Finally, in the last part of the document, Cardinal Erdo focuses on the Gospel of life: existence is from conception to to natural death, he remarks, and "openness to life is an essential part and intrinsic need of conjugal love, while nowadays, especially in the West, there are those who choose not to have children and those who would have them at any cost; "in both cases, the possibility of procreating a child is reduced to one's ability of self-determination. ... Welcoming life, assuming responsibility in procreating life and the care required are possible only if the family is not conceived as an isolated unit but an active part in a network of relationships. ... Increasing importance is being given to not leaving the family and families on their own, but to accompanying and supporting them in their everyday journey. ... Family tragedies are often the result of desperation, loneliness and a painful cry which no one knew how to discern".
It is therefore important to rediscover a sense of widespread and concrete solidarity, to overcome any "privatisation of love" which empties the family of meaning and entrusts it instead to individual choice. It is necessary to create, on an institutional level, the conditions favourable to welcoming a child and for the care of the elderly as a social asset to be protected and promoted. The Church should devote herself in a special way to education in love and sexuality, explaining its value and avoiding banalisation and superficiality.
In conclusion, affirms Cardinal Erdo, the challenge for this Synod is to try to bring to today's world, beyond the circle of practicing Catholics and considering the complex situation of society, "the attractiveness of the Christian message" about marriage and the family, giving answers that are true and full of charity", because "the world needs Christ".
The full text in English of the "Relatio ante disceptationem" can be consulted at: http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2014/10/06/07 12/03003.html

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Nurturing "God's dream", guided by the Holy Spirit
Vatican City, 5 October 2014 (VIS) - "Today the prophet Isaiah and the Gospel employ the image of the Lord's vineyard. The Lord's vineyard is his 'dream', the plan which he nurtures with all his love, like a farmer who cares for his vineyard. Vines are plants which need much care", said the Holy Father in his homily during the Holy Mass celebrated this morning in the Vatican Basilica to inaugurate the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on "Pastoral challenges to the family in the context of evangelisation".
"God's 'dream' is his people", continued Francis. "He planted it and nurtured it with patient and faithful love, so that it can become a holy people, a people which brings forth abundant fruits of justice. But in both the ancient prophecy and in Jesus' parable, God's dream is thwarted. ... The temptation to greed is ever present. ... Greed for money and power. And to satisfy this greed, evil pastors lay intolerable burdens on the shoulders of others, which they themselves do not lift a finger to move. We too, in the Synod of Bishops, are called to work for the Lord's vineyard. Synod Assemblies are not meant to discuss beautiful and clever ideas, or to see who is more intelligent. They are meant to better nurture and tend the Lord's vineyard, to help realise his dream, his loving plan for his people. In this case the Lord is asking us to care for the family, which has been from the beginning an integral part of his loving plan for humanity".
"We are all sinners and can also be tempted to 'take over' the vineyard, because of that greed which is always present in us human beings. God's dream always clashes with the hypocrisy of some of his servants. We can 'thwart' God's dream if we fail to let ourselves be guided by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit gives us that wisdom which surpasses knowledge, and enables us to work generously with authentic freedom and humble creativity". The Holy Father concluded, "to do a good job of nurturing and tending the vineyard, our hearts and our minds must be kept in Jesus Christ by 'the peace of God which passes all understanding'. In this way our thoughts and plans will correspond to God's dream: to form a holy people who are his own and produce the fruits of the kingdom of God".

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Angelus: "A Bible for every family, to read often"
Vatican City, 5 October 2014 (VIS) - At midday, following the celebration of the Holy Mass for the inauguration of the Synod, the Holy Father appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to pray the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square. He thanked the Pauline brothers who distributed Bibles to mark the centenary of their foundation. "With the inauguration of the Synod on the Family, with the help of the Pauline brothers we can say, a Bible in every family", he said, remarking that "the Bible is not to be kept on a shelf, but rather kept at hand to be read often, every day, individually or together, husband and wife, parents and children, perhaps in the evening, especially on Sunday. In this way the family grows and goes forth, with the light and strength of the Word of God".
The bishop of Rome invited all to "support the work of the Synod with prayer, invoking the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary". He added, "In this moment we join spiritually with those who, in the Shrine of Pompeii, elevate the traditional 'Supplication' to Our Lady of the Rosary. May she obtain peace for families and for the entire world".

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Prayer vigil for the Synod: may the Synod Fathers be able to listen to God and to the People
Vatican City, 5 October 2014 (VIS) - At 6 p.m. yesterday, Saturday, in St. Peter's Square, a prayer vigil was held for the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, organised by the Presidency of the Italian Episcopal Conference. The Synod Fathers participated in the event, which alternated moments of prayer with reflection and testimonies of family life. At 7 p.m., the Holy Father joined the families and the faithful to say, "This is the time at which we willingly return home to find ourselves at the same table, surrounded by affection, the good we have done and received, the encounters that have warmed the heart or helped it grow, the good wine that offers us a glimpse in our days of the feast without end. It is also the most difficult time for those who find themselves face to face with their own solitude, in the bitter twilight of shattered dreams and unfulfilled plans: how many people pass their days in the blind alley of resignation, neglect, even rancour; in how many homes is there a lack of the good wine of joy and thus of the flavour, the very knowledge, of life. This evening let us become the voice of prayer for all; a prayer for all".
Francis went on to speak about "the communion of life assumed by married couples, their openness to the gift of life, mutual care, the encounter and the memory of generations, educational accompaniment, the transmission of Christian faith to children ... in all this, the family continues to be an unequalled school in humanity, an indispensable contribution to a just and caring society. And the deeper its roots are, the further it is possible to go in life without becoming lost or feeling like a stranger in any land. This horizon helps us to grasp the importance of the Synod Assembly that opens tomorrow".
"To seek what the Lord asks of His Church now, we must listen to the heartbeat of our times and perceive the spirit of humanity today, remaining impressed by their joys and hopes, their sadness and anguish. At that point we will know how to propose credibly the good news on the family". Before concluding the Pope asked the Holy Spirit to offer the Synod Fathers the gift of listening to God and His people, invoking a sincere, open and fraternal encounter enabling them to face with pastoral responsibility the questions that come with changing times, yet always looking to Jesus Christ. He added, "With the joy of the Gospel we will recover the traces of a reconciled and merciful Church, poor and a friend to the poor; a Church able, 'in patience and in love, to overcome its sorrows and its challenges, both within itself and from without'".

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Francis to disabled athletes: your testimony is a great sign of hope
Vatican City, 4 October 2014 (VIS) - This morning, in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall, the Pope received in audience seven thousand disabled athletes, members of the Italian Paralympic Committee. In his address he remarked that sport promotes contact and relations with people from different cultures and environments, and helps us become accustomed to accepting difference, transforming it into an opportunity for mutual enrichment and discovery. "Above all", he affirmed, "sport becomes a valuable opportunity to recognise that we are brothers and sisters walking side by side, to favour a culture of inclusion and to reject throwaway culture".
Francis reiterated that this aspect of sport becomes even more evident in relation to disabled athletes, because the physical disability they experience, "through sport and healthy competition, is transformed into a message of encouragement" for those who find themselves in similar situations, and becomes "an invitation to devote all your energies to doing good things together, overcoming barriers that we may encounter around us, and above all, those inside us".

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Pope Francis went on to focus on the figure of Pope Paul VI, recalling on the day of his beatification the words with which he established the Synod of Bishops: "by carefully surveying the signs of the times, we are making every effort to adapt ways and methods... to the growing needs of our time and the changing conditions of society".
"When we look to this great Pope, this courageous Christian, this tireless apostle, we cannot but say in the sight of God a word as simple as it is heartfelt and important: thank you. Thank you, our dear and beloved Pope Paul VI! Thank you for your humble and prophetic witness of love for Christ and his Church. In his personal journal, the great helmsman of the Council wrote, at the conclusion of its final session: 'Perhaps the Lord has called me and preserved me for this service not because I am particularly fit for it, or so that I can govern and rescue the Church from her present difficulties, but so that I can suffer something for the Church, and in that way it will be clear that he, and no other, is her guide and saviour'".
The Holy Father concluded, "In this humility the grandeur of Blessed Paul VI shines forth: before the advent of a secularised and hostile society, he was able to hold fast, with farsightedness and wisdom - and at times alone - to the helm of the barque of Peter, while never losing his joy and his trust in the Lord. Paul VI truly 'rendered to God what is God's' by devoting his whole life to the 'sacred, solemn and serious task of continuing in history and extending on earth the mission of Christ', loving the Church and leading her so that she might be 'a loving mother of the whole human family and at the same time the minister of its salvation'".

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Angelus: Paul VI, tireless supporter of the missio ad gentes
Vatican City, 19 October 2014 (VIS) - Following the Holy Mass for the closure of the Synod of Bishops and before praying the Angelus, the Pope greeted pilgrims from Italy, especially the dioceses of Brescia, Milan and Roma, closely linked to the life and ministry of Paul VI.
The new Blessed, said Pope Francis, was a tireless supporter of the missio ad gentes, as shown above all by the apostolic exhortation "Evangelii nuntiandi", with which he sought to reawaken "zeal for and commitment to the mission of the Church. It is important to conside this aspect of Paul VI's papacy today, the very day we celebrate World Mission Sunday".
"Before invoking Our Lady together with the Angelus prayer, I would like to underline Blessed Paul VI's profound marian devotion. The Christian people will always be grateful to this pontiff for the apostolic exhortation 'Marialis cultus' and for having proclaimed Mary as 'Mother of the Church', on the occasion of the closure of the third session of Vatican Council II. Mary, Queen of the Saints and Mother of the Church, help us to faithfully fulfil the Lord's will in our life, as the new Blessed did".

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The Final Report and votes conclude the work of the Synod of Bishops
Vatican City, 19 October 2014 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon the work of the Third Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, dedicated to "Pastoral challenges to the family in the context of evangelisation", concluded with a final synodal report (Relatio Synodi), the different points of which were subject to a vote by the Synod Fathers. The Holy Father authorised the immediate publication of the full text of the Relatio Synodi, which will provide the focus for reflection by all the Episcopal Conferences throughout the world this year in preparation for the Synod Assembly in October 2015, and which was approved by a majority of Synod Fathers. He also authorised the publication of the number of votes for each point. The full text of the Relatio Synodi in Italian and the result of the votes may be consulted at:

http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2014/10/18/07 70/03044.html

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The Pope speaks to the Synod Fathers: we walk a path together
Vatican City, 20 October 2014 (VIS) - At the end of the fifteenth and final general congregation, and after the votes had been cast, Pope Francis addressed the Synod Fathers, affirming that during these two weeks the participants in the Third Extraordinary General Assembly have truly experienced synodality, a path of solidarity, a "journey together".
However, Pope Francis observed, as in every journey there were moments of travelling smoothly and swiftly, as if wishing to conquer time and reach the goal as soon as possible, and moments of fatigue, of wanting to say "enough", and at other times, moments of enthusiasm and ardour. There were moments of profound consolation listening to the testimony of true pastors, who wisely carry in their hearts the joys and pains of the faithful; moments of consolation, grace and comfort hearing the testimonies of the families who have participated in the Synod and have shared with us the beauty and joy of married life. It is a journey during which the stronger are compelled to help those who are less strong, and the more experienced lend themselves to serve others, also through debate.
He continued by remarking that since it is a journey taken by human beings, there have also been moments of disappointment, tension and temptation, of which he gave five examples. The first is the temptation to hostile inflexibility, closing oneself within the written word, the letter of the law, rather than the spirit, not allowing oneself to be surprised by God, and cleaving to the certitude of what we know and not of what we still need to learn and to achieve. This, he said, is the temptation of the zealous, of the scrupulous, of the solicitous and the so-called "traditionalists and intellectuals.
Then there is the temptation of "do-goodism", that in the name of deceptive mercy binds wounds without first treating and healing them; that addresses symptoms rather than causes and roots. It is the temptation of do-gooders, of the fearful, and also of the so-called "progressives and liberals".
The third temptation is to transform stones into bread to break the long, hard, and painful fast; and also to transform the bread into a stone and cast it against the sinners, the weak, and the sick; to transform it into unbearable burdens. The fourth is the temptation to come down off the Cross, to please the people, rather than remaining there in order to fulfil the will of the Father; to bow down to a worldly spirit instead of purifying it and turning it to the Spirit of God. Finally, there is the temptation to neglect the "depositum fidei", thinking of ourselves not as guardians but as its owners or masters; or, on the other hand, the temptation to neglect reality, making use of meticulous and pompous language to say much yet at the same time to say nothing.
However, the Holy Father commented these temptations must not frighten or disconcert us, or even discourage us, as no disciple is greater than his master, so if Jesus Himself was tempted, and even called Beelzebul, then His disciples should not expect better treatment. He added that he would be worried and saddened if it were not for these temptations and these animated discussions, this movement of the spirits, as it was called by St. Ignatius; if all were in a state of agreement or silent in false, quietist peace.
Instead, he expressed his joy at having heard speeches and interventions full of faith, pastoral and doctrinal zeal, wisdom, frankness, courage, and parrhesia, since what was set before the eyes of the Synod Fathers was the good of the Church, of families, and the "supreme law", the "salus animarum". This occurred without ever calling into question the fundamental truths of the Sacrament of marriage, its indissolubility, unity, faithfulness, fruitfulness, and openness to life.
Pope Francis went on to emphasise that the Church is the vineyard of the Lord, the fertile Mother and the caring Teacher who is not afraid to roll up her sleeves to pour oil and wine on wounds; who does not regard humanity from a glass house, ready to judge or categorise people. The Church is one, holy, Catholic, apostolic and composed of sinners, needful of God's mercy. The Church is the true bride of Christ, who seeks to be faithful to her spouse and to her doctrine; she is not afraid to dine and drink with prostitutes and publicans. Her doors are wide open to receive the needy, the repentant, and not only those who consider themselves perfect. The Church is not ashamed of the brother who has fallen, pretending not to see him, but on the contrary is involved and obliged to lift him up and set him on the path again, accompanying him to the definitive encounter with her spouse, in heavenly Jerusalem.
This, he continued, is the Church, our Mother. And when the Church, in the variety of her charisms, expresses herself in communion, she cannot err: it is the beauty and the strength of the sensus fidei, of that supernatural sense of the faith bestowed by the Holy Spirit so that, together, we can all enter into the heart of the Gospel and learn to follow Jesus in our life. This should never be seen as a source of confusion and discord.
Many commentators have imagined that they see a quarrelsome Church where one part is against the other, doubting even the Holy Spirit, the true promoter and guarantor of the unity and harmony of the Church - the Holy Spirit who throughout history has always guided the barque, through her Ministers, even when the sea was rough and choppy, and the ministers unfaithful and sinners. The Pope emphasised the need to live through all this calmly and with inner peace, so that the Synod would take place cum Petro and sub Petro, with the presence of the Pope as a guarantee for all.
The duty of the Pope, he remarked, is to guarantee the unity of the Church, to remind the faithful of their duty to faithfully follow Christ's Gospel and to remind the pastors that their first duty is to nurture the flock that the Lord has entrusted to them, and to seek the lost sheep with fatherly care and mercy, and without false fears. His duty is to remind everyone that authority in the Church is a service, as Pope Benedict XVI clearly explained, when he stated that the Church is called and commits herself to exercising this kind of authority which is service ... not in her own name, but in the name of Jesus Christ ... through the Pastors of the Church, in fact: it is he who guides, protects and corrects them, because he loves them deeply. But the Lord Jesus, the supreme Shepherd of our souls, has willed that the Apostolic College, today the Bishops, in communion with the Successor of Peter ... to participate in his mission of taking care of God's People, of educating them in the faith and of guiding, inspiring and sustaining the Christian community.

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"The motto of the European Union is United in Diversity. Unity, however, does not mean uniformity of political, economic and cultural life, or ways of thinking. ... I consider Europe as a family of peoples who will sense the closeness of the institutions of the Union when these latter are able wisely to combine the desired ideal of unity with the diversity proper to each people, cherishing particular traditions, acknowledging its past history and its roots, liberated from so many manipulations and phobias. ... At the same time, the specific features of each one represent an authentic richness to the degree that they are placed at the service of all. ... Ladies and Gentlemen, Members of the European Parliament, within this dynamic of unity and particularity, yours is the responsibility of keeping democracy alive for the peoples of Europe. It is no secret that a conception of unity seen as uniformity strikes at the vitality of the democratic system, weakening the rich, fruitful and constructive interplay of organisations and political parties. ... Keeping democracy alive in Europe requires avoiding the many globalising tendencies to dilute reality: namely, angelic forms of purity, dictatorships of relativism, brands of ahistorical fundamentalism, ethical systems lacking kindness, and intellectual discourse bereft of wisdom".
Keeping democracies alive "is a challenge in the present historic moment. The true strength of our democracies - understood as expressions of the political will of the people - must not be allowed to collapse under the pressure of multinational interests which are not universal, which weaken them and turn them into uniform systems of economic power at the service of unseen empires. This is one of the challenges which history sets before you today. To give Europe hope means more than simply acknowledging the centrality of the human person; it also implies nurturing the gifts of each man and woman. It means investing in individuals and in those settings in which their talents are shaped and flourish. The first area surely is that of education, beginning with the family, the fundamental cell and most precious element of any society. ... Then too, stressing the importance of the family not only helps to give direction and hope to new generations, but also to many of our elderly, who are often forced to live alone and are effectively abandoned because there is no longer the warmth of a family hearth able to accompany and support them. Alongside the family, there are the various educational institutes: schools and universities. ... Young people today are asking for a suitable and complete education which can enable them to look to the future with hope instead of disenchantment".
The Pontiff went on to speak about the defence of the environment, remarking that "Europe has always been in the vanguard of efforts to promote ecology. Our earth needs constant concern and attention. Each of us has a personal responsibility to care for creation, this precious gift which God has entrusted to us. This means, on the one hand, that nature is at our disposal, to enjoy and use properly. Yet it also means that we are not its masters. Stewards, but not masters. ... Respect for the environment, however, means more than not destroying it; it also means using it for good purposes. I am thinking above all of the agricultural sector, which provides sustenance and nourishment to our human family. It is intolerable that millions of people around the world are dying of hunger while tons of food are discarded each day from our tables. Respect for nature also means recognising that man himself is a fundamental part of it. Along with an environmental ecology, there is also need of that human ecology which consists in respect for the person, which I have wanted to emphasise in addressing you today".
The second area in which talent flourishes is work. "The time has come to promote policies which create employment, but above all there is a need to restore dignity to labour by ensuring proper working conditions. This implies, on the one hand, finding new ways of joining market flexibility with the need for stability and security on the part of workers; these are indispensable for their human development. It also implies favouring a suitable social context geared not to the exploitation of persons, but to ensuring, precisely through labour, their ability to create a family and educate their children".
With regard to the need fro a united response to question of migration, Francis exclaimed, "We cannot allow the Mediterranean to become a vast cemetery! ... The absence of mutual support within the European Union runs the risk of encouraging particularistic solutions to the problem, solutions which fail to take into account the human dignity of immigrants, and thus contribute to slave labour and continuing social tensions. Europe will be able to confront the problems associated with immigration only if it is capable of clearly asserting its own cultural identity and enacting adequate legislation to protect the rights of European citizens and to ensure the acceptance of immigrants. Only if it is capable of adopting fair, courageous and realistic policies which can assist the countries of origin in their own social and political development and in their efforts to resolve internal conflicts - the principal cause of this phenomenon - rather than adopting policies motivated by self-interest, which increase and feed such conflicts.
"Awareness of one's own identity is also necessary for entering into a positive dialogue with the States which have asked to become part of the Union in the future. I am thinking especially of those in the Balkans, for which membership in the European Union could be a response to the desire for peace in a region which has suffered greatly from past conflicts. Awareness of one's own identity is also indispensable for relations with other neighbouring countries, particularly with those bordering the Mediterranean, many of which suffer from internal conflicts, the pressure of religious fundamentalism and the reality of global terrorism.
"It is incumbent upon you, as legislators, to protect and nurture Europe's identity, so that its citizens can experience renewed confidence in the institutions of the Union and in its underlying project of peace and friendship. ... I encourage you to work to make Europe rediscover the best of itself. An anonymous second-century author wrote that 'Christians are to the world what the soul is to the body'. The function of the soul is to support the body, to be its conscience and its historical memory. A two-thousand-year-old history links Europe and Christianity. It is a history not free of conflicts and errors, but one constantly driven by the desire to work for the good of all. We see this in the beauty of our cities, and even more in the beauty of the many works of charity and constructive cooperation throughout this continent. This history, in large part, must still be written. It is our present and our future. It is our identity. Europe urgently needs to recover its true features in order to grow, as its founders intended, in peace and harmony, since it is not yet free of conflicts".
"Dear Members of the European Parliament", he concluded, "the time has come to work together in building a Europe which revolves not around the economy, but around the sacredness of the human person, around inalienable values. In building a Europe which courageously embraces its past and confidently looks to its future in order fully to experience the hope of its present. The time has come for us to abandon the idea of a Europe which is fearful and self-absorbed, in order to revive and encourage a Europe of leadership, a repository of science, art, music, human values, and faith too. A Europe which contemplates the heavens and pursues lofty ideals. A Europe which cares for, defends and protects man, every man and woman. A Europe which bestrides the earth surely and securely, a precious point of reference for all humanity".

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Francis at the Council of Europe: imposed peace is not enough - it must be loved, free and fraternal
Vatican City, 25 November 2014 (VIS) - At midday the Holy Father proceeded by car to the seat of the Council of Europe, where he met the authorities, including the secretary general Thorbjorn Jagland, who accompanied him to the lobby of the Committee of Ministers. This was followed by an exchange of gifts, after which they entered the Great Hall where, following greetings and the opening discourse by the secretary general, the Pontiff addressed those present, thanking them for their invitation and for their "work and contribution to peace in Europe through the promotion of democracy, human rights and the rule of law".
He continued, "This year the Council of Europe celebrates its sixty-fifth anniversary. It was the intention of its founders that the Council would respond to a yearning for unity which, from antiquity, has characterised the life of the continent. Frequently, however, in the course of the centuries, the pretension to power has led to the dominance of particularist movements. ... The dream of the founders was to rebuild Europe in a spirit of mutual service which today too, in a world more prone to make demands than to serve, must be the cornerstone of the Council of Europe's mission on behalf of peace, freedom and human dignity".
On the other hand, the road to peace, and avoiding a repetition of what occurred in the two World Wars of the last century, "is to see others not as enemies to be opposed but as brothers and sisters to be embraced. This entails an ongoing process which may never be considered fully completed. This is precisely what the founders grasped. They understood that peace was a good which must continually be attained, one which calls for constant vigilance. ... Consequently, the founders voiced their desire to advance slowly but surely with the passage of time. That is why the founders established this body as a permanent institution. Pope Paul VI, several years later, observed that 'the institutions which in the juridical order and in international society have the task and merit of proclaiming and preserving peace, will attain their lofty goal only if they remain continually active, if they are capable of creating peace, making peace, at every moment'. What is called for is a constant work of humanisation, for 'it is not enough to contain wars, to suspend conflicts ... An imposed peace, a utilitarian and provisional peace, is not enough. Progress must be made towards a peace which is loved, free and fraternal, founded, that is, on a reconciliation of hearts'".
Achieving the good of peace first calls for education in peace, "banishing a culture of conflict aimed at fear of others, marginalising those who think or live differently ... Tragically, peace continues all too often to be violated. This is the case in so many parts of the world where conflicts of various sorts continue to rage. It is also the case here in Europe, where tensions persist", he said. "Yet peace is also put to the test by other forms of conflict, such as religious and international terrorism, which displays deep disdain for human life and indiscriminately reaps innocent victims. This phenomenon is unfortunately bankrolled by a frequently unchecked traffic in weapons. The Church is convinced that 'the arms race is one of the greatest curses on the human race and the harm it inflicts on the poor is more than can be endured'. Peace is also violated by trafficking in human beings, the new slavery of our age, which turns persons into merchandise for trade and deprives its victims of all dignity. Not infrequently we see how interconnected these phenomena are. The Council of Europe, through its Committees and Expert Groups, has an important and significant role to play in combating these forms of inhumanity. ... Peace is not merely the absence of war, conflicts and tensions. In the Christian vision, peace is at once a gift of God and the fruit of free and reasonable human acts aimed at pursuing the common good in truth and love".
"The path chosen by the Council of Europe is above all that of promoting human rights, together with the growth of democracy and the rule of law. This is a particularly valuable undertaking, with significant ethical and social implications, since the development of our societies and their peaceful future coexistence depends on a correct understanding of these terms and constant reflection on them. ... In your presence today, then, I feel obliged to stress the importance of Europe's continuing responsibility to contribute to the cultural development of humanity.

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In the presentation, it was shown that bullying on the Internet is a new form of violence, and the related issue of the time the internet subtracts from family relations emerged. Alongside this there arose the question of adolescents and young people living in a condition of being continually "connected", a problem about which we all complain, and it was suggested that this might have its origins precisely in parents not spending enough time with them, and in not taking the time to listen to them. It was explained that numerous sociological studies exist, examining the risks linked to the rapid development of information and communication technology, a phenomenon that requires parents to act as mediators of the technological experience for their children. Therefore, there are examples that show that when family relationships are positive it is more likely that the potential of social networks lead to greater inter- and intra-generational cohesion, and where family relationships are poor or conflictual, the social networks more easily facilitate individualistic routes and forms of surrogate relationship. It was also mentioned that, in the globalised world in which we live, it is increasingly common for family members to live far from each other, and therefore social networks may constitute an important vehicle for information and entertainment. However, it is essential to remember that online connection is accompanied by "real", offline relationships, and that we cannot live alone, wrapped up in ourselves.
Faced with these situations, it was noted that the Church cannot be excluded: emphasis was placed on the opportunities that the Web offers for evangelisation or spiritual assistance, and the need for pastoral efforts in the formation of families. In this way, Cardinal Turkson highlighted that the Holy See, through the ratification of treaties on the rights of the Child, expresses its constant concern for the well-being of children and their families, in the hope that these agreements are able to guarantee the protection of the rights and interests of children, whom St. John Paul II described as a precious treasure, given to each generation as a challenge to its wisdom and humanity.

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Pope Francis pays homage to the Immaculate Conception in Piazza di Spagna
Vatican City, 9 December 2014 (VIS) - Yesterday, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, the Holy Father went to the Basilica of St. Mary Major to pray before the image of Mary, Salus Populi Romani, and then to Piazza di Spagna where he carried out the traditional act of veneration of Mary Immaculate. For the occasion, Francis composed and recited a prayer, the full text of which is published below:
"Mary our Mother, today the People of God celebrate you and venerate you as Immaculate, preserved forever from the stain of sin.
Accept the homage I offer you in the name of the Church in Rome and throughout the world.
Knowing that you, who are our Mother, are totally free from sin, is of great comfort to us.
Knowing that evil has no power over you, fills us with hope and strength in the daily struggle we have to face against the threats of the evil one.
But we are not alone in this struggle, we are not orphans because Jesus, before dying on the Cross, gave you to us as our Mother.
Even though we are sinners, we are still your children, children of the Immaculate, called to that holiness that shines in you by the grace of God since the beginning.
Inspired by this hope, today we invoke your maternal protection for us, our families, this city and the whole world.
Through your intercession, may the power of God's love that preserved you from original sin, free humanity from every form of spiritual and material slavery and make God's plan of salvation be victorious in both hearts and in history.
May grace prevail over pride in us too, your children.
May we become merciful as our heavenly Father is merciful.
During this time leading to the celebration of Jesus' birth, teach us to go against the flow: to strip ourselves, to be humble and giving, to listen and be silent, to go out of ourselves, giving space to the beauty of God, source of true joy.
Pray for us, our Immaculate Mother!".

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Angelus: like Mary, welcome grace and correspond with faith
Vatican City, 9 December 2014 (VIS) - "Everything is given freely by God, all is grace, all is a gift of His love for us". This, said Pope Francis, is the message of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, appearing at the window of his study to pray the Angelus at midday with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square.
The Holy Father explained that in the Annunciation, the Archangel Gabriel called Mary "full of grace", since "in her there was no space for sin: God had always chosen her as the mother of Jesus, and so He protected her from original sin. Mary corresponds to this grace and abandons herself to it, saying to the Angel, 'Be it done to me according to your word'. She does not say 'I will do it according to your word', but rather, 'Be it done to me...'. And the Word was made flesh in her womb. We too are asked to listen to God Who speaks to us and to accept His will; according to the logic of the Gospel, nothing is more active and fruitful than to listen and receive the Word of the Lord".
The attitude of Mary of Nazareth "shows us that being comes before doing, and we must let God act in order to truly become what He wants us to be. It is He Who works so many marvels in us. Mary is receptive, but not passive. Just as, at a physical level, she receives the power of the Holy Spirit but then gives flesh and blood to the Son of God Who grows in her, she also receives grace and corresponds with faith, on a spiritual level. This mystery of the acceptance of grace, that in Mary by unique privilege was without the obstacle of sin, is a possibility for all. ... As Mary is greeted by St. Elizabeth as 'blessed among women', so we too have always been 'blessed', that is, loved, and therefore 'chosen first from the creation of the world to be holy and immaculate'. Mary was preserved, whereas we have been saved thanks to baptism and faith: all of us, however, Mary and ourselves, through Christ".
"Faced with love, faced with mercy, with the divine grace poured into our hearts, just one consequence is imposed: gratuity. None of us can buy salvation! Salvation is a gift freely given by the Lord, a free gift from God who comes to us and abides in us. In the same way as we have received his gift freely, so we are called to freely give, in imitation of Mary, who straight after having received the Annunciation of the Angel, goes to share the gift of her fertility with her relative Elizabeth. Because, if all has been given, everything must be given again in turn. How? By letting the Holy Spirit make of us a gift for others. The Spirit is a gift for us and we, through the Spirit, must be a gift for others and enable the Holy Spirit to make us into instruments of acceptance, instruments of reconciliation, instruments of forgiveness".
"If our existence is allowed to be transformed by the Lord's grace, so that the Lord's grace may transform us, we cannot keep for ourselves the light that comes from His face, but must instead pass it on so that it may illuminate others".

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The Pope lights the tallest Christmas tree in the world
Vatican City, 8 December 2014 (VIS) - Every year on this day in Gubbio, the Italian city where St. Francis tamed the wolf, the tallest Christmas tree in the world is lit up. Situated on the slopes of Mount Ingino, it is made up of dots of light of different types: 250 green dots trace a silhouette more than 650 metres high, which contains more than 300 lights of various colours. It is topped with a star of 1000 square metres, made up of 200 white lights. At dusk yesterday, 7 December, the Holy Father illuminated the tree from the Vatican using a tablet, and he greeted those in attendance in Gubbio.
"In switching on the light of the Nativity scene, we wish for the light of Christ to be in us. A Christmas without light is not Christmas. Let there be light in the soul, in the heart; let there be forgiveness to others; let there be no hostilities, which are dark. Let there be the beautiful light of Jesus. This is my wish for all of you, when you turn on the light of the crib.
"Many thanks for your gift, it is beautiful. Also I give to you my warmest wishes, peace and happiness.
"If you have something dark in your soul, ask the Lord for forgiveness. Christmas is a great opportunity to cleanse the soul. Do not fear, the priest is merciful, forgiving all in the name of God, because God forgives everything.
"May there be light in your hearts, in your families, in your cities. And now, with this wish, let us turn on the light.
"Blessed be God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Merry Christmas and pray for me".

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Angelus: be messengers of God's consolation
Vatican City, 9 December 2014 (VIS) - The Holy Father appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace at midday today to pray the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square. Before the Marian prayer, Francis spoke about the second Sunday of Advent as a "wonderful time that reawakens in us the expectation of Christ's return and the memory of his historic coming. It is the Lord's invitation as expressed by the prophet Isaiah: 'Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God'".

