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 VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXIII - N° 134
DATE 24-06-2013

Summary:
 - HOLY FATHER: “DUE TO OUR COMMON ROOTS, A CHRISTIAN CANNOT BE
ANTI-SEMITIC!”
 - POPE RECEIVES PRIME MINISTER OF MALTA
 - POPE'S AUDIENCE WITH ADOLFO PEREZ ESQUIVEL AND FELIX DIAZ
 - STS. PETER AND PAUL ASSOCIATION: “FREELY SERVE ALL AS JESUS DID”
 - ANGELUS: BE PROUD TO GO AGAINST THE CURRENT
 - SMALL VIPS FOR THE DAY PULL IN TO VATICAN TRAIN STATION
 - FRANCIS: CHURCH IS TO SERVE, TO LOVE, AND TO BELIEVE IN HUMANITY
 - BEETHOVEN FOR YEAR OF FAITH
 - SPECIAL ENVOYS OF THE HOLY FATHER
 - AUDIENCES
 - OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

___________________________________________________________


HOLY FATHER: “DUE TO OUR COMMON ROOTS, A CHRISTIAN CANNOT BE
ANTI-SEMITIC!”
Vatican City, 24 June 2013 (VIS) – At noon today, the Holy Father
received 30 members of the delegation of the International Jewish Committee on
Interreligious Consultations. The Pope recalled that 21 previous meetings have
helped to strengthen
the mutual understanding and ties of friendship between Jews and Catholics.
This is Pope Francis' first official meeting with a group of representatives
of Jewish organizations and communities since his election. The pontiff said
that the “Nostra Aetate” Declaration of the Second Vatican Council
represents “a
key point of reference for relations with the Jewish people” for the
Catholic Church.
“In that Council text, the Church recognizes that 'the beginnings of its
faith and election are to be found in the patriarchs, Moses, and prophets'.
And, with regard to the Jews, the Council recalls the teaching of Saint Paul,
who wrote 'the gifts
and the call of God are irrevocable' and who also firmly condemned hatred,
persecution, and all forms of anti-Semitism. Due to our common roots, a
Christian cannot be anti-Semitic!”
The Holy Father noted that “the fundamental principles expressed by the
Declaration have marked the path of greater awareness and mutual understanding
trodden these last decades by Jews and Catholics, a path which my predecessors
have strongly
encouraged, both by very significant gestures and by the publication of a
series of documents to deepen the thinking about the theological roots of the
relations between Jews and Christians.”
Nevertheless, this represents “only the most visible element of a vast
movement that takes place on the local level a bit throughout the world, as I
know from personal experience. During my ministry as Archbishop of Buenos
Aires, I had the joy of
maintaining relations of sincere friendship with leaders of the Jewish world.
We talked often of our respective religious identities, the image of the human
person found in the Scriptures, and how to keep an awareness of God alive in a
world now
secularized in many ways. I met with them on various occasions to discuss the
common challenges faced by both Jews and Christians. But above all, as
friends, we enjoyed each other’s company, we were mutually enriched
through encounter and
dialogue, with an attitude of reciprocal welcome, and this helped all of us
grow as persons and as believers.”
“These friendly relations are, in a way, the basis for the development
of a more official dialogue,” the Pope said, encouraging those present
to follow their path, “trying, as you do so, to involve younger
generations. Humanity needs
our joint witness in favour of respect for the dignity of man and woman
created in the image and likeness of God and in favour of the peace that is,
above all, God’s gift.”
Pope Francis concluded his address by recalling the words of the prophet
Jeremiah: “For I know well the plans I have in mind for yo
—affirms the Lord—plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to
give you a future of hope.”

