VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXVI - # 36
DATE 22-02-2016

Summary:
- Jubilee of the Curia: be a model for all
- Angelus: the Pope recounts his apostolic trip to Mexico
- Francis: no capital punishment during the Year of Mercy
- Jubilee audience: mercy and commitment
- Communique of the Secretariat for Communications
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts

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 Jubilee of the Curia: be a model for all
 Vatican City, 22 February 2016 (VIS) - At 10.30 a.m. today, the Solemnity of
the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle, the Holy Father presided at a Holy Mass
celebrated in the Vatican Basilica for the Jubilee of the Roman Curia, the
Governorate and the Institutions of the Holy See. All the participants,
including the Pope, then carried out a procession of faith from the Paul VI
Hall
to the Basilica, passing through the Holy Door.
 "At this time, the Lord Jesus addresses a question to every one of us: 'But
who
do you say that I am?'. A clear and direct question, from which it is not
possible to escape or remain neutral, nor is it possible to postpone the answer
or delegate it to someone else. But there is nothing inquisitional about this;
instead, it is full of love! The love of our only Master, Who today calls us to
renew our faith in Him, recognising Him as the Son of God and the Lord of our
life. And the first one called to renew his profession of faith is the
Successor
of Peter, who bears the responsibility of confirming his brothers".
 "Let us allow grace to form again our heart so as to believe, and open our
mouth to fulfil the profession of faith and obtain salvation. Let us, then,
make
Peter's words our own: 'You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God'. May our
thought and our gaze be fixed on Jesus Christ, the beginning and end of every
action of the Church. He is the foundation and no-one may lay another. He is
the
'stone' on which we must build. St. Augustine recalls this with expressive
words
when he writes that the Church, although agitated and disturbed by the
upheavals
of history, does not fall down, because she is built on stone, from which
Peter's name is derived. It is not the stone that derives its name from Peter,
but Peter from the stone, just as it is not the name Christ that derives from
Christian, but Christian from Christ. The stone is Christ, the foundation on
which Peter too was built".
 Francis emphasised that "from this profession of faith there derives, for each
one of us, the task of responding to this call from God. Pastors, first and
foremost, are required to have as a model God Himself Who takes care of His
flock. ... It is also good for us, called to be Pastors in the Church, to let
the
face of God the Good Shepherd illuminate us, purify us, transform us and
restore
us, fully renewed in our mission. In our workplaces too may we feel, cultivate
and practice a strong pastoral sense, especially towards the people we
encounter
every day. May no-one feel neglected or mistreated, but may everyone be able to
experience, especially here, the loving care of the Good Shepherd".
 "We are called upon to be God's collaborators in a task as fundamental and
unique as bearing witness by our existence the strength of the grace that
transforms and the power of the Spirit that renews. Let us allow the Lord to
free us from every temptation that distances us from the essence of our
mission,
and let us rediscover the beauty of professing our faith in the Lord Jesus.
Faith to the ministry matches well with the mercy we wish to experience. In the
Sacred Scripture, indeed, faithfulness and mercy are inseparable. Where there
is
one there is the other, and it is precisely in their reciprocal nature and
complementarity that we can see the very presence of the Good Shepherd. The
faithfulness that is required of us is that of acting in accordance with
Christ's heart. As we have heard in the words of the apostle Peter, we must
tend
to our flock with a generous heart and become a model for all. In this way,
'when the Chief Shepherd appears', we will be able to receive 'the crown of
glory that will never fade away'".

