“Let us ask today for the grace to always knock at that door.
… Sometimes we have problems doing so. But we don't have to go looking
for other, easier doors. The door is Jesus, who doesn't disappoint, who
doesn't deceive. He has given
his life for us. And each of us has to say: 'You have given your life for me,
open, please, that I might enter. Open, Lord, because I want to enter by
'this' door, not by that other,” Pope Francis concluded.
___________________________________________________________
MESSAGE TO EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS OF COSTA RICA
Vatican City, 22 April 2013 (VIS) – Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone,
S.D.B., secretary of State, sent a
Subject: VISnews130422
From: Vatican Information Service - Eng - txt
short message on behalf of the Holy Father to the organizers and participants
in the National Eucharistic Congress that is being held in Costa
Rica with the theme of “Eucharist: Bread of Life for Our P
ople”.
The Pope invites all to “intensify their prayer lives, making the
Eucharist the true centre of Christian communities, where praise and
thanksgiving are the impetus to a renewed commitment to evangelization and
ecclesial communion. May the
Blessed Sacrament at the altar give all the Baptised plentiful spiritual
energy to build a world that is ever more just and harmonious, according to
the message of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
With these regards,” the text concludes, “the Supreme Pontiff
entrusts to the loving protection of Our Lady of the Angels, the pastors and
faithful who have made the pilgrimage to the House of the Father in Costa
Rica. As a sign of
abundant heavenly gifts, he affectionately imparts to them the besought
Apostolic Blessing.”
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POPE TO ADMINISTER SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION
Vatican City, 22 April 2013 (VIS) - The Office of Liturgical Celebrations
of the Supreme Pontiff today announced that next Sunday, 28 April, the Fifth
Sunday of Easter at 10:00am in St. Peter's Square, the Holy Father Francis
will celebrate Mass for
confirmands who have come in pilgrimage to Rome from around the world for the
Year of Faith. He will administer the sacrament of Confirmation to some of
them.
___________________________________________________________
CARDINAL SALAZAR TAKES POSSESSION OF HIS TITULAR CHURCH
Vatican City, 22 April 2013 (VIS) - The Office of Liturgical Celebrations
of the Supreme Pontiff today announced that next Sunday, 28 April, at 11:00am,
Cardinal Ruben Salazar Gomez, archbishop of Bogota, Colombia, will take
possession of the title
of St. Gerardo Maiella on Via Romolo Balzani, 74.
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BE PASTORS NOT FUNCTIONARIES, POPE SAYS TO NEW PRIESTS
Vatican City, 21 April 2013 (VIS) – This morning in St. Peter's
Basilica, Pope Francis conferred priestly ordination upon ten deacons from
several Roman diocesan seminaries: the Major Seminary, the Seminary of the
Oblates, the sanctuary of the
Virgin of Divine Love, and the Redemptoris Mater Seminary. Concelebrating with
the Holy Father were Cardinal Agostino Vallini, vicar general of His Holiness
for Rome, Archbishop Filippo Iannone, O. Carm., vice gerent of the diocese of
Rome, auxiliary
bishops, and the superiors of the seminaries from which the new priests
came.
The homily delivered by the Bishop of Rome was based on the one that
appears in the Pontificale Romanum for the ordination of priests, with one or
two personal additions, mainly emphasizing the mercy that must characterize
the new priests. Following
are ample extracts from his homily.
“It is true that God has made his entire holy people a royal
priesthood in Christ. Nevertheless, our great Priest himself, Jesus Christ,
chose certain disciples to carry out publicly in his name, and on behalf of
mankind, a priestly office in
the Church. For Christ was sent by the Father and he in turn sent the Apostles
into the world, so that through them and their successors, the Bishops, he
might continue to exercise his office of Teacher, Priest, and Shepherd.
Indeed, priests are
established co-workers of the Order of Bishops, with whom they are joined in
the priestly office and with whom they are called to the service of the people
of God.”
“Now ... you are to be raised to the Order of the Priesthood. For
your part you will exercise the sacred duty of teaching in the name of Christ
the Teacher. Impart to everyone the Word of God which you have received with
joy. Remember your
mothers, your grandmothers, your catechists, who gave you the Word of God, the
faith ... the gift of faith! ... Meditating on the law of the Lord, see that
you believe what you read, that you teach what you believe, and that you
practise what you teach.
Remember too that the Word of God is not your property: it is the Word of God.
And the Church is the custodian of the Word of God.”
“You will exercise in Christ the office of sanctifying. … You
will gather others into the people of God through Baptism, and you will
forgive sins in the name of Christ and the Church in the sacrament of Penance.
Today I ask you in the
name of Christ and the Church, never tire of being merciful. You will comfort
the sick and the elderly with holy oil: do not hesitate to show tenderness
towards the elderly.”
“Remember then that you are taken from among men and appointed on
their behalf for those things that pertain to God. Therefore, carry out the
ministry of Christ the Priest with constant joy and genuine love, attending
not to your own concerns
but to those of Jesus Christ. You are pastors, not functionaries. Be
mediators, not intermediaries.”
