SUMMARY:
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The Pope speaks with journalists on the flight to Manila
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Francis praises the heroic strength of the Filipino people in the
face of natural disasters
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Pope Francis celebrates Mass in the Cathedral of Manila
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To families: be aware of your calling as Jesus' missionary disciples
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Conclusion of the meeting of presidents of Doctrinal Commissions
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Other Pontifical Acts
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The
Pope speaks with journalists on the flight to Manila
Vatican
City, 15 January 2015 (VIS) – Following the first part of his
seventh apostolic trip, on the flight from Colombo to Manila, Pope
Francis spent forty minutes answering questions posed by the
journalists who accompanied him on a number of issues relating not
only to his trip to Sri Lanka and the Philippines, but also the
attacks in Paris, freedom of worship and expression, security on
papal trips and his forthcoming encyclical. This latter, he said, is
likely to be completed around the end of March and published in June
or July.
The
following is a summary of some of the Pope's answers.
On
suicide and kamikaze attacks
“Behind
every suicide attack there is an element of human imbalance; I do not
know if this can be considered mental imbalance, but human. There is
something that does not function in this person. He is not balanced
in terms of the meaning of his life, of his own life and that of
others. He gives his life, but he does not do so in the right way.
Many people work – missionaries, for example – giving their own
lives, but constructively. This, instead, is self-destruction in
order to destroy”.
On
security during papal trips and terrorist threats
“The
best way to respond is with gentleness. To be gentle, humble. … I
worry about the safety of the faithful, and have spoken about this
with the Vatican security officials. … Am I afraid? I have a fault,
a large dose of recklessness … but I know that it is necessary to
take security measures, prudent but sure”.
On
freedom of worship and expression
“I
believe that these are both fundamental human rights. … We are
talking about Paris, let''s be clear. Everyone has the right to
practice their own religion freely, without offending. … One cannot
offend, make war and kill in the name of their religion, that is, in
God's name. What is happening shocks us. But let us think about how
many wars there have been in the name of religion, throughout
history. … We too are sinners in this respect. But we must not kill
in the God's name. This is an aberration. … Every person has not
only the freedom, the right, but also the duty to say what he or she
thinks in aid of the common good … but without offending. It is
true that one should not react violently, but if my friend insults my
mother he can expect a punch! It is normal, one should not provoke,
one should not insult other people's faith. There is a limit, and
there are limits to the freedom of expression”.
Francis
praises the heroic strength of the Filipino people in the face of
natural disasters
Vatican
City, 16 January 2015 (VIS) – This morning, local time, the Pope
paid a visit to the Presidential Palace, where he signed the Golden
Book and then proceeded to the Music Room, where he was received by
Benigno Simeon Conjuangco Aquino III, president of the Republic of
the Philippines and his family. Forty-five minutes later the Pope
addressed the authorities and the diplomatic corps in the Rizal
Ceremonial Hall.
“In
a particular way, this visit is meant to express my closeness to our
brothers and sisters who endured the suffering, loss and devastation
caused by Typhoon Yolanda”, he began. “Together with many people
throughout the world, I have admired the heroic strength, faith and
resilience demonstrated by so many Filipinos in the face of this
natural disaster, and so many others. Those virtues, rooted not least
in the hope and solidarity instilled by Christian faith, gave rise to
an outpouring of goodness and generosity, especially on the part of
so many of the young. In that moment of national crisis, countless
people came to the aid of their neighbours in need. At great
sacrifice, they gave of their time and resources, creating networks
of mutual help and working for the common good.
“This
example of solidarity in the work of rebuilding teaches us an
important lesson”, he continued. “Like a family, every society
draws on its deepest resources in order to face new challenges. Today
the Philippines, together with many other countries in Asia, faces
the challenge of building on solid foundations a modern society – a
society respectful of authentic human values, protective of our
God-given human dignity and rights, and ready to confront new and
complex political and ethical questions. As many voices in your
nation have pointed out, it is now, more than ever, necessary that
political leaders be outstanding for honesty, integrity and
commitment to the common good. In this way they will help preserve
the rich human and natural resources with which God has blessed this
country. Thus will they be able to marshal the moral resources needed
to face the demands of the present, and to pass on to coming
generations a society of authentic justice, solidarity and peace”.
Essential
to the attainment of these national goals, he explained, “is the
moral imperative of ensuring social justice and respect for human
dignity. The great biblical tradition enjoins on all peoples the duty
to hear the voice of the poor. It bids us break the bonds of
injustice and oppression which give rise to glaring, and indeed
scandalous, social inequalities. Reforming the social structures
which perpetuate poverty and the exclusion of the poor first requires
a conversion of mind and heart. The bishops of the Philippines have
asked that this year be set aside as the 'Year of the Poor'. I hope
that this prophetic summons will challenge everyone, at all levels of
society, to reject every form of corruption which diverts resources
from the poor, and inspire concerted efforts to ensure the inclusion
of every man and woman and child in the life of the community”.