___________________________________________________________


POPE RECEIVES PRIME MINISTER OF MALTA
Vatican City, 24 June 2013 (VIS) - Today in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the
Holy Father Francis received His Excellency Dr. Joseph Muscat, Prime Minister
of the Republic of Malta, in audience. Prime Minister Muscat then met with the
Secretary of
State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, S.D.B., accompanied by Archbishop Dominique
Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.
During the cordial talks, the apostolic origins of the Maltese Church were
recalled, along with the decisive impression that Christianity has made upon
the history and culture of the people of the archipelago. Also remembered were
the pastoral visits to
Malta made by Blessed Pope John Paul II and His Holiness Benedict XVI, which
left profound memories in the life of the Church and on the people.
The need of maintaining Christian values steadfast was reaffirmed and the
important role—protected thanks to the many agreements concluded between
the Holy See and Malta—carried out by the Catholic Church with her
educational and charitable
institutions was mentioned, including teaching the Catholic religion in state
schools, Catholic schools, and on Church properties. Particular note was made
of the Agreement on the civil effects of religious marriages, which will be
the object of further
discussions between the Parties.
While mentioning the important challenges and critical situations affecting
the Mediterranean region and the country’s role in the European Union,
special emphasis was given to the deep commitment, on the part of both the
Church and the Government
of Malta, to dealing with the phenomenon of migration to Europe.

___________________________________________________________


POPE'S AUDIENCE WITH ADOLFO PEREZ ESQUIVEL AND FELIX DIAZ
Vatican City, 24 June 2013 (VIS) – The Director of the Holy See Press
Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., released the following communique.
“This morning the Holy Father received in audience Mr. Adolfo Perez
Esquivel, recipient of the 1980 Nobel Peace Prize, accompanying Mr. Felix
Diaz, leader of the Qom ethnic tribe's “La Primavera” Community,
with his wife Mrs. Amanda
Asijak, and Fr. Francisco Nazar, vicar for the indigenous populations of the
Diocese of Formosa, Argentina.”
“Mr. Diaz expressed his gratitude to the Holy Father for the audience
and for what it means as an expression of interest and support. He related to
Pope Francis the difficulties faced by the indigenous peoples of Argentina and
Latin America, as
well as his concerns for the protection of their rights, especially in regard
to their territory and cultural identity.”

___________________________________________________________


STS. PETER AND PAUL ASSOCIATION: “FREELY SERVE ALL AS JESUS DID”
Vatican City, 23 June 2013 (VIS) – At 11:15 this morning in the Hall of
Blessings of the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Francis received
members of the Association of Sts. Peter and Paul. He thanked them for the
charitable activities
they undertake and for their collaboration in the smooth operations of the
celebrations that take place in the Vatican.
The association came into being at the wish of Paul VI, who in 1970 disbanded
various groups of pontifical guards including the Palatine Guard of Honour
created by Pius IX in 1850. His intention was to bring together a group of the
faithful of Rome who
wished to express their unconditional fidelity to the Apostolic See. Former
members of the guard were thus invited to join a new group called the
Association of Sts. Peter and Paul, the statutes of which were approved by
Paul VI in 1971.
The Association is divided into three sections: liturgy, culture, and charity,
and has a general secretariat. It undertakes various initiatives with the aim
of bearing witness to Christian life, the apostolate, and faithfulness to the
Apostolic See.
“I know,” the Pope commented, “that there is a lot of
'behind the scenes' work. I also know that your service of welcoming [pilgrims
and tourists] to St. Peter's Basilica, your service for the liturgical
celebrations, your apostolate,
also extends to cultural and charitable activities. Above all charity, your
concrete attention towards others, towards the poorest, weakest, and most
needy is the hallmark of the Christian.”
Serving the Church and one's brothers and sisters without asking anything in
return, the pontiff said, “is beautiful. Serving without asking anything
in exchange, like Jesus. Jesus served us all and never asked for anything in
return. Jesus did
things freely and you do things freely. Your reward is precisely this: the joy
of serving the Lord and of doing it together!” This service is a great
Christian virtue of ”magnanimity, having a large heart, always expanding
your hearts with
patience; expanding it, loving all and not those insignificant things that do
us such harm.”
Finally, the Pope blessed those present and asked them to think of everyone
they love: “your family and your friends, so that the Blessing may go
out to them. But also think of some of those persons you don't like so well,
those who do you evil,
those you are a little angry with. Think of them too so that the Blessing
might also go out to them.”

