SUMMARY:
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Pope Francis' general audience: Albania, example of resurgence of the
Church
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The Pope calls for prayer for African countries in Ebola epidemic
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Pope Francis to the bishops of Ghana: the importance of the
healthcare apostolate
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Vatican City State legal authorities order house arrest for ex-nuncio
Jozef Wesolowski
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The Holy See: committed to working against climate change
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Audiences
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Other Pontifical Acts
______________________________________
Pope
Francis' general audience: Albania, example of resurgence of the
Church
Vatican
City, 24 September 2014 (VIS) – Pope Francis devoted today's
general audience to recounting last Sunday's trip to Albania. The
Holy Father confirmed that it was important to encourage this
population on the path to the peaceful co-existence of the different
religious components of society. “Indeed, the various religious
expressions have in common a path of life and the will to do good to
one's neighbour, without denying or diminishing their respective
identities”.
Francis
recalled his meeting with priests, consecrated persons, seminarians
and lay movements, as well as a number of elderly people who had
experienced, “in their own flesh, terrible persecutions”. “It
is precisely from the intimate union with Jesus, from the
relationship of love with Him, that these martyrs, like all martyrs,
found the strength to face the painful events that led them to
martyrdom … and it is the strength the Church finds in Christ's
love. A strength that supports us in moments of difficulty and
inspires our apostolic action today, to offer goodness and
forgiveness to all, and thereby bearing witness to God's mercy”.
The
Pontiff also mentioned the forty priests executed during the
communist dictatorship, for whom the cause for beatification is under
way. “They take their place among the hundreds of Christians –
and Muslims – assassinated, tortured, incarcerated and deported
simply because they believed in God. These were dark years, during
which religious freedom was razed to the ground and it was forbidden
to believe in God; thousands of churches and mosques were destroyed,
transformed into warehouses and cinemas for the propagation of
Marxist ideology, religious books were burnt, and parents were
forbidden from giving their children the religious names of their
ancestors. … Their blood was not shed in vain; it was the seed that
will bear the fruit of peace and fraternal collaboration. Today
Albania offers an example not only of the rebirth of the Church, but
also of peaceful co-existence between religions”.
The
Pope concluded by thanking the Lord for the trip, “which enabled me
to meet a courageous and strong population that has not given way to
suffering”. He encouraged the brothers and sisters of Albania to
“be brave and good, to build the present and the future of their
country and of Europe … and may the Virgin continue to guide the
path of this population of martyrs”.
The
Pope calls for prayer for African countries in Ebola epidemic
Vatican
City, 24 September 2014 (VIS) – At the end of today's general
audience, the Holy Father greeted the faithful in various languages,
as usual. Before the greetings in Italian, he launched an appeal for
the countries in Africa that suffer as a result of the Ebola
epidemic. Pope Francis assured his closeness to the many people
affected by this virus and invited the faithful to pray for them and
for those who have tragically lost their lives. “I hope that there
will be no shortage of necessary help from the international
community to alleviate the suffering of our brothers and sisters”.
Pope
Francis to the bishops of Ghana: the importance of the healthcare
apostolate
Vatican
City, 24 September 2014 (VIS) – The tragedy of the Ebola outbreak
and the healthcare apostolate, the need for testimony of integrity in
the face of corruption, and ecumenical cooperation were the main
themes of the written discourse the Holy Father handed to the bishops
of the Ghana Bishops' Conference yesterday afternoon, at the end of
their five-yearly “ad Limina” visit.
In
the document, the Pope comments that “The 2009 Synod on Africa
noted as a principal concern the need for the Church's pastors to
'inspire in Christ's disciples in Africa the will to become
effectively committed to living out the Gospel in their daily lives
and in society … and to obery Christ who calls constantly for
metanoia, for conversion'”.
In
this regard, he notes that “The work of conversion and
evangelisation is not easy, but it bears precious fruit for the
Church and the world. Out of the spiritual vitality of all the
faithful come the Church's numerous charitable, medical and
educational endeavours, and her works of justice and equality. The
varied services, carried out in God's name, especially for the poor
and weak, are the responsibility of the entire local Church, under
the prayerful oversight of the bishop. I think in a particular way
about the importance of the Church's healthcare apostolate, not only
in Ghana, but throughout western Africa, which is suffering at this
time from the outbreak of Ebola. I pray for the repose of the souls
of all who have died in this epidemic, among whom are priests, men
and women religious and healthcare workers who contracted this
terrible disease while caring for those suffering. May God strengthen
all healthcare workers there and bring an end to this tragedy”.
