VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXIV - # 74
DATE 25-04-2014

Summary:
- SOUTHERN AFRICAN BISHOPS: CONSISTENT WITNESS TO THE MORAL TEACHING OF THE
GOSPEL
- POPE FRANCIS CONGRATULATES THE COMPATRIOTS OF THE TWO POPE SAINTS
- THE POPE RECALLS THE INFECTIOUS JOY OF ST. JOSE DE ANCHIETA
- AUDIENCES
- OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
- NOTICE

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 SOUTHERN AFRICAN BISHOPS: CONSISTENT WITNESS TO THE MORAL TEACHING OF THE
GOSPEL
 Vatican City, 25 April 2014 (VIS) - The bishops of the Southern African
Catholic Bishops' Conference, from South Africa, Botswana and Swaziland, were
received in audience by Pope Francis this morning, at the end of their "ad
limina" visit. Francis handed them his prepared address, in which he recalls
the arduous labours of the missionaries and the men and women of these
countries in sowing the seed of faith and reaching out to the people in the
villages, towns and cities, and especially in the ever-expanding urban
townships. He emphasised the "flourishing parishes, thriving often against
very great odds: far distances between communities and a dearth of material
resources". He praised the efforts made for the preparation of permanent
deacons and the formation of lay catechists to assist the clergy where there
are few priests.
 "Priests and religious brothers and sisters are of one mind and heart in
their service of God's most vulnerable sons and daughters: widows, single
mothers, the divorced, children at risk and especially the several million
AIDS orphans, many of whom head households in rural areas. Truly the richness
and joy of the Gospel is being lived and shared by Catholics with others
around them". The Pope remarks that, despite the difficulties faced by
Catholic minority communities in countries where many religions are present,
"the richness and joy of the Gospel is being living and shared by Catholics
with others around them", and he prays that they "will continue to persevere
in building up the Lord's Kingdom with their lives that testify to the truth,
and with the work of their hands that ease the sufferings of so many".
 He notes the serious pastoral challenges communities face, according to the
bishops, such as the declining birth rate which affects the number of
vocations, the tendency of some Catholics to drift away from the Church in
favour of other groups who seem to promise something better, and abortion,
which "compounds the grief of many women who now carry within them deep
physical and spiritual wounds after succumbing to the pressure of a secular
culture which devalues God's gift of sexuality and the right to life of the
unborn". He adds, "the rate of separation and divorce is high, even in many
Christian families, and children frequently do not grow up in a stable home
environment. We also observe with great concern, and can only deplore, an
increase in violence against women and children. All these realities threaten
the sanctity of marriage, the stability of life in the home and consequently
the life of society as a whole. In this sea of difficulties, we bishops and
priests must give a consistent witness to the moral teaching of the Gospel".
 The Holy Father expresses his appreciation for the unity of the bishops with
their people and their solidarity with the vast number of unemployed in their
countries. "Most of your people can identify at once with Jesus Who was poor
and marginalised, Who had no place to lay His head". He asks the prelates to
offer, alongside the material support they provide, "the greater support of
spiritual assistance and sound moral guidance". He also comments on the
reduced number of priests and seminarians, and urges "the authentic promotion
of vocations in every territory, a prudent selection of candidates for
seminary studies, fatherly encouragement of those men in formation, and
attentive accompaniment in the years after ordination".
 Likewise, he encourages the rediscovery of the sacrament of reconciliation,
"as a fundamental dimension of the life of grace", and emphasises that
"Christian matrimony is a lifelong covenant of love between one man and one
woman; it entails real sacrifices in order to turn away from illusory notions
of sexual freedom and in order to foster conjugal fidelity", and approves the
bishops' programmes of preparation for the sacrament of marriage, which are
"inspiring young people with new hope for themselves and for their future as
husbands and wives, fathers and mothers".
 Finally, he refers to the bishops' concerns regarding the "breakdown of
Christian morals, including a growing temptation to collude with dishonesty",
an issue the bishops addressed in their pastoral statement on corruption, in
which they note that "corruption is theft from the poor ... hurts the most
vulnerable ... harms the whole community ... destroys our trust". "The
Christian community is called be be consistent in its witness to the virtues
of honesty and integrity, so that we may stand before the Lord, and our
neighbours, with clean hands and a pure heart, as a leaven of the Gospel in
the life of society". He concludes, "With this moral imperative in mind, I
know that you will continue to address this and other grave social concerns,
such as the plight of refugees and migrants. May these men and women always be
welcomed by our Catholic communities, finding in them open hearts and homes as
they seek to begin a new life".

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 POPE FRANCIS CONGRATULATES THE COMPATRIOTS OF THE TWO POPE SAINTS
 Vatican City, 25 April 2014 (VIS) - The Holy Father has sent a video message
to the Polish faithful, compatriots of Pope John Paul II, and a written
message to the citizens of Bergamo, the province in which the village of
"Sotto il Monte", birthplace of Pope John XXIII, is located.
 In his video message, rebroadcast by Polish Television (TVP) and by Polish
Radio, the Pope remarks that he is happy to be able to proclaim John Paul II a
saint, and expresses his gratitude to the Polish Pope for his "tireless
service, is spiritual guidance, for bringing the Church into the third
millennium of faith, and for his extraordinary witness of holiness". Francis
recalls the words Pope Benedict XVI used to describe Pope Wojtyla in the
homily of his beatification in May 2011: "society, culture, political and
economic systems he opened up to Christ, turning back with the strength of a
titan - a strength which came to him from God - a tide which appeared
irreversible. By his witness of faith, love and apostolic courage, accompanied
by great human charisma, this exemplary son of Poland helped believers
throughout the world not to be afraid to be called Christian, to belong to the
Church, to speak of the Gospel. In a word: he helped us not to fear the truth,
because truth is the guarantee of liberty".
 In his message to the citizens of Bergamo, published in the daily newspaper
"L'Eco di Bergamo" with which Pope Roncalli collaborated during the years of
his priesthood, he invites them to "give thanks to God for his holiness, a
great gift to the universal Church", and he encourages them to "conserve the
memory of the land in which it germinated: a land of profound faith lived in
daily life, in families that are poor but united by the love of the Lord, of
communities capable of sharing in simplicity".

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