VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 023
DATE 02-02-2015

Summary:
- To the bishops of Lithuania: constructive dialogue with all, closeness to
the poor and assistance to those who emigrate
- Angelus: the Gospel changes life
- The Pope announces his visit to Sarajevo
- Pope's Telegram to the new President of the Italian Republic
- There is no humanity without cultivation of the land: Francis on the central
role of agriculture
- Members and substitutes from the Episcopal Conferences for the 14th Ordinary
General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops
- Assembly on "Women's cultures"
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts

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 To the bishops of Lithuania: constructive dialogue with all, closeness to the
poor and assistance to those who emigrate
 Vatican City, 2 February 2015 (VIS) - "You have come to Rome with your youth,
but also with your heroism. Indeed, among you there are some young brothers,
but mostly prelates who have experienced the sad period of persecution. Thank
you for your witness to Jesus Christ and for your service to God's holy
people", writes the Holy Father in the discourse handed out at the end of his
audience with the Lithuanian Bishops' Conference today, following their
five-yearly "ad Limina" visit.
 "Lithuania has always had pastors who are close to their flock and united
with them", he continues. "Throughout the history of the nation, they have
accompanied their people with care, not only in their journey of faith and in
facing material difficulties, but also in the civil and social construction of
society; the foundations of its history and identity are found in the strength
of the Gospel and the love of the Holy Mother of God. You are the heirs to
this history, this heritage of pastoral charity, and you show this with the
energy of your action, the communion you inspire and your perseverance in
pursuing the goals the Spirit indicates to you".
 "Dear brothers, I know your apostolic labours. If for a long period the
Church in your country was oppressed by regimes based on ideologies contrary
to human dignity and freedom, today you must face others, more insidious, such
as secularism and relativism. Therefore, alongside tireless proclamation of
the Gospel and Christian values, you must not forget to maintain constructive
dialogue with all, even those who do not belong to the Church or who are
distant from religious experience. Ensure that Christian communities are
always places of welcome, of open and constructive exchange, a stimulus for
society as a whole in the pursuit of the common good".
 Francis does not overlook the ceaseless efforts and attention paid by the
Lithuanian bishops to the clergy, and he invites them to pray that God might
give them "generous priests capable of sacrifice and devotion", as well as
"convinced laypersons who know how to take responsibility within the ecclesial
community and to make a valid Christian contribution to civil society", to be
encouraged by the bishops "with the strength of mature faith, in the civil,
cultural, political and social fields".
 The Pope also remarks that the Church is engaged in reflection on the beauty
and value of the family, and the challenges it faces in our time. He
encourages the bishops, as pastors, to make their contribution to "this great
work of discernment", and above all to pay attention to the pastoral ministry
of the family, so that couples "feel the closeness of the Christian community
and are helped not to conform to the mentality of this world, but instead to
continually renew themselves in the spirit of the Gospel". He adds, "indeed,
in your country, which is now a full member of the European Union, is exposed
to an influx of ideologies that seek to introduce elements of destabilisation
of families, the result of a misunderstood sense of personal freedom.
Centuries-old Lithuanian traditions will help you to respond, in accordance
with reason and faith, to these challenges".
 He then goes on to recommend special attention to vocations to the priesthood
and to consecrated life, and encourages the Church in Lithuania to pray
tirelessly to this end. He also urges adequate formation, both initial and
continuing, of priests, consecrated persons and seminarians, as well as the
active initiation of contact with them, to avoid leaving them alone with their
difficulties. He concludes by exhorting care for the poor. "In Lithuania too,
despite current economic development, there are many people in need,
unemployed, sick, and abandoned. Be close to them. And do not forget that
there are many, especially the young, who for various reasons leave the
country to find a new path abroad. Their growing number and their needs
require attention and pastoral care on the part of the Bishops' Conference,
also to ensure the preservation of their faith and Lithuanian religious
traditions".

