SUMMARY:
-
Audience with the president of Malta: commitment of Church and state
in the phenomenon of migration
-
To the members of the United Bible Societies: “Ignorance of
Scripture is ignorance of Christ”
-
The young and the elderly: without balance between generations, the
freedom of society becomes authoritarianism
-
Francis praises the example of Blessed Alvaro del Portillo and asks
for prayers for the upcoming Synod
-
The Pope presides at liturgy commemorating the 200th anniversary of
the reconstitution of the Society of Jesus
-
The Pope's message for the beatification of the Opus Dei prelate
Alvaro del Portillo: in the simplicity of everyday life we can find
the way to holiness
-
Francis: the encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist is a source of
hope for the world
-
Communicating the family: a privileged place of encounter with the
gift of love
-
Audiences
-
Other Pontifical Acts
______________________________________
Audience
with the president of Malta: commitment of Church and state in the
phenomenon of migration
Vatican
City, 29 September 2014 (VIS) – Today, in the Vatican Apostolic
Palace, the Holy Father Francis received in audience the president of
Malta, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, who subsequently met with
Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.
The
cordial discussions focused on the good relations between the Holy
See and Malta and highlighted the significant contribution made by
the Catholic Church in the fields of education and welfare,
especially in favour of the poor. The conversation then turned to
various themes of mutual interest, with special reference to the role
of Christian values in the edification of Maltese society and the
strengthening of the institution of the family.
Finally,
the Parties discussed Malta’s contribution within the European
Union, along with a number of questions of an international nature,
such as the situations of conflict in the Mediterranean region,
expressing hope for a prompt solution via dialogue, as well as the
phenomenon of migration towards Europe, which involves commitment on
the part of the Church and the Government.
To
the members of the United Bible Societies: “Ignorance of Scripture
is ignorance of Christ”
Vatican
City, 29 September 2014 (VIS) – “Yours is the fruit of a patient,
careful, fraternal, competent and, above all, faithful work. If you
do not believe, you do not understand; if you do not believe, you
cannot stand firm”, said the Holy Father to the members of the
United Bible Societies, whom he received this morning in the
Consistory Hall for the presentation of the Italian language Bible,
“Parola del Signore – La Bibbia Interconfessionale in lingua
corrente” (“The Word of the Lord – The Interconfessional Bible
in current language”). “I hope that this text, which is presented
with the blessing of the Italian Episcopal Conference and the
Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy, will encourage all
Italian-speaking Christians to meditate on, life, bear witness to and
celebrate God's message”.
“I
would very much like all Christians to be able to learn 'the sublime
science of Jesus Christ' through frequent reading of the Word of God,
as the sacred text offers nourishment for the soul and is the pure
and perennial source of the spiritual life of us all”, he added.
“We must make every effort so that each believer may read God’s
Word, because as Saint Jerome says, 'ignorance of Scripture is
ignorance of Christ'”. The Pope offered his heartfelt thanks to
those present for their valuable work, encouraging them to “continue
on the journey you have undertaken, so as to allow for the better and
deeper comprehension of the Word of the living God”.
The
young and the elderly: without balance between generations, the
freedom of society becomes authoritarianism
Vatican
City, 28 September 2014 (VIS) – Today in St. Peter's Square a
meeting was held to celebrate old age, organised by the Pontifical
Council for the Family, entitled “The blessing of long life”. The
meeting, which brought together thousands of elderly and grandparents
accompanied by their relatives from all over the world, began at 8.30
a.m. with a “tour of old age through five Biblical episodes”. An
hour later, the Holy Father arrived in the Square to join the
elderly, with whom he had spoken before Mass at 10.30 a.m. The Pope
emeritus Benedict XVI was personally invited by Pope Francis and
participated in the meeting.
The
Pope explained that the first reading “echoes in various ways the
Fourth Commandment: 'Honour your father and your mother, so that your
days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you'. A
people has no future without such an encounter between generations,
without children being able to accept with gratitude the witness of
life from the hands of their parents. And part of this gratitude for
those who gave you life is also gratitude for our heavenly Father.
