Subject: VISnews130322
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VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXIII - # 69
DATE 22-03-2013
Summary:
- POPE TO DIPLOMATIC CORPS: AS PONTIFF, I HOPE THAT DIALOGUE WILL LEAD US TO
"BUILD BRIDGES" BETWEEN PERSONS
- AUDIENCES
- NOTICE
___________________________________________________________
POPE TO DIPLOMATIC CORPS: AS PONTIFF, I HOPE THAT DIALOGUE WILL LEAD US TO
"BUILD BRIDGES" BETWEEN PERSONS
Vatican City, 22 March 2013 (VIS) - "Through you I encounter your peoples, and
thus in a sense I can reach out to every one of your fellow citizens, with
their joys, their troubles, their expectations, their desires," said the Holy
Father this morning to members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy
See whom he received in audience in the Sala Regia of the Vatican Apostolic
Palace.
Currently, 180 States maintain full diplomatic relations with the Holy See, to
which number are also added the European Union, the Sovereign Military Order
of Malta, and a mission of a special nature: the Palestine Liberation
Organization (PLO), which
is headed by a director. The most recent State to establish diplomatic
relations with the Holy See, at the level of an Apostolic Nunciature, was the
Republic of South Sudan on 22 February of this year.
Speaking in Italian, the Pope first greeted the dean of the diplomatic corps,
Jean-Claude Michel of the Principality of Monaco, and then stated that the
relations that so many nations maintain with the Holy See "are truly a source
of benefit to
mankind. That, indeed, is what matters to the Holy See: the good of every
person upon this earth! And it is with this understanding that the Bishop of
Rome embarks upon his ministry, in the knowledge that he can count on the
friendship and affection of
the countries you represent, and in the certainty that you share this
objective. At the same time, I hope that it will also be an opportunity to
begin a journey with those few countries that do not yet have diplomatic
relations with the Holy See, some
of which were present at the Mass for the beginning of my ministry, or sent
messages as a sign of their closeness-for which I am truly grateful."
Continuing, the Holy Father explained the reasons why he chose his papal name,
thinking of St. Francis of Assisi, "a familiar figure far beyond the borders
of Italy and Europe, even among those who do not profess the Catholic faith.
One of the
first reasons was Francis' love for the poor. How many poor people there still
are in the world! And what great suffering they have to endure! After the
example of Francis of Assisi, the Church in every corner of the globe has
always tried to care
for and look after those who suffer from want, and I think that in many of
your countries you can attest to the generous activity of Christians who
dedicate themselves to helping the sick, orphans, the homeless and all the
marginalized, thus striving to
make society more humane and more just."
"But there is another form of poverty", he observed. "It is the spiritual
poverty of our time, which afflicts the so-called richer countries
particularly seriously. It is what my much-loved predecessor, Benedict XVI,
called the
'tyranny of relativism', which makes everyone his own criterion and endangers
the coexistence of peoples. And that brings me to a second reason for my name.
Francis of Assisi tells us we should work to build peace. But there is no true
peace without
truth! There cannot be true peace if everyone is his own criterion, if
everyone can always claim exclusively his own rights, without at the same time
caring for the good of others, of everyone, on the basis of the nature that
unites every human being on
this earth."
"One of the titles of the Bishop of Rome is 'Pontiff', that is, a builder of
bridges, with God and between people. My wish is that the dialogue between us
should help to build bridges connecting all people, in such a way that
everyone can see in
the other not an enemy, not a rival, but a brother or sister to be welcomed
and embraced! My own origins impel me to work for the building of bridges. As
you know, my family is of Italian origin; and so this dialogue between places
and cultures a great
distance apart matters greatly to me, this dialogue between one end of the
world and the other, which today are growing ever closer, more interdependent,
more in need of opportunities to meet and to create real spaces of authentic
fraternity."
Repeating that the role of religion is fundamental to this task, Francis
affirmed that: "It is not possible to build bridges between people while
forgetting God. But the converse is also true: it is not possible to establish
true links with God,
while ignoring other people. Hence it is important to intensify dialogue among
the various religions, and I am thinking particularly of dialogue with Islam.
At the Mass marking the beginning of my ministry, I greatly appreciated the
presence of so many
civil and religious leaders from the Islamic world. And it is also important
to intensify outreach to non-believers, so that the differences which divide
and hurt us may never prevail, but rather the desire to build true links of
friendship between all
peoples, despite their diversity."