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In the Book of Genesis, we read that God made man male and female, and blessed them so that they could increase and multiply. He made Adam and Eve parents who, in response to God's command to be fruitful and multiply, brought about the first fraternity, that of Cain and Abel. Cain and Abel were brothers because they came forth from the same womb. Consequently they had the same origin, nature and dignity as their parents, who were created in the image and likeness of God.
But fraternity also embraces variety and differences between brothers and sisters, even though they are linked by birth and are of the same nature and dignity. As brothers and sisters, therefore, all people are in relation with others, from whom they differ, but with whom they share the same origin, nature and dignity. In this way, fraternity constitutes the network of relations essential for the building of the human family created by God.
Tragically, between the first creation recounted in the Book of Genesis and the new birth in Christ whereby believers become brothers and sisters of the 'first-born among many brethren', there is the negative reality of sin, which often disrupts human fraternity and constantly disfigures the beauty and nobility of our being brothers and sisters in the one human family. It was not only that Cain could not stand Abel; he killed him out of envy and, in so doing, committed the first fratricide. 'Cain's murder of Abel bears tragic witness to his radical rejection of their vocation to be brothers. Their story brings out the difficult task to which all men and women are called, to live as one, each taking care of the other'.
This was also the case with Noah and his children. Ham's disrespect for his father Noah drove Noah to curse his insolent son and to bless the others, those who honoured him. This created an inequality between brothers born of the same womb.
In the account of the origins of the human family, the sin of estrangement from God, from the father figure and from the brother, becomes an expression of the refusal of communion. It gives rise to a culture of enslavement, with all its consequences extending from generation to generation: rejection of others, their mistreatment, violations of their dignity and fundamental rights, and institutionalised inequality. Hence, the need for constant conversion to the Covenant, fulfilled by Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, in the confidence that 'where sin increased, grace abounded all the more... through Jesus Christ'. Christ, the beloved Son, came to reveal the Father's love for humanity. Whoever hears the Gospel and responds to the call to conversion becomes Jesus' 'brother, sister and mother', and thus an adopted son of his Father.
One does not become a Christian, a child of the Father and a brother or sister in Christ, as the result of an authoritative divine decree, without the exercise of personal freedom: in a word, without being freely converted to Christ. Becoming a child of God is necessarily linked to conversion: 'Repent, and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit'. All those who responded in faith and with their lives to Peter's preaching entered into the fraternity of the first Christian community: Jews and Greeks, slaves and free. Differing origins and social status did not diminish anyone's dignity or exclude anyone from belonging to the People of God. The Christian community is thus a place of communion lived in the love shared among brothers and sisters.
All of this shows how the Good News of Jesus Christ, in whom God makes 'all things new', is also capable of redeeming human relationships, including those between slaves and masters, by shedding light on what both have in common: adoptive sonship and the bond of brotherhood in Christ. Jesus himself said to his disciples: 'No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you'.
The many faces of slavery yesterday and today
From time immemorial, different societies have known the phenomenon of man's subjugation by man. There have been periods of human history in which the institution of slavery was generally accepted and regulated by law. This legislation dictated who was born free and who was born into slavery, as well as the conditions whereby a freeborn person could lose his or her freedom or regain it. In other words, the law itself admitted that some people were able or required to be considered the property of other people, at their free disposition. A slave could be bought and sold, given away or acquired, as if he or she were a commercial product.
Today, as the result of a growth in our awareness, slavery, seen as a crime against humanity, has been formally abolished throughout the world. The right of each person not to be kept in a state of slavery or servitude has been recognised in international law as inviolable.
Yet, even though the international community has adopted numerous agreements aimed at ending slavery in all its forms, and has launched various strategies to combat this phenomenon, millions of people today - children, women and men of all ages - are deprived of freedom and are forced to live in conditions akin to slavery.
I think of the many men and women labourers, including minors, subjugated in different sectors, whether formally or informally, in domestic or agricultural workplaces, or in the manufacturing or mining industry; whether in countries where labour regulations fail to comply with international norms and minimum standards, or, equally illegally, in countries which lack legal protection for workers' rights.
I think also of the living conditions of many migrants who, in their dramatic odyssey, experience hunger, are deprived of freedom, robbed of their possessions, or undergo physical and sexual abuse. In a particular way, I think of those among them who, upon arriving at their destination after a gruelling journey marked by fear and insecurity, are detained in at times inhumane conditions. I think of those among them, who for different social, political and economic reasons, are forced to live clandestinely. My thoughts also turn to those who, in order to remain within the law, agree to disgraceful living and working conditions, especially in those cases where the laws of a nation create or permit a structural dependency of migrant workers on their employers, as, for example, when the legality of their residency is made dependent on their labour contract. Yes, I am thinking of 'slave labour'.
I think also of persons forced into prostitution, many of whom are minors, as well as male and female sex slaves. I think of women forced into marriage, those sold for arranged marriages and those bequeathed to relatives of their deceased husbands, without any right to give or withhold their consent.
Nor can I fail to think of all those persons, minors and adults alike, who are made objects of trafficking for the sale of organs, for recruitment as soldiers, for begging, for illegal activities such as the production and sale of narcotics, or for disguised forms of cross-border adoption.
Finally, I think of all those kidnapped and held captive by terrorist groups, subjected to their purposes as combatants, or, above all in the case of young girls and women, to be used as sex slaves. Many of these disappear, while others are sold several times over, tortured, mutilated or killed.
Some deeper causes of slavery
4. Today, as in the past, slavery is rooted in a notion of the human person which allows him or her to be treated as an object. Whenever sin corrupts the human heart and distances us from our Creator and our neighbours, the latter are no longer regarded as beings of equal dignity, as brothers or sisters sharing a common humanity, but rather as objects. Whether by coercion or deception, or by physical or psychological duress, human persons created in the image and likeness of God are deprived of their freedom, sold and reduced to being the property of others. They are treated as means to an end.
Alongside this deeper cause - the rejection of another person's humanity - there are other causes which help to explain contemporary forms of slavery. Among these, I think in the first place of poverty, underdevelopment and exclusion, especially when combined with a lack of access to education or scarce, even non-existent, employment opportunities. Not infrequently, the victims of human trafficking and slavery are people who look for a way out of a situation of extreme poverty; taken in by false promises of employment, they often end up in the hands of criminal networks which organise human trafficking. These networks are skilled in using modern means of communication as a way of luring young men and women in various parts of the world.
Another cause of slavery is corruption on the part of people willing to do anything for financial gain. Slave labour and human trafficking often require the complicity of intermediaries, be they law enforcement personnel, state officials, or civil and military institutions. 'This occurs when money, and not the human person, is at the centre of an economic system. Yes, the person, made in the image of God and charged with dominion over all creation, must be at the centre of every social or economic system. When the person is replaced by mammon, a subversion of values occurs'.
Further causes of slavery include armed conflicts, violence, criminal activity and terrorism. Many people are kidnapped in order to be sold, enlisted as combatants, or sexually exploited, while others are forced to emigrate, leaving everything behind: their country, home, property, and even members of their family. They are driven to seek an alternative to these terrible conditions even at the risk of their personal dignity and their very lives; they risk being drawn into that vicious circle which makes them prey to misery, corruption and their baneful consequences.
A shared commitment to ending slavery
5. Often, when considering the reality of human trafficking, illegal trafficking of migrants and other acknowledged or unacknowledged forms of slavery, one has the impression that they occur within a context of general indifference.
Sadly, this is largely true. Yet I would like to mention the enormous and often silent efforts which have been made for many years by religious congregations, especially women's congregations, to provide support to victims. These institutes work in very difficult situations, dominated at times by violence, as they work to break the invisible chains binding victims to traffickers and exploiters. Those chains are made up of a series of links, each composed of clever psychological ploys which make the victims dependent on their exploiters. This is accomplished by blackmail and threats made against them and their loved ones, but also by concrete acts such as the confiscation of their identity documents and physical violence. The activity of religious congregations is carried out in three main areas: in offering assistance to victims, in working for their psychological and educational rehabilitation, and in efforts to reintegrate them into the society where they live or from which they have come.

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"We baptised sons and daughters of the Church, all of us, are called upon to always welcome newly the presence of God among us and to help others to discover this presence, or to rediscover it if they have forgotten. It is a beautiful mission, similar to that of John the Baptist: guiding people towards Jesus - not to ourselves! - because it is towards Him that the human heart tends when it seeks joy and happiness".
"St. Paul, in today's liturgy, indicates the conditions for being missionaries of joy: pray diligently, always give thanks to God, follow His Spirit, seek that which is good and avoid evil", continued the Pope. "If this is our way of life, then the Good News will be able to enter into many homes and to help people and families rediscover that in Jesus, there is salvation. In Him it is possible to find inner peace and the strength to face each day the different situations of life, even the most onerous and difficult. We never hear about a sad saint or a saint with a gloomy appearance. It would be contradictory. A Christian is a person whose heart is filled with peace because he or she knows to place joy in the Lord even when experiencing difficult moments in life. To have faith does not mean not having difficult moments, but rather having the strength to face them knowing that we are not alone. And this is the peace God gives to His sons and daughters".

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The Pope gives a prayerbook to the faithful
Vatican City, 14 December 2014 (VIS) - After today's Angelus prayer, Pope Francis greeted all those present in St. Peter's Square - families, parish groups, associations and, in particular, faithful from Poland where today the Christmas candle is lit, and commitment to solidarity is reaffirmed, especially in the current Polish "Year of Caritas".
He then addressed the children who had brought him the figures from their Nativity displays to be blessed, thanking them for their presence and for the joy they brought to the square, where a sign was held that read "With Jesus, there is joy in our home". The Pope wished them a happy Christmas and asked them to pray for him in front of their Nativity display at home, as he does for them.
"Prayer is the breath of the soul: it is important to find moments during the day to open our heart to God, even with the simple and short prayers of the Christian people. Therefore, I thought of giving a gift to all of you here in the square - a surprise, a gift: I will give you a little pocket-sized book that gathers together a few prayers, for various moments in the day and different situations in life. Some volunteers will distribute to them to you. Take one each and keep it with you always, as a help to live the whole day with God, and so we do not forget that beautiful message you have brought here on your banner: 'With Jesus, there is joy in our home'. Once again: 'With Jesus, there is joy in our home'".
The book offered by the Pope contains Psalms, the Magnificat, invocations of Mary, the Gloria, the prayer to the Angel of the Guard, prayers to recite during the day and blessings for the table, in confession and for specific intentions. It is published in Italian by the Vatican Publishing House.

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Audience with Matteo Renzi: common concern about persistent social and economic problems
Vatican City, 13 December 2014 (VIS) - This morning the Holy Father Francis received Matteo Renzi, prime minister of the Italian Republic, on an official visit. Following the papal audience, Renzi met with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Secretary for Relations with States.
The discussions took place in a serene and cordial atmosphere. Attention focused on, among other issues, the current context of persistent difficulties of an economic and social nature, with negative consequences especially in relation to youth employment. In addition, the importance of education to promote the future of new generations was emphasised.
Various themes relating to international politics were then considered, and the Parties shared their serious concerns for the gradual worsening of conflicts in the Middle East.
With regard to the term of the Italian Presidency of the European Union, the Parties affirmed the importance of the themes mentioned by the Holy Father during his recent address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg. These were held to be fundamental to the harmonious development of European peoples.
Finally, the Parties renewed their commitment to continuing their joint cooperation to resolve various issues of a bilateral nature.

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St. Lucy, patroness of the blind and visually-impaired, teaches us the secret of true happiness
Vatican City, 15 December 2014 (VIS) - "Your association is non-confessional; however you have proposed to meet on this specific day, confirming that the tradition retains a certain significance for you", said the Pope as he received in audience the members of the National Council of the Italian Union of the Blind and Visually-Impaired, on the feast day of St. Lucy. Francis spoke about the human values the saint suggests, the first of which was courage. "We all need courage in order to face the challenges of life. ... In particular, the blind and visually-impaired need courage in order not to close themselves up, not to assume a victim mentality, but rather to open themselves to reality, to others, to society; to learn how to recognise and make good use of the capabilities the Lord has given to each person, without exception".
Another value suggested by St. Lucy, he continued, is "the fact that she was not alone, but rather was part of a community, a member of a body of which Christ was the head, a stone in the edifice of which Christ was the foundation. ... An association is not the sum of the individuals that constitute it - it is much more. ... To form a group, to be united, to meet up with one another, to share experiences and pool resources ... all this is part of the civil patrimony of a group. And often people who live with disadvantages or disabilities can show everyone, with their experience, that we are not 'monads', we are not made to be isolated, but rather to relate to one another, to complete each other, to help, accompany and support each other".
"Finally, St. Lucy tells us the life is made to be given away. She lived this in the extreme form of martyrdom, but the value of giving oneself is universal: it is the secret to true happiness. Humanity cannot be fully realised in having or even in doing; it is realised in loving, that is, the giving of oneself. And this may be understood as the secret of the name 'Lucy': a person is luminous to the extent that he or she is a gift for others. And every person, in reality, is a precious gift". The Pope concluded by remarking that even today living according to these values can mean encountering incomprehension and the struggle of at times going against the grain, and that it is necessary to fight, with the example and intercession of St. Lucy. He encouraged those present to confront this challenge with courage and with the joy of doing so together.

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Francis gives thanks to the foundation of Notre Dame des Sans-Abri for its work with the homeless
Vatican City, 13 December 2014 (VIS) - "Notre Dame des Sans-Abri (Our Lady of the Homeless)! What a beautiful name! The mother of Jesus, who gives shelter to her sons", said Pope Francis this morning as he received in audience the Foyer de Notre Dame des Sans-Abri, the association founded in Lyon in 1952 by Gabriel Rosset to assist the thousands of homeless men, women and children who lived under bridges, or in unsanitary and overcrowded huts.
"I would like you to know how much I appreciate your commitment to the poorest, to those who society turns away, those who have no roof over their heads or food to eat, those who are without work and therefore without dignity. Your founder listened to the cry of the poor; he was moved by the suffering of others, and responded generously. This call is none other than the call of the suffering Christ Himself; in the people you serve, you touch their wounds and cure them; and at the same time, they offer you profound teaching, since through them you encounter Jesus. The poor always evangelise us, they communicate God's wisdom to us, mysteriously. Today's world urgently needs this witness of divine mercy. At a time in which the human being is frequently rejected as useless when no longer productive, God, on the other hand, always acknowledges the dignity and nobility of his beloved son and daughter, who has a privileged position in His heart. The poor are the Lord's most favoured, and are at the centre of the Gospel".
"I thank you for this witness of mercy that you offer with many concrete actions, simple and warm gestures through which you alleviate the misery people suffer, giving them new hope and restoring their dignity to them. There is no better way to announce to today's world the joy of the Gospel. The option for the last among us, for those society rejects and casts aside, is a sign that we can always give, a sign that effectively bears witness to Christ, Who died and rose again".
Finally, Pope Francs invited the members of the foundation to remain faithful to their name, recalling the Marian dimension of their work. "Mary's heart is full of compassion for all people, especially for the poorest and most disadvantaged, those who are most in need; and it is her maternal tenderness - along with that of the Church - that is made manifest through you".

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The Pope prays to the Virgin of Guadalupe that the future of Latin America be forged for the poor
Vatican City, 13 December 2014 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon, on the liturgical solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Guadalupe, patroness of Latin America, the Holy Father celebrated Mass in the Vatican Basilica. The celebration was accompanied by hymns from the "Misa Criolla", by the Argentine composer Ariel Ramirez. Extensive extracts from the homily pronounced by the Pontiff are published below:
"Today, with gratitude and joy, the peoples and nations of our great Latin American homeland commemorate the feast of their 'patroness', Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose devotion extends from Alaska to Patagonia. ... On this feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe ... we sing with her the 'Magnificat', we entrust to her the lives of our people and the continental mission of the Church. When she appeared to St. Juan Diego in Tepeyac ... this led to a new visitation. She tenderly hastened to embrace the new people of the Americas at the dramatic moment they came into being: 'A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet' that assumed within herself the cultural and religious symbolism of the native people, announcing her Son and giving Him to the new and suffering people of mixed race. ... The most perfect disciple of the Lord became the 'great missionary who brings the Gospel to our America'. The Son of Mary most Holy, his Immaculate Mother, reveals himself from the origins of this new peoples' history, as the 'true God who gives us Life'".

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To the families with recently baptised children, Francis confessed that he liked to hear the cry of newborns as "they are a promise of life", and that they should not be expected to leave the church when they cry. He also encouraged parents to teach their children the sign of the Cross. He comforted the sick by reminding them that the Lord is always close to them, as "a father never leaves his children alone", and therefore "we must be trustful, and courageous in our trust ... some days everything is bleak ... but never lose your trust". He thanked the homeless for not having given up hope, and for their witness in bearing their cross of solitude. "Beneath so many ashes of suffering, of solitude, know that there is the fire of the Holy Spirit; below, there is the embrace of God's love. And why does the Lord allow there to be this cross? He permitted it first for His Son. And so Jesus understands you well". He spoke with the young catechumens about war and peace, and encouraged them to pray every day, especially to the Virgin, "Our Mother who will lead us by the hand to find Jesus, to find peace and not to descend into war". Finally, he answered a question on how he knew whether or not his decision to become a priest was the right one. He compared his inner certainty with what a man and woman might feel when they decide to marry, and explained that in spite of the sacrifices that have to be made and the problems that may appear, love is always stronger. "This certainty comes from Jesus", he emphasised.
Pope Francis went on to confess some of the faithful, and then proceeded to the church to celebrate Mass. In his homily, the Pope urged those present to listen to Jesus and to let Him preach to them. Jesus "speaks to us in the Gospel", he said, "and this is a habit we no longer have: to go and seek out the word of Jesus in the Gospel. Always carry a small copy of the Gospel with you, and keep it within reach. Read it whenever you have five or ten minutes to spare: Jesus speaks to us there. Maintain daily contact with the Gospel". He continued by encouraging those present to allow the Lord to heal their wounds: "open your heart, to let Him enter and heal you".

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To the representatives of EXPO 2015: the root of all ills is inequality
Vatican City, 7 February 2015 (VIS) - On Saturday afternoon Pope Francis sent a video message to the 500 national and international representatives gathered in Milan, where Expo 2015 will be held, to address the theme, "The ideas of EXPO 2015: Towards the Milan Charter".
In his message, the Pope refers to his address in November to the Conference on Nutrition organised by the the FAO in Rome, in which he affirmed that "interest in the production, availability and accessibility of foodstuffs, climate change and agricultural trade should certainly inspire rules and technical measures, but the first concern must be the individual as a whole, who lacks daily nourishment and has given up thinking about life, family and social relationships, instead fighting for survival".
"St. John Paul II, in the inauguration in this hall of the First Conference on Nutrition in 1992, warned the international community against the risk of the 'paradox of plenty', in which there is food for everyone, but not everyone can eat, while waste, excessive consumption and the use of food for other purposes is visible before our very eyes. Unfortunately, this 'paradox' remains relevant. There are few subjects about which we find as many fallacies as those related to hunger; few topics as likely to be manipulated by data, statistics, the demands of national security, corruption, or futile lamentation about the economic crisis".
To overcome the temptation of sophisms, "that nominalism of thought that goes beyond ... but never touches reality", the Pope suggests three practical approaches: turn first to urgent priorities, be witnesses of charity, and be guardians rather than masters of the earth.
"Aim your gaze and heart not towards an emergency pragmatism that shows itself to be perpetually provisional, but instead an approach aimed at removing the structural causes of poverty. Let us recall that the root of all ills is inequality", says Francis, repeating his words in the apostolic exhortation Evangelii gaudium: "we have to say 'thou shalt not' to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills. How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points? This is a case of exclusion. ... It is no longer simply about exploitation and oppression, but something new. ... The excluded are not the 'exploited' but the outcast, the 'leftovers'".
"It is therefore necessary, if we really want to solve problems and not become lost in sophisms, to remove the root of all evil, which is inequality. To do this, there are some priority decisions to be made: to renounce the absolute autonomy of markets and financial speculation, and to act above all on the structural causes of inequality".
"Politics, though often denigrated, remains a lofty vocation and one of the highest forms of charity, inasmuch as it seeks the common good", he continues. "Where, then, should a healthy economic policy begin? What are the necessary pillars for public administration? The answer is precise: the dignity of the human person and the common good. Unfortunately, however, these two pillars, that ought to structure economic policy, often 'seem to be a mere addendum imported from without in order to fill out a political discourse lacking in perspectives or plans for integral development. ... Please, be courageous and do not be afraid, in political and economic projects, to allow yourselves to be influenced by a broader meaning of life as this will help you to truly serve the common good and will give you strength in 'striving to increase the goods of this world and to make them more accessible to all'".
With reference to the third point, the Pope again mentioned a comment he heard many years ago from an elderly peasant: "God always forgives; men forgive at times; but the Earth never forgives. We must care for our sister the Earth, our Mother Earth, so that she does not respond with destruction". "Faced with the goods of the Earth, we are required 'not to lose sight of the origin or purpose of these goods, so as to bring about a world of fairness and solidarity', says the social doctrine of the Church. The Earth has been entrusted to us in order to be a Mother to us, able to give what is necessary for each person to live. ... The Earth is not an inheritance we have received from our parents, but rather a loan from our offspring to us, so that we may take care of it, enable it to continue and restore it to them".
"The stewardship of the Earth is not a task exclusive to Christians, but instead applies to all", he continued. "I entrust to you what I said during the Mass of the beginning of my ministry as Bishop of Rome: 'I would like to ask all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political and social life, and all men and women of goodwill: let us be "protectors" of creation, protectors of God's plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment. Let us not allow omens of destruction and death to accompany the advance of this world! But to be "protectors", we also have to keep watch over ourselves! ... We must not be afraid of goodness or even tenderness'. Care for the Earth not only with goodness, but also with tenderness".

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The Pope: the participation of women in the social and ecclesial spheres is a challenge that cannot be deferred
Vatican City, 7 February 2015 (VIS) - "Women's cultures: between equality and difference" was the theme of the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for Culture, an issue of great interest to Pope Francis, as he affirmed this morning while receiving in audience the participants in the event. He reiterated the importance of finding "criteria and new ways to enable women to no longer feel like guests, but instead to be full participants in the various areas of social and ecclesial life".
"The Church is a woman, she is female!" he exclaimed. "This is a challenge that cannot be deferred. I say this to the pastors of Christian communities, here representing the universal Church, but also to lay women and men engaged in different ways in culture, education, the economy, politics, the world of work, families, and religious institutions", he continued, offering an "itinerary" and a series of "guidelines to develop this effort throughout the world, in the heart of all cultures, in dialogue with the various religious affiliations".
With reference to the first theme considered in the Plenary Assembly, "Between equality and difference: the quest for an equilibrium", Pope Francis remarked that this equilibrium must be harmonious, not merely a question of balance. "This aspect must not be faced ideologically, because the 'lens' of ideology prevents us from seeing reality clearly. Equality and difference of women - like that of men - is best perceived from the perspective of 'with', in relation to, rather than 'against'. We have long left behind, at least in western societies, the model of the social subordination of women to men, a centuries-old model whose negative effects are nonetheless not yet fully spent. We have also left behind a second model, that of parity, pure and simple, applied mechanically, and of absolute equality. A new paradigm has thus taken shape, that of reciprocity in equivalence and in difference. The relationship between man and woman, therefore, must recognise that both are necessary inasmuch as they possess an identical nature but different modalities. One is necessary to the other, since the fullness of the person is thus truly achieved".
The second theme, "'generativity' as a symbolic code", broadens the horizons of biological maternity to include the transmission and the protection of life. It may be summarised in four verbs: to wish for, to bring into the world, to care for, and to let go. The Pope acknowledges the contribution in this area of the many women who work in the family, in the field of education in faith, in pastoral activity, in education in schools, and also in social, cultural and economic structures. "You, women, know how to embody the tender face of God, His mercy, which translates into willingness to offer time rather than occupy space, to accommodate rather than exclude. In this sense, I like to describe the feminine dimension of the Church as a welcoming womb for the regeneration of life".

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"And then", continued Francis, "we can ask the Lord, just as He came to cleanse the temple, to come and cleanse our soul. And we imagine Him, as He comes with a whip of ropes... No, this is not what cleanses the soul! Do you know what the whip is that Jesus uses to cleanse our soul? Mercy. Open your hearts to the mercy of Jesus. ... And if we open our hearts to Jesus' mercy, so that He may cleanse our heart, our soul, then Jesus will trust in us".

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Angelus: let us build a temple to God with our lives
Vatican City, 8 March 2015 (VIS) - At midday today, Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to pray the Angelus with the faithful and pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square. Francis' meditation focused on the meaning of the episode of the expulsion of the money changers from the temple, and he remarked that this prophetic gesture made a powerful impression on the people and on the disciples. "We have here, according to John, the first announcement of the death and Resurrection of Christ", said the Pope; "His body, destroyed by the violence of sin on the Cross, in the Resurrection, will become the meeting place between God and men. ... His humanity is the true temple, where God is revealed, speaks, meets; and the true worshippers of God are not the guardians of the material temple, the holders of power and religious knowledge, but are those who worship God 'in spirit and truth'".
"In this Lenten period", he continued, "we are preparing to celebrate Easter, when we renew the promises of our Baptism. Let us walk the world like Jesus and make of our existence We walk into the world as Jesus did and we make of our entire existence a sign of His love for our brothers, especially the weakest and the poorest. We build a temple to God in our lives. And in this way, we make Him 'encounterable' to the many people we find along our path. If we are witnesses to this living Christ, many people will encounter Jesus in us, in our testimony".
The Pontiff encouraged those present to "let the Lord enter with His mercy, to bring cleanliness to our hearts". He added, "every Eucharist we celebrate with faith makes us grow as a living temple to the Lord, thanks to the communion with His crucified and risen Body. ... May Mary Most Holy, the privileged dwelling of the Son of God, accompany and sustain us on this Lenten path, so that we may rediscover the beauty of the encounter with Christ, Who will free us and save us".

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Francis' greetings on International Women's Day: "women give us to the ability to see the world with different eyes"
Vatican City, 8 March 2015 (VIS) - After today's Angelus prayer, the Holy Father urged, "during Lent, let us try to be closer to those who are living through moments of difficulty; let us be closer to them with affection, prayer and solidarity".
He went on to address some words to women on International Women's Day: "a greeting to all women! To all the women who work every day to build a more human and welcoming society. And a fraternal thank you to those who in a thousands ways bear witness to the Gospel and work in the Church. This is for us an opportunity to reaffirm the importance and the necessity of their presence in life. A world where women are marginalised is a barren world, because women not only bring life, but they also give us the ability to see beyond - they see beyond themselves - and they transmit to us the ability to understand the world through different eyes, to hear things with more creative, more patient, more tender hearts. A prayer and a special blessing for all women present here in the square and for all women! Greetings!".

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Behaviour contrary to justice, honesty and charity cannot be covered up with worship
Vatican City, 8 March 2015 (VIS) - "Liturgy is not something exterior or distant, so that while it is celebrated I can think of other things or pray the rosary. No, there is a link between the liturgical celebration and what I carry with me in my life", said the Pope in his homily during his pastoral visit to the Roman parish of Ognissanti (All Saints) on the 50th anniversary of the first Mass in Italian celebrated in the same parish by Blessed Paul VI, following the liturgical reforms established by Vatican Council II.
Francis commented on the Gospel reading of St. John in which Jesus drives out the money changers from the Temple, with the exclamation, "Do not make my Father's house a house of trade." This expression refers not only to the commerce in the temple courtyards, but rather "regards a type of religiosity". He continued, "Jesus' gesture is one of cleansing, purification, and the attitude He condemns can be identified in the prophetic texts, according to which God is displeased by external worship made up of material sacrifices and based on personal interest. His gesture is a call to authentic worship, to correspondence between liturgy and life. ... Therefore, the Church calls us to have and to promote an authentic liturgical life, so that there may be harmony between what the liturgy celebrates and what we live in our existence".
Jesus' disciple "does not go to Church solely to observe a precept, to make sure he is not at odds with a God he must not 'disturb' too much. ... Jesus' disciple goes to Church to encounter the Lord and to find in His grace, working in the Sacraments, the strength to think and act according to the Gospel. Therefore, we cannot delude ourselves that we can enter into the Lord's house to cover up, with prayers and acts of devotion, behaviour contrary to the demands of justice, honesty or charity towards our neighbour. We cannot substitute with religious homage what is due to others, deferring true conversion. Worship and liturgical celebrations are the privileged space for hearing the voice of the Lord, Who guides us on the road to rectitude and Christian perfection".
This involves "fulfilling an itinerary of conversion and penance, to remove the dregs of sin from our life, as Jesus did, cleansing the temple of petty interests. And Lent is an auspicious time for this, as it is the time of inner renewal, of forgiveness of sins, the time in which we are called upon to rediscover the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, that enables us to pass from the shadows of sin into the light of grace and friendship with Jesus".
"Right here, fifty years ago, Blessed Paul VI inaugurated, in a certain sense, liturgical reform with the celebration of the vernacular Mass in the language of the people. I hope that this circumstance may revive love for God's house in all of you".
Following Mass, as he left the church, the Pope greeted the many faithful who awaited him. "Thank you, thank you for your welcome", he said. "That you for this prayer with me during Mass; and let us thank the Lord for what He has done in His Church in these fifty years of liturgical reform. It was a courageous gesture of the Church, to draw closer to the people of God so they could better understand what she does, and this is important for us, to follow Mass in this way. And it is not possible to step backwards, we must always move ahead, always ahead; those who go back, err. Let us go ahead on this road".

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The Pope on the sixtieth anniversary of Communion and Liberation: "Keep alive the call of the first encounter with Christ, and be free"
Vatican City, 7 March 2015 (VIS) - More than seventy thousand people, belonging to the movement Communion and Liberation (CL) participated in a mass meeting with Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square this morning, to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the creation of CL and the tenth of the death of its founder, the priest Luigi Giussani. The movement was established in Italy in 1954, when Giussani (1922-2005), on the basis of his experience in the "Berchet" classical lyceum in Milan, developed the initiative of Christian presence that used the already existing name of "Gioventu Studentesca" (GS). The current name Communion and Liberation (CL), which appeared for the first time in 1969, summarises the conviction that the Christian event lived in communion, is the foundation of authentic human liberation.
After listening to greetings from the priest Julian Carron, president of the fraternity, the Holy Father thanked all those present for their warm displays of affection and gave the various reasons for his gratitude to Don Giussani. "The first, and most personal, is the good that this man has done for me and for my priestly life, through reading his books and his articles. The other reason is that his thought is profoundly human and reaches the deepest yearning of the person. You are aware of how important the experience of encounter was for Don Giussani - not with an idea, but with a person, with Jesus Christ. So, he educated in freedom, leading to the encounter with Christ, as Christ gives us true freedom".

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from evil. The evil one is far more astute than we are, and he is able to demolish in a moment what it took us years of patience to build up. Here we need
to implore the grace to learn how to 'offset' (and it is an important habit to acquire): to thwart evil without pulling up the good wheat, or presuming to protect like supermen what the Lord alone can protect. All this helps us not to
let our guard down before the depths of iniquity, before the mockery of the wicked. In these situations of weariness, the Lord says to us: 'Have courage! have overcome the world!'. The Word of God gives us strength.
"And finally - I say finally lest you be too wearied by this homily itself! - there is also 'weariness of ourselves'. This may be the most dangerous weariness
of all. That is because the other two kinds come from being exposed, from going
out of ourselves to anoint and to do battle (for our job is to care for others).
But this third kind of weariness is more 'self-referential': it is dissatisfaction with oneself, but not the dissatisfaction of someone who directly confronts himself and serenely acknowledges his sinfulness and his need
for God's mercy, His help; such people ask for help and then move forward. Here
we are speaking of a weariness associated with 'wanting yet not wanting', having
given up everything but continuing to yearn for the fleshpots of Egypt, toying with the illusion of being something different. I like to call this kind of weariness 'flirting with spiritual worldliness'. When we are alone, we realise how many areas of our life are steeped in this worldliness, so much so that we may feel that it can never be completely washed away. This can be a dangerous kind of weariness. The Book of Revelation shows us the reason for this weariness: 'You have borne up for my sake and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first'. Only
love gives true rest. What is not loved becomes tiresome, and in time, brings about a harmful weariness.
"The most profound and mysterious image of how the Lord deals with our pastoral
tiredness is that, 'having loved his own, he loved them to the end': the scene of his washing the feet of his disciples. I like to think of this as the cleansing of discipleship. The Lord purifies the path of discipleship itself. He
'gets involved' with us, becomes personally responsible for removing every stain, all that grimy, worldly smog which clings to us from the journey we make
in his name.
"From our feet, we can tell how the rest of our body is doing. The way we follow the Lord reveals how our heart is faring. The wounds on our feet, our sprains and our weariness, are signs of how we have followed Him, of the paths we have taken in seeking the lost sheep and in leading the flock to green pastures and still waters. The Lord washes us and cleanses us of all the dirt our feet have accumulated in following Him. This is something holy. Do not let your feet remain dirty. Like battle wounds, the Lord kisses them and washes away
the grime of our labours.
"Our discipleship itself is cleansed by Jesus, so that we can rightly feel 'joyful', 'fulfilled', 'free of fear and guilt', and impelled to go out 'even to
the ends of the earth, to every periphery'. In this way we can bring the good news to the most abandoned, knowing that 'He is with us always, even to the end
of the world'. And please, let us ask for the grace to learn how to be weary, but weary in the best of ways!".

