SUMMARY:
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POPE'S TELEGRAM FOR THE THREE NUNS KILLED IN BURUNDI
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INTERNATIONAL MEETING FOR PEACE: WE CANNOT BE INDIFFERENT TO WAR
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ANGELUS: THE STEPS OF FRATERNAL CORRECTION
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NEW APPEAL FOR PEACE IN UKRAINE
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THE POPE WRITES TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC
BISHOPS OF CUBA: REJOICE, RISE AND PERSEVERE
-
THE POPE TO THE BISHOPS OF CAMEROON: EVANGELISATION IS CLOSELY LINKED
TO HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
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28 SEPTEMBER: DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE SYNOD ON THE FAMILY
-
CARDINAL ORTEGA Y ALAMINO, POPE'S SPECIAL ENVOY TO THE ANNIVERSARY OF
THE “MOTHER CHURCH OF NORTH AMERICA”
-
AUDIENCES
-
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
______________________________________
POPE'S
TELEGRAM FOR THE THREE NUNS KILLED IN BURUNDI
Vatican
City, 8 September 2014 (VIS) – Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro
Parolin has sent a telegram of condolences on behalf of the Holy
Father to Archbishop Evariste Ngoyagoye of Bujumbura, Burundi, for
the killing of three Italian Xaverian Missionary sisters yesterday,
Sunday 7 September, in their convent in Kamenge, north of the capital
Bujumbura.
Cardinal
Parolin writes, “His Holiness Pope Francis has learned with great
sadness of the murder of three nuns, Sister Bernadetta Bogiann,
Sister Lucia Pulici and Sister Olga Raschietti, who were in the
pastoral service of the parish of Saint Guido Maria Conforti in
Bujumbura. The Holy Father begs the Lord to welcome into his kingdom
of peace and light these three faithful and devout nuns. In these
tragic circumstances, he expresses his closeness to their religious
community, to the families of the victims, and the entire diocesan
community. He imparts the comfort of a heartfelt and affectionate
apostolic blessing to all those affected by their sudden loss. I join
the Holy Father in offering my condolences and wish to assure those
close to the departed Sisters of my fervent prayers”.
The
Secretary of State also sent another telegram to Sister Ines Frizza,
superior general of the Xaverian Missionary Sisters of Mary, in which
he expresses his sadness for the tragic death of the missionaries and
“assures his heartfelt participation in the profound suffering of
the Congregation for the loss of such dedicated sisters”. The Holy
Father, “in the hope that the blood they have shed may become the
seed of hope to build true fraternity between peoples, raises fervent
prayers for the eternal repose of their souls and for their generous
witness of the Gospel. To their families, the entire Institute and
those who mourn their loss, he imparts the comfort of his apostolic
blessing”, the Cardinal concludes.
INTERNATIONAL
MEETING FOR PEACE: WE CANNOT BE INDIFFERENT TO WAR
Vatican
City, 8 September 2014 (VIS) – This Sunday the Holy Father sent a
video message to all the representatives of the Christian Churches,
ecclesial communities and all heads of world religions who will meet
in the Belgian city of Antwerp from 7 to 9 September for the
International Meeting for Peace organised by the Sant'Egidio
Community. This year's theme, “Peace is the Future”, commemorates
the dramatic outbreak of the First World War one hundred years ago,
and evokes a future in which mutual respect, dialogue and cooperation
will help banish the sinister phantom of armed conflict.
“In
these days, in which many people throughout the world need help to
find the way to peace, this anniversary teaches us that war is never
a satisfactory means of redressing injustice or reaching balanced
solutions to social and political discord. In the final analysis
every war, as Pope Benedict XV stated in 1917, is a 'useless
massacre'. War drags populations into a spiral of violence that is
then shown to be difficult to control; it demolishes what generations
have worked to build and paves the way for injustice and even worse
conflicts”.
Pope
Francis stressed that “we cannot remain passive” when faced with
“the innumerable conflicts and wars, declared and undeclared, that
nowadays afflict the human family and ruin the lives of the youngest
and of the elderly, poisoning long-standing relationships of
co-existence between different ethnic groups and religions”. He
remarked that with the power of prayer “our various religious
traditions are able, in the the spirit of Assisi, to offer a
contribution to peace. … I hope that these days of prayer and
dialogue will serve to remind us that the search for peace and
understanding through prayer can create lasting bonds of unity and
prevail over the passions of war. War is never necessary, nor is it
inevitable. There is always an alternative: the path of dialogue,
encounter and the sincere search for truth”.
“The
moment has arrived for the heads of all religions to cooperate
effectively in the task of healing wounds, of resolving conflicts and
seeking peace. Peace is the sure sign of commitment to God's cause”.
