VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 161
DATE 22-09-2015

Summary:
- The Pope on the feast of St. Matthew: Jesus sees beyond indignity
- Francis prays before Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, patroness of Cuba
- Other News
- The United Nations to raise the Holy See flag on 25 September

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 The Pope on the feast of St. Matthew: Jesus sees beyond indignity
 Vatican City, 22 September 2015 (VIS) - Yesterday the Pope left Havana and
transferred to Holguin, the third largest city on the island in terms of number
of inhabitants (1.5 million), and the recognised capital of Cuban music. It is
the home of the National Ballet of Cuba, hosts an internationally renowned
centre for the rehabilitation of drug users, and is a university town.
 Upon arrival at Frank Pais Airport, Francis was received by the bishop of the
diocese, Msgr. Emilio Aranguren Etcheverria, and greeted without a formal
address the local authorities and around a hundred faithful who welcomed him,
accompanied by a choir of children. He then travelled the twenty kilometres
between the airport and the city centre by car, and the last three kilometres
by
popemobile, applauded by crowds. He arrived in Plaza de la Revolucion Calixto
Garcia Iniguez de Holguin (1839-1898), dedicated to the Cuban patriot, where he
celebrated Mass on the feast day of St. Matthew the apostle and evangelist.
 "We are celebrating the story of a conversion", said the Pope in his homily.
"Matthew himself, in his Gospel, tells us what it was like, this encounter
which
changed his life. He shows us an 'exchange of glances' capable of changing
history. On a day like any other, as Matthew, the tax collector, was seated at
his table, Jesus passed by, saw him, came up to him and said: 'Follow me'.
Matthew got up and followed him".
 "How strong was the love in that look of Jesus, which moved Matthew to do what
he did! What power must have been in his eyes to make Matthew get up from his
table! We know that Matthew was a publican: he collected taxes from the Jews to
give to the Romans. Publicans were looked down upon and considered sinners; as
such, they lived apart and were despised by others. One could hardly eat, speak
or pray with the likes of these. For the people, they were traitors: they
extorted from their own to give to others. Publicans belonged to this social
class".
 Jesus, on the other hand, stopped: "He did not quickly take his distance. He
looked at Matthew calmly, peacefully. He looked at him with eyes of mercy; he
looked at him as no one had ever looked at him before. And this look unlocked
Matthew's heart; it set him free, it healed him, it gave him hope, a new life,
as it did to Zacchaeus, to Bartimaeus, to Mary Magdalen, to Peter, and to each
of us. Even if we do not dare raise our eyes to the Lord, he looks at us first.
This is our story, and it is like that of so many others. Each of us can say:
'I, too, am a sinner, whom Jesus has looked upon".
 Jesus' love "goes before us, his look anticipates our needs. He can see beyond
appearances, beyond sin, beyond failures and unworthiness. He sees beyond our
rank in society. He sees beyond this, to our dignity as sons and daughters, a
dignity at times sullied by sin, but one which endures in the depth of our
soul.
He came precisely to seek out all those who feel unworthy of God, unworthy of
others. Let us allow Jesus to look at us. Let us allow his gaze to run over our
streets. Let us allow that look to become our joy, our hope".
 "After the Lord looked upon him with mercy, he said to Matthew: 'Follow me'.
Matthew got up and followed him. After the look, a word. After love, the
mission. Matthew is no longer the same; he is changed inside. The encounter
with
Jesus and his loving mercy has transformed him. He leaves behind his table, his
money, his exclusion. Before, he had sat waiting to collect his taxes, to take
from others; now, with Jesus he must get up and give, give himself to others.
Jesus looks at him and Matthew encounters the joy of service. For Matthew and
for all who have felt the gaze of Jesus, other people are no longer to be
'lived
off', used and abused. The gaze of Jesus gives rise to missionary activity,
service, self-giving. Jesus' love heals our short-sightedness and pushes us to
look beyond, not to be satisfied with appearances or with what is politically
correct".
 Jesus goes before us, he precedes us: "He opens the way and invites us to
follow him. He invites us slowly to overcome our preconceptions and our
reluctance to think that others, much less ourselves, can change. He challenges
us daily with the question: 'Do you believe? Do you believe it is possible that
a tax collector can become a servant? Do you believe it is possible that a
traitor can become a friend? Do you believe is possible that the son of a
carpenter can be the Son of God?' His gaze transforms our way of seeing things,
his heart transforms our hearts. God is a Father who seeks the salvation of
each
of his sons and daughters".
 The Pope invited everyone to gaze upon the Lord in prayer, in the Eucharist,
in
Confession, and in our brothers and sisters, "especially those who feel
excluded
or abandoned. May we learn to see them as Jesus sees us. Let us share his
tenderness and mercy with the sick, prisoners, the elderly and families in
difficulty. Again and again we are called to learn from Jesus, who always sees
what is most authentic in every person, which is the image of his Father".
 "I know the efforts and the sacrifices being made by the Church in Cuba to
bring Christ's word and presence to all, even in the most remote areas. Here I
would mention especially the 'mission houses' which, given the shortage of
churches and priests, provide for many people a place for prayer, for listening
to the word of God, for catechesis and community life. They are small signs of
God's presence in our neighbourhoods and a daily aid in our effort to respond
to
the plea of the apostle Paul: 'I beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling
to
which you have been called, with all lowliness and meekness, forbearing one
another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace'".
 Francis concluded by invoking the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Charity of El
Cobre,
"whom Cuba embraced and to whom it opened its doors forever", asking her "to
look with maternal love on all her children in this noble country. May her
'eyes
of mercy' ever keep watch over each of you, your homes, your families, and all
those who feel that they have no place. In her love, may she protect us all as
she once cared for Jesus".
 In the late afternoon, before leaving Holguin, the Pope climbed the "Loma de
la
Cruz", the Hill of the Cross, a place of pilgrimage for the Cuban people. The
cross that dominates the hill, which offers a panoramic view of the entire
island, was erected in 1790 by Friar Antonio de Alegria and is reached by
scaling 458 steps.
 From the summit the Pope blessed the city with the following prayer: "Looking
upon the Holy Cross, raised on the summit of this mountain, that illuminates
the
life of families, children and the young, the sick and all those who suffer,
may
they receive Your consolation and your nearness, and may they feel invited to
follow Your Son, the only way to reach You".

