VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 116
DATE 22-06-2015

Summary:
- The Pope in Turin: meeting with the world of work
- Contemplation before the Shroud and Mass in Piazza Vittorio
- To the Salesians: remember St. John Bosco's "street children"
- Francis visits the Cottolengo: the poor continue to be excluded from
necessary
care
- Meeting with the young: go against the grain
- To the Waldensian Church: God is not resigned to human sin
- The Pope to the Knights of the Order of Merit for Labour: the economy
contributes to development when rooted in justice
- To the Catholic Biblical Federation: the Word of God is a sacramental
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts

___________________________________________________________

 The Pope in Turin: meeting with the world of work
 Vatican City, 21 June 2015 (VIS) - Pope Francis today began his visit to Turin
on the occasion of the extraordinary exposition of the Turin Shroud and the
bicentenary of the birth of St. John Bosco. He was welcomed at the airport of
the Piedmontese capital by the local religious and civil authorities following
an hour-long flight from Rome, and then went on to meet with representatives
from the world of work in the Piazzetta Reale.
 "My visit to Turin begins with you", he said to the thousands of people who
had
been awaiting him in the square since the early hours of the morning. "First of
all, I would like to express my closeness to the young unemployed, to those in
receipt of unemployment insurance, and those in precarious working conditions;
and also to businesspeople, artisans and all those who work in various sectors,
especially those who struggle to keep afloat".
 "Work is not necessary only for the economy, but also for the human person,
and
for his or her dignity and citizenship, and also for social inclusion",
emphasised the Holy Father, noting that Turin has historically been a pole of
attraction for work, but is currently hard-hit by the crisis. "There is a lack
of work and economic and social inequalities have increased; many people are
poor and have problems with housing, health, education and other basic needs.
Immigration increases competition, but migrants must not be blamed, as they are
victims of iniquity, of this throwaway economy, and of wars. It makes us weep
to
see what is happening in these days, in which human beings are treated like
commodities".
 The Pontiff reiterated that we must say "no" to a series of problems: to the
throwaway economy "that expects us to resign ourselves to the exclusion of
those
who live in abject poverty. ... Children are excluded, with a birthrate of 0%,
the
elderly are excluded, and now the young are excluded, with more than 40%
unemployed. That which is not productive is excluded in a throwaway fashion".
We
must say "no" to the idolatry of money, "which drives us to enter at all costs
among those who, despite the crisis, become rich without caring about the many
who are poor, often to the point of going hungry". We must then say "no" to
corruption, which is "so widespread that it seems to be a normal attitude and
form of behaviour. But not merely in words, but also in actions. 'No' to
collusion with the mafia, to fraud, to kickbacks, and so on". Finally, "no" to
the "iniquity that generates violence. Don Bosco teaches us that the best
method
is prevention: even social conflict can be prevented, and this must be done
with
justice".
 The Pope affirmed that, faced with this situation, "one cannot simply wait for
recovery. Work is fundamental - it is declared from the beginning of the
Italian
Constitution - and it is necessary for society as a whole, in all its
components, to collaborate so that there is work for all and that it is work
worthy of man and woman. This requires an economic model that is not organised
on the basis of capital and production but rather in the service of the common
good. And, with regard to women, their rights must be forcefully protected; for
women, who bear the greater burden in caring for the home, children and the
elderly, are still discriminated against at work too".
 "Today I would like to add my voice to those of many workers and
businesspeople
in asking for a 'social and generational pact'. ... Making data and resources
available with a view to working together is a precondition for overcoming the
current difficult situation and for building a new identity suitable for the
times and the needs of the territory. The time has come to reactivate
solidarity
between generations, to recover trust between the young and adults. ... And
these
are the main things I wanted to say to you. I add one word, which is not
intended rhetorically: courage! This does not mean resignation, but rather, the
contrary: be bold, be creative, be artisans of the future! For this I pray and
I
accompany you with my heart".

