together around Mary,
Our Lady”. “In the Apostolic Exhortation 'Marialis Cultus',
promulgated in 1974 by Pope Paul VI, Mary is presented as 'the Virgin
who listens', 'the Virgin who prays', 'the Virgin in dialogue with
God'. … But there is also the image of a model of dialogue of
seeking when, addressing the Archangel Gabriel, she asks, 'How is it
possible?'. Mary, a model for Muslims and Christians, is also a model
of dialogue, teaching us to believe, not to close ourselves up in
certainties, but rather to remain open and available to others”.
OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican
City, 26 March 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father has:
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appointed Bishop Manoel Joao Francisco of Chapeco, Brazil, as bishop
of Cornelio Procopio (area 6,715, population 216,000, Catholics
183,000, priests 38, religious 40), Brazil. He succeeds Bishop
Getulio Teixeira Guimaraes, S.V.D., whose resignation from the
pastoral care of the same diocese, upon reaching the age limit, was
accepted by the Holy Father.
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accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of
Limburg, Germany, presented by Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst,
in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.
Yesterday,
Tuesday 25 March, the Holy Father appointed Bishop Nunzio Galantino
of Cassano all'Jonio as secretary general of the Italian Episcopal
Conference.
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