A
fundamental role in the renewal of society is played “by the family
and especially by young people. A highlight of my visit will be my
meetings with families and with young people here in Manila. Families
have an indispensable mission in society. It is in the family that
children are trained in sound values, high ideals and genuine concern
for others. But like all God’s gifts, the family can also be
disfigured and destroyed. It needs our support. We know how difficult
it is for our democracies today to preserve and defend such basic
human values as respect for the inviolable dignity of each human
person, respect for the rights of conscience and religious freedom,
and respect for the inalienable right to life, beginning with that of
the unborn and extending to that of the elderly and infirm. For this
reason, families and local communities must be encouraged and
assisted in their efforts to transmit to our young the values and the
vision which can help bring about a culture of integrity – one
which honours goodness, truthfulness, fidelity and solidarity as the
firm foundation and the moral glue which holds society together.
“Mr
President, distinguished authorities, dear friends, as I begin my
visit to this country, I cannot fail to mention the Philippines’
important role in fostering understanding and cooperation among the
countries of Asia. I would also mention the oft-neglected yet real
contribution of Filipinos of the diaspora to the life and welfare of
the societies in which they live. It is precisely in the light of the
rich cultural and religious heritage of which your country is proud
that I leave you with a challenge and a word of prayerful
encouragement. May the deepest spiritual values of the Filipino
people continue to find expression in your efforts to provide your
fellow citizens with an integral human development. In this way, each
person will be able to fulfil his or her potential, and thus
contribute wisely and well to the future of this country. I am
confident that the praiseworthy efforts to promote dialogue and
cooperation between the followers of the different religions will
prove fruitful in the pursuit of this noble goal. In a particular
way, I express my trust that the progress made in bringing peace to
the south of the country will result in just solutions in accord with
the nation’s founding principles and respectful of the inalienable
rights of all, including the indigenous peoples and religious
minorities”.
Following
his address, Pope Francis proceeded by car to the Cathedral of
Manila.
Pope
Francis celebrates Mass in the Cathedral of Manila
Vatican
City, 16 January 2015 (VIS) – The Holy Father made the
five-kilometre journey from the Presidential Palace to the Cathedral
of Manila by car, arriving shortly before 11 a.m. The Cathedral,
dedicated to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, is considered the
mother of all the churches of the Philippines. The current structure
dates from the 1950s when the status of Minor Basilica was granted by
St. John Paul II, but the Cathedral has been rebuilt eight times
since its initial construction in 1581. It has been destroyed by a
typhoon, a fire, various earthquakes, and bombing during the Second
World War. It was rebuilt entirely as a result of private donations
from major businesses and from the faithful. Closed since 2012, it
reopened in April 2014 with a solemn celebration by Cardinal Luis
Antonio G. Tagle, archbishop of Manila, attended by senior state
figures including the president of the Republic, Benigno Aquino III.
The
Pope celebrated Mass with the bishops, priests, religious and
seminarians of the Philippines, during which he pronounced the
following homily:
“'Do
you love me? … Tend my sheep'. Jesus’ words to Peter in today’s
Gospel are the first words I speak to you, dear brother bishops and
priests, men and women religious, and young seminarians. These words
remind us of something essential. All pastoral ministry is born of
love. All pastoral ministry is born of love! All consecrated life is
a sign of Christ’s reconciling love. Like St. Therese, in the
variety of our vocations, each of us is called, in some way, to be
love in the heart of the Church.
“I
greet all of you with great affection. And I ask you to bring my
affection to all your elderly and infirm brothers and sisters, and to
all those who cannot join us today. As the Church in the Philippines
looks to the fifth centenary of its evangelisation, we feel gratitude
for the legacy left by so many bishops, priests and religious of past
generations. They laboured not only to preach the Gospel and build up
the Church in this country, but also to forge a society inspired by
the Gospel message of charity, forgiveness and solidarity in the
service of the common good. Today you carry on that work of love.
Like them, you are called to build bridges, to pasture Christ’s
flock, and to prepare fresh paths for the Gospel in Asia at the dawn
of a new age.
“'The
love of Christ impels us'. In today’s first reading Saint Paul
tells us that the love we are called to proclaim is a reconciling
love, flowing from the heart of the crucified Saviour. We are called
to be 'ambassadors for Christ'. Ours is a ministry of reconciliation.