___________________________________________________________

 Contemplation before the Shroud and Mass in Piazza Vittorio
 Vatican City, 21 June 2015 (VIS) - After his encounter with representatives
from the world of work, the Pope proceeded on foot to the Cathedral of St. John
the Baptist, which houses the Holy Shroud, traditionally considered to have
been
wrapped around the body of Christ after his crucifixion. As Roberto Gottardo,
president of the diocesan Commission for the Shroud, writes: "The Shroud is a
cloth, but it is above all an image. ... This image tells us of Jesus, in an
immediate way, before science can offer its version and before faith reveals
that it is Jesus. All this does not mean that the Shroud is certainly the sheet
brought by Joseph of Arimathea below the cross, but certainly anyone who looks
at it will find that it immediately recalls this story". During the exposition
of the Shroud in 1998, St. John Paul II affirmed: "The Shroud is also an image
of human suffering, that experience that is to varying extents part of the
existence of every person, and allows us to recognise this man as one of us".
 Once inside the Cathedral, the Pope knelt before the Holy Shroud, displayed at
the major altar, in order to meditate for a moment in the presence of the elder
priests of the Cathedral and cloistered nuns. He then proceeded to the chapel
that houses the relics of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925), from
Turin.
Shortly after 10 a.m. he left the Cathedral and travelled by popemobile to
Piazza Vittorio, one of the largest squares in Europe, to celebrate Holy Mass
before thousands of people and to pray the Angelus.
 "The readings we have heard should us how God's love for us is a faithful
love,
a love that recreates everything, a stable and secure love", said Francis in
his
homily. "It is a love that does not deceive us, that never ends. Jesus
incarnates that love: it is his Testament. He never ceases to love us, to
support us, to forgive us, and so it leads us down the path of life, according
to the promise He made to His disciples: 'I am with you always, to the end of
the age'. Jesus remains faithful, even when we make mistakes, and he awaits us
to forgive us: He is the face of the merciful Father. He is faithful love".
 "The second aspect: the love of God recreates everything, it makes all things
new. ... Acknowledging our limits and weaknesses is the door that opens up to
Jesus' forgiveness, to His love that can renew us profoundly and can recreate
us. Salvation can enter into the heart when we open up to the truth and
acknowledge our errors, our sins; it is then that we have that beautiful
experience of Him, of He who came not for the healthy, but for the sick; not
for
the righteous, but for sinners. ... The sign that we have become 'new' and have
been transformed by God's love is knowing how to cast aside the worn and old
robes of rancour and enmities, to re-clothe us in the clean tunic of meekness,
benevolence, service to others, and the peace of the heart proper to the sons
of
God. ... God's love is stable and secure ... as Jesus shows in the miracle
narrated
in the Gospel, when He calms the storm, commanding the wind and the sea. The
disciples are afraid as they realise they are not able to cope, but He opens
their heart to the courage of faith. To the man who cries, 'I can't do it any
more', the Lord reaches out, offering him the rock of His love, to which anyone
can hold, sure of not falling".
 "We can ask ourselves if today we rest firmly on the rock that is God's love;
whether we live God's faithful love for us. There is always the risk of
forgetting that great love the Lord has shown to us. We Christians too run the
risk of letting ourselves be paralysed by fears of the future and seeking
security in transient things, in a model of a closed society that tends to
exclude more than it includes".
 "May the Holy Spirit help us always to be conscious of this love that, like a
rock makes us stable and strong in sufferings small and great; that makes us
able not to close ourselves up when faced with difficulties, to face life with
courage and to look to the future with hope. As then, on the lake of Galilee,
today too in the sea of our existence Jesus is He Who vanquishes the forces of
evil and the threats of despair. The peace He gives us is for all; even for
many
brothers and sisters who flee from wars and persecutions in search of peace and
freedom".
 Following Mass, and before praying the Angelus, the Pope recalled that the
Shroud, which attracts millions of pilgrims to Turin every year, was the icon
of
Jesus' love. "The Shroud attracts us through the face and the broken body of
Jesus and, at the same time, drives us towards the face of every suffering and
unjustly persecuted person. It drives us in the same direction of the gift of
Jesus' love. 'The love of Christ impels us': these words of St. Paul's were the
motto of St. Joseph Benedict Cottolengo".
 "Recalling the apostolic zeal of many priests, saints of this land, starting
from Don Bosco, of whom we recall the bicentenary of his birth, I greet you,
priests and men and women religious. You dedicate yourselves fully to pastoral
work and you are close to the people and their problems. I encourage you to
continue in your ministry with joy, always focusing on what is essential in the
announcement of the Gospel. And while I thank you, brother bishops of Piedmont
and Valle d'Aosta, for your presence, I exhort you to stay near to your priests
with paternal affection and warm closeness".
 "To the Holy Virgin I commend this city, her territory and all who live here,
so that they may live in justice, in peace and in fraternity. In particular, I
entrust families, the young, the elderly, the imprisoned and all those who
suffer, with a special thought for those who suffer from leukaemia today, on
National Day Against Leukaemia, Lymphoma, and Myeloma. May Mary the Consoler,
the Queen of Turin and Piedmont, keep firm your faith, assure your hopes and
make your charity fruitful, so as to be 'salt and light' of this blessed land,
of which I am a grandson".
 Following the Marian prayer, the Pope transferred to the archbishop's
residence
by car, greeting the soldiers of the Training School, where he lunched with the
detainees of the "Ferrante-Aporti" prison for minors, some immigrants and
various people without fixed abode.

___________________________________________________________

 To the Salesians: remember St. John Bosco's "street children"
 Vatican City, 21 June 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father's afternoon in Turin began
with a private visit to the Shrine of the Consolata, the most popular basilica
in the city, dedicated to Mary the Consoler, protector of the city ever since
the twelfth century and invoked during the siege by Franco-Spanish troops in
1706 and during the plague in 1835. The Pope prayed at the altar of the Virgin
and Child, the work of Felipe Juvarra, in the company of ten priests from the
Cathedral.
 From there, he proceeded to the basilica of Our Lady Help of Christians to
celebrate with the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in their motherhouse on
the bicentenary of the birth of the "apostle of the young", St. John Bosco.
Thousands of young people from Salesian oratories from all over the world
awaited the Pope outside the basilica. Upon arrival Pope Francis, accompanied
by
the Archbishop of Turin, Cesare Nosiglia, left a floral tribute at the main
altar, inaugurated in 1868 at the behest of St. John Bosco, and handed the
discourse he had prepared to the Major Rector of the Salesians, Fr. Angel
Fernandez Artime, after which he made some unscripted remarks to those present.
Extensive extracts of the Pope's written discourse are published below. "I
thank
the Lord with you for having given the Church this saint, who along with many
other saints from the region, is an honour and a blessing for the Church and
for
society in Turin and Piedmont, for Italy and all the world, in particular for
the attention he showed to the young and marginalised poor. Much may be said of
Don Bosco. However, I would like to emphasise just three characteristics: his
trust in Divine Providence; the vocation of being a priest for the young,
especially the poorest; and his loyal and active service to the Church,
especially to Peter's Successor".
 "Don Bosco carried out his priestly mission up to his last breath, supported
by
an unswerving trust in God and in His love, and for this he was able to do
great
things. This relationship of trust with the Lord is also the substance of

--- MPost/386 v1.21
 * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)