creatures with strengths and weaknesses, sinners in need of forgiveness. To
enter into the mystery we need the lowliness that is powerlessness, the
renunciation of our idols ... in a word, we need to adore. Without adoration,
we
cannot enter into the mystery.
 "The women who were Jesus' disciples teach us all of this. They kept watch
that
night, together with Mary. And she, the Virgin Mother, helped them not to lose
faith and hope. As a result, they did not remain prisoners of fear and sadness,
but at the first light of dawn they went out carrying their ointments, their
hearts anointed with love. They went forth and found the tomb open. And they
went in. They had kept watch, they went forth and they entered into the
Mystery.
May we learn from them to keep watch with God and with Mary our Mother, so that
we too may enter into the Mystery which leads from death to life".

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 Easter Sunday: may the consoling and healing voice of the Lord reach us all
 Vatican City, 5 April 2015 (VIS) - At 10.15 today, Easter Sunday, the Holy
Father Francis celebrated the solemn Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord in
St.
Peter's Square, which had been decorated for the occasion with 40,000 plants
and
flowers (tulips, narcissus and hyacinths) offered by Dutch florists, mostly in
yellow and white, the colours of Vatican City State. The celebration, which
began with the "Resurrexit" rite - the opening of an icon of the Risen Lord,
placed next to the papal altar - was attended by more than 50,000 faithful from
all around the world, whom the Pope thanked.
 The Holy Father did not pronounce a homily, but following Mass at midday he
delivered an Easter message and imparted his "Urbi et Orbi" blessing from the
central balcony of the Vatican basilica. He addressed the faithful gathered in
St. Peter's Square and all those following the event on radio or television,
making a special Easter appeal for the world not to submit to arms traffickers,
recalling the tragedies in Yemen, Libya, Syria and Iraq, the persecution of
Christians in these and other countries, the conflicts in the Holy Land and the
war in Ukraine. He also made a plea for peace in Nigeria, South Sudan and the
Republic of Congo, and mentioned in particular the poor, the incarcerated and
immigrants, who are frequently scorned and rejected. He then imparted his "Urbi
et Orbi" blessing, to the city and the world.
 "Dear Brothers and Sisters, Happy Easter! Jesus Christ is risen!" exclaimed
the
Pope. "Love has triumphed over hatred, life has conquered death, light has
dispelled the darkness! Out of love for us, Jesus Christ stripped Himself of
His
divine glory, emptied Himself, took on the form of a slave and humbled Himself
even to death, death on a cross. For this reason God exalted him and made him
Lord of the universe. Jesus is Lord! By His death and resurrection, Jesus shows
everyone the way to life and happiness: this way is humility, which involves
humiliation. This is the path which leads to glory. Only those who humble
themselves can go towards the 'things that are above', towards God. The proud
look 'down from above'; the humble look 'up from below'.
 "On Easter morning, alerted by the women, Peter and John ran to the tomb. They
found it open and empty. Then they drew near and 'bent down' in order to enter
it. To enter into the mystery, we need to 'bend down', to abase ourselves. Only
those who abase themselves understand the glorification of Jesus and are able
to
follow him on his way. The world proposes that we put ourselves forward at all
costs, that we compete, that we prevail. But Christians, by the grace of
Christ,
dead and risen, are the seeds of another humanity, in which we seek to live in
service to one another, not to be arrogant, but rather respectful and ready to
help. This is not weakness, but true strength! Those who bear within them God's
power, His love and His justice, do not need to employ violence; they speak and
act with the power of truth, beauty and love.
 "From the risen Lord we ask today the grace not to succumb to the pride which
fuels violence and war, but to have the humble courage of pardon and peace. We
ask Jesus, the Victor over death, to lighten the sufferings of our many
brothers
and sisters who are persecuted for his name, and of all those who suffer
injustice as a result of ongoing conflicts and violence. There are so many of
them. We ask for peace, above all, for beloved Syria and Iraq, that the roar of
arms may cease and that peaceful relations may be restored among the various
groups which make up those beloved countries. May the international community
not stand by before the immense humanitarian tragedy unfolding in these
countries and the drama of the numerous refugees. We pray for peace for all the
peoples of the Holy Land. May the culture of encounter grow between Israelis
and
Palestinians and the peace process be resumed, in order to end years of
suffering and division.
 "We implore peace for Libya, that the present absurd bloodshed and all
barbarous acts of violence may cease, and that all concerned for the future of
the country may work to favour reconciliation and to build a fraternal society
respectful of the dignity of the person. For Yemen too we express our hope for
the growth of a common desire for peace, for the good of the entire people. At
the same time, in hope we entrust to the merciful Lord the framework recently
agreed to in Lausanne, that it may be a definitive step toward a more secure
and
fraternal world. We ask the risen Lord for the gift of peace for Nigeria, South
Sudan and for the various areas of Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the
Congo. May constant prayer rise up from all people of goodwill for those who
lost their lives - I think in particular of the young people who were killed
last Thursday at Garissa University College in Kenya -, for all who have been
kidnapped, and for those forced to abandon their homes and their loved ones.
 "May the Lord's resurrection bring light to beloved Ukraine, especially to
those who have endured the violence of the conflict of recent months. May the
country rediscover peace and hope thanks to the commitment of all interested
parties. We ask for peace and freedom for the many men and women subject to old
and new forms of enslavement on the part of criminal individuals and groups.
Peace and liberty for the victims of drug dealers, who are often allied with
the
powers who ought to defend peace and harmony in the human family. And we ask
peace for this world subjected to arms dealers, who profit from the blood of
men
and women.
 "May the marginalised, the imprisoned, the poor and the migrants who are so
often rejected, maltreated and discarded, the sick and the suffering, children,
especially those who are victims of violence; all who today are in mourning,
and
all men and women of goodwill, hear the consoling and healing voice of the Lord
Jesus: 'Peace to you!'. 'Fear not, for I am risen and I shall always be with
you'.