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 Angelus: the Pope recounts his apostolic trip to Mexico
 Vatican City, 21 February 2016 (VIS) - Pope Francis described his trip to
Mexico as "an experience of transfiguration" in his reflection before this
Sunday's Angelus. Starting from the Gospel reading of this second Sunday of
Lent, dedicated to the Transfiguration of Jesus on Mount Tabor, the Holy Father
spoke about his visit to the land of the Virgin of Guadalupe.
 In Mexico, he said "the Lord has shown us the light of His glory through the
Body of the Church, of His holy people that live in this land — a body so often
wounded, a people so often oppressed and despised, whose dignity is violated.
In
fact, the various encounters experienced in Mexico were truly full of light:
the
light of a faith that transfigures faces and illumines our path".
 "The spiritual 'centre of gravity' of my pilgrimage was the Shrine of Our Lady
of Guadalupe", he added. "To remain in silence before the image of the Mother
was what suggested the trip to me. I thank God for giving me this opportunity.
I
contemplated and let myself to be gazed upon by She whose eyes hold the gaze of
all of her children, the sorrows of violence, kidnapping and murders, the
violence against so many poor people, against so many women. Guadalupe is the
most visited Marian sanctuary in the world. From all of America, people go to
pray there where the ‘Virgin Morenita' appeared to the Indian St. Juan Diego,
giving rise to the evangelisation of the continent and its new civilization, a
fruit of encounter between diverse cultures".
 "It is precisely this inheritance that the Lord has entrusted to Mexico: to
protect the wealth of diversity, and at the same time, to manifest the harmony
of a common faith: a simple and robust faith, accompanied by a great force of
vitality and humanity", explained the Pope. "Like my predecessors, I also went
to confirm the Mexican people in their faith, but at the same time to be
confirmed. I have gathered fully this gift so that it may be of benefit to the
universal Church".
 "A shining example of what I am saying was given by families: Mexican families
welcomed me with joy as a messenger of Christ and pastor of the Church. But at
the same time, they gave me clear and strong witness of lived faith, of faith
that transfigures life, for the edification of all Christian families in the
world. The same may be said about the young, consecrated persons, priests,
workers and the imprisoned".
 After giving thanks to the Virgin of Guadalupe for this pilgrimage and
acknowledging the contribution of the civil and ecclesiastical authorities of
Mexico and all those who made the trip possible, Francis gave special praise to
the Holy Trinity for the encounter in Cuba with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and
All Russia, a meeting that was greatly desired by previous popes.
 "This event too is a prophetic light of the Resurrection, which the world
today
needs more than ever. May the Holy Mother of God continue to guide us in the
path of friendship and unity. Let us pray to the Virgin of Kazan, an icon of
whom was given to me by Patriarch Kirill".

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 Francis: no capital punishment during the Year of Mercy
 Vatican City, 22 February 2016 (VIS) - After today's Angelus prayer, Pope
Francis spoke about the international conference "For a World Without the Death
Penalty," organised by the Sant'Egidio Community, which begins in Rome
tomorrow,
and expressed his hope that it may inspire fresh efforts towards the abolition
of the death penalty.
 The Pope observed that the increasingly strong public opposition to the death
penalty, even as an instrument of legitimate social defence, is a sign of hope.
"Indeed, modern societies are able to effectively control crime without
definitively removing from the criminal the possibility of redeeming himself.
The issue lies in the context of a perspective on penal justice that
increasingly conforms to the dignity of man and God's design for man and for
society. And also penal justice open to the hope of being reintegrated in
society. The command "thou shalt not kill" has absolute value and refers to the
guilty as well as the innocent.
 "The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy is a good opportunity to promote in the
world an increasingly mature respect for life and the dignity of each person.
Because even a criminal has the inviolable right to life, a gift of God. I
appeal to the consciences of those who govern, so that an international
consensus may be reached for the abolition of the death penalty. I propose to
those among them who are Catholic to make an exemplary gesture of courage: that
the death penalty not be applied in this Holy Year of Mercy".
 "All Christians and men and women of good will are called today to work not
only for the abolition of the death penalty, but also to improve conditions in
prisons, in respect for human dignity and the dignity of those deprived of
freedom".
 The Pope also mentioned next Thursday's Via Crucis through the streets of
Rome,
organised by the Pope Juan XXIII Foundation, founded by the priest Oreste
Benzi,
in support of women who are victims of human trafficking, and to pray for them.
 Before concluding the Pope reiterated that Lent is a good time to undertake a
path of conversion, based on mercy. "For this, I have decided to give to you
here in the Square a 'spiritual medicine' called 'Misericordina'. We did this
once before, but this one is better, it is 'Misericordina-Plus': a box with a
rosary and an image of the Merciful Jesus. Volunteers, including the poor, the
homeless, refugees and also religious, will now distribute them. Receive this
gift as a spiritual aid to help spread forgiveness and fraternity, especially
in
this year of mercy".

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 Jubilee audience: mercy and commitment
 Vatican City, 20 February 2016 (VIS) - This morning fifty thousand people
attended the Holy Father's Jubilee audience in St. Peter's Square, following
his

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