He
continues, “The Church in Ghana is justly respected for the
contribution she makes to the integral development of individuals and
the entire nation. At the same time, she often finds herself lacking
in the material resources necessary to fulfil her mission in the
world. In this regard, I would offer you two thoughts. First, it is
imperative that whatever temporal means the Church has at her
disposal continue to be administered with honesty and responsibility,
in order to provide good witness, especially where corruption has
hindered the just advancement of society. … Second, material
poverty can be an occasion to draw greater attention to the spiritual
needs of the human person, thus leading to a deeper reliance on the
Lord, from whom all good things come. While your communities rightly
make many efforts to alleviate extremes of poverty, so too the Church
is called, in imitation of Christ, to work with humility and honesty,
using the goods at her disposal to open minds and hearts to the
riches of mercy and grace flowing from the heart of Christ”.
Finally,
the Pope advises the bishops, “Be close to other Christian leaders
and the heads of other religious communities. Ecumenical and
interreligious cooperation, when carried out with respect and an open
heart, contribute to the social harmony of your country, and enable
growth in understanding of the dignity of each person and a greater
experience of our common humanity. Thankfully, Ghana has been spared
many of the tribal, ethnic and religious divisions that have
afflicted too many other parts of Africa, a continent whose promise,
in part due to these divisions, has yet to be fulfilled. I pray that
you will be ever greater promoters of unity and leaders in the
service of dialogue. May you be firm in upholding the Church's
teaching and discipline, and unyielding in your charity. And may your
generosity in offering Christ be matched only by your humble and
patient openness to others”.
Vatican
City State legal authorities order house arrest for ex-nuncio Jozef
Wesolowski
Vatican
City, 24 September 2014 (VIS) – The director of the Holy See Press
Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., gave the following declaration
yesterday afternoon:
“Today
the promoter of Justice of the Vatican City State Court of First
Instance summoned the ex-nuncio Jozef Wesolowski, in relation to whom
a criminal investigation has been initiated. The former prelate –
previously convicted in the first instance by the Congregation of the
Doctrine of the Faith and reduced to lay status following a canonical
penal administrative trial – has been informed of the indictment of
the proceedings against him for serious acts of abuse against minors
carried out in the Dominican Republic. The seriousness of the
allegations has prompted the investigating office to impose
restrictive measures that, in view of the state of health of the
accused, attested to by medical documentation, consists of house
arrest with its related limitations, in a location within Vatican
City State.
“The
initiative taken by the Vatican legal authorities is consistent with
the wish expressed by the Pope that such a serious and delicate case
be addressed without delay, with the just and necessary rigour, with
the full assumption of responsibility on the part of the institutions
governed by the Holy See”.
The
Holy See: committed to working against climate change
Vatican
City, 24 September 2014 (VIS) – Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro
Parolin spoke at the Climate Summit held in New York, U.S.A.
yesterday afternoon. Faced with the great risks and socio-economic
costs of inertia in relation to this problem, he remarked, “prudence
must prevail, which requires thoughtful deliberations based on an
accurate analysis of the impact our actions will have on the future.
This requires a great political and economic commitment on the part
of the international community, to which the Holy See wishes to make
its own contribution, being aware that 'the gift of knowledge helps
us not to fall into attitudes of excess or error'”.
The
cardinal went on to emphasise the responsibility of States “to
protect the world climate by means of mitigation and adaptation
measures, as well as by sharing technologies and 'know-how'. But
above all they have a shared responsibility to protect our planet and
the human family, ensuring present and future generations have the
possibility of living in a safe and worthy environment”. He also
mentioned the efforts made by Vatican City State to reduce the
consumption of fossil fuels through diversification and energy
efficiency projects, but added that “talking about emission
reductions is useless if we are not ready to change our lifestyle and
the current dominant models of consumption and production”. The
Holy See, he concluded, “commits itself to this end, so that in
this work the international community may be guided by the ethical
imperative to act, inspired by the principles of solidarity and the
promotion of the common good, in the knowledge that 'the dignity of
each human person and the pursuit of the common good are concerns
which ought to shape all economic policies'”.
Audiences
Vatican
City, 24 September 2014 (VIS) – Yesterday afternoon, 23 September,
the Holy Father received in audience Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor,
archbishop emeritus of Westminster, Great Britain.
Other
Pontifical Acts
Vatican
City, 24 September 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father has appointed:
-
Bishop Fernando Bascope Muller, S.D.B., auxiliary of the diocese of
El Alto, as military ordinary for Bolivia (priests 36, permanent
deacons 4, religious 28).
-
Bishop Oscar Omar Aparicio Cespedes, as metropolitan archbishop of
Cochabamba (area 32,306, population 1,732,000, Catholics 1,593,000,
priests 316, permanent deacons 32, religious 1,267), Bolivia,
transferring him from the office of military ordinary of Bolivia.
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Bishop Jose Ronaldo Ribeiro of Janauba, Brazil, as bishop of Formosa
(area 47,604, population 346,760, Catholics 257,000, priests 35,
religious 47), Brazil.
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