VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 121
DATE 30-06-2015

Summary:
- Jews and Christians believe that God is revealed to man through His Word
- Pope Francis greets Benedict XVI before the Pope emeritus' two-week stay in
Castel Gandolfo
- Pope Francis' prayer intentions for July
- Programme of the Pope's trip to Cuba and the U.S.A. and his visit to the
United Nations
- The Pope to the new metropolitan archbishops
- Angelus: the legacy of Sts Peter and Paul is a source of pride for Rome
- Angelus: faith is touching Jesus and receiving the grace that saves us
- The Pope's telegrams for the terrorist attacks in France, Tunisia and Kuwait
- The Pope institutes the Secretariat for Communication
- Francis receives a delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of
Constantinople
- Pope's video message on the eve of his trip to Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay
- Cardinal Vlk, Pope's special envoy to the commemoration of Jan Hus
- The Catholic Church in Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts

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 Jews and Christians believe that God is revealed to man through His Word
 Vatican City, 30 June 2015 (VIS) - This morning Pope Francis received in
audience the participants in the international congress promoted by the
International Council of Christians and Jews, held in Rome from 28 June to 1
July on the theme "The fiftieth anniversary of Nostra Aetate: the past, present
and future of relations between Jews and Christians".
 The Pope expressed his pleasure that this year's meeting is taking place in
Rome, the city where the Apostles Peter and Paul are buried - "for all
Christians, both Apostles are an important point of reference: they are like
'pillars' of the Church" - and the home of the most ancient Jewish community in
Western Europe, whose origins can be traced to the time of the Maccabees.
"Christians and Jews therefore have lived together in Rome for almost two
thousand years, even though their relations in the course of history have not
been without difficulty".
 The development of authentic fraternal dialogue has been made possible since
Vatican Council II, following the promulgation of the Declaration Nostra
Aetate,
"a document which represents a definitive 'yes' to the Jewish roots of
Christianity and an irrevocable 'no' to anti-Semitism". He continued, "In
celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of Nostra Aetate, we are able to see the
rich fruits which it has brought about and to gratefully appraise
Jewish-Catholic dialogue. In this way, we can express our thanks to God for all
the good which has been realised in terms of friendship and mutual
understanding
these past fifty years, as his Holy Spirit has accompanied our efforts in
dialogue. Our fragmented humanity, mistrust and pride have been overcome thanks
to the Spirit of Almighty God, in such a way that trust and fraternity between
us have continued to grow. We are strangers no more, but friends, and brothers
and sisters. Even with our different perspectives, we confess one God, Creator
of the Universe and Lord of history. And he, in his infinite goodness and
wisdom, always blesses our commitment to dialogue".
 "Christians, all Christians, have Jewish roots", emphasised the Pope. "Because
of this, since its inception, the International Council of Christians and Jews
has welcomed the various Christian confessions. Each of them, in its own way,
has drawn near to Judaism, which in its time, has been distinguished by diverse
trends and sensibilities. The Christian confessions find their unity in Christ;
Judaism finds its unity in the Torah. Christians believe that Jesus Christ is
the Word of God made flesh in the world; for Jews the Word of God is present
above all in the Torah. Both faith traditions find their foundation in the One
God, the God of the Covenant, who reveals himself through his Word. In seeking
a
right attitude towards God, Christians turn to Christ as the fount of new life,
and Jews to the teaching of the Torah. This pattern of theological reflection
on
the relationship between Judaism and Christianity arises precisely from Nostra
Aetate, and upon this solid basis can be developed yet further".

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 Pope Francis greets Benedict XVI before the Pope emeritus' two-week stay in
Castel Gandolfo
 Vatican City, 30 June 2015 (VIS) - At around 10 a.m. this morning, Pope
Francis
visited Benedict XVI in his residence at the Mater Ecclesiae ex-convent to
greet
him and to wish him a good stay in Castel Gandolfo, where the Pope emeritus
transferred this morning and will remain for two-weeks (he is expected to
return
on 14 July). The meeting lasted for around half an hour.
 The Holy See Press Office announced that the Wednesday General Audiences will
be suspended for the month of July and will resume in August in the Paul VI
Hall. All other audiences will be suspended, with the exception of the Catholic
Charismatic Renewal meeting in St. Peter's Square on 3 July. The morning Mass
with groups of faithful in the Sanctae Marthae chapel will be suspended during
the months of July and August, to resume at the beginning of September.

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 Pope Francis' prayer intentions for July
 Vatican City, 30 June 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father's universal prayer
intention
for July is: "That political responsibility may be lived at all levels as a
high
form of charity".
 His intention for evangelisation is: "That, amid social inequalities, Latin
American Christians may bear witness to love for the poor and contribute to a
more fraternal society".

