associations to Rome as part of the Year of Faith celebrations. In his homily,
Francis noted that, on the Solemnity of Pentecost, “we contemplate and
re-live in the liturgy the outpouring of the Holy Spirit sent by the Risen
Christ upon his
Church; an event of grace which filled the Upper Room in Jerusalem and then
spread throughout the world.”
“Newness,” he said, “always makes us a bit fearful,
because we feel more secure if we have everything under control, if we are the
ones who build, programme, and plan our lives ... This is also the case when
it comes to God. ... It
Subject: VISnews130520
From: Vatican Information Service - Eng - txt
is hard to abandon ourselves to him with complete trust, allowing the Holy
Spirit to be the soul and guide of our lives ... We fear that God may force us
to strike out on new paths and leave behind our all too narrow, closed and
selfish horizons in
order to become open to his own. Yet throughout the history of salvation,
whenever God reveals himself, He brings newness—God always brings
newness—and demands our complete trust: Noah, mocked by all, builds an
ark and is saved; Abram leaves
his land with only a promise in hand; Moses stands up to the might of Pharaoh
and leads his people to freedom; the apostles, huddled fearfully in the Upper
Room, go forth with courage to proclaim the Gospel. This is not a question of
newness for novelty’s sake, the search for something new to relieve our
boredom ... The newness which God brings into our life is something that
actually brings fulfilment, that gives true joy, true serenity, because God
loves us and desires only
our good. Let us ask ourselves today: Are we open to 'God’s surprises'?
Or are we closed and fearful before the newness of the Holy Spirit? Do we have
the courage to strike out along the new paths which God’s newness sets
before us, or do we
resist, barricaded in transient structures which have lost their capacity for
openness to what is new? We would do well to ask ourselves these questions all
through the day.”
“The Holy Spirit,” the pontiff continued, “would appear
to create disorder in the Church, since he brings the diversity of charisms
and gifts; yet all this, by his working, is a great source of wealth, for the
Holy Spirit is the
Spirit of unity, which does not mean uniformity, but which leads everything
back to harmony. In the Church, it is the Holy Spirit who creates harmony. ...
Only the Spirit can awaken diversity, plurality, and multiplicity, while at
the same time building
unity. Here too, when we are the ones who try to create diversity and close
ourselves up in what makes us different and other, we bring division. When we
are the ones who want to build unity in accordance with our human plans, we
end up creating
uniformity, standardization. But if instead we let ourselves be guided by the
Spirit, richness, variety and diversity never become a source of conflict,
because he impels us to experience variety within the communion of the Church.
...
Having a sense of the Church is something fundamental for every Christian,
every community, and every movement. It is the Church which brings Christ to
me, and me to Christ; parallel journeys are very dangerous! When we venture
beyond the Church’s
teaching and community ... and do not remain in them, we are not one with the
God of Jesus Christ.”
In his last point, the Pope observed that “early theologians used to
say that the soul is a kind of sailboat, the Holy Spirit is the wind which
fills its sails and drives it forward, and the gusts of wind are the gifts of
the Spirit. Lacking
his impulse and his grace, we do not go forward. The Holy Spirit draws us into
the mystery of the living God and saves us from the threat of a Church which
is gnostic and self-referential, closed in on herself; He impels us to open
the doors and go
forth to proclaim and bear witness to the goodness of the Gospel ... The Holy
Spirit is the soul of mission. The events that took place in Jerusalem almost
two thousand years ago are not something far removed from us; they are events
which affect us and
become a lived experience in each of us. The Pentecost of the Upper Room in
Jerusalem is the beginning, a beginning which endures. ... It is the
Paraclete, the 'Comforter', who grants us the courage to take to the streets of
the world, bringing the Gospel! The Holy Spirit makes us look to the horizon
and urges us toward the very outskirts of existence in order to proclaim life
in Jesus Christ.”
___________________________________________________________
CELEBRATION OF PENTECOST IN UPPER ROOM UNDER HEAVEN
Vatican City, 19 May 2013 (VIS) – At the end of the Mass celebrating
the Solemnity of Pentecost for the movements, new communities, and lay
associations, the Holy Father prayed the Regina Coeli with the faithful
gathered in St. Peter's
Square.
This “renewed Pentecost,” the Pope said, “has transformed
St. Peter's Square into an Upper Room under the heavens. We have re-lived the
experience of the nascent Church, praying with Mary, the Mother of Jesus. In
the diversity of
these charisms we have experienced the beauty of unity, of being one. This is
the work of the Holy Spirit who always creates unity in the Church
anew.”
