VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 162
DATE 23-09-2015

Summary:
- The Pope at the Shrine of El Cobre: ours is a revolution of tenderness, joy
and compassion
- Francis leaves Cuba, reiterating that the family is not a 'problem' but
rather
an opportunity
- The Pope speaks about his trip in Cuba
- Francis arrives in the United States of America
- Other Pontifical Acts

___________________________________________________________


The Pope at the Shrine of El Cobre: ours is a revolution of tenderness, joy and
compassion

Vatican City, 23 September 2015 (VIS) - "God's presence in our lives never
leaves us tranquil: it always pushes to do something. When God comes, He always
calls us out of our house. We are visited so that we can visit others; we are
encountered so as to encounter others; we receive love in order to give love",
said Pope Francis yesterday in his final homily in Cuba, in the Minor Basilica
of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre.

The Pope commented on the Gospel passage that narrates the episode of Mary's
visit to her cousin Elizabeth. "Mary went in haste, slowly but surely, with a
steady pace, neither too fast nor so slow as never to get there. ... Henceforth
this was always to be her way. These lands have also been visited by her
maternal presence. The Cuban homeland was born and grew, warmed by devotion to
Our Lady of Charity".

"This was what your fellow citizens also stated a hundred years ago, when they
asked Pope Benedict XV to declare Our Lady of Charity the Patroness of Cuba",
Francis recalled. "They wrote that 'neither disgrace nor poverty were ever able
to crush the faith and the love which our Catholic people profess for the
Virgin
of Charity, for whom, in all their trials, when death was imminent or
desperation was at the door, there arose, like a light scattering the darkness
of every peril, like a comforting dew, the vision of that Blessed Virgin".

This Shrine has since kept alive the memory of God's holy and faithful pilgrim
people in Cuba. "From here she protects our roots, our identity, so that we may
never stray to paths of despair. The soul of the Cuban people, as we have just
heard, was forged amid suffering and privation which could not suppress the
faith, that faith which was kept alive thanks to all those grandmothers who
fostered, in the daily life of their homes, the living presence of God, the
presence of the Father Who liberates, strengthens, heals, grants courage and
serves as a sure refuge and the sign of a new resurrection. Grandmothers,
mothers, and so many others who with tenderness and love were signs of
visitation, valour and faith for their grandchildren, in their families".

"Whenever we look to Mary, we come to believe once again in the revolutionary
nature of love and tenderness", he emphasised. "We are asked to live the
revolution of tenderness as Mary, our Mother of Charity, did. We are invited to
'leave home' and to open our eyes and hearts to others. Our revolution comes
about through tenderness, through the joy which always becomes closeness and
compassion, and leads us to get involved in, and to serve, the life of others.
...
Our faith, 'calls us out of our house', to visit the sick, the prisoner and to
those who mourn. It makes us able to laugh with those who laugh, and rejoice
with our neighbours who rejoice".

"Like Mary, we want to be a Church who serves, who leaves home and goes forth,
who goes forth from her chapels, her sacristies, in order to accompany life, to
sustain hope, to be a sign of unity. Like Mary, Mother of Charity, we want to
be
a Church who goes forth to build bridges, to break down walls, to sow seeds of
reconciliation. Like Mary, we want to be a Church who can accompany all those
'pregnant' situations of our people, committed to life, to culture, to society,
not washing our hands but rather walking with our brothers and sisters. All
together, serving, helping. All sons and daughters of God, sons and daughters
of
Mary, sons and daughters of this noble Cuban soil".

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Francis leaves Cuba, reiterating that the family is not a 'problem' but rather
an opportunity

Vatican City, 23 September 2015 (VIS) - The Pope concluded his visit to Cuba by
meeting with families in the Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion cathedral in
Santiago, where he gave thanks to all Cubans for the warm welcome he has
received in these days, a "warmth spread by people who know how to welcome and
to accept someone, to make him feel at home".

The reading that preceded the Holy Father's discourse was the Gospel account of
the wedding at Cana. "Jesus begins His public life at a wedding. He enters into
that history of sowing and reaping, of dreams and quests, of efforts and
commitments, of hard work which tills the land so that it can yield fruit.
Jesus
began His life within a family, within a home. And He continues to enter into,
and become a part of, our homes. It is interesting to see how Jesus also
appears
at meals, at dinners. Eating with different people, visiting different homes,
was a special way for Him to make known God's plan. He goes to the home of His
friends, Martha and Mary, but He is not choosy; it makes no difference to Him
if
they are publicans or sinners, like Zacchaeus. He did not just act this way
himself; when He sent His disciples out to proclaim the good news of the
Kingdom
of God He told them: Stay in the same house, eating and drinking what they
provide. Weddings, visits to people's homes, dinners: those moments in people's
lives become 'special' because Jesus chose to be part of them".

