VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 118
DATE 24-06-2015

Summary:
- General audience: the wounds of the family
- The Pope receives the participants in the meeting for dialogue between
Buddhists and Catholics
- Pope's Message for the 50th anniversary of the Joint Working Group between
the
Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches
- Other Pontifical Acts

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 General audience: the wounds of the family
 Vatican City, 24 June 2015 (VIS) - Following his recent catechesis on external
threats to the family, such as poverty and illness, during today's general
audience the Pope spoke about those wounds that are produced as a result of
family cohabitation.
 In all families there are moments of discord, but when harmful words, acts and
indifference are ignored, they can be aggravated and transformed into
arrogance,
hostility and contempt, which can become deep lacerations, dividing husband and
wife and inducing them to seek understanding, support and consolation
elsewhere.
"But often, these forms of support do not think of the good of the family. ...
And
frequently the effects of separation have an impact on the children".
 "But do we still know what a wound to the soul is? Do we feel the weight of
the
mountain that crushes the soul of a child, in families in which the members
treat each other badly and harm each other, to the point of breaking the bonds
of conjugal trust?" asked the Pope. ... When adults lose their head ... when
the
father and mother harm each other, the soul of the child suffers greatly,
feeling a sense of desperation. And they are wounds that leave a lifelong
mark".
 "In the family, everything is interconnected: when its soul is wounded at some
point, the infection spreads throughout. ... Husband and wife are one flesh",
emphasised the Pope, "But their creatures are flesh of their flesh. If we think
of the severity with which Jesus warns adults not to offend the little ones, we
can also better understand his word on the grave responsibility of safeguarding
the conjugal bond that is at the origin of the human family. When a man and a
woman become one flesh, all the wounds and neglect of the father and mother are
brought to bear on the living flesh of the children".
 The Holy Father also spoke about those cases in which separation is inevitable
or indeed morally necessary "to remove the weaker spouse, or young children,
from the wounds caused by arrogance and violence, debasement and exploitation,
estrangement and indifference".
 However, he said, there is no lack of those who, thanks to God, "supported by
faith and love for their children, bear witness to their faithfulness in a bond
in which they have believed, however impossible it may seem to revive it. Not
all separated people have this vocation, though. Not all recognise, in their
solitude, the Lord's call to them. We find many families in irregular
situations
around us. And this poses many questions: how can we help them? How can we
accompany them? How can we accompany them so the children do not become
hostages
to their father or mother?".
 The Pope concluded his catechesis by asking the Lord for "great faith, to look
upon reality through the eyes of God; and great charity, to be near to people
with a merciful heart".

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 The Pope receives the participants in the meeting for dialogue between
Buddhists and Catholics
 Vatican City, 24 June 2015 (VIS) - Before today's general audience in St.
Peter's Square, the Pope received in the room adjacent to the Paul VI Hall the
participants in the Meeting for Dialogue between Buddhists and Catholics of the
United States on the theme "Suffering, liberation and fraternity", organised by
the Focolare Movement and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue
and
inaugurated yesterday at Castel Gandolfo by Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran,
president of the dicastery.
 The meeting, which ends on 27 June, has involved the participation of around
fifty delegates from New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and
Washington, representing Catholics and Buddhist communities of different
traditions. The Holy Father thanked them for their visit to the Vatican, "a
visit that is close to my heart as it is a visit of fraternity, dialogue and
friendship. These are things that do great good, that are healthy. In this
historical moment, so scarred by wars and hatred, these small gestures are
seeds
of peace and fraternity. I thank you, and may the Lord bless you".

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 Pope's Message for the 50th anniversary of the Joint Working Group between the
Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches
 Vatican City, 24 June 2015 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon Pope Francis sent a
message to the general secretary of the World Council of Churches, the Reverend
Olav Fykse Tveit, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Joint
Working Group between the Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches.
The
text was read by Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for
Christian Unity, during a commemorative congress held at the Centro Pro Unione
in Rome.
 Francis writes that this occasion offers "a moment to thank the Lord for all
that the ecumenical movement has achieved since its beginning over one hundred
years ago, inspired by a longing for the unity which Christ intended for his
body, the Church, and by an emerging sense of sorrow for the scandal of
division
between Christians".
 Since its inauguration in 1965, the Joint Working Group has been active "not
only in ecumenical issues, but also in the areas of interreligious dialogue,
peace and social justice, and works of charity and humanitarian aid". He added
that the Joint Working Group "should not be an inward-looking forum", but
instead should increasingly become "a 'think tank', open to all the
opportunities and challenges facing the Churches today in their mission of
accompanying suffering humanity on the path to the Kingdom, by imbuing society
and culture with Gospel truths and values".
 In the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, continued the Pope, "I noted
that realities are more important than ideas. The Joint Working Group must be
oriented to addressing the real concerns of the Churches throughout the world.
In this way, it will be better suited to proposing collaborative steps that not
only draw the Churches closer together, but also ensure that they offer an
effective diakonia suited to the people's needs".
 In fulfilling this task, "the Joint Working Group distinguishes itself by its
own character and aims. The nine reports produced thus far bear witness to the
growing understanding and appreciation of the bonds of brotherhood and
reconciliation which, in the context of the changing landscape of Christianity
in the modern world, sustain Christians in their common witness and
evangelising
mission. We must recognise, though, that in spite of the many ecumenical
achievements of the past half century, Christian mission and witness still
suffer due to our divisions. Disagreements on various subjects - in particular
anthropological, ethical and social issues, as well as issues related to the
understanding of the nature and conditions of the unity we seek - demand
further
sustained efforts. Our dialogue must continue".
 The Pope concluded his message by encouraging the Group to further its
discussion on crucial ecumenical issues and to promote ways for Christians to
testify together to the real, though imperfect, communion shared by all the
baptised. "May we always trust that the Holy Spirit will continue to assist and
guide our journey, often in new and sometimes unexpected ways", exclaimed
Francis.

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 Other Pontifical Acts
 Vatican City, 24 June 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father has appointed:
 - Bishop Rafael Biernaski, auxiliary of the archdiocese of Curitiba, Brazil,
as
bishop of Blumenau (area 3,835, population 671,282, Catholics 460,056, priests
67, permanent deacons 53, religious 79), Brazil.
 - Bishop Joao Santos Cardoso of Sao Raimundo Nonato, Brazil, as bishop of Bom
Jesus da Lapa (area 56,300, population 403,000, Catholics 321,000, priests 33,
religious 52), Brazil.

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