At work for the Middle East

At noon today, in the Sala Clementina at the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience a group of participants taking part in the Assembly of the Meeting for Work in Aid of the Oriental Churches (ROACO).

Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

for the meeting with the representatives of ROACO

Dear Friends,

A month ago, I had the grace of making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Today this meeting with the Congregation for the Oriental Churches and with the representatives of R.O.A.C.O. allows me to reaffirm my closeness to all the Churches of the East. My pilgrimage was a great source of consolation, but also of encouragement and a renewed sense of responsibility for the advancement of full unity among Christians and of dialogue between religions.

I thank the Cardinal Prefect, who has recalled the various events of the pilgrimage. With great affection I also greet each of you and the communities to which you belong. Together let us give thanks to God and pray that the Apostolic Journey will, like a good seed, bring forth abundant fruit. It is the Lord who will make that fruit blossom and grow, if we but entrust ourselves to him in prayer and press forward, despite every difficulty, along the paths pointed out to us by the Gospel.

The olive tree which I planted in the Vatican Gardens together with the Patriarch of Constantinople and the Presidents of Israel and Palestine, is a symbol of that peace which is secure and enduring only because it is cultivated by many hands. Those who would cultivate the plant of peace must never forget that God alone gives the growth. True peace, the peace which the world cannot give, is a gift to us from Jesus Christ. For all the grievous attacks it endures today, peace can always flourish again. I thank you, always, for you continue to make peace grow through charity, which is the ultimate aim of all your organizations. With unity and charity Christ’s disciples strive to be peacemakers everywhere, in all peoples and communities, and to overcome persistent forms of discrimination, starting with those based on religion.

First among those called to be peacemakers are our brothers and sisters of the Oriental Churches, together with their pastors. Hoping at times against all hope, remaining in the place of their birth where the Gospel of the incarnate Son of God was first proclaimed, may they experience the blessedness reserved to those who are peacemakers: they will be called children of God (Mt 5:9). And may they always feel the support of the universal Church and never falter in their conviction that the fire of Pentecost, the power of Love, can halt the fire of arms, hatred and vengeance. Their tears and their anguish are ours, as well as their hope! We can express this through our solidarity, if it is one which is concrete and effective, capable of ensuring that the international community upholds the rights of individuals and peoples.

In a special way, I join you in telling our brothers and sisters in Syria and Iraq, their bishops and priests, that the Catholic Church is close to them. The Church is likewise close to our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land and the Middle East, but also to the beloved people of Ukraine in the critical situation in which they find themselves, and to the people of Romania. This closeness and concern is expressed in the works which your agencies carry out. I urge you to continue your generous efforts to help them. Your works of relief and assistance in nations most affected by these crises respond to basic needs, particularly of those who are powerless and most vulnerable, as well as the many young people tempted to leave their homeland. And since communities of Eastern Christians are present worldwide, you are working everywhere to bring relief to the displaced and to refugees, restoring their dignity and their security in full respect for their identity and religious freedom.

Dear friends, I encourage you to pursue the goals set in your last Plenary Session, especially those regarding the training of young people and teachers. At the same time, as the Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops dedicated to the family fast approaches, I urge you to give priority to this area, letting yourselves be guided by the Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Medio Oriente (Nos. 58-61). For the Holy Family of Nazareth, which knew anxiety... as well as the pain of persecution, emigration and hard daily labour teaches us to trust the Father, to imitate Christ and to let ourselves be guided by the Holy Spirit (ibid., 59). May the Holy Mother of God accompany all families with her prayers, so that through them the Church, filled with the joy and strength of the Gospel, may always be a fruitful mother, anxious to strengthen the unity of the whole family of God.

Once again I thank you for your work. To all of you I cordially impart my blessing.

With young astronomers

At 11:30am local time this morning, in the Hall of the Popes in the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican, Pope Francis received in audience a group of young astronomers who are participating in the Summer Course organized by the Vatican Observatory's School of Astrophysics.  The theme of this gathering is Galaxies near and far, young and old.

Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

for the gathering with young astronomers

Good morning,

I am pleased to welcome you, the professors and students of the Summer Course organized by the Vatican Observatory on the theme Galaxies: Near and Far, Young and Old. I also offer a cordial greeting to the Jesuit Fathers and Brothers and to the staff of the Observatory. It is gratifying to see the large number of qualified professors and students, drawn from twenty-three different countries, who have taken part in this international programme. In a particular way I thank the instructors who have devoted so much time and energy to introducing these young astronomers to the demanding yet fascinating work of studying the universe, the precious gift of the Creator. I also thank the benefactors whose generosity has provided for various study grants.

For nearly a month now, you have been engaged not only in the study of galaxies, under the direction of professors who are experts in this field, but also in sharing your own cultural and religious traditions. In this way, you have offered an impressive example of dialogue and fruitful cooperation. During these weeks of study you have also made lasting friendships and laid the groundwork for future forms of collaboration. Seeing all of you here today is like looking at a marvelous mosaic made up of people from throughout the world. It is only right that men and women everywhere should have access to research and scientific training. The hope that one day all peoples will be able to enjoy the benefits of science is one which spurs all of us on, scientists in particular.

The Vatican Observatory School in Astrophysics is thus a place where young people the world over can engage in dialogue and collaboration, helping one another in the search for truth, which in this case is concretized in the study of galaxies. This simple and practical initiative shows how the sciences can be a fitting and effective means for promoting peace and justice.

Here too we see a further reason for the Church’s commitment to dialogue with the sciences on the basis of the light provided by faith: it is her conviction that faith is capable of both expanding and enriching the horizons of reason (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 238). In this dialogue, the Church rejoices in the marvelous progress of science, seeing it as a sign of the enormous God-given potential of the human mind (cf. ibid, 243), even as a mother rejoices and is rightly proud as her children grow in wisdom, and age and grace (Lk 2:52).

Finally, I would also encourage you to share with people in your own countries the knowledge about the universe which you have acquired. Only a fraction of the global population has access to such knowledge, which opens the heart and the mind to the great questions which human beings have always asked: Where do we come from? Where are we going? Does this universe made up of hundreds of millions of galaxies have any meaning? ... The search for an answer to these questions can lead us to an encounter with the Creator, the loving Father, for in him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28).

May the almighty and merciful God, who tells the number of the stars and calls each one by name (Ps 147:4), fill all of you with his peace and grant you his blessing.
 

Some developments for Franciscans and Legionaries

Having recently received some questions regarding the situation of the Franciscans of the Immaculate and of the Legionaries of Christ, the Director of the Vatican Press Office released some information yesterday which he had received from the Secretary of the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.

The Franciscans of the Immaculate
The Commissioner, Father Volpi, and all the seminarians of the Franciscans of the Immaculate were received by the Holy FAther on June 10 of this year, at the Casa Santa Marta.  This is a gesture which demonstrates the interest with which Pope Francis is following the developments concerning the Franciscans of the Immaculate and his close attention to the work which is being carried out by the Commissioner in the name of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. The Holy Father is punctually informed about all that is taking place in this regard.  At this time, the Franciscans are seeking a house in Rome, where the brothers who are studying at the Pontifical Roman University may live.

The Legionaries
As planned, with the celebration of the General Chapter, the said Institute has been returned to the competence of the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.  Thus is terminated the work of the Apostolic Delegate.  As a gesture of fraternal closeness, the Prefect and the Secretary of the Dicastery will return on July 3 to the Central See of the Legionaries in order to comment personally on some corrections which need to be made to the text of the Constitution presented to the Dicastery and to communicate the name of the Pontifical Assistant.  The corrections to the text of the Constitution are few.  As to the Assistant, this will be - as was previously foreseen - a Religious, who knows the Legionaries and who can be of assistance to the General Council on juridical and other matters if necessary.  It should be noted that this person will be an Assistant, not a Visitator or a Commissioner or a Delegate.  The Assistant has no voice or vote; he or she is only a councilor.  The choice of this person was already considered prior to the General Chapter.