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The Pope washes the feet of twelve detainees in Rebibbia prison
Vatican City, 2 April 2015 (VIS) - This afternoon Pope Francis celebrated Holy
Mass "in Coena Domini" in Rome's Rebibbia penitentiary, where he arrived around
5.15 p.m. He greeted the authorities, staff and a group of detainees in the prison courtyard. Shortly before 6 p.m., in the "Padre Nostro" church in the New
Complex of Rebibbia, the Pope presided at the Holy Mass that begins the Easter Triduum, during which he washed the feet of twelve detainees, six men and six women from the nearby women's penitentiary.
In his improvised homily, the Pope remarked that on a Thursday like today, Jesus was at the table with His disciples, celebrating the feast of the Passover. "The Gospel reading we have just heard contains a phrase which is precisely at the centre of what Jesus did for all of us: 'having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end'. Jesus loved us. Jesus loves us. Without limits, always, to the end. ... And each one of us can say, 'He gave
His life for me'. ... For everyone, name and surname. This is how His love is: personal. Jesus' love never disappoints, as He never tires of loving, just as He
never tires of forgiving, of embracing us. This is the first thing I wanted to say to you: Jesus loved us, each one of us, unto the end".
"And then, he does what the disciples did not understand: washing their feet. In that time, it was a custom, as when people arrived at a house their feet were
dirty from the dust of the road. ... But the master of the house did not do this.
It was a task for the slaves. And Jesus, like a slave, washes our feet, the feet
of His disciples, and therefore says to Peter: 'What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterwards you will understand'. So great is Jesus' love that He made Himself into a slave to serve us, to heal us, to cleanse us".
"And today, in this Mass, the Church wishes for her priest to wash the feet of
twelve people, in memory of the Twelve Apostles. But in our hearts we must be sure that the Lord, when He washes our feet, washes us entirely, He purifies us,
He lets us feel His love once more. In the Bible there is a beautiful phrase, from the prophet Isaiah: 'Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should
have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not
forget you'. This is what God's love for us is like".
"And today", he concluded, "I will wash the feet of twelve of you, but all of you, all people, are in these brothers and sisters. You represent them. But I too need to be washed by the Lord, and therefore pray during this Mass that the
Lord may wash away my impurities, so that I may become more of a slave than you,
more of a slave in the service of the people, as Jesus was".

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Good Friday: In Christ abandoned, we see all those abandoned in the world
Vatican City, 3 April 2015 (VIS) - At 9.15 p.m. today, Good Friday, at Rome's ancient Colosseum, Pope Francis offered a meditation following the torch-lit Via
Via Crucis in which thousands of faithful participate every year, accompanying Christ's journey to the Cross. From the terrace of the Palatine Hill, the Holy Father listened to the reflections that accompanied each of the fourteen stations, all of which were united by the constant reference to the gift of being protected by God's love, and in particular that of the crucified Jesus, and the task of being, in turn, protectors of the whole of Creation, especially
the poorest and most marginalised. He reflected on the situation of men and women who are persecuted and martyred for their faith or for working to promote
justice and peace, on the family, on the condition of life for women, on human trafficking and violence against children in its various forms.
The cross was carried between the fourteen stations by the cardinal archbishop
of Rome, Agostino Vallini, a large family, another family with adopted children,
two patients, citizens of Iraq, Syria, Nigeria, Egypt and China, women religious
from secular institutes and of Our Lady of Piety in Latin America, and two custodians of the Holy Land.
At the end of the Via Crucis, the Pope recited the following prayer:
"O Christ crucified and victorious, Your Way of the Cross is the summary of Your life, the icon of Your obedience to the will of the Father,and the realisation of Your infinite love for us sinners. It is the proof of Your mission. It is the final fulfilment of the revelation and the history of salvation. The weight of Your cross frees us from all of our burdens.
"In Your obedience to the will of the Father, we become aware of our rebellion
and disobedience. In You, sold, betrayed, crucified by Your own people and those
dear to You, we see our own betrayals and our own usual infidelity. In Your innocence, Immaculate Lamb, we see our guilt. In Your face, slapped, spat on and
disfigured, we see the brutality of our sins. In the cruelty of Your passion, we
see the cruelty of our heart and of our actions. In Your own feeling of abandonment, we see those abandoned by their families, by society, by attention
and by solidarity. In Your body, sacrificed, ripped and torn, we see the body of
our brothers who have been abandoned along the way, disfigured by our negligence
and our indifference. In Your thirst Lord, we see the thirst of Your merciful Father, who desired to embrace, forgive and save all of humanity. In You, Divine
Love, we see even today, before our very eyes, and often with our silence and complicity, our persecuted brothers and sisters, decapitated, crucified for their faith in You.
"Imprint in our heart, Lord, sentiments of faith, hope and charity, of sorrow for our sins, and lead us to repent for our sins that have crucified You. Lead us to transform our conversion with words into a conversion of life and works. Help us to preserve within us a living memory of Your disfigured face, so that we may never forget the terrible price You paid to free us. Crucified Jesus, strengthen in us a faith that does not collapse in the face of temptations; awaken in us the hope that does get lost following the temptations of the world.
Preserve in us the charity that is not fooled by the corruption of worldliness.
Teach us that the cross is the way to the resurrection. Teach us that Good Friday is the way to the Easter of light. Teach us that God never forgets any of
his children, and never tires of forgiving us and embracing us with His infinite
mercy. But also teach us to never tire of asking Him for forgiveness and believing in the boundless mercy of the Father".

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Easter Vigil Mass: learn from the women how to enter into the Paschal mystery
Vatican City, 4 April 2015 (VIS) - The solemn Easter Vigil began this evening at 8.30 in St. Peter's Basilica. Pope Francis presided over the rites which began in the church atrium with a blessing of the new fire and the preparation of the Paschal candle. After the procession to the altar with the lighted candle
the celebration continued with the singing of the "Exsultet", and Liturgy of the
Word. The Holy Father went on to administer the sacraments of Christian initiation (Baptism, Confirmation and First Communion) to ten people from Italy,
Portugal, Albania, Kenya and Cambodia.
Following the Gospel reading, the bishop of Rome pronounced a homily in which he commented that the women were the first to enter into the empty tomb, and urged those present to learn from these women, Jesus' disciples, never to lose faith or hope.
"Tonight is a night of vigil", he said. "The Lord is not sleeping; the Watchman
is watching over his people, to bring them out of slavery and to open before them the way to freedom. The Lord is keeping watch and, by the power of His love, He is bringing His people through the Red Sea. He is also bringing Jesus through the abyss of death and the netherworld.
"This was a night of vigil for the disciples of Jesus, a night of sadness and fear. The men remained locked in the Upper Room. Yet, the women went to the tomb
at dawn on Sunday to anoint Jesus' body. Their hearts were overwhelmed and they
were asking themselves: 'How will we enter? Who will roll back the stone of the
tomb?" But here was the first sign of the great event: the large stone was already rolled back and the tomb was open.
"'Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in
a white robe'. The women were the first to see this great sign, the empty tomb;
and they were the first to enter. 'Entering the tomb'. It is good for us, on this Vigil night, to reflect on the experience of the women, which also speaks to us. For that is why we are here: to enter, to enter into the Mystery which God has accomplished with his vigil of love. We cannot live Easter without entering into the mystery. It is not something intellectual, something we only know or read about. It is more, much more!
"'To enter into the mystery' means the ability to wonder, to contemplate; the ability to listen to the silence and to hear the tiny whisper amid great silence
by which God speaks to us. To enter into the mystery demands that we not be afraid of reality: that we not be locked into ourselves, that we not flee from what we fail to understand, that we not close our eyes to problems or deny them,
that we not dismiss our questions. To enter into the mystery means going beyond
our own comfort zone, beyond the laziness and indifference which hold us back, and going out in search of truth, beauty and love. It is seeking a deeper meaning, an answer, and not an easy one, to the questions which challenge our faith, our fidelity and our very existence.
"To enter into the mystery, we need humility, the lowliness to abase ourselves,
to come down from the pedestal of our 'I' which is so proud, of our presumption;
the humility not to take ourselves so seriously, recognising who we really are:

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the Vatican Basilica, and by the side of the Holy Door, he presented the Bull of
Indiction to the four cardinal archpriests of the papal basilicas of Rome: St. Peter in the Vatican, St. John Lateran, St. Paul Outside-the-Walls and St. Mary
Major. As an expression of his desire that the Jubilee be celebrated both in Rome and throughout the world, the Pope also handed a copy of the Bull to the prefects of the Congregations for Bishops, for Evangelisation of Peoples, and for the Oriental Churches, and thus symbolically to bishops worldwide. A copy of
the document was received by Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai on behalf of all the East , and by Archbishop Bartolome Adoukounou for the African continent. Msgr. Khaled Ayad Bishay of the Patriarchal Church of Alexandria of the Copts received
the copy destined for the Oriental Churches.
The Regent of the Papal Household, Msgr. Leonardo Sapienza, apostolic protonotary, read a number of extracts from the official document convoking the
extraordinary Holy Year, in the presence of the Pope. The Holy Father then went
on to preside at first vespers in the Vatican Basilica, and pronounced the following homily.
"The greeting of the Risen Christ to His disciples on the evening of Easter, 'Peace be with you!', continues to resound in us all. Peace, especially during this Easter season, remains the desire of so many people who suffer unprecedented violence of discrimination and death simply because they bear the
name 'Christian'. Our prayer is all the more intense and becomes a cry for help
to the Father, Who is rich in mercy, that He may sustain the faith of our many brothers and sisters who are in pain. At the same time, we ask for the grace of
the conversion of our own hearts so as to move from indifference to compassion.
"St. Paul reminds us that we have been saved through the mystery of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. He is the Reconciler, Who is alive in our midst offering the way to reconciliation with God and with each other. The Apostle recalls that, notwithstanding the difficulties and the sufferings of life, the hope of salvation which Christ has sown in our hearts nonetheless continues to grow. The mercy of God is poured out upon us, making us just and giving us peace.
"Many question in their hearts: why a Jubilee of Mercy today? Simply because the Church, in this time of great historical change, is called to offer more evident signs of God's presence and closeness. This is not the time to be distracted; on the contrary, we need to be vigilant and to reawaken in ourselves
the capacity to see what is essential. This is a time for the Church to rediscover the meaning of the mission entrusted to her by the Lord on the day of
Easter: to be a sign and an instrument of the Father's mercy.
"For this reason, the Holy Year must keep alive the desire to know how to welcome the numerous signs of the tenderness which God offers to the whole world
and, above all, to those who suffer, who are alone and abandoned, without hope of being pardoned or feeling the Father's love. A Holy Year to experience strongly within ourselves the joy of having been found by Jesus, the Good Shepherd Who has come in search of us because we were lost. A Jubilee to receive
the warmth of His love when He bears us upon his shoulders and brings us back to
the Father's house. A year in which to be touched by the Lord Jesus and to be transformed by His mercy, so that we may become witnesses to mercy. Here, then,
is the reason for the Jubilee: because this is the time for mercy. It is the favourable time to heal wounds, a time not to be weary of meeting all those who
are waiting to see and to touch with their hands the signs of the closeness of God, a time to offer everyone the way of forgiveness and reconciliation.
"May the Mother of God open our eyes, so that we may comprehend the task to which we have been called; and may she obtain for us the grace to experience this Jubilee of Mercy as faithful and fruitful witnesses of Christ".

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Summary of the "Misericordiae Vultus", Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy
Vatican City, 12 April 2015 (VIS) - The following is a summary of the Papal Bull "Misericordiae Vultus", by which Pope Francis convoked the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy.
The Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy is composed of 25 numbered sections. Pope Francis has described the most salient features of mercy, focusing primarily on the theme of the light of Christ's face. Mercy is not an abstract word, but rather a face to recognise, contemplate and serve. The
Bull is developed in a Trinitary fashion (Nos. 6-9) and extends to a description
of the Church as a credible sign of mercy: "Mercy is the very foundation of the
Church's life" (No.10).
Pope Francis indicates the salient phases of the Jubilee. The opening coincides
with the 50th anniversary of the closing of the Vatican II Ecumenical Council: "The Church feels a great need to keep this event alive. With the Council, the Church entered a new phase of her history. The Council Fathers strongly perceived, as a true breath of the Holy Spirit, a need to talk about God to men
and women of their time in a more accessible way. The walls which too long had made the Church a kind of fortress were torn down and the time had come to proclaim the Gospel in a new way" (No. 4). The conclusion will take place "with
the liturgical Solemnity of Christ the King on 20 November 2016. On that day, as
we seal the Holy Door, we shall be filled, above all, with a sense of gratitude
and thanksgiving to the Most Holy Trinity for having granted us an extraordinary
time of grace. We will entrust the life of the Church, all humanity, and the entire cosmos to the Lordship of Christ, asking him to pour out his mercy upon us like the morning dew, so that everyone may work together to build a brighter
future." (no.5).
A special feature of this Holy Year is the fact that it will be celebrated not
only in Rome, but also in all the other dioceses of the world. The Holy Door will be opened by the Pope at St. Peter's on 8 December, and on the following Sunday in all the Churches of the world. Another novelty is that the Pope will grant the possibility of opening the Holy Door also in Sanctuaries, where many pilgrims will go in order to pray.
Pope Francis resumes the teaching of St. John XXIII, who spoke of the "medicine
of Mercy", and of Paul VI who identified the spirituality of Vatican II with that of the Samaritan. The Bull explains, furthermore, various salient aspects of the Jubilee: firstly, the motto, "Merciful like the Father", then the meaning
of pilgrimage and above all the need for forgiveness. The theme that is particularly close to the Pope's heart is found in section No. 15: the works of
corporal and spiritual mercy are to be resumed in order to "reawaken our conscience, too often grown dull in the face of poverty. And let us enter more deeply into the heart of the Gospel where the poor have a special experience of
God's mercy". A further indication is offered by Lent, with the sending out of the "Missionaries of Mercy" (No. 18), a new and original initiative by which the
Pope intends to emphasise his pastoral care in a more concrete way. In paragraphs 20 and 21 the Pope considers the theme of the relationship between justice and mercy, showing that he does not stop at a legalistic view, but rather aims at a path that leads to merciful love.
Paragraph 19 is a powerful appeal against organised violence and against those
who are "advocates and accomplices" of corruption. The Pope uses strong words to
denounce this "festering wound", and insists that during this Holy Year there must be true conversion: "This is the opportune moment to change our lives! This
is the time to allow our hearts to be touched! When confronted with evil deeds,
even in the face of serious crimes, it is the time to listen to the cry of innocent people who are deprived of their property, their dignity, their feelings, and even their very lives. To stick to the way of evil will only leave
one deluded and sad. True life is something entirely different. God never tires
of reaching out to us. He is always ready to listen, as I am too, along with my
brother bishops and priests. All one needs to do is to accept the invitation to
conversion and submit oneself to justice during this special time of mercy offered by the Church" (No. 19).
The granting of indulgences as a traditional theme of the Jubilee year is expressed in section No. 22. A final original aspect is offered by Pope Francis
with regard to mercy as a theme shared also by Jews and Muslims: "I trust that this Jubilee year celebrating the mercy of God will foster an encounter with these religions and with other noble religious traditions; may it open us to even more fervent dialogue so that we might know and understand one another better; may it eliminate every form of closed-mindedness and disrespect, and drive out every form of violence and discrimination" (No. 23).
The Pope's wish is that this Year, experienced also in the sharing of divine mercy, may be "dedicated to living out in our daily lives the mercy which the Father constantly extends to all of us. In this Jubilee Year, let us allow God to surprise us. He never tires of throwing open the doors of his heart and repeats that he loves us and wants to share his love with us. ... In this Jubilee
Year, may the Church echo the word of God that resounds strong and clear as a message and a sign of pardon, strength, aid, and love. May she never tire of extending mercy, and be ever patient in offering compassion and comfort. May the
Church become the voice of every man and woman, and repeat confidently without end: aBe mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old'".

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The Pope "in harmony" with the theme of the Seventh Summit of the Americas: "Prosperity with equity"
Vatican City, 11 April 2015 (VIS) - Pope Francis has sent a message to Juan Carlos Varela Rodriguez, president of Panama, host country of the Seventh Summit
of the Americas, which on this occasion takes as its theme "Prosperity with equity: the challenge of cooperation in the Americas". The Holy Father commented
that he is "in harmony" with the theme chosen for the Summit, affirms that he is
"convinced ... that inequality, the unjust distribution of wealth and resources,
is a source of conflicts and violence among peoples, as it presupposes that the
progress of some is built on the necessary sacrifice of others and that, to be able to live in a dignified fashion, one must fight with others".
"Well-being reached in this way is unjust at its root and attacks the dignity of the person", he writes. "There are 'basic goods', such as the earth, work and
a home, and 'public services', such as health, education, security and the environment, from which no human being should be denied access. This desire - which we all share - is unfortunately still far from reality. ... The great challenge of our world is the globalisation of solidarity and fraternity in the
place of the globalisation of discrimination and indifference, and until a more
equitable distribution of wealth is achieved, the ills of our society will not be resolved".
Francis remarks that many countries have certainly experienced significant economic development in recent years, but "it is equally true that others remain
prostrated in poverty. Moreover, in the emerging economies, a large part of the
population does not benefit from general economic progress, to the point that frequently a greater rift opens up between rich and poor. 'Trickle down' theories have been shown to be erroneous: it is not enough to hope that the poor
may gather the crumbs that fall from the table of the rich. It is necessary to take direct action in favour of the most disadvantaged, attention to should be priority for governors, as it is for the smallest within a family".
He then turns his attention to the problem of immigration. "The immense disparity of opportunities between some countries and others ensures that many people feel compelled to abandon their homeland and their family, thus becoming
easy prey for human trafficking and slave labour, without rights or access to justice. In some cases, the lack of cooperation between States leaves many people unprotected by the law and unable to guarantee their own rights, and thus
obliged to ally themselves with those who take advantage of others, or to resign

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think of the unfortunate and all who suffer, and to rededicate ourselves to bringing them comfort and happiness through acts of love and compassion".
This year's text is inspired by Pope Francis's "Message for the 2015 World Day
of Peace", entitled No Longer Slaves, but Brothers and Sisters, in which the Holy Father observes that, historically, the institution of slavery was once generally accepted and resulted in the "rejection of others, their mistreatment,
violations of their dignity and fundamental rights, and institutionalised inequality". Accordingly, "a slave could be bought and sold, given away or acquired, as if he or she were a commercial product" and although slavery has been formally abolished throughout the world, there are still "millions of people today - children, women and men of all ages - deprived of freedom and forced to live in conditions akin to slavery".
Pope Francis gives examples of modern day slavery: men, women and child labourers; migrants who undergo physical, emotional and sexual abuse while working in shameful working conditions; persons forced into prostitution, many of whom are minors, as well as male and female sex slaves; those kidnapped by terrorists and forced to be combatants, and those who are tortured, mutilated or
killed. Human hearts deformed by corruption and ignorance are, according to the
Holy Father, the cause of these terrible evils against humanity. When hearts are
corrupted, human beings no longer see others as "beings of equal dignity, as brothers or sisters sharing a common humanity, but rather as objects".
"Dear friends, we share the conviction that modern slavery and human trafficking are grave crimes, open wounds on the body of contemporary society",
states the message for Vesakh. In one section of the "Eightfold Path" - namely "Right Livelihood" - the Buddha declares that trading in live beings, including
slaves and prostitutes, is one of five occupations that are not to be engaged in. He instructs that possessions are to be acquired peacefully, honestly and by
legal means, without coercion, violence or deceit, and by means that do not cause harm or suffering. In this way, Buddhism promotes respect for the life and
freedom of each person".
"As Buddhists and Christians committed to respect for human life, we must cooperate together to end this social plague. Pope Francis invites us to overcome indifference and ignorance by offering assistance to victims, in working for their psychological and educational rehabilitation, and in efforts to reintegrate them into society where they live or from which they come".
The text concludes, "We pray that your celebration of Vesakh, which includes making special efforts to bring happiness to those less fortunate in our midst,
may be a time of deepened consideration of the various ways in which we can work
together so that there will no longer be slaves, but brothers and sisters living
in fraternity, loving kindness and compassion for all".

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Regina Coeli: the content of Christian witness is not an ideology
Vatican City, 19 April 2015 (VIS) - At midday today the Pope appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to pray the Regina Coeli with the faithful present in the square. Before the Marian prayer, Francis spoke
about the meaning of witness in the life of Christians. "A witness is one who has seen, who recalls, and recounts", he said. "To see, to remember and to tell
are the three verbs that describe identity and mission. The witness is one who has seen, but not with indifferent eyes; he has seen and allowed himself to be involved in the event. Therefore, he also remembers, not only because he is able
to precisely reconstruct the facts, but because these facts have spoken to him and he has grasped their deep meaning. And so the witness recounts, not in a cold or detached way, but as one who has allowed himself to be questioned, and has from that day forth changed his life".
"The content of Christian witness is not a theory, and ideology, or a complex system of precepts and prohibitions", he added, "but rather a message of salvation, a concrete event, or rather a Person: it is the risen Christ, the sole and living Saviour of all".
The Pontiff went on to emphasise that the Christian may be a witness of the risen Christ "by way of a path that has its foundation in Baptism and its nourishment in the Eucharist, its seal in Confirmation and its continual conversion in Penance. ... If, however, a Christian allows himself to be rapt by
comforts and vanity, if he becomes deaf and blind to the question of 'resurrection' of so many of his brothers, how will he be able to communicate the living Jesus, with his liberating power and infinite tenderness?".

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Men and women like us, seeking a better life
Vatican City, 19 April 2015 (VIS) - Following the Marian prayer, the Pope launched an appeal to the international community to react as soon as possible to tragedies like Saturday's shipwreck in Sicilian waters, causing the deaths of
hundreds of immigrants travelling towards the Italian coast.
"They are men and women like us", he said. "Our brothers who seek a better life; hungry, persecuted, wounded, exploited, victims of wars, seeking a better
life. They were looking for happiness. I invite you to pray for them".

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State Visit of the President of the Italian Republic
Vatican City, 18 April 2015 (VIS) - This morning the Holy Father received a State visit from the president of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella. The visit takes place just two months after his election, and as the Pontiff remarked, "shows the excellent relations between the Holy See and Italy". There
is a long-standing tradition of regular meetings between the Italian authorities
and the Universal Church, reinforced following Vatican Council II.
In his address to the president, the Pope referred first to the Lateran Pacts,
incorporated into the Republican Constitution, which constitute "a solid framework for reference, within which the relations between Italy and the Holy See have been peacefully developed and strengthened, guaranteeing mutual sovereignty and independence and at the same time ensuring mutual orientation towards active collaboration, on the basis of shared values and in view of the common good". For this, it is fundamental for collaboration to be constantly renewed, "distinguishing roles and competences and with full respect for reciprocal functions", with the aim of "uniting forces for the good of all citizens, who have the right to such harmony, from which they derive innumerable
benefits. ... Reciprocal autonomy does not diminish, but indeed enhances common
responsibility for human beings and for the spiritual and material needs of the
community, which we all have the task of serving with humility and dedication".
"A healthy pluralism does not reject the specific contribution offered by the various ideal and religious members that make up our society, provided that, of
course, they accept the fundamental principals that guide civil life, and do not
exploit or distort their beliefs to violent and abusive ends. In other words, the orderly development of a pluralistic civil society presupposes that it does
not claim to confine the true religious spirit solely to the intimacy of the conscience, but that it also recognises its significant role in the building of
society, legitimating the the valuable contribute that it may offer". In this respect, the history of Italy clearly demonstrates both the great contribution of Christianity to her culture and the character of her population, and the extent to which Christian faith has permeated the art, architecture and customs
of the country".
The Pope did not fail to mention, among the fundamental goods for the development of each community, the importance of work, "distinguished by its bond with the very dignity of the person, with the possibility of building a dignified and free existence", and he emphasised that "the lack of work for the
young becomes a cry of pain that must impel those in public office, intermediary
organisations, private businesspeople and the ecclesial community to make every
effort to remedy the situation, according the suitable priority to the problem.
Indeed, the possibility of dignity and of the future resides in the availability
of work".
Another theme of the Pope's address was the protection of the environment, and
in this regard he spoke about the Milan Universal Exposition, the theme of which
is "Feeding the planet: energy for life". "The event of the Expo will be an important occasion in which the most modern technologies necessary for guaranteeing healthy, safe and sufficient food for all peoples, respecting the environment, will be presented", he said. "This may also contribute to deeper study of the causes of environmental degradation, in order to provide the competent authorities with a framework of knowledge and experience indispensable
for making effective decisions and for preserving the health of the planet that
God has entrusted to the care of humankind".
Finally, the Holy Father expressed his gratitude for Italy's efforts in receiving the many immigrants who, risking their lives, seek acceptance. "It is
clear that the proportions of the phenomenon require a much broader involvement.
We must never tire of soliciting more extensive efforts at European and international levels".
Francis concluded by expressing his hope that Italy, "treasuring her noble traditions and culture, largely inspired by Christian faith, may progress and prosper in harmony, offering her valuable contribution to peace and justice in the world".

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Italy and the Holy See: promoting and protecting religious freedom and human dignity at bilateral and international levels
Vatican City, 18 April 2015 (VIS) - This morning the president of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, paid a visit to the Holy Father Francis. The Head of the Italian State, accompanied by Paolo Gentiloni, minister for foreign affairs and international cooperation, subsequently met with Cardinal Secretary
of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary for Relations with States.
During the cordial discussions, satisfaction was expressed for the good relations between the Holy See and Italy, further consolidated by the recent signing of the Convention on fiscal matters. Themes relevant to the Italian social situation were then considered, with particular reference to the family,
education, work and migration. Appreciation was affirmed for the cooperation of

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woman, of all humanity. He continues to invite us to rediscover the lost or obscured meaning of our human path and to hope to see again the shining horizon
on which there shines in all its fullness the dignity of the human person. Honouring Dante Alighieri, as Paul VI has already invited us to do, we are able
to enrich ourselves with his experience in order to cross the many dark forests
still scattered on our earth and to happily complete our pilgrimage in history,
to reach the destination dreamed of and wished for by every man: 'the love that
moves the sun in heaven and all the stars'".

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Visit to the Roman parish of Santa Maria Regina Pacis
Vatican City, 4 May 2015 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon Pope Francis visited another parish in his diocese - Santa Maria Regina Pacis at the Ostia Lido. Before celebrating Mass, the bishop of Rome visited the community of the Little
Sisters of Jesus, of Charles de Foucauld, also known as the "Luna Park Fraternity" since they live in caravans, and met with the elderly, the sick, and
young scouts from the parish, as well as parents who have baptised their children this year.
The Pope greeted the elderly, emphasising that they possess the wisdom of life,
experience, pain and patience, as well as the memory of the people and the family. He remarked that the sick "resemble Jesus: they suffer like Jesus and bear the cross like Jesus", and praised the parish community for lovingly caring
for the sick and the elderly, since "when they are not cared for by the community, that community does not function; it lacks something".
To the scouts, he commented that "in the art of climbing, the important thing is not that you do not fall, but rather that you do not stay on the ground". He
continued, "We all fall, we all make mistakes, even sins, all of us. But what is
witness? It is getting up again with God's grace. ... This is what the world needs
from you, the witness of going ever onwards; although weak, we must go ahead". He also encouraged the young to transmit their faith with joy and, in difficult
moments when joy is obscured, to "overcome those moments with dignity, in the hope that the Holy Spirit gives us strength ... and consolation ... until our joy
returns".
Finally, he reminded the parents of recently baptised children that baptism is
not an isolated event, and invited them to walk with their children along the new path of faith, staying close to the parish community.
In the Pope's homily, in which he commented on the Gospel reading of the vine and the branches, he insisted on the importance of remaining united with Christ,
which also means "wanting to be forgiven by Him, but also to be 'pruned', so as
to bear more fruit". He added, "abiding with Jesus means doing the same as He did: doing good, helping others, praying to the Father, healing the sick, helping the poor, having the joy of the Holy Spirit".
"There are also other branches, to which Jesus does not refer here, but He does
so elsewhere; those that present themselves as Jesus' disciples, but do the opposite of what a disciple does, and these branches are hypocrites. Perhaps they go to Mass every Sunday, perhaps they show themselves to be saintly and pious, but then they live as if they were pagans. And Jesus, in the Gospel, calls them hypocrites. Jesus is good, he invites us to abide in Him. He gives us
strength, and so if we slide into sinfulness - and we are all sinners - He forgives us, because He is merciful. But He wants two things - that we abide in
Him and that we are not hypocrites. And this is how Christian lives go onwards".

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Regina Coeli: true Christians who do good for society
Vatican City, 3 May 2015 (VIS) - The union of Jesus with those who follow Him,
explained through the image of the vine and the branches that Christ presents to
the disciples at the Last Supper, was the central theme considered by the Pope during this Sunday's Regina Coeli.
"We can all be joined to Jesus in a new way. If, on the contrary, one loses this union with Him, he becomes sterile, indeed harmful to the community. And to
express this reality, Jesus uses the image of the vine and the branches, and says: 'As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine,
neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches'".
... Through Him - like the sap in a tree - the love of God Himself, the Holy Spirit, passes to the branches; through this parable Jesus enables us to understand the importance of remaining united with Him. The branches are not self-sufficient, but depend totally on the vine, the source of their life".
"The same is true for us as Christians. Grafted to Christ through Baptism, we have received from Him the freely-given gift of new life; we can stay in vital communion with Christ". However, the Pontiff emphasised, "it is necessary to stay faithful to Baptism, and to grow in friendship with the Lord through prayer, the prayer of every day, through listening and obedience to His Word - read the Gospel - and participation in the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist
and the Sacrament of Reconciliation", as "if one is intimately joined to Jesus,
he or she receives the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which - as St. Paul tells us are 'love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control'. As a consequence, a Christian brings great good to his neighbour
and to society. Indeed, from these characteristics, it is possible to recognise
who is a true Christian, just as we can recognise a tree from its fruits. The fruits of this deep union with Jesus are wonderful. ... We receive a new way of
being, the life of Christ becomes our own; we can think like Him, act like Him,
see the world and other things through Jesus' eyes. As a consequence, we are able to love our brothers, beginning with the poorest and the suffering ... and
thus bring into the world the fruits of goodness, charity and peace. ... Let us
trust in the intercession of Our Lady, so that we too may be living branches in
the Church and give coherent witness of our faith, consistency between life and
thought, life and faith - aware that we all, according to our specific vocations, participate in the sole salvific mission of Christ".
Following the Regina Coeli the Pope mentioned that yesterday in Turin the Italian Luigi Bordino was proclaimed blessed. A consecrated layman of the Priestly Society of St. Joseph Benedict Cottolengo, the new blessed "devoted his
life to the sick and those who suffer, and dedicated himself tirelessly to the poorest, curing and cleansing their wounds".

