A Message for the World Day of Rare Diseases

Today, the Vatican Press Centre released a Message which was prepared by the President of the Pontifical Council for Health Workers (for the Pastoral Care of Health Workers), His Excellency, Zygmunt Zimowski, on the occasion of the IX World Day of Rare Diseases, which is being celebrated on February 29, entitled: At the centre of the patient's voice.  Join us to make the voice of rare diseases heard.

Message of His Excellency, Zygmunt Zimowski

for the IX World Day of Rare Diseases

Dear brothers and sisters,

For some years, the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers (for the Pastoral Care of Health Workers) has been following attentively various initiatives in favour of those who are affected by rare diseases, as well as their family members who, through their kindness are at times the only ones who give voice to a problem that cannot be refuted by various civic, scientific and pastoral institutions.

The current worldwide initiative, which attempts to give proper emphasis to these diseases and to increase knowledge about them, has also found growing interest in the Church, in order that those who are suffering from diseases, even though their incidence is minimal or rare not be abandoned or isolated, and certainly that they should not leave us indifferent.  Indeed, their condition, as was indicated by the theme chosen for IX Day of Rare Diseases - At the centre of the patient's voice.  Join us to make the voice of rare diseases heard - cannot fail to find an echo in our hearts and in appropriate research and care.

In particular, it is a matter of making these persons increasingly protagonists, equipped with the necessary points of reference; and at the same time increasing the awareness of this issue among competent authorities, health professionals, researchers, the pharmaceutical industry and anyone else who has a sincere interest in rare diseases ... all in order to tear open the curtain of silence or of exclusivity that is likely in many cases to hide a problem that is rather a concern for all of society.

The Church is also motivated to deeper commitment, continually spurred on by Pope Francis to grow and to walk in solidarity.

Solidarity involves the sharing of situations with one another, whoever they may be, to feel that we are participating in their suffering, involved in the design and implementation of effective supporting action, always from a perspective of inclusion.  Therefore, the ethic of solidarity cannot be reduced to a mere list of essential functions for social institutions, nor does it pertain only to those involved in certain professions.  The other is someone who challenges us by the mere fact that he or she is a person and finds him- or herself in need.  This is what Jesus wanted to teach through the parable of the Good Samaritan (cf Lk 10:25-37).

Charity, which begins with an interior attitude of com-passion and which translates into concrete gestures and commitments of closeness and care, is able to confer fullness of meaning on human relationships.  Solidarity therefore assumes the form of sharing: being with, and of devotion: being for.

In this way, attentive listening to the voice of patients with rare diseases also constitutes a first approach to building, sometimes with difficulty, the common good as a sign of solidarity that is able to accept questions and human aspirations and make them our own, especially those which are rarely considered.

In hindsight, it is a complex problem, that cannot be faced if not in a broader context in which we are placed, along with our respective responsibilities, different and complementary professional and institutional figures.

By means of this Discastery, the Church, taking up the voice that from many places is raised in order to bring about the common good and justice in the socio-health field, desires to bring to the attention of this sector and to various institutions of scientific research, its pastoral actions in the field of rare and neglected diseases, defined as diseases that particularly invite us to solidarity.  This ecclesial action will have a specific expression in the upcoming International Conference, organized by the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers, which will take place at the Vatican from November 10 to 12, 2016.  This initiative which will take place almost at the end of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, will be a further opportunity to promote the corporal work of mercy of assisting the sick.  It will take place under the sign of solidarity with and closeness to persons affected by rare pathologies, as well as those faced by poor and vulnerable populations marked by neglected diseases who usually live in rural areas, among the most remote in all the world.

With this Message, we wish to express our closeness to all of our brothers and sisters who are marked by fatigue and suffering due to rare diseases.  I entrust this World Day to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Health of the Sick.  May every request born in the heart of those who suffer find listening and caring solidarity in all believers and in every person of good will.  Renewed and sustained by the One who is the incarnation of the Father's Mercy, many others will themselves become workers of mercy and peace.

Meeting with the security officers

At 12:00 noon today, in the Sala Clementina at the Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience the Carabinieri who are serving in the Vatican.

Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

to members of the Carabinieri

Dear Carabinieri,

I cordially welcome each one of you, and I thank the Commander General of the Army for his words.

I am pleased to meet you in order to express my gratitude.  You provide the community with a service that is at times challenging and always indispensable, as you spend your energies to protect and to provide security and public order, in collaboration with other security forces.  Thanks to you, people find the help they need in order to respect the laws that maintain a serene and harmonious atmosphere.  Your presence here serves the concrete solidarity of the entire community, especially those who are disadvantaged who can find precious assistance in their moments of difficulty.  Many times, this help is unseen; I am referring to the words spoken by your Commander: some hidden actions that no one sees in our daily service ... This is very beautiful, only God sees these acts.  God never forgets these things.

Your Caribinieri Company of Rome Saint Peter's collaborates effectively with the competent organizations of the Holy See in order to favour the tranquil development of events which, throughout the year, take place in Saint Peter's Square and surrounding areas.  I thank you very much for your work which is at the service of pilgrims and tourists.  It is an activity that requires professionalism and a sense of responsibility, as well as attention to each person - many of whom are elderly -, continual patience and availability to all people.  These are not easy qualities, but it is important that we continue them with God's help.  You should smile often, smiles in moments which are most difficult help to facilitate your service to the public, no?

