VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXIV - # 100
DATE 28-05-2014

Summary:
- POPE FRANCIS RECALLS HIS PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LAND
- FRANCIS GIVES THANKS FOR PRAYERS FOR HIS PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LAND
- MESSAGE TO THE ILO: IT IS UNACCEPTABLE THAT SLAVE LABOUR IS COMMON CURRENCY
- "COR UNUM" IN THE SYRIAN CRISIS
- AUDIENCES
- OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
- NOTICE

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 POPE FRANCIS RECALLS HIS PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LAND
 Vatican City, 28 May 2014 (VIS) - The Holy Father arrived punctually in St.
Peter's Square this Wednesday morning, and began his general audience by
touring the square in the popemobile to greet the 35,000 faithful and pilgrims
who awaited him, kissing children and blessing religious objects. He then went
on to speak about his recent pilgrimage to the Holy Land, from which he
returned on Monday. "It was a great gift for the Church", he commented, "and I
give thanks to God. He led me to that blessed Land, that has seen the
historical presence of Jesus and where events fundamental to Judaism,
Christianity and Islam took place".
 He explained that "the main aim of this pilgrimage was to commemorate the
fiftieth anniversary of the historic encounter between Pope Pope VI and the
Patriarch Athenagoras. It was the first time that a Successor of Peter visited
the Holy Land: Paul VI thus inaugurated, during Vatican Council II, the
tradition of papal trips outside Italy during the contemporary era. This
prophetic gesture on the part of the bishop of Rome and the Patriarch of
Constantinople constituted a milestone in the arduous but promising path
towards unity among all Christians, which has taken important steps since
then. Therefore, my encounter with His Holiness Bartholomew, beloved brother
in Christ, was the culmination of the visit. We prayed together at the Holy
Sepulchre, along with the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos
III, and the Armenian Apostolic Patriarch Nourhan, as well as archbishops and
bishops from various Churches and Communities, civil authorities and many
faithful".
 "In that place, where the proclamation of the Resurrection resounds, we all
felt the bitterness and suffering of the divisions that continue to exist
between Christ's disciples, and this has really done great harm, harm to the
heart. We are still divided; in that place, where the proclamation of the
Resurrection resounds, where Jesus gives us life, we are still divided. But
above all, in that celebration so rich in mutual brotherhood, esteem and
affection, we strongly heard the voice of the Risen Good Shepherd who wishes
to bring together all His sheep in one flock; we felt the desire to heal the
wounds that are still open and to follow with tenacity the path to full
communion".
 "Once more, like my predecessors, I ask forgiveness for what we have done to
promote that division, and I pray that the Holy Spirit may help us to heal the
wounds we have inflicted on other brethren. We are all brothers in Christ, and
with the Patriarch Bartholomew we are friends, brothers; we have shared the
desire to walk together, to do what we are able to do today: to pray together,
to work together for God's flock, to seek peace and protect creation, the many
things that we have in common. We must move forward like brothers".
 Pope Francis went on to speak about a second aim of the pilgrimage: that of
encouraging, in the region, the path to peace, "which is both a gift from God
and a commitment for humankind". He continued, "I always did this as a
pilgrim, in the name of God and of humankind, carrying in my heart a great
compassion for the sons of that Land, who have lived in conditions of war for
too long and have the right to finally experience days of peace! For this
reason I exhorted the Christian faithful to let themselves be anointed by the
Holy Spirit, with an open and docile heart, to increasingly able to make
gestures of humility, fraternity and reconciliation. The Spirit enables us to
assume these attitudes in our daily life, with people of different cultures
and religions, and to thereby become peacemakers". He added, "peace is crafted
day by day, and with an open heart to allow God's gift to enter".
 The Pontiff commended the efforts made by the Jordanian authorities and
people to welcome the many refugees from war zones: "a humanitarian effort
that deserves and needs the constant support of the international community. I
was impressed by the generosity of the Jordanian people. May the Lord bless
this welcoming people". He also commented that in other places during his
pilgrimage he had "encouraged the authorities involved to continue in their
efforts to alleviate the tensions in the Middle East, especially in war-torn
Syria, and to continue their search for an equitable solution to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict". "For this reason", he added, "I invited the
president of Israel and the president of Palestine, men of peace and artisans
of peace, to join me in the Vatican to pray together for peace".
 He commented that the trip had also offered "the opportunity to confirm the
faith of the Christian communities, who suffer greatly, and to express the
gratitude of all the Church for the presence of Christians in that area and
throughout the Middle East. These brothers of ours are courageous witnesses of
hope and charity, 'salt and light' in the Land. Through their life of faith
and prayer, and with their greatly appreciated educational and welfare
assistance, they work for reconciliation and forgiveness, contributing to the
common good of society".
 "With this pilgrimage", he concluded, "I wished be the bearer of a word of
hope, but I also received this in return! I received it from the brothers and
sisters who hope 'against all hope', amid the suffering of those who have fled
their own countries on account of conflicts; of those who, throughout the
world, are derided and discriminated against for their faith in Christ. Let us
stay close to them! Let us pray for them, and for peace in the Holy Land and
in the Middle East. May the prayer of all the Church also support the path to
full unity between Christians, so that the world may believe in God's love
that in Jesus Christ came to live among us".
 Pope Francis concluded by inviting the faithful to pray a Hail Mary for world
peace.

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 FRANCIS GIVES THANKS FOR PRAYERS FOR HIS PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LAND
 Vatican City, 28 May 2014 (VIS) - In his greetings in various languages
following today's catechesis, the Holy Father invited all those present to
pray for peace in the Holy Land and throughout the Middle East, and gave
thanks to those who accompanied with prayer his recent apostolic pilgrimage.
He addressed special greetings to the English and Welsh pilgrims, members of
the Catholic Police Association, as well as the members of the International
Catholic Commission for Migration who are holding their plenary session in
these days, and expressed his hope that this "concerted commitment may
contribute to assisting many of our brethren in need". He also thanked the
Arab-speaking pilgrims, above all those from Jordan and the Holy Land, for the
affectionate and generous welcome received during his trip and assured them
that he will hold them forever in his heart and in his prayers, invoking
"abundant goodness, continuing prosperity and lasting peace".

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