SUMMARY:
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Francis recalls his recent trip to Latin America
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Other Pontifical Acts
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Francis
recalls his recent trip to Latin America
Vatican
City, 19 July 2015 (VIS) – Pope Francis, in today's Sunday Angelus,
commended the fruits of his recent apostolic trip in Latin America to
the Virgin Mary, venerated in those lands as Our Lady of Guadalupe,
and thanked the people of Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay for their
warm and affectionate welcome, and for their enthusiasm.
He
also offered thanks to the authorities of the three countries for
their collaboration, and for all the clergy, from the bishops to men
and women religious, who accompanied him during his stay. “With
these brothers and sisters, I praised the Lord for the wonders that
He has worked in the People of God on their path in those lands, and
for the faith that has inspired and continues to inspire their life
and culture. And we have also praised Him for the natural beauty with
which He enriched these lands. The Latin American continent has great
human and spiritual potential, and safeguards deeply rooted Christian
values, but also experiences serious social and economic problems. To
contribute to their solution, the Church is committed to mobilising
the spiritual and moral forces of her communities, collaborating with
all members of society. Faced with the great challenges that
announcing the Gospel entails, I invited them to draw from Christ the
Lord the grace that saves and gives strength to the effort of
Christian witness, and to further spread of the Word of God, so that
the strong religiosity of the people may always bear faithful witness
to the Gospel”.
The
Pope had previously commented on the day's Gospel reading in which
Jesus takes the apostles to a secluded place to rest, but seeing that
the multitudes follow them, feels compassion for them and begins to
impart His teachings. Francis focused on the verbs that the
evangelist uses: to see, to have compassion, and to teach.
“We
can call them the verbs of the Pastor”, he observed. “To see, to
have compassion, to teach. The first and the second, to see and to
have compassion, are always linked to Jesus' attitude: indeed, His
outlook is not that of a sociologist or a photojournalist, since He
always sees with 'the eyes of the heart'. These two verbs, to see and
to have compassion, configure Jesus as the Good Shepherd. But His
compassion is not merely a human sentiment: it is the emotion of the
Messiah in whom God's tenderness is made flesh. And from this
compassion there emerges Jesus' desire to nourish the crowd with the
bread of His Word, that is, to teach the Word of God to the people.
Jesus sees, Jesus has compassion, and Jesus teaches”.
“And
I asked the Lord that the Spirit of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, this
Spirit, might guide me during the apostolic trip I made in Latin
America over the last few days”, added the Pope.
Other
Pontifical Acts
Vatican
City, 20 July 2015 (VIS) – The Holy Father has appointed Dr.
Salvatore Vecchio, formerly director of Human Resources at the
Bambino Gesu Paedatric Hospital, Rome, as director of the Labour
Office of the Apostolic See.
On
Saturday 18 July, the Holy Father:
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appointed Msgr. Claudio Cipolla as bishop of Padua (area 3,297,
population 1,068,498, Catholics 1,004,088, priests 990, permanent
deacons 49, religious 1976), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in
Goito, Italy in 1955 and was ordained a priest in 1980. He has served
in a number of roles in the diocese of Mantua, including parish vicar
and director of diocesan Caritas. He is currently parish priest,
episcopal vicar for the pastoral sector, and member of the college of
consultors, the diocesan pastoral council and the commission for the
continuing formation of the clergy. He is a “ratione officii”
member of the episcopal council and the presbyteral council, and was
named Chaplain of His Holiness in 2011. He succeeds bishop Antonio
Mattiazzo, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same
diocese upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father.
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appointed Fr. Basil Bhuriya, S.V.D., as bishop of Jhabua (area
21,366, population 5,812,071, Catholics 38,726, priests 68, religious
236), India. The bishop-elect was born in Panchjui, India in 1956,
gave his solemn vows in 1985, and was ordained a priest in 1986. He
holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Indore, India, and
has served in an number of roles, including parish vicar in a number
of parishes in the dioceses of Baroda, Indore and Jhabua and rector
of the St. Thomas Seminary in Indore. He is currently parish priest
and member of the Provincial Council of the Verbite Fathers in the
Central Indian Province.
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appointed Fr. Corrado Melis as bishop of Ozieri (area 2,288,
population 54,600, Catholics 54,200, priests 48, religious 54),
Italy. The bishop elect was born in Sardara, Italy in 1963 and was
ordained a priest in 1988. He holds a licentiate in theology from the
Pontifical Theological Faculty of Sardinia in Cagliari, and has
served in a number of pastoral roles in the diocese of Ales-Terralba,
including parish vicar, vice rector of the diocesan seminary in
Villacidro, director of the diocesan catechistic office, chaplain,
parish administrator, and parish priest. He is currently parish
priest of Santa Barbara in Villacidro, episcopal vicar for
evangelisation and education, director of the diocesan office for
family pastoral ministry, and director of the pastoral ministry of
ecumenism. He is also a member of the college of consultors and the
diocesan council for economic affairs.
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elevated Fr. Natale Paganelli, S.X., apostolic administrator of
Makeni, Sierra Leone, to the dignity of bishop. The bishop-elect was
born in Grignano di Brembate, Italy in 1956, gave his religious vows
in 1979, and was ordained a priest in 1980.
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appointed Bishop Henry Akuna of Makeni, Sierra Leone, as auxiliary of
the diocese of Kenema, (area 15,710, population 1,481,000, Catholics
87,000, priests 19, religious 32), Sierra Leone.
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