SUMMARY:
-
THERE IS NO PLACE IN THE CHURCH FOR ABUSERS
-
MEETING OF THE PONTIFICAL COMMISSION FOR THE PROTECTION OF MINORS AND
THE POPE'S ENCOUNTER WITH VICTIMS OF ABUSE BY MEMBERS OF THE CLERGY
-
A YEAR AFTER THE TRAGEDY OF LAMPEDUSA, THE POPE PRAYS FOR IMMIGRANTS
-
ANGELUS: JESUS INVITES US TO FOLLOW HIM
-
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
-
POPE FRANCIS' VISIT TO MOLISE
-
THE POPE IN MOLISE: DEFEND THE DIGNITY OF WORK
-
LET US FOLLOW THE PATH OF SERVING THE LORD
-
TO THE YOUNG OF ABRUZZO AND MOLISE: DO NOT BE ROBBED OF THE WILL TO
BUILD GREAT THINGS!
-
TO PRISON INMATES IN ISERNIA: GOD DOES NOT FORGET US
-
THE POPE CONVOKES THE CELESTINE JUBILEE YEAR
______________________________________
THERE
IS NO PLACE IN THE CHURCH FOR ABUSERS
Vatican
City, 7 July 2014 (VIS) – The following is the full text of the
homily pronounced this morning by Pope Francis during the Mass
celebrated in the Sanctae Marthae Chapel, attended by six victims of
sexual abuse by members of the clergy.
“The
scene where Peter sees Jesus emerge after a terrible interrogation…
Peter whose eyes meet the gaze of Jesus and weeps… This scene comes
to my mind as I look at you, and think of so many men and women, boys
and girls. I feel the gaze of Jesus and I ask for the grace to weep,
the grace for the Church to weep and make reparation for her sons and
daughters who betrayed their mission, who abused innocent persons.
Today, I am very grateful to you for having travelled so far to come
here.
“For
some time now I have felt in my heart deep pain and suffering. So
much time hidden, camouflaged with a complicity that cannot be
explained until someone realised that Jesus was looking and others
the same … and they set about to sustain that gaze.
“And
those few who began to weep have touched our conscience for this
crime and grave sin. This is what causes me distress and pain at the
fact that some priests and bishops, by sexually abusing minors,
violated their innocence and their own priestly vocation. It is
something more than despicable actions. It is like a sacrilegious
cult, because these boys and girls had been entrusted to the priestly
charism in order to be brought to God. And those people sacrificed
them to the idol of their own concupiscence. They profane the very
image of God in whose likeness we were created. Childhood, as we all
know, young hearts, so open and trusting, have their own way of
understanding the mysteries of God’s love and are eager to grow in
the faith. Today the heart of the Church looks into the eyes of Jesus
in these boys and girls and wants to weep; she asks the grace to weep
before the execrable acts of abuse which have left life long scars.
“I
know that these wounds are a source of deep and often unrelenting
emotional and spiritual pain, and even despair. Many of those who
have suffered in this way have also sought relief in the path of
addiction. Others have experienced difficulties in significant
relationships, with parents, spouses and children. Suffering in
families has been especially grave, since the damage provoked by
abuse affects these vital family relationships.
“Some
have even had to deal with the terrible tragedy of the death of a
loved one by suicide. The deaths of these so beloved children of God
weigh upon the heart and my conscience and that of the whole Church.
To these families I express my heartfelt love and sorrow. Jesus,
tortured and interrogated with passionate hatred, is taken to another
place and he looks out. He looks out upon one of his own torturers,
the one who denied him, and he makes him weep. Let us implore this
grace together with that of making amends.
“Sins
of clerical sexual abuse against minors have a toxic effect on faith
and hope in God. Some of you have held fast to faith, while for
others the experience of betrayal and abandonment has led to a
weakening of faith in God. Your presence here speaks of the miracle
of hope, which prevails against the deepest darkness. Surely it is a
sign of God’s mercy that today we have this opportunity to
encounter one another, to adore God, to look in one another’s eyes
and seek the grace of reconciliation.
“Before
God and his people I express my sorrow for the sins and grave crimes
of clerical sexual abuse committed against you. And I humbly ask
forgiveness.
