VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 102
DATE 02-06-2014

Summary:
- TO THE BISHOPS OF ZIMBABWE: GUIDE YOUR PEOPLE TOWARDS UNITY AND RECONCILATION
- TELEGRAM FOR THE DEATH OF CARDINAL LOURDUSAMY
- FRANCIS AT THE OLYMPIC STADIUM: REMEMBER THAT THE CHURCH WAS BORN ON THE
PENTECOST TO REACH OUT
- REGINA COELI: JESUS' LAST WORD TO THE DISCIPLES WAS THE ORDER TO GO FORTH
- CONCLUSION OF THE MONTH OF MAY: MARY IS OUR LADY OF PROMPT SUCCOUR
- THE POPE ON THE CHILDREN'S TRAIN
- THE POPE: SILENCE WEAPONS IN SYRIA
- EPISCOPAL ORDINATION IN ST. PETER'S: PRAY FOR THE PEOPLE, LIKE MOSES
- DECLARATION OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE HOLY SEE PRESS OFFICE FOR THE LIBERATION
OF THE MISSIONARIES ABDUCTED IN CAMEROON
- HIS HOLINESS ARAM I, CATHOLICOS OF THE ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH OF CILICIA,
TO VISIT ROME
- AUDIENCES
- OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

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 TO THE BISHOPS OF ZIMBABWE: GUIDE YOUR PEOPLE TOWARDS UNITY AND RECONCILATION
 Vatican City, 2 June 2014 (VIS) - "The Church in your country has stood fast
with her people both before and after independence, now also in the years of
overwhelming suffering as millions have left the country in frustration and
desperation, as many lives have been lost, so many tears shed", writes Pope
Francis in the address he handed to the prelates of the Zimbabwe Catholic
Bishops' Conference this morning, at the end of their "ad limina" visit.
 The Holy Father writes about the growth of the Church in the country,
comparing it to a young, strong tree, full of life and bearing fruit, and
mentions that "generations of Zimbabweans - including many political leaders -
have been educated in Church schools. He then goes on to praise the prelates
for the exercise of their prophetic ministry, in which they have given voice
to all the struggling people of their country, especially to the downtrodden
and refugees. He refers to their 2007 Pastoral Letter, "God Hears the Cry of
the Oppressed", which describes "the origins of the spiritual and moral
crisis, stretching from colonial times through the present moment", and how
the "structures of sin" embedded in the social order "are ultimately rooted in
personal sin, requiring of all a profound personal conversion".
 "Christians find themselves on all sides of the conflict in Zimbabwe, and so
I urge you to guide everyone with great tenderness towards unity and healing",
he continues. "This is a people both black and white, some richer but most
exceedingly poorer, of numerous tribes; the followers of Christ belong to all
political parties, some in positions of authority, many not. But together as
the one pilgrim People of God, they need conversion and healing, in order to
become ever more fully 'one Body, one Spirit in Christ'. Through preaching and
works of the apostolate, may your local Churches demonstrate that
'reconciliation is not an isolated act but a lengthy process by which all
parties are re-established in love - a love that heals through the working of
God's word'".
 "While Zimbabweans' faithfulness is already a balm on some of these national
wounds, I know that many people have reached their human limit, and do not
know where to turn. In the midst of all this, I ask you to encourage the
faithful never to lose sight of the ways in which God is hearing their
supplications and answering their prayers, for, as you have written, he cannot
fail to hear the cry of the poor. In this Easter season, as the Church
throughout the world celebrates the victory of Christ over the power of sin
and death, the Gospel of the resurrection which you are entrusted to proclaim
must be clearly preached and lived in Zimbabwe. Let us never forget the lesson
of the resurrection: 'on razed land life breaks through, stubbornly yet
invincibly. However dark things are, goodness always re-emerges and spreads".
Pope Francis concluded by quoting from his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii
Gaudium: "Each day in our world beauty is born anew, it rises transformed
through the storms of history".

