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VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - N° 144
DATE 01-07-2013
Summary:
- POPE FRANCIS' FIRST ENCYCLICAL, “LUMEN FIDEI”, TO BE PUBLISHED
5 JULY
- POPE FRANCIS WILL PRAY FOR IMMIGRANTS IN LAMPEDUSA
- THE HOLY FATHER'S PROGRAMME FOR AUGUST
- SIX THOUSAND YOUNG PEOPLE BEAR WITNESS TO THEIR VOCATION
- POPE FRANCIS RECALLS BENEDICT XVI'S EXAMPLE
- POPE'S MESSAGE TO YOUNG LITHUANIANS
- THE BISHOP OF ROME IS CALLED TO CONFIRM IN FAITH, LOVE AND UNITY
- SAINTS PETER AND PAUL TRANSMIT TO THE CHURCH THE FAITH IN A GOD OF LOVE AND
GRACE
- CARDINAL TAURAN, POPE'S SPECIAL ENVOY TO BUDSLAU SANCTUARY
- AUDIENCES
___________________________________________________________
POPE FRANCIS' FIRST ENCYCLICAL, “LUMEN FIDEI”, TO BE PUBLISHED 5
JULY
Vatican City, 1 July 2013 (VIS) - Pope Francis' first encyclical, entitled
“Lumen Fidei”, will be published on Friday 5 July. The document,
described as “not very extensive” by the director of the Holy See
Press Office, Fr.
Federico Lombardi S.J., will be presented at a Press Conference by Cardinal
Marc Ouellet, P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith, and Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for
Promoting New
Evangelization.
___________________________________________________________
POPE FRANCIS WILL PRAY FOR IMMIGRANTS IN LAMPEDUSA
Vatican City, 1 July 2013 (VIS) – The Holy See Press Office today
communicated that the Holy Father will visit the island of Lampedusa, Sicily,
on Monday 8 July. The communique states that the Pope, “profoundly moved
by the recent wreck
involving a boat transporting migrants from Africa, the latest in a series of
similar tragedies, intends to pray for those who have lost their lives at sea,
to visit the survivors and refugees, to give encouragement to the island's
inhabitants and to
appeal to the responsibility of all to care for these brothers and sisters in
extreme need. Due to the specific nature of the circumstances, the visit will
be carried out as discreetly as possible, also with regard to the presence of
bishops from the
region and the civil authorities.
___________________________________________________________
THE HOLY FATHER'S PROGRAMME FOR AUGUST
Vatican City, 1 July 2013 (VIS) – According to a communique issued today
by the Prefecture of the Papal Household, the general audiences will be
suspended during the month of August and will recommence on Wednesday 4
September.
Throughout the entire month of August, the Angelus Marian prayer will continue
in the Vatican, with the exception of Thursday 15 August, solemnity of the
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On that day, the Holy Father will
celebrate the Holy Mass in
the parish of Castel Gandolfo and will subsequently pray the Angelus from the
apostolic palace of his summer residence.
___________________________________________________________
SIX THOUSAND YOUNG PEOPLE BEAR WITNESS TO THEIR VOCATION
Vatican City, 01 July 2013 (VIS) – This morning in the Holy See Press
Office a presentation was given for the “Great Event of the Year of
Faith, a Day for seminarians, novices, and all those who have taken the path
of vocation”. The
participants were Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical
Council for Promoting New Evangelization, Archbishop Jose Octavio Ruiz Arenas,
secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization, and Msgr
Graham Bell,
under-secretary of the same Pontifical Council. The initiative is entitled
“I trust in you”, to indicate the act by which the young may still
find the strength and courage to consecrate themselves to the Lord and to the
priestly or
consecrated life as a sign of generosity to the Lord Who calls upon them to
follow Him.
The event will begin on 4 July with a pilgrimage to the tomb of St. Peter. It
will depart from the gardens of Castel Sant'Angelo and continue along the
entire length of Via della Conciliazione, concluding at St. Peter's Basilica
where Cardinal Angelo
Comastri will address those present.