“I
beg your forgiveness, too, for the sins of omission on the part of
Church leaders who did not respond adequately to reports of abuse
made by family members, as well as by abuse victims themselves. This
led to even greater suffering on the part of those who were abused
and it endangered other minors who were at risk.
“On
the other hand, the courage that you and others have shown by
speaking up, by telling the truth, was a service of love, since for
us it shed light on a terrible darkness in the life of the Church.
There is no place in the Church’s ministry for those who commit
these abuses, and I commit myself not to tolerate harm done to a
minor by any individual, whether a cleric or not. All bishops must
carry out their pastoral ministry with the utmost care in order to
help foster the protection of minors, and they will be held
accountable.
“What
Jesus says about those who cause scandal applies to all of us: the
millstone and the sea.
“By
the same token we will continue to exercise vigilance in priestly
formation. I am counting on the members of the Pontifical Commission
for the Protection of Minors, all minors, whatever religion they
belong to, for they are little flowers which God looks lovingly upon.
“I
ask this support so as to help me ensure that we develop better
policies and procedures in the universal Church for the protection of
minors and for the training of church personnel in implementing those
policies and procedures. We need to do everything in our power to
ensure that these sins have no place in the Church.
“Dear
brothers and sisters, because we are all members of God’s family,
we are called to live lives shaped by mercy. The Lord Jesus, our
Saviour, is the supreme example of this; though innocent, he took our
sins upon himself on the cross. To be reconciled is the very essence
of our shared identity as followers of Jesus Christ. By turning back
to him, accompanied by our most holy Mother, who stood sorrowing at
the foot of the cross, let us seek the grace of reconciliation with
the entire people of God. The loving intercession of Our Lady of
Tender Mercy is an unfailing source of help in the process of our
healing.
“You
and all those who were abused by clergy are loved by God. I pray that
the remnants of the darkness which touched you may be healed by the
embrace of the Child Jesus and that the harm which was done to you
will give way to renewed faith and joy.
“I
am grateful for this meeting. And please pray for me, so that the
eyes of my heart will always clearly see the path of merciful love,
and that God will grant me the courage to persevere on this path for
the good of all children and young people. Jesus comes forth from an
unjust trial, from a cruel interrogation and he looks in the eyes of
Peter, and Peter weeps. We ask that he look at us and that we allow
ourselves to be looked upon and to weep and that he give us the grace
to be ashamed, so that, like Peter, forty days later, we can reply:
'You know that I love you'; and hear him say: 'go back and feed my
sheep' –and I would add – 'let no wolf enter the fold'”.
MEETING
OF THE PONTIFICAL COMMISSION FOR THE PROTECTION OF MINORS AND THE
POPE'S ENCOUNTER WITH VICTIMS OF ABUSE BY MEMBERS OF THE CLERGY
Vatican
City, 7 July 2014 (VIS) – This morning in the Holy See Press
Office, the director, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., gave a briefing on
the meeting of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors
and the Pope's encounter with the victims of abuse, which took place
on 6 and 7 July.
“On
Sunday 6 July, all members of the Commission met at the Domus Sanctae
Marthae, coordinated by Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley, O.F.M.
Cap., with the collaboration of Msgr. Robert Oliver at an
organisational level”, said Fr. Lombardi, who added that the issues
under consideration were: “proposals for the selection and
appointment of new members, to integrate the Commission with
representatives from other geographical areas; the statutes of the
Commission; the need to institute an operative Office; the
possibility of organising working groups on specific themes with the
collaboration of specialists and other institutions”. He added that
time had also been dedicated to the preparation of the Holy Father’s
meeting with a number of victims, scheduled for the following
morning, 7 July.
The
next meeting is scheduled to take place during the month of October.
It is hoped that new members of the Commission will be present.
He
went on the refer to the meeting of the Pope on the morning of
Monday, 7 July with various victims of sexual abuse by members of the
clergy. “The invitees were six adults, three men and three women,
from Germany, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Each victim was
accompanied by a family member or other companion. The invitation to
meet the Pope had been made by Cardinal O’Malley in several
countries where there exists a Church structure regarding the victims
of sexual abuse”.
