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VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXIII - # 77
DATE 30-03-2013
Summary:
- POPE FRANCIS: ON THIS NIGHT ONE WORD SHOULD SUFFICE, THE CROSS ITSELF
- POPE: I JOIN ALL OF YOU GATHERED BEFORE THE HOLY SHROUD
___________________________________________________________
POPE FRANCIS: ON THIS NIGHT ONE WORD SHOULD SUFFICE, THE CROSS ITSELF
Vatican City, 30 March 2013 (VIS) - At 5:00pm in St. Peter's Basilica
yesterday, Good Friday, the Holy Father presided over the celebration of the
Lord's Passion. After the Liturgy of the Word-in which we heard the account of
the Passion
according to St. John-and the homily, the universal prayers were recited. The
rite continued with the adoration of the Cross and ended with communion.
Hours later, at 9:15pm, Pope Francis presided for the first time over the Way
of the Cross at Rome's Colosseum. This year, the meditations and prayers
accompanying the stations were written by young Lebanese Catholics, guided by
Cardinal Bechara Boutros
Rai, O.M.M., Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, Lebanon. The images in the
booklet reproduced 19th century illustrations of the Way of the Cross made by
an unknown Franciscan in Bethlehem. Over a hundred thousand people, many of
them youth as well
as a large group of Lebanese pilgrims, attended the event.
The Holy Father followed the ceremony, which was broadcast by Vatican
Television, from a small platform on the side of the Palatine hill. Two young
persons from the diocese of Rome and two Lebanese youth carried the torches
alongside the cross, which
was carried-for the first and last station-by Cardinal Agostino Vallini, vicar
general of Rome, then an Italian and an Indian family, then a woman in a
wheelchair, then by two Chinese seminarians, then two Franciscan friars of the
Custody of
the Holy Land, then two Nigerian sisters, then two Lebanese sisters, and then
two Brazilian youth. At the end of the Way of the Cross the Pope spoke the
following words:
"Dear Brother and Sisters,
Thank you for having taken part in these moments of deep prayer. I also thank
those who have accompanied us through the media, especially the sick and
elderly. I do not wish to add too many words. One word should suffice this
evening, that is the Cross
itself. Jesus' Cross is the word through which God has responded to evil in
the world."
"Sometimes it may seem as though God does not react to evil, as if He is
silent. And yet, God has spoken. He has replied and his answer is the Cross of
Christ: a word which is love, mercy, and forgiveness. It is also a judgement,
namely that God,
in judging us, loves us. Let us remember this: in judging us, God loves us. If
I embrace his love then I am saved, if I refuse it, then I am condemned. Not
by him, but my own self, because God never condemns; He only loves and saves."
"Dear brothers and sisters, the word of the Cross is also the answer which
Christians offer in the face of evil, the evil that continues to work in us
and around us. Christians must respond to evil with good, taking the Cross
upon themselves as
Jesus did. This evening we have heard the witness given by our Lebanese
brothers and sisters. They are the ones who composed these beautiful prayers
and meditations. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to them for this work and
above all for the witness
they offer. We were able to see this when Pope Benedict visited Lebanon. We
saw the beauty and the strong bond of communion joining Christians together in
that land and the friendship of our Muslim brothers and sisters and so many
others. That occasion
was a sign to the Middle East and to the whole world: a sign of hope."
Now let us continue this "Via Crucis" in our daily lives. Let us walk together
along the Way of the Cross and let us do so carrying in our hearts this Word
of love and forgiveness. Let us walk forward waiting for the Resurrection of
Jesus
who loves us so much. He is all love!"
___________________________________________________________
POPE: I JOIN ALL OF YOU GATHERED BEFORE THE HOLY SHROUD
Vatican City, 30 March 2013 (VIS) - From 5:15pm until 6:40 this afternoon,
there will be an extraordinary exposition of the Holy Shroud in the Cathedral
of Turin, Italy. The initiative is part of the Year of Faith that was
proclaimed by Pope
Benedict XVI and will be broadcast by the Italian television channel, RAI1.