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The Pope presides at the Mass and day of reflection dedicated to Friar Junipero
Serra
Vatican City, 2 May 2015 (VIS) - Today the Pontifical North American College holds a day of reflection dedicated to "Friar Junipero Serra, apostle of California, witness of holiness", with the aim of spreading knowledge of the life, mission and witness of holiness of this blessed who will be canonised in Washington on 23 September during the Holy Father's apostolic journey to the United States. The day, organised by the Pontifical Commission for Latin America
and the Pontifical North American College, with the sponsorship of the archdiocese of Los Angeles, culminated with the celebration of a Holy Mass at the college at midday, at which Pope Francis officiated.
In his homily, the Pope emphasised three aspects of the life of the future saint: his missionary impulse, his Marian devotion and his witness of holiness.
"First of all, he was a tireless missionary", the Pontiff affirmed. "What made
Friar Junipero leave his home and country, his family, university chair and Franciscan community in Mallorca to go to the ends of the earth? Certainly, it was the desire to proclaim the Gospel ad gentes, that heartfelt impulse which seeks to share with those farthest away the gift of encountering Christ: a gift
that he had first received and experienced in all its truth and beauty. Like Paul and Barnabas, like the disciples in Antioch and in all of Judea. ... These
missionary disciples who have encountered Jesus, the Son of God, who have come to know him through his merciful Father, moved by the grace of the Holy Spirit,
went out to all the geographical, social and existential peripheries, to bear witness to charity. They challenge us! Sometimes we stop and thoughtfully examine their strengths and, above all, their weaknesses and their shortcomings.
But I wonder if today we are able to respond with the same generosity and courage to the call of God, who invites us to leave everything in order to worship him, to follow him, to rediscover him in the face of the poor, to proclaim him to those who have not known Christ and, therefore, have not experienced the embrace of his mercy. Friar Junipero's witness calls upon us to
get involved, personally, in the mission to the whole continent, which finds its
roots in Evangelii Gaudium".
Secondly, "Friar Junipero entrusted his missionary activity to the Blessed Virgin Mary. We know that before leaving for California, he wanted to consecrate
his life to Our Lady of Guadalupe and to ask her for the grace to open the hearts of the colonizers and indigenous peoples, for the mission he was about to
begin. ... Since then, Our Lady of Guadalupe has become, in fact, the Patroness of
the whole American continent. You cannot separate her from the hearts of the American people. She represents our shared roots in this land. Indeed, today's mission to the continent is entrusted to her, the first, holy missionary disciple, a constant presence and companion, our source of comfort and hope. For
she always hears and protects her American children".
Thirdly, the Pope invited those present to contemplate the witness of holiness
given by Friar Junipero, "one of the founding fathers of the United States, a saintly example of the Church's universality and special patron of the Hispanic
people of the country. In this way may all Americans rediscover their own dignity, and unite themselves ever more closely to Christ and his Church". He went on to cite the example of many American saints, who have distinguished themselves through their various charisms: contemplatives like Rose of Lima, Mariana of Quito and Teresita de los Andes; pastors who bear the scent of Christ
and of his sheep, such as Toribio de Mogrovejo, Francois de Laval, and Rafael Guizar Valencia; humble workers in the vineyard of the Lord, like Juan Diego and
Kateri Tekakwitha; servants of the suffering and the marginalised, like Peter Claver, Martin de Porres, Damian of Molokai, Alberto Hurtado and Rose Philippine
Duchesne; founders of communities consecrated to the service of God and of the poorest, like Frances Cabrini, Elizabeth Ann Seton and Katharine Drexel; tireless missionaries, such as Friar Francisco Solano, Joso de Anchieta, Alonso
de Barzana, Maria Antonia de Paz y Figueroa and Jose Gabriel del Rosario Brochero; martyrs like Roque Gonzalez, Miguel Pro and Oscar Arnulfo Romero, and
so many other saints and martyrs, whom I do not mention here, but who pray before the Lord for their brothers and sisters who are still pilgrims in those lands. There ha been so much holiness in America, so much holiness sown".
"May a powerful gust of holiness sweep through all the Americas during the coming Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy!" exclaimed the Holy Father. "Confident in
Jesus' promise, which we heard today in the Gospel, we ask God for this special
outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We ask the Risen Jesus, Lord of all ages, that the life of our American continent may be rooted ever more deeply in the Gospel
it has received; that Christ may be ever more present in the lives of individuals, families, peoples and nations, for the greater glory of God. We pray too that this glory may be manifested in the culture of life, brotherhood,
solidarity, peace and justice, with a preferential and concrete love for the poor, through the witness of Christians of various confessions and communities,
together with believers of other religious traditions, and people of upright conscience and good will. Lord Jesus, we are merely your missionary disciples, your humble co-workers so that your Kingdom may come!"
"With this heartfelt prayer", he concluded, "I ask Our Lady of Guadalupe, Friar
Junipero and all the American saints to lead me and guide me during my approaching apostolic journeys to South America and North America. I ask all of
you to keep this intention in your prayers, and to continue to pray for me".

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Francis to the faithful of Molise and Abruzzo: job creation cannot be postponed
Vatican City, 2 May 2015 (VIS) - More than seven thousand faithful of the diocese of Isernia-Venafro, which the Pope visited in July last year, were received in audience in the Vatican by the Holy Father this morning. Francis thanked them for the warmth and joy with which they welcomed him, without neglecting to mention the serious difficulties that continue to afflict the area, which he spoke about during his visit.
The Pontiff mentioned first of all the chronic unemployment that especially affects the youngest generations, who increasingly leave the area for other

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Vatican City, 10 May 2015 (VIS) - This morning the Holy Father received in private audience the president of the Republic of Cuba, Raul Castro Ruz. The meeting took place in the Pope's study adjacent to Paul VI Hall.
Upon arrival, at 9.30 a.m., the president was received by the Prefect of the Papal Household, Archbishop Georg Gaenswein, accompanied by his substitute, Archbishop Giovanni Angelo Becciu, and the secretary for Relations with States,
Bishop Paul Richard Gallagher. A personal meeting with the Pope then took place
in the study, which lasted more than 50 minutes and was very cordial.
The president, as he declared before leaving the Vatican, thanked the Holy Father for his active role in improving relations between Cuba and the United States. He also expressed the sentiments of the Cuban people as they await and prepare for his upcoming visit to the island in September.
The Pope and the president then proceeded to the adjacent room for the presentation of the delegation accompanying Raul Castro, composed of around a dozen figures including the deputy prime minister, the minister for foreign affairs and the ambassador to the Holy See.
The exchange of gifts was very meaningful. The president offered the Pope a valuable commemorative medal of the Cathedral of Havana and a contemporary painting, depicting a large cross made up of wrecked boats, with a migrant in prayer in the foreground. The artist, the Cuban Kcho, was present and explained
to the Pope that it was inspired by his great efforts to raise awareness in the
world of the problems faced by migrants and refugees, beginning with his famous
trip to Lampedusa. The Pope gave the president a copy of his apostolic exhortation "Evangelii Gaudium" and a large medallion depicting St. Martin covering the poor man with his cape. The Holy Father observed that he was particularly keen to give this gift, as it recalled the commitment not only to protecting the poor but also to promoting dignity.
President Raul Castro and his delegation left the Vatican shortly after 10.30 a.m.

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Regina Coeli: love is a concrete path
Vatican City, 10 May 2015 (VIS) - During this Sunday's Regina Coeli, before thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square, the Pope commented on the
day's Gospel reading which "takes us back to the Cenacle, where we hear Jesus' new commandment, 'that you love one another as I have loved you'". He affirmed,
"these words, pronounced during the Last Supper, summarise all Jesus' message; or rather, they summarise all He has gone. Jesus gave His life for His friends.
Friends who had not understood Him, who had at the crucial moment abandoned, betrayed and denied Him. This shows us that He loves us even though we do not deserve His love: this is how Jesus loves us!".
"In this way, Jesus shows us the road to follow Him, the path of love. His commandment is not a simple precept, ... something abstract and external with regard to life. Christ's commandment is new because He was the first to realise
it, He gave flesh to it, and thus the law of love is written once and for all in
the heart of man. ... It is a concrete path, a road that leads us out of ourselves
to reach out to others. Jesus showed us that God's love is implemented in love for our neighbour. They both go together. The pages of the Gospel are full of this love: adults and children, the cultured and the simple, rich and poor, the
righteous and sinners all find welcome in Christ's heart".
"This Word of the Lord calls upon us to love each other, even if we do not always understand each other, even if we do not always agree ... but it is precisely there that we see Christian love. A love that is shown even if there are differences of opinion and character: but love is greater than these differences. And this is the love that Jesus has taught us. ... This love of Christ, that the Holy Spirit pours into our hearts, works wonders every day in the Church and in the world. There are many large and small gestures that obey the Lord's commandment".
"Little everyday gestures, gestures of closeness to an elderly person, a child,
a sick person, someone who is alone or in difficulty, homeless, jobless, an immigrant, a refugee. ... Thanks to the strength of this Word of Christ, every one
of us can be close to the brother and the sister he encounters. Gestures of closeness, of proximity. In these gestures, the love that Christ has taught us is made manifest".
Following the Regina Coeli, the Pope greeted, among others, the Italian State Forestry Corps, which is organising the national day for National Reserves for the rediscovery and respect for the beauty of creation; the participants in the
conference, promoted by the Italian Episcopal Conference in support of high-quality schooling open to families; a delegation of women from "Komen Italia", an association engaged in the fight against breast cancer; and those who have taken part in an initiative for life which took place in Rome this morning.
"And, speaking of life", he added, "today in many countries we celebrate Mother's Day: let us remember all mothers with gratitude and affection, and let
us applaud them, all the mothers who are here in the Square. And with this applause, let us embrace all mothers, all our dear mothers: those who live with
us physically, but also those who remain with us spiritually. May the Lord bless
them all, and may Our Lady, to whom this month is dedicated, protect them".

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Pope's message to His Holiness Tawadros II: continuing friendship between the Orthodox Coptic Church and the Catholic Church
Vatican City, 11 May 2015 (VIS) - Pope Francis has sent a message to His Holiness Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, to commemorate the second anniversary of their meeting in Rome.
"Today more than ever we are united by the ecumenism of blood, which further encourages us on the path towards peace and reconciliation. I assure you and the
Christian community in Egypt and throughout the Middle East of my unceasing prayer, and I remember in particular the Coptic faithful recently martyred for their Christian faith. May the Lord welcome them into his Kingdom".
He continues, "with thanksgiving to the Lord, I recall our advances along the path of friendship, united as we are by one baptism. Though our communion is yet
imperfect, what we have in common is greater than what divides us. May we persevere on our journey to full communion, and grow in love and understanding".
"It is particularly encouraging that the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches has recently finalised the document 'The Exercise of Communion in the Life of the Early Church and its Implications for our Search for Communion Today'. I am certain that Your Holiness shares my hope that this vital dialogue
will carry on and bear abundant fruit. I am especially grateful for the willingness of the Patriarchate of the See of Saint Mark to hold the next meeting of the Commission in Cairo".
"Christians throughout the world are facing similar challenges, which require us to work together in confronting these issues. I appreciate your appointment last year of a delegate to participate in the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops dedicated to the family. It is my hope that our cooperation in this area may continue, especially in addressing matters related to mixed marriages".
He concludes, "With these sentiments, and recalling what has rightly become known as the day of friendship between the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, I exchange with Your Holiness a fraternal embrace in Christ the
Lord".

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Pope's letter for the bicentenary of the coronation of Our Lady of Mercy
Vatican City, 11 May 2015 (VIS) - Today in the shrine of Our Lady of Mercy of Savona, Italy, the coronation of the statue of the Virgin Mary by Pope Pius VII
on 10 May 1815 will be celebrated. Pope Francis has therefore sent as letter to
Bishop Vittorio Lupi of the diocese of Savona-Noli, in which he recalls that Benedict XVI too was a pilgrim to the shrine, erected almost five centuries ago
in the place where the Virgin appeared to the peasant Antonio Botta, asking for
penance and conversion, and bidding him farewell with the words "Mercy, not justice". "An exhortation that is more valid than ever in our age", he writes, "which is, in particular, a time for mercy".
"In such a dramatic moment in the history of Europe", he continues, "Pope Pius
VII, kidnapped by Napoleon and imprisoned in Savona, was able to go to the Shrine of Our Lady of Mercy and he vowed that, once freed, he would return there
to crown her; this took place on 10 May 1815, and on 24 May he instituted the feast of Mary Most Holy, Help of Christians. Indeed, the Mother of Mercy is always close and helps all her children when they find themselves in danger, or,
as is often the case in our times, they suffer discrimination and persecution. hope that, as we draw closer to the Extraordinary Holy Year, all the Church may
deepen and spread her trust in the Mother of Mercy, who in this land gave a perennial sign of her tenderness and her closeness to the pilgrm People of God in this world".

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To the bishops of Mozambique: always live among the faithful
Vatican City, 9 May 2015 (VIS) - The bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique were received this morning by the Pope at the end of their "ad Limina" visit. In the written discourse that he handed to them during the audience, he first recalls Jesus' question to the apostle Peter: "Do you love me?", and before the latter's affirmative response He asked him to be the shepherd to His flock. Christ, Who made Himself poor for us, requires of the bishops the same love for their own flock, along with their full availability and complete commitment. He calls them to set aside false presumptions in order
to "wash the feet of those the Lord has entrusted to us".

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witness of life. In a particular way, consecrated men and women are asked to listen to the voice of the Spirit who calls them to go to the peripheries, to those to whom the Gospel has not yet been proclaimed.
The fiftieth anniversary of the Second Vatican Council's Decree Ad Gentes is an
invitation to all of us to reread this document and to reflect on its contents.
The Decree called for a powerful missionary impulse in Institutes of Consecrated
Life. For contemplative communities, St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, Patroness of the Missions, appears in a new light; she speaks with renewed eloquence and inspires reflection upon the deep connection between contemplative life and mission. For many active religious communities, the missionary impulse which emerged from the Council was met with an extraordinary openness to the mission ad gentes, often accompanied by an openness to brothers and sisters from the lands and cultures encountered in evangelisation, to the point that today one can speak of a widespread 'interculturalism' in the consecrated life. Hence there is an urgent need to reaffirm that the central ideal of mission is Jesus Christ, and that this ideal demands the total gift of oneself to the proclamation of the Gospel. On this point there can be no compromise: those who
by God's grace accept the mission, are called to live the mission. For them, the
proclamation of Christ in the many peripheries of the world becomes their way of
following him, one which more than repays them for the many difficulties and sacrifices they make. Any tendency to deviate from this vocation, even if motivated by noble reasons due to countless pastoral, ecclesial or humanitarian
needs, is not consistent with the Lord's call to be personally at the service of
the Gospel. In Missionary Institutes, formators are called to indicate clearly and frankly this plan of life and action, and to discern authentic missionary vocations. I appeal in particular to young people, who are capable of courageous
witness and generous deeds, even when these are countercultural: Do not allow others to rob you of the ideal of a true mission, of following Jesu s through the total gift of yourself. In the depths of your conscience, ask yourself why you chose the religious missionary life and take stock of your readiness to accept it for what it is: a gift of love at the service of the proclamation of the Gospel. Remember that, even before being necessary for those who have not yet heard it, the proclamation of the Gospel is a necessity for those who love the Master.
Today, the Church's mission is faced by the challenge of meeting the needs of all people to return to their roots and to protect the values of their respective cultures. This means knowing and respecting other traditions and philosophical systems, and realising that all peoples and cultures have the right to be helped from within their own traditions to enter into the mystery of
God's wisdom and to accept the Gospel of Jesus, who is light and transforming strength for all cultures.
Within this complex dynamic, we ask ourselves: 'Who are the first to whom the Gospel message must be proclaimed?'. The answer, found so often throughout the Gospel, is clear: it is the poor, the little ones and the sick, those who are often looked down upon or forgotten, those who cannot repay us. Evangelisation directed preferentially to the least among us is a sign of the Kingdom that Jesus came to bring: 'There is an inseparable bond between our faith and the poor. May we never abandon them'. This must be clear above all to those who embrace the consecrated missionary life: by the vow of poverty, they choose to follow Christ in his preference for the poor, not ideologically, but in the same
way that he identified himself with the poor: by living like them amid the uncertainties of everyday life and renouncing all claims to power, and in this way to become brothers and sisters of the poor, bringing them the witness of the
joy of the Gospel and a sign of God's love.
Living as Christian witnesses and as signs of the Father's love among the poor
and underprivileged, consecrated persons are called to promote the presence of the lay faithful in the service of Church's mission. As the Second Vatican Council stated: 'The laity should cooperate in the Church's work of evangelisation; as witnesses and at the same time as living instruments, they share in her saving mission'. Consecrated missionaries need to generously welcome those who are willing to work with them, even for a limited period of time, for an experience in the field. They are brothers and sisters who want to
share the missionary vocation inherent in Baptism. The houses and structures of
the missions are natural places to welcome them and to provide for their human,
spiritual and apostolic support.
The Church's Institutes and Missionary Congregations are completely at the service of those who do not know the Gospel of Jesus. This means that they need
to count on the charisms and missionary commitment of their consecrated members.
But consecrated men and women also need a structure of service, an expression of
the concern of the Bishop of Rome, in order to ensure koinonia, for cooperation
and synergy are an integral part of the missionary witness. Jesus made the unity
of his disciples a condition so that the world may believe. This convergence is
not the same as legalism or institutionalism, much less a stifling of the creativity of the Spirit, who inspires diversity. It is about giving a greater fruitfulness to the Gospel message and promoting that unity of purpose which is
also the fruit of the Spirit.
The Missionary Societies of the Successor of Peter have a universal apostolic horizon. This is why they also need the many charisms of consecrated life, to address the vast horizons of evangelisation and to be able to ensure adequate presence in whatever lands they are sent.
Dear brothers and sisters, a true missionary is passionate for the Gospel. St.
Paul said: 'Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!'. The Gospel is the source
of joy, liberation and salvation for all men and women. The Church is aware of this gift, and therefore she ceaselessly proclaims to everyone 'what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes'. The mission
of the servants of the Word - bishops, priests, religious and laity - is to allow everyone, without exception, to enter into a personal relationship with Christ. In the full range of the Church's missionary activity, all the faithful
are called to live their baptismal commitment to the fullest, in accordance with
the personal situation of each. A generous response to this universal vocation can be offered by consecrated men and women through an intense life of prayer and union with the Lord and his redeeming sacrifice.
To Mary, Mother of the Church and model of missionary outreach, I entrust all men and women who, in every state of life work to proclaim the Gospel, ad gentes
or in their own lands. To all missionaries of the Gospel I willingly impart my Apostolic Blessing".

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Francis prays with the Pentecostal evangelical pastors of Phoenix for the unity
of the Church
Vatican City, 24 May 2015 (VIS) - The diocese of Phoenix, U.S.A., has organised
a day of dialogue and prayer, on the eve of Pentecost, with a group of evangelical pastors of Pentecostal orientation, including the Italian Giovanni Traettino, whom Pope Francis visited during his trip to Caserta. The Holy Father
participated with a video message, screened yesterday afternoon at the opening of the meeting (during the night in Europe), ample extracts of which are given below:
"'Father, may we be one so that the world may believe you sent me'. This is the
slogan, the theme of the meeting: Christ's prayer to the Father for the grace of
unity. Today, Saturday ... I will be with you spiritually and with all my heart.
We will search together, we will pray together, for the grace of unity. The unity that is budding among us is that unity which begins under the seal of the
one Baptism we have all received. It is the unity we are seeking along a common
path. It is the spiritual unity of prayer for one another. It is the unity of our common labour on behalf of our brothers and sisters, and all those who believe in the sovereignty of Christ. Dear brothers and sisters, division is a wound in the body of the Church of Christ. And we do not want this wound to remain open. Division is the work of the father of Lies, the father of Discord,
who does everything possible to keep us divided.
"Together today, I here in Rome and you over there, we will ask our Father to send the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and to give us the grace to be one, 'so that the world may believe'. I wish to say something that may sound controversial, or even heretical, perhaps. But there is someone who 'knows' that, despite our differences, we are one. It is he who is persecuting us. It is
he who is persecuting Christians today, he who is anointing us with (the blood of) martyrdom. He knows that Christians are disciples of Christ: that they are one, that they are brothers! He doesn't care if they are Evangelicals, or Orthodox, Lutherans, Catholics or Apostolic ... he doesn't care! They are Christians. And that blood (of martyrdom) unites. Today, dear brothers and sisters, we are living an 'ecumenism of blood'. This must encourage us to do what we are doing today: to pray, to dialogue together, to shorten the distance
between us, to strengthen our bonds of brotherhood.
"I am convinced it will not be theologians who bring about unity among us. Theologians help us, the science of the theologians will assist us, but if we hope that theologians will agree with one another, we will reach unity the day after Judgement Day. The Holy Spirit brings about unity. Theologians are helpful, but most helpful is the goodwill of us all who are on this journey with
our hearts open to the Holy Spirit! In all humility, I join you as just another
participant on this day of prayer, friendship, closeness and reflection. In the
certainty that we have one Lord: Jesus is the Lord. In the certainty that this Lord is alive: Jesus is alive, the Lord lives in each one of us. In the certainty that He has sent the Spirit He promised us so that this 'harmony' among all His disciples might be realised".

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The Pope to Christian workers' association: fight for free, creative, participatory and fraternal work
Vatican City, 23 May 2015 (VIS) - "We must ensure that through work - free, creative, participatory and mutually supportive - human beings may express and increase the dignity of their lives", said Pope Francis this morning as he received in audience the members of the Christian Associations of Italian Workers (ACLI), who celebrate the 70th anniversary of their foundation this year.
The Holy Father took the opportunity to reflect on the scale and urgency of the
employment problem in today's world and the need to propose equitable, fraternal
and genuinely practicable solutions. "The spread of precariousness, illegal work
and organised crime, especially among the younger generations, ensure that the lack of work robs dignity and obstructs the fullness of human life. This demands
an immediate and vigorous response", he said, then indicating the four features
that should be present in all work.
Firstly, work must be free: the true freedom of work means that man, continuing
the work of the Creator, ensures that the world reaches its objective. Too often, however, work is a vehicle for oppression at several levels: man against
another man; new forms of organised slavery that oppress the poorest. "In particular, many children and women suffer as the result of an economy that obliges them to carry out undignified work that contradicts creation in its beauty and harmony. We must ensure that work is not a tool of alienation, but rather of hope and new life".
Creative work allows one to use his or her unique and original abilities. This

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not touch the heart! Our city needs this rebirth. And this commitment is so important when we talk about educating children and young people, for which you
as parents are responsible".
"This evening I would like to reflect with you on a few simple words that express the mystery of being parents. I do not know if I will manage to say all
I want to say, but I would at least like to speak about vocation, communion and
mission".
"The first word is mission. St. Paul wrote that all paternity derives from God,
and we can also add all maternity. We are all sons and daughters, but becoming father or mother is a calling from God! It is a calling from God: it is a vocation. God is eternal love, which gives ceaselessly and calls us to existence. It is a mystery that, however, Providence wished to entrust in particular to man and woman, called upon to love each other entirely and without
reserve, cooperating with God in this love and in transmitting life to their children. The Lord has chosen you to love each other and to transmit life. Your
children, dear parents, need to discover, looking at your life, that loving each
other is good. Never forget that your children are always watching you. Children, before living in a house made of bricks, inhabit another house, even more essential: they live in the mutual love of their parents".
"The second word, the second thought on which I would like to reflect is communion. ... Being parents is based on the diversity of being male and female,
as the Bible reminds us. This is the 'first' and most fundamental difference, constitutive of the human being. It is a wealth. Differences are wealth. ... We
men learn to recognise, through the female figures we encounter in life, the extraordinary beauty that women bear. And women follow a similar path, learning
from male figures that the man is different and has his own way of feeling, understanding and living. And this communion in difference is very important also in the education of children".
"It is very painful when a family lives in a state of tension that cannot be resolved, when there is a fracture that cannot be healed. It is painful. When there are the first signs of this, a father and a mother are duty bound, for themselves and for their children, to ask for help, to seek support. ... And even
when by now separation - we must also speak of this - seems inevitable, know that the Church carries you in her heart. And that your educative task is not interrupted: you are and will always be father and mother, that cannot live together because there are wounds and problems. Please, always seek understanding, collaboration, harmony for the good and the happiness of your children".
"And the gift of marriage, which is so beautiful, also has a mission. A mission
that is very important. You are collaborators of the Holy Spirit Who whispers the words of Jesus! Be this way for your children. Be missionaries of your children! They will learn from your words and your life that to follow the Lord
brings enthusiasm, the wish to give oneself to others, always to give hope, even
when faced with difficulties and pain, because we are never alone, but always with the Lord and with our brothers".
"I would not like to finish without offering a word to grandparents, who are the wisdom of the people, who are the memory of the people, who are the wisdom of the family. The grandparents who saved the faith in many countries where it was forbidden to practice religion and took children to be secretly baptised; and the grandparents who taught them how to pray".

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Angelus: God entrusted his Word to the fruitfulness of "our earth"
Vatican City, 14 June 2015 (VIS) - The effectiveness of the Word of God and the
needs of His Kingdom, which are the reasons for our hope and our efforts throughout history were the theme of the Pope's reflection before today's Sunday
Angelus. To the thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square, Francis explained the two brief parables from the Gospel: the seed that grows in the earth alone and the tiny mustard seed that becomes the largest plant.
"In the first parable, our attention is placed on the fact that the seed, thrown on the ground, takes root and develops by itself, whether the farmer sleeps or is awake. The farmer trusts in the inner strength of the seed itself and of the fertility of the ground. In the language of the Gospel, the seed is the symbol of the Word of God, Whose fruitfulness is recalled by this parable. Just as the humble seed that develops in the ground, so the Word operates with God's power in the heart of those who listen. God entrusted His Word to our earth, that is, to each one of us with out concrete humanity".
The second parable uses the image of the mustard seed that, despite being the smallest of the seeds, grows to become "the largest of plants". "Thus is the Kingdom of God: a humanly small and apparently irrelevant reality. To become a part of it, one must be poor of heart; not trusting in one's own abilities, but
rather in the power of God's love; not acting so as to be important in the eyes
of the world, but precious in the eyes of God, who prefers the simple and the humble. When we live like this, the strength of Christ erupts through us and transforms what is small and modest into a reality that leavens the entire mass
of the world and of history".
The teaching of these two parables, Francis underlined, is that the Kingdom of
God requires our collaboration, but it is above all the initiative and gift of the Lord. "Our feeble work, seemingly small faced with the complexity of the problems of the world, if embedded into that of God, no longer fears difficulty.
The victory of the Lord is sure: His love will lead every seed of good present on the earth to germinate and grow. It opens us up to trust and hope, despite the tragedies, injustice and suffering we encounter. The seed of good and of peace germinates and develops because it is ripened by the merciful love of God".
"May the Holy Virgin, who received as 'fertile earth' the seed of the divine Word, sustain us in this hope that never lets us down".

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Pope Francis announces the publication of his encyclical
Vatican City, 14 June 2015 (VIS) - Following today's Angelus prayer, the Pope announced that on Thursday 18 June, his encyclical "Laudato Sii: on the care of
our common home" will be published, and he invited all those present to accompany the event "with renewed attention to situations of environmental degradation, but also of recovery, in your territories. This encyclical is addressed to all: let us pray that all receive its message and grow in responsibility towards the common home that God has entrusted to us all".
On the World Blood Donor Day Francis thanked "the millions of people who contribute ... to helping their brothers in difficulty", and he invited young people to follow their example.
He also greeted the group present in St. Peter's Square that remembers all missing persons, and assured them of his prayers. Likewise, he expressed his closeness to "all those workers who defend the right to work with solidarity: it
is a right to dignity!".

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Francis praises the goodness and wisdom of the Scouts and Guides movement
Vatican City, 15 June 2015 (VIS) - Seventy five children and young people from
the Association of Italian Catholic Guides and Scouts (AGESCI) from all over the
peninsula gathered in St. Peter's Square from the early hours of this morning to
meet the Pope, who shortly after 11 a.m. toured the square to greet them, warmly
embracing many.
"You are a valuable part of the Church in Italy", Francis said, praising "the goodness and wisdom of the scouting method, based on great human values, on contact with nature, religiosity and faith in God; a method that educates in freedom and responsibility". "When asked, 'How does religion enter into scouting?', your founder Lord Baden-Powell answered that is did not need to 'enter' since it was already a part of it. There is no religious 'side' of the movement - or a non-religious one. The whole of it is based on religion, that is, on the realisation and service of God".
Associations such as yours are a wealth for the Church, inspired by the Holy Spirit to evangelise all environments and sectors. I am sure that AGESCI can bring to the Church a new evangelical zeal and a new capacity for dialogue with
society. Take heed: capacity for dialogue! Make bridges in this society where there is the tendency to build walls. Build bridges through dialogue. And this can happen only on one condition: that the single groups do not lose contact with the parish where they are based, but which in many cases do not attend as,
although they carry out their service there, they come from other areas".
The bishop of Rome, who spoke in a colloquial manner with those present, urged
them to aim at finding a way of integrating themselves into the pastoral ministry of the particular Church, "establishing relationships of respect and collaboration at all levels with your bishops, parish priests and other clergy,
with educators and members of other ecclesial associations present in the parish
and in the same territory, and not settling for a 'decorative' presence on Sundays or on other major occasions".

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The Pope to Italian magistrates: justice is not an abstract concept, it is centred on the person

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protecting it in its fragility". In this perspective, "every act of cruelty towards any creature is "contrary to human dignity". However, "a sense of deep communion with the rest of nature cannot be real if our hearts lack tenderness,
compassion and concern for our fellow human beings". What is needed is the awareness of a universal communion: "called into being by the one Father. All of
us are linked by unseen bonds and together form a kind of universal family, a sublime communion which fills us with a sacred, affectionate and humble respect".
The chapter concludes with the heart of Christian revelation: "The earthly Jesus" with "his tangible and loving relationship with the world" is "risen and
glorious, and is present throughout creation by his universal Lordship".
Chapter three - THE HUMAN ROOTS OF THE ECOLOGICAL CRISIS (Technology: creativity and power; The globalisation of the technocratic paradigm; The crisis
and effects of modern anthropocentrism; Practical relativism; The need to protect employment; New biological technologies).
This chapter gives an analysis of the current situation, "so as to consider not
only its symptoms but also its deepest causes", in a dialogue with philosophy and the human sciences.
Reflections on technology are an initial focus of the chapter: the great contribution to the improvement of living conditions is acknowledged with gratitude. However it gives "those with the knowledge, and especially the economic resources to use them, an impressive dominance over the whole of humanity and the entire world". It is precisely the mentality of technocratic domination that leads to the destruction of nature and the exploitation of people and the most vulnerable populations. "The technocratic paradigm also tends to dominate economics and political life", keeping us from recognising that "by itself the market cannot guarantee integral human development and social inclusion".
"Modernity has been marked by an excessive anthropocentrism": human beings no long recognise their right place with respect to the world and take on a self-centred position, focused exclusively on themselves and on their own power.
This results in a "use and throw away" logic that justifies every type of waste,
environmental or human, that treats both the other and nature as simple objects
and leads to a myriad of forms of domination. It is this mentality that leads to
exploiting children, abandoning the elderly, forcing others into slavery and over-evaluating the capacity of the market to regulate itself, practising human
trafficking, selling pelts of animals in danger of extinction and of "blood diamonds". It is the same mentality as many mafias, of those involved in trafficking organs and drug trafficking and of throwing away unborn babies because they do not correspond to what the parents want.
In this light, the Encyclical addresses two crucial problems of today's world.
Above all work: "any approach to an integral ecology, which by definition does not exclude human beings, needs to take account of the value of labour", because
"to stop investing in people, in order to gain greater short-term financial gain, is bad business for society".
The second problem regards the limitations of scientific progress, with clear reference to GMOs. This is a "complex environmental issue". Even though "in some
regions their use has brought about economic growth which has helped to resolve
problems, there remain a number of significant difficulties which should not be
underestimated", starting from the "productive land being concentrated in the hands of a few owners". Pope Francis thinks particularly of small producers and
rural workers, of biodiversity, and the network of ecosystems. Therefore "a broad, responsible scientific and social debate needs to take place, one capable
of considering all the available information and of calling things by their name" starting from "lines of independent, interdisciplinary research".
Chapter four - INTEGRAL ECOLOGY (Environmental, economic and social ecology; Cultural ecology; Ecology of daily life; The principle of the common good; Justice between the generations).
The heart of what the Encyclical proposes is integral ecology as a new paradigm
of justice; an ecology "which respects our unique place as human beings in this
world and our relationship to our surroundings". In fact, "nature cannot be regarded as something separate from ourselves or as a mere setting in which we live". This is true as we are involved in various fields: in economy and politics, in different cultures particularly in those most threatened, and even
in every moment of our daily lives.
The integral perspective also brings the ecology of institutions into play: "if
everything is related, then the health of a society's institutions affects the environment and the quality of human life. "Every violation of solidarity and civic friendship harms the environment".
With many concrete examples, Pope Francis confirm his thinking that "the analysis of environmental problems cannot be separated from the analysis of human, family, work-related and urban contexts, and of how individuals relate to
themselves". "We are not faced with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather one complex crisis which is both social and environmental".
"Human ecology is inseparable from the notion of the common good", but is to be
understood in a concrete way. In today's context, in which, "injustices abound and growing numbers of people are deprived of basic human rights and considered
expendable", committing oneself to the common good means to make choices in solidarity based on "a preferential option for the poorest of our brothers and sisters". This is also the best way to leave a sustainable world for future generations, not just by proclaiming, but by committing to care for the poor of
today, as already emphasised by Benedict XVI: "In addition to a fairer sense of
inter-generational solidarity there is also an urgent moral need for a renewed sense of intra-generational solidarity".
Integral ecology also involves everyday life. The Encyclical gives specific attention to the urban environment. The human being has a great capacity for adaptation and "an admirable creativity and generosity is shown by persons and groups who respond to environmental limitations by alleviating the adverse effects of their surroundings and learning to live productively amid disorder and uncertainty". Nevertheless, authentic development presupposes an integral improvement in the quality of human life: public space, housing, transport, etc.
Also "the acceptance of our bodies as God's gift is vital for welcoming and accepting the entire world as a gift from the Father and our common home, whereas thinking that we enjoy absolute power over our own bodies turns, often subtly, into thinking that we enjoy absolute power over creation".
Chapter five - LINES OF APPROACH AND ACTION (Dialogue on the environment; In the international community; Dialogue for new national and local policies; Dialogue and transparency in decision-making; Politics and economy in dialogue for human fulfilment; Religions in dialogue with science).
This chapter addresses the question of what we can and must do. Analyses are not enough: we need proposals "for dialogue and action which would involve each
of us individually no less than international policy". They will "help us to escape the spiral of self-destruction which currently engulfs us". For Pope Francis it is imperative that the developing real approaches is not done in an ideological, superficial or reductionist way. For this, dialogue is essential, term present in the title of every section of this chapter. "There are certain environmental issues where it is not easy to achieve a broad consensus. [...] the
Church does not presume to settle scientific questions or to replace politics. But I want to encourage an honest and open debate, so that particular interests
or ideologies will not prejudice the common good".
On this basis, Pope Francis is not afraid to judge international dynamics severely: "Recent World Summits on the environment have failed to live up to expectations because, due to lack of political will, they were unable to reach truly meaningful and effective global agreements on the environment". And he asks "What would induce anyone, at this stage, to hold on to power only to be remembered for their inability to take action when it was urgent and necessary to do so?". Instead, what is needed, as the Popes have repeated several times, starting with Pacem in terris, are forms and instruments for global governance:
"an agreement on systems of governance for the whole range of the so-called "global commons"", seeing that "environmental protection cannot be assured solely on the basis of financial calculations of costs and benefits. The environment is one of those goods that cannot be adequately safeguarded or promoted by market forces" (190, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church).
In this fifth chapter, Pope Francis insists on development of honest and transparent decision-making processes, in order to "discern" which policies and
business initiatives can bring about "genuine integral development". In particular, a proper environmental impact study of new "business ventures and projects demands transparent political processes involving a free exchange of views. On the other hand, the forms of corruption which conceal the actual environmental impact of a given project in exchange for favours usually produce
specious agreements which fail to inform adequately and do not allow for full debate".
The most significant appeal is addressed to those who hold political office, so
that they avoid "a mentality of "efficiency" and "immediacy" that is so prevalent today: "but if they are courageous, they will attest to their God-given dignity and leave behind a testimony of selfless responsibility".
Chapter six - ECOLOGICAL EDUCATION AND SPIRITUALITY (Towards a new lifestyle; Educating for the covenant between humanity and the environment; Ecological conversion; Joy and peace; Civic and political love; Sacramental signs and the celebration of rest; The trinity and relationships between creatures; Queen of all creation; Beyond the sun).
The final chapter invites everyone to the heart of ecological conversion. The roots of the cultural crisis are deep, and it is not easy to reshape habits and
behaviour. Education and training are the key challenges: "change is impossible
without motivation and a process of education" (15). All educational sectors are
involved, primarily "at school, in families, in the media, in catechesis and elsewhere".
The starting point is "to aim for a new lifestyle", which also opens the possibility of "bringing healthy pressure to bear on those who wield political,
economic and social power". This is what happens when consumer choices are able
to "change the way businesses operate, forcing them to consider their environmental footprint and their patterns of production".
The importance of environmental education cannot be underestimated. It is able
to affect actions and daily habits, the reduction of water consumption, the sorting of waste and even "turning off unnecessary lights": "An integral ecology
is also made up of simple daily gestures which break with the logic of violence,
exploitation and selfishness". Everything will be easier starting with a contemplative outlook that comes from faith: "as believers, we do not look at the world from without but from within, conscious of the bonds with which the Father has linked us with all beings. By developing our individual, God-given

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consecrated life, so that service to the Gospel and to our brothers does not remain a prisoner of our viewpoints, of the transient realities of this world, but rather a continual surpassing of ourselves, anchoring us in external realities and submerging ourselves in the Lord, our strength and our hope. And this will also be our fruitfulness".
"The other important aspect of the life of Don Bosco is service to the young. He achieved this with steadfastness and constancy, notwithstanding obstacles and
hardships, with the sensibility of a generous heart. ... The charism of Don Bosco
leads us to be educators of the young, implementing that pedagogy of the faith that may be summarised thus: 'evangelise by educating and educate by evangelising'. To evangelise the young, to educate the young full-time, starting
from the most fragile and abandoned, proposing an educational style made of reason, religion and affection, universally appreciated as a 'preventive system'. I encourage you to continue with generosity and trust your many activities in support of the new generations: oratories, youth centres, professional institutes, schools and colleges. But without forgetting what Don Bosco called the 'street children': they are greatly in need of hope, of being formed in the joy of Christian life".
"Don Bosco was always obedient and faithful the Church and the Pope, following
suggestions and pastoral indications. Today the Church turns to you, spiritual sons and daughters of this great Saint, and in a concrete way invites you to reach out, to go out anew to find the children and young people where they are:
in the peripheries of the metropolises, in the areas of physical and moral danger, in social contexts where many material things are missing, but where above all there is a lack of love, understanding, tenderness and hope. Go towards them with the overflowing paternity of Don Bosco. The oratory of Don Bosco was born of the encounter with street children and for a certain time he lived an itinerant life in the quarters of Turin. May you be able to announce Jesus' mercy to all, making every place an 'oratory', especially those that seem
most impervious; carrying in your hearts Don Bosco's oratory style and looking to ever-broader apostolic horizons. From the solid root that he laid down two hundred years ago in the terrain of the Church and in society, many branches have grown: thirty religious institutions that live the charism to share the mission of carrying the Gospel to the outer reaches of the peripheries. The Lord
has blessed this service, inspiring among you, throughout these two centuries, great number of people whom the Church has proclaimed saints and blesseds. I encourage you to continue on this path, imitating the faith of your predecessors".