“The
invitees arrived at the Domus Sanctae Marthae by the afternoon of
Sunday 6 July. While they were dining in the refectory, the Holy
Father appeared to address a first brief greeting to them. The Pope
first offered them a Mass, celebrated in the Sanctae Marthae chapel
at 7 a.m., attended also by the companions, members of the Commission
and a limited number of other collaborators. The formula of the Mass
was for peace and justice.
During
Mass, the Pope pronounced a homily for them in Spanish; each
participant was given a translation of the text in his or her own
language. After Mass, the Pope greeted the individuals present, as
usual”.
“After
breakfast, the Pope received the individual visitors, with their
companions, for a private personal discussion in a room in the Domus
Sanctae Marthae, one after the other.
The
discussions lasted from 9 a.m. to around 12.20 p.m. The participants,
after the discussions, expressed their emotion and their satisfaction
at having been listened to by the Pope with such attention and
willingness”. The director of the Holy See Press Office concluded,
“the Pope showed that listening helps to understand and prepare the
way to reinstate trust, heal wounds, and to open up the possibility
of reconciliation with God and with the Church”.
A
YEAR AFTER THE TRAGEDY OF LAMPEDUSA, THE POPE PRAYS FOR IMMIGRANTS
Vatican
City, 7 July 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father has sent a letter to
Archbishop Francesco Montenegro of Agrigento on the anniversary of
his visit in July 2013 to the Sicilian island of Lampedusa to pray
for the African immigrants who lost their lives when the boat they
were travelling on capsized. “One year on, the problem of
immigration is becoming worse, and tragedies of this type continue to
occur with dogged regularity”, writes the Pope. “Our heart
struggles to accept the death of these, our brothers and sisters, who
face extenuating journeys to escape from dramatic situations,
poverty, wars and conflicts, often linked to to international
politics. Once again I spiritually reach out to the Mediterranean Sea
to weep with all those who suffer and to launch flowers of prayer for
the souls of the women, men and children who are victims of a drama
that seems to be without end.”
In
his letter, Pope Francis emphasises that this situation must be faced
“not with the logic of indifference but with the logic of
hospitality and sharing in order to protect and promote the dignity
and centrality of every human being”. Likewise, the Pontiff
encouraged “Christian communities and all people of good will to
continue to reach out and lend a helping hand to all those who are in
need, without counting the cost, without fear, with tenderness and
understanding”, and expressed his hope that “the competent
institutions, especially at the European level, may be more
courageous and generous in relief for refugees”.
ANGELUS:
JESUS INVITES US TO FOLLOW HIM
Vatican
City, 6 July 2014 (VIS) – “Jesus invites us, saying 'Come to me,
all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest'”,
said the Pope this morning, as he appeared at the window of his study
to pray the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square.
“Jesus' words always give hope”, he continued. “This invitation
extends to many brothers and sisters today, oppressed by poor living
conditions, difficult life situations and, at times, with no valid
points of reference”.
“In
the poorest countries, and also in the peripheral areas of the
richest, there are many people who are weary and exhausted under the
unbearable weight of abandonment and indifference,” he said.
“Indifference: who much damage human indifference causes to those
in need! And the indifference of Christians is worse. At the margins
of society there are many men and women who are sorely tested by
poverty, but also by dissatisfaction and frustration. Many are
compelled to emigrate at risk of their own lives. Many more every
day, bear the weight of an economic system that exploits man, and
imposes an unbearable 'yoke' upon them that the privileged few do not
want to carry. To each of these sons of the Father who is in heaven,
Jesus says, 'Come to me, all of you'".
Pope
Francis added that Jesus address his invitation to all, even those
“who possess everything” but whose hearts are “empty and
without God”. “The invitation to come to Jesus is for everyone,
but especially for those who suffer the most. Jesus promises to give
solace to all, but also addresses a second invitation to us, which is
like a commandment: ‘Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I
am meek and humble of heart’. The Lord's 'yoke' consists of
sustaining the weight of others with brotherly love. Once the solace
and comfort of Christ is received, we are called in turn to become
solace and comfort for our brothers, with a meek and humble attitude,
in imitation of the Master. This meekness and humility of heart helps
us not only to take on the weight of others, but also to not impose
upon them our own personal views, our judgements, our criticism and
our indifference”.