The General Administrator of the Legionaries went to the Congregation following the Chapter to meet with the Prefect and the Secretary.  On that occasion, the Director General manifested the desire to receive the Prefect and the Secretary of the Dicastery at his Administrative offices.  This was the reason for which on July 3 of this year, Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz and Archbishop Jose Rodriguez Carballo will visit the Legionaries.

General Audience on belonging to the People of God

This morning's General Audience began at 10:15am in Saint Peter's Square where the Holy Father met with groups of pilgrims and the faithful who had come from all over Italy and from various parts of the world.

Shortly before 9:00am today, before making his way to the Square, the Pope stopped in the Paul VI Hall to greet those who were sick, along with their family members and friends.

In his catechesis, Pope Francis continued the new cycle of teachings dedicated to the Church, adding a meditation on the theme of belonging to the people of God.

Following the catechesis, which was spoken in its entirety in Italian, summaries of this teaching were presented in various languages, and the Holy Father addressed special greetings to each of the groups of people who were present.

The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the imparting of the Apostolic Blessing.

Catechesis of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

for the General Audience

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning.

Today, there is another group of pilgrims gathered here with us in the Paul VI Hall: they are pilgrims who are sick.  In this weather, since it is so warm and there is a possibility of rain, it was a wiser choice to have them gather there.  They are able to see and hear us though, over the jumbotron, so we are united at the same audience.  Let's all pray today especially for them, for those who are sick.  Thank you.

In the first catechesis on the Church, last Wednesday, we began with the initiative of God who wants to gather a people who carry his blessing to all people of the world.  He began with Abraham and then, patiently - and God has patience, he has lots of patience - he prepares this people though the Old Covenant so that, in Jesus Christ, they might become a sign and an instrument of unity between man and God and between themselves (cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, 1).  Today, we want to focus on the importance, for Christians, of being a part of this people.  We will speak today about belonging to the Church. 

We are not isolated or alone, and we are not individual Christians, each of us on our own, no!  Our Christian identity is based on belonging!  We are Christians because we belong to the Church.  It's like a family name: if our first name is I am a Christian, our surname is I belong to the Church.  It is beautiful to see how this belonging is expressed even in the name that God gives to himself.  Responding to Moses, in the wonderful encounter at the burning bush (cf. Ex 3:15), He defines himself in fact as the God of our fathers.  He doesn't say: I am the Omnipotent One ... no: I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.  In this way, He shows himself to be the God who established a covenant with our fathers and who always remains faithful to this covenant.  He invites us to enter into this relationship which has preceded us.  This relationship of God with his people has existed before any of us, it was established in the time of our fathers in faith.

In this sense, our thoughts are drawn in the first place, with gratitude toward those who have preceded us and who were welcomed in the Church.  No one becomes a Christian by himself or herself!  Is this clear?  No one becomes a Christian by himself or herself!  Christians are not manufactured in a laboratory.  Christians are part of a people who have existed for a long time.  Christians belong to a people who are called Church and this Church makes them Christian, on the day of their baptism, and then through the teaching of the faith in catechesis, and so on.  But no one, no one becomes a Christian on his or her own.  If we believe, if we know how to pray, if we know the Lord and if we can listen to his Word, we will be close to him and recognize him in our brothers and sisters, and we will understand that before us, there were others who lived the faith: those who have passed it on to us.  We have received the faith from our fathers, from our ancestors, and they have taught it to us.  If we think about it, who knows how many beloved faces are passing before our eyes or in our hearts, even at this moment: perhaps we are thinking about the faces of our parents who asked to have us baptized; or the face of our grandmother or some other family member who taught us to make the sign of the cross and to say our very first prayers.  I always remember the face of the nun who taught me catechism, she always comes to mind - she is in heaven, I'm sure, because she is a holy woman - but I always remember her and give thanks to God for this nun.  Perhaps we remember the face of a pastor or another priest, or a nun, or a catechist who passed on to us the content of faith and helped us to grow as Christians ... That's the Church: a big family, into which people are welcomed, where they learn to live by faith and to be disciples of the Lord Jesus.

This journey is possible, not only thanks to other people, but with other people.  In the Church, there are no do it yourselfers, there are no free agents.  Pope Benedict spoke many times of the Church as an ecclesial we!  Sometimes, you might hear someone say: I believe in God, I believe in Jesus, but the Church is of no interest to me ...  How many times have we heard this?  This kind of statement makes no sense.  There are some who think that you can have a personal, direct relationship with Jesus Christ without any need for the communion or the mediation of the Church.  These are dangerous and harmful temptations.  They are, as the great Paul VI used to say, absurd dichotomies.  It is true that journeying together is challenging, sometimes it can be tiring: then it happens that one of our brothers or sisters has a problem, or causes a scandal ... But the Lord has entrusted his message of salvation to human beings, to all of us, we are his witnesses; in our brothers and sisters, with their gifts and their limitations, we meet the Lord and we come to recognize his presence.  This is what it means to belong to the Church.  Remember it well: to be a Christian means to belong to the Church.  Our first name is Christian, our family name is belonging to the Church.

Dear friends, let us ask the Lord, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, to grant us the grace of never falling into the temptation of thinking that we can do without others, that we can do without the Church, that we can be saved on our own, that we can be laboratory Christians.  On the contrary, we cannot love God if we don't love our brothers and sisters, we cannot love God outside of the Church; we cannot be in communion with God without being in communion with the Church, and we cannot be good Christians if we do not strive to be one with all those who seek to follow the Lord Jesus, as part of one people, one body, and this is the Church.  Thank you.

The Holy Father's catechesis was then summarized in various languages, and His Holiness spoke greetings to each group of the faithful who were present, according to language groupings.  To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:

I offer a cordial greeting to the delegation of Bethlehem University, which this year celebrates the fortieth anniversary of its establishment, with appreciation for its praiseworthy educational apostolate among the Palestinian people. I greet all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, including those from England and Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Sweden, Greece, Australia, Taiwan, Vietnam, India, the Antilles and the United States. Upon all of you, and upon your families, I invoke joy and peace in the Lord Jesus.

An MOU with Argentina

L’Autorità Informazione Finanziaria (AIF), the Financial Intelligence Unit of the Holy See and Vatican City State, has formalized its bilateral cooperation with Argentina, signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the Vatican on Tuesday.

The MOU was signed in the Palazzo San Carlo by the Director of AIF, Rene Bruelhart, and the President of the Unidad de Información Financiera (UIF) of Argentina, José Sbattella.

We’re very pleased to have signed this MOU with Argentina today, Bruelhart said. This is an important step to further expand the network to support global efforts to fight Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism. We’re looking forward to fruitful cooperation with Argentina, which will be beneficial to both parties.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is standard practice and formalizes the cooperation and exchange of financial information to fight money laundering and combat terrorist financing across borders between the competent authorities of both countries. It is based on the model Memorandum of Understanding prepared by the Egmont Group, the global organization of national Financial Intelligence Units, and contains clauses on reciprocity, permitted uses of information and confidentiality.

AIF became a member of the Egmont Group in July of 2013, and has already signed MOUs with the Financial Intelligence Units of more than a dozen countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Spain, Italy and Germany.

AIF is the competent authority of the Holy See/Vatican City State to fight money laundering and the financing of terrorism. It was established in 2010.

Angelus for the Feast of Corpus Christi

At noon today, the Holy Father, Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to recite the Angelus with the faithful and with pilgrims who had come to Saint Peter's Square for his habitual Sunday appointment.

Greetings of His Holiness, Pope Francis

prior to the recitation of the Angelus

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

In Italy and in many other countries, we celebrate the Feast of the Body and the Blood of Christ today - using especially the Latin name (for this day): Corpus Domini or Corpus Christi.  The community of the Church gathers around the Eucharist in order to adore the most precious treasure that Jesus has left us.