The following day, 5 July, will be dedicated to catechesis in various
languages, and will take place in designated churches throughout the historic
centre of the capital. The day will conclude at Piazza del Campidoglio where
there will be a celebration
with various singers; two seminarians and a young Italian nun will relate
their own experiences.
The morning of Saturday 6 July will be dedicated to the celebration of
reconciliation and Eucharistic adoration. For the superiors accompanying the
young seminarians and religious there will be the opportunity to reflect on
matters of formation at the
Lateran University. In the afternoon, in the Paul VI Hall, Cardinal Mauro
Piacenza, prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, will offer some thoughts
prior to an encounter with Pope Francis, who will offer privileged testimony
of his own vocation.
Musical accompaniment will be provided by the Irish group “The
Priests” and by the nun Glenda. Finally, there will be a Marian
procession in the Vatican Gardens, concluding at St. Peter's Basilica with a
final address from Cardinal J. Braz
de Aviz, prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life.
On the morning of Sunday 7 July, the Pope will celebrate Mass in St. Peter's
Basilica followed by the Angelus.
It is hoped that some six thousand young people from 66 different countries
will participate in the initiative; representatives, according to Archbishop
Fisichella, of the “thousands and thousands of other young people who
will be spiritually
united with them in bearing witness to their vocation”.
___________________________________________________________
POPE FRANCIS RECALLS BENEDICT XVI'S EXAMPLE
Vatican City, 30 June 2013 (VIS) – Jesus' steadfast decision to set out
on the path to Jerusalem, his final destination and the place where He
fulfilled His mission of salvation, and His freedom of conscience were the
themes of the Pope's final
Angelus in the month of June, prayed with tens of thousands of faithful
gathered in St. Peter's Square.
“From that time forth after His steadfast decision, Jesus aims straight
for the finish line, and even to the people he meets and who ask to follow
Him, He clearly states the conditions: not having a permanent abode; knowing
how to detach oneself
from familiar affections; not succumbing to nostalgia for the past. But Jesus
also said to his disciples, charged with preceding Him on the way to Jerusalem
to announce His coming, not to impose anything: if they do not find willing
welcome, they are
simply to continue, to move on. Jesus never imposes” Pope Francis
emphasized. “Jesus is humble. Jesus extends invitations: 'If you want,
come'. The humility of Jesus is like this: He always invites us. He does not
impose”.
“All this makes us think … of the importance, even for Jesus, of
conscience: listening in his heart to the Father's voice, and following it.
Jesus, in his earthly life, was not, so to speak, 'remote-controlled': He was
the Word made flesh,
the Son of God made man, and at one point he made a firm decision to go up to
Jerusalem for the last time - a decision taken in His conscience, but not on
His own: ??with the Father, in full union with Him! ... For this reason, then,
the decision was
steadfast: because it was taken together with the Father. In the Father, then,
Jesus found the strength and the light for His journey. Jesus was free. His
decision was a free one. Jesus wants us Christians to be free as he is: with
that liberty, which
comes from this dialogue with the Father ... Jesus wants neither selfish
Christians, who follow their egos and do not speak with God, nor weak
Christians, without will: 'remote-controlled' Christians, incapable of
creativity, who seek
always to connect with the will of another ... Jesus wants us free, and this
freedom – where is it found? It is to be found in the inner dialogue
with God in conscience. If a Christian … does not know how to listen to
God, in his own
conscience, then he is not free – he is not free”.
“So we also must learn to listen more to our conscience. Be careful,
however: this does not mean we ought to follow our ego, do whatever interests
us, whatever suits us, whatever pleases us. That is not conscience. Conscience
is the interior space
in which we can listen to and hear the truth, the good, the voice of God. It
is the inner place of our relationship with Him, who speaks to our heart and
helps us to discern, to understand the path we ought to take, and once the
decision is made, to
move forward, to remain faithful”.
