SUMMARY:
-
To the bishops of Lithuania: constructive dialogue with all,
closeness to the poor and assistance to those who emigrate
-
Angelus: the Gospel changes life
-
The Pope announces his visit to Sarajevo
-
Pope's Telegram to the new President of the Italian Republic
-
There is no humanity without cultivation of the land: Francis on the
central role of agriculture
-
Members and substitutes from the Episcopal Conferences for the 14th
Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
-
Assembly on “Women's cultures”
-
Audiences
-
Other Pontifical Acts
______________________________________
To
the bishops of Lithuania: constructive dialogue with all, closeness
to the poor and assistance to those who emigrate
Vatican
City, 2 February 2015 (VIS) - “You have come to Rome with your
youth, but also with your heroism. Indeed, among you there are some
young brothers, but mostly prelates who have experienced the sad
period of persecution. Thank you for your witness to Jesus Christ and
for your service to God's holy people”, writes the Holy Father in
the discourse handed out at the end of his audience with the
Lithuanian Bishops' Conference today, following their five-yearly “ad
Limina” visit.
“Lithuania
has always had pastors who are close to their flock and united with
them”, he continues. “Throughout the history of the nation, they
have accompanied their people with care, not only in their journey of
faith and in facing material difficulties, but also in the civil and
social construction of society; the foundations of its history and
identity are found in the strength of the Gospel and the love of the
Holy Mother of God. You are the heirs to this history, this heritage
of pastoral charity, and you show this with the energy of your
action, the communion you inspire and your perseverance in pursuing
the goals the Spirit indicates to you”.
“Dear
brothers, I know your apostolic labours. If for a long period the
Church in your country was oppressed by regimes based on ideologies
contrary to human dignity and freedom, today you must face others,
more insidious, such as secularism and relativism. Therefore,
alongside tireless proclamation of the Gospel and Christian values,
you must not forget to maintain constructive dialogue with all, even
those who do not belong to the Church or who are distant from
religious experience. Ensure that Christian communities are always
places of welcome, of open and constructive exchange, a stimulus for
society as a whole in the pursuit of the common good”.
Francis
does not overlook the ceaseless efforts and attention paid by the
Lithuanian bishops to the clergy, and he invites them to pray that
God might give them “generous priests capable of sacrifice and
devotion”, as well as “convinced laypersons who know how to take
responsibility within the ecclesial community and to make a valid
Christian contribution to civil society”, to be encouraged by the
bishops “with the strength of mature faith, in the civil, cultural,
political and social fields”.
The
Pope also remarks that the Church is engaged in reflection on the
beauty and value of the family, and the challenges it faces in our
time. He encourages the bishops, as pastors, to make their
contribution to “this great work of discernment”, and above all
to pay attention to the pastoral ministry of the family, so that
couples “feel the closeness of the Christian community and are
helped not to conform to the mentality of this world, but instead to
continually renew themselves in the spirit of the Gospel”. He adds,
“indeed, in your country, which is now a full member of the
European Union, is exposed to an influx of ideologies that seek to
introduce elements of destabilisation of families, the result of a
misunderstood sense of personal freedom. Centuries-old Lithuanian
traditions will help you to respond, in accordance with reason and
faith, to these challenges”.
He
then goes on to recommend special attention to vocations to the
priesthood and to consecrated life, and encourages the Church in
Lithuania to pray tirelessly to this end. He also urges adequate
formation, both initial and continuing, of priests, consecrated
persons and seminarians, as well as the active initiation of contact
with them, to avoid leaving them alone with their difficulties. He
concludes by exhorting care for the poor. “In Lithuania too,
despite current economic development, there are many people in need,
unemployed, sick, and abandoned. Be close to them. And do not forget
that there are many, especially the young, who for various reasons
leave the country to find a new path abroad. Their growing number and
their needs require attention and pastoral care on the part of the
Bishops' Conference, also to ensure the preservation of their faith
and Lithuanian religious traditions”.
Angelus:
the Gospel changes life
Vatican
City, 1 February 2015 (VIS) – At midday, Pope Francis appeared at
the window of his study to pray the Angelus with the faithful
gathered in St. Peter's Square, and to reflect on the readings in
today's liturgy.