___________________________________________________________


ANGELUS: BE PROUD TO GO AGAINST THE CURRENT
Vatican City, 23 June 2013 (VIS) – At noon today, the Holy Father
Francis 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. Before the
Marian prayer he
recalled Jesus' most incisive words: “whoever wishes to save his life
will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” He
then asked: “but what does it mean 'to lose one's life for Jesus'
cause'? This can happen in
two ways: by explicitly confessing the faith or implicitly defending truth.
The martyrs are the best example of losing one's life for Christ. In two
thousand years an immense host of men and women have sacrificed their lives to
remain faithful to Jesus
Christ and his Gospel. And today, in many parts of the world, there are
… so many martyrs who give their lives for Christ, who are brought to
death for not denying Jesus Christ. This is our Church.”
“Today we have more martyrs than in the first centuries! But there is
also the daily martyrdom, which doesn't result in death but is also a 'losing
of one's life' for Christ: doing one's duty with love, according to the logic
of Jesus, the logic
of giving and sacrifice. Think how many fathers and mothers put their faith
into practice every day, offering their lives for the good of the family!
… How many priests, brothers, and sisters generously carry out their
service for the Kingdom of
God. How many young people give up their own interests to dedicate themselves
to children, the disabled, the elderly... These too are martyrs! Everyday
martyrs, martyrs of everyday life! And there are many people, Christians and
non-Christians, who
'lose their own life' for the truth. Christ said 'I am the truth', so those
who serve the truth serve Christ.”
The Holy Father recalled how St. John the Baptist devoted himself entirely to
God and, in the end, died for the truth. “How many people pay dearly for
their commitment to the truth! How many righteous men and women prefer to go
against the current
so as to not deny the voice of their conscience, the voice of truth! Righteous
people, who are unafraid of going against the current! And we must not be
afraid!”
Before concluding, the Pope addressed the young persons present, telling them:
“Don't be afraid to go against the current, when they want to steal our
hope, when they propose rotten values to us, values like food that has gone
bad—and when
food has gone bad it makes us sick, these values make us sick. We have to go
against the current! And you, young people, be the first: Go against the grain
and be proud of going against the grain. Go on, be brave and go against the
current! And be proud
of doing it!”

___________________________________________________________


SMALL VIPS FOR THE DAY PULL IN TO VATICAN TRAIN STATION
Vatican City, 23 June 2013 (VIS) – Shortly after praying the Sunday
Angelus today, the Holy Father was at the Vatican train station to welcome the
250 children between the ages of 6 and 10 who were participating in the
“Children's Train: A
Journey through Beauty” initiative. Co-sponsored by the Pontifical
Council for Culture and the Italian Railway System, the project was dedicated
to children who have had problems with social inclusion and psycho-social
difficulties. The children,
accompanied by their families and teachers, were introduced to visual
communication and the language of images through works of art&md
sh;particularly in the cathedrals of the various cities—and educational
workshops.
The seven car train, which started from Milan, made stops in Bologna and
Florence before pulling into the Vatican stop shortly before 12:00pm. The
children's first strong impression was of the immense cupola of St. Peter's
Basilica and emotions were
running high in the short time it took for the gates of Vatican territory to
be opened and their train to be towed to its destination by a diesel engine.
Pope Francis arrived at 12:20pm and greeted them, chatting with them and
asking how the trip went
amid hugs and kisses. The Vatican train station was filled with the joy of the
little ones, seeking the Pope's attention, who treated them like royalty.