The Gospel of John recounts the bread of life discourse, which Jesus gave in the synagogue at Capharnum, in which he affirms: I am the bread of life, come down from heaven.  Anyone who eats of this bread will live forever, and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world (Jn 6:51).  Jesus underscores the fact that he did not come into this world to give us something, but to give us himself, his life, as food for those who have faith in Him.  Our life in communion with him therefore necessitates that we, his disciples, should imitate him, making of our lives, through our approach to life, a special sharing with others, like the Master has broken and shared with us the bread that is his true flesh.  For us, however, it is our attitude of generosity toward others that demonstrates our willingness to give our lives for the sake of others.

Every time that we participate at Mass and receive the Body of Christ, the presence of Jesus and of the Holy Spirit in us acts in us, shapes our hearts, forms within us inner attitudes that are transformed into behaviour according to the Gospel.  Above all, docility to the Word of God, fraternity among us, courage to testify to the Christian faith, the dream of love, the capacity to provide hope to the despairing and to welcome those who have been excluded.  In this way, the Eucharist helps us to grow in a Christian lifestyle.  The love of Christ, welcomed with an open heart, changes us, transforms us, makes us capable of loving not according to human understanding which always imposes limits, but according to the understanding of God.  And what exactly is the understanding of God in this regard?  There can be no limits!  God measures without limits.  Everything!  Everything!  Everything!  No one can measure the love of God: it has no limits!  This is how we are able to love even those who do not love us: and this is not easy.  To love those who do not love in return ... is not easy!  If we know that someone does not love us, we too are tempted not to love them, but this is not right!  We should love even those who do not love us!  We should respond to evil with good, with forgiveness, with sharing, with welcome.  Thanks to God and to the Holy Spirit, even our lives can become broken bread for the sake of our brothers and sisters.  Living in this way, we discover true joy!  The joy of giving, in order to transform the gift that we ourselves have first received, without having done anything to merit such a gift.  This is beautiful: our lives become a gift!  This is what it means to imitate Jesus.  I want to remind you of these two things.  First: the measure of God's love is to love without measure.  Do you understand this?  And our lives, with the love of God, received in the Eucharist, become gifts, just like Jesus' life was offered as a gift.  Don't forget these things:  the measure of God's love is to love without measure; and following the example of Jesus, with the Eucharist, we offer our lives as a gift.

Jesus, Bread of eternal life, came down from heave and took on our flesh thanks to the faith of Blessed Mary.  After having carried him within her womb with limitless love, She followed him faithfully even to the cross and to the Resurrection.  Let us ask Our Lady to help us rediscover the beauty of the Eucharist, to make it the central focus of our lives, especially in the Sunday Mass and in the habit of adoration.

After the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:

Dear brothers and sisters,

On June 26, we will observe the United Nations Day for the victims of torture.  In this context, I want to reiterate a firm condemnation of every form of torture and I invite Christians everywhere to work collaboratively toward its abolition and toward the assistance of victims and their families.  It is a mortal sin to torture another person!  A very serious sin!

I greet you all, Romans and pilgrims alike!

In particular, I greet the students from the London Oratory School, the faithful from the Diocese of Como and those frm Ormea (Cuneo), the Joy Choir from Matera, the Ark Association from Borgomanero and the children from Massafra.  I also greet the young people from the Canova High School in Treviso, the group of cyclists from SAn Pietro in Gu (Padua) and the members of the Living Champions initiative who, inspired by the example of Saint John Paul II are carrying a message of solidarity to all parts of Italy.

I wish you all a good Sunday, and enjoy your lunch.  Please pray for me!  Pray for me, good bye!

Understanding Corpus Christi

Here is the text of the homily I prepared for the gathering of the faithful this weekend.  Together we celebrated the Solemnity of Corpus Christi - the Body and Blood of the Lord.

The ultimate gift

For the past year or so, I’ve been visiting almost every week with students at Saint Luke’s school.  Sometime after Christmas, at the invitation of their teacher, I began visiting with the senior grades there.  Over the past couple of months, I feel as though I’ve grown to know the children who are in grades 6, 7 and 8, and I’d like to think that they’ve come to know me a bit too.  On Friday of this week, the grade 8 students from that school were here at Saint Peter’s to celebrate their graduation day.  The festivities began with the celebration of a Mass, and then continued with a luncheon for the graduates and their families.  Because I’d had the opportunity to see these young people up close and so often, I feel as though there’s a different kind of relationship, a different kind of bond between us.  I suppose none of that would have been possible if I hadn’t been willing to get close to them, to make myself vulnerable in their presence, but none of it would have been possible either without the cooperation of the staff and the teachers.  Like any relationship, the more we are willing to open our hearts, to make ourselves vulnerable, the more possibility there is that we will develop friendships, and possibly even come to like or love one another.

This principle is also true of the relationship between God and us.  The Book of Deuteronomy, from which we read the first reading today reminds us that even when the Israelites, our ancestors in faith, were wandering in the desert, a journey that lasted for forty years, God was present with them, leading them in the wilderness, in order to humble them and to test them … to know what was in their hearts.  At times, our life experiences can make us feel that God is also testing us, especially when the trials of life tempt us to believe that we too are wandering in a wilderness.  Sometimes, it truly can seem as though God is trying to humble us and to test us, but this is only so that we can come to know him better, so that we can recognize him in our presence.  When the Israelites were hungry, God fed them with manna … something that they did not know … but something that was good for them. At first, they didn’t realize where this manna had come from, but they eventually came to know that it was offered to them, freely, as food for their journey.

Today, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Christ.  Today, the scriptures focus our thoughts on the goodness of God who has always provided food for our journey.  In the gospel passage we heard today, Saint John speaks of a day when Jesus was sitting with the people, instructing them,  not unlike the teachers and I have done with the students at Saint Luke’s over the past couple of months.  The people who had gathered that day with Jesus knew the story of the manna that had been provided for their ancestors, but Jesus wanted to help them understand that there was an even more precious gift in their midst.  The manna in the desert appeared each night while the Israelites were on their journey, but Jesus gives us living bread … that came down from heaven.  He himself is this living bread that we receive in Communion.  You see, it’s true, God not only wanted us to know him; He wanted to make himself vulnerable, available to us, so that we could develop a friendship with Him, so that He could show us the depth of his love for us, so that we could come to love Him in return.

So it is that every time we gather around the Lord’s table to celebrate the Eucharist, the cup of blessing that we bless is a sharing in the blood that Christ shed for us; and the bread that we break does not remain simply bread, it is a sharing in the Body of Christ that was broken for us on the cross.  These are the ultimate gifts, offered freely for us at this table.  Nourished with these living gifts, Jesus filled the disciples with divine life and then sent them out into the world.  He offers these living gifts to us too, food for our journey through life, food to strengthen us in our faith, food to reassure us that he is always present to us, food to help us come to believe that just as he has risen from the dead, so too will we one day know the reward of everlasting life.

A Mass in Calabria

While travelling by car from Cassano all'Junio toward Marina di Sibari today, the Pope made a brief stop in front of the parish church of Saint Joseph, in the hamlet of Lattughelle, where on March 3 of this year, Father Lazzaro Longobardi, a diocesan priest had been assassinated.

At 4:00pm, in the ex Insud area of the Plains of Sybaris, the Holy Father presided at the celebration of a Mass for the faithful of the diocese.  Present to concelebrate with the Pope were the Bishops of Calabria and a hundred priests.

During the celebration of the Mass, after a few words of greeting had been spoken by His Excellency, Nunzio Galantino, Bishop of Cassano all'Jonio, and following the proclamation of the gospel, the Pope shared the words of the homily printed below.

Homily of His Holiness, Pope Francis

for the Mass celebrated on Calabria's

Plains of Sybaris

On the feast of Corpus Christi, we celebrate Jesus living bread that came down from heaven (Jn 6,51), food to feed our hunger for eternal life, strength for our journey. I thank the Lord, who today allows me to celebrate Corpus Christi with you, brothers and sisters of this Church, which is in Cassano allo Jonio. Today’s feast is that on which the Church praises the Lord for the gift of the Eucharist. While on Holy Thursday, we recall its institution at the Last Supper, today thanksgiving and adoration predominate. And, in fact, it is tradition on this day to have the procession with the Blessed Sacrament. To adore Jesus in the Eucharist and to walk with him. These are the two inseparable aspects of today’s feast, two aspects that mark the entire life of the Christian people: a people that adores God and walks with him.