This
Sunday's Gospel passage narrates Jesus' arrival with his disciples in
the city of Capernaum, the birthplace of St. Peter and the largest
city in Galilee at the time. St. Mark writes that, since it was the
Sabbath, Jesus went immediately to the synagogue and began to teach.
“This makes us think of the primacy of the Word of God, a word to
listen to, receive and announce”, explained the Holy Father. Upon
his arrival in Capernaum, Jesus does not delay in proclaiming the
Gospel: “He does not think first of the logistical arrangements,
certainly necessary, for his little community; nor does He take his
time over organisation. His main concern is communicating the Word of
God with the strength of the Holy Spirit. And the people in the
synagogue are impressed, because Jesus 'taught them as one having
authority and not as the scribes'”.
“What
does 'with authority' mean?”, asked the Pope, before explaining
that in human words, Jesus felt “all the strength of the Word of
God, He felt the same authority of God Himself, the inspirer of the
Holy Scriptures. And one of the characteristics of the Word of God is
that it accomplishes what it says”. Indeed Jesus, after preaching,
immediately demonstrates His authority by freeing a man, present in
the synagogue, from possession by a demon. “It was Christ's
authority that had provoked the reaction of Satan, hidden in that
man. In turn, Jesus immediately recognised the voice of the devil
and, severely rebuking him, ordered: 'Quiet! Come out of him!'. With
the strength of his word alone, Jesus freed the person from evil. And
again those present were astounded. 'He commands even the unclean
spirits and they obey Him'. The Word of God creates this wonder in
us. It possesses the strength to astonish us”.
“The
Gospel is the word of life: it does not oppress people, but on the
contrary, frees those who are enslaved by the many evil spirits of
this world: the spirit of vanity, attachment to money, pride,
sensuality; the Gospel changes hearts, changes lives, transforms the
inclination to evil into good resolutions. The Gospel is capable of
changing people. Therefore, it is the duty of Christians to spread
this redeeming power everywhere, becoming missionaries and heralds of
the Word of God. … The new doctrine that Jesus taught with
authority is that which the Church brings to the world, along with
the effective signs of His presence: authoritative teaching and the
liberating action of the Son of God become the words of salvation and
the gestures of love of the missionary Church”.
Pope
Francis concluded by reminding those present that the Gospel has the
strength to change life. “It is the Good News that transforms us
only when we let ourselves be transformed by it. This is why I ask
you always to make daily contact with the Gospel; to read a passage
every day, to meditate upon it and to carry it everywhere with you,
in your pocket or in your bag. … It is the power that changes us,
that transforms us. It changes life, and it changes the heart”.
The
Pope announces his visit to Sarajevo
Vatican
City, 1 February 2015 (VIS) – Following today's Angelus prayer, the
Holy Father announced that on 6 June he will travel to Sarajevo, the
capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and asked those present for their
prayers so that his visit “to those dear populations may give
encouragement to the Catholic faithful, may be a leaven for good and
contribute to the consolidation of brotherhood, peace, interreligious
dialogue and friendship”.
He
went on to greet the participants in the fourth world Congress
organised by Scholas Occurrentes, to be held in the Vatican from 2 to
5 February on the theme “Responsibility for all education for a
culture of encounter”.
Finally,
he remarked that today is the “Day for Life” in Italy, focusing
this year on the theme “Solidarity for life”. He expressed his
appreciation for the associations, movements and all others who
defend human life. “I join with the Italian bishops in calling for
a renewed recognition of the human person and more suitable care for
life from conception to its natural end. When we open ourselves to
life and serve life, we experience the revolutionary force of love
and tenderness, giving rise to a new humanism: the humanism of
solidarity, the humanism of life.”
Pope's
Telegram to the new President of the Italian Republic
Vatican
City, 2 February 2015 (VIS) – Last Saturday the Holy Father sent a
telegram to Sergio Mattarella, new president of the Italian Republic,
in which he expresses his hope that the new head of State will be
able to exercise his “high office in the service of the unity and
harmony of the country”, and invokes upon him “constant divine
assistance for enlightened action in the promotion of the common
good, in line with the authentic human and spiritual values of the
Italian population”.