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Francis visits the Cottolengo: the poor continue to be excluded from necessary
care
Vatican City, 21 June 2015 (VIS) - "I could not visit Turin without stopping in
this house: the Little House of Divine Providence [Cottolengo], founded almost two centuries ago by St. Joseph Benedict Cottolengo. Inspired by the merciful love of God the Father and trusting fully in His Providence, he welcomed the poor, abandoned and sick who could not be received in hospitals at that time", said the Pope to the patients and differently-abled persons who awaited him at the Cottolengo in Turin following his meeting with the Salesians.
After blessing and personally greeting each person present, the Pope gave a brief address in which he remarked that "the exclusion of the poor and their difficulty in receiving the necessary assistance and treatment is a situation that unfortunately still exists today. Great progress has been made in medicine
and in social assistance, but a culture of waste remains widespread as a consequence of an anthropological crisis that instead of placing man at the centre, favours consumption and economic interests".
He continued, "among the victims of this culture of waste, I would like to mention the elderly in particular ... they are the memory and wisdom of the people. Their longevity is not always considered as a gift from God, but at times instead as a difficult burden to bear, especially when their health is compromised. This mentality is not good for society, and our task is to develop
'antibodies' against this way of looking at the elderly or persons with disabilities, as if theirs were lives no longer worth living. It is a sin, a grave social sin! Instead, Cottolengo loved these people with great tenderness.
Here we can learn another outlook on life and on the person. ... From him we can
learn the reality of evangelical love, so that many poor and sick people may find a home, live as if they were in a family, and feel that they belong to a community rather than being excluded and tolerated".
"Dear patients, brothers and sisters: you are valuable members of the Church!"
exclaimed the Pope. "You are the flesh of Christ crucified, whom we have the honour of touching and serving with love. With the grace of Jesus we can be witnesses and apostles of the divine mercy that saves the world. Looking upon the crucified Christ, full of love for me, and also with the help of those who care for you, you will find the strength and the consolation to bear your cross
each day".
"The reason for the existence of this little house is not mere assistance, or philanthropy, but the Gospel: ... Jesus' predilection for the frailest and weakest. And therefore work like this cannot be carried out without prayer ... as
shown by the six monasteries of nuns of contemplative life linked to it", concluded the Holy Father, who went on to thank the priests and men and women religious of Turin, in the Cottolengo and throughout the world. "Along with many
lay workers, volunteers and 'Friends of the Cottolengo', you are called upon to
continue, with creative fidelity, the mission of this great saint of charity".

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Meeting with the young: go against the grain
Vatican City, 22 June 2015 (VIS) - The first day of the Pope's apostolic trip to Turin concluded with his encounter with the young in Piazza Vittorio. Francis
answered to questions from three of them regarding the meaning of love, trust in
life and the importance of sharing ideals, setting aside the discourse he had prepared. The following is a summary of the Holy Father's answers:
"Love, life, friends: ... these three words are important for life, and they share a common root: the desire to live. ... Love moves on two axes: first of all,
love is found in actions more than in words: love is concrete. ... God began to
talk about love when he was involved with His people ... when He made a covenant
with His people, He saved His people, He made gestures of love, acts of love. And the second dimension, the second axis on which love turns, is that love always communicates itself, that is, love listens and responds, love is found in
dialogue and communion. Love is neither deaf nor mute, it communicates itself. ...
Love is very respectful to others, it does not use them, and therefore love is chaste. ... It considers the life of the other person to be sacred: I respect you,
I do not want to use you. ... Forgive me if I say something you did not expect,
but I ask you: make the effort to live love chastely. And a consequence derives
from this: ... love sacrifices itself for others. Love is service. When Jesus, after the washing of the feet, explains this gesture to the apostles, He teaches
them that we are made to serve one another".
"Very often we breathe an air of distrust in life. There are situations that make us think, 'But is it worth living like this?'. I think of the wars in this
world. At times I have said that we are living a third world war, but in pieces.
There is war in Europe, there is war in Africa, there is war in the Middle East,
there is war in other countries ... But can I trust in a life like this? Can I trust world leaders? When I go to vote for a candidate, can I trust that he or she will not take my country to war? If you trust only in men, you have lost! Think of the people, leaders, entrepreneurs, who say they are Christians and then produce weapons! They say one thing and do another. Hypocrisy ... But we see
what happened during the last century: in 1914, or rather in 1915 precisely. There was the great tragedy in Armenia. Many people died. I do not know how many, but certainly more than a million. Where were the great powers of the time? They looked away. Why? Because they were interested in war: their war! And
those who died, they were second class people, human beings. Then, in the 1930s
and 1940s, the tragedy of the Shoah. The great powers had photographed the railway lines that carried the trains to the concentration camps, such as Auschwitz, to kill Jews, and also Christians, Roma, homosexuals, to kill them there. But tell me, why did they not bomb them? Interests! And soon after, almost at the same time, there were the lagers in Russia: Stalin ... how many Christians suffered and were killed. The great powers divided Europe like a cake. Many years had to pass before reaching a certain 'freedom'. There is the hypocrisy of speaking about peace and producing arms, and even selling weapons to this one, who is at war with that one, and to that one who is at war with this!"
"I understand what you say about distrust in life: today, too, we are living culture of waste. All that is not of economic use is discarded. ... And so, with
this culture of waste, is it possible to trust in life? ... A young person who cannot study, who does not have a job, who suffers the shame of not feeling worthy because he does not have a job, does not earn life. ... How often do young
people commit suicide? ... Or how often do they go to fight with terrorists, at
least to do something, for an ideal? ... And this is why Jesus told us not to place our security in wealth, in worldly powers. How can I live a life that does
n destroy, that is not a life of destruction, a life that does not discard people? How can a live a life that does not disappoint me?".
"We must go ahead with our plans to build, and this life does not disappoint. If you are involved in a plan for construction, to help ... that sense of distrust
in life goes away. Be active, and go against the grain. For you, young people, who experience this economic and also cultural, hedonistic, consumerist situation with its soap bubble values, with these values it is not possible to go ahead. Do constructive things, even if they are small, that bring us together
again, that unite us together, with our ideals: this is the best antidote to this distrust of life, against this culture that offers you only pleasure. ... The
secret is clearly understanding where you live. In this land ... at the end of the
nineteenth century there were the worst possible conditions for the growth of the young: Freemasonry prevailed, even the Church could do nothing; there was anti-clericalism, there was Satanism. ... It was one of the worst times and one of
the worst places in the history of Italy. But in that period, many saints were born. Why? Because they realised that they had to swim against the tide of that
culture, that way of life. Live in reality, and if that reality is glass and not
diamond, I find an alternative reality and make it my own, a reality that is of
service to others".

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To the Waldensian Church: God is not resigned to human sin
Vatican City, 22 June 2015 (VIS) - At 9 a.m. today the Holy Father visited the
Waldensian Temple where he was received by the pastor Eugenio Bernardini, moderator of the Waldensian Mass, the president of the Consistory of the Evangelical Waldensian Church of Turin, Sergio Velluto, and the pastor Paolo Ribet, titular of the Evangelical Waldensian Church of Turin. The moderator of the Evangelical Waldensian Church of Uruguay, pastor Oscar Oudri, was also present. The welcome reminded the Pope "of the meetings with friends in the Waldensian Evangelical Church of Rio de la Plata, where I could appreciate the spirituality and faith and learn many good things".
"One of the main fruits that the ecumenical movement has enabled us to gather in recent years is the rediscovery of the fraternity that unites all those who believe in Jesus Christ and have been baptised in His name", remarked Francis. "This bond is not based simply on human criteria, such as the radical sharing of
the experience on which Christian life is based: the encounter with God's love that is revealed to us in Jesus Christ and the transforming action of the Holy Spirit that helps us on our path in life. The rediscovery of this fraternity enables us to grasp that deep bond that already unites us, despite our differences".
"Unity, which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, does not mean uniformity", he emphasised. "Brothers, effectively, are united by a common origin, but they are
not identical to each other. This is clear in the New Testament where, despite calling brothers all those who share the same faith in Jesus Christ, it can be intuited that not all Christian communities had the same style or an identical internal organisation ... and even in the announcement of the Gospel itself there

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prison; and behold, an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter on the side ... And the chains fell off his hands'.
Let us think about how many times the Lord has heard our prayer and sent us an
angel? An angel who unexpectedly comes to pull us out of a difficult situation?
Who comes to snatch us from the hands of death and from the evil one; who points
out the wrong path; who rekindles in us the flame of hope; who gives us tender comfort; who consoles our broken hearts; who awakens us from our slumber to the
world; or who simply tells us, 'You are not alone'.
How many angels he places on our path, and yet when we are overwhelmed by fear,
unbelief or even euphoria, we leave them outside the door, just as happened to Peter when he knocked on the door of the house and the 'maid named Rhoda came to
answer. Recognising Peter's voice, in her joy she did not open the door'.
No Christian community can go forward without being supported by persistent prayer! Prayer is the encounter with God, with God who never lets us down; with
God who is faithful to his word; with God who does not abandon his children. Jesus asked himself: 'And will not God vindicate his elect, who cry to him day and night?'. In prayer, believers express their faith and their trust, and God reveals his closeness, also by giving us the angels, his messengers.
A call to faith: in the second reading Saint Paul writes to Timothy: 'But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength to proclaim the word fully ... So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil and save
me for his heavenly Kingdom'. God does not take his children out of the world or
away from evil but he does grant them strength to prevail. Only the one who believes can truly say: 'The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want'.
How many forces in the course of history have tried, and still do, to destroy the Church, from without as well as within, but they themselves are destroyed and the Church remains alive and fruitful! She remains inexplicably solid, so that, as Saint Paul says, she may acclaim: 'To him be glory for ever and ever'.
Everything passes, only God remains. Indeed, kingdoms, peoples, cultures, nations, ideologies, powers have passed, but the Church, founded on Christ, notwithstanding the many storms and our many sins, remains ever faithful to the
deposit of faith shown in service; for the Church does not belong to Popes, bishops, priests, nor the lay faithful; the Church in every moment belongs solely to Christ. Only the one who lives in Christ promotes and defends the Church by holiness of life, after the example of Peter and Paul.
In the name of Christ, believers have raised the dead; they have healed the sick; they have loved their persecutors; they have shown how there is no power capable of defeating the one who has the power of faith!
A call to witness: Peter and Paul, like all the Apostles of Christ who in their
earthly life sowed the seeds of the Church by their blood, drank the Lord's cup,
and became friends of God.
Paul writes in a moving way to Timothy: 'My son, I am already on the point of being sacrificed; the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge,
will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved
his appearing'.
A Church or a Christian who does not give witness is sterile; like a dead person who thinks they are alive; like a dried up tree that produces no fruit; an empty well that offers no water! The Church has overcome evil thanks to the courageous, concrete and humble witness of her children. She has conquered evil
thanks to proclaiming with conviction: 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God'.
Dear Archbishops who today receive the Pallium, it is a sign which represents the sheep that the shepherd carries on his shoulders as Christ the Good Shepherd
does, and it is therefore a symbol of your pastoral mission. The Pallium is 'a liturgical sign of communion that unites the See of Peter and his Successor to the Metropolitans, and through them to the other Bishops of the world'.
Today, by these Pallia, I wish to entrust you with this call to prayer, to faith and to witness. The Church wants you to be men of prayer, masters of prayer; that you may teach the people entrusted to your care that liberation from all forms of imprisonment is uniquely God's work and the fruit of prayer; that God sends his angel at the opportune time in order to save us from the many
forms of slavery and countless chains of worldliness. For those most in need, may you also be angels and messengers of charity!
The Church desires you to be men of faith, masters of faith, who can teach the
faithful to not be frightened of the many Herods who inflict on them persecution
with every kind of cross. No Herod is able to banish the light of hope, of faith, or of charity in the one who believes in Christ!
The Church wants you to be men of witness. St. Francis used to tell his brothers: 'Preach the Gospel always, and if necessary, use words!'. There is no
witness without a coherent lifestyle! Today there is no great need for masters,
but for courageous witnesses, who are convinced and convincing; witnesses who are not ashamed of the Name of Christ and of His Cross; not before the roaring lions, nor before the powers of this world. And this follows the example of Peter and Paul and so many other witnesses along the course of the Church's history, witnesses who, yet belonging to different Christian confessions, have contributed to demonstrating and bringing growth to the one Body of Christ. I am
pleased to emphasise this, and am always pleased to do so, in the presence of the Delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, sent by my beloved brother Bartholomew I.
This is not so straightforward: because the most effective and authentic witness is one that does not contradict, by behaviour and lifestyle, what is preached with the word and taught to others.
Teach prayer by praying, announce the faith by believing; offer witness by living!"

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Angelus: the legacy of Sts Peter and Paul is a source of pride for Rome
Vatican City, 29 June 2015 (VIS) - At midday, after celebrating Holy Mass with
the new metropolitan archbishops in the Vatican Basilica, the Pope appeared at the window of his study to pray the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square.
"The solemnity of the Saints Peter and Paul is celebrated, as you know, by the
universal Church, but it is lived with particular joy by the Church of Rome, as
her foundations lie in their witness, sealed with blood. Rome nurtures a special
affection and acknowledgement for these men of God, who came from a faraway and
to announce, at the expense of their lives, the Gospel of Christ to Whom they were totally dedicated. The glorious legacy of these two apostles is a reason for spiritual pride for Rome and, at the same time, is a reminder to live Christian virtues and in particular faith and charity: faith in Jesus the Messiah and Son of God, that Peter professed first and Paul announced to the people; and charity, which this Church is called upon to serve with a universal
outlook".
"In the Angelus prayer", he explained, "we associate the memory of Saints Peter
and Paul with that of Mary, the living image of the Church, Christ's spouse, whom the two Apostles made fruitful with their blood". Peter personally knew Mary and, conversing with her, especially in the days preceding Pentecost, he was able to deepen his knowledge of the mystery of Christ. Paul, in announcing the fulfilment of the salvific plan 'in the fullness of time', does not neglect
to mention the 'woman' to whom the Son of God was born in time. In the evangelisation of the two apostles here in Rome there are also the roots of the
Romans' deep, centuries-long devotion to the Holy Virgin, invoked in particular
as Salus Populi Romani. Mary, Peter and Paul: they are our travelling companions
in our search for God, they are our guides on the path of faith and holiness; they drive us towards Jesus, to do all that He asks of us. Let us invoke their help, so that our heart may always be open to the suggestions of the Holy Spirit
and encounter with our brothers".
Francis asked all those present to pray in a special way for Rome, for its spiritual and material well-being, and that divine grace might support the Roman
people to live Christian faith fully. After the Marian prayer he reminded those
present of his upcoming apostolic trip to Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay from 5 to 12 July, and again asked the faithful to accompany him in prayer to Our Lady
during the trip.

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Angelus: faith is touching Jesus and receiving the grace that saves us
Vatican City, 28 June 2015 (VIS) - The resurrection of Christ that acts throughout history as the source of renewal and hope was the theme of the Pope's
reflection during this Sunday's Angelus, in which which he commented on the two
readings of the day's liturgy, the awakening after death of the daughter of one
of the heads of the synagogue, and the healing of the bleeding woman.
In the first passage, Jesus is called by the father of the dead child, says "Do
not fear, only believe" and, entering the house, he orders her to rise. The child awakens and begins to walk. "Here we see Jesus' absolute power over physical death, that for Him is like a slumber from which one can reawaken".
In the second reading, Jesus heals a woman who has suffered bleeding for two years, an illness that in the cultural context of the time would have rendered her "impure" and obliged her to avoid all human contact, "as if she were condemned to a civil death", the Pope explained. "This anonymous woman, in the midst of the crowd following Jesus, says to herself, 'If I touch even his garments, I will be made well'. And so it was: the need to be freed drives her to boldness and her faith 'seizes', as it were, the cure. Those who believe touch Jesus and draw from Him the Grace that saves. It saves our spiritual life
and it saves us from many problems".
"These two episodes - healing and resurrection - have a sole centre: faith. The
message is clear, and can be summarised in a question: do we believe that Jesus
can heal us and reawaken us from death? All the Gospel is written in the light of this faith: Jesus is resurrected, he conquers death, and by this, his victory, we too will rise again. ... Christ's Resurrection acts in history as source of renewal and hope. Whoever is desperate and tired, unto death, if he trusts in Jesus and His love, may begin to live again. Also starting out on a new life, changing one's life, is a way of rising again, of resuscitating. Faith
is a force of life that gives fullness to our humanity; and he or she who believes in Christ must recognise this so that it may promote life in every situation, and enable everyone, especially the weakest, to experience God's love
that liberates and saves".
"Let us ask the Lord, by the intercession of Our Lady, for the gift of strong and courageous faith, that drives us to spread hope and life among our brethren", concluded the bishop of Rome.

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The Pope's telegrams for the terrorist attacks in France, Tunisia and Kuwait
Vatican City, 28 June 2015 (VIS) - Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin has sent telegrams on behalf of the Holy Father to the representatives of the Holy See in France, Tunisia and Kuwait following the terrorist attacks on 26 June in Saint-Quentin Fallavier, Sousse and Kuwait City.
The Pope writes to the apostolic nuncio in France that he participates in prayer in the suffering of the family of the victim of the attack in Saint-Quentin Fallavier, and with the wounded and their relatives. He repeats his condemnation of "violence that gives rise to so much suffering", invokes the
Lord's gift of peace, and blesses the afflicted families and all the French people.
In his telegram to the apostolic nuncio in Tunisia, Francis expresses his heartfelt condolences to the Tunisian people and in particular to the families of the deceased following the attack in Sousse. Again condemning violence, he asks God to welcome the souls of the departed in His light, and blesses the injured, their loved ones and all Tunisian citizens.
In his third telegram, the Holy Father declares his sadness at the tragic loss
of life and injuries caused by the attack on a mosque in Kuwait City, and offers
his prayers for the victims and for all those who mourn. Deploring these acts of
barbarism, he reaffirms his spiritual closeness to all the families affected and
to the Kuwaiti people, encouraging them not to lose heart in the face of evil, and invokes upon the nation the consoling and healing love of the Almighty.


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university founded in 1946, property of the archdiocese of Quito and managed by
Jesuit fathers, with 30,000 students currently enrolled.
The Holy Father was greeted by the rector, Cesar Fabian Carrasco Castro, and the bishop of Loja, Alfredo Jose Espinoza Mateus, president of the Episcopal Commission for Education and Culture. This was followed by a prayer, composed by
St. Miguel Febres Cordero F.S.C. (1854-1910), known as St. Hermano Miguel, and passage from the Gospel of St. Luke, the parable of the sower, was read.
In the discourse he subsequently pronounced, Francis expressed first his gratitude for the encounter in a university "which for almost sixty years has helped to further the Church's educational mission in service to the men and women of this country", and went on to consider the theme of care for creation and education as a seed for the transformation of society.
"In the Gospel we have just heard, Jesus, the Master, teaches the crowds and the small group of his disciples by accommodating himself to their ability to understand. He does this with parables, like that of the sower. The Lord was always flexible in His way of teaching. He does it in a way that everyone can understand. Jesus does not seek to 'play the professor'", emphasised the Pope. "Instead, He seeks to reach people's hearts, their understanding and their lives, so that they may bear fruit. The parable of the sower speaks to us of 'cultivating'. It speaks of various kinds of soil, ways of sowing and bearing fruit, and how they are all related. Ever since the time of Genesis, God has quietly urged us to 'cultivate and care for the earth'. God does not only give us life: he gives us the earth, he gives us all of creation. He does not only give man a partner and endless possibilities: he also gives human beings a task,
he gives them a mission. He invites them to be a part of his creative work and he says: 'Cultivate it! I am giving you seeds, soil, water and sun. I am giving
you your hands and those of your brothers and sisters. There it is, it is yours.
It is a gift, a present, an offering. It is not something that can be bought or
acquired. It precedes us and it will be there long after us. Our world is a gift
given to us by God so that, with Him, we can make it our own. God did not will creation for Himself, so He could see Himself reflected in it. On the contrary:
creation is a gift to be shared. It is the space that God gives us to build up with one another, to build a 'we'. The world, history, all of time - this is the
setting in which we build this 'we' with God, with others, with the earth. This
invitation is always present, more or less consciously in our life; it is always
there".
But, Francis observed, "there is something else which is special. As Genesis recounts, after the word 'cultivate', another word immediately follows: 'care'.
Each explains the other. They go hand in hand. Those who do not cultivate do not
care; those who do not care do not cultivate. We are not only invited to share in the work of creation and to cultivate it, to make it grow and to develop it.
We are also invited to care for it, to protect it, to be its guardians. Nowadays
we are increasingly aware of how important this is. It is no longer a mere recommendation, but rather a requirement, 'because of the harm we have inflicted
on [the earth] by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed it. We have come to see ourselves as her lords and masters, entitled
to plunder her at will. This is why the earth herself, burdened and laid waste,
is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor'".
He continued, "There is a relationship between our life and that of mother earth, between the way we live and the gift we have received from God. 'The human environment and the natural environment deteriorate together; we cannot adequately combat environmental degradation unless we attend to causes related to human and social degradation'. Yet just as both can 'deteriorate', we can also say that they can 'support one another and can be changed for the better'.
This reciprocal relationship can lead to openness, transformation, and life, or
to destruction and death. One thing is certain: we can no longer turn our backs
on reality, on our brothers and sisters, on mother earth. It is wrong to turn aside from what is happening all around us, as if certain situations did not exist or have nothing to do with our life. It is not lawful, much less human, to
enter into the culture of waste. Again and again we sense the urgency of the question which God put to Cain, 'Where is your brother?' But I wonder if our answer continues to be: 'Am I my brother's keeper?'.
"I live in Rome, where it is cold in winter. It can happen that just near the Vatican in the morning an elderly person is found dead from the cold. There is no news report in any of the daily or weekly newspapers. A poor person who dies
today of cold and hunger is not a news item, but if the stock markets of the major world capitals drop two or three points, it is a great global scandal. I ask myself: 'Where is your brother?' And I ask you to do this once again, each of you, to ask this question, and to do so at the university. To you, Catholic University, I ask: 'Where is your brother?'".
He went on to invite those present to ask themselves whether it would be worthwhile reflecting "on the way we educate about this earth of ours, which cries out to heaven", within the university setting, as "our academic institutions are seedbeds, places full of possibility, fertile soil which we must care for, cultivate and protect. Fertile soil thirsting for life".
"My question to you, as educators, is this: Do you watch over your students, helping them to develop a critical sense, an open mind capable of caring for today's world? A spirit capable of seeking new answers to the varied challenges
that society sets before us? Are you able to encourage them not to disregard the
world around them? Does our life, with its uncertainties, mysteries and questions, find a place in the university curriculum or different academic activities? Do we enable and support a constructive debate which fosters dialogue in the pursuit of a more humane world? One avenue of reflection involves all of us, family, schools and teachers. How do we help our young people not to see a university degree as synonymous with higher status, money and social prestige. How can we help make their education a mark of greater responsibility in the face of today's problems, the needs of the poor, concern for the environment?"
He continued, "I also have a question for you, dear students. You are Ecuador's
present and future, the seedbed of your society's future growth. Do you realise
that this time of study is not only a right, but a privilege? How many of your friends, known or unknown, would like to have a place in this house but, for various reasons, do not? To what extent do our studies help us feel solidarity with them?
"Educational communities play an essential role in the enrichment of civic and
cultural life. It is not enough to analyse and describe reality: there is a need
to shape environments of creative thinking, discussions which develop alternatives to current problems, especially today. Faced with the globalisation
of a technocratic paradigm which tends to believe that 'every increase in power
means an increase of progress itself, an advance in security, usefulness, welfare and vigour; ... an assimilation of new values into the stream of culture,
as if reality, goodness and truth automatically flow from technological and economic power as such', it is urgent that we keep reflecting on and talking about our current situation. We need to ask ourselves about the kind of culture
we want not only for ourselves, but for our children and our grandchildren. We have received this earth as an inheritance, as a gift, in trust. We would do well to ask ourselves: 'What kind of world do we want to leave behind? What meaning or direction do we want to give to our lives? Why have we been put here?
What is the purpose of our work and all our efforts?'".
"Personal initiatives are always necessary and good", he remarked. "But we are
asked to go one step further: to start viewing reality in an organic and not fragmented way, to ask about where we stand in relation to others, inasmuch as 'everything is interconnected'. As a university, as educational institutions, as
teachers and students, life itself challenges us to answer this question: What does this world need us for? Where is your brother?"
The Pope concluded by invoking the inspiration and company of the Holy Spirit "for He has summoned us, invited us, given us the opportunity and the duty to offer the best of ourselves. He is the same Spirit Who on the first day of creation moved over the waters, ready to transform them, ready to bestow life. He is the same Spirit who gave the disciples the power of Pentecost. The Spirit
does not abandon us. He becomes one with us, so that we can encounter paths of new life. May He, the Spirit, always be our teacher and our companion along the
way.

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To the representatives of civil society: gratuity, solidarity and subsidiarity
are learned in the family and practised in society
Vatican City, 8 July 2015 (VIS) - Shortly before 6 p.m. (local time) the Pope arrived at the Church of St. Francis, which along with its adjacent convent, constitutes the oldest Catholic religious building in Latin America. The site, of great symbolic significance for the indigenous populations as the base of the
Inca and Caranqui military commanders, was acquired by the Franciscans using funds donated from Belgium. Construction began in 1536, the year of the foundation of Quito, and was completed in 1680, although the complex was subsequently extended and was nicknamed "El Escorial of the New World" for its artistic and architectural wealth, extending over three and a half hectares of buildings (13 cloisters, three churches, more than 3,500 colonial works of art and a splendid Franciscan library). It currently hosts various cultural and social activities as well as schools of painting, sculpture and engraving.
The mayor of Quito, Mauricio Rodas, awaited the Holy Father at the main entrance of the Church, in order to present him the keys to the city. Following
this simple act, without speeches, the guardian of the Franciscan community welcomed Francis to the centre where he met with Ecuadorian civil society and the representatives of various sectors including culture and the economy, industrial and rural enterprise, voluntary work and sport. The indigenous Amazon
peoples were well-represented.
After receiving greetings from the archbishop of Cuenca, Luis Gerardo Cabrera Herrera, president of the Commission for the Laity of the Episcopal Conference,
and listening to the words of three laypeople, the Pope pronounced a discourse focusing on the importance of the family as the place where socially useful values such as solidarity, gratuity and respect are learned.
"As I entered this church, the Mayor of Quito gave me the keys to the city. So
I can say that here, in Saint Francis of Quito, I feel at home. His expression of affectionate closeness, opening your doors to me, allows me to speak, in

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is when the Church perseveres in her efforts to be a house and a school of communion, when we cultivate what I like to call "the culture of encounter"! The
image of Our Lady's Presentation tells us that, after being blessed by the priests, the child Mary began to dance at the foot of the altar. I think of the
joy expressed in the imagery of the wedding feast, of the friend of the bridegroom, of the bride bedecked with her jewels. It is the happiness of all those who have discovered a treasure and left everything behind in order to gain
it. To find the Lord, to dwell in his house, to share in his life, commits us to
proclaiming his Kingdom and bringing his salvation to all. Crossing the threshold of the Temple means becoming, like Mary, temples of the Lord and setting out to bring the good news to our brothers and sisters. Our Lady, as the
first missionary disciple, once she had received the message of the angel, left
with haste to a town of Judah to share this incredible joy, which led St. John the Baptist to leap in his mother's womb. The one who hears the Lord's voice 'leaps with joy' and becomes for his or her own time a herald of his joy. The joy of evangelisation leads the Church to go forth, like Mary.
"There are many reasons offered for the translation of the shrine from Oyacachi
to this place. There is one which I find particularly convincing: 'for many people, this place has always been easier to reach'. That was the idea of the Archbishop of Quito, Fray Luis Lopez de Solis, when he ordered the building of shrine capable of attracting and embracing everyone. A Church on the move is a Church which is close to people, overcoming obstacles, leaving its own comfort behind and daring to reach out to the peripheries which need the light of the Gospel.
"Let us now turn to the tasks which await us, urged on by the holy people which
God has entrusted to our care. Among those tasks, let us not neglect to care for, encourage and guide the popular devotions which are so powerfully felt in this holy place and which are widespread in the countries of Latin America. The
faithful express the faith in their own language, and they show their deepest feelings of sadness, uncertainty, joy, failure, and thanksgiving in various devotions: processions, votive lights, flowers, and hymns. All of these are beautiful expressions of their faith in the Lord and their love for his Mother,
who is also our Mother.
"Here in Quinche, the story of God and man converge in the life of one woman, Mary. They come together in one home, our common home, our sister, mother earth.
The traditions of this devotion speak of cedar trees, bears, the crevasse in the
rock which here became the first home of the Mother of God. They speak to us of
a 'yesterday' when birds surrounded this place, and of a 'today' of flowers which adorn its surroundings. The origins of this devotion bring us back to a time of simple and 'serene harmony with creation', when one could contemplate 'the Creator who lives among us and surrounds us, whose presence amust not be contrived but found, uncovered'. God's presence is revealed in the created world, in his beloved Son, and in the Eucharist which enables each Christian to
know him or her self as living members of the Church and an active participant in her mission. And it is present in Our Lady of Quinche, who from the first proclamation of the faith until our own day has accompanied the indigenous peoples. To her we entrust our vocation; may she make us a gift to our people; may she grant us perseverance in our commitment and in the joy of going forth to
bring the Gospel of her Son Jesus, together with our shepherds, to the fringes,
the peripheries of our beloved Ecuador".