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 TELEGRAM FOR THE DEATH OF CARDINAL LOURDUSAMY
 Vatican City, 2 June 2014 (VIS) - The Holy Father has sent a telegram of
condolences to Archbishop Anthony Anandarayar of Ponticherry and Cuddalore,
India, for the death last night in Rome of Cardinal Simon D. Lourdusamy, aged
90, prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches and
archbishop emeritus of Bangalore, India. In his text, the Pope expresses his
gratitude for the cardinal's "priestly life spent in spreading the Gospel
first in India and subsequently in service to the Universal Church" and
commends his noble soul to the Lord.
 Cardinal Lourdusamy's funeral will be held on 5 June at 11.30 a.m. at the
altar of the Vatican Basilica, and will be presided by Cardinal Angelo Sodano,
dean of the College of Cardinals. At the end of the Eucharist, Pope Francis
will administer the rites of "Ultima Commendatio" and "Valedictio".

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 FRANCIS AT THE OLYMPIC STADIUM: REMEMBER THAT THE CHURCH WAS BORN ON THE
PENTECOST TO REACH OUT
 Vatican City, 2 June 2014 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon fifty-two thousand
people gathered for the National Convocation of "Renewal in the Spirit", from
55 countries, applauded Pope Francis' entry into the Olympic Stadium in Rome
where he joined in with the chorus in Spanish of "Vive Jesus, el Senor", a
hymn that the bishop of Rome said he enjoyed greatly when he celebrated Mass
in the cathedral of Buenos Aires with members of this movement. Two bodies for
the coordination of Catholic Charismatic Renewal throughout the world: ICCRS
(International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services) and CFCCCF (Catholic
Fraternity of Charismatic Covenant Communities and Fellowships).
 The Pope answered the questions posed to him by priests, young people,
families, the sick and the elderly, asking the first among them to remain
close to Christ and to his faithful, and warning the second not to keep their
youth "locked away in a safe" but rather to "bet on great things". He reminded
families of their roles as a domestic church, and commented that the sick
imitate Jesus in the difficult moments of life, and that the elderly are the
wisdom and memory of the Church. Finally, he prayed that God might grant to
all the "holy intoxication of the Spirit, that enables us to speak many
languages, the languages of charity, always close to those brothers and
sisters who need us. Teach us not to fight between ourselves over a little
more power, ... teach us to increasingly love the Church that is our 'team',
and to keep our hearts open to receive the Holy Spirit".
 In his address, he affirmed that Renewal in the Spirit is "a great force in
the service of the proclamation of the Gospel in the joy of the Holy Spirit.
... In the early times, it was said that you always carried a Bible with you,
a New Testament. ... If not, return to this first love, always carry the Word
of God with you, in your pocket, in your bag!"
 He urged them never to lose the freedom that the Holy Spirit gives us,
warning them of the danger of "excessive organisation". "Yes, you need
organisation, but do not lose the grace of letting God be God!". He also
warned them of the danger of becoming "controllers" of God's grace,
administrators of race who decide who may receive the prayer of effusion or
baptism in the Spirit, and who instead may not. "If any of you do this, I beg
you, do not do this any more. You are dispensers of God's grace, not
controllers!", he underlined.
 "Evangelisation, spiritual ecumenism, attention to the poor and needy and
welcome to the marginalised, and all on the basis of adoration; the foundation
for renewal is adoring God": thus Pope Francis defined the path of Renewal in
the Spirit, to explain the future direction he hoped they would take.
 "First of all", he said, "conversion to the love of Jesus, that changes life
and makes a Christian a witness to God's love. I hope that you will share with
all in the Church the grace of Baptism in the Holy Spirit. I expect from you
an evangelisation with the Word of God that proclaims that Jesus lives and
loves all humankind. May you give witness of spiritual ecumenism with all
those brothers and sisters of other Churches and Christian communities who
believe in Jesus as the Lord and Saviour. May you remain united in the love
that the Lord Jesus asks of all for all mankind, and in prayer to the Holy
Spirit to reach this unity, necessary for evangelisation in the name of Jesus.
Be close to the poor and needy to touch in their flesh the wounded flesh of
Jesus. Seek unity in Renewal because unity comes from the Holy Spirit and is
born of the unity of the Trinity. Where does division come from? The devil!
Division comes from the devil. Flee from internal struggles, please!".
 In conclusion, Francis called upon them to "Go forth onto the streets and
evangelise, proclaim the Gospel. Remember that the Church was born to go
forth, that morning of Pentecost. ... Let yourselves be guided by the Holy
Spirit, with that same freedom. And please, do not cage the Holy Spirit! With
freedom!".