The bishop of Rome thanked the ecclesial movements, communities, and
associations, calling them “a gift and a wealth for the Church”
and especially thanking them for having come from Rome and so many parts of
the world to gather together.
“Always carry with you the strength of the Gospel! Do not be afraid!
Always have joy and passion for communion in the Church! May the Risen Lord be
always with you and Our Lady protect you!”
At the end of the Regina Coeli, the Pope recalled in his prayers the
population of Emilia Romagna in northern Italy who, at this time last year,
suffered an earthquake, also praying for the Italian Federation of
Associations of Volunteers in
Oncology.
___________________________________________________________
ECCLESIAL MOVEMENTS: THE CHURCH CANNOT BE LOCKED WITHIN ITSELF
Vatican City, 18 May 2013 (VIS) – Today and yesterday, events for
ecclesial movements of new lay communities and associations to reflect on the
theme “I Believe! Increase our Faith!” were held in Rome as part
of the Year of Faith.
Over 120,000 people were gathered in St. Peter's Square this afternoon when
the Pope arrived at 5:30pm and, after greeting the pilgrims, initiated the
Pentecost Vigil.
After the opening welcome by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the
Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization, the image of the
Virgin Mary Salus Populi Romani was brought in a procession to the centre of
the square and then
enthroned. After a series of readings, songs, and testimonials, Pope Francis
answered four questions asked by representatives of the movements. Following
are the questions with a summary of the Holy Father's answers.
Q: “How were you able to achieve certainty of faith in your life, and
what path can you indicate to us so that each one of us can overcome our
fragility of faith?”
A: “I have had the good fortune to grow up in a family where the
faith was lived in a simple and concrete manner ... The first proclamation is
in the home, within the family, right? And this makes me think of the love of
so many mothers and so
many grandmothers in the transmission of the faith. … We do not find
our faith in the abstract, no! It is always a person who preaches it to us,
who tells us who Jesus is, who gives us the faith, who gives us the first
announcement. … But
there is a very important day for me: September 21, 1953. I was almost 17. It
was the 'Students' Day'.... Before going to the festival, I went to my parish
and met a priest I did not know, but I felt the need to confess. …
After confession I felt
that something had changed. I was not the same. I felt a voice call me: I was
convinced that I had to become a priest. This experience of faith is
important. We say that we must seek God, go to him to ask for
forgiveness ... but when we go, He is already waiting for us. He is the first
one there! ... And this creates wonder in the hearts of those who do not
believe, and this is how faith grows! With an encounter with a Person, with an
encounter with the
Lord.”
Regarding fragility: “Fragility’s biggest enemy curiously
enough, is fear. But do not be afraid! We are weak, we know it but He is
stronger! If you are with him, then there is no problem! A child is
fragile—I see many
today—but they are with their fathers and their mothers so they are
safe! We too are safe with the Lord; we are secure. Faith grows with the Lord,
out of the very hands of the Lord.”
Q: The second question concerned the challenge of evangelization and what
the movements should do to put the task have been called to into practice.
A: “I will say just three words. First: Jesus. … If we move
forward with planning and other things, beautiful things indeed, but without
Jesus, then something is wrong. Jesus is the most important thing. …
The second word is
prayer. Look at the face of God, but above all ... know that you are being
looked at in return. … And third, 'witness'. … the faith can
only be communicated through witness and that is through love. Not with our
ideas, but by living the
Gospel in our own lives, which the Holy Spirit brings to life within us.
… Not so much speaking, but speaking through the way you live: the
consistency of your life … which means living Christianity as an
encounter with Jesus that leads me
towards others and not as a social fact. Socially this how we are. Are we
Christians? Wrapped up in ourselves? No, not that. Witness!”
Q: The third question was how to live as “a poor Church, for the
poor”.
A: “First of all, the main contribution we can make is to live the
Gospel. The Church is not a political movement or a well-organized structure:
That is not her. … The Church is the 'salt of the earth, the light of
the world’. She
is called to make the leaven of the Kingdom of God present in society and do
it first by witness, her witness of fraternal love, solidarity … When
you hear some say that solidarity is not a value, that it's a 'basic attitude'
that needs to
disappear ... this is wrong! … Moments of crisis, such as the one we
are experiencing ... are not only an economic crisis, not a cultural crisis.
It is a crisis of humanity: it is humanity that is in crisis. And what can be
destroyed is mankind!