Before all else, we are a people who adores God. We adore God, who is love, who in Jesus Christ gave himself for us, offered himself on the cross to forgive our sins and by the power of this love he rose from death and lives in his Church. We have no other God than this!

When adoration of the Lord is replaced by adoration of money, the road to sin opens to personal interest ... When one does not adore the Lord, one becomes an adorer of evil, like those who live by dishonesty and violence. Your land, which is so beautiful, knows the signs of the consequences of this sin. The ndrangheta (Calabrian mafia) is this: adoration of evil and contempt for the common good. This evil must be fought, must be expelled. It must be told no. The Church, which is so committed to educating consciences, must always expend itself even more, so that good can prevail. Our children ask this of us. Our young people ask this of us, they, who need hope. To be able to respond to these demands, faith can help us. Those who in their lives have taken this evil road, this road of evil, such as the mobsters, are not in communion with God, they are excommunicated.

Today, we confess this with our gaze turned to Corpus Christi, to the Sacrament of the altar. And, for this faith, we renounce Satan and all of his temptations; we renounce the idols of money, vanity, pride and power. We, Christians, do not want to adore anything or anyone in this world except Jesus Christ, who is present in the Holy Eucharist. Perhaps we do not always realize what this means in all its depth: the consequences our profession of faith has or should have. Today we ask the Lord to enlighten us and to convert us, so that we truly adore only him and renounce evil in all its forms.

But our faith in the real presence of Jesus Christ, true God and true man, in the consecrated bread and wine, is authentic if we commit to following him and to walking with him, seeking to put into practice his commandment which he gave to the disciples at the Last Supper: Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another (Jn 13,34). A people who adores God in the Eucharist is a people who walks in charity.

Today, as bishop of Rome, I am here to confirm you not only in faith but also in charity, to accompany you and to encourage you in your journey with Jesus Christ. I want to express my support for the bishop, the priests and the deacons of this Church, and also for the Eparchy of Lungro, rich in its Greek-Byzantine tradition. But I extend it to all the pastors and faithful of the Church in Calabria, courageously committed to evangelization and to promoting lifestyles and initiatives which put at the centre the needs of the poor. And I also extend my support to the civil authorities who seek to live political and administrative commitment for what it is—a service to the common good.

I encourage all people to bear witness in practical solidarity with your brothers, especially those who most need justice, hope and tenderness. Thank God, there are many signs of hope in your families, parishes, associations and ecclesial movements.  The Lord Jesus does not cease to inspire acts of charity in his people who journey! The Policoro Project is a concrete sign of hope for young people who want to get in the game and create work possibilities for themselves and for others. You, dear young people, do not let yourselves be robbed of hope! Adoring Jesus in your hearts and remaining united to him you will know how to oppose evil, injustice and violence with the force of good, truth and beauty.

Dear brothers and sisters, the Eucharist has gathered us together. The Body of the Lord makes of us one, one family, the people of God united around Jesus, the Bread of Life. That which I said to the young people, I say to all of you: if you will adore Christ, follow him and walk with him, your diocesan Church and your parishes will grow in faith and charity, in the joy of evangelizing. You will be a Church in which fathers, mothers, priests, religious, catechists, children, the elderly and the young walk alongside each other, support each other, help each other, love each other like brothers, especially in moments of difficulty.

Mary, Eucharistic Woman, whom you venerate in many sanctuaries, especially at the one in Castrovillari, precedes you in this pilgrimage of faith. May she always help you to stay united so that, even by means of your witness, the Lord may continue to give life to the world.

Visiting in Cassano all'Jonio

At the conclusion of his visit to the prison at Castrovillari, the Pope travelled by helicopter to Cassano all'Jonio.  The Holy Father landed in the Pietro Toscano sports field where Doctor Gianfranco Tomao, the Prefect of Cosenza and Doctor Giovanni Papasso, the Mayor of Cassano all Joino were waiting for him.  His Holiness then went to the nearby San Giuseppe Moscati Hospice to visit with the sick and with convalescing patients.

When he had completed his visit with the patients, the Holy Father travelled by car to the Cathedral, where he met with priests of the Diocese of Cassano all'Jonio.

Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

for the meeting with priests of the

Diocese of Cassano all'Jonio

Dear priests,

I thank you for your welcome!  I have been looking forward to this meeting with you who bear the daily weight of parish work.

First of all, I want to share with you the joy of being a priest - rather the constantly renewed joy of having been called by the Lord Jesus.  Called to follow him, to stay with Him, so that we can go out to others and share Him with them, share his word, share his forgiveness ... There is nothing more beautiful for any person than this, am I right?  When we priests are before the tabernacle, and if we stop for a moment there, in silence, we can feel Jesus gazing anew upon us and this gaze renews us, it re-energizes us.

Surely, at times it's not easy to stay in front of the Lord; it's not easy because we are preoccupied with so many things, by so many people ...; but sometimes it's not easy because we feel a little uneasiness, the gaze of Jesus makes us a bit uncomfortable; it even places us in situations of crisis ... but this is good for us!  in the silence of prayer, Jesus allows us to see whether we are doing his work, and doing it well, or whether we have become more like his employees; whether we are open channels, generously allowing his love, his grace to flow through us, or whether we place ourselves at the centre of our lives, and therefore instead of being channels, we become screens which do not help to promote the human encounter with God, with the light and the strength of the gospel.

The second thing I want to share with you is the beauty of fraternity: of being priests together, of not being alone as we follow the Lord, we don't follow him one by one, but together and we bring with us a great variety of gifts and personalities; indeed, it is precisely this variety of gifts that enriches the priesthood, this variety of providence, of ages, of talents ... All of this we share in common, in fraternity.

This also is not easy, it is not immediate and taken for granted. First of all because we priests are also immersed in today’s subjectivist culture, this culture that exalts the I to the point of idolizing it. And then because of a certain pastoral individualism that, unfortunately, is spread throughout our dioceses. Therefore, we must react to this with the choice of fraternity. I speak of choice intentionally. It cannot be something left to chance, to favorable circumstances … No, it is a choice, which corresponds to the reality that constitutes us, to the gift we received but which must always be gathered and cultivated: communion in Christ in the presbyterate, around the Bishop. This communion calls for being lived, seeking concrete ways appropriate to the times and to the reality of the territory, but always in an apostolic perspective, with a missionary style, with fraternity and simplicity of life. When Jesus says: By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:35), he says it, certainly, for all, but first of all for the Twelve, for those He has called to follow him more closely.

The joy of being priests and the beauty of fraternity: these are the two things that I felt most important to share with you, especially as I was thinking of you. I mention only one last thing: I encourage you in your work with families and for the family. It is a work that the Lord asks us to do in a particular way at this time, which is a difficult time, both for the family as institutions and for families because of the crisis. But precisely when the time is difficult, God makes His closeness felt, His grace, the prophetic force of His Word. And we are called to be witnesses, mediators of this closeness to families and of this prophetic force for the family.

Dear brothers, I thank you. And let us go forward, motivated by our common love for the Lord and Holy Mother Church. May Our Lady protect and accompany you. We remain united in prayer. Thank you!

At the conclusion of the meeting with diocesan priests, after a short break in the Episcopal residence, the Holy Father had lunch at the Seminary, accompanied by the poor who are cared for by the diocesan Caritas office and by young people who are resident at the Saman Mauro Rostagno Rehabilitation Centre.

His Holiness then travelled by car to Casa Serena, where he met with the elderly who are resident there.  In the early part of the afternoon, having concluded his visit, the Pope then travelled by car to the Plain of Sybaris.