There
is no humanity without cultivation of the land: Francis on the
central role of agriculture
Vatican
City, 31 January 2015 (VIS) - “There is no humanity without the
cultivation of the land; there is no good life without the food it
produces for the men and women of every continent. Agriculture thus
demonstrates its central role”, said Pope Francis this morning, as
he received in audience two hundred managers from the National
Confederation of Direct Cultivators in the Clementine Hall on the
seventh anniversary of its foundation.
The
name “direct cultivators”, explained the Pontiff, refers to
cultivation, “a typically human and fundamental activity. In
agricultural work there is, indeed, acceptance of the precious gift
of the land that comes from God, but there is also its development
through the equally valuable work of men and women, called to respond
boldly and creatively to the mandate forever entrusted to mankind,
the cultivation and stewardship of the land”.
This
task, which requires time and energy, constitutes “a true vocation.
It deserves to be recognised and suitably valued as such, also in
concrete political and economic decisions. This means eliminating the
obstacles that penalise such a valuable activity and that often make
it appear unattractive to new generations, even though statistics
show an increase in the number of students in schools and institutes
of agriculture, which leads us to foresee and increase in the numbers
of those employed in the agricultural sector. At the same time, it is
necessary to pay due attention to the removal of land from
agricultural use, to make it available for apparently more lucrative
purposes”.
This
reflection on agrarian work led the Holy Father to focus on two
critical areas: poverty and hunger, and the protection of the
environment. “Vatican Council II reiterated the common destination
of earthly goods, but in reality the dominant economic system
excludes many people from their correct use. The absolutism of the
rules of the market and a throwaway culture in which waste of food
has reached unacceptable proportions, along with other factors, have
caused poverty and suffering for many families. Therefore, the system
of production and distribution of food needs to be fundamentally
re-evaluated. As our grandparents taught us, you do not play with
food! Bread forms part of the sacredness of human life, and must not
therefore be treated as a mere commodity”.
With
regard to the second theme, the Pope underlined that in Genesis man
is called not only to cultivate the land, but also to take care of
it. These two aspects “are closely linked: every agriculturalist is
well aware of how difficult it has become to cultivate the land in a
time of accelerated climate change and increasingly widespread
extreme meteorological events. How can we continue to produce good
food for the lives of all when climate stability is at risk, when the
air, water and the earth itself lose their purity as a result of
pollution? We are truly realising the importance of timely action to
safeguard Creation; it is urgent that nations succeed in
collaborating for this fundamental purpose. The challenge is to
achieve a form of agriculture with a low environmental impact. How
can we ensure we safeguard the earth as well as cultivating it?
Indeed, only in this way will future generations be able to continue
to inhabit and cultivate our earth”.
The
Holy Father concluded with an invitation to “rediscover love for
the earth as the 'mother', as St. Francis would say, from which we
come and to which we are constantly called upon to return. And this
leads to a proposal: to protect the earth, to make an alliance with
her, so that she many continue to be, as God intends, the source of
life for the entire human family”.
Members
and substitutes from the Episcopal Conferences for the 14th Ordinary
General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
Vatican
City, 31 January 2015 (VIS) – The Holy Father has ratified the
appointment of the following prelates as members and substitutes,
elected by their respective Episcopal Conferences, for the 14th
Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which will take
place in the Vatican from 4 to 25 October 2015 on the theme “The
vocation and mission of the family in the Church and in the
contemporary world”:
AFRICA
BURUNDI
Member:
Bishop Gervais Bashimiyubusa, of Ngozi, president of the Episcopal
Conference.
Substitute:
Bishop Joachim Ntahondereye of Muyinga.
ETHIOPIA
and ERITREA
Member:
Bishop Tsegaye Keneni Derera, apostolic vicar of Soddo, Ethiopia.
Substitute:
Bishop Markos Gebremedhin, C.M., apostolic vicar of Jimma-Bonga,
Ethiopia.
GHANA
Member:
Archbishop Gabriel Charles Palmer-Buckle, of Accra.
Substitute:
Bishop Anthony Kwami Adanuty of Keta-katsi.
