VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 170
DATE 03-10-2014

Summary:
- Pope Francis receives the president of Sri Lanka
- The Pope receives the Council of European Episcopal Conferences: "Be a
prophetic voice for society"
- To the clergy: do not limit yourselves to merely acting as priests - "be"
priests
- Second day of the meeting on the presence of Christians in the Middle East
- Cardinal Baldisseri on the Synod on the Family
- Audiences

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 Pope Francis receives the president of Sri Lanka
 Vatican City, 3 October 2014 (VIS) - Today the Holy Father Francis received
in audience the president of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka,
Mahinda Rajapaksa, who subsequently met with Cardinal Secretary of State
Pietro Parolin.
 During the cordial discussions, the Parties focused on the country's current
situation, with particular reference to signs of social and economic
improvement, and conveyed their hope that solutions corresponding to the
legitimate expectations of all citizens may be found.
 In this context, the Parties expressed their hope that the Holy Father's
upcoming visit to Sri Lanka may be welcomed as a sign of closeness to the Sri
Lankan population and may encourage those who work for the common good,
reconciliation, justice and peace.

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 The Pope receives the Council of European Episcopal Conferences: "Be a
prophetic voice for society"
 Vatican City, 3 October 2014 (VIS) - "Family and future of Europa" is the
theme of the plenary assembly taking place in these days at the Council of
European Episcopal Conferences. This morning Pope Francis received seventy of
its members, to whom he delivered an off-the-cuff address. He subsequently
handed them a written discourse underlining how, as pastors close to their
flock, they well know the complexity of the panorama and the challenges the
mission of the Church faces, even in Europe.
 "We are called to be an 'outbound' Church, in movement from the centre
towards the peripheries to reach out to all, without fear, without distrust,
and with apostolic courage", says the document.
 Addressing the theme of the plenary session, the Holy Father writes that it
constitutes an important occasion for joint reflection on how to exalt the
family as a valuable resource for pastoral renewal, emphasising the need for
Pastors and families to work together, with a spirit of humility and sincere
dialogue, so that parish communities become "families of families". In this
respect, he observes that "there is no lack of diverse experiences of family
pastoral care and political and social commitment to support families, both
those that experience an ordinary married life and those afflicted by problems
or breakdowns. It is important to gather together these significant
experiences present in the different areas of the life of the men and women of
our time, in relation to whom we must exercise an appropriate discernment, in
order to then 'put them in the network', thus involving other diocesan
communities".
 Collaboration between Pastors and families also extends to the field of
education, "favouring the maturation of a spirit of justice, solidarity,
peace, and the courage of one's own convictions. It involves supporting
parents in their responsibility to education their children, protecting their
fundamental right to give their children the education they consider most
appropriate. Parents, indeed, remain the first and most important educators of
their children, and therefore they have the right to educate them in
conformity with their moral and religious convictions. In this regard, it is
possible to outline common and coordinated pastoral directives, with the aim
of offering valid promotion and support to Catholic schools".
 At the end of the text, Pope Francis encourages those present to continue in
their efforts to favour communion between the various Churches in Europe,
enabling appropriate collaboration for fruitful evangelisation. "I also invite
you to be a 'prophetic voice' within society, especially where the process of
secularisation in process throughout the European continent tends to make it
increasingly marginal to speak about God", he concludes.

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 To the clergy: do not limit yourselves to merely acting as priests - "be"
priests
 Vatican City, 3 October 2014 (VIS) - This morning in the Clementine Hall the
Holy Father received in audience the participants in the Plenary Assembly of
the Congregation for the Clergy. "The vocation is truly a treasure that God
places in the hearts of some men, chosen by Him and called to follow Him in
this special state of life. This treasure, that must be discovered and brought
to light, is not made to 'enrich' someone alone. He who is called to the
ministry is not the 'master' of his vocation, but rather the administrator of
a gift that God has entrusted to him for the good of all the people, or rather
for all humanity, even those who have drifted away from religious practice or
do not profess faith in Christ". Pope Francis added that "at the same time,
all the Christian community is the custodian of the treasure of these
vocations, destined to its service, and must always be aware of its task of
promoting, welcoming and accompanying them with affection".
 Similarly, the Pope reminded the clergy that they too must play their role in
formation. "This involves protecting and nurturing vocations, so that they
bear mature fruit". He remarked that Jesus did not call his disciples by
saying to them "come, I will explain to you", or "follow me, I will teach
you". "The formation Christ offered his disciples instead took the form of
'come and follow me', 'do as I do', and this is the method that today, too,
the Church must offer her ministers. ... For this reason, it is a task that is
never completed, because priests never stop being Jesus' disciples; they never
stop following him".
 Pope Francis spoke about evangelisation as the aim of vocation. "Every
vocation is for the mission, and the mission of ordained ministers is
evangelisation", he continued, adding that "the first form of evangelisation
is the witness of fraternity and of communion between priests and bishop". He
concluded by emphasising that it is necessary for the clergy to "be priests
... free of every spiritual worldliness, aware that it is their lives that
evangelise rather than their works", rather than to take a limited view of
priesthood as a profession", also asking the bishops to think of the good of
the people of God, to study the itinerary of vocations carefully, and not to
accept priests simply because there is a lack of them in the diocese.

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 Second day of the meeting on the presence of Christians in the Middle East
 Vatican City, 3 October 2014 (VIS) - The meeting of various Papal
Representatives and Superiors of the competent dicasteries, convoked in the
Vatican at the behest of the Holy Father to analyse "The presence of
Christians in the Middle East", continued today. During this morning's
meeting, the Secretary for Relations with States gave a general presentation
on the political situation in the Middle East and on the principles guiding
the action of the Holy See, demonstrating the global repercussions of what
happens in the Region. Peace is to be sought by means of a "regional" and
comprehensive solution that does not overlook the interests of any of the
parties, through dialogue and not through unilateral decisions imposed by
force. With reference to the phenomenon of terrorism, the Secretary for
Relations with States emphasised the importance of combating the
fundamentalism at its base. An important role should be played by religious
leaders, favouring interreligious dialogue and in particular the collaboration
of all for the good of society. The Holy See, in following the political
situation in the Middle East, and more generally in its relations with
countries with a Muslim majority, considers to be fundamental issues the
protection and respect for Christians and other religious minorities as
fully-entitled citizens, and human rights, especially that of religious
freedom.

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