VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 150
DATE 07-09-2015

Summary:
- The Pope praises the synodality of the Church in Portugal
- We cannot remain indifferent to those who suffer as a result of war and
violence
- God is not closed in on Himself, but opens up to humanity
- Appeal to the dioceses of Europe to welcome refugee families
- The Holy Father receives the "Cells of evangelisation"
- Cardinal Fernando Sturla, Pope's special envoy to the Fifth National
Eucharistic Congress of Bolivia
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts
- Press conference on Pope Francis' two new Motu proprio on the reform of
canonical procedure for marriage annulment

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 The Pope praises the synodality of the Church in Portugal
 Vatican City, 7 September 2015 (VIS) - This morning the Holy Father received
in
audience the bishops of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference, at the end of
their
"ad Limina" visit, and subsequently handed them a written discourse in which he
praises, among other things, the growth of synodality as a style of pastoral
life in the country's particular Churches and various initiatives including the
general enquiry on the beliefs and faith of the Portuguese people, the first
response to which is the Note "Promoting pastoral renewal in the Church in
Portugal" (April 2013).
 The Pope also emphasised that the five-yearly reports of the bishops suggest
that the Church in Portugal has more positive than negative aspects and lives
serenely, guided by common sense, and is listened to by the majority of the
population and national institutions, even though her voice is not always
followed. The people are hospitable, generous, religious and peace-loving, and
the episcopate is fraternally united. The priests are well-prepared both
spiritually and culturally, and consecrated persons are faithful to the charism
of their founders, while the laity expresses in the world the effective
presence
of the Church.
 However, the Pope notes the abandonment of Christian practice by young people
after their confirmation, precisely at an age at which they take up the reins
of
future life, and asked if this is perhaps due to a failure of catechesis to
grow
with them and to respond to their questions and concerns. He therefore invites
the bishops to rethink the question of a global catechetical path covering
different ages and offers them encouragement, recalling that the Lord assures
His constant presence and His infallible assistance to the Church.

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 We cannot remain indifferent to those who suffer as a result of war and
violence
 Vatican City, September 2015 (VIS) - "Peace is always possible - religions and
cultures in dialogue" is the title of the 28th International Meeting for Peace,
organised by the Sant'Egidio Community. Twenty years after the end of the war
in
the Balkans, it is being held this year in Tirana, Albania from 6 to 8
September. The Meetings follow the trail of St. John Paul II who attended the
first in 1986 in Assisi, Italy.
 Below are extensive extracts of the Holy Father's message to participants,
dated 29 August 2015, memory of the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist.
 "As historical contexts change and peoples are called upon to face profound
and
at times dramatic transformations, we are increasingly aware of the need for
the
followers of different religions to meet, to engage in dialogue, to journey
together and to collaborate for peace, in that 'spirit of Assisi' that refers
to
the luminous witness of St. Francis".
 "This year you have chosen to visit Tirana, the capital of a country that has
become a symbol of the peaceful cohabitation of different religions, after a
long history of suffering. ... I wished to choose Albania as the first European
country to visit, precisely to encourage the path of peaceful coexistence after
the tragic persecutions suffered by Albanian believers during the last century.
The long list of martyrs still speaks to us today of that dark period, but also
of the strength of faith that does not bend to the arrogance of evil. In no
other country in the world has the decision to exclude God from the life of the
people been so strong; even just a religious sign was enough to warrant
punishment with prison, if not death. This deeply affected the Albanian people,
up to the moment at which they regained their freedom, when the members of the
various religious communities, sorely tested by the suffering they had
experienced, were once more able to live together in peace".
 "It is precisely because it has its foundations in God that 'peace is always
possible', as the title of your Meeting this year affirms. It is necessary to
confirm this truth, especially today, when in some parts of the world it would
seem that violence, persecution and abuse prevail over religious freedom, along
with resignation to protracted conflicts. We must never become resigned to war!
And we must not remain indifferent to those who suffer as a result of war and
violence. For this reason I have chosen as the theme of the next World Day of
Peace: 'Overcome indifference and win peace'. But it is also a form of violence
to raise walls and barriers to obstruct those who seek a place of peace. It is
violence to reject those who flee from inhuman conditions in the hope of a
better future. It is violence to discard children and the elderly from society
and from life itself. It is violence to widen the gap between those who waste
the superfluous and those who lack essentials".
 "In this world, faith in God leads us to believe and leads us to cry aloud
that
peace is possible. It is faith that drives us to trust in God and not to resign
ourselves to the work of evil. As believers we are called upon to rediscover
that universal vocation to peace that lies at the heart of our different
religious traditions, and to courageously offer it again to the men and women
of
our time. I reiterate what I said in this respect when speaking to religious
leaders in Tirana: 'Authentic religion is a source of peace and not of
violence!
No one must use the name of God to commit violence! To kill in the name of God
is a grave sacrilege. To discriminate in the name of God is inhuman'".