___________________________________________________________

"Jallalla Bolivia!"
Vatican City, 9 July 2015 (VIS) - Pope Francis began the second leg of his trip
in Latin America yesterday, as he arrived at El Alto airport, the highest on the
planet, situated at more than four thousand metres above sea level, in La Paz, Bolivia, where he was awaited by the president of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Evo Morales, the country's first leader to come from the indigenous population (Wru-Aimara), whom the Holy Father met in the Vatican during the First World Meeting of Popular Movements, organised by the Pontifical Council "Justice and Peace" in October 2014.
In his first discourse in Bolivia, the Holy Father affirmed that he came "as guest and a pilgrim ... to confirm the faith of those who believe in the Risen Christ, so that, during our pilgrimage on earth, we believers may be witnesses of his love, leaven for a better world and co-operators in the building of a more just and fraternal society". After thanking President Morales for his "warm
and fraternal welcome", he greeted the religious and civil authorities, adding,
"I think in a special way of the sons and daughters of this land who for a variety of reasons have had to seek 'another land' to shelter them; another place where this earth can allow them to be fruitful and find possibilities in life".
The Pope also expressed his joy in encountering a land of such singular beauty,
as declared in the preamble of its Constitution: "In ancient times the mountains
arose, rivers changed course and lakes were formed. Our Amazonia, our wetlands and our highlands, and our plains and valleys were decked with greenery and flowers". "It makes me realise once again that 'rather than a problem to be solved, the world is a joyful mystery to be contemplated with gladness and praise'. But above all, Bolivia is a land blessed in its people. It is home to great cultural and ethnic variety, which is at once a great source of enrichment
and a constant summons to mutual respect and dialogue. There are the ancient aboriginal peoples and the more recent native peoples. The Spanish language brought to this land now happily co-exists with thirty-six native languages, which come together - like the red and yellow in the national flowers of Kantuta
and Patuju - to create beauty and unity in diversity. In this land and people, the proclamation of the Gospel took deep root, and through the years it has continued to shed its light upon society, contributing to the development of the
nation and shaping its culture".
"Bolivia is making important steps towards including broad sectors in the country's economic, social and political life. Your constitution recognises the
rights of individuals, minorities and the natural environment, and provides for
institutions to promote them. To achieve these goals a spirit of civic cooperation and dialogue is required, as well as the participation of individuals and social groups in issues of interest to everyone. The integral advancement of a nation demands an ever greater appreciation of values by individuals and their growing convergence with regard to common ideals to which
all can work together, no one being excluded or overlooked. A growth which is merely material will always run the risk of creating new divisions, of the wealth of some being built on the poverty of others. Hence, in addition to institutional transparency, social unity requires efforts to promote the education of citizens.
"In days to come, I would like to encourage the vocation of Christ's disciples
to share the joy of the Gospel, to be salt for the earth and light to the world.
The voice of the bishops, which must be prophetic, speaks to society in the name
of the Church, our Mother, from her preferential, evangelical option for the poor. Fraternal charity, the living expression of the new commandment of Jesus,
is expressed in programs, works and institutions which work for the integral development of the person, as well as for the care and protection of those who are most vulnerable. We cannot believe in God the Father without seeing a brother or sister in every person, and we cannot follow Jesus without giving our
lives for those for whom he died on the cross.
The Pope also touched on the theme of the family in his first discourse, emphasising that "in an age when basic values are often neglected or distorted,
the family merits special attention on the part of those responsible for the common good, since it is the basic cell of society. Families foster the solid bonds of unity on which human coexistence is based, and, through the bearing and
education of children, they ensure the renewal of society".
He continued, "the Church also feels a special concern for young people who, committed to their faith and cherishing great ideals, are the promise of the future, 'watchmen to proclaim the light of dawn and the new springtime of the Gospel'. To care for children, and to help young people to embrace noble ideals,
is a guarantee of the future of society. A society discovers renewed strength when it values, respects and cares for its elderly, when it chooses to foster 'culture of remembrance' capable of ensuring that the elderly not only enjoy quality of life in their final years but also affection, as your Constitution puts it so well".
Addressing those present, he added, "in these days we can look forward to moments of encounter, dialogue and the celebration of faith. I am pleased to be
here, in a country which calls itself pacifist, a country which promotes the culture of peace and the right to peace".
Finally, he entrusted his visit to the protection of the Blessed Virgin of Copacabana, Queen of Bolivia, and concluded by exclaiming "Jallalla Bolivia!", an Aimara word meaning "life" and "hope".

___________________________________________________________

The Pope prays at the site of Fr. Luis Espinal's assassination
Vatican City, 9 July 2015 (VIS) - During his trip from the El Alto airport to the archbishop%s residence at La Paz, the Pope paused to bless the place where on 21 March 1980 the Spanish Jesuit Luis Espinal Camps, poet, journalist and filmmaker, was assassinated. Fr. Espinal, who lived alongside the families of miners during their struggle under the dictatorship of Luis Garcia Meza, one of
the bloodiest periods in Bolivia's history, was arrested by paramilitaries, the
armed wing of power, on 21 March 1980. His body was discovered the following day
on the path to Chacaltaya. His murder caused profound shock throughout the country and his funeral, on 24 March in La Paz, was attended by multitudes. In 2007 President Evo Morales declared 21 March "Bolivian Cinema Day", to commemorate the assassination of Fr. Espinal, in homage to his struggle in favour of human rights and democracy and to acknowledge his contribution to Bolivian cinematography.
Upon reaching the eighth kilometre of the Chacaltaya highway, where a number of
people were gathered, the Holy Father left the car and said: "Good afternoon, dear sisters and brothers. I stop here to greet you and, above all, to remember.
To remember a brother of ours, the victim of those who did not want him to fight
for freedom in Bolivia. Fr. Espinal preached the Gospel, and this Gospel troubled them, so they eliminated him. Let us spend a moment in silent prayer, and then let us pray together".
After a moment's silence, the Pope added, "May the Lord receive in His glory

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suffer. In concluding this Holy Mass, in which Jesus has once more given Himself
to us in His body and blood, let us now lift our gaze to the Virgin Mary, our Mother. We ask her to teach us to stand beside the cross of our brothers and sisters who suffer. To learn to see Jesus in every person bent low on the path of life, in all our brothers and sisters who hunger or thirst, who are naked or
in prison or sick. With Mary our Mother, on the cross we can see who is truly "the greatest" and what it means to stand beside the Lord and to share in His glory.
"Let us learn from Mary to keep our hearts awake and attentive to the needs of
others. As the wedding feast of Cana teaches us, let us be concerned for the little details of life, and let us not tire of praying for one another, so that
no one will lack the new wine of love, the joy which Jesus brings us.
At this time I feel bound to direct my thoughts to the beloved land of Colombia, 'conscious of the crucial importance of the present moment when, with
renewed effort and inspired by hope, its sons and daughters are seeking to build
a peaceful society'. May the blood shed by thousands of innocent people during long decades of armed conflict, united to that of the Lord Jesus Christ crucified, sustain all the efforts being made, including those on this beautiful
island, to achieve definitive reconciliation. Thus may the long night of pain and violence, with the support of all Colombians, become an unending day of concord, justice, fraternity and love, in respect for institutions and for national and international law, so that there may be lasting peace. Please, we do not have the right to allow ourselves yet another failure on this path of peace and reconciliation. Thank you, Mr. President, for all you have done in this work towards reconciliation".
"I ask you now that we join together in praying to Mary, that we may place all
our concerns and hopes before the heart of Christ. We pray to her in a special way for those who have lost hope and find no reasons to keep fighting, and for those who suffer from injustice, abandonment and loneliness. We pray for the elderly, the infirm, children and young people, for all families experiencing difficulty, that Mary may dry their tears, comfort them with a mother's love, and restore their hope and joy. Holy Mother, I commend to you these your sons and daughters in Cuba. May you never abandon them!".

___________________________________________________________

Meeting with President Raul Castro and with Commander Fidel in the Palace of the Revolution
Vatican City, 20 September 2015 (VIS) - Following Holy Mass, and after lunch in
the apostolic nunciature, the Pope transferred by car to the Palace of the Revolution to pay a courtesy visit to the President of the Council of State of Cuba, Raul Castro, elected in 2008 after his brother Fidel Castro stood down for
reasons of ill health. Although this did not form part of the official programme
for the visit, the Holy Father also met with "Commander" Fidel.
"The meeting was foreseeable, although it did not form part of the programme",
explained Fr. Lombardi. "We all knew that Commander Fidel wanted to see the Pope, as he did with Pope Benedict XVI during his visit. Commander Fidel, who is
an elderly man, is spending this phase of his life in study and reflection: he reads a lot and enjoys conversing with people with great experience. This is explicitly how it was with Pope Benedict XVI, and also with Pope Francis".
"Fidel had asked Pope Benedict to send some books that could be useful for his
reflections, and Francis followed on from this by taking, on his own initiative,
two books by the Italian priest Alessandro Pronzato, known to many as a prolific
author of spiritual and catechetic texts. He also took a book and two CDs by Fr.
Armando Llorente, a Jesuit priest who died a few years ago, who was close to Castro as a child when he attended the Jesuit school at the Colegio de Belen. The memorial of this relationship with a teacher who profoundly affected his life during his youth was a very meaningful gesture on the part of the Pope".
"The Holy Father also took his two great texts, 'Evangelii Gaudium' and 'Laudato si''. This latter focuses on themes of interest to Castro also in this
stage of his life - the great questions of the current world and its future. It
is certainly a document he will find most interesting. Commander Castro gave the
Pope a very well-known book, 'Fidel y la Religion' by Frei Betto, which takes the form of a conversation with Frei Betto. It was a very informal encounter, serene exchange in the presence of various members of his family, and certainly
a positive moment".

___________________________________________________________

Vespers in the Cathedral of Havana
Vatican City, 21 September 2015 (VIS) - The Immaculate Conception is the patroness of Havana and, in the historic cathedral dedicated to this title and to St. Cristobal, whose baroque facade was designed by Francesco Borromini, the
Pope meet with the priests, men and women religious and seminarians of Cuba to for the Vespers prayer. Francis commented on the Gospel account of the rich young man, observant of the law, who is saddened when Jesus tells him that if he
wishes to follow Him he must abandon his riches. He made some unscripted comments regarding the value of poverty for all Christians, as well as for consecrated persons. His original prepared discourse is reproduced below.
"We are gathered in this historic Cathedral of Havana to sing with psalms the faithfulness of God towards his people, with thanksgiving for his presence and his infinite mercy. A faithfulness and mercy not only commemorated by this building, but also by the living memory of some of the elderly among us, who know from experience that 'his mercy endures forever and his faithfulness throughout the ages'. For this, brothers and sisters, let us together give thanks.
"Let us give thanks for the Spirit's presence in the rich and diverse charisms
of all those missionaries who came to this land and became Cubans among Cubans,
a sign that God's mercy is eternal.
"The Gospel presents Jesus in dialogue with His Father. It brings us to the heart of the prayerful intimacy between the Father and the Son. As His hour drew
near, Jesus prayed for His disciples, for those with Him and for those who were
yet to come. We do well to remember that, in that crucial moment, Jesus made the
lives of His disciples, our lives, a part of His prayer. He asked His Father to
keep them united and joyful. Jesus knew full well the hearts of His disciples, and He knows full well our own. And so He prays to the Father to save them from
a spirit of isolation, of finding refuge in their own certainties and comfort zones, of indifference to others and division into 'cliques' which disfigure the
richly diverse face of the Church. These are situations which lead to a kind of
isolation and ennui, a sadness that slowly gives rise to resentment, to constant
complaint, to boredom; this 'is not God's will for us, nor is it the life in the
Spirit' to which He invited them, to which He has invited us. That is why Jesus
prays that sadness and isolation will not prevail in our hearts. We want to do the same, we want to join in Jesus' prayer, in His words, so that we can say together: 'Father, keep them in Your name... that they may be one, even as we are
one', 'that Your joy may be complete'.
"Jesus prays and He invites us to pray, because He knows that some things can only be received as gifts; some things can only be experienced as gifts. Unity is a grace which can be bestowed upon us only by the Holy Spirit; we have to ask
for this grace and do our best to be transformed by that gift.
"Unity is often confused with uniformity; with actions, feelings and words which are all identical. This is not unity, it is conformity. It kills the life
of the Spirit; it kills the charisms which God has bestowed for the good of His
people. Unity is threatened whenever we try to turn others into our own image and likeness. Unity is a gift, not something to be imposed by force or by decree. I am delighted to see you here, men and women of different generations,
backgrounds and experiences, all united by our common prayer. Let us ask God to
increase our desire to be close to one another. To be neighbours, always there for one another, with all our many differences, interests and ways of seeing things. To speak straightforwardly, despite our disagreements and disputes, and
not behind each other's backs. May we be shepherds who are close to our people,
open to their questions and problems. Conflicts and disagreements in the Church
are to be expected and, I would even say, needed. They are a sign that the Church is alive and that the Spirit is still acting, still enlivening her. Woe to those communities without a 'yes' and a 'no'! They are like married couples who no longer argue, because they have lost interest, they have lost their love.
"The Lord prays also that we may be filled with His own 'complete joy'. The joy
of Christians, and especially of consecrated men and women, is a very clear sign
of Christ's presence in their lives. When we see sad faces, it is a warning that
something is wrong. Significantly, this is the request which Jesus makes of the
Father just before He goes out to the Garden to renew His own 'fiat'. I am certain that all of you have had to bear many sacrifices and, for some of you, for several decades now, these sacrifices have proved difficult. Jesus prays, at
the moment of His own sacrifice, that we will never lose the joy of knowing that
He overcomes the world. This certainty is what inspires us, morning after morning, to renew our faith. 'With a tenderness which never disappoints, but is
always capable of restoring our joy' - by His prayer, and in the faces of our people - Christ 'makes it possible for us to lift up our heads and to start anew'.
"How important, how valuable for the life of the Cuban people, is this witness
which always and everywhere radiates such joy, despite our weariness, our misgivings and even our despair, that dangerous temptation which eats away at our soul!
"Dear brothers and sisters, Jesus prays that all of us may be one, and that His
joy may abide within us. May we do likewise, as we unite ourselves to one another in prayer".

___________________________________________________________

Francis meets with the young, Cuba's hope for the future
Vatican City, 21 September 2015 (VIS) - After Vespers, the Pope transferred to
the "Centro de Estudio Padre Felix Varela", the Felix Varela Cultural Centre, adjacent to the cathedral, to meet with the young people of Cuba. The Centre is
dedicated to the Servant of God Felix Varela (1788-1853), considered to be the "father of Cuban culture". The priest, whose cause for beatification is underway, taught for ten years at the San Carlos college and seminary, making significant contribution to the progress of sciences and letters on the island.
In 1821 he was elected as the representative of Cuba before the Spanish court, where he appealed for the liberation of black slaves. In 1823, following the reestablishment of absolutism in Spain under Ferdinand VII, he transferred to the United States where he proclaimed Cuba's right to independence and exercised
his pastoral ministry for thirty years, founding schools, building churches and
evangelising among the marginalised.
The Centre is a lay institute, in operation since 2011, coordinated by the Pontifical Council for Culture. It comprises a centre for ecclesiastical studies, also offering courses in philosophy, psychology, and a master's degree
entitled Cuba-Emprende, aimed at supporting private enterprise initiatives in favour of economic change in the country. It also hosts concerts, conferences and other events, and promotes the Festival of Latin American Cinema.
The Pope expressed his joy at being in the company of the young in a centre so
important to Cuban history, and after receiving greetings, he set aside his written discourse, and spoke informally with those present. Extensive extracts from the prepared text are published below:
" ... When I look at all of you, the first thing that comes into my mind and heart, too, is the word 'hope'. I cannot imagine a young person who is listless,
without dreams or ideals, without a longing for something greater.
"But what kind of hope does a young Cuban have at this moment of history? Nothing more or less than that of any other young person in any other part of the world. Because hope speaks to us of something deeply rooted in every human heart, independently of our concrete circumstances and historical conditioning.
Hope speaks to us of a thirst, an aspiration, a longing for a life of fulfilment, a desire to achieve great things, things which fill our heart and lift our spirit to lofty realities like truth, goodness and beauty, justice and
love. But it also involves taking risks. It means being ready not to be seduced
by what is fleeting, by false promises of happiness, by immediate and selfish pleasures, by a life of mediocrity and self-centredness, which only fills the heart with sadness and bitterness. No, hope is bold; it can look beyond personal
convenience, the petty securities and compensations which limit our horizon, and
can open us up to grand ideals which make life more beautiful and worthwhile. would ask each one of you: What is it that shapes your life? What lies deep in your heart? Where do your hopes and aspirations lie? Are you ready to put yourself on the line for the sake of something even greater?
"Perhaps you may say: 'Yes, Father, I am strongly attracted to those ideals. feel their call, their beauty, their light shining in my heart. But I feel too weak, I am not ready to decide to take the path of hope. The goal is lofty and

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this continent, too, thousands of persons are led to travel north in search of better life for themselves and for their loved ones, in search of greater opportunities. Is this not what we want for our own children? We must not be taken aback by their numbers, but rather view them as persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories, trying to respond as best we can to their
situation. To respond in a way which is always humane, just and fraternal. We need to avoid a common temptation nowadays: to discard whatever proves troublesome. Let us remember the Golden Rule: 'Do unto others as you would have
them do unto you'.
"This Rule points us in a clear direction. Let us treat others with the same passion and compassion with which we want to be treated. Let us seek for others
the same possibilities which we seek for ourselves. Let us help others to grow,
as we would like to be helped ourselves. In a word, if we want security, let us
give security; if we want life, let us give life; if we want opportunities, let
us provide opportunities. The yardstick we use for others will be the yardstick
which time will use for us. The Golden Rule also reminds us of our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development.
"This conviction has led me, from the beginning of my ministry, to advocate at
different levels for the global abolition of the death penalty. I am convinced that this way is the best, since every life is sacred, every human person is endowed with an inalienable dignity, and society can only benefit from the rehabilitation of those convicted of crimes. Recently my brother bishops here in
the United States renewed their call for the abolition of the death penalty. Not
only do I support them, but I also offer encouragement to all those who are convinced that a just and necessary punishment must never exclude the dimension
of hope and the goal of rehabilitation.
"In these times when social concerns are so important, I cannot fail to mention
the Servant of God Dorothy Day, who founded the Catholic Worker Movement. Her social activism, her passion for justice and for the cause of the oppressed, were inspired by the Gospel, her faith, and the example of the saints.
"How much progress has been made in this area in so many parts of the world! How much has been done in these first years of the third millennium to raise people out of extreme poverty! I know that you share my conviction that much more still needs to be done, and that in times of crisis and economic hardship spirit of global solidarity must not be lost. At the same time I would encourage
you to keep in mind all those people around us who are trapped in a cycle of poverty. They too need to be given hope. The fight against poverty and hunger must be fought constantly and on many fronts, especially in its causes. I know that many Americans today, as in the past, are working to deal with this problem.
"It goes without saying that part of this great effort is the creation and distribution of wealth. The right use of natural resources, the proper application of technology and the harnessing of the spirit of enterprise are essential elements of an economy which seeks to be modern, inclusive and sustainable. 'Business is a noble vocation, directed to producing wealth and improving the world. It can be a fruitful source of prosperity for the area in which it operates, especially if it sees the creation of jobs as an essential part of its service to the common good'. This common good also includes the earth, a central theme of the encyclical which I recently wrote in order to 'enter into dialogue with all people about our common home'. 'We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all'.
"In 'Laudato Si'', I call for a courageous and responsible effort to 'redirect
our steps', and to avert the most serious effects of the environmental deterioration caused by human activity. I am convinced that we can make a difference and I have no doubt that the United States - and this Congress - have
an important role to play. Now is the time for courageous actions and strategies, aimed at implementing a 'culture of care' and 'an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature'. 'We have the freedom needed to limit and direct technology'; 'to devise intelligent ways of... developing and limiting our power';
and to put technology 'at the service of another type of progress, one which is
healthier, more human, more social, more integral'. In this regard, I am confident that America's outstanding academic and research institutions can make
a vital contribution in the years ahead.
"A century ago, at the beginning of the Great War, which Pope Benedict XV termed a 'pointless slaughter', another notable American was born: the Cistercian monk Thomas Merton. He remains a source of spiritual inspiration and
a guide for many people. In his autobiography he wrote: 'I came into the world.
Free by nature, in the image of God, I was nevertheless the prisoner of my own violence and my own selfishness, in the image of the world into which I was born. That world was the picture of Hell, full of men like myself, loving God, and yet hating Him; born to love Him, living instead in fear of hopeless self-contradictory hungers'. Merton was above all a man of prayer, a thinker who
challenged the certitudes of his time and opened new horizons for souls and for
the Church. He was also a man of dialogue, a promoter of peace between peoples and religions.
"From this perspective of dialogue, I would like to recognise the efforts made
in recent months to help overcome historic differences linked to painful episodes of the past. It is my duty to build bridges and to help all men and women, in any way possible, to do the same. When countries which have been at odds resume the path of dialogue - a dialogue which may have been interrupted for the most legitimate of reasons - new opportunities open up for all. This has
required, and requires, courage and daring, which is not the same as irresponsibility. A good political leader is one who, with the interests of all
in mind, seizes the moment in a spirit of openness and pragmatism. A good political leader always opts to initiate processes rather than possessing spaces.
"Being at the service of dialogue and peace also means being truly determined to minimize and, in the long term, to end the many armed conflicts throughout our world. Here we have to ask ourselves: Why are deadly weapons being sold to those who plan to inflict untold suffering on individuals and society? Sadly, the answer, as we all know, is simply for money: money that is drenched in blood, often innocent blood. In the face of this shameful and culpable silence,
it is our duty to confront the problem and to stop the arms trade.
"Three sons and a daughter of this land, four individuals and four dreams: Lincoln, liberty; Martin Luther King, liberty in plurality and non-exclusion; Dorothy Day, social justice and the rights of persons; and Thomas Merton, the capacity for dialogue and openness to God.
Four representatives of the American people.
"I will end my visit to your country in Philadelphia, where I will take part in
the World Meeting of Families. It is my wish that throughout my visit the family
should be a recurrent theme. How essential the family has been to the building of this country! And how worthy it remains of our support and encouragement! Yet
I cannot hide my concern for the family, which is threatened, perhaps as never before, from within and without. Fundamental relationships are being called into
question, as is the very basis of marriage and the family. I can only reiterate
the importance and, above all, the richness and the beauty of family life.
"In particular, I would like to call attention to those family members who are
the most vulnerable, the young. For many of them, a future filled with countless
possibilities beckons, yet so many others seem disoriented and aimless, trapped
in a hopeless maze of violence, abuse and despair. Their problems are our problems. We cannot avoid them. We need to face them together, to talk about them and to seek effective solutions rather than getting bogged down in discussions. At the risk of oversimplifying, we might say that we live in a culture which pressures young people not to start a family, because they lack possibilities for the future. Yet this same culture presents others with so many
options that they too are dissuaded from starting a family.
"A nation can be considered great when it defends liberty as Lincoln did, when
it fosters a culture which enables people to 'dream' of full rights for all their brothers and sisters, as Martin Luther King sought to do; when it strives
for justice and the cause of the oppressed, as Dorothy Day did by her tireless work, the fruit of a faith which becomes dialogue and sows peace in the contemplative style of Thomas Merton.
"In these remarks I have sought to present some of the richness of your cultural heritage, of the spirit of the American people. It is my desire that this spirit continue to develop and grow, so that as many young people as possible can inherit and dwell in a land which has inspired so many people to dream. God bless America!"
After his address, the Pope was accompanied by House Speaker Boehmer to the Hall of Statuary where he viewed the statue of Fr. Junipero Serra, before proceeding to the Great Hall of the Library of Congress, where he presented the
gift of a precious edition of the Bible. Then, accompanied by the leaders of Congress and members of the papal entourage, they both appeared on the balcony from where the Pope greeted and blessed the crowd gathered in the National Mall.
"Good day to you all!" he said, in Spanish. "I thank you for your welcome and your presence. I thank the most important people here: the children. I wish to ask God to bless them. Lord, Father of all, bless this people, bless each one of
them, bless their families, give them what they need most. And I ask you, please
to pray for me. And those of you who do not believe, or are unable to pray, please wish me well. God bless America!"

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The Holy Father: there is no social or moral justification for homelessness
Vatican City, 25 September 2015 (VIS) - After his address to the United States
Congress, Pope Francis transferred to the church of St. Patrick, the first parish in Washington, founded in 1794 to offer pastoral service to the Irish workers who were building the White House and Capitol, to where the United States government transferred in 1880 (Philadelphia was the temporary capital of
the United States in the meantime). The church has a centre for health and education for the homeless, dedicated to Cardinal James Hickey, archbishop of Washington between 1980 and 2000, who had promoted diocesan health care services
for the needy and migrants. The cardinal chose to spend the final years of his life in a home for the elderly without recourse to the Sisters of the Poor.
Francis arrived at the church shortly after 11 a.m. (5 p.m. in Rome), where he
was awaited by two hundred homeless people whom he greeted and thanked for welcoming him and for their efforts to make the meeting possible. He spoke to them about the importance of St. Joseph, "the one I go to whenever I am 'in a fix'". "You make me think of St. Joseph. Your faces remind me of his".
"Joseph had to face some difficult situations in his life", he continued. "One

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our own day. I think of the elderly, abandoned even by their loved ones and children; widows and widowers; the many men and women left by their spouses; all
those who feel alone, misunderstood and unheard; migrants and refugees fleeing from war and persecution; and those many young people who are victims of the culture of consumerism, the culture of waste, the throwaway culture".
"Today we experience the paradox of a globalised world filled with luxurious mansions and skyscrapers, but a lessening of the warmth of homes and families; many ambitious plans and projects, but little time to enjoy them... Our experience today is, in some way, like that of Adam: so much power and at the same time so much loneliness and vulnerability. The image of this is the family.
People are less and less serious about building a solid and fruitful relationship of love: in sickness and in health, for better and for worse, in good times and in bad. Love which is lasting, faithful, conscientious, stable and fruitful is increasingly looked down upon, viewed as a quaint relic of the past".
In the first reading we hear that God was pained by Adam's loneliness, and resolved to make him a helper fit for him. "These words show that nothing makes
man's heart as happy as another heart like his own, a heart which loves him and
takes away his sense of being alone. These words also show that God did not create us to live in sorrow or to be alone. He made men and women for happiness,
to share their journey with someone who complements them, to live the wondrous experience of love: to love and to be loved, and to see their love bear fruit in
children, as today's Psalm says. This is God's dream for His beloved creation: to see it fulfilled in the loving union between a man and a woman, rejoicing in
their shared journey, fruitful in their mutual gift of self".
"What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder", said the Pope, turning to the theme of the family. "This is an exhortation to believers to overcome every form of individualism and legalism which conceals a narrow self-centredness and a fear of accepting the true meaning of the couple and of human sexuality in God's plan. Indeed, only in the light of the folly of the gratuitousness of Jesus' paschal love will the folly of the gratuitousness of an
exclusive and life-long conjugal love make sense".
"For God, marriage is not some adolescent utopia, but a dream without which his
creatures will be doomed to solitude", he continued. "Indeed, being afraid to accept this plan paralyses the human heart. Paradoxically, people today - who often ridicule this plan - continue to be attracted and fascinated by every authentic love, by every steadfast love, by every fruitful love, by every faithful and enduring love. We see people chase after fleeting loves while dreaming of true love; they chase after carnal pleasures but desire total self-giving".
"In this extremely difficult social and marital context, the Church is called to carry out her mission in fidelity, truth and love. To carry out her mission in fidelity to her Master as a voice crying out in the desert, in defending faithful love and encouraging the many families which live married life as an experience which reveals of God's love; in defending the sacredness of life, of
every life; in defending the unity and indissolubility of the conjugal bond as sign of God's grace and of the human person's ability to love seriously".
"To carry out her mission in truth, which is not changed by passing fads or popular opinions. The truth which protects individuals and humanity as a whole from the temptation of self-centredness and from turning fruitful love into sterile selfishness, faithful union into temporary bonds. ... To carry out her mission in charity, not pointing a finger in judgement of others, but - faithful
to her nature as a mother - conscious of her duty to seek out and care for hurting couples with the balm of acceptance and mercy; to be a 'field hospital'
with doors wide open to whoever knocks in search of help and support".
Francis recalled St. John Paul II who said: "Error and evil must always be condemned and opposed; but the man who falls or who errs must be understood and
loved", and added "The Church must search out these persons, welcome and accompany them, for a Church with closed doors betrays herself and her mission,
and, instead of being a bridge, becomes a roadblock: 'For He who sanctifies and
those who are sanctified have all one origin. That is why He is not ashamed to call them brethren'".
"In this spirit", he concluded, "we ask the Lord to accompany us during the Synod and to guide His Church, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse".

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Society is not strong without the family
Vatican City, September 2015 (VIS) - In today's Sunday Angelus the Pope again asked the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square for prayers for the Synod on the Family inaugurated yesterday with Mass in St. Peter's Basilica.
"The Synod Fathers, from all over the world and gathered around St. Peter's Successor will reflect during these three weeks on the vocation and the mission
of the Church in the Church and in society, for a careful spiritual and pastoral
discernment. We will keep our gaze fixed on Jesus in order to find, on the basis
of His teaching of truth and mercy, the most appropriate routes for adequate commitment on the part of the Church, with families and for families, so that the Creator's original plan for man and woman may be implemented and may operate
in all its beauty and strength in today's world".
In this sense, the reading of the Book of Genesis on complementarity and reciprocity between the man and woman who unite and become one flesh, "that is,
one life, one existence", and in this way "transmit their life to new human beings: they become parents. They participate in the creative power of God Himself. But", he warned, "be careful! God is love, and one participates in His
work when one loves with and like Him. ... And this is also the love that is given
to spouses in the Sacrament of marriage. It is the love that nurtures their relationship, through joy and suffering, in moments of serenity and difficulty.
It is the love that awakens the desire to create children, to wait for them, welcome them, raise them and educate them. It is the same love that, in today's
Gospel, Jesus reveals to the children: 'Let the children come to me, do not prevent them'.
"Today we ask the Lord that all parents and educators in the world, as in society as a whole, are made instruments of that acceptance and love with which
Jesus embraces the little ones. He looks into their hearts with the tenderness and care of a father and, at the same time, a mother. I think of so many children that are hungry, abandoned, exploited, forced into the war, refused. It
is painful to see images of children that are unhappy, looking lost, fleeing from poverty and conflicts. They are knocking on our doors and our hearts begging for help. May the Lord help us not to be a 'fortress-society,' but rather a 'family-society' which welcomes - with the proper rules -but always welcomes with love".
The Pope concluded by invoking the inspiration of the Holy Spirit for the Synod
Fathers and the intercession of the Virgin Mary, uniting with those who today, Italian Shrine of Pompeii, pray the traditional supplication to the Our Lady of
the Rosary.
Following the Angelus, Francis mentioned the beatification yesterday in Santander, Spain, of Pio Heredia and seventeen companions of the Cistercian Order of the Strict Observance of St. Bernard, killed in hatred of the faith during the Spanish civil war and the religious persecution of the 1930s. "Let us
praise the Lord for their courageous witness, and with their intercession, let us beg that He liberate the world from the scourge of war".
He prayed for the victims of a landslide that swept away an entire village in Guatemala, and of the flood in the Cote d'Azur in France, and urged concrete acts of solidarity in their support. He also affectionately greeted Italian pilgrims on the feast day of the their patron, St. Francis of Assisi.

