VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXVI - # 41
DATE 29-02-2016

Summary:
- Meeting with Patriarch of Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church: A New Time of
Fraternal Friendship
- Pope appreciates work of Rome-St. Peter's Carabinieri squad
- Pope Francis' Prayer Intentions for March
- Holy Father's calendar for March and April
- Angelus: never too late to repent, let us begin today!
- Tragedy of refugees in Pope's prayers
- Pope Francis receives president of the Argentine Republic
- Pope to businesspeople: seek a new humanism of work
- Friday of Mercy: Pope pays surprise visit to San Carlo drug rehabilitation
community
- IX World Day of Rare Diseases: Message of Pontifical Council for Health
Pastoral Care
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts
- Notice to VIS subscribers

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 Meeting with Patriarch of Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church: A New Time of
Fraternal Friendship
 Vatican City, 29 February 2016 (VIS) - This morning, Pope Francis welcomed His
Holiness Abune Mathias, Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.
During the meeting the Bishop of Rome emphasized that the patriarch's visit
strengthens the fraternal bonds that already unite both churches. He mentioned
as milestones of the common path towards unity His Holiness Abune Paulos'
encounters with St. John Paul II in 1993 and with Benedict XVI in 2009, who
invited him to participate in the Synod of Bishops for Africa as was common
practice in the early Church for representatives to be sent to the synods of
other Churches. Likewise, a delegation from the Holy See was present at the
2012
funeral of Patriarch Abune Paulos.
 Moreover, as Francis explained, since 2004 the Catholic Church and the Eastern
Orthodox Churches have deepened their communion through theological dialogue in
the International Joint Commission, which over the years has analysed the
fundamental concept of the Churches' communion understood as participation in
the communion between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Many things have been found
in common: one faith, one baptism, one Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and many
elements of the monastic traditions and the liturgy. "What unites us," the Pope
said, "is greater than what divides us."
 He continued, "We truly feel that the words of the Apostle Paul apply to us:
'If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honoured, all
rejoice together.' Shared sufferings have enabled Christians, otherwise divided
in so many ways, to grow closer to one another. Just as in the early Church the
shedding of the blood of martyrs became the seed of new Christians, so today
the
blood of the many martyrs of all the Churches has become the seed of Christian
unity. The martyrs and saints of all the ecclesial traditions are already one
in
Christ. Their names are inscribed in the one martyrologium of the Church of
God.
The ecumenism of the martyrs is a summons to us, here and now, to advance on
the
path to ever greater unity."
 The Pope recalled that the Orthodox Tewahedo Church has been, from the
beginning, a Church of martyrs and that still today "you are witnessing a
devastating outbreak of violence against Christians and other minorities in the
Middle East and in some parts of Africa. We cannot fail, yet again, to implore
those who govern the world's political and economic life to promote a peaceful
coexistence based on reciprocal respect and reconciliation, mutual forgiveness
and solidarity." He also acknowledged the great strides being made in Ethiopia
"to improve the living conditions of its people and to build an ever more just
society, based on the rule of law and respect for the role of women". In
particular, he noted the problem of access to water, with its grave social and
economic repercussions. "There is great room for cooperation between the
Churches in the service of the common good and the protection of creation," he
stated, certain of "the readiness of the Catholic Church in Ethiopia to work
together with the Orthodox Tewahedo Church". "it is my fervent hope that this
meeting will mark a new chapter of fraternal friendship between our Churches.
We
are conscious that history has left us with a burden of painful
misunderstandings and mistrust, and for this we seek God's pardon and healing.
Let us pray for one another," the pontiff concluded, "invoking the protection
of
the martyrs and saints upon all the faithful entrusted to our pastoral care.
May
the Holy Spirit continue to enlighten us and guide our steps towards harmony
and
peace. May he nourish in us the hope that one day, with God's help, we will be
united around the altar of Christ's sacrifice in the fullness of Eucharistic
communion."

