SUMMARY:
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Pope Francis to the World Evangelical Alliance: “We can learn so
much from each other”
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To the bishops of Malawi: the apostolate of the family will bring
inestimable benefits to the Church and society as a whole
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The Pope receives the president of the “Grandmothers of the Plaza
de Mayo”
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The Holy See at the United Nations: a lack of food is not the root
cause of hunger
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Audiences
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Other Pontifical Acts
______________________________________
Pope
Francis to the World Evangelical Alliance: “We can learn so much
from each other”
Vatican
City, 6 November 2014 (VIS) – This morning Pope Francis received in
audience a delegation from the World Evangelical Alliance, a network
of evangelical churches in 128 nations, based in New York, U.S.A.,
which has formed an alliance with over 100 international
organisations, giving voice to more than 400 million evangelical
Christians throughout the world.
The
Holy Father began his address to the Alliance by emphasising that
Baptism is a priceless gift from God, which we have in common.
“Thanks to this gift, we no longer live a purely earthly existence;
we now live in the power of the Spirit”. He went on to remark that
from the beginning, there have been divisions among Christians and
“sadly, even today, conflicts and rivalries exist between our
communities. This weakens our ability to fulfil the Lord’s
commandment to preach the Gospel to all peoples. Our divisions mar
the beauty of the seamless robe of Christ, yet they do not completely
destroy the profound unity brought about by grace in all the
baptised. The effectiveness of the Christian message would no doubt
be greater were Christians to overcome their divisions, and together
celebrate the sacraments, spread the word of God, and bear witness to
charity”.
The
Bishop of Rome went on to express his joy to know that “in various
countries Catholics and Evangelicals enjoy good relations and work
together as brothers and sisters. The joint efforts of the Pontifical
Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Theological Commission
of the World Evangelical Alliance have also opened up new horizons by
clarifying misunderstandings and by showing the way to overcoming
prejudices”. He continued, “It is my hope that these talks may
further inspire our common witness and our efforts to evangelise: if
we really believe in the abundantly free working of the Holy Spirit,
we can learn so much from one another! It is not just about being
better informed about others, but rather about reaping what the
Spirit has sown in them, which is also meant to be a gift for us. I
am confident that the document 'Christian Witness in a
Multi-Religious World: Recommendations for Conduct' can prove helpful
for the preaching of the Gospel in multi-religious contexts”.
“I
trust that the Holy Spirit, who inspires the Church to persevere in
seeking new methods of evangelisation, will usher in a new era of
relations between Catholics and Evangelicals, so that the Lord’s
will that the Gospel be brought to the ends of the earth may be more
fully realised. I assure my prayers for this cause, and I ask you to
pray for me and for my ministry”, concluded Pope Francis.
To
the bishops of Malawi: the apostolate of the family will bring
inestimable benefits to the Church and society as a whole
Vatican
City, 6 November 2014 (VIS) – “I offer a joyful welcome to you
who have come from the 'warm heart of Africa', as you make your
pilgrimage to Rome, 'the warm heart of the Church'”; thus Pope
Francis greets the bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi in
the written discourse he handed to them this morning as he received
them in audience at the end of their five-yearly “ad Limina”
visit. He also notes that the effectiveness of their pastoral and
administrative efforts is the fruit of your faith as well as of the
unity and fraternal spirit that characterise their episcopal
conference.
The
Holy Father also expresses his appreciation for “the admirable
spirit of the Malawian people, who, though faced with many serious
obstacles in terms of development, economic progress and standards of
living, remain strong in their commitment to family life”, as it is
in this institution, which teaches “love, sacrifice, commitment and
fidelity”, that the Church and society in Malawi will find the
resources necessary to renew and build up a culture of solidarity.
“You yourselves know well the challenges and the value of family
life, and, as fathers and shepherds, you are called to nurture,
protect and strengthen it in the context of the “family of faith”,
which is the Church. … There is scarcely a greater commitment that
the Church can make to the future of Malawi – and indeed, to her
own development – than that of a thorough and joyful apostolate to
families. … Thus, by doing everything you can to support, educate
and evangelise families, especially those in situations of material
hardship, breakdown, violence or infidelity, you will bring
inestimable benefit to the Church and all of Malawian society”.