For the occasion, Pope Francis recorded a video message, the text of which we
offer below.
"Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I join all of you gathered before the Holy Shroud, and I thank the Lord who,
through modern technology, offers us this possibility."
Even if it takes place in this way, our gaze is not a mere 'observing', but
rather a veneration. It is a prayerful gaze. I would go further: It is a
letting ourselves be looked upon. This Face has eyes that are closed. It is
the face of one who is dead
and yet, mysteriously, He is watching us and in silence He speaks to us. How
is this possible? How is it that the faithful, like you, pause before this
Icon of a man who has been scourged and crucified? It is because the Man of
the Shroud invites us to
contemplate Jesus of Nazareth. This image, impressed upon the cloth, speaks to
our hearts and moves us to climb the hill of Calvary, to look upon the wood of
the Cross, and to immerse ourselves in the eloquent silence of love."
"Let us therefore allow ourselves to be reached by this gaze, which is
directed not to our eyes but to our hearts. In silence, let us listen to what
He has to say to us from beyond death itself. By means of the Holy Shroud, the
unique and supreme
Word of God comes to us: Love made man, incarnate in our history; the merciful
Love of God who has taken upon himself all the evil of the world in order to
free us from its power. This disfigured Face resembles all those faces of men
and women marred by
a life that does not respect their dignity, by war and the violence that
afflict the weakest… And yet, the Face of the Shroud conveys a great
peace. This tortured body expresses a sovereign majesty. It is as if it let a
restrained but powerful
energy within it shine through, as if to tell us: have faith; do not lose
hope; the power of God's love, the power of the Risen One, conquers all."
"So, looking upon the Man of the Shroud, I make Saint Francis of Assisi's
prayer before the Crucifix my own: 'Most High and glorious God, enlighten the
darkness of my heart, and grant me true faith, certain hope, and perfect
charity, sense and
understanding, Lord, so that I may carry out your holy and true command.
Amen.'"
___________________________________________________________
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.
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VISnews130330
VATICAN
INFORMATION SERVICE YEAR XXIII - # 77DATE 30-03-2013Summary: - POPE FRANCIS:
ON THIS NIGHT ONE WORD SHOULD SUFFICE, THE
CROSS ITSELF - POPE: I JOIN ALL OF YOU GATHERED BEFORE THE HOLY
HROUD___________________________________________________________
POPE FRANCIS: ON THIS NIGHT ONE WORD SHOULD SUFFICE, THE CROSS ITSELF
Vatican City, 30 March 2013 (VIS) - At 5:00pm in St. Peter's Basilica
yesterday, Good Friday, the Holy Father presided over the celebration of the
Lord's Passion. After the Liturgy of the Word-in which we heard the account of
the Passion
according to St. John-and the homily, the universal prayers were recited. The
rite continued with the adoration of the Cross and ended with communion.
Hours later, at 9:15pm, Pope Francis presided for the first time over the Way
of the Cross at Rome's Colosseum. This year, the meditations and prayers
accompanying the stations were written by young Lebanese Catholics, guided by
Cardinal Bechara
Boutros Rai, O.M.M., Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, Lebanon. The
images in the booklet reproduced 19th century illustrations of the Way of the
Cross made by an unknown Franciscan in Bethlehem. Over a hundred thousand
people, many of them youth
as well as a large group of Lebanese pilgrims, attended the event.
The Holy Father followed the ceremony, which was broadcast by Vatican
Television, from a small platform on the side of the Palatine hill. Two young
persons from the diocese of Rome and two Lebanese youth carried the torches
alongside the cross, which
was carried-for the first and last station-by Cardinal Agostino Vallini, vicar
general of Rome, then an Italian and an Indian family, then a woman in a
wheelchair, then by two Chinese seminarians, then two Franciscan friars of the
Custody of
the Holy Land, then two Nigerian sisters, then two Lebanese sisters, and then
two Brazilian youth. At the end of the Way of the Cross the Pope spoke the
following words:
"Dear Brother and Sisters,
Thank you for having taken part in these moments of deep prayer. I also thank
those who have accompanied us through the media, especially the sick and
elderly. I do not wish to add too many words. One word should suffice this
evening, that is the
Cross itself. Jesus' Cross is the word through which God has responded to evil
in the world."