There are times when generations of young people, for complex
historical and cultural reasons, feel a deeper need to be independent
from their parents, 'breaking free', as it were, from the legacy of
the older generation. It is a kind of adolescent rebellion. But
unless the encounter, the meeting of generations, is re-established,
unless a new and fruitful intergenerational equilibrium is restored,
what results is a serious impoverishment for all, and the freedom
which prevails in society is actually a false freedom, which almost
always becomes a form of authoritarianism”.
Francis
emphasised that “Jesus did not abolish the law of the family and
the passing of generations, but brought it to fulfilment. The Lord
formed a new family, in which bonds of kinship are less important
than our relationship with him and our doing the will of God the
Father. Yet the love of Jesus and the Father completes and fulfils
our love of parents, brothers and sisters, and grandparents; it
renews family relationships with the lymph of the Gospel and of the
Holy Spirit”. He remarked that Mary, when she visited her relatives
Elizabeth and Zechariah, “was able to listen to those elderly and
amazed parents; she treasured their wisdom, and it proved precious
for her in her journey as a woman, as a wife and as a mother”, and
added, “the Virgin Mary likewise shows us the way: the way of
encounter between the young and the elderly. The future of a people
necessarily supposes this encounter: the young give the strength
which enable a people to move forward, while the elderly consolidate
this strength by their memory and their traditional wisdom”.
Francis
praises the example of Blessed Alvaro del Portillo and asks for
prayers for the upcoming Synod
Vatican
City, 28 September 2014 (VIS) – At the end of today's Holy Mass,
the Pope prayed the Angelus with the faithful present in St. Peter's
Square, after greeting elderly pilgrims from various countries, the
participants in the congress-pilgrimage “Singing faith”,
organised to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the choir of
the diocese of Roma, and after mentioning the beatification of Bishop
Alvaro del Portillo, celebrated in Madrid, Spain on Saturday. “May
his exemplary Christian and priestly witness awaken in many people
the wish to join with Jesus and the Gospel”. Pope Francis went on
to remind those present that the Assembly of the Synod on the Family
begins next Sunday, and encouraged all the faithful to pray for this
important event, that he entrusts to the intercession of Mary “Salus
Populi Romani”.
The
Pope presides at liturgy commemorating the 200th anniversary of the
reconstitution of the Society of Jesus
Vatican
City, 28 September 2014 (VIS) – Yesterday afternoon, in the
Basilica of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, the Pope presided at a
liturgy of thanksgiving to mark the 200th anniversary of the
reconstitution of the Society of Jesus in the universal Church,
sanctioned by Pope Pius VII with the Bull “Sollicitudo Omnium
ecclesiarum” of 7 August 1814. During the liturgy, which included
the Vespers prayer and the Te Deum, following the Gospel reading and
before the renewal of vows by some of the Jesuits present, the Holy
Father gave a homily, extensive extracts of which are published
below:
“The
Society under the name of Jesus has lived difficult times of
persecution. During the leadership of Fr. Lorenzo Ricci, 'enemies of
the Church succeeded in obtaining the suppression of the Society' by
my predecessor Clement XIV. Today, remembering its restoration, we
are called to recover our memory, calling to mind the benefits
received and the particular gifts. Today, I want to do that here with
you.
“In
times of trial and tribulation, dust clouds of doubt and suffering
are always raised and it is not easy to move forward, to continue the
journey. Many temptations come, especially in difficult times and in
crises: to stop to discuss ideas, to allow oneself to be carried away
by the desolation, to focus on the fact of being persecuted, and not
to see the other. Reading the letters of Fr. Ricci, one thing struck
me: his ability to avoid being harnessed by these temptations and to
propose to the Jesuits, in a time of trouble, a vision of the things
that rooted them even more in the spirituality of the Society”.