Among
the results of this apostolate, it is hoped that there will be “an
increase in young men and women who are willing and able to dedicate
themselves to the service of others in the priesthood and religious
life”, based on “the strong foundations laid by generations of
faithful missionaries” and fortified by the evangelising work of
local men and women. The Bishop of Rome exhorted the local prelates
to be close to their priests and seminarians, loving them “as a
father should” and furthering their efforts to guarantee a complete
spiritual as well as intellectual and pastoral formation.
The
“tragedy” of the limited life expectancy and extreme poverty
experienced by the majority of the people of Malawi is another of the
Pope's concerns. “My thoughts go to those suffering from HIV/AIDS,
and particularly to the orphaned children and parents left without
love and support as a result of this illness”, he writes,
encouraging the bishops to be close to those in distress, to the
sick, and especially to the children. “I ask you, particularly, to
offer my gratitude to the many men and women who present Christ’s
tenderness and love in Catholic healthcare institutions. The service
which the Church offers to the sick, through pastoral care, prayer,
clinics and hospices, must always find its source and model in
Christ, who loved us and gave himself up for us. Indeed, how else
could we be followers of the Lord if we did not personally engage in
ministry to the sick, the poor, the dying and the destitute? Our
faith in Christ, born of having recognised our own need for Him, He
Who has come to heal our wounds, to enrich us, to give us life, to
nourish us, is the basis of our concern for the integral development
of society’s most neglected members”.
The
Pope receives the president of the “Grandmothers of the Plaza de
Mayo”
Vatican
City, 6 November 2014 (VIS) – Yesterday afternoon the Holy Father
received in private audience Estela de Carlotto, president of the
Association of the “Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo”,
accompanied by her grandson with whom she was reunited, Ignacio Guido
Montoya Carlotto. The meeting took place in one of the rooms adjacent
to Paul VI Hall.
Subsequently,
in another room, the Pope also met with eighteen other members of the
Carlotto family, in a cordial atmosphere. They presented Francis with
various gifts, including a poncho and a CD with works by Ignacio
Guido, who is a musician, and a scarf of the Grandmothers of the
Plazo de Mayo. The encounter lasted for around half an hour.
At
5 p.m. this afternoon, in the Argentine Embassy at the Quirinal, a
press conference will be held in which Estela de Carlotto will
participate.
The
Holy See at the United Nations: a lack of food is not the root cause
of hunger
Vatican
City, 6 November 2014 (VIS) – Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Holy See
Permanent Observer at the United Nations, spoke at the 69th session
of the United Nations General Assembly on 28 October, on the theme of
“Agriculture development, food security and nutrition”.
The
nuncio observed that according to the Secretary General's report,
since 1990 there has been a 17% decrease in the number of people
suffering from chronic hunger. However, he added, “it also means
that we still have almost 850 million people suffering from acute
hunger. The number is already shocking in itself, but what must shock
us even more is the fact that behind those numbers are real people,
with their fundamental dignity and rights. Thus, eradicating hunger
is not only a high priority development goal; it is a moral
imperative”.
However,
he added, “it is not for lack of food in the world that they suffer
acute hunger, because the current levels of world food production are
sufficient to feed everyone. The problem lies elsewhere, such as in
the lack of conservation technologies among smallholder producers, in
weak or absent government support to incentivise the
commercialisation of products, or in the lack of infrastructure for
better food distribution and marketing”.
He
remarked that the whole “United Nations family” must renew its
efforts to eliminate hunger and malnutrition in the world, putting it
at the forefront of its collective efforts. “It is for this reason
that the Holy See welcomes the incorporation of food security,
nutrition, and sustainable agriculture as components of the
sustainable development goals. … The Holy See also welcomes the
focus that the report of the Secretary General on Agricultural
Development, Food Security and Nutrition puts on those regions of the
world where hunger and malnutrition are still at unacceptable levels.