The
Holy Father concluded by greeting the faithful and commented that
this year the Church commemorates the centenary of the death of St.
Pius X. He also thanked the people of Molise for their warm welcome
during his pastoral visit on Saturday.
OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican
City, 7 July 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father has:
-
appointed Fr. Manuel Ochogavia Barahona, O.S.A., as bishop of
Colon-Kuna Yala (area 8,167, population 290,000, Catholics 204,000,
priests 32, religious 46), Panama. The bishop-elect was born in Las
Tablas, Panama in 1967, gave his solemn vows in 1995, and was
ordained a priest in 2002. He has served in a number of pastoral
roles, including professor and administrator of the “San Agustin”
college in the diocese of David, Panama; and priest in the “San
Jose” parish, David. He is currently prior of the convent and
priest of the parish of Chitre, diocesan chancellor, member of the
college of consultors, member of the council of his Order for Panama,
delegate at the Organisation of Agostinians for Latin America,
diocesan assessor for the “Movimiento Familiar Cristiano” and
chaplain of the Regional University Centre of Azuero.
On
Saturday, 5 July, the Holy Father:
-
appointed Archbishop Antonio Arcari, currently apostolic nuncio in
Mozambique, as apostolic nuncio in Costa Rica.
-
appointed Bishop John Ebebe Ayah of Ogoja, Nigeria as bishop of Uyo
(area 5,969, population 1,963,000, Catholics 737,000, priests 75,
religious 58), Nigeria, and apostolic administrator “sede vacante
et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis” of the diocese of Ogoja.
-
appointed Msgr. Luis Fernando Rodriguez as auxiliary of the
archdiocese of Cali (area 2,504, population 2,821,000, Catholics
2,397,000, priests 405, permanent deacons 16, religious 1044),
Colombia. The bishop-elect was born in Medellin, Colombia in 1959 and
was ordained a priest in 1995. He holds a bachelor's degree in
theology from the Pontifical Bolivarian University of Medellin, a
licentiate in canon law from the Pontifical Lateran University, Rome,
a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical Javerian University of
Bogota, Colombia, and a licentiate in religious education from the
Pontifical Bolivarian University of Medellin. He has served in a
number of pastoral, academic and administrative roles, including
formator and vice rector of the major seminary of Medellin, vice
chancellor of the archdiocese of Medellin and secretary to the
archbishop; priest of the parish of “Santa Maria la Virgen”,
official of the Pontifical Council for the Family; priest of the
parish of “El Sagrario”, adjunct judicial vicar of the
archdiocesan tribunal; and professor, chaplain and rector of the
Pontifical Bolivarian University of Medellin. He is currently vicar
general of the archdiocese of Medellin.
-
appointed Fr. Lukasz Miroslaw Buzun, O.S.P.P.E., as auxiliary of
Kalisz (area 10,800, population 732,348, Catholics 726,000, priests
608, religious 536), Poland. The bishop-elect was born in Korycin,
Poland in 1968, gave his perpetual vows in 1995 and was ordained a
priest in 1996. He studied psychology at the Pontifical Faculty of
Theology of Wroclaw and at the Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University
of Warsaw, where he obtained his licentiate in theology of
spirituality and his doctorate in theology. He has served in the
monastery and parish of Wlodawa and in the monastery of Jasna Gora,
where he was also deputy director of the radio of Jasna Gora. He is
currently lecturer in spiritual theology in the faculty of theology
of the Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University of Warsaw and prior of
the monastery of Jasna Gora.
POPE
FRANCIS' VISIT TO MOLISE
THE
POPE IN MOLISE: DEFEND THE DIGNITY OF WORK
Vatican
City, 5 July 2014 (VIS) – This morning the Holy Father began his
pastoral visit to the Italian region of Molise, a visit which took as
its theme “God never tires of forgiving”.
He
departed from the Vatican by helicopter at 7.45 this morning, landing
an hour later at the heliport of the University of Molise in
Campobasso, where he was received by the civil and religious
authorities.