When I was in prison, you visited

Just before 8:00am local time this morning, the Holy Father, Pope Francis departed in a helicopter from the Vatican heliport for the Diocese of Cassano all'Jonio where he will conduct a pastoral visit today.

Upon his arrival in Castrovillari at 9:10am, in front of the prison, the Holy Father was welcomed by His Excellency, Nunzio Galantino, the Bishop of Cassano all'Jonio and by His Worship, Dominico Lo Polito, the Mayor of Castrovillari.

The Pope then walked to the Rosetta Sisca prison, greeting the family members of the prison staff along the way, and was welcomed at the entrance by the Director, Doctor Fedele Rizzo.  In the interior courtyard, the Pope then met with about 200 men and women who are detained in that prison, along with the prison guards.

Following a word of welcome offered by the Director of the prison and by one of the prisoners, the Holy Father shared a few of his own words with those who were in attendance.

Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

for the meeting at the Rosetta Sisca prison

Castrovillari, Calabria

Dear sisters and brothers,

The first gesture of my pastoral visit is this meeting with you, in the prison of Castrovillari.  In this way, I wish to express the closeness of the Pope and of the CHurch to every man and every woman who has been imprisoned, in every part of the world.  Jesus said: I was in prison and you came to visit me (Mt 25:36).

Among the reflections relative to inmates, one that is often highlighted is the theme of respect for fundamental human rights and the need for corresponding conditions when serving a sentence.  This aspect of prison politics is certainly essential and appropriately, we should always respect it, but such a prospect is still not sufficient if it is not accompanied and completed by concrete measures on the part of the institutions aimed at effective re-entry of those incarcerated into society (cf. Benedict XVI, Speech to participants in the 17th Conference of the Directors of Prison Administrations of the Council of Europe, November 22, 2012).  When this goal is neglected, the fulfillment of the sentence is degraded to the level of a punishment and social retaliation, which in turn is detrimental both to the individual and to society.  God does not do this with us.  When God forgives, he always accompanies us and helps us along the way, even in small matters.  When we go to confession, the Lord says to us: I forgive you.  But now, come with me, and he helps us to find our way.  He never condemns us.  Never does he simply forgive us; he forgives us and accompanies us on the way.  Every one of us is weak, we have to go back to confession again, all of us, but he never gets tired out by our return.  Each and every time, he takes us by the hand.  This is the love of God, and we should do the same!  Society should do the same.  Together, we should walk through life in this way.

On the other hand, a true and complete reintegration of the human person does not represent the end of an experience that is merely human.  The journey also involves a meeting with God, the ability to allow ourselves to be guided by God who loves.  It is more difficult to allow ourselves to be guided by God than it is to see God.  It is more difficult to allow ourselves to be met by God than it is to meet God because within each of us there is always a resistance.  He is waiting for you, He is watching over you, he is always close to you ... this God who loves, who is capable of understanding us, capable of forgiving our wrongdoings.  The Lord is a master at reintegration: he takes us by the hand and places us in the midst of society.  The Lord always forgives, always accompanies, always understands; he waits for us to allow ourselves to be understood, to allow ourselves to be forgiven, to allow ourselves to be accompanied.

My hope for all of you is that this time will not be wasted, but that it may be a precious time, during which you may ask of God and obtain this grace.  If you do this, you will first of all help yourselves to be the best persons you can be, but at the same time you will also help this community because for better or for worse, our actions have an influence on others, and on the whole human family.

I wish to express a kind word at this time to your families: may the Lord embrace them in serenity and peace.

And finally, a word of encouragement to all of you who work in this place: to the Directors, to the prison police officers and to all the staff.  With all my heart, I bless you all and I confide you to the protection of Mary our Mother.  And please, I ask you to pray for me, because I too make mistakes and have to do penance.  Thank you.

In defence of religious freedom

At 12:10pm today, in the Consistory Hall at the Vatican, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience a group of persons participating in an International Convention organized by the Department of Jurisprudence at the LUMSA University and the Saint John's University School of Law on the theme: Religious freedom according to international rights and the global conflict of values (Rome, June 20-21, 2014).

Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

for the meeting with participants in the

International Convention on Religious Freedom

I welcome you on the occasion of your International Congress, dear brothers and sisters. I thank Professor Giuseppe Dalla Torre for his courteous words.

Recently, the debate about religious liberty has become very intense, interpellating both Governments and Religious Confessions. In this regard, the Catholic Church makes reference to the Declaration Dignitatis humanae, one of the most important documents of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council.

In fact, every human being is a seeker of truth about his origin and his destiny. Questions and thoughts arise in his mind and in his heart which cannot be repressed or suffocated, in as much as they emerge from the depth and are innate to the person’s profound essence. They are religious questions and they are in need of religious liberty to manifest themselves fully. They seek to give light to the authentic meaning of existence, to the bond that connects it to the cosmos and to history, and intend to dispel the darkness that would surround human events if these questions were not posed and remained without answers. The Psalmist says: When I look at the heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast established; what is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou dost care for him? (Psalm 8:5).

Reason recognizes in religious liberty a fundamental right of man that reflects his lofty dignity, that of being able to seek the truth and adhere to it, and it recognizes in it an indispensable condition to be able to display all his potential. Religious liberty is not only that of thought or private worship. It is freedom to live according to ethical principles consequent upon the truth found, be it privately or publicly. This is a great challenge in the globalized world, where weak thought  -- which is like a sickness -- also lowers the general ethical level, and in the name of a false concept of tolerance ends up by persecuting those who defend the truth about man and the ethical consequences.

Therefore, the juridical, state and international regulations are called to recognize, guarantee and protect religious liberty, which is an intrinsically inherent right belonging to human nature, to its dignity of being free, and it is also an indicator of a healthy democracy and one of the principal sources of the legitimacy of the State.

Religious liberty, assimilated in Constitutions and laws and translated in coherent behavior, fosters the development of relations of mutual respect among the different Confessions and a healthy collaboration with the State and the political society, without confusion of roles and without antagonisms. Thus, instead of a global conflict of values, rendered possible -- from a nucleus of universally shared values -- is a global collaboration in view of the common good.

In the light of the acquisitions of reason, confirmed and perfected by revelation, and of the civil progress of peoples, it is incomprehensible and worrying that, up to today, discriminations and restrictions of rights remain by the sole fact of belonging to or professing publicly a determined faith. It is unacceptable that, in fact, real and proper persecutions subsist for reasons of religious membership! Also wars! This wounds reason, endangers peace and humiliates man’s dignity.

It is for me a reason for great sorrow to see that Christians in the world endure the greatest number of such discriminations. The persecution against Christians today is in fact stronger than it was in the first centuries of the Church, and there are more Christian martyrs today than there were at that time. This is happening more than 1700 years after the Edict of Constantine, which granted freedom to Christians to profess their faith publicly.

I earnestly hope that your congress will illustrate with profundity and scientific rigor the reasons that oblige every juridical regulation to respect and defend religious liberty. I thank you for this contribution. I ask you to pray for me. I wish you the best from the bottom of my heart and ask God to bless you. Thank you.

In defence of the addicted

At 11:45am today, in the Sala Clementina in the Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience the group of persons participating in the 31st International Drug Enforcement Conference which was held in Rome from June 17 to 19, 2014.

Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

for the meeting with members of the

International Drug Enforcement Conference

Distinguished Gentlemen,

I am happy to meet with you at the end of the International Drug Enforcement Conference. I thank you for your visit and I express to you my appreciation for the work you carry out, addressing such a grave and complex problem for our times. I hope that these days in Rome will mark a profitable stage in your commitment. In particular, I hope that you will be able to attain the objectives that you set out for yourselves, to coordinate anti-drug policies, to share related information and to develop an operational strategy geared toward stemming the trafficking of drugs. Perhaps the shares in the trafficking of drugs are those that render the most money in the market. And this is a tragic situation.