“The
Society … lived the conflict to the end, without minimising it. It
lived humiliation along with the humiliated Christ; it obeyed. You
never save yourself from conflict with cunning and with strategies of
resistance. In the confusion and humiliation, the Society preferred
to live the discernment of God's will, without seeking a way out of
the conflict in a seemingly quiet manner. It is never apparent
tranquillity that satisfies our hearts, but true peace that is a gift
from God. One should never seek the easy 'compromise'. ... Only
discernment saves us from real uprooting, from true 'suppression' of
the heart, which is selfishness, worldliness, the loss of our
horizon. Our hope, is Jesus; it is only Jesus. Thus Fr. Ricci and the
Society during the suppression privileged history rather than a grey
'little tale', knowing that love judges history and that hope –
even in darkness – is greater than our expectations. … We can
review briefly this process of discernment and service. When in 1759,
the decrees of Pombal destroyed the Portuguese provinces of the
Society, Fr. Ricci lived the conflict, not complaining and letting
himself fall into desolation, but inviting prayers to ask for the
good spirit, the true supernatural spirit of vocation, the perfect
docility to God's grace. When in 1761, the storm advanced in France …
he asked that all trust be placed in God. ... In 1760, after the
expulsion of the Spanish Jesuits, he continued to call for prayer.
And finally, on February 21, 1773, just six months before the signing
of the Brief Dominus ac Redemptor, with the utter lack of human help,
he sees the hand of God's mercy, which invites those, who submit to
the test, not to confide in anyone but God. … The important thing
for Fr. Ricci that the Society, until the last, is true to the spirit
of its vocation, which is for the greater glory of God and the
salvation of souls.
“The
Society, even faced with its own demise, remained true to the purpose
for which it was founded. To this, Ricci concludes with an
exhortation to keep alive the spirit of charity, unity, obedience,
patience, evangelical simplicity, true friendship with God.
Everything else is worldliness.
“Let
us remember our history: the Society 'was given the grace not only to
believe in the Lord, but also to suffer for His sake'. We do well to
remember this. The ship of the Society has been tossed around by the
waves and there is nothing surprising in this. Even the boat of Peter
can be tossed about today. The night and the powers of darkness are
always near. It is tiring to row. The Jesuits must be 'brave and
expert rowers': row then! Row, be strong, even with the headwind! We
row in the service of the Church. We row together! But while we row -
we all row, even the Pope rows in the barque of Peter - we must pray
a lot. … The Lord, even if we are men of little faith, will save
us”.
“The
Society, restored by my predecessor Pius VII, was made up of men, who
were brave and humble in their witness of hope, love and apostolic
creativity, that of the Spirit. Pius VII … gave permission to the
Jesuits, who still existed here and there, thanks to a Lutheran
monarch and an Orthodox monarch, 'to remain united in one body'. …
The Society resumed its apostolic activity of preaching and teaching,
spiritual ministries, scientific research and social action, the
missions and care for the poor, the suffering and the marginalised.
Today, the Society also deals with the tragic problem of refugees and
displaced persons with intelligence and industriousness; and it
strives with discernment to integrate service to faith and the
promotion of justice in conformity with the Gospel. I confirm today
what Paul VI told us at our 32nd General Congregation and which I
heard with my own ears: "Wherever in the Church, even in the
most difficult and extreme situations, in the crossroads of
ideologies, in the social trenches, where there has been and there is
confrontation between the deepest desires of man and the perennial
message of the Gospel, there you have been and there are Jesuits.
“In
1814, at the time of the restoration, the Jesuits were a small flock,
a 'small Society', which however knew how to invest, following the
trials of the cross, in the great mission of bringing the light of
the Gospel to the ends of the earth. This is how we must feel today
therefore: outbound, in mission. The Jesuit identity is that of a man
who loves God and loves and serves his brothers, showing by example
not only that in which he believes, but also that in which he hopes,
and who is the One in whom he has put his trust”.