The Holy Year of Mercy opens before all of us the possibility of being renewed, starting with an interior purification that is reflected in the way we act and also in the exercise of our daily activities.  This spiritual dimension of the jubilee events motivate each one of us to ask ourselves some important questions about the real commitment of responding to the exigencies of faithfulness to the gospel, to which the Lord calls us and from which we begin our states in life.  In this way, the Jubilee becomes an ideal occasion for personal and community verification and the paradigm by which we verify the works of mercy, either corporal or spiritual.  The Lord remembers: All those who have done this for the least of my brothers, has done it for me (Mt 25:40).

This teaching of Jesus can also guide you, who are responsible for the protection of public order, and help you in every circumstance to be promotors of solidarity, especially toward the most in need and those who are defenceless; to be keepers of the right to life, through your commitment to security and for the safety of all people.  In fulfilling this mission, you bear witness to the fact that every person is loved by God, is his creature and worthy of welcome and respect.  May the grace of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy renew the spirit with which you dedicate yourselves to your profession, making it possible for you to live it with more attention, dedication and generosity.

I express once again to all of you my gratitude for your appreciated service and for your collaboration with the Holy See.  I invoke divine assistance upon each of you and upon your daily work, and I confide you to the maternal protection of the Madonna, the faithful Virgin.  With all my heart, I give you my blessing, and I extend this blessing also to your families.  And I ask you please to pray for me.  Thank you.

A meeting with the Patriarch from Ethiopia

At 9:30am today, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience His Holiness, Abuna Matthias I, Patriarch of the Tewahedo Orthodox Church of Ethiopia.

During the meeting, after a private discussion, His Holiness, Abuna Matthias I and Pope Francis each made a speech, before exchanging gifts.

Speech of His Holiness, Pope Francis

for the meeting with

His Holiness, Abuna Matthias I

Your Holiness,
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

It is a joy and a moment of grace to be able to welcome all of you here present. I greet with affection His Holiness and the distinguished members of your Delegation. I thank you for your words of friendship and spiritual closeness. Through you, I send cordial greetings to the bishops, clergy and the entire family of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church throughout the world. The grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

Your Holiness’s visit strengthens the fraternal bonds already uniting our Churches. We recall with gratitude the visit of Patriarch Abuna Paulos to Saint John Paul II in 1993. On 26 June 2009, Abuna Paulos returned to meet Benedict XVI, who invited him to return in October of that same year as a special guest, to address the second Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops on the situation in Africa and the challenges facing its peoples. In the early Church, it was common practice that one Church would send representatives to the synods of other Churches. This sense of ecclesial sharing was evident also in 2012, on the occasion of the funeral of His Holiness, Abuna Paulos, at which a delegation of the Holy See was present.

From 2004 on, the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches have worked together to deepen their communion through the theological dialogue advanced by the Joint International Commission. We are happy to note the increasing participation of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in this dialogue. Over the years, the Commission has examined the fundamental concept of the Church as communion, understood as participation in the communion between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In this way, we have come to see that we have almost everything in common: one faith, one Baptism, one Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. We are united by virtue of our Baptism, which has made us members of the one Body of Christ. We are also united by the various common elements of our rich monastic traditions and liturgical practices. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. As has often been observed, what unites us is greater than what divides us.

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 (1 Cor 12:26). 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.

From the beginning, yours has been a Church of martyrs. Today too, 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.

Your country is making great strides 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. I think in particular of 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. I am certain of the readiness of the Catholic Church in Ethiopia to work together with the Orthodox Tewahedo Church over which Your Holiness presides.

Your Holiness, dear brothers and sisters, 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, 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. I pray to Mary, Mother of Mercy, for each of you, with words drawn from your own beautiful and rich liturgical tradition: “O Virgin, wellspring of the fountain of wisdom, bathe me in the streams of the Gospel of Christ your Son. Defend me by his Cross. Cover me with his mercy, gird me with his clemency, renew me with his unction and surround me with his fruits. Amen”.

Your Holiness, may Almighty God abundantly bless your ministry in the service of the beloved people of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.

Lessons about God's mercy

Here is the text of the reflection I shared with those who came to pray with us this weekend: some thoughts about lessons from the greatest of teachers about the profound gift of mercy that God offers to his children.

A teachable moment

Anyone who interacts with children knows that there are moments in every day when all adults become teachers.  As newborn infants, children learn from their parents and they also learn from other adults who are part of their ever-widening circles of social interaction.  Then one day, they learn how to speak, and they discover the word: Why? – a whole new world of possibilities opens up, and it's theirs for the taking.  The occasions at which the question Why? is asked, we call teachable moments.  These include times when disciplinary action is called for, but also moments of wonder, confusion and surprise … sooner or later, children grow up, and there are other moments when students ask questions because they are seeking clarification, trying to truly comprehend the lesson that is being taught.

