VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 033
DATE 16-02-2015

Summary:
- Audience with the King of Tonga: satisfaction at the nomination of the first
cardinal from the archipelago
- The Pope receives the representatives of the Church of Scotland (Reformed)
- To the Pro Petri Sede Association: there is much to learn from the poor
- Francis at the Mass with new cardinals: the way of the Church is that of
mercy and inclusion
- Angelus: good is contagious
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts

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 Audience with the King of Tonga: satisfaction at the nomination of the first
cardinal from the archipelago
 Vatican City, 16 February 2015 (VIS) - Today in the Vatican Apostolic Palace
the Holy Father Francis received in audience Their Majesties the King Tupou VI
of Tonga and the Queen Nanasipau'u Tuku'aho, who went on to meet with Cardinal
Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by Archbishop Paul Gallagher,
secretary for Relations with States.
 His Majesty first expressed his satisfaction at the election of the first
Cardinal from the archipelago, Cardinal Soane Patita Paini Mafi, underlining
the enthusiasm of the population and the presence of Her Majesty the Queen and
numerous Tongans at the Ordinary Public Consistory held on 14 February. During
the cordial discussions, attention was paid to the recent political
developments in the country and on a number of aspects of social and economic
life, as well as the positive contribution of the Catholic Church in various
areas of society.
 There was subsequently an exchange of opinions on the international
situation, with particular reference to the island States of the Pacific and
the environmental problems that some of them are compelled to face.

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 The Pope receives the representatives of the Church of Scotland (Reformed)
 Vatican City, 16 February 2015 (VIS) - The Right Rev. John P. Chalmers,
moderator of the Church of Scotland, accompanied by a group of representatives
of the same Church, were received this in audience this morning by the Holy
Father who, in his greeting, expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to
meet and share with them a common commitment to the service of the Gospel and
the cause for Christian unity.
 "Scotland's rich cultural and historical traditions have been shaped by
outstanding saintly witnesses to Christ from various confessions", he
observed. "The present state of ecumenical relations in Scotland clearly shows
that what we, as Christians, hold in common is greater than all that divides
us. On this basis the Lord is calling us to seek ever more effective ways to
overcome old prejudices and to find new forms of understanding and
cooperation".
 The Pope remarked that he was heartened to see that "the good relations
between the Church of Scotland and the Catholic Church have borne fruit in
shared reflection on the challenges posed by contemporary society, and that in
many cases we are able to speak with one voice on issues which deeply affect
the lives of all Christians. In our globalised and often confused world, a
common Christian witness is a necessary requisite for the effectiveness of our
efforts to evangelise.
 "We are pilgrims and we journey alongside one another. We need to learn to
have 'sincere trust in our fellow pilgrims, putting aside all suspicion or
mistrust, and turn our gaze to what we are all seeking: the radiant peace of
God's face', he continued, citing his Apostolic Exhortation "Evangelii
gaudium". He went on to reiterate that faith and Christian witness current
face such great challenges that "only by working together will we be able
effectively to serve the human family and enable the light of Christ to reach
every dark corner of our hearts and of our world".
 "May the journey of reconciliation and peace between our communities continue
to draw us closer, so that, prompted by the Holy Spirit, we may bring life to
all, and bring it in abundance. Let us pray for one another, and continue to
advance in the way of wisdom, good will, strength and peace". Pope Francis
then added, in his native Spanish, "allow me to use my mother tongue to
express a profound and sad sentiment. Today I have read about the execution of
those twenty-one or twenty-two Coptic Christians. They said only: 'Jesus, help
me'. They were assassinated for the mere fact of being Christians. You,
Brother, in your discourse, referred to what is happening in Jesus' land. The
blood of our Christian brothers is a testimony that calls to us. Regardless of
whether they are Catholic, Orthodox, Coptic, Lutherans - this does not matter,
they are Christians. And blood is the same. Their blood confesses Christ. In
remembrance of these brothers of ours who have died for the mere fact of
confessing Christ, I ask that we encourage each other to go ahead with this
ecumenism, that is giving us strength, this ecumenism of blood. The martyrs
are all Christians. Let us all pray for each other".