“God
breaks all the moulds, if we do not have the courage to break moulds,
we will not move ahead, as this is what our Lord presses us to do: to
be creative with the future”, Pope Francis began his address. “The
place where we meet is the University, and this is very significant,
as it expresses the importance of research and training, also to
respond to the new and complex questions the current economic crisis
poses on a local, national and international level. This was shown a
moment ago by the young farmer who chose to take a degree in
agriculture and to work the land, 'by vocation'. Working as a farmer
does not mean staying 'fixed' to the land, but rather engaging in
dialogue, a fruitful and creative dialogue. It is the dialogue of man
with the land that he renders productive, fruitful for all of us. …
This is one of the great challenges of our age. Reconverting to a
development that knows how to respect creation. I see in America, in
my homeland; many forests swept away, that become land that cannot be
cultivated, that can no longer give life. This is our sin: exploiting
the land and not letting her give us what she has inside, with our
help through cultivation”.
He
went on to mention a second challenge, that of balancing working time
with time for the family. “This is a 'critical' point, one which
enables us to discern and to evaluate the human quality of the
economic system in which we find ourselves”, he said, adding that
this is linked to the question of Sunday work, “which affects not
only believers, but everyone, as an ethical choice”. He emphasised
that “a Sunday free of work affirms that the priority is not
economic, but rather human, based on relations not of a commercial
nature but rather of family, friendship, with God for believers, and
with the community. Perhaps the moment has come to ask ourselves if
working on Sunday is a true freedom”.
“Today”,
he continued, “I would like to add my voice to those of the many
workers and businesspeople … who ask for a 'pact for work'”, and
mentioned that in spite of the economic crisis, “many jobs could be
recovered by means of a strategy agreed with the national
authorities”. He also encouraged those present to follow the path
indicated by such a pact and to “seize the opportunities offered by
national and European provisions, which may bear fruits here as in
other regions”.
He
then quoted another key word mentioned by a worker – dignity –
affirming that “not having a job is not simply a question of not
having the means to live: no. We can eat every day, we can go to
Caritas, we can go to an association, a club, we can go there and
they will give us something to eat. But this is not the problem. The
problem is not being able to bring bread to the table at home: this
is a serious problem, this takes away our dignity. And the most
serious problem is not hunger, even though the problem exists. The
most serious problem is that of dignity. For this reason we must work
and defend the dignity that work gives us”.
Francis
then gave thanks for a gift that was presented to him, a painting
representing maternity. “Maternity involves labour, but the labour
of childbirth is orientated to life and is full of hope. So, not only
do I thank you for this gift; I thank you even more for the testimony
it represents: that of a labour full of hope”. The Pope then left
the University by car and transferred to the old Romagnoli stadium
where he celebrated Mass.
LET
US FOLLOW THE PATH OF SERVING THE LORD
Vatican
City, 5 July 2014 (VIS) – The second event of the Holy Father's
visit to Molise was the celebration of Mass in the Romagnoli stadium
in Campobasso.
“Divine
wisdom frees us from evil and oppression as much as it places us at
the service of the Lord”, said the Pope in his homily. “Indeed,
the Lord is not neutral, but rather with His wisdom, takes the side
of those who are fragile, discriminated against and oppressed who
trustfully abandon themselves to Him. The Church is a population that
serves God, and lives in the freedom that He has given”, he
continued. “Service to God is carried out in various ways, in
particular in prayer, in worship, in proclaiming the Gospel and in
the witness of charity. And the icon of the Church is always the
Virgin Mary … who shows that the favoured path to serving the Lord
lies in serving our brethren in need”.
Following
the school of this Mother, “the Church must learn every day to be
the 'servant of the Lord', and to be ready to go out towards those
situations of greatest need. However, we are all called to the
service of charity in our everyday lives. … The witness of charity
is the principal route of evangelisation. In this, the Church has
always been 'on the front line', sharing in the difficulties and the
fragility of the people. … In this way the Christian community
seeks to infuse in society that 'supplement of the soul' that allows
us to look beyond and to hope”.
The
Pope urged all members of the diocese to “persevere on this road,
serving God in your service to your brethren and spreading the
culture of solidarity everywhere. There is a great need for these
efforts, in response to situations of material and spiritual
precariousness, especially linked to unemployment”. The Pope
described this latter problem as “a challenge that makes a special
plea to the responsibility of institutions, of the worlds of business
and finance. It is necessary to place the dignity of the human person
at the centre of every perspective and all action. Other interests,
while they may be legitimate, are secondary”.