The
Pope's message for the beatification of the Opus Dei prelate Alvaro
del Portillo: in the simplicity of everyday life we can find the way
to holiness
Vatican
City, 27 September 2014 (VIS) – The bishop Alvaro del Portillo
(1914-1994), first successor of St. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer at
the helm of Opus Dei, was beatified in Madrid, Spain this morning.
The Holy Father sent a message to Bishop Javier Echevarria, current
Prelate of Opus Dei, which was read during the ceremony, presided by
Cardinal Angelo Amato,S.D.B., prefect of the Congregation for the
Causes of Saints. The message was signed 26 June, the feast day of
St. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer.
“I
like to recall the short prayer that the Servant of God repeated
frequently, especially in personal celebrations and anniversaries:
'Thank you, I’m sorry, help me more!' These are words that bring us
closer to the reality of his interior life and his dealing with the
Lord, and which can also help us to give a new impulse to our own
Christian life”, writes the Pope.
“Firstly,
thank you. It is the immediate and spontaneous reaction of the soul
before God's goodness. … And God always precedes us. Alvaro del
Portillo was aware of the many gifts God had given him, and he
thanked God for that manifestation of his fatherly love. But he did
not stop there. His gratitude for the Lord’s love awakened in his
heart the wish to follow him with greater selflessness and
generosity, and to live a humble life of service to others.
Particularly evident was his love for the Church, bride of Christ,
whom he served with a heart stripped of worldly interests, free of
discord, always welcoming to all, and always seeking the positive in
others, what unites and what builds”.
Secondly,
there is the phrase “I’m sorry”. Francis explains in his letter
that Don Alvaro “often admitted that he saw himself before God with
empty hands, unable to respond to so much generosity. However, the
admission of human poverty is not the fruit of despair … but
instead means opening oneself to His mercy, His love … that does
not humiliate, nor does it sink into the abyss of despair; rather, it
lives us from our prostration and enables us to walk with more
determination and joy. The Servant of God Alvaro knew the need we
have of divine mercy, and he dedicated much of his personal energy to
encourage persons to approach the Sacrament of Confession, the
Sacrament of joy.”
Finally,
“help me more. Yes, the Lord never abandons us. … His grace never
fails us, and with His help we can proclaim His name to all the
world. Beating in the heart of the new Blessed was the desire to take
the Good News to all hearts. He went to many countries encouraging
evangelisation projects, without being hindered by difficulties,
moved by his love for God and for his brothers. … The first
condition for proclaiming Christ is to love them, as Christ loved
them before us. From there, the Lord awaits us. We cannot keep our
faith to ourselves; it is a gift that we have received in order to be
able to give it and share it with others”.
“Blessed
Alvaro del Portillo sends us a very clear message; he tells us to
trust in the Lord, who is our brother, our friend who never
disappoints us and who is always at our side,” concludes the Holy
Father. “He encourages us not to be afraid to go against the
current or to suffer for proclaiming the Gospel. In addition, he
teaches us that in the simplicity and ordinariness of our life we can
find a sure path of holiness”.
Francis:
the encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist is a source of hope for the
world
Vatican
City, 27 September 2014 (VIS) – “The Eucharist occupies the
central position in the Church because it is what makes the Church.
As Vatican Council II affirms, it is the 'sacrament of piety, sign of
unity, bond of charity'”, said the Pope this morning, as he
received in audience the participants in the plenary assembly of the
Pontifical Committee for the International Eucharistic Councils.
The
theme of the next congress, “Christ in you, the hope of glory”,
“perfectly reflects the bond between the Eucharist, the mission and
Christian hope”, continued the Pontiff. “Today there is a lack of
hope in the world, and therefore humanity needs to hear the message
of our hope in Jesus Christ. The Church proclaims this message with
renewed ardour, using new methods and new expressions. With the
spirit of 'new evangelisation', the Church brings this message to all
and, in particular, those who despite being baptised, have drifted
away from the Church and live without reference to Christian life”.
