population. If instead it aims to unite all, but respecting each person, with
his or her richness and particular characteristics, then this globalisation is
good and makes us all grow; it leads us to peace. I like using geometry to
describe this. If globalisation is a sphere, in which we are all equal,
equidistant from the centre, then it annuls difference and is not good. If on
the other hand it unites us like a polyhedron, in which we are all united but
each person conserves his or her individual identity, then it is good, allows
the people to grow, endows all men with dignity and grants rights to all".

Finally, he addressed America's large Hispanic population, along with
representatives of recent immigrants to the United States. "I greet all of you
with particular affection!" he exclaimed. "Many of you have emigrated to this
country at great personal cost, but in the hope of building a new life. Do not
be discouraged by whatever challenges and hardships you face. I ask you not to
forget that, like those who came here before you, you bring many gifts to your
new nation. You should never be ashamed of your traditions. Do not forget the
lessons you learned from your elders, which are something you can bring to
enrich the life of this American land. I repeat, do not be ashamed of what is
part of you, your life blood. You are also called to be responsible citizens,
and to contribute fruitfully to the life of the communities in which you live.
I
think in particular of the vibrant faith which so many of you possess, the deep
sense of family life and all those other values which you have inherited. By
contributing your gifts, you will not only find your place here, you will help
to renew society from within. Do not lose the memory of what happened here more
than two centuries ago. Never forget that Declaration which proclaimed that all
men and women were created equal, that the Creator has endowed them with
inalienable rights, that governments exist to protect and defend these rights".

Pope Francis concluded by thanking all present for their warm welcome, adding,
"Let us conserve this freedom. Take care of freedom. Freedom of conscience,
religious freedom, the freedom of every person, every family, every people,
which gives rise to our rights".

___________________________________________________________


God gave Creation to a family

Vatican City, 27 September 2015 (VIS) - The Pope's first day in Philadelphia
concluded yesterday with his participation in the Festival of Families in the
Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The Pope arrived by popemobile, greeted by thousands
of faithful and well-wishers along the way. The event was hosted by the actor
Mark Wahlberg, and there were performances by several musicians, including
Aretha Franklin, who sang "Amazing Grace", the tenor Andrea Bocelli who
performed the Lord's Prayer accompanied by the Philadelphia Symphonic
Orchestra,
and the Colombian singer Juanes. The festival also included readings, some by
the actor Jim Caviezel, and testimonies from families from all over the world.

The Pope set aside the official text prepared for the occasion, which is given
below, and improvised a brief address in which he said that God gave the "most
beautiful thing He had", the world, to a family, to a man and a woman so that
they would grow, multiply and make the land fruitful. Francis also remarked
that
He wanted His only Son to grow up within a family home, and emphasised that the
family enjoys "divine citizenship". While there are problems in every home,
they
can be overcome with love, whereas the division of the heart prevents
difficulties from being overcome. Finally, he insisted on the special care due
to children and the elderly, the hope and memory of the family.

"Dear brothers and sisters, dear families. First of all, I want to thank the
families who were willing to share their life stories with us. Thank you for
your witness! It is always a gift to listen to families share their life
experiences; it touches our hearts. We feel that they speak to us about things
that are very personal and unique, which in some way involve all of us. In
listening to their experiences, we can feel ourselves drawn in, challenged as
married couples and parents, as children, brothers and sisters, and
grandparents.

"As I was listening, I was thinking how important it is for us to share our
home
life and to help one another in this marvellous and challenging task of 'being
a
family'. Being with you makes me think of one of the most beautiful mysteries
of
our Christian faith. God did not want to come into the world other than through
a family. God did not want to draw near to humanity other than through a home.
God did not want any other name for Himself than Emmanuel. He is 'God with us'.
This was His desire from the beginning, His purpose, His constant effort: to
say
to us: 'I am God with you, I am God for you. He is the God who from the very
beginning of creation said: 'It is not good for man to be alone'. We can add:
it
is not good for woman to be alone, it is not good for children, the elderly or
the young to be alone. It is not good. That is why a man leaves his father and
mother, and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one flesh. The two
are meant to be a home, a family.

