VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXV - # 219
DATE 07-12-2015

Summary:
- The Church, mother of vocations: theme of the Pope's message for the 53rd
World Day of Prayer for Vocations
- Angelus: break down the barriers and obstacles to our conversion
- There is no unity without forgiveness
- Francis lights up the Assisi Christmas tree
- Catholic schools, educating in the fullness of humanity
- Judges and lawyers in Vatican City State Tribunal: guaranteeing a fair trial
- New hearing in the trial for dissemination of reserved news and documents
- New external auditor for Consolidated Financial Statements
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts
- Notice

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 The Church, mother of vocations: theme of the Pope's message for the 53rd
World
Day of Prayer for Vocations
 Vatican City, 7 December 2015 (VIS) - "The Church, mother of vocations" is the
theme of the 53rd World Day of Prayer for Vocations, to be held on 17 April
2016, the fourth Sunday of Easter. In the text, signed in Vatican City on 29
November, first Sunday of Advent, the Holy Father comments that every vocation
in the Church originates with Jesus' compassionate gaze, and he emphasised that
the call of God is heard through community mediation. The vocational path
 "Dear Brothers and Sisters,
 It is my great hope that, during the course of this Extraordinary Jubilee of
Mercy, all the baptised may experience the joy of belonging to the Church and
rediscover that the Christian vocation, just like every particular vocation, is
born from within the People of God, and is a gift of divine mercy. The Church
is
the house of mercy, and it is the 'soil' where vocations take root, mature and
bear fruit.
 "For this reason, on the occasion of the 53rd World Day of Prayer for
Vocations, I invite all of you to reflect upon the apostolic community, and to
give thanks for the role of the community in each person's vocational journey.
In the Bull of Indiction for the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, I recalled the
words of the venerable Bede, describing the call of Saint Matthew: 'Miserando
atque eligendo'. The Lord's merciful action forgives our sins and opens us to
the new life which takes shape in the call to discipleship and mission. Each
vocation in the Church has its origin in the compassionate gaze of Jesus.
Conversion and vocation are two sides of the same coin, and continually remain
interconnected throughout the whole of the missionary disciple's life.
 Blessed Paul VI, in his exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi, described various
steps in the process of evangelisation. One of these steps is belonging to the
Christian community, that community from which we first received the witness of
faith and the clear proclamation of the Lord's mercy. This incorporation into
the Christian community brings with it all the richness of ecclesial life,
particularly the sacraments. Indeed, the Church is not only a place in which we
believe, but it is also an object of our faith; it is for this reason that we
profess in the Creed: 'I believe in the Church'.
 The call of God comes to us by means of a mediation which is communal. God
calls us to become a part of the Church and, after we have reached a certain
maturity within it, He bestows on us a specific vocation. The vocational
journey
is undertaken together with the brothers and sisters whom the Lord has given to
us: it is a con-vocation. The ecclesial dynamism of the call is an antidote to
indifference and to individualism. It establishes the communion in which
indifference is vanquished by love, because it demands that we go beyond
ourselves and place our lives at the service of God's plan, embracing the
historical circumstances of His holy people.
 On this day dedicated to prayer for vocations, I urge all the faithful to
assume their responsibility for the care and discernment of vocations. When the
Apostles sought someone to take the place of Judas Iscariot, St. Peter brought
together one hundred and twenty of the brethren; and in order to chose seven
deacons, a group of disciples was gathered. St. Paul gave Titus specific
criteria for the selection of presbyters. Still today, the Christian community
is always present in the discernment of vocations, in their formation and in
their perseverance.
 Vocations are born within the Church. From the moment a vocation begins to
become evident, it is necessary to have an adequate 'sense' of the Church. No
one is called exclusively for a particular region, or for a group or for an
ecclesial movement, but rather for the Church and for the world. 'A sure sign
of
the authenticity of a charism is its ecclesial character, its ability to be
integrated harmoniously into the life of God's holy and faithful people for the
good of all'. In responding to God's call, young people see their own ecclesial