KENYA
Members:
Cardinal John Njue, archbishop of Nairobi, president of the Episcopal
Conference.
Bishop
James Maria Wainaina Kungu of Muranga.
Substitute:
Bishop Emanuel Barbara, O.F.M. Cap. of Malindi.
MADAGASCAR
Member:
Bishop Desire Tsarahazana of Toamasina, president of the Episcopal
Conference.
Substitute:
Bishop Jean de Dieu Raoelison, auxiliary of Antananarivo.
RWANDA
Member:
Bishop Antoine Kambanda of Kibungo.
Substitute:
Bishop Smaragde Mbonyintege of Kabgayi, president of the Episcopal
Conference.
AMERICA
ARGENTINA
Members:
Bishop Pedro María Laxague, auxiliary of Bahia Blanca.
Archbishop
Jose Maria Arancedo of Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz, president of the
Episcopal Conference.
Cardinal
Mario Aurelio Poli, archbishop of Buenos Aires.
Substitutes:
Archbishop Andres Stanovnik, O.F.M. Cap. of Corrientes.
Archbishop
Hector Ruben Aguer of La Plata.
CHILE
Members:
Bishop Bernardo Miguel Bastres Florence, S.D.B. of Punta Arenas.
Cardinal
Ricardo Ezzati Andrello, S.D.B., archbishop of Santiago de Chile,
president of the Episcopal Conference.
Substitute:
Bishop Cristian Contreras Villarroel of Melipilla, general secretary
of the Episcopal Conference.
CUBA
Member:
Archbishop Juan de la Caridad Garcia Rodriguez of Camaguey.
Substitute:
Bishop Marcelo Arturo Gonzalez Amador of Santa Clara.
ECUADOR
Members:
Archbishop Antonio Arregui Yarza of Guayaquil.
Archbishop
Luis Gerardo Cabrera Herrera, O.F.M. of Cuenca.
Substitutes:
Bishop Julio Parrilla Diaz of Riobamba.
Bishop
Marcos Aurelio Perez Caicedo of Babahoyo, vice president of the
Episcopal Conference.
HONDURAS
Member:
Bishop Luis Sole Fa, C.M. of Trujillo.
Substitute:
Bishop Angel Garachana Perez, C.M.F. of San Pedro Sula.
MEXICO
Members:
Bishop Rodrigo Aguilar Martinez of Tehuacan.
Cardinal
Norberto Rivera Carrera, archbishop of Mexico.
Bishop
Francisco Javier Chavolla Ramos of Toluca.
Cardinal
Francisco Robles Ortega, archbishop of Guadalajara, president of the
Episcopal Conference.
Substitutes:
Bishop Alfonso Gerardo Miranda Guardiola, auxiliary of Monterrey.
Bishop
Jose Francisco Gonzalez Gonzalez of Campeche.
UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA
Members:
Archbishop Joseph Edward Kurtz of Louisville, president of the
Episcopal Conference.
Archbishop
Charles Joseph Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. of Philadelphia.
Cardinal
Daniel N. Di Nardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston, vice president
of the Episcopal Conference.
Archbishop
Jose Horacio Gomez of Los Angeles.
Substitutes:
Bishop Blase J. Cupich of Spokane.
Archbishop
Salvatore Joseph Cordileone of San Francisco.
URUGUAY
Member:
Bishop Jaime Rafael Fuentes Martin of Minas.
Substitute:Bishop
Rodolfo Pedro Wirz Kraemer of Maldonado-Punta del Este, president of
the Episcopal Conference.
ASIA
PAKISTAN
Member:
Bishop Joseph Arshad of Faisalabad.
Substitute:
Archbishop Sebastian Francis Shaw of Lahore.
VIETNAM
Members:
Archbishop Paul Bui Van Doc of Thanh-Pho Ho Chi Minh, Hochiminh
Ville, president of the Episcopal Conference.
Bishop
Joseph Dinh Duc Dao, auxiliary of Xuan Loc.
Substitute:
Bishop Pierre Nguyen Van Kham of My Tho.
EUROPA
ALBANIA
Member:
Bishop George Frendo, O.P. Auxiliary of Tirane-Durres.