___________________________________________________________

 Regina Coeli: Christ is risen! Repeat this with our witness of life
 Vatican City, 6 April 2015 (VIS) - At midday today the Holy Father appeared at
the window of his study to pray the Regina Coeli, the prayer that substitutes
the Angelus during Easter time, with the thousands of faithful and pilgrims
reunited in St. Peter's Square. Before reciting the Marian prayer, Francis
commented on the day's Gospel reading, remarking that the angel announced to
the
women in the tomb that Jesus was risen, and asked them to take the news to the
disciples and to tell them to go to Galilee, where they would encounter the
Messiah. "Today, too, He is with us, here in the square". The Pope also noted
that this is the announcement that the Church has repeated since the very first
day. "Christ is risen!" "It is the good news we are called upon to take to
others everywhere, inspired by the Holy Spirit. Faith in the resurrection of
Jesus and the hope that He has brought to us is the most beautiful gift that
the
Christian can and must offer to his brethren. ... Christ is risen! Let us
repeat
this in words, but above all with the witness of our life".
 "Let us proclaim Christ's resurrection when His light illuminates the darkest
moments of our existence and we are able to share it with others; when we know
how to smile with those who smile, and weep with those who weep; when we walk
alongside those who are sad and at risk of losing hope; when we recount our
experience of faith to those who are in search of meaning and happiness. With
our attitude, our witness, our life, we say: Jesus is risen! We say this with
all our soul. ... Easter is the event that brought radical newness to every
human
being, for history and for the world: it is the triumph of life over death; it
is the celebration of reawakening and regeneration. Let our existence be
conquered and transformed by the Resurrection!" concluded the Pope, urging
those
present to pray to the Virgin Mary to "let the joy of Easter grow in us".
 Following the Regina Coeli prayer, Francis greeted the faithful, wishing them
a
happy Easter and encouraging them to read a passage from the Gospel every day.
He addressed some words to the Shalom Movement, which has reached the final
stage of its relay race to raise public awareness of the persecution of
Christians throughout the world. "You have reached the end of your itinerary,
but we must all continue on the spiritual path of intense prayer, concrete
participation and tangible aid in the defence and protection of our brothers
and
sisters who are persecuted, exiled, killed, decapitated, for the mere fact of
being Christians. They are our present-day martyrs, and there are many of them;
indeed, we might say that there are more of them than in the first centuries".
 Francis also urged the international community "not to remain silent and inert
in the face of this unacceptable crime, which constitutes a worrying erosion of
the most elementary human rights. I truly hope that the international community
does not look away".

___________________________________________________________

 Pope's telegram for the attack on Garissa University College
 Vatican City, 3 April 2015 (VIS) - Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin
sent a telegram of condolences on behalf of the Holy Father to Cardinal John
Njue, archbishop of Nairobi, Kenya, following the attack on the university
campus of Garissa which caused the death of 147 students and many casualties.
 "Deeply saddened by the immense and tragic loss of life caused by the recent
attack on the Garissa University College, the Holy Father sends assurances of
his prayers and spiritual closeness to the families of the victims and to all
Kenyans at this painful time. He commends the souls of the deceased to the
infinite mercy of Almighty God, and he prays that all who mourn them will be
comforted in their loss. In union with all people of good will throughout the
world, His Holiness condemns this act of senseless brutality and prays for a
change of heart among its perpetrators. He calls upon all those in authority to
redouble their efforts to work with all men and women in Kenya to bring an end
to such violence and to hasten the dawn of a new era of brotherhood, justice
and
peace".

___________________________________________________________

 Other Pontifical Acts
 Vatican City, 8 April 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father has:
 - accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary of the archdiocese of
Morelia, Mexico, presented by Archbishop Octavio Villegas Aguilar upon reaching
the age limit.
 On Tuesday, 7 April, the Holy Father appointed:
 - Rev. Fr. Ernesto Jose Romero Rivas, O.F.M. Cap., as apostolic vicar of
Tucupita (area 40,200, population 167,676, Catholics 120,000, priests 8,
religious 20), Venezuela. The bishop-elect was born in Machiques, Venezuela in
1960, gave his solemn vows in 1990, and was ordained a priest in the same year.
He holds a licentiate in catechetics from the Pontifical Salesian University in
Rome and has served in a number of roles, including parish administrator in
Tucupita; and master of post-novices, counsellor, superior, rector, bursar and
vice provincial counsellor of the Order of Friars Minor in Venezuela. He is
currently pro-vicar of Tucupita and parish priest.
 - appointed Rev. Fr. Vincent Aind as bishop of Bagdogra (area 1,200,
population
1,015,000, Catholics 54,301, priests 58, religious 185), India. The
bishop-elect
was born in Kalchini, India in 1955 and was ordained a priest in 1984. He holds
a doctorate in philosophy from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, and
has served in a number of roles, including parish vicar and parish priest in
the
diocese of Jalpaiguri; lecturer, spiritual director, rector and dean of the
Morning Star regional seminary, Barrackpore; and principal of the Morning Star
College. He is currently diocesan consulter and member of the council for
economic affairs of the diocese of Jalpaiguri, and regional secretary of the
Commission for the Clergy, Religious and Seminarians of the Regional Episcopal
Conference of West Bengal.

___________________________________________________________

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