As these weeks of Lent progress, we will hear more about Jesus’ conversations with his disciples as he taught them about the Kingdom of God, but even today, we have a glimpse into one of the occasions when he was teaching the crowds.  Like good students, those who were gathered around were listening carefully, trying to understand.  The wisdom of the time believed that suffering was somehow tied to sinfulness, so when the people saw the Roman armies putting some of the Galileans to death (Lk 13:2), they thought that this was somehow a punishment, perhaps even tied to sin that had been committed.  I sometimes think that the concept of God’s Kingdom was as abstract to Jesus’ listeners as a University level class in advanced Biology, Mathematics, Chemistry or Physics would be to some of us.  The glassy-eyed look of incomprehension may very well have been staring back at him as he uttered the words: unless you repent, you will all perish (Lk 13:5).

The key to teaching is recognizing teachable moments and finding the right method to help the students understand.  For Jesus, the method of choice was storytelling.  Everyone loves stories, and all of those gathered around him could relate to the images he used.  They had all seen fig trees; they all knew that sometimes, new fruit trees took longer than usual to bear fruit; they understood well the temptation that a farmer might face if he discovered a tree that persistently bore no fruit.  There was little enough arable land as it was.  If a tree did not produce fruit, it would not last long, but this was precisely the lesson that Jesus wanted to teach.  The Roman armies had little patience for those who would not follow orders, but on the contrary, God our merciful and loving Father has infinite patience with us.

Even today, Jesus lesson is valid.  In many ways, our society is growing less and less patient.  Earlier this week, the Special Joint Committee of the Government of Canada on Physician Assisted Dying released its report, effectively outlining situations in which individuals should have the right to ask for medical assistance to terminate their own lives, yet the report fails to mention any reference to palliative care or home care as options for those who are suffering.  This too is a teachable moment, an occasion for us to stand up, as our Bishops have done this week, for the dignity of the human person and the flourishing of the human community (CCCB, Pastoral Statement for the Catholics of Canada).  We must constantly seek to protect and respect all human life from conception to natural death, and we must also demand freedom of conscience and religion for every person and every institution.

Like young Moses who was tending his father-in-law’s flock on the mount of Horeb, we must always be on the lookout for teachable moments: the experiences of God’s presence among us, whether in the form of a burning bush (cf Ex 3:2) or a gardener willing to tend a fig tree for another year (cf Lk 13:8) in hopes that it will finally bear fruit.  This is the wisdom of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy.  Pope Francis is inviting all of us to never lose sight of the fact that we are always and everywhere, students of the divine Teacher whose greatest lesson is the heart-felt experience of tender mercy.  God never tires of forgiving us; it is we who grow tired of asking for mercy.  Let us pray for the strength to be vigilant: to keep our eyes, our ears and our hearts open so that when the Lord comes and gently knocks at the doors of our hearts, we will be ready and willing to fling them wide open, to welcome him and to experience the great joy of his presence.

Angelus with thoughts about the barren fig tree

At noon today in Rome, 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 gathered in Saint Peter's Square for the usual Sunday appointment.

Greetings of His Holiness, Pope Francis

prior to the recitation of the Angelus

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

Every day, unfortunately, the newspapers report bad news: homicides, accidents, catastrophes ... In today's gospel passage, Jesus refers to two tragic events which at that time had caused quite a bit of commotion: a cruel repression by Roman soldiers that had taken place inside the temple; and the fall of the tower of Siloam in Jerusalem which caused the death of eighteen victims (cf Lk 13:1-5).

Jesus knows the superstitious mentality of his listeners and also that they will interpret these types of events in the wrong way.  In fact, they think that if these men have died in such a cruel way, it must be sign that God has punished them for some grave offence that they had committed; as if to say: they deserved it.  On the contrary, the fact that Jesus' listeners had been saved from the disaster was tantamount to saying: I'm ok.  They deserved it, but I'm ok.

Jesus categorically rejects this view, because God does not permit tragedies to happen as punishment for sins, and he affirms the fact that those poor victims were no worse than others.  Rather, he invites us to see in these painful events a warning that concerns everyone, for we are all sinners; in fact, he says to those who had asked the question: If you do not convert, you too will perish in the same way (Lk 13:3).

Even today, faced with certain misfortunes and tragic events, we can be tempted to unload the responsibility for suffering on the victims, or even on God himself.  But the gospel invites us to reflect:  What is our image of God?  Are we convinced that God is like that, or is he rather a matter of our own priorities, a god made in our image and likeness?  On the contrary, Jesus calls us to change our hearts, to undergo a radical conversion, a change along the journey of our lives, abandoning all compromises with evil - and this is something we all do, make compromises with evil - hypocrisies - I think that we all have within us just the slightest bit of hypocrisy - in order to take up the path of the gospel.  But here again we meet the temptation to justify ourselves: But, why do we need to change?  Are we not all more or less good people?   How many times have we thought: But, all in all I am a good person - am I not? - are we not believers, practicing our faith?  And we think that in this way we are justified.