"Fighting poverty, both material and spiritual, building peace and
constructing bridges: these, as it were, are the reference points for a
journey that I want to invite each of the countries here represented to take
up. But it is a difficult
journey, if we do not learn to grow in love for this world of ours. Here too,
it helps me to think of the name of Francis, who teaches us profound respect
for the whole of creation and the protection of our environment, which all too
often, instead of
using for the good, we exploit greedily, to one another's detriment."
"Thank you again," the pontiff concluded, "for all the work that you do,
alongside the Secretariat of State, to build peace and construct bridges of
friendship and fraternity. Through you, I would like to renew to your
Governments my
thanks for their participation in the celebrations on the occasion of my
election, and my heartfelt desire for a fruitful common endeavour. May
Almighty God pour out his gifts on each one of you, on your families and on
the peoples that you represent.
Thank you!"
___________________________________________________________
AUDIENCES
Vatican City, 22 March 2013 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon, the Holy Father
received in audience Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for
the Oriental Churches.
___________________________________________________________
NOTICE
Vatican City, 22 March 2013 (VIS) - We inform our subscribers that tomorrow,
Saturday 23 March, and Sunday, 24 March, the VIS will transmit its regular
newsletter for the occasions of the Pope's visit to Pope emeritus Benedict XVI
in Castel
Gandolfo (Saturday) and the Palm Sunday Mass.
___________________________________________________________
Per ulteriori informazioni e per la ricerca di documenti consultare il
sito: www.wisnews.org e www.vatican.va
Il servizio del VIS viene inviato soltanto agli indirizzi di posta
elettronica che ne hanno fatto richiesta. Se per qualunque motivo
non si desidera continuare a riceverlo, si prega di visitare nostra pagina
dinizio:
http://212.77.1.245/news_services/press/vis/italinde.php
Copyright (VIS): Le notizie contenute nei servizi del Vatican
Information Service possono essere riprodotte parzialmente o totalmente
citando la fonte: V.I.S. - Vatican Information Service.
--Boundary_(ID_17p1JSuCylCh2Z546XxLrQ)
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VISnews130322
VATICAN
INFORMATION SERVICE YEAR XXIII - # 69DATE 22-03-2013Summary: - POPE TO
DIPLOMATIC CORPS: AS PONTIFF, I HOPE THAT DIALOGUE
WILL LEAD US TO "BUILD BRIDGES" BETWEEN PERSONS - AUDIENCES - NO
ICE___________________________________________________________
POPE TO DIPLOMATIC CORPS: AS PONTIFF, I HOPE THAT DIALOGUE WILL LEAD US TO
"BUILD BRIDGES" BETWEEN PERSONS
Vatican City, 22 March 2013 (VIS) - "Through you I encounter your peoples,
and thus in a sense I can reach out to every one of your fellow citizens, with
their joys, their troubles, their expectations, their desires," said the Holy
Father this morning to members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy
See whom he received in audience in the Sala Regia of the Vatican Apostolic
Palace.
Currently, 180 States maintain full diplomatic relations with the Holy See,
to which number are also added the European Union, the Sovereign Military
Order of Malta, and a mission of a special nature: the Palestine Liberation
Organization (PLO),
which is headed by a director. The most recent State to establish diplomatic
relations with the Holy See, at the level of an Apostolic Nunciature, was the
Republic of South Sudan on 22 February of this year.
Speaking in Italian, the Pope first greeted the dean of the diplomatic corps,
Jean-Claude Michel of the Principality of Monaco, and then stated that the
relations that so many nations maintain with the Holy See "are truly a source
of benefit to
mankind. That, indeed, is what matters to the Holy See: the good of every
person upon this earth! And it is with this understanding that the Bishop of
Rome embarks upon his ministry, in the knowledge that he can count on the
friendship and affection of
the countries you represent, and in the certainty that you share this
objective. At the same time, I hope that it will also be an opportunity to
begin a journey with those few countries that do not yet have diplomatic
relations with the Holy See, some
of which were present at the Mass for the beginning of my ministry, or sent
messages as a sign of their closeness-for which I am truly grateful."