Pope Francis highlighted a wonderful example of how this relationship with God
in one's own conscience may be: Pope Benedict XVI, “when the Lord showed
him in prayer the step he had to take, followed his conscience with a great
sense of
discernment and courage; that is, he followed the will of God that spoke to
his heart”. This example “is of benefit to all of us, as an
example to follow”.
“May Mary help us to become more and more men and women of conscience,
free in our conscience … able to hear the voice of God and follow it
with decision” concluded the Pope.
After the Angelus, the Holy Father remarked that today in Italy we celebrate
the Day of charity of the Pope, and he thanked the bishops and all the
parishes, especially the poorest, for the prayers and offerings that support
the many pastoral
initiatives and charitable activities of the Successor of Peter in every part
of the world.
___________________________________________________________
POPE'S MESSAGE TO YOUNG LITHUANIANS
Vatican City, 30 June 2013 (VIS) – The Pope has written a message to the
participants in the Sixth Youth Day, to be held in Kaunas, Lithuania from 28
to 30 June.
The Pope writes, “Jesus wants to be your friend, … a master of
truth and life who will show you the path to happiness, to your
elf-realization according to God's plan for each of you. And this, Jesus'
friendship, which brings us mercy and
the love of God, is 'free', a pure gift. He asks nothing of you in return, He
asks only that you welcome Him. Jesus wishes to love you for what you are,
even in your fragility and weakness as, touched by His love, you may be
renewed”.
“The encounter with God's love in the friendship of Christ is possible
first and foremost through the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist and the
Reconciliation. … Jesus always forgives us. Another privileged way to
grow in Christ's
friendship is to listen to His word. The Lord speaks to us … through
the Sacred Scriptures, He speaks to us through prayer. … And here I
would like to emphasize the beauty of simple contemplative prayer, accessible
to all, old and young,
the cultured and the simple; it is the prayer of the Sacred Rosary. …
Indeed, in the Rosary, repeating Hail Mary, we meditate upon the Mysteries,
the events in the life of Christ, in order to know him and love him
more”.
“Christ's love is not an illusion … neither is it reserved to the
few. … Do not be afraid to live in faith! Be witnesses to Christ in
your daily lives, with simplicity and courage. To those you meet, to your
peers, show above all the
face of the mercy and love of God, Who always forgives, encourages and gives
hope. Always show care for others, especially to the poorest and weakest,
thereby living in fraternal love, against all forms of egotism and
narrow-mindedness”.
___________________________________________________________
THE BISHOP OF ROME IS CALLED TO CONFIRM IN FAITH, LOVE AND UNITY
Vatican City, 29 June 2013 (VIS) - This morning, on the solemnity of the
apostles Peter and Paul, Pope Francis celebrated the Holy Mass in St. Peter's
Basilica, during which the Pallium, a symbol of the bond of unity with the See
of Peter, was imposed
upon thirty-four new metropolitan archbishops.
The Holy Father concelebrated the Eucharist with the new archbishops. As is
traditional on the feast of the patrons of Rome, the Pope received in audience
a delegation from the ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, sent on
behalf of ecumenical
Patriarch Bartholomaios I and led by the metropolitan of Pergamo Ioannis
(Zizioulas), co-president of the Mixed Commission for Theological Dialogue
between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.
In his homily, Pope Francis spoke of the meaning of the verb “to
confirm” in the context of the Petrine ministry, in response to the
question, “What has the Bishop of Rome been called to confirm?”.
“First, to confirm in faith”, he said. “The Gospel speaks of
the confession of Peter: 'You are Christ, the Son of the living God', a
confession which does not come from him but from our Father in heaven. Because
of this confession,
Jesus replies: 'You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church'. The
role, the ecclesial service of Peter, is founded upon his confession of faith
in Jesus, the Son of the living God, made possible by a grace granted from on
high. In the second
part of today’s Gospel we see the peril of thinking in worldly terms.