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Prayer Vigil for the Synod - the Church can light up the darkness of humanity
Vatican City, 3 October 2015 (VIS) - "When life proves difficult and demanding,
we can be tempted to step back, turn away and withdraw, perhaps even in the name
of prudence and realism, and thus flee the responsibility of doing our part as best we can", said the Holy Father during his inauguration of the prayer vigil for the Synod of Bishops, held during the night of Saturday 3 October. Organised
by the Italian Episcopal Conference, large numbers of faithful and pilgrims participated in St. Peter's Square.
The Pope spoke about the human fear that the prophet Elijah experienced and how
he got up and fled for his life, and recalled that "just a year ago, in this same Square, we invoked the Holy Spirit and asked that - in discussing the theme
of the family - the Synod Fathers might listen attentively to one another, with
their gaze fixed on Jesus, the definitive Word of the Father and the criterion by which everything is to be measured. This evening, our prayer cannot be otherwise. For as Patriarch Athenagoras Metropolitan Ignatius IV Hazim reminded
us, without the Holy Spirit God is far off, Christ remains in the past, the Church becomes a mere organisation, authority becomes domination, mission becomes propaganda, worship becomes mystique, Christian life the morality of slaves".
"Let us pray that the Synod which opens tomorrow will show how the experience of marriage and family is rich and humanly fulfilling", he continued. "May the Synod acknowledge, esteem, and proclaim all that is beautiful, good and holy about that experience. May it embrace situations of vulnerability and hardship:
war, illness, grief, wounded relationships and brokenness, which create distress, resentment and separation. May it remind these families, and every family, that the Gospel is always 'good news' which once again enables us to start over. From the treasury of the Church's living tradition may the Fathers draw words of comfort and hope for families called in our own day to build the future of the ecclesial community and the city of man".
The Pope emphasised that "every family is always a light, however faint, amid the darkness of this world. Jesus' own human experience took shape in the heart
of a family, where he lived for thirty years. His family was like any number of
others, living in an obscure village on the outskirts of the Empire".
He gave the example of Charles de Foucauld who "came to understand that we do

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Nalukolongo is a place which, as Francis recalled in his brief address to the guests in the institution and the thirty women religious who take care of them,
"has always been associated with the Church's outreach to the poor, the handicapped, the sick. I think particularly of the great and fruitful work carried out with those people affected by AIDS. Here, in early times, slave children were ransomed and women received religious instruction. I greet the Good Samaritan Sisters who carry on this fine tradition, and I thank them for their years of quiet and joyful service in this apostolate. And here, Jesus is present here, because he said that he would always be present among the poor, the sick, convicts, the destitute, those who suffer. Jesus is here".
"I also greet the representatives of the many other apostolic groups who serve
the needs of our brothers and sisters in Uganda. Above all, I greet the residents of this home and others like it, and all who benefit from these works
of Christian charity. For this is a home. Here you can find love and care; here
you can feel the presence of Jesus, our brother, who loves each of us with God's
own love".
"Today, from this Home, I appeal to all parishes and communities in Uganda - and the rest of Africa - not to forget the poor, not to forget the poor! The Gospel commands us to go out to the peripheries of society, and to find Christ in the suffering and those in need. The Lord tells us, in no uncertain terms, that is what he will judge us on! How sad it is when our societies allow the elderly to be rejected or neglected! How wrong it is when the young are exploited by the modern-day slavery of human trafficking! If we look closely at
the world around us, it seems that, in many places, selfishness and indifference
are spreading. How many of our brothers and sisters are victims of today's throwaway culture, which breeds contempt above all towards the unborn, the young
and the elderly!".
"As Christians, we cannot simply stand by, stand by watching what is happening,
without doing anything. Something must change! Our families need to become ever
more evident signs of God's patient and merciful love, not only for our children
and elders, but for all those in need. Our parishes must not close their doors,
or their ears, to the cry of the poor. This is the royal road of Christian discipleship. In this way we bear witness to the Lord who came not to be served,
but to serve. In this way we show that people count more than things, that who we are is more important than what we possess. For in those whom we serve, Christ daily reveals himself and prepares the welcome which we hope one day to receive in his eternal kingdom".
"Dear friends, by simple gestures, by simple prayerful actions which honour Christ in the least of his brothers and sisters, we can bring the power of his love into our world, and truly change it. I thank you once more for your generosity and love. I will remember you always in my prayers and I ask you, please, to pray for me. I commend all of you to the loving protection of Mary, our Mother, and I give you my blessing. Omukama abakuume (God protect you!)".

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The Pope meets the clergy of Uganda: maintain memory and continue to be witness
Vatican City, 29 November 2015 (VIS) The Pope's day ended with an encounter with the priests, men and women religious, and seminarians in the cathedral of Kampala, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Beforehand the Holy Father met
with the bishops of Uganda, around thirty in number, including bishops emeritus,
in the archbishop's residence near the cathedral.
Upon arrival he was greeted by the bishop responsible for consecrated life, John Baptist Kaggwa, to whom he handed the discourse he had prepared for the occasion, and addressed some extemporaneous remarks in Spanish to those present,
apologising for nt doing so in English.
"There are three things I want to say", Francis began. "First, in the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses reminds his people: 'Do not forget'. He repeats it several times throughout the book: 'Do not forget'. Do not forget all that God has done
for the people. The first thing I want to say is: ask for the grace of memory. As I said to the young, the blood of the Catholics of Uganda is mixed the blood
of martyrs. Do not lose the memory of this seed, so in this way you will continue to grow. The main enemy of memory is forgetfulness, but it is not the most dangerous. The most dangerous enemy of memory is getting used to inheriting
the goods of our fathers. The Church in Uganda should never grow accustomed to viewing her martyrs as a distant memory. Martyr means witness. The Church in Uganda, to be faithful to this memory, must continue to be a witness. You should
not 'live off the interest'. Past glories have been the beginning, but you must
build future glories too. And this is the task that the Church entrusts to you:
to bear witness, like the martyrs who gave their lives for the Gospel".
"In order to be witnesses, we need faithfulness. Fidelity to memory, fidelity to our vocation, fidelity to apostolic zeal. Faithfulness means following the way of holiness. It means doing what previous witnesses did: being missionaries.
Perhaps here in Uganda there are dioceses that have many priests and dioceses that have few. Faithfulness means suggesting to the bishop that you go to another diocese in need of missionaries. And this is not easy. Faithfulness means perseverance in your vocation. Here I wish to thank the Sisters of the House of Mercy in a special way for the example of faithfulness they give: fidelity to the poor, the sick and the needy, because Christ is there. Uganda has been irrigated by the blood of martyrs and witnesses. Today it is necessary
to continue to irrigate it, and to welcome new challenges, new witnesses and new
missions. Otherwise, you will lose the great wealth you have, and the 'pearl of
Africa' will end up preserved in a museum, because this is how the devil attacks
, little by little. I am speaking not only to priests, but also to the religious. But I wish to say this in a special way to priests, with regard to the problem of mission: may priests in dioceses where the clergy is well-represented offer themselves to diocese with fewer clergy, so Uganda can continue to be missionary".
"Memory, which means fidelity; and fidelity, which is only possible with the prayer. If a religious, a nun or a priest stops praying or prays rarely, because
he or she has a lot of work, then he or she has already started to lose memory,
which means losing faithfulness. Prayer also means humiliation: the humiliation
of going regularly to the confessor, to tell him your sins. You can not limp with both legs. We men and women religious, priests can not lead a double life.
If you are a sinner, if you are a sinner, ask forgiveness. But not to hide a lack of fidelity. Do not close memory away in the cupboard".
"Memory, new challenges, faithfulness to memory, and prayer. Prayer always begins with recognition that we are sinners. With these three pillars the "pearl
of Africa" will continue to be a pearl, and not just a phrase we find in the dictionary. May the martyrs, who gave strength to this Church, help you to move
forward in memory, fidelity and prayer. And please, I ask you not to forget to pray for me".
Finally, Pope Francis invited those present to pray the Hail Mary together.
The following is the discourse prepared by the Holy Father for his encounter with the clergy.
"Dear Brother Priests, Religious and Seminarians,
I am happy to be with you, and I thank you for your cordial welcome. I especially thank the speakers for bearing witness to your hopes and concerns, and, above all, the joy which inspires you in your service to God's people in Uganda.
I am pleased, too, that our meeting takes place on the eve of the First Sunday
of Advent, a season which invites us to look to new beginnings. This Advent we are also preparing to cross the threshold of the extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy which I have called for the whole Church.
As we approach the Jubilee of Mercy, I would ask you two questions. First: who
are you, as priests or future priests, and as consecrated persons? In one sense,
the answer is an easy one: surely you are men and women whose lives have been shaped by a 'personal encounter with Jesus Christ'. Jesus has touched your hearts, called you by name, and asked you to follow him with an undivided heart
in the service of his holy people.
The Church in Uganda has been blessed, in its short yet venerable history, with
a great cloud of witnesses - lay faithful, catechists, priests and religious - who forsook everything for the love of Jesus: homes, families, and, in the case
of the martyrs, their own lives. In your own lives, whether in the priestly ministry or in your religious consecration, you are called to carry on this great legacy, above all with quiet acts of humble service. Jesus wants to use you to touch the hearts of yet other people: he wants to use your mouths to proclaim his saving word, your arms to embrace the poor whom he loves, your hands to build up communities of authentic missionary disciples. May we never forget that our 'yes' to Jesus is a 'yes' to his people. Our doors, the doors of
our churches, but above all the doors of our hearts, must constantly be open to
God's people, our people. For that is who we are.
A second question I would ask you tonight is: What more are you called to do in
living your specific vocation? Because there is always more that we can do, another mile to be walked on our journey.
God's people, indeed all people, yearn for new life, forgiveness and peace. Sadly, there are many troubling situations in our world for which we must pray,
beginning with realities closest to us. I pray especially for the beloved people
of Burundi, that the Lord may awaken in their leaders and in society as a whole
a commitment to dialogue and cooperation, reconciliation and peace. If we are to
accompany those who suffer, then like the light passing through the stained glass windows of this Cathedral, we must let God's power and healing pass through us. We must first let the waves of his mercy flow over us, purify us, and refresh us, so that we can bring that mercy to others, especially those on the peripheries.
All of us know well how difficult this can be. There is so much work to be done. At the same time, modern life also offers so many distractions which can dull our consciences, dissipate our zeal, and even lure us into that 'spiritual
worldliness' which eats away at the foundations of the Christian life. The work
of conversion - that conversion which is the heart of the Gospel of Jesus - must
be carried out each day, in the battle to recognise and overcome those habits

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do not realise that it is precisely because of this presumption - that we are Christians, good and doing the right thing - that we must convert from the supposition that all things considered, it is fine this way and we are not in need of any form of conversion".
"The voice of the Baptist still cries in today's deserts of humanity ... closed
minds and hardened hearts. It causes us to ask ourselves if we actually are following the right path, living a life according to the Gospel. Today, as then,
he admonishes us with the words of the prophet Isaiah: 'Prepare the way of the Lord!'. It is a pressing invitation to open our heart and receive the salvation
that God incessantly, almost stubbornly offers, because he wants us all to be free of the slavery of sin. ... And salvation is offered to every man, and every
people, without excluding anyone, to each one of us. None of us can say, 'I am saint; I am perfect; I am already saved'. No. We should always accept this offer
of salvation, and that is the reason for the Year of Mercy: to advance further in this journey of salvation, this path that Jesus has taught us. God wants all
mankind to be saved by the mediation of Jesus, the only mediator".
The Pope recalled that "each one of us is called to make Jesus known to those who still do not know Him. But this does not mean proselytising: no. It means opening a door. 'Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!', St. Paul declared. ...
I leave you with this question: Am I truly in love with Jesus? Am I convinced that Jesus offers me and gives me salvation? And, if I am in love, I have to make Him known! But we should be courageous: level the the mountains of pride and rivalry; fill in the valleys of indifference and apathy; straighten the paths of our laziness and our comforts".

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There is no unity without forgiveness
Vatican City, 7 December 2015 (VIS) - Following today's Angelus prayer the Pope
greeted the pilgrims present in the Square and affirmed that he is following closely the work of the Climate Conference in Paris. "What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?",
he asked. For the good of our common home, for all of us and for the future generations, every effort should be directed toward mitigating the impact of climate change and, at the same time, curbing poverty and enabling human dignity
to flourish". He urged those present to pray that the Holy Spirit "enlighten all
those who are called to make such important decisions and give them the courage
always to let themselves be guided in their decisions by the criterion of the greater good of the human family".
He recalled that 7 December marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Common Declaration of Paul VI and the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras, in which the memory of the mutual sentences of excommunication exchanged between the Church of Rome and Constantinople in 1054 was eliminated. "There is no authentic path toward unity without a plea for forgiveness, to God and between us, for the sin
of division" he said, asking for prayers for the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomaios and the other leaders of the Orthodox Churches so that "relations
between Catholics and Orthodox always be inspired by fraternal love".
He also mentioned that yesterday in Chimbote, Peru, the Conventual Franciscans
Michael Tomaszek and Zbigniew Strzalkowski and the priest Alessandro Dordi were
beatified. "May the fidelity of these martyrs in following Jesus give all of us,
especially Christians persecuted in different parts of the world, the strength to bear witness to the Gospel with courage".

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Francis lights up the Assisi Christmas tree
Vatican City, 7 December 2015 (VIS) - On Sunday afternoon, from the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father remotely lit up the Christmas tree installed by the Franciscans in the square in front of the lower Basilica of St. Francis in the Italian city of Assisi. "Jesus is always with us, even in difficult moments", he said, also recalling the many migrants who have died in the sea. "They are with the Lord now. But He came to give us hope, and we must take this
hope. He came to tell us that He is stronger than death, that He is greater than
any evil. He came to tell us that He is merciful ... and this Christmas I invite
you to open your heart to mercy, to forgiveness", even though, the Pope added, "it is not easy to forgive these tragedies".
He thanked the Italian Coast Guard, praising the great example of solidarity given by the citizens of the south of Italy. To refugees, he said, "Raise your head, the Lord is near. And with Him there is strength, salvation, hope. The heart perhaps suffers; but keep your head high in the hope of the Lord".

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Catholic schools, educating in the fullness of humanity
Vatican City, 7 December 2015 (VIS) - An education in the fullness of humanity
is should be the defining feature of Catholic schools, said Pope Francis this morning to the members of the Association of Catholic School Parents in Italy (AGESC), whom he received in audience in the Clementine Hall. "Speaking about Catholic education is equivalent to speaking about the human, about humanism", he emphasised. "An inclusive education finds a place for all and does not select
in an elitist way the beneficiaries of its efforts".
"Your association is at the service of the school and the family, contributing
to the delicate task of building bridges between the school and the territory, between the school and the family, between the school and civil institutions. ...
As parents, you are the depositories of the primary and irrevocable duty and right to educate your children, in this way helping in a positive and constant way in the task of the school. You have the right to demand a suitable education
for your children, an integral education open to the most authentic human and Christian values. However, it is also your responsibility to ensure that the school is up to the educational task entrusted to it, especially when the education it proposes is described as 'Catholic'. It pray to the Lord that the Catholic school never take for granted the meaning of this adjective".
The Pope went on to list the prerequisites for a school to describe itself as truly Catholic. These included transmitting "an integral, not ideological culture" and "promoting harmony in diversity". However, he said to the members of AGESC, "How can this be applied in practice? It is not an easy task". To this
end, he invited the parents of pupils in Catholic schools to build bridges between the school and society, and always to remember theneed to construct an educating community in which, along with the teachers, various workers and students, parents are able to be agents in the educational process".
"Do not be extraneous to this world; live within it like leaven in the dough",
he said. "My invitation to you is simple but bold: know how to make the difference with a high quality formation. Find methods and ways of not passing unnoticed behind the scenes of society and culture, without arousing clamour, not with projects full of rhetoric. Know how to distinguish yourselves for your
constant attention to the person, especially the least among us, those who are cast aside, denied and forgotten. Know how to be noticed not for your 'facade',
but for educational coherence rooted in the Christian vision of humanity and society". He also remarked that at a time when the economic crisis has led to the closure of many private schools, "the temptation of 'numbers' becomes increasingly insistent, and this leads to discouragement. But despite all this repeat: it is the quality of your presence that makes the difference, not the quantity of resources you have at your disposal".
"Never betray the human and Christian values you bear witness to in the family,
in school and in society. Give generously your contribution so that the Catholic
school never becomes a fall-back option or a meaningless alternative among the various educational institutions. Collaborate so that Catholic education has the
face of new humanism. ... Strive to make Catholic schools truly open to all", concluded the Holy Father.

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Judges and lawyers in Vatican City State Tribunal: guaranteeing a fair trial
Vatican City, 7 December 2015 (VIS) - The following is the full text of a note
from the director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., regarding the constitution of the Vatican City State Tribunal and the selection
of lawyers and judges:
In recent weeks, since the opening of the trial for the dissemination of reserved documents commonly known as "Vatileaks 2", many observations and evaluations have been written regarding the judicial system of Vatican City State and in particular on the Tribunal where this trial and its related procedures are taking place. Since many of these observations are inappropriate,
or at times entirely unjustified, it would appear opportune to offer some considerations enabling a clearer view and a more just evaluation of this fundamental aspect of the situation.
Firstly, although this should be self-evident, it is necessary to recall that Vatican City State has its own legal order, entirely autonomous and separate from the Italian legal system, and has its own judicial bodies for the various levels of judgement and the necessary legislation in terms of criminal matters and procedure.
Within this latter there exist all the procedural guarantees characteristic of

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Joint commitment to caring for the climate
Vatican City, 13 December 2015 (VIS) - After today's Angelus prayer, Pope Francis spoke about the agreement adopted during the Climate Conference which recently ended in Paris. "Its implementation will require concerted commitment and generous dedication by all. In the hope that it will ensure special attention to the most vulnerable populations, we urge the international community to continue with care on the path it has taken, in an spirit of increasingly active solidarity".
He remarked that next Tuesday, December 15, the Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation will commence in Nairobi. Addressing the participating
countries, he urged them to I take into account the needs of the poor and the most vulnerable in their decisions, as well as the "legitimate aspirations of the least developed countries and the common good of the entire human family".
The Holy Father also commented that in all the cathedrals of the world, the Holy Doors are being opened so that the Jubilee of mercy may be fully experienced in the particular churches. "I hope that this moment encourages many
to become instruments of God's tenderness. As an expression of the works of mercy, 'Doors of Mercy' are being opened in places of discomfort and alienation.
I thus greet the inmates of prisons around the world". Finally, he greeted all the pilgrims and faithful present.

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The Pope to visit Guadalupe on 13 February
Vatican City, 13 December 2015 (VIS) - Yesterday, on the liturgical solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Guadalupe, patroness of Latin America, the Holy Father celebrated Mass in St. Peter's Basilica. The celebration was preceded by
the Holy Rosary and hundreds of people, mostly from the American continent, where the devotion to Our Lady extends from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. In the homily he pronounced, the Pope emphasised Mary's mercy, asking that we might understand how much God loves us through her.
Francis began by citing the phrases of the prophet Zephaniah in the first reading: "The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one Who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by his love; He will exult over you with loud singing. "These words, addressed to Israel, can also be
referred to the Virgin Mary, the Church, and every person, all of whom are loved
by God's merciful love. Yes, God loves us so much that he even rejoices and takes pleasure in us. He loves us with gratuitous love, love without limits, and
without expecting anything in return. This merciful love is the most striking attribute of God, the synthesis of which is condensed the Gospel message, the faith of the Church".
He went on to explain that the word "mercy" - "misericordia" - is composed of two words: misery and heart. The heart indicates the capacity to love; mercy is
that love, which embraces the misery of the person. It is a love that "feels" our poverty as if it were its own, so as to free us of it. ... . "The Word became
flesh," with the intention of sharing all our frailties - with the intention of
experiencing our human condition, even unto taking upon himself the Cross, with
all the pain of human existence. Such is the abyss of compassion and mercy. ... No
sin can cancel his merciful closeness or prevent him from unleashing the grace of conversion, provided we invoke it. Indeed, sin itself makes more radiant the
love of God who, to ransom a slave, sacrificed his Son. That mercy of God comes
to us with the gift of the Holy Spirit in Baptism. ... For, however great and grave the sins of the world, the Spirit, who renews the face of the earth, makes
possible the miracle of a life that is more human, more full of joy and hope".
"'The Lord is near', says the apostle Paul, and nothing should make us anguished. He and His Mother are near. The greatest mercy lies in his being in our midst, in our being in his presence and company. He walks with us, he shows
us the path of love, lifts us up when we fall, sustains us in our labours, accompanies us in all circumstances of our existence. He opens our eyes to our own misery and that of the world, but also fills us with hope. ... This is the source of a peaceful and happy life; nothing can rob us of this peace and joy, despite the sufferings and trials of life. The Lord with His tenderness opens up
His heart to us, He opens up His love. The Lord is allergic to rigidities. ... Announcing the Good News to the poor, like John the Baptist, performing works of
mercy, is a good way to look for the coming of Jesus at Christmas".
"In one of the prayers most cherished by Christians, the Salve Regina, we call
Mary 'mother of mercy'", continued the Holy Father. "She who always lived intimately united with her Son, knows better than anyone what He wants: that all
men be saved, and that God's tenderness and consolation exclude no-one. ... To Blessed Mary we entrust the sufferings and joys of people throughout the Americas, who love her as a mother and recognise her as Patroness under the beloved title of Our Lady of Guadalupe".
"May the sweetness of her gaze be with us in this Holy Year, so that we might rediscover the joy of God's tenderness", concluded the Pope. "We ask that this jubilee year sow merciful love in the hearts of individuals, families and nations. Let us convert and become merciful people, and let all Christian communities be oases and sources of mercy, witnesses to a charity without exclusion. To ask this in a special way, I will travel to venerate her in her Shrine on 13 February. I will ask for this for all America, for whom she is a special Mother. Let us implore her to guide the footsteps of the American people, a pilgrim people looking for the Mother of mercy, and let us ask her just one thing: to show them her Son Jesus".
After his homily and during the prayer of the faithful, the Pope prayed for his
parents Mario and Regina, "who gave me life and transmitted faith to me", he said, and who were married eighty years ago.
Like last year, all those present concluded by singing "La Guadalupana", the hymn to Our Lady of Guadalupe, known throughout the world.

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Programme of the Pope's apostolic trip to Mexico
Vatican City, 12 December 2015 (VIS) - The programme of the Holy Father's apostolic trip to Mexico, to take place from 12 to 18 February, was published today.
On Friday 12 February at 12.30 p.m. the Holy Father will depart by air from Rome's Fiumicino airport, to arrive at the "Benito Juarez" International airport
in Mexico City at 19.30 p.m. local time, where he will be welcome by the authorities. At 9.30 a.m. on the morning of Saturday 13 February the welcome ceremony will take place in the National Palace, and the Pope will pay a courtesy visit to the president of the Republic of Mexico, followed by a meeting
with the authorities, civil leaders and the diplomatic corps. At 11.30 a.m. he will meet with the bishops in the Cathedral. In the afternoon, at 5. p.m., he will celebrate Holy Mass in the Basilica of Guadalupe.
The following day, Sunday 14 February, he will transfer by helicopter to Ecatepec where, at 10.30 a.m. he will celebrate Holy Mass in the area of the Ecatepec Study Center. He will return by helicopter to Mexico City where he is expected to arrive at 1.10 p.m. In the afternoon he will visit the "Federico Gomez" paediatric hospital and will meet with cultural figures in the National Auditorium.
On Monday 15 February at 7.30 a.m., the Pope will depart by air for Tuxtla Gutierrez, and will then transfer by helicopter to San Cristobal de Las Casas where he is expected to arrive at 9.15 a.m. He will celebrate Mass with the indigenous Chiapas communities in the municipal sports centre at 10.15 a.m., followed by lunch with indigenous peoples and the papal entourage. At 3 p.m. he
will visit the Cathedral of San Cristobal de las Casas and will then return by helicopter to Tuxtla Gutierrez, where he will meet with families in the "Victor
Manuel Reyna" stadium. At 6.10 p.m. he will depart by air for Mexico City where
he is expected to arrive at 8 p.m.
On Tuesday 16 February at 7.50 a.m. he will travel by air to Morelia where, at
10 a.m., he will celebrate Mass with priests, consecrated persons and seminarians. Following a visit to the Cathedral at 3.15 p.m., he met with young
people in the "Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon" stadium. At 6.55 p.m. he will return
by air to Mexico City, arriving at 8 p.m.
On the sixth and final day of the trip, Wednesday 17 February, at 8.35 a.m. the
Holy Father will depart by air for Ciudad Juarez, where he is scheduled to arrive at the city's "Abraham Gonzalez" international airport at 10 a.m. He will
first visit the CeReSo No. 3 detention centre, and will then meet with representatives of the world of work at the Colegio de Bachilleres of the State
of Chihuahua at midday. At 4 p.m. he will celebrate Mass at the Ciudad Juarez trade centre. Following a farewell ceremony at 7 p.m. at the international airport, he will leave Mexico at 7.15 p.m., destined for Rome's Ciampino airport, where he is expected to arrive at 2.45 p.m. on Thursday 18 February.

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Rescriptum ex audientia for the institution of the Pontifical Commission for activities of public legal persons of the Church in the healthcare sector
Vatican City, 12 December 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father, after receiving in audience Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin on 7 December, provided for
the institution of the Pontifical Commission for the activities in the healthcare sector of public legal persons of the Church. The following is the full text of the document:
"The Holy Father Francis, in the audience granted to the undersigned Secretary
of State on 7 December 2015, having obtained the necessary information relating
to the particular difficulties of public legal persons of the Church working in
the healthcare sector, for the purpose of contributing to the more efficient management of these activities and the conservation of assets maintaining and promoting the charism of the Founders, and until other provisions are made, has
mandated the Secretary of State to appoint a Special Commission for the purpose,
entitled 'Pontifical Commission for the Activities of Public Juridical Persons of the Church in the Healthcare Sector'.
Therefore, the Cardinal Secretary of State shall provide for the erection of the 'Pontifical Commission for the Activities of Public Juridical Persons of the
Church in the Healthcare Sector', which will be governed by the following rules.
1. The principles and rules established in the Apostolic Constitution 'Pastor bonus' and in the General Regulations of the Roman Curia shall be applied to the
Commission, insofar as they are applicable and not incompatible. The Commission
shall adopt its own regulations.
2. The Commission shall be composed of a President and six experts in the fields of healthcare, real estate, management, economic and administrative issues, and finance. The Commission shall be able to delegate part of its functions to one or more Members and shall be assisted by a Secretariat.
3. With regard to the appointment and term of office of the members and experts
of the Commission, the regulations governing the Dicasteries of the Roman Curia
shall be applied.
4. The Commission, which shall report directly to the Secretary of State, may

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of human brotherhood, that of Cain and Abel. I meant to draw attract attention to how from the very beginning this original brotherhood was betrayed. Cain and
Abel were brothers. Both came forth from the same womb, they were equal in dignity and created in the image and likeness of God; but their relationship as
brothers was destroyed. "It was not only that Cain could not stand Abel? he killed him out of envy." Fratricide was the form of betrayal, and Cain's refusal
to acknowledge Abel as his brother became the first rupture in the family relations of fraternity, solidarity and mutual respect.
God then intervened to remind man of his responsibility towards his fellows, as
He had also done when Adam and Eve, our first parents, ruptured their relationship with him, their Creator. "Then the Lord said to Cain: "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?" But the
Lord replied: "What you have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground".
Cain said he did not know what had happened to his brother, that he was not his
brother's keeper. He did not feel responsible for his life, for his fate. He did
not feel involved. He was indifferent to his brother, despite their common origin. How sad! What a sorry tale of brothers, of families, of human beings! This was the first display of indifference between brothers. God, however, is not indifferent. Abel's blood had immense value in His eyes, and He asked Cain to give an account of it. At the origin of the human race, God shows Himself to
be involved in man's destiny. Later, when the children of Israel were slaves in
Egypt, God once more intervened to tell Moses: "I have seen the affliction of my
people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters;
I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of
the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, land flowing with milk and honey". We should note the verbs which describe God's
intervention: He sees, hears, knows, comes down and delivers. God does not remain indifferent. He is attentive and He acts.
In the same way, in Jesus His Son, God has come down among us. He took flesh and showed His solidarity with humanity in all things but sin. Jesus identified
with us: He became "the first-born among many brethren". He was not content merely to teach the crowds, but He was concerned for their welfare, especially when He saw them hungry or without work. He was concerned not only for men and women, but also for the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, plants and trees,
all things great and small. He saw and embraced all of creation. But He did more
than just see; He touched people's lives, He spoke to them, helped them and showed kindness to those in need. Not only this, but He felt strong emotions and
He wept. And He worked to put an end to suffering, sorrow, misery and death.
Jesus taught us to be merciful like our heavenly Father. In the parable of the
Good Samaritan, He condemned those who fail to help others in need, those who "pass by on the other side". By this example, He taught His listeners, and His disciples in particular, to stop and to help alleviate the sufferings of this world and the pain of our brothers and sisters, using whatever means are at hand, beginning with our own time, however busy we may be. Indifference often seeks excuses: observing ritual prescriptions, looking to all the things needing
to be done, hiding behind hostilities and prejudices which keep us apart.
Mercy is the heart of God. It must also be the heart of the members of the one
great family of his children: a heart which beats all the more strongly wherever
human dignity - as a reflection of the face of God in his creatures - is in play. Jesus tells us that love for others - foreigners, the sick, prisoners, the
homeless, even our enemies - is the yardstick by which God will judge our actions. Our eternal destiny depends on this. It is not surprising that the Apostle Paul tells the Christians of Rome to rejoice with those who rejoice and
to weep with those who weep, or that he encourages the Corinthians to take up collections as a sign of solidarity with the suffering members of the Church. And St. John writes: "If any one has the world's goods and sees his brother or sister in need, yet refuses help, how does God's love abide in him?.
This then is why "it is absolutely essential for the Church and for the credibility of her message that she herself live and testify to mercy. Her language and her gestures must transmit mercy, so as to touch the hearts of all
people and inspire them once more to find the road that leads to the Father. The
Church's first truth is the love of Christ. The Church makes herself a servant of this love and mediates it to all people: a love that forgives and expresses itself in the gift of oneself. Consequently, wherever the Church is present, the
mercy of the Father must be evident. In our parishes, communities, associations
and movements, in a word, wherever there are Christians, everyone should find an
oasis of mercy."
We too, then, are called to make compassion, love, mercy and solidarity a true
way of life, a rule of conduct in our relationships with one another. This requires the conversion of our hearts: the grace of God has to turn our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh, open to others in authentic solidarity. For solidarity is much more than a "feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress
at the misfortunes of so many people, both near and far". Solidarity is "a firm
and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good; that is to say to the good of all and of each individual, because we are all really responsible for all", because compassion flows from fraternity.
Understood in this way, solidarity represents the moral and social attitude which best corresponds to an awareness of the scourges of our own day, and to the growing interdependence, especially in a globalised world, between the lives
of given individuals and communities and those of other men and women in the rest of the world.
Building a culture of solidarity and mercy to overcome indifference
6. Solidarity, as a moral virtue and social attitude born of personal conversion, calls for commitment on the part of those responsible for education
and formation.
I think first of families, which are called to a primary and vital mission of education. Families are the first place where the values of love and fraternity,
togetherness and sharing, concern and care for others are lived out and handed on. They are also the privileged milieu for transmitting the faith, beginning with those first simple gestures of devotion which mothers teach their children.
Teachers, who have the challenging task of training children and youth in schools or other settings, should be conscious that their responsibility extends
also to the moral, spiritual and social aspects of life. The values of freedom,
mutual respect and solidarity can be handed on from a tender age. Speaking to educators, Pope Benedict XVI noted that: "Every educational setting can be a place of openness to the transcendent and to others? a place of dialogue, cohesiveness and attentive listening, where young people feel appreciated for their personal abilities and inner riches, and can learn to esteem their brothers and sisters. May young people be taught to savour the joy which comes from the daily exercise of charity and compassion towards others and from taking
an active part in the building of a more humane and fraternal society".
Communicators also have a responsibility for education and formation, especially nowadays, when the means of information and communication are so widespread. Their duty is first and foremost to serve the truth, and not particular interests. For the media "not only inform but also form the minds of
their audiences, and so they can make a significant contribution to the education of young people. It is important never to forget that the connection between education and communication is extremely close: education takes place through communication, which influences, for better or worse, the formation of the person."
Communicators should also be mindful that the way in which information is obtained and made public should always be legally and morally admissible.
Peace: the fruit of a culture of solidarity, mercy and compassion
7. While conscious of the threat posed by a globalisation of indifference, we should also recognise that, in the scenario I have just described, there are also many positive initiatives which testify to the compassion, mercy and solidarity of which we are capable.
Here I would offer some examples of praiseworthy commitment, which demonstrate
how all of us can overcome indifference in choosing not to close our eyes to our
neighbour. These represent good practices on the way to a more humane society.
There are many non-governmental and charitable organisations, both within and outside the Church, whose members, amidst epidemics, disasters and armed conflicts, brave difficulties and dangers in caring for the injured and sick, and in burying the dead. I would also mention those individuals and associations
which assist migrants who cross deserts and seas in search of a better life. These efforts are spiritual and corporal works of mercy on which we will be judged at the end of our lives.
I think also of the journalists and photographers who shape public opinion on difficult situations which trouble our consciences, and all those devoted to the
defence of human rights, especially the rights of ethnic and religious minorities, indigenous peoples, women and children, and the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters. Among them are also many priests and missionaries who,
as good pastors, remain at the side of their flock and support them, heedless of
danger and hardship, especially during armed conflicts.
How many families, amid occupational and social difficulties, make great sacrifices to provide their children with a "counter-cultural" education in the
values of solidarity, compassion and fraternity! How many families open their hearts and homes to those in need, such as refugees and migrants! I wish to thank in a particular way all those individuals, families, parishes, religious communities, monasteries and shrines who readily responded to my appeal to welcome a refugee family.
Finally, I would mention those young people who join in undertaking works of solidarity, and all those who generously help their neighbours in need in their
cities and countries and elsewhere in the world. I thank and encourage everyone
engaged in such efforts, which often pass unobserved. Their hunger and thirst for justice will be satisfied, their mercy will lead them to find mercy and, as
peacemakers, they will be called children of God.
Peace in the sign of the Jubilee of Mercy
8. In the spirit of the Jubilee of Mercy, all of us are called to realise how indifference can manifest itself in our lives and to work concretely to improve
the world around us, beginning with our families, neighbours and places of employment.
Civil society is likewise called to make specific and courageous gestures of concern for their most vulnerable members, such as prisoners, migrants, the unemployed and the infirm.
With regard to prisoners, it would appear that in many cases practical measures
are urgently needed to improve their living conditions, with particular concern
for those detained while awaiting trial. It must be kept in mind that penal sanctions have the aim of rehabilitation, while national laws should consider the possibility of other establishing penalties than incarceration. In this context, I would like once more to appeal to governmental authorities to abolish
the death penalty where it is still in force, and to consider the possibility of
an amnesty.
With regard to migrants, I would ask that legislation on migration be reviewed,
so, while respecting reciprocal rights and responsibilities, it can reflect a readiness to welcome migrants and to facilitate their integration. Special concern should be paid to the conditions for legal residency, since having to live clandestinely can lead to criminal behaviour.
In this Jubilee Year, I would also appeal to national leaders for concrete gestures in favour of our brothers and sisters who suffer from the lack of labour, land and lodging. I am thinking of the creation of dignified jobs to combat the social plague of unemployment, which affects many families and young

