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 Mass of thanks for the new Canadian saints
 Vatican City, 11 October 2014 (VIS) - This morning in St. Peter's Basilica, a
Holy Mass was celebrated to give thanks for the canonisation of the Canadian
saints Francois de Laval and Marie de l'Incarnation. In his homily, the Holy
Father spoke about missionaries who, like the new saints, "in docility to the
Holy Spirit, have the courage to live the Gospel".
 "Missionaries have received this call: they have gone out to call everyone,
in the highways and byways of the world", he continued. "In this way they have
done immense good for the Church, for once the Church stops moving, once she
becomes closed in on herself, she falls ill, she can be corrupted, whether by
sins or by that false knowledge cut off from God which is worldly secularism.
Missionaries have turned their gaze to Christ crucified ... they have been
able to live in poverty and abundance, in plenty and hunger".
 The Pope gave two pieces of advice to Canadian pilgrims. "Remember your
leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their
way of life, and imitate their faith", and "Recall those earlier days when,
after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings.
Do not abandon that confidence of yours; it brings a great reward. You need
only endurance".
 Pope Francis concluded by mentioning the many Canadian missionaries, so that
"this memory does not lead us to abandon frankness and courage". He added,
"the devil is envious and cannot tolerate that a land can be so rich in
missionaries", and asked for prayers for Quebec, so that it may "return to the
path of fruitfulness, to give many missionaries to the world" and so that the
new Canadian saints "may help us as intercessors".

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 Angelus: respond to the Lord's invitation with witness to charity
 Vatican City, 11 October 2014 (VIS) - Today at midday, the Holy Father
appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to pray
the Angelus with the faithful and pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square.
Before the Marian prayer, Pope Francis commented on the day's reading from the
Gospel of St. Matthew, in which God, represented by a king, gives an
invitation to participate in a wedding banquet; however, none of those invited
choose to attend, and some demonstrate indifference or even annoyance. The
Pope first remarked on the three characteristics of the invitation:
gratuitousness, amplitude, and universality. "God is good to us", he said. "He
freely offers us His friendship. He freely offers His joy and salvation. But
very often we do not welcome His gifts. We prioritise our material concerns,
our own interests, and even when the Lord calls us, many times it is as if
this irritates us".
 He continued, "Some of those invited even mistreat and kill the servants who
bring the invitation. But despite the lack of response from those invited,
God's project is not interrupted. Faced with rejection from those He invites
first, he is not discouraged and does not cancel the feast, but instead
extends the invitation again, this time expanding it beyond reasonable limits,
sending His servants to the squares and crossroads to gather together all the
people they meet".
 "God's goodness has no limits, and does not discriminate against anyone. This
is why the banquet of the gifts of the Lord is universal. It is universal for
everyone. He gives everyone the opportunity to respond to His invitation, to
His call; no-one has the right to feel privileged or to claim exclusivity". He
concluded, "The goodness of God does not have limits and does not discriminate
against anyone. We are all called upon to expand the Church to the dimensions
of the Kingdom of God. There is only one condition: put on the wedding
garment: that is, bear concrete witness to charity towards God and neighbour".

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 Genoa in the Pope's prayers
 Vatican City, 12 October 2014 (VIS) - At the end of today's Angelus, the Pope
addressed the city of Genoa, again afflicted by floods. "I assure my prayers
for the victims and those who have suffered serious damages. May Our Lady of
the Guard support the dear people of Genoa in their collective efforts to
overcome this crisis".
 He went on to greet all the faithful and pilgrims, especially the Canadians
in Rome for the canonisation of Francois de Laval and Marie de l'Incarnation.
"May the new saints arouse apostolic fervour in the hearts of young Canadians".

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 Synod Fathers to draw up the Relatio Synodi
 Vatican City, 11 October 2014 (VIS) - The Holy Father has decided that, to
draw up the Relatio Synodi, the General Rapporteur, the Special Secretary and
the Secretary General will be joined by the following Synod Fathers: Cardinals
Gianfranco Ravasi and Donald William Wuerl, Archbishops Victor Manuel
Fernandez and Carlos Aguiar Retes, Bishop Peter Kang U-il and Rev. Fr. Adolfo
Nicolas Pachon, S.J.