The scourge of drugs continues to rage in impressive ways and dimensions, fueling a shameful market, which jumps over national and continental boundaries. So the danger continues to grow for young people and adolescents. Faced of this phenomenon, I feel the need to express my grief and concern.

I would like to say with great clarity: drugs are not overcome by more drugs! Drugs are an evil, and there cannot be any room left for concession or compromises. To think that the damage can be reduced by agreeing to the use of psychotic drugs for persons who continue to use drugs, does not in fact resolve the problem. The legalization of so-called “light drugs,” even partial legislation, beyond being less debatable on the legislative plane, do not produce the effects fixed beforehand. Substitutive drugs then, are not a sufficient therapy but a veiled way of surrendering to the phenomenon. I intend to confirm what I already said on another occasion: no to every type of drug; simply no to any type of drug (cf. General Audience, May 7, 2014). However, to say this no, it is necessary to say yes to life, yes to love, yes to others, yes to education, yes to sport, yes to work, yes to more opportunities for work. Let us think about all the young people who have no work. I believe the figure is 75 million in Europe. I think ... I’m not sure ... I don’t want to say something that isn’t true. But let us think of a young person: he is not studying and he is not working. He enters into this lack of horizon, this lack of hope, and the first offer made is dependencies, among which are drugs. This … the opportunity for work, education, sports, a healthy life: this is the way to prevent the abuse of drugs. If we realize these Yes's, there is no place for drugs, there is no place for the abuse of alcohol and for other dependencies.

The Church, faithful to Jesus’ mandate to go wherever there is a suffering, thirsty, hungry or imprisoned human being (cf. Matthew 25:31-46), has not abandoned those who have fallen into the spiral of drugs, but with her creative love has gone out to meet them. She has taken them by the hand, through the work of so many workers and volunteers, so that they can rediscover their dignity, helping them to resurrect those resources, those personal talents that drugs buried, but could not annihilate, from the moment that every man is created in the image and likeness of God (cf. Genesis 1:26). However, this work of recovery is very limited, it’s not sufficient. We need to work on prevention. This will do much good.

The example of so many young people who, wanting to overcome of their dependence on drugs, commit themselves to reconstructing their lives, is a stimulus to henceforth look toward with confidence.

Distinguished gentlemen, I encourage you to continue your work with ever greater hope. I wish you the best and bless you with all my heart. Thank you.

Mass for Corpus Christi

In Canada, the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) is celebrated this coming Sunday, June 22, but it is traditionally celebrated on Thursday following the celebration of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.  Last evening in Rome, beginning at 7:00pm local time, Pope Francis presided at a Mass which was celebrated in the Square outside the Basilica of Saint John Lateran.

At the conclusion of the Mass, there was a procession held, which travelled along the via Merulana to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, where the Holy Father then imparted the Solemn Blessing with the Blessed Sacrament.  Last week, the Vatican Press Office reported that the Pope had planned to partake in last evening's procession, but yesterday, that decision was revised.  While the procession moved between the two Basilicae, and the Blessed Sacrament was carried by His Eminence, Agostino Cardinal Vallini, the Vicar of His Holiness for the Diocese of Rome, His Holiness travelled by car to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major.

The official announcement which was released yesterday by the Vatican Press Office explained that the Pope also felt it opportune not to follow the long itinerary on foot on via Merulana, between the two Basilicas, in view of his forthcoming commitments – in particular the trip to Cassan oall’Jonio, in Calabria, in two days’ time – and at the same time he preferred to avoid the trajectory in an open car so that, in keeping with the spirit of today’s celebration, the faithful’s attention would be concentrated instead on the Most Blessed Sacrament, exposed and taken in procession.

Homily of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi

The Lord, your God ... has fed you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had ever known (Dt 8:3).

These words from the Book of Deuteronomy refer to the history of Israel, the people who God had led out of Egypt, out of conditions of slavery, those who for forty years he had led through the desert toward the promised land.  Once they had been established in that land, the chosen people enjoyed a certain autonomy, a state of well-being, and they ran the risk of forgetting the sufferings of the past which had been overcome with the help of God through his infinite goodness.  So it is that the Scriptures exhort us to remember, to keep the memory of the journey that took place in the desert in the time of famine and despair.  We are invited to return to the basics, to the experience of total dependence on God, when our survival was entrusted entirely into his hands, so that we might understand that we do not live on bread alone, but ... on every word that comes from the mouth of God (Dt 8:3).

Beyond physical hunger, man bears in himself another hunger, a hunger that cannot be satiated with ordinary food. It is hunger for life, hunger for love, and hunger for eternity. And the sign of the manna – as with the whole experience of the Exodus – contained this dimension also in itself: it was the figure of a food that satisfies this profound hunger that man experiences. Jesus gives us this food, in fact, He himself is the living bread that gives life to the world (cf. John 6:51). His Body is real food under the species of bread; His Blood is real drink under the species of wine. It is not simple nourishment with which to satiate our bodies, such as manna; the Body of Christ is the bread of the end times, capable of sustaining life, and eternal life, because the essence of this bread is Love.

Communicated in the Eucharist is the Lord’s love for us: such a great love that He nourishes us with himself; a gratuitous love, always at the disposition of every hungry person in need of regenerating his strength. To live the experience of faith means to let oneself be nourished by the Lord and to build one’s existence not based on material goods, but on realities that do not perish: the gifts of God, His Word and His Body.

If we look around us, we realize that there are so many offers of food that do not come from the Lord and which seem to satisfy more. Some people nourish themselves with money, others with success and vanity, others with power and pride. However, the only food that really nourishes us and satiates us is that which the Lord gives us! The food the Lord offers us is different from the others, and perhaps it does not seem as tasty as certain foods which the world offers us. At such times, we dream of other meals, like the Jews did in the desert: they mourned for the meat and the onions they had eaten in Egypt, but they forgot that they had eaten these meals at the table of slavery. In that moment of temptation, they remembered, but their memory was sick, it was a selective memory – a memory enslaved, not free.

Today, each one of us can ask himself: and I? Where do I want to eat? At what table do I want to nourish myself? At the Lord’s table? Or do I dream of easting tasty foods, even if it means that to do so, I must live in slavery? Moreover, each one of us can ask himself: what is my memory? That of the Lord who saves me, or that of the garlic and onions of slavery? With what memory do I satiate my soul?

The Father says to us: I fed you with manna that you did not know. We must recover our memory. This is the task, to recover our memory, to  learn to recognize the false bread that deludes and corrupts, because it is the fruit of egoism, of self-sufficiency and of sin.

In just a little while, in the procession, we will follow Jesus truly present in the Eucharist. The Host is our manna, through which the Lord gives us the gift of Himself. We turn to Him with trust: Jesus, defend us from the temptations of worldly goods that render us slaves, poisoned food; purify our memory, so that it will not remain enslaved in egoistic and worldly selectivity, but will be a lively memory of your presence throughout the history of your people, a memory that becomes a memorial of your gesture of redemptive love. Amen.

Reflections for the graduates

This morning, we celebrated the Graduation Mass for students in Grade 8 at the local elementary school.  Every school has a different way to celebrate this milestone in the lives of their students, and this one is no exception.  The care and attention to detail that is invested each year by the two teachers who share the load and responsibility for the formation of these students means that they spend hours making sure that all the details are in place: teaching the responses for the Mass, rehearsing the songs that are sung, allowing the various students who will proclaim the Word to practice their respective parts, composing personalized presentations for each of the recipients of rewards, catering a luncheon for students and families, preparing a video presentation of highlights of the years gone by ... and even decorating the room where the luncheon is served following the celebration of the Mass.

Un gros merci aux professeurs et aux membres de l'équipe à l'école St. Luke pour tous vos efforts ainsi que votre dévouement envers le bienêtre des élèves qui vous sont confiés.