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 Angelus: the Gospel changes life
 Vatican City, 1 February 2015 (VIS) - At midday, Pope Francis appeared at the
window of his study to pray the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St.
Peter's Square, and to reflect on the readings in today's liturgy.
 This Sunday's Gospel passage narrates Jesus' arrival with his disciples in
the city of Capernaum, the birthplace of St. Peter and the largest city in
Galilee at the time. St. Mark writes that, since it was the Sabbath, Jesus
went immediately to the synagogue and began to teach. "This makes us think of
the primacy of the Word of God, a word to listen to, receive and announce",
explained the Holy Father. Upon his arrival in Capernaum, Jesus does not delay
in proclaiming the Gospel: "He does not think first of the logistical
arrangements, certainly necessary, for his little community; nor does He take
his time over organisation. His main concern is communicating the Word of God
with the strength of the Holy Spirit. And the people in the synagogue are
impressed, because Jesus 'taught them as one having authority and not as the
scribes'".
 "What does 'with authority' mean?", asked the Pope, before explaining that in
human words, Jesus felt "all the strength of the Word of God, He felt the same
authority of God Himself, the inspirer of the Holy Scriptures. And one of the
characteristics of the Word of God is that it accomplishes what it says".
Indeed Jesus, after preaching, immediately demonstrates His authority by
freeing a man, present in the synagogue, from possession by a demon. "It was
Christ's authority that had provoked the reaction of Satan, hidden in that
man. In turn, Jesus immediately recognised the voice of the devil and,
severely rebuking him, ordered: 'Quiet! Come out of him!'. With the strength
of his word alone, Jesus freed the person from evil. And again those present
were astounded. 'He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey Him'. The
Word of God creates this wonder in us. It possesses the strength to astonish
us".
 "The Gospel is the word of life: it does not oppress people, but on the
contrary, frees those who are enslaved by the many evil spirits of this world:
the spirit of vanity, attachment to money, pride, sensuality; the Gospel
changes hearts, changes lives, transforms the inclination to evil into good
resolutions. The Gospel is capable of changing people. Therefore, it is the
duty of Christians to spread this redeeming power everywhere, becoming
missionaries and heralds of the Word of God. ... The new doctrine that Jesus
taught with authority is that which the Church brings to the world, along with
the effective signs of His presence: authoritative teaching and the liberating
action of the Son of God become the words of salvation and the gestures of
love of the missionary Church".
 Pope Francis concluded by reminding those present that the Gospel has the
strength to change life. "It is the Good News that transforms us only when we
let ourselves be transformed by it. This is why I ask you always to make daily
contact with the Gospel; to read a passage every day, to meditate upon it and
to carry it everywhere with you, in your pocket or in your bag. ... It is the
power that changes us, that transforms us. It changes life, and it changes the
heart".

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 The Pope announces his visit to Sarajevo
 Vatican City, 1 February 2015 (VIS) - Following today's Angelus prayer, the
Holy Father announced that on 6 June he will travel to Sarajevo, the capital
of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and asked those present for their prayers so that
his visit "to those dear populations may give encouragement to the Catholic
faithful, may be a leaven for good and contribute to the consolidation of
brotherhood, peace, interreligious dialogue and friendship".
 He went on to greet the participants in the fourth world Congress organised
by Scholas Occurrentes, to be held in the Vatican from 2 to 5 February on the
theme "Responsibility for all education for a culture of encounter".
 Finally, he remarked that today is the "Day for Life" in Italy, focusing this
year on the theme "Solidarity for life". He expressed his appreciation for the
associations, movements and all others who defend human life. "I join with the
Italian bishops in calling for a renewed recognition of the human person and
more suitable care for life from conception to its natural end. When we open
ourselves to life and serve life, we experience the revolutionary force of
love and tenderness, giving rise to a new humanism: the humanism of
solidarity, the humanism of life."

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 Pope's Telegram to the new President of the Italian Republic
 Vatican City, 2 February 2015 (VIS) - Last Saturday the Holy Father sent a
telegram to Sergio Mattarella, new president of the Italian Republic, in which
he expresses his hope that the new head of State will be able to exercise his
"high office in the service of the unity and harmony of the country", and
invokes upon him "constant divine assistance for enlightened action in the
promotion of the common good, in line with the authentic human and spiritual
values of the Italian population".

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 There is no humanity without cultivation of the land: Francis on the central
role of agriculture
 Vatican City, 31 January 2015 (VIS) - "There is no humanity without the
cultivation of the land; there is no good life without the food it produces
for the men and women of every continent. Agriculture thus demonstrates its
central role", said Pope Francis this morning, as he received in audience two
hundred managers from the National Confederation of Direct Cultivators in the
Clementine Hall on the seventh anniversary of its foundation.
 The name "direct cultivators", explained the Pontiff, refers to cultivation,
"a typically human and fundamental activity. In agricultural work there is,
indeed, acceptance of the precious gift of the land that comes from God, but
there is also its development through the equally valuable work of men and
women, called to respond boldly and creatively to the mandate forever
entrusted to mankind, the cultivation and stewardship of the land".
 This task, which requires time and energy, constitutes "a true vocation. It
deserves to be recognised and suitably valued as such, also in concrete
political and economic decisions. This means eliminating the obstacles that
penalise such a valuable activity and that often make it appear unattractive
to new generations, even though statistics show an increase in the number of
students in schools and institutes of agriculture, which leads us to foresee
and increase in the numbers of those employed in the agricultural sector. At
the same time, it is necessary to pay due attention to the removal of land
from agricultural use, to make it available for apparently more lucrative
purposes".
 This reflection on agrarian work led the Holy Father to focus on two critical
areas: poverty and hunger, and the protection of the environment. "Vatican
Council II reiterated the common destination of earthly goods, but in reality
the dominant economic system excludes many people from their correct use. The
absolutism of the rules of the market and a throwaway culture in which waste
of food has reached unacceptable proportions, along with other factors, have
caused poverty and suffering for many families. Therefore, the system of
production and distribution of food needs to be fundamentally re-evaluated. As
our grandparents taught us, you do not play with food! Bread forms part of the
sacredness of human life, and must not therefore be treated as a mere
commodity".

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