Unfortunately, each one of us looks more and more like a tree that, for many years has given proof of its sterility.  But, fortunately for us, Jesus is like the farmer who, with unlimited patience, manages to get an extension on the time granted to the barren fig tree: Leave it one more year - he says to his master - ... Let us see if it bears fruit in the future (Lk 13:9). A year of grace: the time of Christ's ministry, the time of the Church before his glorious return, the time in which we are living, marked by a certain number of Lents which are offered to us as opportunities for repentance and salvation, the time of a Jubilee Year of Mercy.  The limitless patience of Jesus!  Have you ever thought about the patience of Jesus?  Have you ever thought about his unrelenting preoccupation with sinners, as if we need to even provoke his impatience with us!  It is never too late to change our hearts, never!  Even at the last moment: the patience of God awaits us.  Remember the little story of Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus, who prayed for the man who was condemned to die, a criminal who did not want to receive the comfort of the Church, he even refused the priest, he didn't want confession: he wanted to die like that.  And she prayed, in the convent.  And when the man was there, at the moment of being put to death, 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 only know these things in heaven - how many times we are the ones who are there, there ... at the point of falling and the Lord saves us:  He saves us because he has infinite patience with us.  This is his mercy.  It is never too late to change our hearts, but it's urgent, now is the time!  Let us begin today.

May the Virgin Mary help us, so that we might open our hearts to the grace of God, to his mercy; and may she help us never to judge others, but let us be led by our daily misfortunes to make a serious examination of conscience and to repent.

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

Dear brothers and sisters,

In my prayer, and also in yours, there is always the drama of refugees who are fleeing from war and other inhumane situations.  In particular, Greece and the other countries who on the front lines are generously furnishing aid which also needs the assistance of all other countries.  A collective response can be effective in equally distributing the weight.  For this reason, we must focus decisively and without reservation on negotiation.  At the same time, I have welcomed with hope the news about the cessation of hostilities in Syria, and I invite you to pray that this window of opportunity might bring relief to the suffering people of that land, while encouraging any necessary humanitarian aid and opening the path to dialogue and peace that is so deeply desired.

I also want to assure my closeness to the people of the Fiji Islands, who have been hit hard by a devastating cyclone.  I pray for the victims and for those who are committed to providing necessary relief.

I extend a cordial greeting to all of you pilgrims from Rome, from other parts of Italy and from other countries.

I greet the faithful from Danzica, the natives from Biafra, students from Zaragoza, Huelva, Córdoba and Zafra, the young people from Formentera and the faithful from Jaén.

I greet the groups of Poles resident in Italy; the faithful from Cascia, Desenzano del Garda, Vicenza, Castiglione d'Adda and Rocca di Neto; as well as the many young people from Tendopoli di San Gabriele dell'Addolorata, led by the Passionist Fathers; the youth from the Oratory of Rho, Cornaredo and Pero, and those from Buccinasco; and the School of Dimesse Sisters, Daughters of Mary Immaculate from Padua.

I greet the group that has come to celebrate the Day for rare diseases, with a special prayer and a word of encouragement for your mutual assistance associations.

I wish you all a good Sunday.  Don't forget to pray for me.  Enjoy your lunch and good bye!

With leaders of industry

At 12:15pm today, in the Paul VI Hall, His Holiness, Pope Francis received in audience a group of business leaders who are participating in a conference known a Confindustria.

Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

for participants in the Confindustria conference

Ladies and gentlemen, good morning!

I greet you all, representatives of the business world who have come here in such great number.  I thank your President, Mister Squinzi, as well as Mister Ghizzoni and Mistress Marcegaglia for the words they have offered.  With this gathering, which represents a first in history for your Association, your aim is to confirm a commitment: to contributing through your work toward a more just society that is closer to the needs of humanity.  Your desire is to reflect together on the ethics of doing business; together, you have decided to strengthen your focus on the values which are the backbone of your formative programmes, in order to promote the territory and the promotion of social relationships, and to allow for a concrete alternative to the consumerist model of profit at all costs.

Working together, is the expression that you have chosen as your guide and orientation.  It inspires you to collaborate, share and prepare the way for relationships governed by a common sense of responsibility.   This paves the way for new strategies, new styles and new attitudes.  How different our lives would be if indeed we were to learn, day by day, to work, to think and to build together!

In the complex world of enterprise, working together means investing in projects that involve subjects that are often forgotten or neglected.  Among these, first of all, are families, the focus of humanity, in which the experience of work, the sacrifice that feeds it and the benefits derived from it find sense and value.  Together with families, we cannot forget the weakest and most marginalized categories, such as the elderly, who can still contribute resources and energies toward actively collaborating, but who are too often neglected as though they were useless or unproductive.  And what of all the potential workers, especially the young who, as prisoners of precarious employment or long periods of unemployment, are not endowed with a wealth of work experience or a fair wage which would give them the dignity of which they sometimes feel deprived?

Together, all these strengths can make a difference for an enterprise that focuses on people, the quality of their relationships, the truth of their commitment to building a world of justice, a world that is truly committed to all people.  In fact, working together means focusing the work not on the solitary genius of one person, but on the collaboration that exists between many people.  In other words, it means building networks that value the gifts of all, without however neglecting the unique and non-repeatable nature of each individual.  At the centre of every enterprise therefore, the focus should be the person: not an abstract concept, an ideal, a theory, but that which is concrete, including his dreams, his needs, his hopes and his labours.

Concrete attention to the person involves a series of important choices: it means giving each person that which is his due, tearing mothers and fathers of families away from the anxiety of not being able to provide a future, much less the necessities of the present to their children; it means knowing how to direct, but also knowing how to listen, to share projects and ideas with humility and trust; it means working in such a way that labours create other work, responsibilities create other responsiblities, hope creates more hope, above all for younger generations who need this gift more than ever before.