“Therefore,
the Church is the population that serves the Lord”, he emphasised,
“and this is why she experiences liberation and lives in this
freedom He gives her. … Freedom, above all, from sin, from
selfishness in all its forms. … When we serve others, the Lord
frees us from ambition and rivalry, that undermine the unity of
communion. He frees us from distrust, sadness, fear, inner emptiness,
isolation, regret, and complaint. … Christ frees us from
existential mediocrity. … Therefore, as the Lord's disciples, while
always remaining weak and sinners – we all are! – we are called
upon to live with joy and courage our faith, our communion with God
and our brethren, and the worship of God, and to face the
difficulties and trials of life with strength”.
He
concluded, “may the Holy Virgin, who you venerate as Our Lady of
Liberty in Molise, offer you the joy of serving the Lord and of
walking in the freedom He has given us. May Mary help you to be a
maternal Church, welcoming and caring towards others. … May she be
a sign of consolation and sure hope”.
After
the Mass, the Pope transferred by car to the Cathedral for the
adoration of the Most Holy Sacrament, and to pray before the tombs of
the bishops Alberto Romita and Secondo Bologna; the latter died
during the bombing of the city in 1943. He then greeted a group of
sick people and shortly before 1 p.m. he arrived at the House of
Angels where he lunched with the poor assisted by Caritas and
inaugurated the new charitable structure of the diocese.
At
2.15 p.m., after lunch, he transferred to the heliport of the
University of Molise to continue his visit at the Shrine of Our Lady
of Sorrows at Castelpetroso.
TO
THE YOUNG OF ABRUZZO AND MOLISE: DO NOT BE ROBBED OF THE WILL TO
BUILD GREAT THINGS!
Vatican
City, 5 July 2014 (VIS) – Pope Francis arrived at the Shrine of Our
Lady of Sorrows at Castelpetroso shortly after 3 p.m. to meet with
the young of the diocese of Abruzzo and Molise. He prayed in the
sanctuary for a short while, before proceeding to the forecourt to
address the thousands of young people present, whom he thanked for
their contagious enthusiasm and the festive atmosphere they had
created.
“You
are open … to hope and desirous of fullness, with the wish to give
meaning to your future, to your entire life, to discern the right
path for each one of you and to choose the road that brings you
serenity and human fulfilment. … On the one hand, you are seeking
that which truly counts, that remains stable in time and is
definitive, you are seeking answers that enlighten your mind and warm
your heart, not only for the duration of a morning or for a short
portion of your path, but for ever. On the other hand, you feel a
strong fear of making mistakes, the fear of being too involved in
things, the temptation always to leave open a little escape route,
that may always leave the way open to new scenarios and
possibilities”.
“Contemporary
society and its predominant cultural models – the culture of the
provisional – does not offer a suitable climate for the formation
of stable life choices, with solid bonds, built on a rock of love and
responsibility rather than the sand of the emotions of the moment”,
said Francis. “The aspiration to individual autonomy reaches the
point of always putting everything in discussion and with relative
ease breaking important and long-meditated decisions, life paths
taken freely with commitment and dedication. This promotes
superficiality in the assumption of responsibilities, since in the
depths of the heart they risk becoming considered as something from
which one can in any case be freed. Today I'll choose this, tomorrow
I'll choose the other …. when my enthusiasm runs out I'll take a
different route. And in this way our lives turn in one direction and
another, like a maze. Stop! Look for the thread to find your way out
of the labyrinth; you can't waste your life turning here and there”.
“However,
the human heart aspires to great things, to important values, to
profound friendships, bonds that are strengthened rather than broken
by the trials of life. Human beings aspire to be loved, and to be
loved definitively. Do not let yourselves be robbed of the desire to
construct great and solid things in your lives! Do not be satisfied
with half-measures! Aspire to happiness, have the courage to come out
of yourselves, to play out fully your future together with Jesus”.