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 To the Pro Petri Sede Association: there is much to learn from the poor
 Vatican City, 16 February 2015 (VIS) - "I am grateful for your commitment to
serving the poor. The growing number of marginalised people living in
situations of extreme precariousness is a fact that calls to us and demands
zealous solidarity to offer them the material and spiritual support they
need", said the Pope this morning, as he received in audience the members of
the Pro Petri Sede Association, on their pilgrimage to the tombs of the
Apostles in these days. "At the same time, we have much to receive from the
poor whom we encounter and assist", he added. "In the throes of difficulty,
they are often witnesses to the essential, to family values; they are able to
share with those who are poorer than them, and to rejoice in it. ...
Indifference and self-centredness are always on the increase. Care for the
poor enriches us by setting us on a path of humility and truth".
 Francis encouraged them to pray to the Lord, especially during the Lenten
time that is about to begin, to ask Him to give them a merciful and poor
heart, that knows its own poverty and offers itself to others. He mentioned
their valuable work in assisting the neediest populations throughout the
world, offering them spiritual consolation so that they do not feel forgotten
in their difficulties and retain hope. He also invited them to pray fervently
for peace, "so that political leaders may find ways of dialogue and
reconciliation", and concluded by expressing his hope that their pilgrimage
might increase in every one of them "the sense of belonging to the Church,
which is a great family, and the joy of announcing the Gospel to all. May
fraternity be strengthened among you, so you may carry out your mission in the
service of the poor and the least, for whom Jesus has a special predilection".
 Before concluding, the Pope added some impromptu words regarding the Benelux
countries, which "have filled the world with missionaries. Today they face a
vocational crisis. I would like to ask you to knock on the door of Jesus'
heart and ask Him not to forget the generosity that these two countries had in
other times. May He send vocations to Benelux, so that the life of faith may
grow further. You work with the poor and love the poor, but think also of
those who are poor in faith, who have no faith because there is no-one to
preach it to them. May the Lord send priests to announce the faith. And
please, pray for vocations in your countries".

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 Francis at the Mass with new cardinals: the way of the Church is that of
mercy and inclusion
 Vatican City, 15 February 2015 (VIS) - At 10 a.m. today Pope Francis presided
at a Eucharistic celebration in the Vatican Basilica with the cardinals
created in yesterday's consistory, and with all the cardinals in Rome for the
occasion.
 In the homily he pronounced before the members of the College of Cardinals,
in which he commented on the passage from the Gospel narrating the healing of
the leper - marginalised, despised and abandoned for being "impure" - Francis
insisted that the cardinals follow Jesus' merciful logic and reminded them
that the way of the Church is "not only to welcome and reinstate with
evangelical courage all those who knock at our door, but to go out and seek,
fearlessly and without prejudice, those who are distant, freely sharing what
we ourselves freely received".
 'Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean...': Jesus, moved with
compassion, stretched out his hand and touched him, and said: 'I do choose. Be
made clean!'. The compassion of Jesus! That com-passion which made him draw
near to every person in pain! Jesus does not hold back; instead, he gets
involved in people's pain and their need for the simple reason that he knows
and wants to show com-passion, because he has a heart unashamed to have
'compassion'.
 "'Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed in the country; and
people came to him from every quarter'. This means that Jesus not only healed
the leper but also took upon himself the marginalisation enjoined by the law
of Moses. Jesus is unafraid to risk sharing in the suffering of others; he
pays the price of it in full.
 "Compassion leads Jesus to concrete action: he reinstates the marginalised!
These are the three key concepts that the Church proposes in today's liturgy
of the word: the compassion of Jesus in the face of marginalisation and his
desire to reinstate.
 "Marginalisation: Moses, in his legislation regarding lepers, says that they
are to be kept alone and apart from the community for the duration of their
illness. He declares them: 'unclean!'.
 "Imagine how much suffering and shame lepers must have felt: physically,
socially, psychologically and spiritually! They are not only victims of
disease, but they feel guilty about it, punished for their sins! Theirs is a
living death; they are like someone whose father has spat in his face.
 "In addition, lepers inspire fear, contempt and loathing, and so they are
abandoned by their families, shunned by other persons, cast out by society.
Indeed, society rejects them and forces them to live apart from the healthy.
It excludes them. So much so that if a healthy person approached a leper, he
would be punished severely, and often be treated as a leper himself.
 "True, the purpose of this rule was 'to safeguard the healthy', 'to protect
the righteous', and, in order to guard them from any risk, to eliminate the
'peril' by treating the diseased person harshly. As the high priest Caiaphas
exclaimed: 'It is better to have one man die for the people than to have the
whole nation destroyed'.

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 * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)