In the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, I issued a challenge to support one another, to make every experience a shared opportunity for a better chance of meeting and of being in solidarity with others (EG, 87).  Faced with so many barriers of injustice, loneliness, mistrust and suspicions which still endure today, the world of work, of which you are the leading authors, is called to take courageous steps in order so that finding yourselves and to working together is not only a slogan, but a plan of action for the present and for the future.

Dear friends, you have a mobile vocation oriented toward producing wealth and toward improving the world for all people (Laudato Si', 129); you are therefore called to be builders of the common good and artisans of a new humanism of work.  You are called to protect professionalism, and at the same time to pay attention to the conditions in which work is performed, lest such work should result in accidents and uncomfortable situations.  Your path must always be guided by justice, which rejects the recommendations of favoritism and the dangerous deviations of dishonesty and easy compromises.  The supreme law in everything you do must be attention to the dignity of the other, an absolute and indispensable value.  This is the horizon of altruism that distinguishes your commitment: it will lead you to reject categorically any possibility that the dignity of the person may be trampled upon for the sake of production efficiency that masks individualistic myopia, individualism and thirst for profits.  The enterprise that you represent must always be open to the broader meaning of life, which will in turn allow her to truly serve the common good, with its efforts to multiply all goods and to make them accessible to all people in the world (Evangelii Gaudium, 203).  In fact, the common good is the compass that guides all productive activity so that an economy by all and for all can grow, one that is not insensitive to the eye of those who are in need (Sirach 4:1).  It is indeed possible, as long as the simple proclamation of economic liberty does not prevail over the concrete freedom of mankind and his rights, as long as markets do not become absolute, but honour the demands of justice, and in the final analysis, the demands of the dignity of persons.  There is no freedom without justice and justice cannot exist without respect for the dignity of each individual.

I thank you for your commitment for for all the good that you are doing and that you are able to do.  May the Lord bless you, and I ask you, please - don't forget to pray for me.  Thank you!

Now I would like to ask the Lord the bless you all, as well as your families and your enterprises.

Argentina at the Vatican

This morning in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, His Holiness, Pope Francis received in audience His Excellency, Mister Mauricio Macri, President of the Argentine Republic, who subsequently met with His Eminence, the Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, accompanied by His Excellency, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States.

During the cordial discussions, which demonstrated the good bilateral relations between the Holy See and the Argentine Republic, themes of common interest were considered, such as assistance for integral development, respect for human rights, the fight against poverty and drug trafficking, justice, peace and social reconciliation. In this context, the positive contribution of the episcopate and Catholic institutions in Argentine society was reiterated, especially in the fields of human promotion and the formation of the new generations, and particularly in the current economic climate.

Finally, reference was made to various issues of broader significance and interest at regional and global level.

Canadian Bishops speak about Physician Assisted Dying

On February 25, 2016 he Special Joint Committee of the Government of Canada on Physician-Assisted Dying released its report, Medical Assistance in Dying: A Patient-Centred Approach.  This morning, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops released a pastoral statement addressed to the Catholics of this country in response to the Government's report.

Pastoral Statement for the Catholics of Canada

on the report issued by the Special Joint Committee of the Government of Canada,

entitled Medical Assistance in Dying: A Patient-Centred Approach

Dear brothers and sisters,

The Special Joint Committee of the Government of Canada on Physician-Assisted Dying
this past February 25 released its report, Medical Assistance in Dying: A Patient-Centred
Approach. The report, in part, recommends:

• That assisted suicide be available to those with psychiatric conditions (Recommendation 3)
• That psychological suffering be among the criteria making an individual eligible for assisted suicide (Recommendation 4)
• That within approximately three years assisted suicide be available for adolescents and possibly also children who can be considered mature minors (Recommendation 6)
• That all health-care practitioners be obliged at the minimum to provide an effective referral for clients seeking assisted suicide (Recommendation 10)
• That all publicly funded health-care institutions in Canada provide assisted suicide (Recommendation 11)

In addition, the report fails to show how palliative care and home care can provide true
options for those tempted by suicide, nor does it call for a national plan to prevent suicides.
Suicide rates are five to seven times higher for First Nations youth in Canada than for non-Aboriginal youth, while suicide rates among Inuit youth are among the highest in the world,
at 11 times the national Canadian average.

The teaching of the Catholic Church and the stance of the Catholic Bishops of Canada are
clear. Suicide is not part of health care. Killing the mentally and physically ill, whether
young or aged, is contrary to caring for and loving one’s brother and sister. The dignity of
the human person and the flourishing of the human community demand: 1) protection and
respect for each human life from conception to natural death, and 2) freedom of conscience
and religion for each person as well as each institution. Social well-being, personal security
and the common good – together with religious faith – involve safeguarding, not
endangering, the lives of those suffer.

The above recommendations and the thrust of the report completely fail to be patient centred
or to assist and support the dying and the vulnerable. To borrow from the words of
Pope Francis, the report’s recommendations are the approach of a throw-away society. They do not reveal the face of God’s mercy.

