SUMMARY:
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YOUNG ASTRONOMERS, PROMOTERS OF PEACE AND JUSTICE
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MAY THE ORIENTAL CHURCH MAINTAIN THE CERTAINTY THAT THE FIRE OF THE
PENTECOST PREVAILS OVER HATRED
-
PRESENTATION OF THE INSTRUMENTUM LABORIS FOR THE NEXT SYNOD ASSEMBLY
IN OCTOBER
-
DELEGATION FROM ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE TO VISIT ROME
-
AUDIENCES
______________________________________
YOUNG
ASTRONOMERS, PROMOTERS OF PEACE AND JUSTICE
Vatican
City, 26 June 2014 (VIS) – “Seeing all of you here today is like
looking at a marvellous mosaic made up of people from throughout the
world. It is only right that men and women everywhere should have
access to research and scientific training”, said the Pope to young
astronomers from 23 different countries who are currently
participating in a course organised by the Vatican Observatory School
in Astrophysics on the theme “Galaxies: Near and Far, Young and
Old”, whom he received in audience this morning. “The hope that
one day all peoples will be able to enjoy the benefits of science is
one which spurs all of us on, scientists in particular”.
He
commented that the Vatican Observatory School in Astrophysics is “a
place where young people the world over can engage in dialogue and
collaboration, helping one another in the search for truth, which in
this case is concretised in the study of galaxies. This simple and
practical initiative shows how the sciences can be a fitting and
effective means for promoting peace and justice. Here too we see a
further reason for the Church’s commitment to dialogue with the
sciences on the basis of the light provided by faith: it is her
conviction that faith is capable of both expanding and enriching the
horizons of reason. In this dialogue, the Church rejoices in the
marvellous progress of science, seeing it as a sign of the enormous
God-given potential of the human mind, even as a mother rejoices and
is rightly proud as her children grow in wisdom, and age and grace”.
The
Holy Father encouraged those present to share the knowledge they have
acquired about the universe with people in their own countries. “Only
a fraction of the global population has access to such knowledge,
which opens the heart and the mind to the great questions which human
beings have always asked: Where do we come from? Where are we going?”
he concluded. “The search for an answer to these questions can lead
us to an encounter with the Creator, the loving Father, for 'in him
we live and move and have our being'”.
MAY
THE ORIENTAL CHURCH MAINTAIN THE CERTAINTY THAT THE FIRE OF THE
PENTECOST PREVAILS OVER HATRED
Vatican
City, 26 June 2014 (VIS) – The Pope embraces all the Churches of
the East and is close to their faithful, whose tears, fears and hopes
are also ours, a sentiment he manifested this morning, receiving in
audience the participants in the assembly of the Reunion of Aid
Agencies for the Oriental Churches, also recalling the comfort,
encouragement, and at the same time, the responsibility he
encountered during his recent pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
“The
olive tree which I planted in the Vatican Gardens together with the
Patriarch of Constantinople and the Presidents of Israel and
Palestine, is a symbol of that peace which is secure and enduring
only because it is cultivated by many hands. Those who would
cultivate the plant of peace must never forget that God alone gives
the growth. True peace, the peace which the world cannot give, is a
gift to us from Jesus Christ. For all the grievous attacks it endures
today, peace can always flourish again. I am grateful that you
continue to 'make peace grow' through charity, which is the ultimate
aim of all your organizations. With unity and charity Christ’s
disciples strive to be peacemakers everywhere, in all peoples and
communities, and to overcome persistent forms of discrimination,
starting with those based on religion”.
“First
among those called to be peacemakers are our brothers and sisters of
the Oriental Churches, together with their pastors. Hoping at times
against all hope, remaining in the place of their birth where the
Gospel of the incarnate Son of God was first proclaimed, may they
experience the blessedness reserved to those who are peacemakers:
'they will be called children of God'. And may they always feel the
support of the universal Church and never falter in their conviction
that the fire of Pentecost, the power of Love, can halt the fire of
arms, hatred and vengeance”, he exclaimed. “Their tears and their
anguish are ours, as well as their hope! We can express this through
our solidarity, if it is one which is concrete and effective, capable
of ensuring that the international community upholds the rights of
individuals and peoples”.
Francis
expressed the closeness of the Catholic Church to the brothers and
sisters in Syria and Iraq, along with their bishops and priests. “The
Church is likewise close to our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land
and the Middle East, but also to the beloved people of Ukraine in the
critical situation in which they find themselves, and to the people
of Romania. This closeness and concern is expressed in the works
which your agencies carry out. I urge you to continue your generous
efforts to help them. Your works of relief and assistance in nations
most affected by these crises respond to basic needs, particularly of
those who are powerless and most vulnerable, as well as the many
young people tempted to leave their homeland. And since communities
of Eastern Christians are present worldwide, you are working
everywhere to bring relief to the displaced and to refugees,
restoring their dignity and their security in full respect for their
identity and religious freedom”.
Finally,
Pope Francis encouraged the participants in the assembly to pursue
the goals set in their last Plenary Session, especially those
regarding the training of young people and teachers, and uniting them
with their interest for the family, especially in view of the
upcoming Synod on this theme. He concluded, “the Holy Family of
Nazareth, 'which knew anxiety ... as well as the pain of persecution,
emigration and hard daily labour' teaches us 'to trust the Father, to
imitate Christ and to let ourselves be guided by the Holy Spirit'”.