“We
cannot do this alone. Under the pressure of events and fashions,
alone we will never manage to find the right way, and even if we
tried, we would not have enough strength to persevere, to face the
uphill struggles and obstacles in our way. And here there enters the
Lord Jesus' invitation to us: 'If you want … follow me'. He invites
us and accompanies us along the way. … He loves us definitively, He
has chosen us definitively, He gave Himself definitely to each one of
us. … How good it is to be able to face the vicissitudes of
existence in the company of Jesus, to be able to count on His Person
and His message! He does not deprive us of our autonomy or freedom;
on the contrary, strengthening us in our frailty, he enables us to be
truly free, free to do good, strong enough to continue to do so, able
to forgive and able to ask forgiveness”.
He
continued, “A phrase I like to repeat, because we often forget, is:
'God never tires of forgiving'. He forgives definitively, he cancels
and forgets our sin if we turn to Him with humility and trust. He
helps us not to be discouraged in difficulties, and not to consider
them insurmountable; and so, trusting in Him, you will cast your nets
anew and obtain a surprising and abundant catch; you will have
courage and hope also in facing the difficulties that result from the
effects of the economic crisis. Courage and hope are gifts for all,
but they belong in a special way to the young. The future is
certainly in God's hands. This does not mean denying difficulties or
problems, but rather to see them as temporary and surmountable.
Difficulties and crises, with God's help and the good will of all,
can be overcome, vanquished, and transformed”.
“I
would not like to finish without saying a few words on a problem that
affects you as you experience it in your current life: unemployment.
… We cannot resign ourselves to losing a generation of young people
who do not have the dignity of work! … A generation without work is
a future defeat for the country and for humanity. … We must fight
against this, and help each other to find a solution, through help
and solidarity. … Solidarity is a Christian word, which means
forging ahead alongside one's brother to help and to overcome
problems. Be courageous, with hope and solidarity”.
The
Pope concluded by commenting that the Basilica of Our Lady of Sorrows
was built in the place where two young girls saw the Virgin Mary
while they were working in the fields. “Mary is a mother, and
always comes to our assistance when we work and when we seek work,
when we have clear ideas and when we are confused, when prayer comes
spontaneously and when the heart is arid. Mary is the Mother of God,
our mother, and mother of the Church”.
TO
PRISON INMATES IN ISERNIA: GOD DOES NOT FORGET US
Vatican
City, 5 July 2014 (VIS) – After taking leave of the young people at
Castelpetroso, Pope Francis transferred by car to the penitentiary
centre of Isernia, a journey of around half an hour, to visit the
detainees. The meeting took place on the prison forecourt and, in his
address to the inmates, the Holy Father insisted on the need for
rehabilitation, “a path we must all undertake, because we all make
mistakes in this life, and must all ask forgiveness for our errors”.
“Whoever
says they have no need of rehabilitation is a liar!” he exclaimed.
“And when we ask the Lord's forgiveness for our sins, for our
mistakes, He always forgives us, he never tires of forgiving us. He
says to us: 'Turn back from this road, because it will not do you
good to go there'. And He helps us. And this is rehabilitation, the
path that we must all take. The important thing is not to stay still.
We all know that still waters become stagnant, they are the first to
become impure. … We must move ahead, a step a day, with the Lord's
help. God is the Father, He is merciful. … ”. He lifts us up and
fully restores our dignity. … God does not forget us. And with this
confidence we can walk on, day by day. And with this faithful love
that accompanies, hope never disappoints. … Some think that they
must take a path of punishment, of mistakes, of sins and that they
must suffer, suffer, and suffer. It is true, one suffers. As one of
your companions said, here one suffers. One suffers inside and
outside, when one sees that he or she does not have a clear
conscience and wishes to change it. It is a suffering that purifies,
like fire that purifies gold; it is suffering with hope”.
“There
is a beautiful thing when the Lord forgives us: he does not say, 'I
forgive you, now get on by yourself!' No, He forgives us, takes us by
the hand and helps us to go ahead on this path of rehabilitation, in
our personal life and also in social life. He does this with all of
us. To think that the inner order of a person may be corrected only
through punishment, this is not God's way, this is mistaken. Some
think, 'No, we should punish more, with longer sentences, more!'.