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 Pope appreciates work of Rome-St. Peter's Carabinieri squad
 Vatican City, 29 February 2016 (VIS) - One hundred and fifty members of the
Rome-St. Peter's Carabinieri Squad who work with the competent bodies of the
Holy See to regulate events in and around St. Peter's Square throughout the
year
were received by Pope Francis in the Clementine Hall of the Vatican this
morning. The pontiff thanked them for their work in service of pilgrims and
tourists, noting that it is work that "requires professionalism and a sense of
responsibility as well as attention to people---many of whom are
elderly---continuous patience and availability to all. These are not easy
qualities, which is why it is important to rely on God's help."
 "The Holy Year of Mercy," he continued, "opens the possibility of renewal to
all of us, beginning with inner purification, which is reflected in how we act
and in how we carry out our daily activities. This spiritual dimension of the
Jubilee compels each of us to question our actual commitment in responding to
the demands of faithfulness to the Gospel to which the Lord calls us from our
state in life. The Jubilee thus becomes a propitious occasion for personal and
community verification. The 'paradigm' to test ourselves against are works of
mercy, both corporal and spiritual. The Lord reminds us: 'Whatever you did for
one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'"
 "May this teaching of Jesus also guide you, who are responsible for the
protection of public order, and help you to foster solidarity in every
circumstance, especially towards the weak and defenceless. To be guardians of
the right to life through the commitment to safety and the safety of persons.
In
carrying out this mission, may we always be aware that every person is loved by
God and is his creature deserving of welcome and respect. May the grace of the
extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy," the Pope concluded his brief address, "renew
the spirit which you dedicate to your profession, bringing you to live it with
extra attention, devotion, and generosity.

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 Pope Francis' Prayer Intentions for March
 Vatican City, 29 February 2016 (VIS) - The Holy Father's universal prayer
intention for February is: "That families in need may receive the necessary
support and that children may grow up in healthy and peaceful environments."
 His intention for evangelisation is: "That those Christians who, on account of
their faith, are discriminated against or are being persecuted, may remain
strong and faithful to the Gospel, thanks to the incessant prayer of the
Church."

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 Holy Father's calendar for March and April
 Vatican City, 29 February 2016 (VIS) - The Office of Liturgical Celebrations
of
the Supreme Pontiff has published the following calendar of liturgical
celebrations at which the Holy Father will preside in the months of March and
April 2016:
 MARCH
 Friday 4: At 5 p.m. in the Vatican Basilica, penitential celebration.
 Sunday 6: Fourth Sunday of Lent. In Ariccia, beginning of the spiritual
exercises for the Roman Curia.
 Friday 11: Conclusion of the spiritual exercises for the Roman Curia.
 Tuesday 15: At 10 a.m. in the Consistory Hall, consistory for causes of
canonisation.
 Sunday 20: Palm Sunday and the Passion of the Lord. At 9.30 a.m. in St.
Peter's
Square, blessing of the palms, procession and Holy Mass.
 Thursday 24: Holy Thursday. At 9.30 a.m. in the Vatican Basilica, Chrism Mass.
 Friday 25: Good Friday. At 5 p.m. in the Vatican Basilica, celebration of the
Passion of the Lord.
 At 9.15 p.m. at the Colosseum, Rome: Via Crucis (Way of the Cross).
 Saturday 26: Holy Saturday. At 8.30 p.m. in the Vatican Basilica, Easter vigil
 APRIL
 Saturday 2: At 6 p.m. in St. Peter's Square, prayer vigil and Jubilee for
adherents to the spirituality of Divine Mercy.
 Sunday 3: Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday). At 10.30 a.m. in St.
Peter's Square, Holy Mass and Jubilee for adherents to the spirituality of
Divine Mercy Sunday.

