Subject: VISnews140317
From: Vatican Information Service - Eng - txt 


 VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 51
DATE 17-03-2014

Summary:
 - "AD LIMINA" VISIT OF THE BISHOPS OF EAST TIMOR: REVOLUTION OF
TENDERNESS
 - POPE FRANCIS RECEIVES IN AUDIENCE THE PRESIDENT OF ARGENTINA
 - ERADICATE MODERN SLAVERY AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING
 - POPE FRANCIS: TO LISTEN TO JESUS, CARRY THE GOSPEL WITH YOU
 - THE POPE PRAYS FOR THE PASSENGERS OF THE MISSING MALAYSIAN AIRLINER
 - LISTEN TO AND LOOK AT JESUS TO ILLUMINATE THE SOUL
 - POPE FRANCIS CLOSE TO THE VICTIMS OF THE MAFIA
 - AUDIENCES
 - OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

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"AD LIMINA" VISIT OF THE BISHOPS OF EAST TIMOR: REVOLUTION OF
TENDERNESS
Vatican City, 17 March 2014 (VIS) -; This morning Pope Francis received
in audience the prelates of the Episcopal Conference of East Timor on their
"ad limina Apostolorum" visit, and delivered to them the text of
the address he had prepared. In the text, the Pope considers some of the
concerns the prelates had referred to him: the contribution of the bishops as
the critical conscience of the nation; the Church in mission, motivated by
mercy; and conveying the good news of salvation in local languages.
"The Church asks of society just one thing: the freedom to proclaim the
Gospel in full, also when it goes against current values. ... Dear
brothers, do not be afraid to make this contribution to the Church for the
good of all society. But if there is no mercy nowadays, there is little chance
of entering into the world of the 'wounded' who are in need of understanding,
forgiveness and love. This is why I never tire of calling all the Church to a
'revolution of tenderness'".
The Holy Father encourages them, "without diminishing the value of the
evangelical ideal, to control, with mercy and patience, the potential for
growth in the steps taken day by day ... and to meet this challenge
through the solid formation of priests, religious and lay faithful". The
Pope adds that "this does not require a specialised form of
evangelisation", and that it is necessary to make each Christian an
agent of evangelisation since "once a person truly experiences God's
saving love, it does not take long for that person to rise and proclaim the
Gospel, and they do not require great lessons or instruction. Every Christian
is a missionary to the extent that he encounters God's love in Jesus Christ.
... In all baptised persons, it is the Spirit that leads them to
evangelise". In addition, Pope Francis emphasises that
"challenge" does not imply a threat.
The Pontiff refers to the triple position the bishop must assume in relation
to the faithful: he must be at the head of his flock, in order to show the
way; in the centre, to maintain unity and neutralise any stampedes; and
behind, to ensure that no-one is left behind or strays. "In any case, be
men who are able to support, with love and patience, the steps of God
alongside his people, and bring to bear all that may keep them united, taking
care of possible dangers but above all enabling hope to grow: may you have sun
and light in your hearts!".

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POPE FRANCIS RECEIVES IN AUDIENCE THE PRESIDENT OF ARGENTINA
Vatican City, 16 March 2014 (VIS) -; The Holy See Press Office today
issued an informative note from the director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J.
regarding the private audience of the Holy Father with the president of the
Argentine Republic the full text of which is published below:
In the late morning, the Holy Father Francis received in audience the Domus
Sanctae Marthae the president of the Argentine Republic, Cristina Fernandez de
Kirchner, accompanied by a large delegation.
The visit had the aim of presenting to the Holy Father the greetings, wishes
and affection of the Argentine people to commemorate the anniversary of the
first year of his pontificate.
The Pope awaited and received the president and the delegation at the door of
the Domus Sanctae Marthae around 1.10 p.m. The meeting took place in the Hall
on the ground floor, first with the entire delegation, then with the president
alone. Then, at around 1.30 p.m., the Pope and the president lunched privately.

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ERADICATE MODERN SLAVERY AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Vatican City, 17 March 2014 (VIS) -; This morning a press conference was
held in the Holy See Press Office to present the "Global Freedom
Network", an agreement between the representatives of the great world
religions to eradicate modern forms of slavery and human trafficking, in
collaboration with the Walk Free Foundation. The speakers at the conference
were: Bishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of
Sciences and Social Sciences, on behalf of the Holy Father; Mahmoud Azab, on
behalf of the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Egypt; Rev. Sir John Moxon, on behalf of
the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, and Andrew
Forrest, founder of the Walk Free Foundation.
The objective of the agreement is to eradicate modern slavery and human
trafficking across the world by 2020"; it is a revolutionary and
unprecedented agreement among representatives of major faiths. The joint
statement made by the signatories underscores the "searing personal
destructiveness of modern slavery and human trafficking" and calls for
"urgent action by all other Christian Churches and global faiths".
According to the Joint Statement, "Modern slavery and human trafficking
are crimes against humanity. The physical, economic and sexual exploitation of
men, women and children condemns 30 million people to dehumanisation and
degradation. Every day we let this tragic situation continue is a grievous
assault on our common humanity and a shameful affront to the consciences of
all peoples. Any indifference to those suffering exploitation must cease. We
call to action all people of faith and their leaders, all governments and
people of goodwill, to join the movement against modern slavery and human
trafficking and support the Global Freedom Network".