We proclaim the Good News of God’s infinite love, mercy and
compassion. We proclaim the joy of the Gospel. For the Gospel is the
promise of God’s grace, which alone can bring wholeness and healing
to our broken world. It can inspire the building of a truly just and
redeemed social order.
“To
be an ambassador for Christ means above all to invite everyone to a
renewed personal encounter with the Lord Jesus. Our personal
encounter with Him. This invitation must be at the core of your
commemoration of the evangelisation of the Philippines. But the
Gospel is also a summons to conversion, to an examination of our
consciences, as individuals and as a people. As the Bishops of the
Philippines have rightly taught, the Church in the Philippines is
called to acknowledge and combat the causes of the deeply rooted
inequality and injustice which mar the face of Filipino society,
plainly contradicting the teaching of Christ. The Gospel calls
individual Christians to live lives of honesty, integrity and concern
for the common good. But it also calls Christian communities to
create 'circles of integrity', networks of solidarity which can
expand to embrace and transform society by their prophetic witness.
“The
poor. The poor are at the centre of the Gospel, are at heart of the
Gospel, and if we take away the poor from the Gospel we cannot
understand the whole message of Jesus Christ. As ambassadors for
Christ, we, bishops, priests and religious, ought to be the first to
welcome his reconciling grace into our hearts. St. Paul makes clear
what this means. It means rejecting worldly perspectives and seeing
all things anew in the light of Christ. It means being the first to
examine our consciences, to acknowledge our failings and sins, and to
embrace the path of constant conversion, every day conversion. How
can we proclaim the newness and liberating power of the Cross to
others, if we ourselves refuse to allow the word of God to shake our
complacency, our fear of change, our petty compromises with the ways
of this world, our 'spiritual worldliness'?
“For
us, priests and consecrated persons, conversion to the newness of the
Gospel entails a daily encounter with the Lord in prayer. The saints
teach us that this is the source of all apostolic zeal. For
religious, living the newness of the Gospel also means finding ever
anew in community life and community apostolates the incentive for an
ever closer union with the Lord in perfect charity. For all of us, it
means living lives that reflect the poverty of Christ, whose entire
life was focused on doing the will of the Father and serving others.
The great danger to this, of course, is a certain materialism which
can creep into our lives and compromise the witness we offer. Only by
becoming poor ourselves, by becoming poor ourselves, by stripping
away our complacency, will we be able to identify with the least of
our brothers and sisters. We will see things in a new light and thus
respond with honesty and integrity to the challenge of proclaiming
the radicalism of the Gospel in a society which has grown comfortable
with social exclusion, polarisation and scandalous inequality.
“Here
I would like to say address a special word to the young priests,
religious and seminarians among us. I ask you to share the joy and
enthusiasm of your love for Christ and the Church with everyone, but
especially with your peers. Be present to young people who may be
confused and despondent, yet continue to see the Church as their
friend on the journey and a source of hope. Be present to those who,
living in the midst of a society burdened by poverty and corruption,
are broken in spirit, tempted to give up, to leave school and to live
on the streets. Proclaim the beauty and truth of the Christian
message to a society which is tempted by confusing presentations of
sexuality, marriage and the family. As you know, these realities are
increasingly under attack from powerful forces which threaten to
disfigure God’s plan for creation and betray the very values which
have inspired and shaped all that is best in your culture.
“Filipino
culture has, in fact, been shaped by the imagination of faith.
Filipinos everywhere are known for their love of God, their fervent
piety and their warm devotion to Our Lady and her rosary; their love
of God, their fervent piety and their warm devotion to Our Lady and
her rosary! This great heritage contains a powerful missionary
potential. It is the way in which your people has inculturated the
Gospel and continues to embrace its message. In your efforts to
prepare for the fifth centenary, build on this solid foundation.
“Christ
died for all so that, having died in him, we might live no longer for
ourselves but for him. Dear brother bishops, priests and religious: I
ask Mary, Mother of the Church, to obtain for all of you an
outpouring of zeal, so that you may spend yourselves in selfless
service to our brothers and sisters. In this way, may the reconciling
love of Christ penetrate ever more fully into the fabric of Filipino
society and, through you, to the farthest reaches of the world”.
Following
the Mass Pope Francis visited a house belonging to the Tulay ny
Kabataan Foundation, which provides assistance to street children. He
conversed with around three hundred of the children during his
twenty-minute visit, during which he was moved by their gifts and
displays of affection. He then returned to the apostolic nunciature
to dine and to take an hour's rest.
