The Pontiff remarked that fifty years ago on 21 November, the dogmatic
Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, and the Decree on the Oriental
Catholic Churches, Orientalium Ecclesiarum, were also published alongside
Unitatis Redintegratio. These three profoundly connected texts offer the
ecclesiological vision of Vatican Council II.
 "Firstly, we can rejoice in the fact that the teaching of the Council has
been widely received", affirmed Francis. "In these years, on the basis of
theological reasons rooted in the Scripture and in the tradition of the
Church, the attitude of us as Catholics has changed in relation to Christians
of other Churches and ecclesial communities. Hostility and indifference, which
had dug trenches that it seemed impossible to fill and had inflicted deep
wounds, now belong to the past, and a healing process has begun that enables
us to accept others as brothers or sisters, in the profound unity born of
Baptism".
 This change in mentality has made it possible to "deepen our contact with
many Churches and ecclesial Communities, and to develop new forms of
collaboration. In this respect, the ecumenical traditions of the Sacred
Scripture have been very important. Christians of different Churches and
ecclesial Communities work together in the service of suffering and needy
humanity, for the defence of human life and its inalienable dignity, for the
protection of creation and against the injustice that afflict many people and
populations".
 He continued, "while we give thanks, we must acknowledge that Christians
remain divided, and that divergence in relation to new anthropological and
ethical themes complicates our path towards unity. However, we cannot give in
to discouragement and resignation, but must continue to trust in God who
plants seeds of love and unity in the hearts of Christians, so they can face
today's ecumenical challenges with renewed zeal; to cultivate spiritual
ecumenism, to recognise the value of ecumenism of blood, and to walk the path
of the Gospel together".
 Spiritual ecumenism culminates in the Week of Prayer for Christian unity, "a
worldwide network of moments of prayer that, from parochial to international
level, infuse the body of the Church with the oxygen of genuine ecumenical
spirit; a network of gestures, that unite us in working together charitably;
and it is also the sharing of prayer, thoughts and other texts that circulate
on the web and may contribute to increasing mutual knowledge, respect and
esteem".
 With regard to ecumenism of blood, Unitatis Redintegratio invites us to
recognise, "in the brothers and sisters of other Churches and Christian
Communities, the capacity, given by God, to bear witness to Christ unto the
sacrifice of their lives. These testimonies have not been lacking in these
fifty years, and continue to this day. ... Those who persecute Christ in his
faithful do not differentiate in terms of confession: they persecute them
simply because they are Christians".
 The Pope went on to remark that, in recent months, encountering many
non-Catholic Christians, and reading their letters, he has noted the existence
of a "widespread and strong desire to walk together, to pray, to know and love
the Lord, to collaborate in service and in solidarity with the weak and
suffering. I am convinced of this: on a common path, with the guidance of the
Holy Spirit and learning from each other, we can grow in the communion that
already unites us".
 "Fifty years on from Unitatis Redintegratio, the quest for full Christian
unity remains a priority for the Catholic Church, and it is therefore one of
my main daily concerns. Unity is, first and foremost, a gift from God and it
is the work of the Holy Spirit, but we are all called to collaborate, always
and in every circumstance".