But mankind is the image of God!”
“In this time of crisis we can't just worry about ourselves, can't
get wrapped up in loneliness or discouragement … Please do not get
locked away in yourselves! That is a danger: locking ourselves away inside our
parish, among our
friends, in our movement, with people who think the same way we do ... But you
know what is happening? When the Church becomes closed up in itself it gets
sick. ,,, The Church must go out from herself. Where? Towards the boundaries
of existence,
whatever those might be, but get out. Faith is an encounter with Jesus and we
must do the same as Jesus, meet others. .… We have to bring about
encounter. We have to make our faith a 'culture of encounter' and of
friendship, a culture wherein we
find brothers and sisters, where we can talk even with those who do not think
like us, even with those with which have a different faith … Everyone
has something in common with us: they are made in the image of God!
… We must go out to meet with everyone without negotiating about the
faith we belong to.”
“And another important point: we must go out to meet the poor.
… Today, imagine, all the children who don't have something to eat is
not news. This is serious. We cannot stay calm! We cannot become
starch-pressed Christians, those
Christians who are too highly educated, who speak of theological issues over
tea, calmly. No! We must become courageous Christians and go out in search of
those who are the flesh of Christ. … Poverty, for us Christians, is not
a sociological or
philosophical or cultural category. No. It is a theological category. I would
say, perhaps, the first category, because God, the Son of God, humbled
himself, became poor to walk along the road with us. This is our poverty: the
poverty of the flesh of
Christ; the poverty that has brought us the Son of God with his
ncarnation.”
Q: The fourth question was: How can we help our brothers and sisters if
there is little we can do to change the socio-political climate they are
living under?
A: “Two virtues are needed to proclaim the Gospel: courage and
patience. They are in the Church of patience. They suffer and there are more
martyrs today than in the early centuries of the Church. … It should be
noted that many times
these conflicts do not have a religious origin. Often there are other causes
of a social and political nature and unfortunately, religious affiliations are
used like fuel to the fire. A Christian must always know how to respond to
evil with good,
although it is often difficult. We must try to make them feel—these
brothers and sisters of ours—that we are deeply united ... to their
situation, that we know that they are Christians who have 'entered a state of
patience'. … they
experience the limits, the very limits, between life and death. And for us,
this experience should lead us to promote religious freedom for all: for
everyone! Every man and woman should be free in their religious confession,
whatever it may be. Why? Because that man and that woman are children of
God.“
The vigil ended with the profession of faith, prayer intentions, and the
singing of the Regina Coeli.
___________________________________________________________
HUMAN RIGHTS, RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, AND INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION FOCUS OF
AUDIENCE BETWEEN POPE AND ANGELA MERKEL
Vatican City, 18 May 2013 (VIS) – This morning, Saturday 18 May 2013,
in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Federal Chancellor of Germany, Her
Excellency Ms. Angela Merkel, was received in audience by the Holy Father
Francis. Chancellor Merkel
then went on to meet with Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for
Relations with States.
During the cordial conversations, the long history of relations between the
Holy See and Germany was recalled and topics of common interest were focused
on, including the socio-political, economic, and religious situation in Europe
and the World. In
particular, the protection of human rights, the persecution of Christians,
religious freedom, and international collaboration for the promotion of peace
were discussed.
Finally, there was an exchange of viewpoints on Europe as a community of
values and its responsibilities in the world, with the expression of the
desire for all civil and religious elements to commit to a development founded
upon the dignity of the
person and inspired by principles of subsidiarity and solidarity.
___________________________________________________________
CHRISTIANS AND BUDDHISTS: INNER PEACE, PEACE AMONG PEOPLES
Vatican City, 20 May 2013 (VIS) – “Inner Peace, Peace Among
Peoples” was the theme of the fourth Buddhist-Christian Colloquium held
at the Pontifical Urbaniana University, sponsored by the Pontifical Council
for Interreligious
Dialogue in collaboration with the Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious
Dialogue of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Italy. The participants,
coming from Italy, Japan, the Republic of China (Taiwan), Vietnam, South
Korea, Thailand, Myanmar,
Sri Lanka, and India, reaffirmed the need of mutual responsibility to maintain
or to restore peace and to contribute to friendship and solidarity among
persons and peoples.