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 Francis prays before Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, patroness of Cuba
 Vatican City, 22 September 2015 (VIS) - At 4 p.m. local time (10 p.m. in Rome)
Pope Francis departed by air from Holguin for Santiago de Cuba, the country's
second largest city and rival to Havana in terms of its literary, musical and
political life. Santiago was founded in 1514 by Diego Velazquez and was the
island's capital from 1515 to 1617. Home of the "son", the dance that was the
precursor to the "salsa", its monuments include the Castle of El Morro,
declared
a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Basilica of Our Lady of Charity of El
Cobre. The city is currently preparing to celebrate the fifth centenary of its
foundation.
 The Holy Father was received at the Antonio Maceo airport by several hundred
faithful and by the local authorities, and transferred to the St. Basil the
Great seminary. One of the oldest educational institutions in Cuba, it was
founded in 1722, nationalised and transformed into a public school in 1961, and
re-established as a seminary in 1997. There, Francis met privately, without a
prepared discourse, with the Cuban episcopate.
 Following the meeting, Francis visited the nearby national Shrine to Our Lady
of Charity of El Cobre, the most venerated pilgrimage site in Cuba, whose
history is closely linked to the social and political events of the country. In
1606 three fishermen, two Indians and an African slave, found an image of the
Virgin floating in the waters of the bay of Nipe bearing the phrase "I am the
Virgin of Charity". The image was taken to the copper mines in the nearby town
of El Cobre, where the first shrine was built in 1684. In 1801 the "Manifesto
for the freedom of the slaves of the mines of El Cobre" was read at the Shrine,
and in 1868 Carlos Manuel de Cespedes, pioneer of the abolition of slavery and
Cuban independence, made a pilgrimage to the Shrine and prayed for the
liberation of Cuba before the sacred image. On 12 July 1898 a thanksgiving Mass
was celebrated there for the liberation of the island, attended by the
officials
of the Liberation Army, and in 1916, in view of the growing devotion on the
part
of the Cuban people, Pope Benedict XV proclaimed "Our Lady of Charity of El
Cobre" the patroness of Cuba. In 1927 the current Shrine was inaugurated and in
1936 the archbishop of Santiago de Cuba crowned the Virgin as the Mother and
Patroness of Cuba. In 1977, Blessed Paul VI conferred to the Shrine the title
of
Minor Basilica.
 The Pope and the archbishop of Santiago de Cuba, Dionisio Guillermo Garcia
Ibanez, along with the Cuban bishops and the papal entourage, were received at
the Basilica by the rector. Francis knelt before the image, asking that her
people dispersed around the globe might be reunited. "Make the Cuban nation a
home of brothers and sisters, so that this people opens its mind, heart and
life
to Christ, the sole Saviour and Redeemer". He also prayed to the Lord for
families and for children and the young, who are the wealth and hope of the
country. Finally, he left before the image a silver vase containing flowers in
the colours of the Vatican, yellow and white.
 This afternoon, 22 September, the Holy Father will celebrate Mass in the
Basilica of Our Lady of El Cobre, and then in the cathedral of Santiago where
he
will meet with Cuban families and bless the city. He will then leave Cuba at
12.30 local time (6.30 p.m. in Rome), destined for the United States of
America,
where he will be received at the Andrews air base in Washington D.C., following
a flight lasting three and a half hours.

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 Other News

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 The United Nations to raise the Holy See flag on 25 September
 Vatican City, 22 September 2015 (VIS) - After consultations with the Holy See,
the United Nations will raise the flag of the Holy See for the first time on
the
morning of 25 September, so that it will be flying when Pope Francis arrives at
the United Nations headquarters. The Holy See and the United Nations
Secretariat
have agreed that the flag will be raised with no ceremony. The United Nations
personnel will raise it at the same time they will raise the other flags that
day.
 The Holy See flag has two vertical bands, one gold and one white. The white
side features an image of two traversed keys, one gold and one silver, bound
together by a red cord, and topped by a triple crown or tiara, crowned with a
cross. The keys and tiara are both traditional symbols of the papacy. It has
been the official flag of the Holy See since 1929.

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