This does not solve anything. Imprisoning people because – and
forgive me for this – for the mere fact that if they are inside we
are safe, this is not useful, it does not help us. The most important
thing is what God does with us: He takes us by the hand and He helps
us to go on. And this is called hope! And with this hope, with this
trust, we can walk on, day by day. And with this faithful love, that
accompanies us, truly hope never disappoints”.
Finally,
the Pope told the detainees that every fifteen days he makes a
telephone call to a prison in Buenos Aires to speak to the young
inmates, and said, “When I meet one of you, who is in a detention
centre, who is on the path to rehabilitation, but who is in custody,
sincerely I ask myself this questions: why him and not me? This is
what I feel. It is a mystery. But from this sentiment, with this
feeling, I accompany you”.
THE
POPE CONVOKES THE CELESTINE JUBILEE YEAR
Vatican
City, 5 July 2014 (VIS) – The convocation of the Celestine Jubilee
Year in the Cathedral Square of Isernia was the final act of Pope
Francis' visit to the Italian region of Molise; the birthplace of the
hermit Pietro da Morrone, the future Pope Celestine V (1209-1296),
elected in the Conclave of 1292-1294 and who, after a five months
abdicated from the papacy to resume his life as a hermit.
Francis
addressed the citizens of Isernia from the main square and the focus
of the city's life. “The square is the place where we meet as
citizens, and the cathedral is the place where we meet with God, we
listen to His Word, to live as brethren; brethren and citizens. In
Christianity there is not opposition between sacred and profane, in
this sense: citizens and brothers”.
“There
is a powerful idea that has struck me, thinking of the legacy of St.
Celestine V. He, like St. Francis of Assisi, had a very strong sense
of God's mercy, and the fact that God's mercy renews the world.
Pietro da Morrone, like Francis of Assisi, knew well the society of
his time, with its great poverty. They were very close to the people,
to the population. They had the same compassion of Jesus towards many
people, for the weary and the oppressed; but he did not limit himself
to dispensing good advice, or pious consolations. They were the first
to choose a way of living that went against the grain; they chose to
entrust themselves to the Providence of the Father, not only in terms
of personal ascesis but as a prophetic witness to the paternity and
fraternity that constitute the message of Jesus Christ's Gospel”.
“And
it always strikes me that with their strong compassion for the
people, these Saints felt the need to give the people the greatest
wealth they could offer: the Father’s mercy and forgiveness.
'Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against
us'. In these words of the Lord's prayer there is a whole plan for
life, based on mercy. Mercy, indulgence, the remission of debts, are
not merely devotional, intimate, a spiritual palliative. No! This is
the prophecy of a new world, in which the goods of the earth and of
work are fairly distributed and no one is deprived of necessities,
because solidarity and sharing are the concrete consequence of
fraternity. These two Saints offer us an example. They knew that, as
clerics – one was a deacon, the other was a bishop, the Bishop of
Rome – as clerics, they should both set an example of poverty,
mercy and their full abnegation of themselves”.
“Here,
therefore, there is the meaning of a new citizenship, which we feel
strongly here, in this Square in front of the Cathedral, where we
speak of the memory of Saint Pietro da Morrone, Celestine V. Herein
is the very timely meaning of the Jubilee Year, this Celestine
Jubilee Year, which I declare open from this moment, and during which
the door of Divine Mercy will be open wide for all. It is not a
flight, it is not an evasion of reality and its problems; it is the
answer that comes from the Gospel: love as force of purification of
consciences, the force of renewal of social relations, force of plans
for a different economy, placing the person, work and family at the
centre, rather than money and profit”.
He
continued, “We are all aware that this way is not that of the
world; we are not dreamers or naive, nor do we wish to create oases
outside the real world. Rather, we believe that this way is the one
that is good for all; it is the way that brings us close to justice
and peace. However, we also know that we are sinners, that we are
always tempted not to follow this way but instead to conform to the
mentality of the world, the mentality of power, the mentality of
wealth. Therefore, we entrust ourselves to God’s mercy, and we
commit ourselves, with His grace, to bear fruits of conversion and
works of mercy. May the Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, always
accompany and support us on this path”.
With
the convocation of the Jubilee Year, the Holy Father's visit to
Molise came to an end. He departed by helicopter at 7.30 p.m.,
arriving in the Vatican at 8.15 p.m.
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