Together with my brother Bishops, both Catholic and Orthodox, as well as with leaders from
the Evangelical Protestant, Jewish and Muslim faith communities, and many of other faiths
or people of no faith, I urge you to inform your elected officials as to why euthanasia, assisted suicide and the above recommendations are completely unacceptable.

(Most Rev.) Douglas Crosby, OMI
Bishop of Hamilton
President of the Canadian Conference
of Catholic Bishops

Merciful Friday

At approximately 4:00pm local time this afternoon, as a jubilee sign of witness to the works of mercy, the Holy Father paid a visit to the San Carlo community, located near Castelgandalfo.  This community is part of the Italian Centre for Solidarity founded by Don Mario Picchi to revent and to fight against the social exclusion of persons, especially those who suffer from drug addiction.

The significance of this visit was explained by His Excellency, Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization:

Pope Francis does not cease to amaze.  His voyage in Mexico was characterized by a strong and unequalled denunciation of the drug trade.  His words still echo clearly: I am preoccupied with all those who, seduced by the empty worldly power, praise vain or idle fancies and wear their macabre symbols in order to commercialize death ... I beg you not to underestimate the ethical challenge against civilization that drug trafficking represents for the youth and for all of society, including the Church.

A few days after his return from Mexico, the Pope gave a concrete and visible sign of that which he had said in the cathedral in Mexico City: We pastors of the Church cannot take refuge in generic sentences, but we must have prophetic courage and a serious and qualified pastoral plan to contribute, gradually, in order to weave the delicate human network ... Only by beginning with families; drawing close to them and embracing the human and existential peripheries of the deserted areas of our cities; involving the parish communities, schools, community institutions, politicians and security structures - only in this way will be be able to totally be freed from the waters in which unfortunately, so many lives have been lost.  Following the thread that conceptually connects these Fridays of Mercy, the gestures which the Pope extends during the Holy Year by symbolically enacting the Works of Mercy, this time, without any prior notice, Pope Francis appeared unexpectedly at the doors of the San Carlo Therapeutic Community, on the outskirts of Rome.  This community, founded by Don Mario Picchi, welcomes 55 guests who are attempting to overcome their dependence on drugs.

The surprise was total.  No one expected to see Pope Francis and the profound commotion affected everyone.  The Pope desired to stay with the young people; he listened to their stories and made them feel that he was close to every one of them.  He encouraged them not to allow themselves to be devoured by the metastasis of drugs and, embracing them, tried to help them understand that when a journey begins in community, there is a real possibility for starting over, for experiencing a life of dignity and one that is worth living.  With this sign, the Pope desired to place an accent on the necessity for having constant trust in the strength of divine Mercy, which continues to sustain our pilgrimage and which, accompanied even in our darkest hours, helps us to feel the warmth of God's presence as he clothes us with dignity.

Discussing the cost of love

At noon today, in the Sala Clementina at the Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father, Pope Francis met with participants taking part in the International Congress promoted by the Pontifical Council Cor Unum on the theme: Love never fails (1 Cor 13:8):  Perspectives ten years after the Encyclical Deus Caritas Est in the New Synod Hall from February 25 to 26, 2016.

Address of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

to participants in the International Congress

Love never fails: perspectives ten years after

the Encyclical Deus Caritas Est

Dear brothers and sisters,

I welcome you on the occasion of the International Conference on the theme: Love will never end (1 Cor 13:8): Prospects ten years on from the Encyclical Deus Caritas Est, organized by the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, and I thank Monsignor Dal Toso for the words of greetings addressed to me on behalf of all of you.

The first Encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI concerns a theme that allows us to retrace the entire history of the Church, which is also a history of charity. It is a story of the love received from God, to be carried to the world: this charity received and given is the fulcrum of the history of the Church and of the history of each one of us. The act of charity is not, in fact, simply almsgiving to ease one’s conscience. It includes a loving attentiveness towards the other (cf Evangelii Gaudium, 199), which considers the other as one with himself (cf Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, II-II, q. 27, art. 2), and desires to share friendship with God. Charity, therefore, is at the centre of the life of the Church and, in the words of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, is truly the heart of the Church. Both for individual members of the faithful and for the Christian community as a whole, the words of Jesus hold true: that charity is the first and greatest of the commandments: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength… You shall love your neighbour as yourself (Mk 12:30-31).

The present Jubilee Year is also an opportunity to return to this beating heart of our life and our witness, to the centre of the proclamation of faith: God is love (1 Jn 4:8, 16). God does not simply have the desire or capacity to love; God is love: charity is his essence, it is his nature. He is unique, but not solitary; he cannot be alone, he cannot be closed in on himself because he is communion, he is charity; and charity by its nature is communicated and shared. In this way, God associates man to his life of love, and even if man turns away from him, God does not remain distant but goes out to meet him. This going out to meet us, culminating in the Incarnation of his Son, is his mercy. It is his way of expressing himself to us sinners, his face that looks at us and cares for us. The Encyclical reads: Jesus’ programme is ‘a heart which sees’. This heart sees where love is needed and acts accordingly (Deus Caritas Est, 31). Charity and mercy are in this way closely related, because they are God’s way of being and acting: his identity and his name.