To
families: be aware of your calling as Jesus' missionary disciples
Vatican
City, 16 January 2015 (VIS) – At 5 p.m. local time the Pope
proceeded to the Mall of Asia Arena to meet with families, the third
scheduled event in his visit to the Filipino capital. He made the
six-kilometre journey in the Popemobile so as to be able to greet the
multitude of faithful who lined the streets. The Mall of Asia Arena
is an indoor sports stadium, opened in 2012 and able to hold twenty
thousand people, and belongs to the SM chain of shopping centres
which broadcast the meeting with the Pope live to all its cinemas.
The songs, testimonies, readings and floral tributes to the Holy
Father were the culminating moments of the event, during which he
addressed a discourse to those present.
“Dear
families, dear friends in Christ, I am grateful for your presence
here this evening and for the witness of your love for Jesus and his
Church. I thank Bishop Reyes, chairman of the Bishops’ Commission
on Family and Life, for his words of welcome on your behalf. And, in
a special way, I thank those who have presented testimonies and have
shared their life of faith with us.
“The
Scriptures seldom speak of St. Joseph, but when they do, we often
find him resting, as an angel reveals God’s will to him in his
dreams. In the Gospel passage we have just heard, we find Joseph
resting not once, but twice. This evening I would like to rest in the
Lord with all of you, and to reflect with you on the gift of the
family.
“Joseph’s
rest revealed God’s will to him. In this moment of rest in the
Lord, as we pause from our many daily obligations and activities, God
is also speaking to us. He speaks to us in the reading we have just
heard, in our prayer and witness, and in the quiet of our hearts. Let
us reflect on what the Lord is saying to us, especially in this
evening’s Gospel. There are three aspects of this passage which I
would ask you to consider: resting in the Lord, rising with Jesus and
Mary, and being a prophetic voice.
“Resting
in the Lord. Rest is so necessary for the health of our minds and
bodies, and often so difficult to achieve due to the many demands
placed on us. But rest is also essential for our spiritual health, so
that we can hear God’s voice and understand what he asks of us.
Joseph was chosen by God to be the foster father of Jesus and the
husband of Mary. As Christians, you too are called, like Joseph, to
make a home for Jesus. You make a home for him in your hearts, your
families, your parishes and your communities.
“To
hear and accept God’s call, to make a home for Jesus, you must be
able to rest in the Lord. You must make time each day for prayer. But
you may say to me: Holy Father, I want to pray, but there is so much
work to do! I must care for my children; I have chores in the home; I
am too tired even to sleep well. This may be true, but if we do not
pray, we will not know the most important thing of all: God’s will
for us. And for all our activity, our busy-ness, without prayer we
will accomplish very little.
“Resting
in prayer is especially important for families. It is in the family
that we first learn how to pray. There we come to know God, to grow
into men and women of faith, to see ourselves as members of God’s
greater family, the Church. In the family we learn how to love, to
forgive, to be generous and open, not closed and selfish. We learn to
move beyond our own needs, to encounter others and share our lives
with them. That is why it is so important to pray as a family! That
is why families are so important in God’s plan for the Church!
“Next,
rising with Jesus and Mary. Those precious moments of repose, of
resting with the Lord in prayer, are moments we might wish to
prolong. But like St. Joseph, once we have heard God’s voice, we
must rise from our slumber; we must get up and act. Faith does not
remove us from the world, but draws us more deeply into it. Each of
us, in fact, has a special role in preparing for the coming of God’s
kingdom in our world.
“Just
as the gift of the Holy Family was entrusted to Saint Joseph, so the
gift of the family and its place in God’s plan is entrusted to us.
The angel of the Lord revealed to Joseph the dangers which threatened
Jesus and Mary, forcing them to flee to Egypt and then to settle in
Nazareth. So too, in our time, God calls upon us to recognize the
dangers threatening our own families and to protect them from harm.
“The
pressures on family life today are many. Here in the Philippines,
countless families are still suffering from the effects of natural
disasters. The economic situation has caused families to be separated
by migration and the search for employment, and financial problems
strain many households. While all too many people live in dire
poverty, others are caught up in materialism and lifestyles which are
destructive of family life and the most basic demands of Christian
morality. The family is also threatened by growing efforts on the
part of some to redefine the very institution of marriage, by
relativism, by the culture of the ephemeral, by a lack of openness to
life.
“Our
world needs good and strong families to overcome these threats! The
Philippines need holy and loving families to protect the beauty and
truth of the family in God’s plan and to be a support and example
for other families. Every threat to the family is a threat to society
itself. The future of humanity, as St. John Paul II often said,
passes through the family. So protect your families! See in them your
country’s greatest treasure and nourish them always by prayer and
the grace of the sacraments. Families will always have their trials,
but may you never add to them! Instead, be living examples of love,
forgiveness and care. Be sanctuaries of respect for life, proclaiming
the sacredness of every human life from conception to natural death.