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 Programme of the Pope's trip to Cuba and the U.S.A. and his visit to the
United
Nations
 Vatican City, 30 June 2015 (VIS) - Today the programme was published for Pope
Francis' apostolic trip to Cuba and the U.S.A. and his visit to the United
Nations on the occasion of his participation in the Eighth World Meeting of
Families in Philadelphia, from 19 to 28 September.
 The Pope will depart from Rome's Fiumicino airport at 10 a.m. on Saturday 19
September and is expected to arrive at 4.05 p.m. in Havana, Cuba, where the
welcome ceremony will take place. On Sunday 20 September he will celebrate Holy
Mass in Plaza de la Revolucion in Havana and will pay a courtesy visit to the
president of the Council of State and of the Council of Ministers of the
Republic in the Palace of the Revolution. Later he will celebrate Vespers in
the
Cathedral with priests, men and women religious, and seminarians, and will
subsequently greet the young in the Fr. Felix Varela Cultural Centre.
 On Monday 21 September, in the morning, he will transfer to Holguin where he
will celebrate Holy Mass in Plaza de la Revolucion and will bless the city from
the Loma de la Cruz. He will then depart by air for Santiago, where he will
meet
with the bishops in St. Basil's Major Seminary. The day will conclude with the
prayer to Our Lady of Charity with the bishops and the papal entourage in the
minor Basilica of the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity of Cobre, Santiago.
 Tuesday 22 September will begin with the celebration of Holy Mass in the minor
Basilica of the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity of Cobre, Santiago. The Pope will
then meet families in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Asuncion in Santiago and,
after blessing the city, will depart by air for Washington D.C., U.S.A., where
he will be received at the Andrews Air Force Base.
 On Wednesday 23 September, there will be a welcome ceremony on the South Lawn
of the White House, where the Pope will pronounce a discourse and pay a
courtesy
visit to the president of the United States. At 11 a.m., the Pope will meet
with
the bishops of the United States in St. Matthew's Cathedral. In the afternoon
he
will celebrate Mass for the canonisation of Blessed Fr. Junipero Serra.
 On Thursday 24 September Pope Francis will visit and address the United States
Congress. He will subsequently visit the charity centre of the St. Patrick's
parish where he will meet a group of homeless people. In the afternoon he will
transfer by air to New York, where at 6.45 p.m. he will celebrate Vespers with
priests and men and women religious in St. Patrick's Cathedral.
 Friday 25 September will begin with an address by the Holy Father at the seat
of the United Nations in New York and, at 11.30 a.m., he will participate in an
interreligious meeting at the Ground Zero Memorial site. He will then visit the
"Our Lady, Queen of Angels" school and meet with families of immigrants in
Harlem. The day will conclude with Holy Mass in Madison Square Garden.
 On Saturday 26 September, the Pope will travel by air to Philadelphia, where
at
10.30 a.m. he will celebrate Holy Mass with the bishops, clergy and men and
women religious in the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia. In the
afternoon he will participate in a meeting for religious freedom with the
Hispanic community and other immigrants in the Independence Mall, Philadelphia.
 Sunday 27 September will begin with a meeting with the bishops invited to the
World Meeting of Families in the St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, after which the
Pope will visit the detainees in the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility,
Philadelphia. He will go on to celebrate the concluding Holy Mass of the Eighth
World Meeting of Families at the B. Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. In the
late afternoon, before the farewell ceremony, he will greet the organising
committee, the volunteers and benefactors at the international airport of
Philadelphia, from where he will depart on his return flight to Rome. The
aircraft carrying the Holy Father is scheduled to land on Monday 28 September
at
10 a.m.

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 The Pope to the new metropolitan archbishops
 Vatican City, 29 June 2015 (VIS) - On the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul
Apostles, in the Vatican Basilica, the Holy Father blessed the pallia destined
for the archbishops appointed during the year. At Francis' behest, the pallium
-
the band of white wool adorned with black crosses symbolising the sheep placed
on the shoulders of the Good Shepherd and worn by the Pope and the archbishops
as a sign of communion - was not imposed by the bishop of Rome, but instead
sent
privately in order to be imposed at a later date by the apostolic nuncio in the
country of origin, as a sign of synodality.
 Following the blessing of the pallia, placed prior to the service below the
altar of the Confession of the apostle Peter, the Pope presided at the
Eucharistic celebration with the new metropolitan archbishops. As is customary
on the solemnity of the patron saints of Rome, the Holy Mass was attended by a
delegation representing the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew
I, led by the metropolitan of Pergamo, Ioannis (Zizioulas), accompanied by the
metropolitan of Silyvria, Maximo and Fr. Heikki Huttunen of the Orthodox Church
of Finland.
 In his homily, the full text of which is reproduced below, the Holy Father
spoke about the courage of the apostles when the first Christian community was
beset by persecution, and recalled that in our days too we are witnessing
"atrocious, inhuman and incomprehensible" persecutions, often "under the silent
gaze of all", and exhorted the metropolitan archbishops to "teach prayer by
praying, announce the faith by believing, and offer witness by living".
 "The reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, speaks to us of the first
Christian community besieged by persecution. A community harshly persecuted by
Herod who 'laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the Church...
proceeded to
arrest Peter also... and when he had seized him he put him in prison'.
 "However, I do not wish to dwell on these atrocious, inhuman and
incomprehensible persecutions, sadly still present in many parts of the world
today, often under the silent gaze of all. I would like instead to pay homage
today to the courage of the Apostles and that of the first Christian community.
This courage carried forward the work of evangelisation, free of fear of death
and martyrdom, within the social context of a pagan empire; their Christian
life
is for us, the Christians of today, a powerful call to prayer, to faith and to
witness.
 A call to prayer: the first community was a Church at prayer: 'Peter was kept
in prison; but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the Church'. And if we
think of Rome, the catacombs were not places to escape to from persecution but
rather, they were places of prayer, for sanctifying the Lord's day and for
raising up, from the heart of the earth, adoration to God who never forgets his
sons and daughters.
 The community of Peter and Paul teaches us that the Church at prayer is a
Church on her feet, strong, moving forward! Indeed, a Christian who prays is a
Christian who is protected, guarded and sustained, and above all, who is never
alone.
 "The first reading continues: 'Sentries before the door were guarding the

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