___________________________________________________________


FRANCIS: CHURCH IS TO SERVE, TO LOVE, AND TO BELIEVE IN HUMANITY
Vatican City, 22 June 2013 (VIS) – Shortly after noon today in the
Vatican Basilica, the Holy Father received 5,000 pilgrims from the Diocese of
Bresica, Italy, accompanied by their bishop, Luciano Monari. They had
travelled to Rome as part of the
Year of Faith to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the election of their
fellow Brescian, Paul VI, to the pontificate. The Pope focused on three
fundamental aspects in Paul VI's witness and teachings: love for Christ, love
for Church, and love for
humanity.
“Paul VI,” said the Pope, “knew how to witness, in difficult
years, to the faith in Jesus Christ. … The total love for Christ
emerges throughout Montini's life, even in his choice of name as Pope, which
he explained with these
words: He is the Apostle 'who loved Christ so supremely, that he wished and
tried in the highest degree to bring Christ's Gospel to all nations and
offered his life out of love of Christ.' [His was] a profound love for Christ,
not to possess, but to
proclaim him,” the pontiff continued. “These passionate words are
great words. Let me tell you something: this address in Manila, and also the
one in Nazareth, have been a spiritual strength for me. They have done me good
in my life. I go
back to this address, again and again, because it it does me good to hear
these words of Paul VI today. And do we have the same love for Christ? Is He
the centre of our lives? Do our everyday actions witness to him?”
Francis then spoke of his second point, Paul VI's love for the Church. It was
“a passionate love, the love of a lifetime, joyful and painful,
expressed from his first encyclical, 'Ecclesiam suam'. … He loved the
Church and offered himself
for her without reservation. … This is the heart of a true Shepherd, a
true Christian, a man capable of loving!” Pope Francis then stressed
that, for him, “Evangelii Nuntiandi” is the “greatest
pastoral document written to
date.” “Paul VI had a very clear vision that the Church is a
Mother who bears Christ and who leads to Christ.” The Holy Father then
addressed the faithful again, asking them: “Are we truly a Church united
to Christ, going out and
proclaiming to all, even and especially those whom I call the 'existential
periphery', or are we wrapped up in ourselves, in our groups, in our little
cliques? Do we love the great Church, the Mother Church, the Church that sends
 us on
mission and makes us go out of ourselves?”
The pontiff then turned to his third point, love for humanity. This is also
tied to Christ. It is the passion for God that compels us to meet persons, to
respect them, recognize them, and serve them.” Francis recalled Paul
VI's words at the last
session of Vatican Council II: “The religion of the God who became Man
has met the religion of man who made himself God. What happened? A combat, a
fight, an anathema? This could have happened, but it didn't. The old story of
the Samaritan was the
paradigm for the Council's spirituality. … All this doctrinal wealth
was focused in a single direction: to serve humanity … in its every
condition, in its every sickness, in its every need. The Church has almost
declared herself humanity's
handmaid.”
Pope Francis then added, “this also gives us light today, in this world
where humanity is denied, where it's preferred to travel the path of
gnosticism—either the 'no flesh' of a God who didn't take flesh, or the
'no God' of Promethean man
who can go forward [alone]. At this time we can say the same things as Paul
VI: the Church is the handmaid of humanity, the Church believes in Christ who
came in the flesh and therefore serves humanity, loves humanity, believes in
humanity. This is the
inspiration of the great Paul VI.”
“Dear friends,” the Pope concluded, “gathering in the name
of the Venerable Servant of God Paul VI does us good! His witness nourishes
the flame of love for Christ in us.”

___________________________________________________________


BEETHOVEN FOR YEAR OF FAITH
Vatican City, 24 June 2013 (VIS) – At 5:30pm Saturday afternoon in the
Paul VI Audience Hall, a concert sponsored by the Pontifical Council for
Promoting the New Evangelization as part of the Year of Faith was given. After
Archbishop Rino
Fisichella, president of that dicastery, greeted those present on behalf of
the Holy Father, who couldn't attend because of an “urgent task that
cannot be put off but must be dealt with at the present moment”, he read
the Pope's words of
thanks to the organizers, singers, choir, and orchestra. Then the Italian
Symphonic Orchestra of the RAI, conducted by Juraj Valcuha, performed
Beethoven's Symphony no. 9 in D minor op.125, accompanied by the Choir of the
National Academy of St Cecilia.