What a gift this would be to society, if every Christian family lived
fully its noble vocation! So rise with Jesus and Mary, and set out on
the path the Lord traces for each of you.
“Finally,
the Gospel we have heard reminds us of our Christian duty to be
prophetic voices in the midst of our communities. Joseph listened to
the angel of the Lord and responded to God’s call to care for Jesus
and Mary. In this way he played his part in God’s plan, and became
a blessing not only for the Holy Family, but a blessing for all of
humanity. With Mary, Joseph served as a model for the boy Jesus as he
grew in wisdom, age and grace. When families bring children into the
world, train them in faith and sound values, and teach them to
contribute to society, they become a blessing in our world. God’s
love becomes present and active by the way we love and by the good
works that we do. We extend Christ’s kingdom in this world. And in
doing this, we prove faithful to the prophetic mission which we have
received in baptism.
“During
this year which your bishops have set aside as the Year of the Poor,
I would ask you, as families, to be especially mindful of our call to
be missionary disciples of Jesus. This means being ready to go beyond
your homes and to care for our brothers and sisters who are most in
need. I ask you especially to show concern for those who do not have
a family of their own, in particular those who are elderly and
children without parents. Never let them feel isolated, alone and
abandoned, but help them to know that God has not forgotten them. You
may be poor yourselves in material ways, but you have an abundance of
gifts to offer when you offer Christ and the community of his Church.
Do not hide your faith, do not hide Jesus, but carry him into the
world and offer the witness of your family life!
“Dear
friends in Christ, know that I pray for you always! I pray that the
Lord may continue to deepen your love for him, and that this love may
manifest itself in your love for one another and for the Church. Pray
often and take the fruits of your prayer into the world, that all may
know Jesus Christ and his merciful love. Please pray also for me, for
I truly need your prayers and will depend on them always”.
Following
the meeting, the Pope retired to the apostolic nunciature, where he
dined privately and spent his second night in the Philippines.
Conclusion
of the meeting of presidents of Doctrinal Commissions
Vatican
City, 16 January 2015 (VIS) – From 13 to 15 January the superiors
of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith met with the
presidents or representatives of the Doctrinal Commissions of the
European Episcopal Conferences at the St. Adalbert Centre in
Esztergom, Hungary. It was attended by, among others, Cardinal
Gerhard L. Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith, Archbishop Luis F. Ladaria S.J., secretary of the same
dicastery, and representatives of the various doctrinal commissions.
The
meeting began with the reading of a letter from Pope Francis
addressed to the participants, in which he emphasised that the
initiative sought to enhance the role of local Episcopates, and in
particular their Doctrinal Commissions, “in their responsibility
for the unity and integrity of the faith” and its transmission to
the young. With reference his apostolic exhortation “Evangelii
Gaudium”, the Pope expresses in his letter his hope that the
meeting will will contribute to finding a collegial solution to the
many doctrinal and pastoral difficulties that exist in present-day
Europe, and inspire in the faithful “a new missionary zeal and
greater openness to the transcendent dimension of life, without which
Europe risks losing the very 'humanistic spirit' that it loves and
defends”.
During
the three-day meeting, which was characterised by cordiality and a
spirit of affective and effective collegiality, a number of issues
were considered in relation to the unicity and salvific universality
of Jesus Christ and the proclamation of the Gospel as the primary
task of the Church in Europe, questions posed by gender theory,
Christian anthropology and religious freedom, and the practical
issues linked to the new evangelisation, the sacrament of
reconciliation and the functioning of the Doctrinal Commission.
Other
Pontifical Acts
Vatican
City, 16 January 2015 (VIS) – The Holy Father has appointed:
-
Fr. José Maria Balina as auxiliary of Buenos Aires (area 203,
population 2,944,000, Catholics 2,696,000, priests 782, permanent
deacons 10, religious 1,951), Argentina. The bishop-elect was born in
Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1959, and was ordained a priest in 1989.
He has served as parish vicar in the parishes of “Inmaculada
Concepcion”, “San Pablo Apostol”, and “La Sagrada
Eucaristia”, and parish priest of the parishes of “Resurreccion
del Senor” and “San Isidro Labrador”. He is a member of the
presbyteral council of the archdiocese of Buenos Aires,
-
Bishop Nicholas James Samra of Newton of the Greek-Melkites, U.S.A.,
as apostolic administrator “sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis”
of the eparchy of Nuestra Senora del Paraiso en Mexico of the
Greek-Melkites.
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