When Jesus speaks of his death and resurrection, of the path of God which does
not correspond to the human path of power, flesh and blood re-emerge in Peter:
'He took Jesus
aside and began to rebuke him ... This must never happen to you'. Jesus’
response is harsh: 'Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me'. Whenever
we let our thoughts, our feelings or the logic of human power prevail, and we
do
not
let ourselves be taught and guided by faith, by God, we become stumbling
blocks. Faith in Christ is the light of our life as Christians and as
ministers in the Church!”
“To confirm in love” is the second answer. “In the second
reading we heard the moving words of Saint Paul: I have fought the good fight,
I have finished the race, I have kept the faith'”, continued the Holy
Father. “But
what is this fight? It is not one of those fights fought with human weapons
which sadly continue to cause bloodshed throughout the world; rather, it is
the fight of martyrdom. Saint Paul has but one weapon: the message of Christ
and the gift of his
entire life for Christ and for others. It is precisely this readiness to lay
himself open, personally, to be consumed for the sake of the Gospel, to make
himself all things to all people, unstintingly, that gives him credibility and
builds up the
Church. The Bishop of Rome is called himself to live and to confirm his
brothers and sisters in this love for Christ and for all others, without
distinction, limits or barriers. And not only the Bishop of Rome: each of you,
new archbishops and
bishops, have the same task: to let yourselves be consumed by the Gospel, to
become all things to everyone. It is your task to hold nothing back, to go
outside of yourselves in the service of the faithful and holy people of
God”.
Finally, the Pope continued, “To confirm in unity. Here I would like to
reflect for a moment on the rite which we have carried out. The pallium is a
symbol of communion with the Successor of Peter, 'the lasting and visible
source and foundation of
the unity both of faith and of communion'. And your presence today, dear
brothers, is the sign that the Church’s communion does not mean
uniformity. The Second Vatican Council, in speaking of the hierarchical
structure of the Church, states that
the Lord 'established the apostles as college or permanent assembly, at the
head of which he placed Peter, chosen from their number'. To confirm in unity:
the Synod of Bishops, in harmony with the primate. Let us go forward on the
path of synodality,
and grow in harmony with the service of the primacy. And the Council
continues, 'this college, in so far as it is composed of many members, is the
expression of the variety and universality of the people of God'. In the
Church, varie
ty,
which is itself a great treasure, is always grounded in the harmony of unity,
like a great mosaic in which every small piece joins with others as part of
God’s one great plan. This should inspire us to work always to overcome
every conflict which
wounds the body of the Church. United in our differences: there is no other
Catholic way to be united. This is the Catholic spirit, the Christian spirit:
to be united in our differences. This is the way of Jesus! The pallium, while
being a sign of
communion with the Bishop of Rome and with the universal church, with the
Synod of Bishops, also commits each of you to being a servant of
communion”.
“To confess the Lord by letting oneself be taught by God; to be consumed
by love for Christ and his Gospel; to be servants of unity. These, dear
brother bishops, are the tasks which the holy apostles Peter and Paul entrust
to each of us, so that
they can be lived by every Christian”, the Holy Father concluded.
___________________________________________________________
SAINTS PETER AND PAUL TRANSMIT TO THE CHURCH THE FAITH IN A GOD OF LOVE AND
GRACE
Vatican City, 29 June 2013 (VIS) – Following the Holy Mass celebrated in
St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study to pray
the Angelus on Sunday with the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square,
and recalled that
the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul was a special feast for the Church of
Rome, founded on the martyrdom of both apostles, and also for the Universal
Church, “since all the People of God owe to them the gift of
faith”.
While Peter “was the first to confess that Jesus is Christ, the Son of
God, Paul spread this news throughout the Greek-Roman world. And Providence
wished that both of them might reach Rome and there shed blood for the faith.
The Church of Rome
therefore became, spontaneously, the point of reference for all Churches
around the world. Not for the power of the Empire, but for the strength of
martyrdom and witness to Christ! In the end, it is always and only the love of
Christ that generates
faith and sustains the Church along her way”.