Saint Luke’s Graduation Mass

When I go to the movies, I love to eat popcorn.  Popcorn is good, but popcorn with salt and butter is better – it tastes better, doesn’t it?  Have you ever eaten potato chips or French fries without putting salt on them?  They’re just better with salt, aren’t they?  Salt is the seasoning that makes so many different foods taste better.  Now, I’ll admit that here in Canada, we probably do eat far too much salt, but it’s true, food that is seasoned with salt just tastes better, right?

Can you believe that almost a decade has passed since you started school?  In some ways it seems like such a long time ago, and yet in other ways, the time has flown by.  Here you are, quickly approaching the end of one road and ready to set out on the adventure that looms ahead.  Over the last couple of months, I’ve had the privilege to visit with you quite regularly, but your parents and other family members, your teachers and other staff members at the school know you even better than I do.  Each of the adults present here today has had some part to play in helping you to become the wonderful young people you are.  You’re a really good group of young people.  Since the day you began your schooling, we have watched you struggle and succeed.  We have witnessed the many ways in which you change the flavor of life by being salt for the earth – at times challenging us to be patient, and at other times making us laugh, at times we need to discipline you but when all is said and done, we have fallen in love with you.

As I listened today to the words of the first reading from the letter that Saint Paul wrote to the Romans, I couldn’t help thinking about all of you:  Each of you has gifts that differ according to the graces given: prophecy – sometimes there is great wisdom in what you say… ministry – you may not always be willing to admit it, but you are always willing to take care of each other, to help each other, to watch out for each other … teaching – even though you are the students, you too can teach lessons … encouragement – those who have had to face difficult moments can attest to the fact that when its important, you are really good at standing up for each other, and supporting one another … generosity – there are so many ways in which you have given of yourselves, sometimes in ways that surprise us; maybe you’ve even surprised yourselves … leadership – younger students in a school always look up to the older students for guidance, and you have done a wonderful job of leading by example … compassion – all of you have the ability to empathize with others, to be joyful when they are joyful and supportive when they are sad.  This list of gifts sounds suspiciously like the list of virtues you have learned about, the virtues you have tried to practice each month in school.  Now that you’re about to graduate, it’s time to look back and think: How did I do?  Were there times during this past year when you did very well at practicing those virtues?  Were there moments when you didn’t do so well?  Have you taken the time to pray about them, to ask God to help you to practice those virtues?  Don’t ever forget that God is always close to you, waiting for you to ask, and willing to help you … always.

When you walk out the doors of this church today, and when you walk out the doors of Saint Luke’s school next week, stop for just a second if you can.  Take just a moment or two to remember all the friends you’ve made, all the teachers who have helped you to learn the lessons you’ve learned, all the people who have helped you.  Say a quick prayer for all of them.  Do it silently if you must, but do it, please do it ... you won't regret it ... then go out into the big, wide world, but as you do, don’t ever forget those lessons, don’t ever forget to use them wisely.  Saint Paul also offers some words of wisdom for your journey: let your love be genuine, hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good, love one another … and outdo one another in showing honor.  Be enthusiastic about life, be enthusiastic also about sharing your faith, look every day for ways to serve others, and to serve the Lord in all you do.

The more you do this, the more you will share the light of your faith with the world, so dear friends, go, be light for the world, and know that we, your teachers, your pastor, your family and friends will never stop thanking God for all the graces you have received through Jesus Christ.  May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ always send you the graces you need so that you might live in his peace.  Amen.

In thanksgiving for new Canadian Saints

On Thursday, April 3 of this year, His Holiness, Pope Francis inscribed three new names in the catalogue of Saints, thereby raising them to the Altar and granting permission for them to be venerated by the entire Church worldwide.  Two of these three new Saints have Canadian ties:  Saint François de Laval de Montmorency (commonly known as Saint François de Laval), who served as the first Bishop of the Diocese of Quebec (which was the first Roman Catholic Diocese to be founded on Canadian soil, and therefore is known as Canada's primacial See); and Saint Marie de l'Incarnation, OSU, who came from France to Canada and founded the first Ursuline convent in Canada.

On Sunday, October 12, 2014, Pope Francis will preside at a Mass of Thanksgiving for these two recently-appointed Saints.  The Mass will begin at 10:00am local time in Rome and will be celebrated in Saint Peter's Basilica.

His Eminence, Gérald Cyprien Cardinal Lacroix, the current Archbishop of Quebec and Primate of the Church in Canada has also announced that a pilgrimage is being organized to coincide with the date of the Mass of Thanksgiving.  The pilgrimage will travel to various locations throughout France and Italy from October 5 to October 14 of this year in the footsteps of Saint François de Laval and Saint Marie de l'Incarnation.

The pilgrimage is being offered in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Quebec, the Séminaire de Quebec and the Canadian Union of Ursulines.  Beginning with visits to Paris, Montigny sur Aure, Chartres, La Flèche, Solesmes and Tours, pilgrims will travel to Rome for the Mass of Thanksgiving on October 12.  Cardinal Lacroix will accompany the pilgrimage.

Pope Francis in Korea

Today, the Vatican Press Office published the details of Pope Francis' next Apostolic journey - to Korea.

Itinerary for the Apostolic Journey of His Holiness, Pope Francis

to the Republic of Korea for the 6th Asiatic Youth Day

Wednesday, August 13, 2014
4:00pm
Departure by aircraft from Rome's Fumicino International Airport, destination Seoul, South Korea

Thursday, August 14, 2014
10:30am
Arrival at the Air Base in Seoul

12:00noon
Private Mass celebrated in the Apostolic Nunciature

3:45pm
Welcoming ceremony in the gardens of the Blue House in Seoul
Courtesy visit with the President of the Republic in the Blue House in Seoul

4:30pm
Meeting with the Authorities in the Chungmu Salon at the Blue House in Seoul.  The Holy Father will deliver a speech.

5:30pm
Meeting with the Bishops of Korea in the offices of the Korean Episcopal Conference.  The Holy Father will deliver a speech.

Friday, August 15, 2014
8:45am
Transfer by helicopter to Daejeon

10:30am
Mass for the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary in the World Cup Stadium in Daejeon.  The Holy Father will preach the homily.
Prayer of the Angelus, preceded by an address by the Holy Father.

1:30pm
Lunch with young people at the Major Seminary of Daejeon

4:30pm
Transfer by helicopter to the Solmoe Shrine

5:30pm
Meeting with youth from Asia in the Solmoe Shrine.  The Holy Father will deliver a speech.

7:15pm
Transfer by helicopter to Seoul

Saturday, August 16, 2014
8:55am
Visit of the Shrine of the Martyrs of Seo So mun

10:00am
Mass of Beatification of Paul Yun Ji-Chung and 123 companions, martyred at the Gwanghwamun Gate in Seoul.  The Holy Father will preach the homily.

3:30pm
Transfer by helicopter to Kkottongnae

4:30pm
Visit to the House of Hope rehabilitation centre for the disabled in Kkottongnae

5:15pms
Meeting with the Religious Community of Korea in the School of Love Training Centre in Kkottongnae.  The Holy Father will deliver a speech.

6:30pm
Meeting with the Leaders of the Lay Apostolate in the Spirituality Centre at Kkottongnae.  The Holy Father will deliver a speech.

7:00pm
Transfer by helicopter to Seoul.

Sunday, August 17, 2014
10:00am
Transfer by helicopter to Haemi

11:00am
Meeting with the Bishops of Asia in the Haemi Shrine.  The Holy Father will deliver a speech.

1:00pm
Lunch with the Bishops of Asia in the refectory of the Haemi Shrine.

4:30pm
Mass concluding the 6th Asian Youth Day at the Haemi Castle.  The Holy Father will preach the homily.

7:00pm
Transfer by helicopter to Seoul.

Monday, August 18, 2014
9:00am
Meeting with Religious Leaders in the Palace of the old Curia of the Archdiocese of Seoul

9:45am
Mass for Peace and Reconciliation in the Cathedral of Myeong-dong in Seoul.  The Holy Father will preach the homily.

