VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 148
DATE 03-09-2015

Summary:
- Audience with the president of Israel: responsibility of religious leaders in
promoting reconciliation and peace
- The Pope to Schoenstatt priests: "keep your ear to God's heart and your hand
on the pulse of the time"
- Audiences

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 Audience with the president of Israel: responsibility of religious leaders in
promoting reconciliation and peace
 Vatican City, 3 September 2015 (VIS) Today in the Vatican Apostolic Palace the
Holy Father Francis received in audience Reuven Rivlin, president of the State
of Israel, who subsequently met with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro
Parolin,
accompanied by the secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul
Gallagher.
 During the cordial discussions the Parties focused on the political and social
situation in the Middle East, affected by several conflicts, with special
attention to the condition of Christians and other minority groups. In this
respect the importance of interreligious dialogue was recognised, along with
the
responsibility of religious leaders in promoting reconciliation and peace.
 The need and urgency of promoting a climate of trust between Israelis and
Palestinians was highlighted, alongside the resumption of direct negotiations
with the aim of reaching an agreement respecting the legitimate aspirations of
the two Populations, as a fundamental contribution to peace and stability in
the
Region.
 Various issues were considered regarding the relations between the State of
Israel and the Holy See, and between the state authorities and local Catholic
communities. The Parties expressed their hope that the bilateral Agreement
currently being drafted be concluded promptly, and that an adequate solution be
found for various matters of common interest, including the situation of
Christian schools in the country.

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 The Pope to Schoenstatt priests: "keep your ear to God's heart and your hand
on
the pulse of the time"
 Vatican City, 3 September 2015 (VIS) - Contemplation, service, fraternity -
three facets of priestly life that Pope Francis proposed to the participants in
the general chapter of the Schoenstatt Fathers. The Apostolic Schoenstatt
Movement was founded on 18 October 1914 by Fr. Jose Kentenich as a path of
spiritual renewal within the Catholic Church, and his name is drawn from the
Marian shrine near Koblenz, Germany, which houses the image of Our Lady, and
where there are the head offices of the movement's communities, now present in
42 countries. The Secular Institute of Schoenstatt Fathers was instituted by
Fr.
Jose Kentenich on 18 July 1965, in the service of the Apostolic Movement.
 The Pope remarked that, after these years of progress, their concern is to
"keep alive your foundational charism and the ability to communicate it to the
young, so as to continue to inspire and support your lives and your mission.
You
are aware that a charism is not a museum piece, that remains intact in a
display
cabinet, to be contemplated alone. Fidelity, keeping the charism pure, does not
in any way mean closing it in a sealed bottle, like distilled water, so that it
is not contaminated by the outside world. ... Fr. Kentenich expressed this very
well when he said that it was necessary to keep an ear to God's heart and a
hand
on the pulse of the time. ... These are the two pillars of an authentic
spiritual
life".
 The Pope went on to speak about contact with God: "it is not a good approach
to
neglect prayer or, worse still, to abandon it with the excuse of a demanding
ministry. ... It would be a grave error to think that the charism stays alive
focusing on external structures ... or forms. God frees us from the spirit of
functionalism. The vitality of the charism is rooted in the 'first love',
renewed daily, in our willingness to listen and to respond with loving
generosity. ... May this healthy and necessary 'decentralisation' work in us,
so
that we set ourselves aside to allow Christ to occupy the centre of our life".
 The second pillar is formed by the expression "taking the pulse of the time",
that is, reality and people. "We must not be afraid of reality", emphasised
Francis. "Dialogue with God in prayer also leads us to listen to his voice in
the people and the situations that surround us. We do not have two separate
ears, one for God and one for reality. ... When we meet with our brothers,
especially those who in our eyes or in the eyes of the world are less
agreeable,
what do we see? Do we realise that God loves them, that they are of the same
flesh that Christ assumed, or are we indifferent to their problems? ... In
prayer
we learn not to pass by Christ Who suffers in His brothers. Let us learn to
serve".
 "You are practically the last reality of the Movement founded by Fr.
Kentenich,
and this carries an important lesson, and is very good", observed the Pope.
"This fact of being the 'last' clearly reflects the role held by priests in
relation to their brothers. The priest must never be above or in front of
others, but instead must walk alongside them, loving them with the same love of
Christ, Who came not to be served but rather to serve and to give His life in
return for so many others. ... Let us ask the Lord to give us shoulders as
strong
as His, to carry those who are without hope, those who seem lost, those to whom
no-one offers a glance ... and free us from 'careerism' in our priestly life".
 Finally, the Pope commented on priestly fraternity. "Please, never be alone",
he warned. "The presbyteral ministry cannot be conceived of in an individual
or,
worse still, individualist way. Fraternity is the great school of discipleship.
... It is not we who choose our brothers, but we have the conscious and
fruitful
option to love them as they are, with their flaws and their virtues. ...
Please,
may there not be any indifference in your communities. Behave as men: if
disagreements or differences of opinion arise, do not worry: better the heat of
the argument than the coldness of indifference, which is the real tomb of
fraternal charity".
 At the end of the meeting the Pope gave three recommendations to the
Schoenstatt priests. "Firstly, accompany and care for families, so that they
are
able to live the holy alliance of love and life, especially those who
experience
moments of crisis or difficulty. Secondly, and thinking of the upcoming jubilee
of mercy, dedicate plenty of time to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Be great
forgivers. ... May you be witnesses of God's mercy and tenderness in your
communities. And thirdly, pray for me, as I need your prayers", he concluded.

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 Audiences
 Vatican City, 3 September 2015 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father received in
audience:
 - Cardinal George Pell, prefect of the Secretary for the Economy;
 - Archbishop Anselmo Guido Pecorari, apostolic nuncio in Bulgaria and
Macedonia;
 - Ephraim Mirvis, chief rabbi of Great Britain and the Commonwealth, and
entourage.

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