The Pontiff concluded by encouraging all those present to be
“builders of peace” and to convert communities into “schools of
respect and dialogue with those of other ethnic or religious groups,
places in which we learn to overcome tensions, promote equitable and
peaceful relations among peoples and social groups, and build a
better future for the generations to come”.
ANGELUS:
THE STEPS OF FRATERNAL CORRECTION
Vatican
City, 7 September 2014 (VIS) – Fraternal correction, as it is
presented by St. Matthew in this Sunday's Gospel reading, was the
theme of the Pope's reflection during today's Angelus, at midday.
“Jesus teaches us that if my Christian brother wrongs me or offends
me, I must be charitable towards him and, first of all, speak to him
personally, explaining that what he has said or done is not good. And
what if my brother does not listen to me? Jesus suggests a way of
intervening gradually: first, to speak to him again with another two
or three people, so that he is more aware of the mistake he has made.
If, in spite of this, he does not accept this exhortation, it is
necessary to tell the community, and if he does not even listen to
the community, then we have to let him know of the fracture and
detachment that he himself has caused, by failing in communion with
his brothers and sisters in the faith”.
“The
steps in this itinerary show the strength that the Lord asks of the
community to support those who err, so that they are not lost. Above
all it is necessary to avoid the clamour of news and gossip in the
community. The attitude must be that of gentleness, prudence,
humility and care in relation to those who have erred, avoiding words
that may harm or kill our brother. Because even words can kill! When
I gossip or when I unjustly criticise, when I curse a brother with my
tongue, this means destroying the reputation of the other person. …
At the same time, this discretion in speaking to him alone has the
aim of not pointlessly mortifying the sinner. … In view of this
need, we can understand the following series of interventions, which
include the involvement of other witnesses and finally even the
community. The aim is to help the person to understand what they have
done, and to be aware that they have thereby offended not just one
person, but everyone. But it also helps us to rid ourselves of anger
and resentment … that bitterness of the heart that leads to anger
and resentment leads us to insult and offend. It is very unpleasant
to see insults and aggression from a Christian. … To insult is not
Christian”.
“In
reality”, he continued, “before the Lord we are all sinners and
all in need of forgiveness. All of us. Indeed, Jesus told us not to
judge. Fraternal correction is an aspect of the love and the
communion that should reign in the Christian community; it is a
mutual service that we can and must render to each other … and it
is possible and effective only if each person recognises himself as a
sinner and in need of the Lord's forgiveness. The same awareness that
enables me to recognise the errors of the other, first of all reminds
me that I myself have made, and make mistakes, many times”.
“Therefore,
at the beginning of Mass, we are invited each time to acknowledge
ourselves as sinners before the Lord, expressing with words and
gestures the sincere repentance of the heart”, he concluded. “And
Jesus Himself invites all of us, saints and sinners, to his table,
bringing us together at the various crossroads in in the different
situations of our lives. And among the conditions that unite all the
participants in the Eucharistic celebration, two are fundamental: we
are all sinners, and God offers His mercy to us all”.
NEW
APPEAL FOR PEACE IN UKRAINE
Vatican
City, 7 September 2014 (VIS) – After today's Angelus prayer, the
Pope launched an appeal for peace in Ukraine. “In recent days,
significant steps have been taken to reach a truce in the regions
affected by the conflict in eastern Ukraine, even though today we
have received news that gives little cause for comfort”, he said.
“However”,
he added, “I hope that this may bring relief to the population and
contribute to efforts towards lasting peace. Let us pray that, in the
logic of encounter, the dialogue that has begun may continue and bear
the hoped-for fruit. Mary Queen of Peace, pray for us”.
He
also joined the bishops of Lesotho in making a plea for peace in
their country. “I condemn every act of violence and pray to the
Lord that the peace may be re-established in the Kingdom of Lesotho,
in justice and fraternity”.
Pope
Francis also recalled that this Sunday a convoy of thirty Italian Red
Cross volunteers leaves for Iraq, headed for the area of Dohuk near
Erbil, where there are tens of thousands of displaced Iraqis. “I
express my heartfelt appreciation for this generous and valid work,
and impart my blessing to all of them and all those who seek to offer
concrete assistance to our persecuted and oppressed brothers. May the
Lord bless you”.
Finally,
he commented that on Monday will be the liturgical feast of the
Nativity of Mary. “It means it would be her birthday. And what do
we do when our it is our mother's birthday? We greet her and offer
her our best wishes. Tomorrow remember, in the early morning, to
greet the Virgin from your heart, and say to her, 'Best wishes!'. And
say a Hail Mary from your heart, as a son or a daughter”.