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 Tenth General Congregation: Fraternal Delegates
 Vatican City, 11 October 2014 (VIS) - The tenth general Congregation involved
hearing seven fraternal Delegates of various Christian confessions. The
intervention of the eighth Delegate, Metropolitan Hilarion, president of the
Department for External Relations of the Patriarchate of Moscow, will be given
in the coming days.
 In their interventions, the fraternal Delegates expressed to the Holy Father
and the Synod Fathers their gratitude for the invitation to participate in the
Assembly. Each one then went on to present the question of the family in the
context of his own Christian confession.
 Overall, it was underlined that the challenges and hopes attached to the
family unit are common to all Christians: the family, it was said, is
fundamental for society, it is the foundation of communion in justice.
Certainly, there is no lack of difficulties: the economic crisis is pressing,
the mass media reduce moments of dialogue in the home, at times even proposing
models that lead to adultery, and factors such as wars, migration,
globalisation, the drama of diseases such as Aids and Ebola, and the Islamic
fundamentalism present in some countries continually place the good of the
family at risk in every context.
 Common to all Christians is the need for adequate preparation for marriage
and appropriate reflection on marriage between believers and non-believers.
With regard to divorced and remarried persons, it was said that their
acceptance in the Church may give new hope, promoting a more serene family
life and thus creating a richer society. Therefore, on the part of all
Christian confessions, it is essential to listen to those who find themselves
in difficult family situations, who are in need of mercy and compassion every
day, as the Church wishes always to help those who suffer, looking both at the
Sacred Scriptures and at the problems of contemporary life.
 The wish was expressed for listening and comprehension, far from any form of
condemnation, in relation to homosexual persons, while emphasising that
marriage is a union between a man and a woman. Particular attention was shown
towards children born in difficult contexts and for all victims of violence,
especially women and minors, as the defence of the most vulnerable, of those
who have no voice of their own - believers or otherwise - is common to all
Christians.
 Another central theme in the interventions by the fraternal Delegates was
that of the proclamation of the Gospel. The family, it was said, is the first
school of faith: it is the place where knowledge of the Good News is
transmitted and disseminated, and it is therefore essential that Christians
share the "joy of the Gospel", that "evangelii gaudium" frequently mentioned
by Pope Francis.
 Some differences in approach were encountered, for example on the theme of
birth control, underlining the freedom of conscience of believers, while
always respecting the meaning of love and marriage. Furthermore, in relation
to second marriages, it was said by the Orthodox delegates that these in any
case constitute a deviation and while they are celebrated, it is after a
period of accompaniment on the part of the Church in an attempt to bring
married couples towards reconciliation.
 In particular, the fraternal Delegates of the Churches present in the Middle
East thanked Pope Francis for the prayer vigil for peace in Syria and
throughout the world, held on 7 September 2013; in this context, the
responsibility of evangelisation by Middle Eastern Christian families within a
largely Islamic context was emphasised.
 Finally, the delegates concluded their interventions by expressing the hope
that the extraordinary Synod on the family will prove successful, especially
in view of the ordinary Assembly scheduled for 2015.

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 Declaration from the director of the Holy See Press Office
 Vatican City, 11 October 2014 (VIS) - In response to questions from
journalists regarding the meeting between the Holy Father Francis and the
Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung, the
director of the Holy See Press Office Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., issued the
following declaration:
 "As agreed, the Holy Father Francis will receive Mr. Nguyen Tan Dung, Prime
Minister of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, on Saturday 18 October 2014.
The meeting will allow a deepening of the bilateral relations between Viet Nam
and the Holy See".

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 Audiences
 Vatican City, 11 October 2014 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father received in
audience:
 - Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops;
 - Cardinal Geraldo Majello Agnelo, archbishop emeritus of Sao Salvador de
Bahia, Brazil;
 - Bishop Francesco Moraglia, patriarch of Venice, Italy.

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 Other Pontifical Acts
 Vatican City, 11 October 2014 (VIS) - The Holy Father has:
 - appointed Bishop Djalwana Laurent Lompo as metropolitan archbishop of the
archdiocese of Niamey (area 200,000, population 7,637,000, Catholics 20,600,
priests 39, religious 81), Niger. Msgr. Djalwana Laurent Lompo, currently
auxiliary of the same diocese, succeeds Archbishop Michel Carteteguy, S.M.A.,
whose resignation from the pastoral care of the archdiocese, in accordance
with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law, was accepted by the Holy
Father.
 - appointed Archbishop Vincenzo Pelvi, military ordinary emeritus of Italy,
as metropolitan archbishop of Foggia-Bovino (area 1,666, population 215,000,
Catholics 212,000, priests 154, permanent deacons 10, religious 228), Italy.
He succeeds Archbishop Francesco Pio Tamburrino, whose resignation from the
pastoral care of the same archdiocese upon reaching the age limit was accepted
by the Holy Father.
 - appointed Bishop Jan Piotrowski, auxiliary of Tarnow, Poland, as bishop of
Kielce (area 8,319, population 813,525, Catholics 768,743, priests 729,
religious 437), Poland. He succeeds Bishop Kazimierz Ryczan, whose resignation
from the pastoral care of the same diocese upon reaching the age limit was
accepted by the Holy Father.

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