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 THE PRIMACY OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND THE COURAGE TO SAY NO TO EVIL
 Vatican City, 26 July 2014 (VIS) - More than two hundred thousand people
attended the Mass celebrated by the Holy Father in the square in front of the
Royal Palace of Caserta at 6 p.m. yesterday.
 The Pope spoke in his homily about the "kingdom of Heaven", based on the
parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl. In the first, the "kingdom" is
similar the treasure hidden in a field, that the farmer finds and hides again,
full of joy, then sells everything he has to buy the field. In the second, a
merchant who seeks fine pearls encounters one of great value and sells
everything he owns in order to buy it.
 The farmer and the merchant, explains the Pope, have the same sentiment in
common: the surprise and joy of the fulfilment of their desires and, through
these two parables, "with simple words that everyone can understand", Jesus
explains what the kingdom of heaven is, how it is found and what one can do to
obtain it.
 Jesus does not concern Himself with describing the "kingdom", although He has
announced it since the beginning of His Gospel; however, He shows it
indirectly, through reflection. "He prefers to let it be understood through
parables and similarities, especially by revealing its effects: the kingdom of
Heaven is able to change the world, like the leaven concealed in the dough".
Both parables help us understand that the kingdom of God is present in the
person of Jesus Himself. He is the hidden treasure and the valuable pearl. The
joy of the farmer and the merchant are comprehensible - they have found what
they sought! It is the joy of each one of us when we discover the closeness
and the presence of Jesus in our life. His is a presence that transforms our
existence and opens us to the needs of our brethren; a presence that invites
us to welcome every other presence, even that of the foreigner or the
immigrant".
 To encounter the kingdom of God, each one of us takes his or her own path.
For some, the encounter with Jesus is awaited, hoped for and long sought, as
we see in the parable of the merchant who travels the world seeking something
of value. For others it happens unexpectedly, almost by chance, as in the
parable of the farmer. This reminds us that God lets us meet Him anyway, as it
is He Who is the first to wish to meet us. ... He came in order to be 'God
with us'. ... It is He Who seeks us out, it is He Who lets Himself be found
even by those who are not looking for Him, at times in unusual places and at
unexpected moments. When we find Jesus we are fascinated, we are won over, and
it is a joy to leave behind our usual way of life, often arid and apathetic,
to embrace the Gospel, and to allow ourselves to be guided by the new logic of
love".
 Jesus is very clear that when He refers to the possession of the "kingdom",
enthusiasm and the joy of discovery are not enough. "It is necessary to place
the precious pearl of the kingdom before all other earthly goods; it is
necessary to put God in first place in our life. According primacy to God
means having the courage to say no to evil, to violence, to oppression; to
live a life of service to others and in favour of legality and the common
good. ... One must be a friend of God, love one's brothers, and be committed
to the protection of their lives and health, also respecting the environment
and nature". Francis emphasised, "This is particularly important in this
beautiful land, which needs to be protected and preserved; it takes courage to
say no to every form of corruption and illegality - and we all know the name
of these forms of corruption and illegality. It requires that everyone is a
servant to the truth and assumes in every situation an evangelical lifestyle,
which is manifested in the gift of the self and care for the poor and
excluded".
 The Pope went on to speak about the festivity of St. Ann, the patron saint of
Caserta, which brought together in the square several components of the
diocesan community, the bishop, the civil authorities and the representatives
of various social sectors. "I would like to encourage al of you to experience
the festivity of your patron saint free of preconceived ideas, as a pure
expression of the faith of a people who recognise themselves as the family of
God and strengthen the bonds of fraternity and solidarity. St. Ann perhaps
heard her daughter pronounce the words of the Magnificat: 'He has brought down
rulers from their thrones, but has lifted up the humble; He has filled the
hungry with good things'. May she help you to find the only treasure, Jesus,
and teach you to discover the criteria of God's action: He turns worldly
judgements on their head, coming to the aid of the poor and the least among
us, and brings abundance to the humble, who entrust their existence to Him.
Have hope, hope does not disappoint. And I like to repeat to you: do not let
yourselves be robbed of hope!"
 Following the Mass and before the final blessing, Francis gave thanks to all
those present for their warm welcome, and to Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe,
archbishop of Naples, adding, "I have heard that the Neapolitans are a little
jealous of this visit, but I wish to assure them them that this year I will
certainly visit them too".
 After the Eucharistic celebration, the Pope transferred to the military
airport and left for Rome by helicopter.