“Finally, dear sons, exercising for your part the office of Christ,
Head and Shepherd, while united with the Bishop and subject to him, strive to
bring the faithful together into one family, so that you may lead them to God
the Father through
Christ in the Holy Spirit. Keep always before your eyes the example of the
Good Shepherd who came not to be served but to serve, and who came to seek out
and save what was lost.”
___________________________________________________________
REGINA COELI: RECOGNIZING JESUS' VOICE AND FOLLOWING IT
Vatican City, 21 April 2013 (VIS) – At the end of the Mass celebrated
in the Vatican Basilica for the ordination of ten deacons, the Holy Father
appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to pray
the Regina Coeli with
the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square.
The Pope explained that the fourth Sunday of Easter is characterized by the
Gospel of the Good Shepherd, citing the four verses that contain “Jesus'
entire message”. “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they
follow me. I give
them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my
hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can
take them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one” (Jn
10:27-30).
“Jesus wants to establish a relationship with his friends that
reflects the one he has with the Father: a relationship of mutual belonging in
complete confidence, in intimate communion.” To express this it is
necessary to use the image of
the sheep who recognize the voice of the shepherd and follow him. “The
mystery of the voice is suggestive. Already at our mother's breast we learn to
recognize her voice, and that of our father. By someone's tone of voice we can
perceive love or
contempt, affection or coldness. Jesus' voice is unique! If we learn to
distinguish it, He guides us on the path of life, a path that even overcomes
the abyss of death.”
However, referring to his sheep, Jesus also says: “My Father, who has
given them to me. This is very important. It is a profound mystery that is not
easy to understand. If I feel attracted to Jesus, if his voice warms my heart,
it is thanks to
God the Father who has put this desire for love, for truth, for life, for
beauty within me. And Jesus is all this completely. This helps us to
understand the mystery of vocation, especially of the call to a special
consecration.”
“Today there are many young persons in the piazza,” the pontiff
observed. “I want to ask you, has there been a time when you have heard
the Lord's voice, who through a desire, a restlessness, has invited you to
follow him more
closely? … Youth needs to put its high ideals into action. Have you
thought of this? … Ask Jesus what He wants of you and be courageous!
… Behind and before each vocation to the priesthood or the consecrated
life there is always
someone's strong and intense prayer: a grandmother, a grandfather,a mother, a
father, a community. This is why Jesus said 'ask the master of the
harvest—that is, God the Father—to send out labourers for his
harvest'. Vocations are born in
prayer and from prayer. Only in prayer can they persevere and bear fruit. I
would like to emphasize that today is the 'World Day of Prayer for Vocations'.
Let us pray in particular for the new priests of the
Diocese of Rome who I had the joy or ordaining this morning. … And let
us call upon the intercession of Mary, who is the Woman of the 'Yes'. She said
'Yes' her entire life. She learned to recognize Jesus' voice from when she
carried him in her
womb. May Mary, our Mother, help us to always know better Jesus' voice and to
follow it, to walk in the path of life.”
___________________________________________________________
PATHS OF JUSTICE AND PEACEFUL SOLUTIONS FOR VENEZUELA
Vatican City, 21 April 2013 (VIS) – After the Regina Coeli, the Pope
asked for prayers for those suffering from the political violence in Venezuela
and from the earthquake in China.
“I am following attentively the events that are happening in
Venezuela,” the Pontiff said. “I accompany them with deep concern,
with intense prayer, and with the hope that you will seek and find ways to
overcome, with justice and
peace, this moment of serious difficulty that the country is undergoing. I
call upon the beloved Venezuelan people, especially institutional and
political decision makers, to firmly reject any type of violence and to
establish a dialogue based in truth,
mutual recognition, in the search for the common good, and in love for the
Nation. I ask believers to pray and work for reconciliation and peace. Let us
join together in a prayer full of hope for Venezuela, placing it in the hands
of Our Lady of
Coromoto.”
“My thoughts are also with, the pontiff continued, “those who
have been affected by the earthquake that struck the south-west of mainland
China. We pray for the victims and those who are suffering because of the
violent
earthquake.”
The Pope also noted that, this afternoon in Sondrio, Italy, Fr. Nicolo
Rusca, who lived between the 16th and 17th centuries, will be beatified.
“For a long time he was an exemplary pastor in Sondrio and he fell
victim to the political-religious
conflicts that were afflicting Europe at that time. Let us give thanks to God
for his witness.”
Finally, he spoke of the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, which was
“born 50 years ago thanks to the happy intuition of Pope Paul VI. I
invite everyone to pray that the Lord send many workers to his vineyard. St.
Annibale Maria di Francia,
apostle of prayer for vocations, remind us of this very important
task.”
___________________________________________________________
POPE WRITES PRESIDENT OF ITALIAN REPUBLIC
Vatican City, 20 April 2013 (VIS) – Pope Francis has written a
telegram to the President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, on the
occasion of his re-election.