The Holy Father remarked that when Peter confessed his faith in Jesus,
“he did not do so because of His human capacities, but rather because he
had been moved by the grace Jesus emanated, by the love he felt in His words
and saw in His
gestures”. And the same happened to Paul when, as a young man and enemy
of Christians, he was called upon by the Risen Christ on the road to Damascus
and transformed by his vision: “He understood that Jesus was not dead,
but alive, and loved
even he who was His enemy. It was this experience of mercy, of God's
forgiveness through Jesus Christ: this is the Good News, the Gospel the Peter
and Paul experienced themselves and for which they gave their lives. Mercy,
forgiveness! The Lord always
forgives, the Lord has mercy, is merciful, has a merciful heart and awaits us
always … what joy it is to believe in a God Who is all love, all grace!
This is the faith that Peter and Paul received from Christ and which they have
transm
itted
to the Church”.
Pope Francis also spoke of the apostle Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, who
shared with him his experience of faith in Jesus, and who had indeed
encountered Him first. “I like to remember him also because today, in
accordance with a beautiful
tradition, Rome receives the delegation of the Patriarchate of Constantinople,
whose patron is indeed the apostle Andrew”. The Pope went on to invite
those present to pray together a Hail Mary for Patriarch Bartholomaios I, and
to pray also for
the metropolitan archbishops of the various Churches who received the Pallium
this morning.
After the Marian prayer, the Pope greeted the pilgrims who had gathered to
celebrate with the metropolitan archbishops: “I pray for their
communities, and in particular I encourage the central African people, sorely
tested at this time, to
continue on their path with faith and hope”.
___________________________________________________________
CARDINAL TAURAN, POPE'S SPECIAL ENVOY TO BUDSLAU SANCTUARY
Vatican City, 29 June 2013 (VIS) – A papal letter was published today,
written in Latin and dated 30 May, naming Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran,
president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, as the Holy
Father's special envoy to the
closing ceremony of the fourth centenary of the arrival of the image of the
Blessed Virgin at Budslau, Belarus, scheduled for the 5 and 6 July 2013.
Also named were the members of the mission who will accompany the cardinal:
Fr. Viktar Burlaka, O.F.M., of the parish of Assunta in Budslau and custodian
of the national Marian sanctuary of Budslau, and Fr. Uladzislau Zavalniuk, of
the parish of St.
Simon and St. Helen in Minsk.
___________________________________________________________
AUDIENCES
Vatican City, 1 July 2013 (VIS) – This morning, the Holy Father received
in separate audiences:
- Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of
Christian Unity;
- Luis Alberto Moreno, president of the Banco Interamericano de Desarollo
(BID) with his consort and retinue;
- Enrique Valentin Inglesias Garcia, secretary-general of the SEGIB
(Segretaria General Iberoamericana)
This afternoon, he is scheduled to receive:
- Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
___________________________________________________________
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VISnews130701
VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE YEAR XXII - N° 144 DATE 01-07-2013
Summary: - POPE FRANCIS' FIRST ENCYCLICAL,
“LUMEN FIDEI”, TO
BE PUBLISHED 5 JULY - POPE FRANCIS WILL PRAY FOR IMMIGRANTS IN
LAMPEDUSA - THE HOLY FATHER'S PROGRAMME FOR AUGUST - SIX THOUSAND
YOUNG PEOPLE BEAR WITNESS TO THEIR VOCATION - POPE FRANCIS RECALLS
BENEDICT XVI'S EXAMPLE -
POPE'S MESSAGE TO YOUNG LITHUANIANS - THE BISHOP OF ROME IS CALLED TO
CONFIRM IN FAITH, LOVE AND UNITY - SAINTS PETER AND PAUL TRANSMIT TO THE
CHURCH THE FAITH IN A GOD OF LOVE AND GRACE - CARDINAL TAURAN, POPE'S
SPECIAL ENVOY TO
BUDSLAU SANCTUARY - AUDIENCES