The Holy See also appreciates the report's focus on groups most
vulnerable to malnutrition, like pregnant women and children below
five years old”.
He
continued, “The theme of this year's World Food Day tells us that
the family is key in the fight to end hunger. … This recognition of
the role of the family must be accompanied by policies and
initiatives that really respond to the needs of farming families and
communities”. He concluded by reminding those present that an
international conference on nutrition in will be held in Rome next
month, aiming to bring together “government leaders, other
top-level policy-makers and representatives of intergovernmental
organisations and civil society, to take stock of progress made in
improving nutrition and to seek new ways to boost national and global
efforts to improve health”.
Audiences
Vatican
City, 6 November 2014 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father received in
audience:
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Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, archbishop of Genoa, Italy, president of
the Italian Episcopal Conference;
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Archbishop Leon Kalenga Badikebele, apostolic nuncio in El Salvador
and Belize;
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Seven prelates of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi, on their “ad
Limina” visit:
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Archbishop Thomas Luke Msusa, S.M.M., of Blantyre;
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Bishop Peter Martin Musikuwa of Chikwawa;
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Bishop Montfort Stima of Mangochi;
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Archbishop Tarcisius Gervazio Ziyaye of Lilongwe;
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Bishop Emanuel Kanyama of Dedza;
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Bishop Joseph Mukasa Zuza of Mzuzu;
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Bishop Martin Anwel Mtumbuka of Karonga.
Other
Pontifical Acts
Vatican
City, 6 November 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father has:
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accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the archdiocese of
Asuncion, Paraguay, presented by Archbishop Eustaquio Pastor Cuquejo
Verga, C.SS.R., upon reaching the age limit. Archbishop Cuquejo Verga
is succeeded by Bishop Edmundo Ponciano Valenzuela Mellid, S.D.B.,
coadjutor of the same archdiocese.
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elevated the diocese of Dodoma, Tanzania, to the status of
metropolitan archdiocese and assigning it the suffragan dioceses of
Singida and Kondoa.
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appointed Bishop Beatus Kinyaiya, O.F.M. Cap., of Mbulu, Tanzania, as
first bishop of Dodoma (area 38,743, population 1,578,173, Catholics
301,593, priests 80, religious 397), Tanzania;
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appointed Bishop Eduardo Horacio Garcia, auxiliary of Buenos Aires,
Argentina, as bishop of San Justo (area 134, population 1,114,000,
Catholics 1,003,000, priests 71, permanent deacons 24, religious
158), Argentina. He succeeds Bishop Baldomero Carlos Martini, 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 Rev. Fr. Donatus Aihmiosion Ogun, O.S.A., as bishop of
Uromi (area 2,938, population 946,901, Catholics 139,087, priests 83,
religious 39), Nigeria. The bishop-elect was born in Sapele, Nigeria
in 1966, gave his solemn vows in 1992, and was ordained a priest in
1993. He studied canon law at the Pontifical Gregorian University,
Rome, and has served in a number of pastoral roles, including prior
and bursar of the “Our Lady of Lourdes” community in Coker
Village, Lagos; prior and bursar of the “Our Lady of Good Counsel”
community in Iwako Oka and university chaplain; and bursar of “St.
Cyprian” in Warri and episcopal vicar for religious persons of the
diocese of Warri. He is currently lecturer in the St. Thomas Aquinas
major seminary and director of the St. Augustine Institute in
Makurdi;
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appointed Bishop Juan Jose Omella Omella of Calahorra y La Calzada –
Logrono, Spain, as member of the Congregation for Bishops;
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appointed Msgr. Giacomo Incitti, ordinary professor of canon law at
the Pontifical Urbanian University, Rome, as advisor to the Apostolic
Penitentiary;
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appointed Rev. Fr. Serge Thomas Bonino, O.P., general secretary of
the International Theological Commission and member of the Pontifical
University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), as president of the
same Pontifical University;
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appointed Rev. Fr. Philippe Curbelie, official of the Congregation
for Catholic Education, as office head of the same dicastery;
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appointed Msgr. Maurice Monier as judge of the Court of Appeal of
Vatican City State.
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