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 God is not closed in on Himself, but opens up to humanity
 Vatican City, 6 September 2015 (VIS) - The Gospel account of the deaf-mute,
which shows how Jesus restores the full communication of the person with God
and
neighbour, was the theme of Pope Francis' reflection during this morning's
Angelus audience.
 The Holy Father explained to the thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter's
Square at midday that the miracle takes place in the area of Decapolis, in
pagan
territory, and therefore the deaf-mute brought before Jesus is transformed into
a symbol of the non-believer who completes a journey towards faith. "Indeed,
his
deafness expresses the inability to listen and to understand not only the words
of man, but also the Word of God. And St. Paul reminds us that 'faith comes
from
hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ'".
 The first thing Jesus does is to take the man far from the crowd: "He does not
wish to publicise the gesture He is about to perform, nor does He want His word
to be submerged in the din of voices and the chatter of those around. The Word
of God that Christ communicates to us requires silence so as to be received as
the Word that heals, reconciles and re-establishes communication".
 Jesus then touches the ears and the tongue of the man to restore, through
touch, the communication that had been blocked. But the miracle is "a gift that
comes from on high, that Jesus implores from the Father; this is why He lifts
His eyes to the heavens and commands, 'Be opened'. And the deaf man's ears
open,
the knot in his tongue is untied and he begins to speak correctly".
 This passage teaches us that "God is not closed in on Himself, but instead
opens up to and communicates with humanity. In His immense mercy, He overcomes
the abyss of the infinite difference between Him and us, and comes towards us.
In order to communicate with humanity, God becomes man. It is not enough for
Him
to speak to us through the law and the prophets; He makes Himself present in
the
person of His Son, the Word made flesh. Jesus is the great 'bridge-builder' who
constructs in Himself the great bridge of full communion with the Father".
 "But this Gospel also speaks to us about ourselves", emphasised the Pope.
"Often we are caught up and closed in on ourselves, and we create many
inaccessible and inhospitable islands. Even the most elementary human
relationships at times create situations incapable of mutual openness; the
closed couple, the closed family, the closed group, the closed parish, the
closed nation ... and this is not of God. This is ours, it is our sin".
 "However, at the origin of our Christian life, in baptism, precisely this
gesture and this word of Jesus are present: 'Ephthatha!', 'Be opened!'. And the
miracle was performed: we were cured of the deafness of selfishness and the
muteness of closure and sin, and we become part of the great family of the
Church. We are able to hear God Who speaks to us and to communicate His Word to
those who have never heard it, or have forgotten it, burying it under the
thorns
of the worries and deceits of the world".

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 Appeal to the dioceses of Europe to welcome refugee families
 Vatican City, 6 September 2015 (VIS) - After praying the Angelus, Francis
launched a heartfelt appeal to all the dioceses of Europe to welcome families
among the tens of thousands of refugees seeking to flee the horrors of war and
persecution.
 "We recognise God's mercy through our works, as is shown by the life of
Blessed
Mother Teresa of Calcutta, the anniversary of whose death we commemorated
yesterday".
 "Faced with the tragedy of tens of thousands of refugees who flee death from
war or hunger, on a journey towards the hope of life, the Gospel calls to us
and
asks us to be close to them, to the smallest and the abandoned; to give them
real hope. Not merely to say; 'be brave, be patient'. Christian hope is
assertive, with the tenacity of those who go towards a certain destination".
 "Therefore, as we near the Jubilee of Mercy, I wish to address an appeal to
the
parishes, religious communities, monasteries and shrines throughout Europe to
express the concreteness of the Gospel and to welcome a family of refugees. A
concrete gesture in preparation for the Holy Year of Mercy. May every parish,
every religious community, every monastery and every shrine in Europe host a
family, starting with my diocese of Rome",
 "I address my brother bishops in Europe, true pastors, so that in their
dioceses they may hear my appeal, recalling that Mercy is the second name of
Love: 'as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to

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