Francis recalled that in his former diocese many families told him that "the
only time they came together was at dinner, in the evening after work, when the
children had finished their homework. These were special times in the life of
the family. They talked about what happened that day and what each of them had
done. ... Jesus chooses all those times to show us the love of God. He chooses
those moments to enter into our hearts and to help us to discover the Spirit of
life at work in our daily affairs. It is in the home that we learn fraternity,
solidarity, and not to be overbearing. It is in the home that we learn to
receive, to appreciate life as a blessing and to realise that we need one
another to move forward. ... That is why the Christian community calls families
'domestic churches'".

"Without family, without the warmth of home, life grows empty, there is a
weakening of the networks which sustain us in adversity, nurture us in daily
living and motivate us to build a better future. The family saves us from two
present-day phenomena: fragmentation ... and uniformity. In both cases, people
turn into isolated individuals, easy to manipulate and to rule. Societies which
are divided, broken, separated or rigidly uniform are a result of the breakup
of
family bonds, the loss of those relationships which make us who we are, which
teach us to be persons".

"The family is a school of humanity which teaches us to open our hearts to
others' needs, to be attentive to their lives", Francis continued. "Amid all
the
difficulties troubling our families today, please, never forget one thing:
families are not a problem, they are first and foremost an opportunity. An
opportunity which we have to care for, protect and support. We talk a lot about
the future, about the kind of world we want to leave to our children, the kind
of society we want for them. I believe that one possible answer lies in looking
at yourselves: let us leave behind a world with families. No doubt about it:
the
perfect family does not exist; there are no perfect husbands and wives, perfect
parents, perfect children, but this does not prevent families from being the
answer for the future. God inspires us to love, and love always engages with
the
persons it loves. So let us care for our families, true schools for the future.
Let us care for our families, true spaces of freedom. Let us care for families,
true centres of humanity".

The Holy Father invited all expectant mothers, "pregnant with hope as a new
baby
is a hope", to caress their growing child in the womb as he gave them his
blessing.

"I do not want to end without mentioning the Eucharist", he continued. "All of
you know very well that Jesus chose a meal to the setting for His memorial. He
chose a specific moment of family life as the 'place' of his presence among us.
A moment which we have all experienced, a moment we all understand: a meal. The
Eucharist is the meal of Jesus' family, which the world over gathers to hear
His
word and to be fed by His body. Jesus is the Bread of Life for our families. He
wants to be ever present, nourishing us by His love, sustaining us in faith,
helping us to walk in hope, so that in every situation we can experience the
true Bread of Heaven".

The Pope concluded by asking those present to pray for the World Meeting of
Families and for the Synod of Bishops on the family, to start at the beginning
of October. Then, accompanied by the archbishop of Santiago, Dionisio Guillermo
Garcia Ibanez, he greeted faithful in the cathedral and finally appeared at the
terrace overlooking Parque Cespedes, from where he bade farewell to Cuba with
the following words:

"I greet you. Thank you for your welcome and your warmth. The Cubans are truly
kind and good, and make you feel at home. Many thanks! And I would like to
offer
a word of hope. A word of hope that may perhaps make us turn our heads to look
backwards and ahead. Looking back is memory. The memory of those who have given
us life, and especially grandparents. A warm greeting to grandparents. Let us
not forget them. Grandparents are our living memory. And looking ahead:
children
and the young, who are the strength of the people. A people that cares for
grandparents and cares for children and the young is guaranteed victory! God
bless you, and let Him give you His blessing, but on one condition. I ask you
to
pray for me. This is the condition. May God Almighty, the Father, the Son and
the Holy Spirit, bless you. Farewell and thank you".

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The Pope speaks about his trip in Cuba

Vatican City, 23 September 2015 (VIS) - During the flight from Cuba to the
United States, Pope Francis spoke with journalists and answered their questions
on a number of issues including the trade embargo against Cuba, his critique of
liberal capitalism and the future role of the Church on the island.

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