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 REGINA COELI: JESUS' LAST WORD TO THE DISCIPLES WAS THE ORDER TO GO FORTH
 Vatican City, 1 June 2014 (VIS) - At midday today, Pope Francis appeared at
the window of his study to pray the Regina Coeli with the faithful gathered
below in St. Peter's Square and, before the Marian prayer, he mentioned that
today in Italy and in other countries we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus
Christ, which takes place forty days after the Resurrection. On that day,
Jesus returns to His Father and commands the disciples to proclaim His message
of salvation to the world.
 "Jesus leaves and goes up to Heaven", he explains; "He returns to the Father
Who sent Him to the world. He had finished his work and returned to His
Father. But this is not a separation, because he remains with us always, in a
new form. With His ascension, the Risen Lord lifts the gaze of the Apostles -
and also ours - to the heights of Heaven to show us that our path leads us to
the Father. However, Jesus remains present and at work in the vicissitudes of
human history with the power and gifts of His Spirit; this accompanies each
one of us, even though we do not see Him with our eyes. He accompanies us and
guides us, He gives us His hand and lifts us up when we fall. The resurrected
Jesus is close to those Christians who are persecuted and discriminated
against; He is close to every man and woman who suffers.
 "And Jesus, when He returns to Heaven, takes a gift to His Father: his
wounds. His body is beautiful, without the wounds of flagellation, but the
wounds are still present. And when He returns to the Father, He says: Look,
this is the price of the forgiveness you give. And when the Father looks upon
Christ's wounds, He always forgives. Not because we are good: no. Looking at
Jesus' wounds, the Father becomes more merciful".
 "But Jesus is also present through the Church, which He sent to continue His
mission. Jesus' last word to His disciples is the order to go forth:
'Therefore go and make disciples of all nations'. It is a precise mandate - it
is not optional! The Christian community is a community that is on the move,
that goes out. More than this: the Church was born outgoing. And you will ask
me, but what about cloistered communities? Yes, it applies to them too, as
they always reach out through prayer, with their hearts open to the world, to
God's horizons. And the elderly, the sick? They too are in prayer and union
with Jesus' wounds".
 Following the Regina Coeli, the Pope said, "It is with a heavy heart that I
pray for the victims of the continuing tension in some areas of Ukraine, and
also in the Republic of Central Africa. I renew my urgent appeals to all the
parties involved to overcome their misunderstandings and to seek patiently
dialogue and pacification. May Mary Queen of Peace help all of us by her
maternal intercession".
 He went on to mention that today is World Social Communications Day, the
theme of which this year is communication in the service of the culture of
encounter: "Social communication media may promote a sense of unity within the
human family, solidarity and commitment to a dignified life for all. Let us
pray that communication, in every form it takes, may be effectively at the
service of encounter between people, communities, families, nations; an
encounter based on respect and mutual listening".
 Finally, he mentioned the beatification on Saturday afternoon in
Collevalenza, Italy, of Mother Maria Esperanza of Jesus (Maria Josefa Alhama
Valera), foundress of the Congregations of the Handmaids and the Sons of
Merciful Love, and expressed his hope that "her witness may help the Church to
proclaim everywhere, with concrete daily gestures, the infinite mercy of the
heavenly Father towards every person".

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 CONCLUSION OF THE MONTH OF MAY: MARY IS OUR LADY OF PROMPT SUCCOUR
 Vatican City, 1 June 2014 (VIS) - The ceremony concluding the Marian month
took place yesterday at 8 p.m. in the Vatican Gardens. The faithful prayer the
rosary in procession from the church of St. Stephen of the Abyssinians to the
grotto of the Virgin of Lourdes. At 9 p.m., Pope Francis arrived at the grotto
and, before imparting his apostolic blessing, addressed the following words to
those present:

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