"From time immemorial, in the depths of our heart, we have heard those powerful
words: it is not good for you to be alone. The family is the great blessing,
the
great gift of this 'God with us', who did not want to abandon us to the
solitude
of a life without others, without challenges, without a home. God does not
dream
by Himself, He tries to do everything 'with us'. His dream constantly comes
true
in the dreams of many couples who work to make their life that of a family.

"That is why the family is the living symbol of the loving plan of which the
Father once dreamed. To want to form a family is to resolve to be a part of
God's dream, to choose to dream with Him, to want to build with Him, to join
Him
in this saga of building a world where no one will feel alone, unwanted or
homeless. As Christians, we appreciate the beauty of the family and of family
life as the place where we come to learn the meaning and value of human
relationships. We learn that 'to love someone is not just a strong feeling - it
is a decision, it is a judgement, it is a promise'. We learn to stake
everything
on another person, and we learn that it is worth it.

"Jesus was not a confirmed bachelor, far from it! He took the Church as His
bride, and made her a people of His own. He laid down His life for those He
loved, so that His bride, the Church, could always know that He is God with us,
His people, His family. We cannot understand Christ without His Church, just as
we cannot understand the Church without her spouse, Christ Jesus, Who gave His
life out of love, and Who makes us see that it is worth the price.

"Laying down one's life out of love is not easy. As with the Master, 'staking
everything' can sometimes involve the cross. Times when everything seems
uphill.
I think of all those parents, all those families who lack employment or
workers'
rights, and how this is a true cross. How many sacrifices they make to earn
their daily bread! It is understandable that, when these parents return home,
they are so weary that they cannot give their best to their children.

"I think of all those families which lack housing or live in overcrowded
conditions. Families which lack the basics to be able to build bonds of
closeness, security and protection from troubles of any kind.

"I think of all those families which lack access to basic health services.
Families which, when faced with medical problems, especially those of their
younger or older members, are dependent on a system which fails to meet their
needs, is insensitive to their pain, and forces them to make great sacrifices
to
receive adequate treatment.

"We cannot call any society healthy when it does not leave real room for family
life. We cannot think that a society has a future when it fails to pass laws
capable of protecting families and ensuring their basic needs, especially those
of families just starting out. How many problems would be solved if our
societies protected families and provided households, especially those of
recently married couples, with the possibility of dignified work, housing and
healthcare services to accompany them throughout life.

"God's dream does not change; it remains intact and it invites us to work for a
society which supports families. A society where bread, 'fruit of the earth and
the work of human hands' continues to be put on the table of every home, to
nourish the hope of its children.

"Let us help one another to make it possible to 'stake everything on love'. Let
us help one another at times of difficulty and lighten each other's burdens.
Let
us support one another. Let us be families which are a support for other
families.

"Perfect families do not exist. This must not discourage us. Quite the
opposite.
Love is something we learn; love is something we live; love grows as it is
'forged' by the concrete situations which each particular family experiences.
Love is born and constantly develops amid lights and shadows. Love can flourish
in men and women who try not to make conflict the last word, but rather a new
opportunity. An opportunity to seek help, an opportunity to question how we
need
to improve, an opportunity to discover the God Who is with us and never
abandons
us. This is a great legacy that we can give to our children, a very good
lesson:
we make mistakes, yes; we have problems, yes. But we know that that is not
really what counts. We know that mistakes, problems and conflicts are an
opportunity to draw closer to others, to draw closer to God.

"This evening we have come together to pray, to pray as a family, to make our
homes the joyful face of the Church. To meet that God who did not want to come
into our world in any other way than through a family. To meet 'God with us',
the God Who is always in our midst".

Today, 27 September, the Pope will meet the bishops attending the World Meeting
of Families in the St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, visit detainees at the
Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility and will celebrate Mass to conclude the
Eighth World Meeting of Families in the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. After
greeting the organisers of the event and the volunteers who participated, he
will board his return flight to Rome, departing at 8 p.m. local time (2 a.m.,
28
September in Rome).

___________________________________________________________


Other Pontifical Acts

Vatican City, 27 September 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father has accepted the
resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Kaga-Bandoro, Central
African Republic, presented by Bishop Albert Vanbuel, S.D.B., upon reaching the
age limit.

___________________________________________________________

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www.visnews.org and www.vatican.va

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Information Service may be reproduced wholly or partially by quoting
the source:  V. I. S. - Vatican Information Service.
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