12:45pm
Ceremony of departure from the Republic of Korea at the Air Base in Seoul

1:00pm
Departure of the aircraft from the Air Base in Seoul toward the Ciampino Airport in Rome

5:45pm
Arrival at Rome's Ciampino Airport

Please note that there is a 7-hour time difference between the local time in Rome and the time in Seoul.

General Audience focuses on the Church

This morning's General Audience began at 10:00am in Saint Peter's Square.  The Holy Father met there with groups of pilgrims and the faithful who had come from various parts of Italy and all corners of the world.

Previous to the beginning of the Audience, at 9:00am, the Pope greeted a group of sick persons and their families in the Paul VI Hall.

During his catechesis, Pope Francis began a new cycle of teachings dedicated to the Church.

After having presented synopses of the catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father offered greetings to each of the linguistic groups of pilgrims and the faithful who were present.  He then issued a call to the International community on the occasion of the World Day of Refugees which will be observed the day after tomorrow, June 20.

The General Audience concluded with the chanting of the Pater Noster and the imparting of the Apostolic Blessing.

Catechesis of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

for the General Audience

Dear Brothers and Sisters, good morning ... and congratulations to you because you have been good, with this weather that one doesn’t know if water is coming or not coming … You are good! We hope to finish the Audience without water, may the Lord have mercy on us.

Today I begin a series of catecheses on the Church. It’s somewhat like a child speaking of his mother, of his family. To speak of the Church is to speak of our Mother, of our family. The Church, in fact, is not an institution oriented to herself or a private association, an NGO, and much less so should one’s look be restricted to the clergy or the Vatican … The Church thinks … But we are all the Church! Of whom are you speaking? Not of priests … Ah, the priests are part of the Church, but we are all the Church! She mustn’t be restricted to priests, to Bishops, to the Vatican … They are part of the Church, but we are all the Church, all family, all of the Mother. And the Church is a much broader reality, which opens herself to the whole of humanity and which is not born in a laboratory; the Church is not born in a laboratory, she was not born suddenly. She was founded by Jesus but is made up of a people with a long history behind it and a preparation that began long before Christ himself.

This history, or pre-history, of the Church is found already in the pages of the Old Testament. We heard in the Book of Genesis: God chose Abraham, our Father in faith, and asked him to go forth, to leave his earthly homeland and go to another land, which He would indicate to him (cf. Genesis 2:1-9). And in this vocation God did not call Abraham alone, as an individual, but from the beginning involved his family, his relatives and all those who served in his household. Once on the way, -- yes, this is how the Church begins to journey – then, God widens the horizon again and fills Abraham with His blessing, promising him numerous descendants like the stars of the heavens and the sand on the seashore. The first important detail in fact is this: beginning with Abraham, God forms a people to take His blessing to all the families of the earth. And Jesus is born within this people.

A second element: it is not for Abraham to constitute a people around him, but it is God who gives life to this people. Usually it was man who turned toward divinity, seeking to fill the distance and invoking support and protection. People prayed to the gods, to the divinities. Witnessed in this case, instead, is something unheard of: it is God Himself who takes the initiative. Let us listen to this: it is God who knocks on Abraham’s door and says to him: go forth, go from your land, begin to walk and I will make of you a great people. And this is the beginning of the Church and Jesus is born in this people. God takes the initiative and addresses His Word to man, creating a bond and a new relation with him. But Father, how does this happen? Does God speak to us? Yes. And can we speak to God? Yes. But can we have a conversation with God? Yes. This is called prayer, but it is God who has done this from the beginning. In this way God forms a people with all those who listen to His Word and go forth, trusting in Him. This is the only condition: to trust God. If you trust God, listen to Him and go forth, this is to make the Church. God’s love precedes everything. God is always first, He arrives before us, He precedes us. The prophet Isaiah, or Jeremiah, I don’t remember well, said that God is like the flower of the almond tree, because it is the first tree to flower in spring - to say that God always flowers before us. When we arrive, He is waiting for us, He calls us, He makes us walk. He is always ahead of us. And this is called love, because God always waits for us. But Father, I don’t believe this, because if you, Father, knew my life, it’s been so bad, how can I think that God waits for me? God waits for you. And if you have been a great sinner He waits for you even more and He waits for you with so much love, because He is first. This is the beauty of the Church, which leads us to this God who waist for us! He precedes Abraham, He also precedes Adam.

Abraham and his own listen to God’s call and go forth, despite not knowing well who this God is and where He wishes to lead them. It’s true, because Abraham goes forth, trusting this God who spoke to him, but he didn’t have a theology book to study what this God is. He trusts, he trusts the love. God makes him feel the love and he trusts. However, this does not mean that this people was always convinced and faithful. In fact, from the beginning there were resistances, a turning in on oneself and one's interests and the temptation of bargaining with God and of resolving things in one's own way. And these are the betrayals and sins that mark the path of the people throughout the history of salvation, which is the history of God’s fidelity and the people’s infidelity. God, however, does not tire; God has patience, He has so much patience, and in time He continues to educate and form His people, as a father with his son. God walks with us. The prophet Hosea says: I have walked with you and I have taught you to walk as a father teaches his child to walk. This is a beautiful image of God! And it is so with us: He teaches us to walk. And it is the same attitude that He has in dealings with the Church. We too, in fact, despite our resolution to follow the Lord Jesus, every day experience egoism and the hardness of our heart. However, when we acknowledge ourselves as sinners, God fills us with His mercy and His love. And He forgives us, He forgives us always. And, in fact, it is this which makes us grow as people of God, as Church: it’s not our bravado, it’s not our merits - we are but little things; it’s not that -, but it is the daily experience of how much the Lord loves us and takes care of us. It is this which makes us feel truly His, in His hands, and makes us grow in communion with Him and among ourselves. To be Church is to feel oneself in the hands of God, who is Father and who loves us, caresses us, waits for us, and makes us feel His tenderness. And this is very beautiful!

Dear friends, this is God’s plan; when He called Abraham, God was thinking of this: to form a blessed people from His love, which would take His blessing to all the peoples of the earth. This plan doesn’t change; it is always in action. It had its fulfillment in Christ and even today God continues to realize it in the Church. Let us then ask for the grace to remain faithful in following the Lord Jesus and in listening to His Word, ready to go forth every day, as Abraham did, towards the land of God and of man, our true homeland, and thus become a blessing, a sign of the love of God for all His children. I like to think that a synonym, another name that we Christians could have, is this: we are men and women, we are people that bless. The Christian must always bless with his life, he must bless God and bless others. We, Christians, are people who bless, who are able to bless. This is a beautiful vocation!

Following the conclusion of today's catechesis, which was spoken in Italian, a series of synopses of this teaching was offered in various languages, and the Holy Father spoke greetings to each linguistic group of the faithful who were in attendance.  To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:

I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, including those from England, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Kuwait, India, Australia and the United States. Upon all of you, and upon your families, I invoke joy and peace in the Lord Jesus. God bless you all!

At the conclusion of the General Audience, just before praying the Our Father and imparting the Apostolic Blessing, the Pope made a special appeal in anticipation of the observance of the World Day of Refugees:

The day after tomorrow, June 20, is the World Day of Refugees, which the international community dedicates to those constrained to leave their land to flee from conflicts and persecutions. The number of these refugee brothers is growing and, in these last days, more thousands of persons were compelled to leave their homes in order to be saved. Millions of families, millions, sheltered in many countries and from every religious faith live tragedies and wounds that it will be difficult to heal. Let us make ourselves their neighbours, sharing their fears and their uncertainty for the future and alleviating their sufferings in concrete ways. May the Lord support the persons and institutions that work with generosity to ensure hospitality and dignity to the refugees, and give them reasons for hope. Let us consider that Jesus was a refugee, he had to flee to save his life, with Saint Joseph and Our Lady, he had to go to Egypt. He was a refugee. Let us pray to Our Lady, who knows the pains of the refugees; ask her to be close to them, our brothers and sisters. Let us pray together with Our Lady for refugee brothers and sisters.

Hail Mary ...