Substitute:
Bishop Ottavio Vitale, R.C.I. of Lezhe, Lesh.
AUSTRIA
Member:
Bishop Benno Elbs of Feldkirch.
Substitute:
Bishop Kalus Kung of Sankt Polten.
BOSNIA
and HERZEGOVINA
Member:
Bishop Tomo Vuksic, military ordinary of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Substitute:
Bishop Marko Semren, O.F.M. auxiliary of Banja Luka.
FRANCE
Members:
Archbishop Georges Pontier of Marseille, president of the Episcopal
Conference.
Cardinal
Andre Vingt-Trois, archbishop Paris.
Bishop
Jean-Luc Brunin of Le Havre.
Bishop
Jean-Paul James of Nantes.
Substitutes:
Bishop Olivier de Germay of Ajaccio.
Bishop
Bruno Feillet, auxiliary of Reims.
GREAT
BRITAIN (ENGLAND AND WALES)
Members:
Cardinal Vincent Gerard Nichols, archbishop of Westminster, president
of the Episcopal Conference.
Bishop
Peter John Haworth Doyle of Northampton.
Substitute:
Bishop Philip Anthony Egan of Portsmouth.
GREECE
Member:
Bishop Fragkiskos Papamanolis, O.F.M. Cap. emeritus of Syros,
president of the Episcopal Conference.
Substitute:
Archbishop Nikolaos Foskolos, emeritus of Athenai.
IRELAND
Members:
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin.
Archbishop
Eamon Martin of Armagh, president of the Episcopal Conference.
Substitute:
Archbishop Kieran O'Reilly, S.M.A. of Cashel.
LITHUANIA
Members:
Cardinal Audrys Jouzas Backis, archbishop emeritus of Vilnius.
Substitute:
Bishop Rimantas Norvila of Vilkaviskis.
NETHERLANDS
Member:
Cardinal Willem Jacobus Eijk, archbishop of Utrecht.
Substitute:
Bishop Johannes Wilhelmus Maria Liesen of Breda.
SPAIN
Members:
Cardinal Ricardo Blazquez Perez, archbishop of Valladolid, president
of the Episcopal Conference.
Bishop
Mario Iceta Gavicagogeascoa of Bilbao.
Archbishop
Carlos Osoro Sierra of Madrid.
Substitute:
Bishop Juan Antonio Reig Pla of Alcala de Henares.
OCEANIA
AUSTRALIA
Members:
Bishop Daniel Eugene Hurley of Darwin.
Archbishop
Mark Benedict Coleridge of Brisbane.
Substitute:
Archbishop Philip Edward Wilson of Adelaide.
NEW
ZEALAND
Member:
Bishop Charles Edward Drennan of Palmerston North.
Substitute:
Cardinal John Atcherley Dew, archbishop of Wellington, president of
the Episcopal Conference.
Assembly
on “Women's cultures”
Vatican
City, 2 February 2015 (VIS) – A press conference was held in the
Holy See Press Office this morning to present the Plenary Assembly of
the Pontifical Council for Culture on the theme “Women's Cultures:
between equality and difference”, which will be held in Rome from 4
to 7 February. The speakers were Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi,
president of the Pontifical Council for Culture; Anna Maria
Tarantola, president of RAI (Radiotelevisione Italiana); Monica
Maggioni, director of RAI News, and Nancy Brilli, actor.
The
Assembly will be divided into four sessions in which the following
themes will be considered: “Between equality and difference: the
quest for equilibrium”, “Generativity as a symbolic code”, “The
female body: between culture and biology” and “Women and
religion: flight or new forms of participation in the life of the
Church?”. The Congress will be attended only by members and
consultors of the Pontifical Council by pontifical appointment, with
the exception of the session on Wednesday 4 February, when there will
be a moment of public participation at the Teatro Argentina in Rome.
For a period of 50 minutes there will be a series of videos, brief
interviews, readings and images, and live music. Entry will be free,
subject to capacity.