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POPE FRANCIS: TO LISTEN TO JESUS, CARRY THE GOSPEL WITH YOU
Vatican City, 16 March 2014 (VIS) -; At midday today the Holy Father
appeared at the window of his study to pray the Angelus with the faithful
gathered in St. Peter's Square. On this, the second Sunday of Lent, Pope
Francis reflected upon the Transfiguration of Christ and urged the faithful
this week to "listen to Jesus" and to read a passage from the
Gospel every day.
"We, as Jesus' disciples, are called upon to be people who listen to His
voice and take His words seriously. To listen to Jesus, we need to be near to
Him, to follow Him, as did the crowds in the Gospel who ran after him through
the streets of Palestine. ... But we also listen to Jesus in his written
Word, in the Gospel. Let me ask you a question: do you read a passage from the
Gospel every day? Yes, no, yes, no, so-so. But it is important. It is a good
idea to have a small Gospel, a pocket-sized Gospel that you can carry around
with you, and to read a short passage from it at any time of the day. At any
time in the day I take the Gospel out of my pocket and read a little
something, a short passage. There we find Jesus, Who speaks to us, in the
Gospel! Think about this. It is not difficult, and it is not even necessary to
have all four of them: we can carry just one of the Gospels, a little copy,
with us at all times. Let us always keep the Gospel with us, because
 it is
the Word of Jesus, so that we can listen to Him at all times.
The Pope commented that, in order to share the Word of the Lord, we must learn
to "ascend" in prayer and "descend" with fraternal
charity, and he emphasised that this is a mission that involves the entire
Church, all baptised persons. "In this episode of the Transfiguration, I
would like to comment on two significant elements that can be summarised in
two words -; ascent and descent", he said. "We need to take
time out to climb the mountain in silent space, to find ourselves and to
better hear the voice of the Lord. We do this in prayer. But we cannot remain
there! The encounter with God in prayer inspires us to go back down the
mountain, onto the plain, where we meet many brothers and sisters who are
weighed down by fatigue, injustice, ignorance and poverty, both material and
spiritual. We must bring to these brothers of ours who are in difficulty the
fruits of our experience with God, sharing the grace we have received. And thi
 s is
curious. When we hear the Word of Jesus, when we listen to the Word of Jesus
and commit it to our hearts, that Word grows. And do you know how we make it
grow? By giving it to others! The Word of Christ grows in us when we proclaim
it, when we give it to others. And this is Christian life".
Finally, the Bishop of Rome asked all those present to turn to the Mother of
God and our Mother, invoking her guidance in our Lenten journey.

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THE POPE PRAYS FOR THE PASSENGERS OF THE MISSING MALAYSIAN AIRLINER
Vatican City, 16 March 2014 (VIS) -; Following today's Angelus prayer,
the Holy Father called for prayers for the passengers and crew of the missing
Malaysian airliner, and for their families and loved ones. Pope Francis also
addressed the members of the Pope John XXIII Community, founded by the Italian
priest Oreste Benzi, and mentioned the Via Crucis organised by this community
for women who are victims of trafficking, to take place next Friday evening in
the streets of the centre of Rome.