___________________________________________________________


SPECIAL ENVOYS OF THE HOLY FATHER
Vatican City, 22 June 2013 (VIS) – Made public today was the letter from
the Pope, written in Latin and dated 10 May, in which he appoints Cardinal
Josip Bozanic, archbishop of Zagreb, Croatia, as his special envoy to the
1150th anniversary of the
arrival of Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Czech territory, which will take place
in Velehrad, Czech Republic, on 5 July 2013.
The mission that will accompany the cardinal is composed of Msgr. Tomas Holub
of the Diocese of Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic, secretary general of the
Czech Bishops' Conference, and Fr. Ladislao Nosek, S.J., vicar of the Parish
of St. Stephen in
Prague, Czech Republic, and chaplain of several Czech Catholic schools.
Also issued today was a letter, likewise written in Latin and dated 10 May,
appointing Cardinal Franc Rode, C.M., prefect emeritus of the Congregation for
Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, as his special
envoy to the 1150th
anniversary of the arrival of Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Slovakian territory,
which will take place in Nitra, Slovak Republic, on 5 July 2013.
The mission that will accompany the cardinal is composed of Msgr. Vladimir
Stahovec of the Diocese of Roznava, Slovakia, currently rector of the
Pontifical College of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Rome, Italy, and Don Martin
Kramara, of the Diocese of
Zilina, Slovakia, chaplain of the Diocese of Rome for the Pastoral Care of
Resident Slovakians.
Finally, the letter of the Holy Father, dated 25 May, was also made public, in
which he appointed Cardinal Francesco Monterisi, archpriest emeritus of the
Saint Paul Outside-the-Walls Basilica, as special envoy to the closing
celebration of the sixth
centenary of the discovery of the statue of Santa Maria della Libera to be
held in the shrine of Cercemaggiore, Campobasso, Italy on 2 July of this year.

___________________________________________________________


AUDIENCES
Vatican City, 24 June 2013 (VIS) – This morning, the Holy Father
received Cardinal Marc Ouellet, P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for
Bishops.
This afternoon he is scheduled to receive Cardinal Albert Malcolm Ranjith
Patabendige Don, archbishop of Colombo, Sri Lanka.
On Saturday, 22 June, the Holy Father received:
   - His Most Eminent Highness Fra' Matthew Festing, prince and grand master
of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, accompanied by an entourage,
   - Her excellency Mrs. Neda Rosandic Saric, former Croatian ambassador to
Argentina, and
   - Fr. Francois-Xavier Dumortier, S.J., rector of the Pontifical Gregorian
University, Rome, Italy.

___________________________________________________________


OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican City, 24 June 2013 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father appointed Fr.
Mario Leon Dorado, O.M.I., as apostolic prefect of Western Sahara. Fr. Leon
Dorado is currently administrator of the same Apostolic Prefecture.
On Saturday, 22 June, the Holy Father:
  - appointed Fr. Bernard Taiji Katsuya as bishop of Sapporo (area 83,452,
population 5,518,088, Catholics 17,619 , priests 56, religious 308), Japan.
The bishop-elect was born in Muroran-Hokkaido, Japan in 1955 and was ordained
a priest for
the Diocese of Sapporo in 1986. Since ordination he has served in several
pastoral and academic roles, most recently, since 2008, as director of the
District of Sapporo and, since 2012, as substitute pastor of Tsukisamu.
  - accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary of the Diocese of
Rockville Centre, New York, USA, presented by Bishop John Charles Dunne, upon
having reached the age limit.

___________________________________________________________

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 VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE 
YEAR XXIII - N° 134
DATE 24-06-2013

Summary:
 - HOLY FATHER: “DUE TO OUR
COMMON ROOTS, A CHRISTIAN
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