“At this moment in which you, with ready willingness and a spirit of
sacrifice, have again accepted the supreme magistrature of the Italian State
as President of the Republic, I wish to express my most sincere and heartfelt
best wishes. Wishing
that you may continue your enlightened and wise activity, supported by the
responsible cooperation of all, I invoke upon your person and your exalted
service to the Nation, constant divine assistance. I wholeheartedly impart to
you and to the beloved
Italian Nation, the Apostolic Blessing, as encouragement to building a future
of harmony, solidarity, and hope.”
___________________________________________________________
TELEGRAM FOR EXPLOSION IN WEST, TEXAS, USA
Vatican City, 20 April 2013 (VIS) – Following is the text of the
telegram sent, on behalf of the Holy Father, by Secretary of State Cardinal
Tarcisio Bertone to Bishop Joe S. Vasquez of Austin, Texas, USA for the
explosion Wednesday night of a
fertilizer plant in West, Texas, USA which has caused 14 deaths and hundreds
of wounded to date.
“Saddened by news of the destruction caused by the explosion in West,
the Holy Father asks you kindly to convey his heartfelt condolences to the
civil authorities and the afflicted families. He prays for the eternal rest of
the victims and
implores God’s blessings of consolation and peace upon those who mourn
and all who generously aid in the continuing work of relief.”
___________________________________________________________
NEW LIFE IN HISTORIC RUSSIAN CONVENT OF DORMITION OF THE MOTHER OF GOD IN
ROME
Vatican City, 20 April 2013 (VIS) - Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of
the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, accompanied by Msgr. Maurizio
Malvestiti, under secretary of the same dicastery, visited the Russian
Monastery of the Dormition in
Rome on the occasion of the arrival of some aspirants to the monastic life
these past months.
The cardinal recalled the great richness of the Eastern monastic tradition
at the heart of the Church of Rome, called to preside in charity over the
entire Church, and offering its prayers in a special way for the intentions of
the universal Pastor,
Pope Francis. These prayers, the prefect affirmed, will sustain the life of
all the Oriental Catholic Churches, which are often beset by suffering and
persecution, and they will represent an inestimable assistance on the path
toward the reconciliation
and unity of all Christians.
The community, which supported itself in the past by creating icons and
liturgical vestments for bishops and priests, will resume the activity of its
workshops.
The Monastery of the Dormition of Mary (Uspenskij in Slavic) was officially
established on 15 December 1957, in realization of the wishes and commitment
of the then-secretary of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, Cardinal
Eugenio Tisserant,
as well as the dedication of the Jesuit fathers. Founded during the years of
persecution that the Church behind the Iron Curtain suffered, the monastery
was blessed by Pope Pius XII so that it might contribute, with its prayers, to
the spiritual rebirth
of the Eastern European lands, especially Russia. In an audience granted to
Cardinal Tisserant in 1956, he agreed to the establishment in Rome of a
Russian monastery for women in order to “beg the clemency of God
Almighty toward the Russian
peoples”.
The monastery's liturgy, as Cardinal Tisserant desired, is in the Byzantine
Rite, always carried out in communion with the Bishop of Rome, who is named
seven times in the daily office of prayers. For more than 50 years this prayer
has continued
without interruption. The monastery has been considered an island of Russia,
through which Russian students, prelates, monks, and nuns have passed, feeling
themselves at home. One such visitor was the current patriarch of Moscow,
Kirill I, who came to
know the monastery when he was a young priest.
___________________________________________________________
AUDIENCES
Vatican City, 22 April 2013 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father received
in separate audiences:
eight prelates of the Umbria region of the Italian Episcopal Conference on
their "ad limina" visit:
- Archbishop Gualtiero Bassetti of Perugia-Città della Pieve,
- Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino, bishop of Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo
Tadino,
- Archbishop Renato Boccardo of Spoleto-Norcia,
- Bishop Mario Ceccobelli of Gubbio,
- Bishop Benedetto Tuzia of Orvieto-Todi,
- Bishop Domenico Cancian, F.A.M., of Città di Castello,
- Bishop Gualtiero Sigismondi of Foligno,
- Bishop Ernesto Vecchi, titular Bishop of Lemellefa, Apostolic
Administrator of Terni-Narni-Amelia, and
Cardinal George Pell, archbishop of Sydney, Australia.
On Saturday, 20 April, the Holy Father received:
- Cardinal Marc Ouellet, P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for Bishops,
and
- Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Council for the
Family.
___________________________________________________________
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican City, 20 April 2013 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father appointed:
Fr. Stanislaw Jamrozek as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Przemysl
(area 9,750, population 741,500, Catholics 730,000, priests 1,027, religious
1,312), Poland. The bishop-elect was born in Malawa, Poland in 1960 and was
ordained a priest in
1989. Since ordination he has served in several pastoral, academic, and
administrative roles, most recently as spiritual director and Theology
professor at the Major Seminary of Przemysl. He is an ordinary canon “de
numero” of the Cathedral
Chapter. The Holy Father has assigned him the Titular See of Chelm.
Fr. Alejandro W. Bunge, judicial vicar of the Interdiocesan Tribunal of
Buenos Aires, Argentina, as prelate auditor of the Tribunal of the Roman
Rota.
___________________________________________________________
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