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LISTEN TO AND LOOK AT JESUS TO ILLUMINATE THE SOUL
Vatican City, 16 March 2014 (VIS) -; "The Christian's first task is
to listen to the Word of God, to listen to Jesus, because He speaks to us, and
He saves us with His Word. And He makes our faith stronger and more robust,
with his Word". Pope Francis addressed these words to the faithful who
awaited him at 4 p.m. today in the parish of Santa Maria dell'Orazione in
Setteville di Guidonia, to the north of the Italian capital. The Pope met with
various groups within the parish, in particular the sick and disabled,
children and young catechumens preparing to receive their first Communion,
Confirmation and Post Confirmation, Neocatechumenal Communities and families
with children baptised during recent months. Before beginning the celebration,
Pope Francis confessed several penitents.
The Pope's homily focused on the grace of "listening to and watching
Jesus". "Do we keep a copy of the Gospel at home? And each day, do
we listen to Jesus in the Gospel, do we read a short passage from the Gospel?
Are we afraid of this, or are we unaccustomed to it? Listening to the Word of
Jesus to nourish us -; this means that the Word of Jesus is the strongest
sustenance for the soul: it nourishes our soul and our faith. I recommend that
every day you set aside a few minutes to read a good passage from the Gospel
and to see what happens there. Hear the voice of Jesus, and that Word of Jesus
will enter into our hearts every day and make us stronger in our faith".
"We are invited to listen to Jesus, and Jesus manifests himself, and in
His Transfiguration He invites us to look upon him. And looking at Him
purifies our eyes and prepares us for eternal life, for the vision of Heaven.
Perhaps our eyes have sickened as they have seen so many things that are not
of Jesus, or that are indeed against Jesus: worldly things, things that are
not good for the light of the soul. And so this light gradually goes out, and
without knowing it we end up in inner darkness, in spiritual darkness, in the
darkness that excludes faith; darkness as we are not used to looking at or
imagining those things proper to Jesus".

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POPE FRANCIS CLOSE TO THE VICTIMS OF THE MAFIA
Vatican City, 15 March 2014 (VIS) -; The Holy Father will visit the
parish of San Gregorio VII in Rome on Friday 21 March to meet with the
participants in a meeting organised by the "Libera" Foundation,
presided by Don Luigi Ciotti. The meeting is dedicated to relatives of the
victims of the mafia and will be held on the eve of the 19th "Day of
memory and commitment", in remembrance of the victims of the mafia, to
be held in Latina on 22 March.

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AUDIENCES
Vatican City, 17 March 2014 (VIS) -; Today, the Holy Father received in
audience:
- His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, major archbishop of Kyiv-Halyc.
- Archbishop Nicola Girasole, apostolic nuncio in Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua
and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Jamaica, Grenada, the Co-operative
Republic of
 
 
 
 
On Saturday 15 March, the Holy Father received in audience:
- Archbishop Orlando Antonini, apostolic nuncio in Serbia;
- Michael Anthony Perry, O.F.M., minister general of the Order of Friars
Minor, with members of the General Definitory;
- Fr. Saverio Cannistra, O.C.D., prepositor general of the Descalced
Carmelites.

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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican City, 15 March 2014 (VIS) -; The Holy Father:
- accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Sincelejo,
Colombia, presented by Bishop Nel Hedye Beltran Santamaria, in accordance with
canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.
- appointed Bishop Romulo T. de la Cruz of Kidapawan as metropolitan
archbishop of Zamboanga (area 1,683, population 764,000, Catholics 597,865,
priests 76, religious 105), Philippines.
- appointed Rev. Jose Manuel Garita Herrera as bishop of Ciudad Quesada (area
9,838, population 297615, Catholics 223,257, priests 42, religious 35), Costa
Rica. The bishop-elect was born in Heredia, Costa Rica in 1965 and was
ordained a priest in 1988. He holds a licentiate in canon law from the
Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, and has served in a number of pastoral,
administrative and academic roles in the archdiocese of San Jose de Costa
Rica, including vicar of the parish of "Nuestra Senora del
Carmen"; auditor, defender of the bond and judicial vicar of the
ecclesiastical tribunal; professor of sacred scriptures at the Autonomous
University of Central America; archdiocesan vice-chancellor and chancellor,
archdiocesan bursar and head of personnel of the Curia, professor of canon law
at the Catholic University, the Theological Institute of Central America and
in the national major seminary, rector of the "Santuario Nacional Templo
Votivo al Sagrado
Corazon de Jesus", vicar forane, formator and spiritual director. He is
currently rector of the national major seminary "Nuestra Senora de los
Angeles".
- appointed Fr. Robert Byrne as bishop of Birmingham (area 9,936, population
5,455,000, Catholics 286,700, priests 354, permanent deacons 81, religious
700), England. The bishop-elect was born in Urmston, England in 1956 and was
ordained a priest in 1985. He completed his studies as King's College,
University of London, and the Birmingham Oratory. He founded a new Oratory in
the parish of St. Aloysius, Oxford in 1993. He has served as provost of the
Oratory, chaplain of the prisons of Oxford and Bullingdon, and governor of the
Oratory School. He is currently president of the Permanent Deputation of the
International Confederation of the Oratory and secretary of the Department for
Dialogue and Unity of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales.
- appointed Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council
for Interreligious Dialogue, as his special envoy to the consecration of the
recently restored shrine to St. Augustine d'Ippona at Annaba, Algeria, to take
place on 2 May 2014, the centenary of its elevation to a Basilica.

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