PRESENTATION
OF THE INSTRUMENTUM LABORIS FOR THE NEXT SYNOD ASSEMBLY IN OCTOBER
Vatican
City, 26 June 2014 (VIS) – A press conference was held in the Holy
See Press Office this morning to present the Instrumentum Laboris of
the 3rd Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops (5-19
October 2014) which will focus on “pastoral challenges to the
family in the context of evangelisation”. The speakers were
Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, secretary general of the Synod of
Bishops; Cardinal Peter Erdo, archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest,
Hungary, and relator general of the 3rd Extraordinary General
Assembly of the Synod of Bishops; Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois,
archbishop of Paris, France and delegate president; Archbishop Bruno
Forte of Chieti-Vasto, Italy, and special secretary, and Professors
Francesco Miano and Pina De Simone.
Cardinal
Baldisseri explained that the Instrumentum Laboris consists of three
parts, conforming to the themes of the Documento Preparatorio. “The
first, dedicated to the Gospel of the family, relates to God's plan,
biblical and magisterial knowledge and their reception, natural law
and the vocation of the person in Christ”, he said. “The
difficulties that arise in relation to natural law can be overcome
through more attentive reference to the biblical world, to its
language and narrative forms, and to the proposal to thematise and
deepen the biblically-inspired concept of the 'order of creation',
like the possibility of reinterpreting 'natural law' in a more
existentially meaningful way. Furthermore, the role of the family,
'fundamental cell of society, where we learn to live with others
despite our differences and to belong to one another', is that of a
privileged space for values such as fraternity, love, respect and
solidarity between generations, where dignity is promoted, overcoming
individualism and contributing to the common good of society”.
“The
second part relates to the pastoral challenges inherent in the
family, such as the crisis of faith, critical internal situations,
external pressures and other problems. The responsibilities of the
pastor include preparation for marriage, increasingly necessary
nowadays to enable engaged couples make their decision in terms of
their personal adhesion to faith to the Lord, to build their families
on solid foundations”.
He
emphasised that special consideration would be given to difficult
pastoral situations, such as unmarried couples who live together and
de facto unions, separated and divorced couples, remarried divorcees
and eventual further children, single mothers, those who are in
canonically irregular situations and non-believers or non-practising
Catholics who wish to marry”. The prelate added that with regard to
the phenomenon of unmarried couples who live together and de facto
unions, increasingly widespread, “the Church has the duty to
accompany these couples in the trust that they are able to bear a
responsibility, such as that of marriage, that is not too great for
them”. In relation to the question of remarried divorcees, whose
irregular condition within the Church is a source of suffering, the
Instrumentum Laboris “offers real knowledge of their situation,
from which the Church is required to find solutions compatible with
her teaching and which lead to a serene and reconciled life. In this
respect, the need to simplify the judicial procedures for the
annulment of marriage would appear relevant”.
“Regarding
same-sex unions, a distinction is made between the contexts in which
civil legislation is more or less in favour; there is a need for
pastoral care on the part of the particular Churches in these
situations, including matters relating to children who may be
present”.
The
third part first presents themes linked to openness to life, such as
knowledge and difficulties in receiving the Magisterium, pastoral
suggestions, sacramental praxis and the promotion of a mentality open
to life. … With regard to the educative responsibility of parents,
difficulty emerges in terms of transmitting faith to children, which
is then made concrete in Christian initiation; finally, this is a
matter of Christian education in difficult family situations, in
which the effects on the children extend to the sphere of faith and
methods of celebration of the sacraments”.
Cardinal
Baldisseri mentioned that the themes not included in the document
will be considered in the Ordinary General Assembly scheduled for
4-25 October 2015, based on the theme “Jesus Christ reveals the
mystery and vocation of the family”. This will be the third stage
in the process of reflection on the family, which began with the
Consistory held on 20 February 2014.
Finally,
he explained that the Instrumentum Laboris offers a vision of the
reality of the family in the current context, which represents the
beginning of a profound reflection, which will take place in the two
stages of the Extraordinary General Assembly (2014) and the Ordinary
General Assembly (2015), which are closely linked by the theme of the
family based on the light of Christ's Gospel. The results of the
first, the Extraordinary Assembly, will be used in the preparation of
the Instrumentum Laboris of the subsequent Ordinary Assembly, which
will be made known only after the publication of the final document,
subject to the decision of the Holy Father.
Given
the importance of the Synod, a Day of Prayer for the Synod will be
held on Sunday 28 September, and the Eucharist will be celebrated
every day during the work of the Synod in the Salus Populi Romanii
Chapel in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.
DELEGATION
FROM ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE TO VISIT ROME
Vatican
City, 26 June 2014 (VIS) – The Pontifical Council for Promoting
Christian Unity issued a press release today with the information
that a delegation sent by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople
Bartholomew I will visit Rome from 27 to 29 June 2013 as part of the
traditional exchange of delegations for their feasts of patron
saints: 29 June in Rome for the celebration of the Apostles Peter and
Paul and 30 November in Istanbul for the celebration of St. Andrew
the Apostle.
His
Eminence Metropolitan Ioannis (Zizioulas) of Pergamo, co-president of
the International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the
Catholic and Orthodox Churches, will head the delegation and will be
accompanied by Archbishop Job de Telmissos and Patriarchal Archdeacon
John Chryssavgis.
On
Saturday, 28 June, the Patriarchate's delegation will be received by
the Holy Father Francis and then will meet with members of the
Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. On Sunday, 29 June,
the members of the delegation will attend a Eucharistic celebration
presided by the Holy Father.
AUDIENCES
Vatican
City, 26 June 2014 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father received in
audience:
-
Cardinal Robert Sarah, president of the Pontifical Council “Cor
Unum”.
-
Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic
Education (for Institutes of Study).
-
Archbishop Alberto Bottari de Castello, apostolic nuncio in Hungary.
-
Khetevane Bragation de Moukhrani, ambassador of Georgia, on her
farewell visit.
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