THE
POPE WRITES TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS OF
CUBA: REJOICE, RISE AND PERSEVERE
Vatican
City, 6 September 2014 (VIS) – On 8 September, the festivity of the
Nativity of Mary, Cubans also celebrate the feast day of Our Lady of
Charity of El Cobre, the patroness of the island. To commemorate the
occasion, the Pope has written a letter to the metropolitan
archbishop of Santiago de Cuba, Dionisio Guillermo Garcia Ibanez,
president of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba (C.O.O.C.),
extensive extracts from which are published below:
“Every
time I read the Sacred Scripture, in the passages that speak about
Our Lady, three verbs come to my attention. I would like to pause and
look at these, with the intention of inviting the pastors and
faithful of Cuba to put them into practice.
“The
first is to rejoice. It was the first word that the Angel Gabriel
addressed to the Virgin: “Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with
you”. The life of those who have discovered Jesus is full of an
inner joy so great that nothing and no-one can take it away. Christ
gives his people the necessary strength not to be sad or overwhelmed,
thinking that their problems have no solution. Supported by this
truth, the Christian has no doubt that what is done with love
engenders a serene joy, the sister of the hope that breaks down the
barrier of fear and opens the doors to a promising future. … How
good it would be if all Cubans, especially the young, could say: “I
am a man of charity”; I live truly to love, and not to be trapped
in the vicious circle of an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. What
joy there is in loving authentically, in our daily actions, and not
with plentiful but empty words that amount to nothing”.
“The
second verb is to rise. St. Luke says that, with Jesus in her womb,
Mary rose and promptly went to help her kinswoman Elizabeth, who in
her old age was about to become a mother. She fulfilled God's will,
making herself available to anyone in need. She did not think of
herself, but instead overcame setbacks and gave herself to others.
Victory belongs to those who rise again and again, without giving up.
If we imitate Mary, we cannot do so while sitting down, merely
complaining, or even at times passing the buck to others rather than
facing our own responsibilities. … Mary was always with her people,
especially the least among them. She knew loneliness, poverty and
exile, and learned how to create fraternity and to make her home any
place where goodness grew. We implore her to give us a poor soul
without pride, a pure heart that sees God in the faces of the
disadvantaged, and unwavering patience that does not give up when
faced with the difficulties of life”.
“The
third verb is to persevere. Mary, who had experienced God's goodness,
proclaimed the greatness He had worked in her. … For this reason,
she stood by her Son, when everyone else had abandoned Him; she
prayed without fail alongside the apostles and other disciples, lest
they lose their mind. ...We too are called upon to continued in the
love of God and to continue loving our neighbours. In this world, in
which eternal values are discarded and everything is subject to
change, in which a throwaway mentality triumphs, and in which there
is fear of lifelong commitments, the Virgin encourages us to be men
and women constantly engaged in good work, who maintain their word,
who are always faithful”.
“Be
joyful and share this with those around you. Lift your heart and do
not succumb to adversity, stay on the path of good, tirelessly
helping those who are oppressed by sorrows and troubles. These are
the important lessons Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre teaches us, and
which are useful to us now and in the future”.
THE
POPE TO THE BISHOPS OF CAMEROON: EVANGELISATION IS CLOSELY LINKED TO
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Vatican
City, 6 September 2014 (VIS) – Today Pope Francis received the
prelates of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon at the end
of their five-yearly “ad limina” visit. At the end of the
audience the Pope expressed his encouragement and confidence in the
bishops, whose visit to Rome underlined the spirit of communion with
the Apostolic See, and handed them his written discourse, in which he
writes that “for the Gospel to profoundly touch and convert hearts,
we must remember that only our unity and love make it possible to
bear witness authentically and effectively”. “You must keep unity
and diversity closely linked in order to accommodate the human and
spiritual wealth of your dioceses, that is expressed in many ways”.
Pope
Francis mentioned the good collaboration between the Church, the
State and society in Cameroon, as shown recently by the signing of a
framework agreement between the Holy See and the Republic of
Cameroon, and invited the prelates to put this agreement in practice,
“so that legal recognition of many ecclesial institutions will
enable them to exercise greater influence, to the benefit not only of
the Church but also of the whole of society in Cameroon”. In this
context, he also referred to the considerable commitment on the part
of the local churches in social work, especially in the fields of
education, health and charity, that is recognised and appreciated by
the civil authorities and must be the fulcrum of “a fruitful
collaboration between the State and the Church, with full respect for
her freedom. Commitment to social work is an integral part of
evangelisation, as there is an intimate link between evangelisation
and human development, which must be expressed and developed in all
evangelising work”.