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being burdened by the accumulation of needless things, caught up in our own concerns and driven by ambition".
Accountability and sobriety: "Accountable and trustworthy persons are those who
honour their commitments with seriousness and responsibility when they are being
observed, but above all when they are alone; they radiate a sense of tranquillity because they never betray a trust. Sobriety - the last virtue on this list, but not because it is least important - is the ability to renounce what is superfluous and to resist the dominant consumerist mentality. Sobriety is prudence, simplicity, straightforwardness, balance and temperance. Sobriety is seeing the world through God's eyes and from the side of the poor. Sobriety is a style of life which points to the primacy of others as a hierarchical principle and is shown in a life of concern and service towards others. The sober person is consistent and straightforward in all things, because he or she
can reduce, recover, recycle, repair, and live a life of moderation".
Following this list of qualities, Francis went on to remind the prelates that "mercy is no fleeting sentiment, but rather the synthesis of the joyful Good News, a choice and decision on the part of all who desire to assume the 'Heart of Jesus' and to be serious followers of the Lord who has asked us to 'be merciful even as your heavenly Father is merciful'. In the words of Father Ermes
Ronchi, 'Mercy is a scandal for justice, a folly for intelligence, a consolation
for us who are debtors. The debt for being alive, the debt for being loved is only repayable by mercy'.
"And so", he emphasised, "may mercy guide our steps, inspire our reforms and enlighten our decisions. May it be the basis of all our efforts. May it teach us
when to move forward and when to step back. May it also enable us to understand
the littleness of all that we do in God's greater plan of salvation and his majestic and mysterious working".
To conclude, the Holy Father invited those present to savour the magnificent prayer, commonly attributed to Blessed Oscar Arnulfo Romero, but pronounced for
the first time by Cardinal John Dearden:
"Every now and then it helps us to take a step back
and to see things from a distance.
The Kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is also beyond our visions.
In our lives, we manage to achieve only a small part
of the marvellous plan that is God's work.
Nothing that we do is complete,
which is to say that the Kingdom is greater than ourselves.
No statement says everything that can be said.
No prayer completely expresses the faith.
No Creed brings perfection.
No pastoral visit solves every problem.
No programme fully accomplishes the mission of the Church.
No goal or purpose ever reaches completion.
This is what it is about:
We plant seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted,
knowing that others will watch over them.
We lay the foundations of something that will develop.
We add the yeast which will multiply our possibilities.
We cannot do everything,
yet it is liberating to begin.
This gives us the strength to do something and to do it well.
It may remain incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way.
It is an opportunity for the grace of God to enter
and to do the rest.
It may be that we will never see its completion,
but that is the difference between the master and the labourer.
We are labourers, not master builders,
servants, not the Messiah.
We are prophets of a future that does not belong to us".

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The Pope receives Vatican employees: live the Jubilee in the domestic church too
Vatican City, 21 December 2015 (VIS) - This morning in the Paul VI Hall Pope Francis exchanged Christmas greetings with the employees of the Holy See and Vatican City State, and their families.
Francis thanked all present for their work and for their efforts in doing all things well, even when there is no recognition. He addressed in particular those
who have carried out the same type of work for many years, acknowledging that routine is not always easy to accept as "we are not machines ... at times we need
an incentive, or to change a little. ... Thank you! Let us continue to go ahead,
in our various workplaces, collaborating with patience and endeavouring to help
each other."
The Holy Father also apologised for the scandals that have taken place in the Vatican. "But I would like my and your attitude, especially in these days, to be
that of prayer: praying for those involved so that they may repent and return to
a righteous path".
"There is another thing I wish to say to you, possibly the most important: I encourage you to take care of your marriage and your children. Look after them,
do not neglect them. Marriage is like a plant. It is not like a cupboard that you put in a room and perhaps dust every now and then. A plant is living and must be cared for every day. ... Marriage is a living reality: the life of a couple must never be taken for granted, in any phase during the progress of a family. Let us remember that the most valuable gift for children ... is their parents' love. And I do not mean only the love of parents for their children, but also the love between parents themselves, that is, the conjugal bond. This is good for you and for your children".
"Therefore, first and foremost cultivate the plant of marriage, as spouses, and
at the same time take care of the relationship with your children; here too, focus on the human relationship rather than material things. Focus on mercy in your daily relations, between husband and wife, parents and children, brothers and sisters; and take care of grandparents. The Jubilee must be lived also in the domestic church, not only in major events! The Lord love those who practice
mercy in ordinary situations. This is my wish for you: to experience the joy of
mercy, starting with your family. Happy Christmas!".

___________________________________________________________

Christmas: encounter Jesus in places of wonder
Vatican City, 20 December 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace at midday today to pray the Angelus
with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square. Among those present there was
a large group of children from the Oratories who eagerly awaited the blessing of
their figurines of the Baby Jesus for their nativity displays. On the fourth Sunday of Advent the Pope explained that, for celebrate Christmas in a fruitful
way, we must stop in places of 'wonder'.
"The first place is the 'other', whom we recognise as our brother or sister, as
since the birth of Jesus, every face bears a resemblance to the Son of God, and
especially when it is the face of a poor person, because God entered the world in poverty and allowed Himself to be approached first by the poor". The second place of wonder is history. "Very often we think we see things in the right way,
and instead we risk reading things backwards. This happens, for instance, when history seems to us to be determined by the market economy, regulated by finance
and business, dominated by the powers that be. The God of Christmas is instead God who 'shuffles the deck'.
"The third place of wonder is the Church", he continued. "To look on her with the wonder of faith means considering the Church not merely as a religious institution - which the Church is - but to feel that she is also a mother in whom, despite her warts and wrinkles - there are so many! - the contours of the
bride beloved of and purified by Christ the Lord shine through. A Church who knows how to recognise the many signs of faithful love that God continuously sends her. A Church for whom the Lord Jesus will never be a possession to be zealously defended; those who do this are mistaken. The Lord Jesus will always be the One who comes to meet her, Whom she knows to await with trust and joy, giving a voice to the hopes of the world. The Church who calls to the Lord, 'Come Lord Jesus'. The Mother Church whose doors are always open, whose arms are
open to welcome everyone. The Mother Church goes out from her own doors to seek,
with a mother's smile, all of those who are far away to bring them to God's mercy. This is the wonder of Christmas".
He emphasised that "At Christmas, God gives Himself to us fully by giving His one and only Son, Who is all his joy. It is only with the heart of Mary, the humble and poor daughter of Zion, who become the Mother of the Son of the Most High, that we can rejoice and be glad for the great gift of God and for His unexpected surprise. ... The encounter with Jesus will let us too feel this great
wonder. But we cannot have this wonder and we cannot meet Jesus, if we do not meet Him in the other, in history and in the Church", he concluded.

___________________________________________________________

The path to ending violence in the Middle East
Vatican City, 20 December 2015 (VIS) - After today's Angelus prayer, the Pope spoke about the recent agreements regarding the Middle East reached by the international community. "I encourage everyone to continue, with a generosity and dedication, towards a cessation of violence and a negotiated settlement leading to peace". Similarly, he mentioned the situation in Libya, where "the recent working agreement among the parties for a government of national unity invites hope for the future". He also commented on the commitment to collaboration between Costa Rica and Nicaragua, expressing his hope that "a renewed spirit of fraternity will further strengthen dialogue and mutual cooperation between them and among the countries of the region".
He also mentioned the populations of India, recently stricken by a major flood,
and asked those present to pray a Hail Mary for these afflicted brothers and sisters. Finally, he greeted all, and especially the many children in St. Peter's Square who had brought figurines of the Baby Jesus from their Nativity displays to be blessed by the Pope. "Dear children, when you pray before your Nativity, remember me, as I will remember you".

___________________________________________________________

Francis praises the Italian Rail service for its solidarity with the poor
Vatican City, 19 December 2015 (VIS) - "The history of the Italian rail service
(Ferrovie dello Stato shows its special attention to the poorest, with different
initiatives of solidarity, both in the past and in the present", said Pope Francis this morning, as he received in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall seven thousand employees in the sector. He also commemorated the workers who lost their lives during the construction of the country's rail network, expressing his hope that accidents of this type may never be repeated.
The initiatives of solidarity Francis mentioned include the Help Centres present in many Italian cities, which as well as offering help and advice to those who find themselves in difficulty, also function as "antennae", which "enable us to grasp the signs of what is happening around us, to perceive the suffering of others, without remaining insensible to this. These centres are way

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atrocities which always accompany wars and violence".
"Now as then, we hear the angel say: 'Rise, take the child and his mother, and
flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you'. His is the voice heard by many
migrants who would never have left their homeland had they not been forced to. Among these are many Christians who in great numbers have abandoned their native
lands these past years, despite the fact that they have dwelt there from the earliest days of Christianity. Finally, we also hear today the voice of the Psalmist: 'By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion'. His is the cry of those who would readily return to their own
country, if only there they could find adequate conditions of security and sustenance. Here too my thoughts turn to the Christians of the Middle East, who
desire to contribute fully as citizens to the spiritual and material well-being
of their respective nations".
"Many of the causes of migration could have been addressed some time ago", the
Holy Father commented. "So many disasters could have been prevented, or at least
their harshest effects mitigated. Today too, before it is too late, much could be done to end these tragedies and to build peace. But that would mean rethinking entrenched habits and practices, beginning with issues involving the
arms trade, the provision of raw materials and energy, investment, policies of financing and sustainable development, and even the grave scourge of corruption.
We all know, too, that with regard to migration there is a need for mid-term and
long-term planning which is not limited to emergency responses. Such planning should include effective assistance for integrating migrants in their receiving
countries, while also promoting the development of their countries of origin through policies inspired by solidarity, yet not linking assistance to ideological strategies and practices alien or contrary to the cultures of the peoples being assisted".
"Without overlooking other dramatic situations - in this regard, I think particularly of the border between Mexico and the United States of America, which I will be near when I visit Ciudad Juarez next month - my thoughts turn in
a special way to Europe. Over the past year Europe has witnessed a great wave of
refugees - many of whom died in the attempt - a wave unprecedented in recent history, not even after the end of the Second World War. Many migrants from Asia
and Africa see in Europe a beacon for principles such as equality before the law
and for values inherent in human nature, including the inviolable dignity and equality of every person, love of neighbour regardless of origin or affiliation,
freedom of conscience and solidarity towards our fellow men and women".
"All the same, the massive number of arrivals on the shores of Europe appear to
be overburdening the system of reception painstakingly built on the ashes of the
Second World War, a system that is still an acknowledged beacon of humanity. Given the immense influx and the inevitable problems it creates, a number of questions have be raised about the real possibilities for accepting and accommodating people, about changes in the cultural and social structures of the
receiving countries, and about the reshaping of certain regional geopolitical balances. Equally significant are fears about security, further exacerbated by the growing threat of international terrorism. The present wave of migration seems to be undermining the foundations of that 'humanistic spirit' which Europe
has always loved and defended. Yet there should be no loss of the values and principles of humanity, respect for the dignity of every person, mutual subsidiarity and solidarity, however much they may prove, in some moments of history, a burden difficult to bear. I wish, then, to reaffirm my conviction that Europe, aided by its great cultural and religious heritage, has the means to defend the centrality of the human person and to find the right balance between its twofold moral responsibility to protect the rights of its citizens and to ensure assistance and acceptance to migrants".
Francis expressed his gratitude for the initiatives that have been adopted in order to provide a dignified reception to these persons, such as the Migrant and
Refugee Fund of the Council of Europe Development Bank, and the generous solidarity shown by a number of countries. "I also have in mind the nations neighbouring Syria, which have responded immediately with help and acceptance, especially Lebanon, where refugees make up a fourth of the total population, and
Jordan, which has not closed its borders despite the fact that it already harbours hundreds of thousands of refugees. Nor should we overlook the efforts made by other countries in the front lines, especially Turkey and Greece. I wish
to express particular gratitude to Italy, whose decisive commitment has saved many lives in the Mediterranean, and which continues to accept responsibility on
its territory for a massive number of refugees. It is my hope that the traditional sense of hospitality and solidarity which distinguishes the Italian
people will not be weakened by the inevitable difficulties of the moment, but that, in light of its age-old tradition, the nation may prove capable of accepting and integrating the social, economic and cultural contribution which migrants can offer".
"It is important that nations in the forefront of meeting the present emergency
not be left alone, and it is also essential to initiate a frank and respectful dialogue among all the countries involved in the problem - countries of origin,
transit, or reception - so that, with greater boldness and creativity, new and sustainable solutions can be sought. As things presently stand, there is no place for autonomous solutions pursued by individual states, since the consequences of the decisions made by each inevitably have repercussions on the
entire international community. Indeed, migrations, more then ever before, will
play a pivotal role in the future of our world, and our response can only be the
fruit of a common effort respectful of human dignity and the rights of persons.
The Development Agenda adopted last September by the United Nations for the next
fifteen years, which deals with many of the problems causing migration, and other documents of the international community on handling the issue of migration, will be able to find application consistent with expectations if they
are able to put the person at the centre of political decisions at every level,
seeing humanity as one family, and all people as brothers and sisters, with respect for mutual differences and convictions of conscience".
"In facing the issue of migrations, one cannot overlook its cultural implications, beginning with those linked to religious affiliation. Extremism and fundamentalism find fertile soil not only in the exploitation of religion for purposes of power, but also in the vacuum of ideals and the loss of identity
- including religious identity - which dramatically marks the so-called West. This vacuum gives rise to the fear which leads to seeing the other as a threat and an enemy, to closed-mindedness and intransigence in defending preconceived notions. The phenomenon of migration raises a serious cultural issue which necessarily demands a response. The acceptance of migrants can thus prove a good
opportunity for new understanding and broader horizons, both on the part of those accepted, who have the responsibility to respect the values, traditions and laws of the community which takes them in, and on the part of the latter, who are called to acknowledge the beneficial contribution which each immigrant can make to the whole community. In this context, the Holy See reaffirms its commitment in the ecumenical and interreligious sectors to inaugurating a sincere and respectful dialogue which, by valuing the distinctness and identity
of each individual, can foster a harmonious coexistence among all the members of
society".
The Pope remarked that the conclusion of important international agreements during 2015 may give solid hope for the future. Firstly, there was the so-called
Iran nuclear deal and the long-awaited agreement on climate at the Paris Conference, which "represents for the entire international community an important achievement; it reflects a powerful collective realisation of the grave responsibility incumbent on individuals and nations to protect creation, to promote a 'culture of care which permeates all of society'. It is now essential that those commitments prove more than simply a good intention, but rather a genuine duty incumbent on all states to do whatever is needed to safeguard our beloved earth for the sake of all mankind, especially generations
yet to come".
The year which has just begun promises, he said, to be "full of challenges and
more than a few tensions have already appeared on the horizon. I think above all
of the serious disagreements which have arisen in the Persian Gulf region, as well as the disturbing military test conducted on the Korean peninsula. It is my
hope that these conflicts will be open to the voice of peace and a readiness to
seek agreements. Here I note with satisfaction of certain significant and particularly encouraging gestures. I think especially of the climate of peaceful
coexistence in which the recent elections in the Central African Republic were held; these are a positive sign of the will to persevere on the path to full national reconciliation. I also think of the new initiatives under way in Cyprus
to heal a long-standing division, and to the efforts being made by the Colombian
people to leave behind past conflicts and to attain the long-awaited peace. We all look with hope to the important steps made by the international community to
achieve a political and diplomatic solution of the crisis in Syria, one which can put a long overdue end to the sufferings of the population. The signals

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Morelia, where he was awaited by around fifty thousand young people. The festive
encounter was filled with songs, dance and testimonies from Daniela, Alberto, Roberto and Rosario, all young people who told the Pope about the realities of their lives. The problems of work, the difficulties faced by families and the need for hope were the key themes. "Today the young people of Mexico see in you
the face of the hope we need".
"I already knew your concerns because I was given a draft copy of what you might say", said the Pope; "I have to be honest, why tell you a lie! But as you
were speaking I also took some notes of the things which seemed more important so that they would not be left hanging in the air. I have to tell you that when
I arrived in this country I received a warm welcome and I saw something that I knew for a long time: the vitality, the joy, and the festive spirit of the Mexican people. And now after listening to you, but particularly after seeing you, I am also certain about something else, something I said to the President of the nation when I arrived. One of Mexico's greatest treasures is that it has
a youthful face: its young people. Yes, you are the wealth of this land. Careful
though! I did not say the hope of this land, but its wealth".
"The mountain may have rich minerals to serve humanity's advancement, in terms
of its wealth, but that richness has to be converted into hope by hard work, just as miners do when they extract those minerals. You are this wealth, and it
has to be converted into hope. And Daniela concluded by offering us a challenge,
as well as giving us some guidance about hope. But all who spoke about their difficulties and their experiences expressed a great truth: 'all of us can live
but we cannot live without hope'. You cannot look to the future if you do not first know how to value yourselves, if you do not feel that your life, your hands, your history, is worth the effort".
"It is about feeling what Alberto described: 'with my hands, with my heart and
my mind I can build up hope; if I do not perceive that hope, then it cannot enter my heart'. Hope is born when you are able to experience that all is not lost; and for this to happen it is necessary to start 'at home', to begin with yourself. Not everything is lost. I am not lost; I am worth something, I am worth a lot. I ask you for some silence now, and I ask each one of you to ask himself or herself: 'Is it true that not everything is lost?' 'Am I lost?' 'Do have worth?' 'Am I worth a little, a lot?'. The biggest threats to hope are those words which devalue you, words which suck out your value and you end up feeling down, is this not so? Words which make you feel second rate, even fourth
rate. The biggest threat to hope is when you feel that you do not matter to anybody or that that you have been left aside. This is the great obstacle to hope: when, in a family, society, school or a group of friends, you are made to
feel unimportant to them. This is hard and painful, but it does happen, am I right? Yes or no? [They reply 'Yes']. Yes, it happens. This kills, this crushes
us and opens the door to much suffering".
"But there is also another principal threat to the hope that your richness will
grow and bear fruit, and it is this: to allow yourself to believe that you begin
to be valuable when you start wearing the right clothes, the latest brands and fashions, or when you start enjoying prestige and importance because you have money; but in the depths of your heart you do not believe that you are worthy of
kindness or love and this is something which your heart intuits. Hope is silenced by what they make you believe, and they don't let you flourish. The biggest threat is when a person feels that they must have money to buy everything, including the love of others. The biggest threat is to believe that
by having a big car you will be happy. Is this true, that by having a big car you will be happy?" [They reply: 'No'].
"You are the wealth of Mexico, you are the wealth of the Church. Allow me to tell you a phrase from my country: 'I am not massaging your back'; 'I am not flattering you'. I understand that often it is difficult to feel your value when
you are continually exposed to the loss of friends or relatives at the hands of
the drug trade, of drugs themselves, of criminal organizations that sow terror.
It is hard to feel the wealth of a nation when there are no opportunities for dignified work - Alberto you expressed this clearly - no possibilities for study
or advancement, when you feel your rights are not recognised, which then leads you to extreme situations. It is difficult to appreciate the value of a place when, because of your youth, you are used for selfish purposes, seduced by promises that end up being untrue. They are like soap bubbles. And it is difficult to feel valuable in these cases. You bear your value inside and your hope too; but it is not easy, due to the things I am telling you and to the things you have told us: there is a lack of work and study opportunities, as Roberto and Alberto said".
"Nonetheless, despite all this, I will never tire of saying, You are the wealth
of Mexico. Roberto, you used a phrase which I may have overlooked when I read the draft, but it's something I want to come back to. You spoke about losing something and yet you did not say: 'I lost my cell phone, I lost my wallet with
money in it'. We have lost the wonder of walking together, we have lost the delight of dreaming together, so that this wealth, moved by hope, can take us forward; we need to walk together, we need to meet, and we need to dream. Do not
lose the fascinating power of dreaming! Have the courage to dream! To dream, which is not the same as being sleepyheads, right?"
"And don't think I am saying this - that you are the wealth of Mexico and that
this richness goes forward when it is full of hope - because I am good, or I because I have clear ideas about it; no dear friends, it is not like that. I say
this to you and I am convinced of it. And do you know why? Because, like you, believe in Jesus Christ. And I think Daniela was very brave when she spoke to us
about this. I believe in Jesus Christ and that is why I tell you this. It is He
Who continually renews in me this hope, it is He Who continually renews my outlook. It is He Who awakens in me, in each one of us, the wonder of enjoying,
the charm of dreaming, the delight of working together. It is He Who continually
invites me to a conversion of heart. Yes, my friends, I say this because in Jesus I have found the one who is able to bring out the best in me. Hand in hand
with Him, we can move forward, hand in hand with Him we can begin again and again, hand in hand with Him we can say: it is a lie to believe that the only way to live, or to be young, is to entrust oneself to drug dealers or others who
do nothing but sow destruction and death. This is a lie and we say it holding on
to Jesus' hand. It is also hand in hand with Jesus Christ, with the Lord, that we can say: it is a lie that the only way to live as young people here is in poverty and exclusion; in the exclusion of opportunities, in the exclusion of spaces, in the exclusion of training and education, in the exclusion of hope. It
is Jesus Christ Who refutes all attempts to render you useless or to be mere mercenaries of other people's ambitions. They are ambitions which exclude you, to use you in the areas I mentioned, which you know well, and which end up destroying. And the only one that can grab me firmly by the hand is Jesus Christ; He can convert this wealth into hope".
"You have asked me for a word of hope, and the one word I have to give you, which is the foundation of everything, is Jesus Christ. When everything seems too much, when it seems that the world is crashing down on you, embrace His Cross, draw close to Him and please, never let go of His hand, even if they are
dragging you; and, if you should fall, allow Him to lift you up. Mountain climbers have a lovely song which I like to repeat to young people. As they go up the mountain they sing: 'In the art of climbing upwards, the triumph is not in not falling but rather in not staying down on the ground'. This is the art, and, who is the only one who can take you by the hand so that you are not left lying on the ground? Jesus Christ is the only one. Jesus Christ, Who sometimes sends a brother or sister to speak to you or help you. Don't hide your hand when
you have fallen, do not say to him: 'Don't look at me, I am covered in mud. Don't look at me, I am without hope'. You have only to let him grab your hand and you his, and then that richness which is inside you, which is covered in mud, and which you have given up on, will begin, through hope, to bear fruit. But always holding onto Jesus' hand".
"This is the way, do not forget: 'In the art of climbing upwards, the triumph is not in not falling but rather in not staying down on the ground'. Never allow
yourselves to stay down, fallen on the ground! Never! Agreed? And if you see a friend who slipped up in life and has fallen, go and offer him or her your hand,
but do so with dignity. Put yourself on their level, listen to them and don't say: 'I have the solution for you'. No, as a friend, slowly give them strength by your words, give them strength by your listening, that medicine which sadly is being forgotten: 'the therapy of listening'. Let them speak, let them share their experience, and then little by little, they will offer you their hand, and, in the name of Jesus Christ, you can help them. 'But if you go in suddenly

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what he wants to be forgiven for. But I ask you, in this silent prayer, let us open our hearts to be able to forgive the society that has not been able to help
us and that has often led us to err. From the depths of our hearts, may each one
of us ask God to help us believe in his mercy".

___________________________________________________________

Francis to the world of work: "God will hold enslavers to account"
Vatican City, 17 February 2016 (VIS) - "I wanted to meet with you here in this
land of Juarez, because of the special relationship this city has with the world
of labour. I am grateful not only for your words of welcome and for your testimonies, which reveal the anxieties, joys and hopes of your lives, but also
for this opportunity to share and reflect together. Anything we can do to foster
dialogue, encounter, and the search for better alternatives and opportunities is
already an accomplishment to be valued and highlighted. And there are two words
that I want to underline: dialogue and encounter. Never tire of pursuing dialogue. Wars gradually come about due to a lack of talking and encounter". The
Holy Father addressed these words to representatives of the world of work, businesspeople and workers, whom he encountered at the Colegio de Bachilleres of
the State of Chihuahua in Ciudad Juarez at midday yesterday (8 p.m. in Rome).
"Obviously more needs to be done than dialogue and encounter, but today we do not have the luxury of missing any chance to encounter, any chance to discuss, confront or explore. This is the only way we will be able to build for tomorrow,
to create sustainable relationships capable of providing the needed framework that, little by little, will rebuild the social bonds so damaged by a lack of communication and by a lack of the minimal respect necessary for a healthy coexistence. So I thank you, and I hope that this occasion may serve to build the future. May it be a good opportunity to forge the Mexico that its people and
children deserve".
"I would like to dwell on this latter point. Here today there are various workers' organisations and representatives of Commerce Chambers and business associations. At first sight they could be considered as adversaries, but they are united by the same responsibility: seeking to create employment opportunities which are dignified and truly beneficial for society and especially for the young of this land. One of the greatest scourges for young people is the lack of opportunities for study and for sustainable and profitable
work, which would permit them to work for the future. In many cases - many cases
- this lack of opportunity leads to situations of poverty and rejection. This poverty and rejection then becomes the best breeding ground for the young to fall into the cycle of drug trafficking and violence. It is a luxury which today
we cannot afford; we cannot allow the present and future of Mexico to be isolated and abandoned. And for this to happen, dialogue, speaking face to face,
and work opportunities are needed to help forge a constructive path ahead".
"Unfortunately, the times we live in have imposed the paradigm of economic utility as the starting point for personal relationships. The prevailing mentality, everywhere, advocates for the greatest possible profits, immediately
and at any cost. This not only causes the ethical dimension of business to be lost, but it also forgets that the best investment we can make is in people, in
individual persons and in families. The best investment is creating opportunities. The prevailing mentality puts the flow of people at the service of the flow of capital, resulting in many cases in the exploitation of employees
as if they were objects to be used, discarded and thrown out. God will hold us accountable for the slavery of our day, and we must do everything to make sure that these situations do not happen again. The flow of capital cannot decide the
flow and life of people. For this reason I liked that aspiration which was expressed through dialogue, talking face to face".
Francis observed that, when faced with tenets of the Social Doctrine of the Church, it is frequently objected that "'these teachings would have us be charitable organisations or transform our businesses into philanthropic institutions'. We have heard this criticism. The only aspiration of the Church's
Social Doctrine is to guard over the integrity of people and social structures.
Every time that, for whatever reason, this integrity is threatened or reduced to
a consumer good, the Church's Social Doctrine will be a prophetic voice to protect us all from being lost in the seductive sea of ambition. Every time that
a person's integrity is violated, society, in a certain sense, begins to decline. And this Social Doctrine of the Church is against no one, but in favour
of all. Every sector has the obligation of looking out for the good of all; we are all in the same boat. We all have to struggle to make sure that work is a humanizing moment which looks to the future; that it is a space for building up
society and each person's participation in it. This attitude not only provides an immediate improvement, but in the long run it will also transform society into a culture capable of promoting a dignified space for everyone. This culture, born many times out of tension, is creating a new style of relationships, a new kind of nation".
"What kind of world do we want to leave our children?", the Holy Father asked.
"I believe that the vast majority of us can agree. This is precisely our horizon, our goal, and we have to come together and work for this. It is always
good to think about what I would like to leave my children; it is also a good way to think of others' children. What kind of Mexico do you want to leave your
children? Do you want to leave them the memory of exploitation, of insufficient
pay, of workplace harassment, of trafficking in slave labour? Or do you want to
leave them a culture which recalls dignified labour, proper lodging, and land to
be worked? The three 'L's': Labour, Lodging, Land. What type of culture do we want for those who will come after us? What air will they breathe? An air tainted by corruption, violence, insecurity and suspicion, or, on the contrary,
an air capable of generating - and the word is crucial - generating alternatives, renewal and change? To generate is to be co-creators with God. This, naturally, involves much effort".
"I know that the issues raised are not easy, but it is worse to leave the future in the hands of corruption, brutality and the lack of equity. I know it is often not easy to bring all parties together in negotiations, but it is worse, and we end up doing more harm, when there is a lack of negotiations and appreciation. An old manager of labourers, a very honest man, who left this world having earned every penny due to him and who never took advantage of others, once said to me: 'Each time we had to sit down at the negotiating table,
I knew that I had to lose something in order to make us all win something'. This
is a good philosophy coming from the world of labour. I know it is not easy to get along in an increasingly competitive world, but it is worse to allow the competitive world to ruin the destiny of the people. Slaves. Profit and capital
are not a good over and above the human person; they are at the service of the common good. When the common good is used only at the service of profit and capital, this has a name: it is called exclusion, and through it the throwaway culture gets stronger and stronger. Throwaway and exclusion".
Recalling the testimony of one of the young people in the Morelia Stadium, who
had remarked that "this world robs us of the capacity to dream", Francis urged "dialogue, speaking face to face, negotiating, and losing out at times so that all can win. I invite you to dream of a Mexico that your children deserve; a Mexico where no one is first, second, or fourth; a Mexico where each sees in the
other the dignity of a child of God. May our Lady of Guadalupe, who made herself
known to St. Juan Diego, and revealed how the seemingly abandoned were her privileged witnesses, help you all, whatever your profession, whatever your work, to take up this task of dialogue, face to face discussion, and encounter".

___________________________________________________________

Mass in Ciudad Juarez: no more death and exploitation
Vatican City, 17 February 2016 (VIS) - "In this Year of Mercy, with you here, beg for God's mercy; with you I wish to plead for the gift of tears, the gift of
conversion", exclaimed the Pope yesterday during the Mass celebrated in the fair
ground of Ciudad Juarez, on the frontier between Mexico and the United States. The Holy Father toured the area several times in the popemobile to greet the faithful gathered on both sides of the border.
Awareness of violence, injustice and oppression, the need for conversion and mercy, the "human tragedy" of forced migration to which this metropolis bears witness, the scars of the illegal drugs trade and human trafficking, and at the
same time the possibility of changing this situation, were the main points of the Holy Father's homily. He began with St. Irenaeus' celebrated assertion that
"the glory of God is the life of man", an expression that continues to echo in the heart of the Church.
"The glory of the Father is the life of his sons and daughters. There is no greater glory for a father than to see his children blossom, no greater

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