Audiences
Vatican
City, 2 February 2015 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father received in
audience:
-
Cardinal Agostino Vallini, vicar general of His Holiness for the
diocese of Rome;
-
Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, archbishop of Vienna, Austria;
-
Eleven prelates of the Lithuanian Bishops' Conference, on their “ad
limina” visit:
-Archbishop
Sigitas Tamkevicius of Kaunas, with his auxiliary, Bishop Kestutis
Kevalas;
-
Bishop Eugenijus Bartulis of Siauliai;
-
Bishop Jonas Boruta of Telsia, with his auxiliary, Bishop Linas
Vodopjanovas;
-
Bishop Rimantas Norvila of Vilkaviskis;
-
Archbishop Gintaras Grusas of Vilnius, with his auxiliary, Bishop
Arunas Poniskaitis and the archbishop emeritus, Cardinal Audrys
Juozas Backis;
-
Bishop Jonas Ivanauskas of Kaisiadoris; and
-
Bishop Lionginas Virbalas of Panevezys.
On
Saturday, 31 January the Holy Father received in audience:
-
Cardinal Marc Ouellet, P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for
Bishops;
-
Cardinal Willem Jacobus Eijk, archbishop of Utrecht, Netherlands;
-
Archbishop Yaser Rasmi Hanna Al-Ayyash of Petra and Philadelphia of
the Greek-Melkites, Jordan;
-
Don Notker Wolf, abbot primate of the Benedictine Confederation of
Congregations;
-
Cardinal George Pell, prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy.
Other
Pontifical Acts
Vatican
City, 2 February 2015 (VIS) – The Holy Father has appointed:
-
Msgr. Francisco Eduardo Cervantes Merino as bishop of Orizaba (area
2,012, population 663,000, Catholics 589,000, priests 89, religious
136), Mexico. The bishop-elect was born in Ocatan Merino Palafox,
Mexico in 1953, and was ordained a priest in 1979. He holds a
licentiate in pastoral theology from the Pontifical Lateran
University, Rome, and a licentiate in educational psychology from the
Normal Superior School of Mexico. He has held a number of pastoral
roles in the diocese of Tuxpan, including parish vicar, parish priest
of the “Corpus Christi” parish, professor at the diocesan
seminary, diocesan coordinator of youth pastoral ministry, and member
of the presbyteral council. He is currently parish priest of the
Cathedral and vicar for pastoral ministry.
-
Msgr. Liberatus Sangu as bishop of Shinyanga (area 50,000, population
2,440,000, Catholics 745,000, priests 55, religious 58), Tanzania.
The bishop-elect was born in Mwazye, Tanzania in 1963 and ordained a
priest in 1994. He studied sacramental theology at the St. Anselm
Pontifical Athenaeum in Rome, and has held a number of pastoral and
administrative roles, including formator in the minor seminary of
Kaengesa, Sumbawanga; parish priest in Matai; director for vocations;
formator at the preparatory seminary and head of youth pastoral
ministry, and parish priest “ad tempus” in Sopa. He currently
serves as an official of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of
Peoples.
-
Fr. Alphonsus Cullinan as bishop of Waterford and Lismore (area
2,542, population 157,358, Catholics 146,215, priests 134, religious
353), Ireland. The bishop-elect was born in County Clare in 1959 and
was ordained a priest in 1994. He taught in schools in Castleconnell,
Limerick and Valladolid, Spain for ten years before preparing for the
priesthood in the national seminary at Maynooth. He studied moral
theology at the Alphonsianum Academy, Rome, where he obtained a
doctorate in Christian anthropology and utilitarianism. He has served
as parish vicar at St. Munchin, chaplain of the Mid-Western Regional
Hospital in Limerick, and chaplain at the Limerick Institute of
Technology. He is currently parish priest in the parish of Rathkeale,
Limerick.
On
Saturday, 31 January the Holy Father appointed:
-
Bishop Adelio Dell'Oro as bishop of Karaganda (area 711,208,
population 3,590,000, Catholics 31,300, priests 18, religious 41),
Kazakhstan, conserving “donec aliter provideatur” the role of
apostolic administrator of Atyrau, Kazakhstan.
-
Fr. Pietro Bovati, S.J., secretary of the Pontifical Biblical
Commission, as consultor of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith.
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