The
action of evangelisation will be more effective when the Gospel “is
truly lived by those who have received and profess it. This is how we
find the way of drawing to Christ those who do not yet know Him,
demonstrating the power of His love that is able to transform and
illuminate human life”. Given the significant presence of Muslims
in some dioceses, the Pope encouraged the bishops to “develop a
dialogue of life with them, in the spirit of mutual trust”, which
is now “essential to maintain a climate of peaceful co-existence
and to discourage the development of the violence that Christians are
victims of in certain regions of the African continent”.
He
continues, “Families, equally, must continue to be the focus of
your particular care, especially today as they experience grave
hardships – poverty, the displacement of peoples, lack of security,
the temptation to return to ancestral practices incompatible with the
Christian faith, or even new lifestyles promised by a secularised
world”.
It
is also essential that the clergy “offer witness to a life
inhabited by the Lord, coherent with the demands and the principles
of the Gospel”, he writes, inviting the prelates to be fathers
attentive to their priests, so that they are helped to avoid the
temptations of power, honours and money. “In relation to this
latter point, the negative example that may be given by poor
management of goods, personal enrichment or wastefulness will be
particularly scandalous in a region where many people lack basic
necessities”. Similarly, “the unity of the clergy is an
indispensable element in the witness to the risen Christ … and
which depends upon unity among bishops, who are often faced with the
same challenges and called upon to offer common and joint solutions,
as well as the unity of the 'presbyterium' that the Lord calls on us
to build every day, setting aside all forms of prejudice, especially
on the basis of ethnicity”.
The
Pontiff finally offers encouragement to consecrated persons, whose
life is “always a prophetic witness and model in matters of
reconciliation, justice and peace” and concludes by urging the
prelates of Cameroon not to fear difficulties and to continue to
proclaim the Good News with a renewed missionary spirit “to all
those who still await it or are most in need”.
28
SEPTEMBER: DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE SYNOD ON THE FAMILY
Vatican
City, 6 September 2014 (VIS) – According to a communique issued by
the Secretariat for the Synod of Bishops, Sunday 28 September will be
dedicated to prayer for the Third General Assembly of the Synod of
Bishops, to take place from 5 to 19 October on the theme “Pastoral
challenges to the family in the context of evangelisation”.
The
particular Churches, parish communities, Institutes of consecrated
life, associations and movements are invited to pray during
Eucharistic celebrations and other liturgical occasions in the days
preceding and during the work of the Synod.
In
Rome, there will be prayers every day in the Chapel of Salus Populii
Romani in the Basilica of St. Mary Major. The faithful, especially
families, may include this intention in their personal prayers, and
are recommended to pray the Rosary for the work of the Synod.
The
Secretariat of the Synod will shortly publish a leaflet in various
languages with the prayer of the Holy Family for the Synod, composed
by Pope Francis and with other suggested intentions for the prayers
of the faithful.
CARDINAL
ORTEGA Y ALAMINO, POPE'S SPECIAL ENVOY TO THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE
“MOTHER CHURCH OF NORTH AMERICA”
Vatican
City, 6 September 2014 (VIS) – A letter was published today,
written in Latin and dated 25 July 2014, by which the Holy Father
appoints Cardinal Jaime Lucas Ortega y Alamino, archbishop of Havana,
Cuba, as his special envoy to the celebration of the 350th
anniversary of the foundation of the parish of Notre Dame-de-Quebec,
Canada, the “mother Church of North America”, scheduled to take
place on 15 September.
The
members of the mission accompanying the Cardinal will be Msgr. Denis
Belanger, parish priest of Notre Dame-de-Quebec and rector of the
Basilica-Cathedral of the same name, and Rev. Pierre Gingras, parish
priest of St. John the Baptist and St. Dominic in Quebec City.
AUDIENCES
Vatican
City, 8 September 2014 (VIS) – Today the Holy Father received in
audience:
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Annette Schavan, new ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to
the Holy See, presenting her letters of credence.
-
Cardinal Gottfried Danneels, archbishop emeritus of Mechelen-Brussel,
Belgium.
-
Rev. Fr. Jose Ornelas Carvalho, superior general of the priests of
the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Dehonians).
-
Professor Matteo Truffelli, national president of Italian Catholic
Action.
-
Kenan Gursoy, ambassador of Turkey to the Holy See, on his farewell
visit.
On
Saturday, 6 September, the Holy Father received in audience:
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Cardinal Marc Ouellet, P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for
Bishops.
-
Tamar Grdzelidze, new ambassador of Georgia to the Holy See,
presenting her letters of credence.
OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican
City, 8 September 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father has accepted the
resignation from the pastoral care of the archdiocese of Armagh,
Ireland, presented by Cardinal Sean Baptist Brady, upon reaching the
age limit. He is succeeded by Archbishop Eamon Martin, formerly
coadjutor of the same diocese.
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