___________________________________________________________

 The Virgin Mary, protagonist of the 19th Public Session of the Pontifical
Academies
 Vatican City, 21 November 2014 (VIS) - The Holy Father has sent a message to
Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture
and the Council for Coordination between the Pontifical Academies, on the
occasion of the 19th Public Session of the Pontifical Academies, devoted to
the theme "Mary, icon of the infinite beauty of Dios Marialis cultus and the
Marian teaching of Blessed Paul VI", organised by the Pontifical International
Marian Academy.
 In his message, the Pope spoke about Blessed Paul VI's great love for the
Virgin Mary, which he expressed on many occasions during his papacy, as well
as in several documents, including his two encyclicals, Mense Maio and Christi
Matri, dedicated to the Mother of God and the worship of her as Mater
Ecclesiae. He also devoted three apostolic exhortations to Mary: Signum
Magnum, Recurrens Mensis October and, finally, Marialis Cultus, published
forty years ago this year.
 "On the eve of the fiftieth anniversary of the closure of Vatican Council II,
established by Paul VI - not by chance - on the Solemnity of the Immaculate
Conception, 8 December 1965, it is beautiful that you wish to make his voice
through the recording of the homily in which he entrusts the fate of the
Church, radically renewed through the Council assize, to Mary. On that solemn
and historical occasion, Paul VI wished to commend the entire Church to Mary
as the Mother of God and our spiritual Mother".
 Similarly, Francis recalled that in crucial and difficult moments for the
Church and for humanity, Paul VI always turned to Mary, exhorting the people
of God to pray for her intercession and protection, and invoking the gift of
peace. "In the wake of the Synod of Bishops on new evangelisation, in the
apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, I too entrusted the way of the Church
to Mary's maternal and caring intercession, reminding all believers that there
is a Marian style to the evangelising activity of the Church, as every time we
look to Mary we believe again in the revolutionary power of tenderness and
affection. In her we see that humility and tenderness are not virtues of the
weak but rather of the strong, who do not need to mistreat others to feel
important".
 The Holy Father continued, "Let us not tire of learning from Mary, of
admiring and contemplating her beauty, of letting ourselves be guided by her,
she who leads us always to the original source and fullness of authenticity:
infinite beauty, that of God, revealed to us in Christ, Son of the Father and
Son of Mary". The Pontiff concluded by awarding the Pontifical Academies Prize
to the Italian Interdisciplinary Mariological Association, above all for more
than twenty years of publishing the journal Theotokos, and the Pontifical
Medal to the "Centro mariano de difusion cultural" of the Order of the
Servants of Mary, in Mexico.

___________________________________________________________

 Audiences
 Vatican City, 21 November 2014 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father received in
audience:
 - Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Muller, president of the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith;
 - Bishop Enrico Dal Covolo, Magnificent Rector of the Pontifical Lateran
University;
 - Bishop Anthony Sablan Apuron of Agana, Guam.

___________________________________________________________

 Other Pontifical Acts
 Vatican City, 21 November 2014 (VIS) - The Holy Father has:
 - appointed Rev. Fr. Ariel Lascarro Tapia as bishop of Magangue (area 20,165,
population 838,000, Catholics 677,000, priests 70, religious 30), Colombia.
The bishop-elect was born in Carmen de Bolivar, Colombia in 1967 and was
ordained a priest in 1994. He holds a licentiate in theology from the
University of Navarra, Spain, and has served in a number of pastoral roles in
the archdiocese of Cartagena, including parish priest of "San Estanislao
Kostka", "Inmaculada Concepcion", "Maria, Madre de los pobres", "Cristo
Salvador", "Maria, Madre de la Iglesia" and "Santa Catalina de Alejandria";
diocesan head of vocational pastoral ministry, delegate for missionary
childhood and archdiocesan delegate for the biblical inspiration of pastoral
care. He is currently archdiocesan vicar for pastoral care and parish priest
of "Nuestra Senora del Perpetuo Socorro", Bocagrande.
 - appointed Rev. Fr. Moises Carlos Atisha Contreras, Sch.P., as bishop of San
Marcos de Arica (area 16,512, population 198,400, Catholics 140,000, priests
37, deacons 29, religious 30), Chile. The bishop-elect was born in Santiago de
Cile, Chile in 1969 and gave his religious vows and was ordained a priest in
1994. He has served as spiritual director of the "Colegio Hispano-americano y
Calasanz" and as secretary of the National Commission for Youth Pastoral Care
in the Chilean Episcopal Conference, and is currently parish priest of "La
Ascension del Senor" in the archdiocese of Santiago.
 - appointed Rev. Fr. Jorge Martin Torres Carbonell as auxiliary of Lomas de
Zamora, Argentina. The bishop-elect was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in
1954 and was ordained a priest in 1983. He has served as parish priest of
"Santa Clara", "Nino Jesus" and "Nuestra Senora de la Esperanza" in the
archdiocese of Buenos Aires, as well as head of youth pastoral care in the
archdiocese, episcopal vicar for the "Villas de Emergencia", and dean and
member of the presbyteral council. He is currently priest of the the Shrine of
San Cayetano of Buenos Aires.
 - accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary of the archdiocese of
La Serena, Chile, presented by Bishop Luis Carlos Gleisner Wobbe upon reaching
the age limit.

___________________________________________________________

 Appointment of the deputy editor of "L'Osservatore Romano"
 Vatican City, 21 November 2014 (VIS) - Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro
Parolin has appointed Giuseppe Fiorentino as deputy editor of "L'Osservatore
Romano". The new deputy director was previously a reporter for the same
newspaper.

___________________________________________________________

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