“In both the Christian and Buddhist journeys,” a communique
released today states, “inner freedom, purification of the heart,
compassion, and the gift of self are the essential conditions for the inner
peace of the individual as
well as for social peace. In spite of differences, both Buddhist and Christian
ethical teaching on respect for life is a search for common good based on
loving kindness and compassion. The participants expressed that dialogue
between Buddhists and
Christians be strengthened to face new challenges such as threat to human
life, poverty, hunger, endemic diseases, violence, war, etc., which belittle
the sanctity of human life and poison peace in human society.“
___________________________________________________________
AUDIENCES
Vatican City, 20 May 2013 (VIS) – This morning the Holy Father
received in separate audiences:
nine prelates from the Sicilia Region of the Italian Episcopal Conference
on their "ad limina" visit:
- Archbishop Salvatore Gristina of Catania,
- Archbishop Salvatore Pappalardo of Siracusa,
- Archbishop Calogero La Piana, S.D.B., of Messina-Lipari-Santa Lucia
del Mela,
- Bishop Ignazio Zambito of Patti,
- Bishop Paolo Urso of Ragusa,
- Bishop Salvatore Muratore of Nicosia,
- Bishop Antonio Stagliano of Noto,
- Bishop Calogero Peri, O.F.M. Cap., of Caltagirone, and
- Bishop Antonino Raspanti of Acireale.
Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, president emeritus of the Pontifical
Commission “Ecclesia Dei”, and
Cardinal Robert Sarah, president of the Pontifical Council “Cor
Unum”.
This afternoon in the Domus Sanctae Marthae chapel he is scheduled to
receive nine prelates from the Sicilia Region of the Italian Episcopal
Conference on their "ad limina" visit:
- Cardinal Paolo Romeo, archbishop of Palermo and apostolic
administrator "sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" of the eparchy of Piana
degli Albanesi (of the Italo-Albanians), with the auxiliary of Palermo:
- Bishop Carmelo Cuttitta, titular of Novi,
- Archbishop Francesco Montenegro of Agrigento,
- Archbishop Michele Pennisi of Monreale,
- Archbishop Alessandro Plotti, emeritus of Pisa and apostolic
administrator "sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis" of Trapani,
- Bishop Vincenzo Manzella of Cefalu,
- Bishop Mario Russotto of Caltanissetta,
- Bishop Domenico Mogavero of Mazara del Vallo, and
- Msgr. Giovanni Bongiovanni, diocesan administrator of Piazza
Armerina.
On Saturday, 18 May, the Holy Father received in separate audiences:
- Archbishop Miroslaw Adamczyk, apostolic nuncio to Liberia and titular
of Otriculum, and
- Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith.
___________________________________________________________
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican City, 20 May 2013 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father appointed
Archbishop William Goh Seng Chye as archbishop of Singapore, (area 639,
population 5,076,700, Catholics 189,094, priests 144, religious 417).
Archbishop Goh, previously coadjutor of
that same archdiocese, succeeds Archbishop Nicholas Chia Yeck Joo, whose
resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father
accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
On Saturday, 18 May, the Holy Father appointed:
- Bishop Manuel Jose Macario do Nascimento Clemente as patriarch of
Lisbon (area 3,735, population 2,235,000, Catholics 1,869,000, priests 604,
permanent deacons 79, religious 1,507), Portugal. Bishop Macario do Nascimento
Clemente,
previously of Porto, Portugal, currently serves as the vice president of the
Portuguese Episcopal Conference. Since 2012 he has been a member of the
Pontifical Council for Social Communications. He succeeds Cardinal Jose da
Cruz Policarpo, whose
resignation from the pastoral care of the same patriarchy the Holy Father
accepted, upon having reached the age limit.
- Archbishop Michael Wallace Banach as apostolic nuncio to the Solomon
Islands. Archbishop Banach, titular of Memphis, is also apostolic nuncio to
Papua New Guinea.
- Bishop Jozef Piotr Kupny as archbishop of Wroclaw (area 8,850,
population 1,200,300, Catholics 1,153,600, priests 858, religious 1,204),
Poland. Archbishop-elect Kupny, previously auxiliary of Katowice and titular
of Vanariona,
was born in Dabrowka Wielka, Lodz Voivodeship, Poland, in 1956, was ordained
to the priesthood in 1983, and received episcopal ordination in 2005. He was
recently elected a member of the permanent council of the Polish Episcopal
Conference and is
president of the Council for Social Questions and delegate to Catholic
Movements and Associations. He succeeds Archbishop Marian Golebiewski, whose
resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese the Holy Father
accepted, upon having reached
the age limit.
___________________________________________________________
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