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 Angelus: never too late to repent, let us begin today!
 Vatican City, 28 February 2016 (VIS) - "Every day, unfortunately, bad news is
reported: murders, accidents, disasters, ... In today's Gospel passage Jesus
refers to two tragic events, which at the time caused quite a stir: the bloody
crackdown by Roman soldiers inside the temple and the collapse of the tower of
Siloam in Jerusalem, which claimed eighteen victims." These are the words that
Pope Francis started with this afternoon before the Angelus, relating our
current lived experience to the Gospel of the day. "Jesus knows the
superstitious mentality of his listeners," he continued, "and knows that they
interpret those kinds of events wrongly. In fact, they think that, if those
persons died so cruelly, it's a sign that God has punished them for some grave
offence they had committed, as if to say 'They deserved it.' And the fact that
they had been spared from the disaster was equivalent to being 'okay'. They
'deserved it' but I 'am good'.
 The Pope explained that "Jesus clearly rejects this view because God does not
allow tragedies in order to punish sins. He affirms that those poor victims
were
not worse than others. Rather, he invites us to draw a warning from such
painful
events, a warning for all because we are all sinners. He said to those who are
asking him: 'If you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!' Even
today,
in the face of certain misfortunes and tragic events, we might feel the
temptation to 'dump' the responsibility onto the victims or even onto God
himself. But the Gospel invites us to reflect: what is our idea of God? Are we
convinced that God is this way or is it not just our own projection, a god made
'in our image and likeness'? In contrast, Jesus calls us to a change of heart,
to make a radical change in our life's path, abandoning the pacts with evil -
and we all do this, make pacts with evil, hypocrisy, I believe that we all have
at least one piece of hypocrisy - to decisively take the Gospel path".
 "But here again is the temptation to justify ourselves: 'What should we
convert
from? Aren't we all basically good people?' How many times have we thought
that:
'All in all, I'm a pretty good person?' - haven't we? - 'Aren't we believers,
who even practice enough?' And we think, therefore, that we are justified". The
Pope stressed that we justify ourselves as believers and even practising ones.
Unfortunately, each of us looks a lot like a tree that, for years, has given
much evidence of sterility. But luckily for us, Jesus is like the peasant
farmer
who, with limitless patience, still gives another deferment to the barren fig
tree. 'Leave it for this year,' he says to the master. 'It may bear fruit in
the
future'".
 "A 'year' of grace", he continued, "the time of Christ's ministry, the time of
the Church before his glorious return, the time of our life punctuated by a
number of Lents, which are offered to us as opportunities for repentance and
salvation, the time of a Jubilee Year of Mercy. Jesus' invincible patience.
Have
you thought on God's patience? Have you thought about his unyielding concern
for
sinners as they should provoke impatience in how we see ourselves! It is never
to late for us to convert, never! God's patience waits for us up till the last
minute. Remember the the story of St. Therese of the Child Jesus when she
prayed
for the man condemned to death, a criminal, who did not want to receive the
comfort of the Church. He declined a priest's visit, didn't want it. He wanted
to die that way. And she prayed, in the convent. And exactly at the moment of
his execution he turned to the priest, took the crucifix and kissed it. God's
patience! He does the same with us, with all of us! How many times - we don't
know. We will know in Heaven - how many times we are there [about to fall] and
the Lord saves us. He saves us because he has great patience with us. And this
is his mercy. It is never too late to repent but it is urgent, the time is now.
Let us begin today".
 Before finishing, Pope Francis called upon the Virgin Mary "to sustain us so
that we may open our hearts to God's grace, to his mercy. And help us to never
judge others but to let daily misfortunes be the opportunity to make a serious
examination of conscience and repent".

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 Tragedy of refugees in Pope's prayers
 Vatican City, 28 February 2016 (VIS) - Greeting the faithful after the Marian
prayer, the Holy Father again noted the tragedy of those fleeing wars,
emphasising that countries like Greece "on the front lines are giving generous
aid, which requires the cooperation of all nations. A unified response can be

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