The first aspect which the Encyclical recalls for us is the face of God: who is the God we can encounter in Christ? How faithful and unsurpassable is his love? No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends (Jn 15:13). All our expressions of love, of solidarity, of sharing are but a reflection of that love which is God. He, without ever tiring, pours out his love on us, and we are called to become witnesses to this love in the world. Therefore, we should look to divine charity as to the compass which orients our lives, before embarking on any activity: there we find direction; from charity we learn how to see our brothers and sisters and the world. Ubi amor, ibi oculus, say the Medievals: where there is love, there is the ability to see. Only by remaining in his love (cf Jn 15:1-17) will we know how to understand and love those around us.

The Encyclical – and this is the second aspect I wish to emphasize – reminds us that this charity needs to be reflected more and more in the life of the Church. How I wish that everyone in the Church, every institution, every activity would show that God loves man! The mission that our charitable organizations carry out is important, because they provide so many poor people with a more dignified and human life, which is needed more than ever. But this mission is of utmost importance because, not with words, but with concrete love it can make every person feel loved by the Father, loved as his son or daughter and destined for eternal life with him. I would like to thank all those who daily are committing themselves to this mission which challenges every Christian. In this Jubilee Year, my intention has been to emphasize that we can all experience the grace of the Jubilee by putting into practice the spiritual and corporal works of mercy: to live the works of mercy means to conjugate the verb to love according to Jesus. In this way then, all of us together can contribute concretely to the great mission of the Church: to communicate the love of God which is meant to be spread.

Dear brothers and sisters, the message of the Encyclical Deus Caritas Est remains timely, indicating the ever relevant prospect for the Church’s journey. The more we live in this spirit, the more authentic we all are as Christians.

Thank you again for your commitment and for what you will be able to achieve in this mission of charity. May the Blessed Mother always assist you, and my blessing go with you. Please, as an act of charity, do not forget to pray for me. Thank you

A special visitor in Rome

Beginning today and until Monday (February 29), His Holiness, Abuna Matthias I, Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is in Rome to meet with His Holiness, Pope Francis.

His Holiness, Abuna Matthias I was elected Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church on February 28, 2013.

According to an ancient tradition, the first great evangelist of Ethiopians was Saint Frumenzius, a Roman citizen of Tyre who was shipwrecked on the Red Sea coast of Africa.  Frumentius was ordained bishop by Saint Athanasius of Alexandria and then returned to Ethiopia to promote the evangelization of that country.

The Orthodox Church of Ethiopia is part of the family of Eastern Orthodox Chuches.  This Church, unique in its genre, has maintained various Hebrew practices, such as circumcision, respect for the dietary rules and observance of the Sabbath on Saturday and on Sunday.  The Ethiopian liturgy traces its roots to the Alexandrian (Coptic) rite and is influenced by the Syriac tradition.  The liturgy has always been celebrated in the ancient language of Ge'ez until recent times.  Today, a translation of the modern amharic liturgy is used more and more in parishes.  The Orthodox Church of Ethiopia has a strong monastic tradition.  It includes 35 million adherents today, including a large community in Rome.

As for the relationship of the Orthodox Church of Ethiopia with the Catholic Church, these are cordial and growing.  The previous Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, Abuna Paulos paid a visit to Pope John Paul II in 1993 and in 2009, he visited Pope Benedict XVI.  At the beginning of October 2009, at the invitation of the Holy Father, Abuna Paulos addressed the II Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Africa, presenting the current situation facing the African continent and presenting the challenges faced by the African people.  As a member of the family of Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church participates officially in the Mixed International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.  In January 2012, the meeting of the Commission was hosted in Addis Ababa by His Holiness, Abuna Paulos I who died on August 16, 2012.

The Patriarch will meet with Pope Francis on Monday, February 29.  He will also visit the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.  The Patriarch will also visit the Tomb of Saint Peter.  On Sunday, February 28, he will celebrate the Divine Liturgy with the Ethiopian community in Rome in the chapel at the Urban College.

General Audience on mercy and power

This morning's General Audience began at 10:00am in Saint Peter's Square, where the Holy Father, Pope Francis met groups of pilgrims and the faithful from Italy and from every part of the world.

During his speech, the Pope continued the cycle of catecheses on mercy from the biblical perspective, adding a meditation on the theme: Mercy and power (1 Kings 21:1b-4a).

After having summarized his teaching in various languages, Pope Francis addressed greetings to each group of pilgrims in attendance.

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

Catechesis of His Holiness, Pope Francis

for the General Audience

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning.

We continue the catecheses on mercy in Sacred Scripture.  In various passages, there is talk of power: the power of the kings, of men who are on high, and even of their arrogance and their abuses.  Wealth and power are realities that can be good and useful for the common good, if they are placed at the service of the poor and of all people, with justice and charity.  But when, as too often happens, these are understood as privileges, with selfishness and arrogance, they are transformed into instruments of corruption and death.  This is what happens in the episode of the vineyard of Naboth, described in the first Book of Kings, Chapter 21, on which we will meditate today.

