has sent a telegram of condolences on behalf of the Holy Father to Bishop
Joseph
Osei-Bonsu of Konongo-Mampong, president of the Ghana Catholic Bishops'
Conference, for the many victims of the explosion and subsequent fire in a
petrol station in Accra.
 "Deeply saddened to learn of the tragic incident at a petrol station in Accra
in which so many people died or were seriously injured, the Holy Father sends
heartfelt condolences to the relatives of the deceased and injured, to the
authorities and to the entire nation. His Holiness commends the souls of the
departed to Almighty God and willingly invokes the divine gifts of consolation
and strength upon those who mourn and upon all who have been affected by this
tragedy".

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 Solemnity of Corpus Christi: the Eucharist is not a reward for the good
 Vatican City, 5 June 2015 (VIS) - Yesterday, on the Solemnity of the Body and
Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), the Holy Father celebrated Holy Mass before
thousands of people at the Basilica of St. John Lateran. The Eucharist the
procession began, led by Cardinal Agostino Vallini, vicar of His Holiness for
the diocese of Rome, along the Via Merulana to the Basilica of St. Mary Major,
where the Pope imparted his solemn blessing with the Holy Sacrament.
 In his homily, the Pope recalled that during the Last Supper, Jesus gives us
His Body and Blood in the bread and wine, to leave us the memorial of His
sacrifice of infinite love, and by means of this 'viaticum', full of grace, the
disciples have everything that is necessary for their path through history, to
extend the kingdom of God to all. As the responsory of today's liturgy shows,
"See in this bread the body of Christ which hung upon the cross, and in this
cup
the blood which flowed from His side. Take His body, then, and eat it; take His
blood and drink it, and you will become His members. The body of Christ is the
bond which unites you to Him: eat it, or you will have no part in Him. The
blood
is the price He paid for your redemption: drink it, lest you despair of your
sinfulness".
 Francis explained the meaning today of being torn from Him and of despairing,
as cowards. "We are torn from Him when we are not obedient to the Word of the
Lord, when we do not live brotherhood between us, when we race to occupy the
first places, ... when we find the courage to witness to charity, when we are
unable to offer hope. The Eucharist allows us to be not torn from Him, for it
is
the bond of communion, is the fulfilment of the Covenant ... that we might
remain
united. ... The Christ present in our midst, in the signs of bread and wine,
requires that the power of love exceed every laceration, and at the same time
that it become communion with the poor, support for the weak, fraternal
attention to those who are struggling to carry the weight of everyday life and
are in danger of losing faith".
 To be cowardly, to despair of our sinfulness, he said, "means to let ourselves
be affected by the idolatries of our time: appearance, consumption, the self at
the centre of everything; but also being competitive, arrogance as the winning
attitude, the idea that one never need admit to a mistake or to find oneself in
need. All this demeans us, makes us mediocre, lukewarm, insipid Christians,
pagans".
 "Jesus shed his blood as a ransom and as a lavacrum - a cleansing agent, that
we might be purified of all sins", he continued, "that we might be preserved
from the risk of corruption. ... The Blood of Christ will ... give us back our
dignity. ... We will be His eyes that go in search of Zacchaeus and of the
Magdalene; we will be His hand who helps the sick in body and spirit; we will
be
His heart that loves those in need of reconciliation and understanding. ... In
this way we understand that the Eucharist is not a reward for the good, but
rather strength for the weak, for sinners. It is forgiveness, the viaticum that
helps us on our way".
 "Today, the feast of Corpus Christi, we have the joy not only of celebrating
this mystery, but also of praising Him and singing in the streets of our city",
he continued. "May the procession we will make at the end of the Mass, express
our gratitude for all the journey that God has allowed us to make through the
desert of our poverty, to take us out of slavery, by nourishing us with His
love
through the Sacrament of his Body and the Blood. Soon, as we walk the streets,
let us perceive ourselves in communion with our many brothers and sisters who
do
not have the freedom to express their faith in the Lord Jesus. Let us feel that
we are united with them, let us sing with them, praise with them, worship with
them. And we venerate in our hearts those brothers and sisters who have been
asked to sacrifice their lives for their fidelity to Christ. May their blood,
united to that of the Lord, be a pledge of peace and reconciliation for the
whole world".

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 Pope Francis' new encyclical to be published on 18 June
 Vatican City, 5 June 2015 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office Bulletin today
reports that Pope Francis' new encyclical will be published on Thursday 18
June.
Further information on its presentation will shortly be made available in the
Bulletin.

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 Audiences
 Vatican City, 5 June 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father received in audience:
 - Michelle Bachelet Jeria, president of the Republic of Chile, and entourage;
 - Archbishop Leon Kalenga Badikebele, apostolic nuncio in El Salvador and in
Belize;
 - Claudio Descalzi, chief executive officer of ENI SpA., with his family.

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 Other Pontifical Acts
 Vatican City, 5 June 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father has:
 - accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary of the archdiocese of
Cologne, Germany, presented by Bishop Manfred Melzer, in accordance with canons
401 para. 2 and 411 of the Code of Canon Law.
 - Fr. Oscar Munera Ochoa as apostolic vicar of Tierradentro (area 2,087,
population 68,000, Catholics 64,000, priests 15, religious 17), Colombia. The
bishop-elect was born in San Pedro de los Milagros, Colombia in 1962 and was
ordained a priest in 1988. He holds a licentiate in philosophy and religious
sciences at the Catholic University of Oriente, Colombia and a diploma in
"Missione ad gentes y etnias" from the Pontifical Xavierian University, Bogota,
Colombia. He has served in a number of pastoral roles in the diocese of Santa
Rosa de Osos, including parish vicar, spiritual director and subsequently
rector
of the Apostolic School in Liborina, diocesan delegate for youth and vocational
pastoral ministry, director of the department of youth in the Episcopal
Conference of Colombia; episcopal vicar for the western sector of the diocese;
vicar for pastoral ministry and bursar, and director of the department for
missions of the Episcopal Conference of Colombia. He is currently parish priest
of the "Senor de los Milagros de San Pedro" parish.
 - appointed Libero Milone as auditor general of the Holy See and Vatican City
State.
 On Thursday 4 June, the Holy Father appointed Bishop Joseph Dinh Duc Dao,
auxiliary of the Xuan Loc, Vietnam, as coadjutor of the same diocese.

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 Notice
 Vatican City, 5 June 2015 (VIS) - A special edition of the Vatican Information
Service bulletin will be transmitted tomorrow, Saturday 6 June, on the occasion
of Pope Francis' apostolic trip to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

___________________________________________________________

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