horizon expand; they are able to consider various charisms and to undertake a
more objective discernment. In this way, the community becomes the home and the
family where vocations are born. Candidates gratefully contemplate this
mediation of the community as an essential element for their future. They learn
to know and to love their brothers and sisters who pursue paths different from
their own; and these bonds strengthen in everyone the communion which they
share.
 Vocations grow within the Church. In the course of formation, candidates for
various vocations need to grow in their knowledge of the ecclesial community,
overcoming the limited perspectives that we all have at the beginning. To that
end, it is helpful to undertake some apostolic experience together with other
members of the community, for example: in the company of a good catechist, to
communicate the Christian message; together with a religious community, to
experience the evangelisation of the peripheries sharing in the life of the
cloister, to discover the treasure of contemplation; in contact with
missionaries, to know more closely the mission ad gentes; and in the company of
diocesan priests, to deepen one's experience of pastoral life in the parish and
in the diocese. For those who are already in formation, the ecclesial community
always remains the fundamental formational environment, towards which one
should
feel a sense of gratitude.
 Vocations are sustained by the Church. After definitive commitment, our
vocational journey within the Church does not come to an end, but it continues
in our willingness to serve, our perseverance and our ongoing formation. The
one
who has consecrated his life to the Lord is willing to serve the Church
wherever
it has need. The mission of Paul and Barnabas is a good example of this
readiness to serve the Church. Sent on mission by the Holy Spirit and by the
community of Antioch, they returned to that same community and described what
the Lord had worked through them. Missionaries are accompanied and sustained by
the Christian community, which always remains a vital point of reference, just
as a visible homeland offers security to all who are on pilgrimage towards
eternal life.
 Among those involved in pastoral activity, priests are especially important.In
their ministry, they fulfil the words of Jesus, Who said: 'I am the gate of the
sheepfold ... I am the good shepherd'. The pastoral care of vocations is a
fundamental part of their ministry. Priests accompany those who are discerning
a
vocation, as well as those who have already dedicated their lives to the
service
of God and of the community.
 All the faithful are called to appreciate the ecclesial dynamism of vocations,
so that communities of faith can become, after the example of the Blessed
Virgin
Mary, like a mother's womb which welcomes the gift of the Holy Spirit. The
motherhood of the Church finds expression in constant prayer for vocations and
in the work of educating and accompanying all those who perceive God's call.
This motherhood is also expressed through a careful selection of candidates for
the ordained ministry and for the consecrated life. Finally, the Church is the
mother of vocations in her continual support of those who have dedicated their
lives to the service of others.
 We ask the Lord to grant to all those who are on a vocational journey a deep
sense of belonging to the Church; and that the Holy Spirit may strengthen among
Pastors, and all of the faithful, a deeper sense of communion, discernment and
spiritual fatherhood and motherhood.
 Father of mercy, Who gave Your Son for our salvation and Who strengthens us
always with the gifts of Your Spirit, grant us Christian communities which are
alive, fervent and joyous, which are fonts of fraternal life, and which nurture
in the young the desire to consecrate themselves to You and to the work of
evangelisation. Sustain these communities in their commitment to offer
appropriate vocational catechesis and ways of proceeding towards each one's
particular consecration. Grant the wisdom needed for vocational discernment, so
that in all things the greatness of Your merciful love may shine forth. May
Mary, Mother and guide of Jesus, intercede for each Christian community, so
that, made fruitful by the Holy Spirit, it may be a source of true vocations
for
the service of the holy People of God".

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 Angelus: break down the barriers and obstacles to our conversion
 Vatican City, 7 December 2015 (VIS) - "'Why do we need to convert? Conversion
is for an atheist who becomes a believer, or a sinner who becomes righteous. We
do not need it, we are already Christian' we think," said Pope Francis to the
faithful and pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square, before today's Sunday
Angelus prayer. "And this is not true", he added. "If we think in this way, we

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