"Sometimes it may seem as though God does not react to evil, as if He is
silent. And yet, God has spoken. He has replied and his answer is the Cross of
Christ: a word which is love, mercy, and forgiveness. It is also a judgement,
namely that
God, in judging us, loves us. Let us remember this: in judging us, God loves
us. If I embrace his love then I am saved, if I refuse it, then I am
condemned. Not by him, but my own self, because God never condemns; He only
loves and saves."
"Dear brothers and sisters, the word of the Cross is also the answer which
Christians offer in the face of evil, the evil that continues to work in us
and around us. Christians must respond to evil with good, taking the Cross
upon themselves as
Jesus did. This evening we have heard the witness given by our Lebanese
brothers and sisters. They are the ones who composed these beautiful prayers
and meditations. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to them for this work and
above all for the witness
they offer. We were able to see this when Pope Benedict visited Lebanon. We
saw the beauty and the strong bond of communion joining Christians together in
that land and the friendship of our Muslim brothers and sisters and so many
others. That occasion
was a sign to the Middle East and to the whole world: a sign of hope."
Now let us continue this "Via Crucis" in our daily lives. Let us walk
together along the Way of the Cross and let us do so carrying in our hearts
this Word of love and forgiveness. Let us walk forward waiting for the
Resurrection of Jesus
who loves us so much. He is all love!"
___________________________________________________________
POPE: I JOIN ALL OF YOU GATHERED BEFORE THE HOLY SHROUD
Vatican City, 30 March 2013 (VIS) - From 5:15pm until 6:40 this afternoon,
there will be an extraordinary exposition of the Holy Shroud in the Cathedral
of Turin, Italy. The initiative is part of the Year of Faith that was
proclaimed by Pope
Benedict XVI and will be broadcast by the Italian television channel, RAI1.
For the occasion, Pope Francis recorded a video message, the text of which we
offer below.
"Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I join all of you gathered before the Holy Shroud, and I thank the Lord who,
through modern technology, offers us this possibility."
Even if it takes place in this way, our gaze is not a mere 'observing', but
rather a veneration. It is a prayerful gaze. I would go further: It is a
letting ourselves be looked upon. This Face has eyes that are closed. It is
the face of one who is
dead and yet, mysteriously, He is watching us and in silence He speaks to us.
How is this possible? How is it that the faithful, like you, pause before this
Icon of a man who has been scourged and crucified? It is because the Man of
the Shroud invites
us to contemplate Jesus of Nazareth. This image, impressed upon the cloth,
speaks to our hearts and moves us to climb the hill of Calvary, to look upon
the wood of the Cross, and to immerse ourselves in the eloquent silence of
love."
"Let us therefore allow ourselves to be reached by this gaze, which is
directed not to our eyes but to our hearts. In silence, let us listen to what
He has to say to us from beyond death itself. By means of the Holy Shroud, the
unique and
supreme Word of God comes to us: Love made man, incarnate in our history; the
merciful Love of God who has taken upon himself all the evil of the world in
order to free us from its power. This disfigured Face resembles all those
faces of men and women
marred by a life that does not respect their dignity, by war and the violence
that afflict the weakest… And yet, the Face of the Shroud conveys a
great peace. This tortured body expresses a sovereign majesty. It is as if it
let a restrained but
powerful energy within it shine through, as if to tell us: have faith; do not
lose hope; the power of God's love, the power of the Risen One, conquers all."
"So, looking upon the Man of the Shroud, I make Saint Francis of Assisi's
prayer before the Crucifix my own: 'Most High and glorious God, enlighten the
darkness of my heart, and grant me true faith, certain hope, and perfect
charity, sense and
understanding, Lord, so that I may carry out your holy and true command.
Amen.'"
___________________________________________________________ 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.
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