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 COMMUNIQUE FROM THE FAMILY OF FR. PAOLO DELL'OGLIO, A YEAR AFTER HIS
DISAPPEARANCE IN SYRIA
 Vatican City, 28 July 2014 (VIS) - The family of Fr. Paolo Dell'Oglio, the
Italian Jesuit priest of whom there has been no news for a year following his
disappearance in the Syrian city of Raqqa, today issued the following
communique:
 "One year has already passed since we last knew of our son and brother Paolo,
priest, Jesuit, Italian, who disappeared in Syria on July 29th 2013.
 This has also been a long time, too long, for a land ravaged by war and
infinite suffering like Syria.
 We ask those responsible for the disappearance of a good man, a man of faith,
a man of peace, to have the dignity to let us know of his fate.
 We would like to once again hold him in our arms, however we are also
prepared to mourn him.
 Tomorrow, 29th of July, one year after his disappearance, many of us will be
praying for him and standing by him, as we will be doing for those who have
been kidnapped, unjustly detained and for the many who are suffering because
of this war."
 The video message of their plea can be seen at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3MMoCGrggE&feature=youtu.be
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 CHALDEANS IN IRAQ: PREPARE, LIKE ABRAHAM, TO LEAVE FOR THE LAND GOD WILL SHOW
TO YOU
 Vatican City, 28 July 2014 (VIS) - Yesterday, Sunday, Cardinal Leonardo
Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, presided at the
Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of St. Paul the Apostle of the Chaldeans in
San Diego, U.S.A. He prayed for the Christians persecuted in Iraq, the
motherland of the Chaldean Church, and also included in his prayer those in
Syria, Palestine and Egypt, as well as those who belong to the Greek-Catholic
community in Ukraine, who are currently experiencing difficult situations.
 The bishop of the eparchy, Sarhad Yawsip Hermiz Jammo, thanked the cardinal
for the consolation that his visit and his prayers, as the representative of
Pope Francis, offered to al the Christians of the East, and added that, in
communion with Peter's Successor, they would persist in the faith of Abraham
and, like the patriarch, they would prepare to leave for the land God will
show to them, learning to read history in a higher dimension.
 In his homily, Cardinal Sandri thanked those present and those Christians who
suffer for their faith in the Gospel in situations of conflict, and assured
them of Pope Francis' prayers and blessing and the closeness of all the
Church. He expressed his hope for peace and justice for all those who have
been afflicted by incredible and senseless violence.
 The prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, in his visit to
California, met with the Maronite and Syro-Malabar communities of Los Angeles
and San Diego. During the coming days he will visit the Armenians and greet
the priests of the Syrian, Coptic, Greek-Melkite and Romanian Greek-Catholic
Churches who exercise their pastoral ministry in this region of the United
States. The already populous Eastern is expected to increase significantly,
especially from Iraq, due to the current conflict. He underlined that
immigration is a pastoral challenge of historical proportions, and requires
great efforts on the part of the Latin Church in support of the Oriental
Churches.

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 ON THE POPE'S POSSIBLE PARTICIPATION IN THE PHILADELPHIA MEETING OF FAMILIES
 Vatican City, 26 July 2014 (VIS) - The director of the Holy See Press Office
has stated, with regard to Pope Francis' possible attendance at the World
Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, U.S.A. in September 2015, that the Holy
Father has received several invitations to travel to America and, as usual,
considers them carefully. "The Pope has made it known that he is willing to
participate in the meeting of families, but at the present moment he has not
initiated any concrete plan or programme for travel to the United States or
Mexico". He added, "It should be taken into account, however, that the
Philadelphia meeting will be held in over a year's time".

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 OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
 Vatican City, 26 July 2014 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father:
 - appointed Bishop Anthony Pappusamy of Dindigul, India as archbishop of
Madurai (area 6,266, population 2,068,000, Catholics 145,213, priests 59,
religious 275), India. He succeeds Archbishop Peter Fernando, whose
resignation upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father.
 - appointed Bishop Pierre Nguyen Van Kham, auxiliary of the archdiocese of Ho
Chi Minh City, Vietnam, as bishop of My Tho (area 9,262, population 5,280,320,
Catholics 126,560, priests 125, religious 282), Vietnam.
 - appointed Cardinal Justin Francis Rigali, archbishop emeritus of
Philadelphia, U.S.A., as his special envoy to the solemn Eucharistic
celebration in the new Cathedral of St. Louis, U.S.A., to be held on 24
August, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the city.
 - appointed Cardinal Angelo Scola, archbishop of Milan, Italy, as his special
envoy to the celebration of the 850th anniversary of the translation of the
relics of the Magi to Cologne, Germany, to be held on 28 September.

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