Continuing, the Holy Father explained the reasons why he chose his papal
name, thinking of St. Francis of Assisi, "a familiar figure far beyond the
borders of Italy and Europe, even among those who do not profess the Catholic
faith. One of the
first reasons was Francis' love for the poor. How many poor people there still
are in the world! And what great suffering they have to endure! After the
example of Francis of Assisi, the Church in every corner of the globe has
always tried to care
for and look after those who suffer from want, and I think that in many of
your countries you can attest to the generous activity of Christians who
dedicate themselves to helping the sick, orphans, the homeless and all the
marginalized, thus striving to
make society more humane and more just."
"But there is another form of poverty", he observed. "It is the spiritual
poverty of our time, which afflicts the so-called richer countries
particularly seriously. It is what my much-loved predecessor, Benedict XVI,
called the
'tyranny of relativism', which makes everyone his own criterion and endangers
the coexistence of peoples. And that brings me to a second reason for my name.
Francis of Assisi tells us we should work to build peace. But there is no true
peace without
truth! There cannot be true peace if everyone is his own criterion, if
everyone can always claim exclusively his own rights, without at the same time
caring for the good of others, of everyone, on the basis of the nature that
unites every human being on
this earth."
"One of the titles of the Bishop of Rome is 'Pontiff', that is, a builder of
bridges, with God and between people. My wish is that the dialogue between us
should help to build bridges connecting all people, in such a way that
everyone can see
in the other not an enemy, not a rival, but a brother or sister to be welcomed
and embraced! My own origins impel me to work for the building of bridges. As
you know, my family is of Italian origin; and so this dialogue between places
and cultures a
great distance apart matters greatly to me, this dialogue between one end of
the world and the other, which today are growing ever closer, more
interdependent, more in need of opportunities to meet and to create real
spaces of authentic
fraternity."
Repeating that the role of religion is fundamental to this task, Francis
affirmed that: "It is not possible to build bridges between people while
forgetting God. But the converse is also true: it is not possible to establish
true links with
God, while ignoring other people. Hence it is important to intensify dialogue
among the various religions, and I am thinking particularly of dialogue with
Islam. At the Mass marking the beginning of my ministry, I greatly appreciated
the presence of so
many civil and religious leaders from the Islamic world. And it is also
important to intensify outreach to non-believers, so that the differences
which divide and hurt us may never prevail, but rather the desire to build
true links of friendship between
all peoples, despite their diversity."
"Fighting poverty, both material and spiritual, building peace and
constructing bridges: these, as it were, are the reference points for a
journey that I want to invite each of the countries here represented to take
up. But it is a difficult
journey, if we do not learn to grow in love for this world of ours. Here too,
it helps me to think of the name of Francis, who teaches us profound respect
for the whole of creation and the protection of our environment, which all too
often, instead of
using for the good, we exploit greedily, to one another's detriment."
"Thank you again," the pontiff concluded, "for all the work that you do,
alongside the Secretariat of State, to build peace and construct bridges of
friendship and fraternity. Through you, I would like to renew to your
Governments
my thanks for their participation in the celebrations on the occasion of my
election, and my heartfelt desire for a fruitful common endeavour. May
Almighty God pour out his gifts on each one of you, on your families and on
the peoples that you
represent. Thank you!"
___________________________________________________________
AUDIENCES
Vatican City, 22 March 2013 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon, the Holy Father
received in audience Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for
the Oriental Churches.
___________________________________________________________
NOTICE
Vatican City, 22 March 2013 (VIS) - We inform our subscribers that tomorrow,
Saturday 23 March, and Sunday, 24 March, the VIS will transmit its regular
newsletter for the occasions of the Pope's visit to Pope emeritus Benedict XVI
in Castel
Gandolfo (Saturday) and the Palm Sunday Mass.
___________________________________________________________ Per ulteriori
informazioni e per la ricerca di documenti consultare il sito: www.wisnews.org e www.vatican.va Il servizio del VIS viene
inviato soltanto agli indirizzi di posta elettronica che ne hanno
fatto richiesta. Se per qualunque motivo non si desidera continuare a
riceverlo, si prega di visitare nostra pagina dinizio: http://212.77.1.245/news_services/press/vis/italinde.php
Copyright (VIS): Le notizie contenute nei servizi del Vatican Information
Service possono essere riprodotte parzialmente o totalmente citando la fonte:
V.I.S. - Vatican Information Service.
--Boundary_(ID_17p1JSuCylCh2Z546XxLrQ)--
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