“The
encounter between Jesus in the Eucharist will be a source of hope for
the world if, transformed by the power of the Holy See in the image
on He Whom we meet, we accept the mission of transforming the world,
giving the fullness of life that we ourselves have received and
experienced, bringing hope, forgiveness, healing and love to those
who are in need, especially the poor, the dispossessed and the
oppressed, sharing life and aspirations and walking alongside them in
search of an authentic human life in Jesus Christ”, concluded Pope
Francis, invoking the protection of the Virgin Mary for the 51st
International Eucharistic Congress, to take place in Cebu,
Philippines in January 2015.
Communicating
the family: a privileged place of encounter with the gift of love
Vatican
City, 29 September 2014 (VIS) – The Pontifical Council for Social
Communications published a note today explaining the theme of World
Communications Day 2015: “Communicating the family: a privileged
place of encounter with the gift of love”. The theme follows in
continuity with the previous year’s message, and dovetails with the
central theme of the next two Synods on the family.
It
is important to recall that World Communications Day, the only World
Day established by Vatican Council II, is celebrated in many
countries, upon the recommendation of bishops throughout the world,
on the Sunday preceding Pentecost, and that the Holy Father's Message
for the event is traditionally published on the feast day of St.
Francis of Sales, patron saint of journalists (24 January).
“The
daily news show us the difficulties facing the family today”,
according to the note. “Often cultural changes do not help us
appreciate how much the family is a good for society.
“The
relationships between the members of the family community are
inspired and guided by the law of 'free giving'. By respecting and
fostering personal dignity in each and every one as the only basis
for value, this free giving takes the form of heartfelt acceptance,
encounter and dialogue, disinterested availability, generous service
and deep solidarity.
“Today,
how can we tell people who are perhaps wounded and disillusioned that
love between a man and a woman is a good thing? How can we help
children know that they are a most precious gift? How can we warm the
hearts of people, especially those who are wounded and disappointed,
and help them rediscover the beauty of love? How can we show that the
family is the privileged place where we experience the beauty of
life, the joy and the gift of love, the consolation of forgiveness
offered and received, and the encounter with the other?
“Today
the Church must learn again how to show that the family is a great
gift, something good and beautiful. The Church is called to show more
vividly that the gift of love, which the bride and groom offer each
other, draws all people to God. It is an exciting task because it
moves people to look at the true reality of the human person, and it
opens the doors to the future, to life”.
Audiences
Vatican
City, 29 September 2014 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father received in
audience:
-
Marcelo Julio Martin, ex-honorary consul of the Helvetic
Confederation in Rosario, Argentina, and family;
-
Stephan Weil, prime minister of Lower Saxony, and entourage.
On
Saturday, 27 September, the Holy Father received in audience:
-
Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops;
-
Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio in Mexico;
-
Archbishop Giuseppe Pinto, apostolic nuncio in the Philippines;
-
Archbishop Francisco Montecillo Padilla, apostolic nuncio in Tanzania
Other
Pontifical Acts
Vatican
City, 27 September 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father has appointed Rev.
Salvatore Angerami as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Naples (area
274, population 1,744,000, Catholics 1,715,000, priests 1,053,
permanent deacons 292, religious 3,413), Italy. The bishop-elect was
born in Naples, Italy in 1956 and was ordained a priest in 1997. He
studied engineering at the University “Federico II” of Naples and
exercised the profession of engineer for some years before
undertaking theological and philosophical studies at the
archiepiscopal seminary of Naples. He has served in a number of
pastoral roles, including parish priest of San Gennaro al Vomero,
archiepiscopal delegate for buildings of worship, ordinary confessor
and spiritual father of the preparatory community of the
archiepiscopal major seminary, member of the diocesan council for
economic affairs, and member of the Commission of Religious Art. He
is currently rector of the archiepiscopal seminary of Naples.
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