In this text, we are told that the king of Israel, Ahab, wants to buy the vineyard of a man named Naboth, because this vineyard adjoins the royal palace.  The proposal seems legitimate, even generous, but in Israel, land was considered un-sellable.  In fact, the book of Leviticus prescribes: The land can never be sold, for the land is mine and you are to me as aliens and guests (Lv 25:23).  Land is sacred because it is a gift from the Lord, and therefore it must be guarded and preserved as a sign of divine blessing that is passed down from one generation to the next, a guarantee of dignity for all people.  In this sense, we can understand the negative response Naboth gives to the king: The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my ancestors (1 Kings 21:3).

King Ahab reacts to this refusal with bitterness and anger.  He feels offended - he is the king, the powerful one - yet diminished in his sovereign authority and frustrated at the possibility of not being able to satisfy his desire for possessions.  Seeing him defeated, his wife Jezebel, a pagan queen who had built up cultic worship of idols and was killing the prophets of the Lord (cf 1 Kings 18:4) - she wasn't only brutish; she was evil! - decides to intervene.  The words that she speaks to the king are very significant.  We can feel the nastiness within this woman: This is how you exercise regal power over Israel?  Get up, eat and let your heart rejoice.  I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Nazarite (1 Kings 18:7).  She places emphasis on the prestige and power of the king who, in her opinion, is being questioned by Naboth's refusal.  A power that is usually considered as absolute and because of which every wish of the king becomes an order.  The great Saint Ambrose wrote a little book on this episode.  It is called Naboth.  It would be good to read it during this Lenten season.  It is very good, very concrete.

Recalling these events, Jesus says: You know that the governors of nations dominate over their subjects and their leaders oppress them, but among you, it will not be like this; whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave (Mt 20:25-27).  If we lose the dimension of service, power is transformed into arrogance and becomes dominion and overpowering.  This is what happened in the episode of Naboth's vineyard.  Jezebel, the queen, in a very daring manner, decides to eliminate Naboth and to put his plan into action.  She uses deceptive appearances and a perverse legal system: to send letters in the name of the king to the elderly and nobles of the city, ordering that false testimonies publicly accusing Naboth of having cursed God and the king, a crime punishable by death.  As a result, with Naboth dead, the king could take possession of his vineyard.  This is not a story from another time, it is also a modern-day story, a story of the powerful who exploit the poor, exploit people in order to earn more money.  It is the story of human trafficking, of slave labour, of poor people who work in sad conditions and with minimum salaries so that the powerful grow richer.  It is the story of corrupt politicians who want more and more and more!  This is the reason why I said that it would be good to read that little book by Saint Ambrose about Naboth, because it is a book that speaks about current events.

This is the result of the exercise of authority that does not respect life, justice or mercy.  This is what happens as a result of a thirst for power: it eventually becomes greed that seeks to possess everything.  A text from the prophet Isaiah is particularly illuminating in this respect.  In it, the Lord warns against the greed of wealthy landowners who always seek to possess more houses and more land.  The prophet Isaiah says:

Woe to you, who add house to house
and field to field,
until there is no more space,
and you live alone on the land (Is 5:8).

And the prophet Isaiah was not a communist!  On the other hand, God is greater than all evil and dirty games that human beings play.  In his mercy, he sends the prophet Elijah to help Ahab to convert.  Now we turn the page, and what happens in the next part of the story?  God sees this crime and knocks even at the heart of Ahab and the king, placing him before his sin, until understanding, he is humbled and asks for forgiveness.  How beautiful it would be if the powerful exploiters of today were to do the same!  The Lord accepts his repentance; however, an innocent man was killed and the culpability committed would inevitably carry consequences.  In fact, all evil that is committed leaves its painful marks, and the history of mankind bears the resulting wounds.

Even in this case, mercy shows the main path that must be followed.  Mercy can heal wounds and change history.  Open your heart to mercy!  Divine mercy is stronger than mankind's sins.  It is stronger, this is the example of Ahab!  We do not know how powerful it is when we remember the coming of the Innocent Son of God who became man in order to destroy evil with his forgiveness.  Jesus Christ is the true king, but his power is completely different.  His throne is the cross.  He is not a king who kills, but on the contrary, he gives life.  He goes in search of everyone, especially the most vulnerable, defeating the loneliness and the destiny of death that leads to sin.  Through is closeness to us and his tenderness, Jesus Christ brings sinners into the space of grace and forgiveness.  This is the mercy of God.

As is usually the case, the above catechesis was then summarized in various languages, and the Holy Father offered greetings to each of the groups of pilgrims in attendance.  To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:

I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially those from England, Scotland, Ireland, Sweden, Gabon, Mozambique and the United States of America. With prayerful good wishes that the present Jubilee of Mercy will be a moment of grace and spiritual renewal for you and your families, I invoke upon all of you joy and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you all!

A son's words for his father

United States Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia was found dead of apparent natural causes on Saturday, February 13, 2016.  His funeral was celebrated one week later (on Saturday, February 20) at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC.

Justice Scalia's son, Father Paul Scalia, a priest of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia preached the homily at the funeral.

Transcript of the Homily prepared by Reverend Paul Scalia

for the funeral of Mister Justice Antonin Scalia

Your Eminence Cardinal Wuerl,
Your Excellencies, Archbishop Viganò, Bishop Loverde, Bishop Higgins,
My brother priests, deacons, distinguished guests, dear friends and faithful gathered:

On behalf of our mother and the entire Scalia family, I want to thank you for your presence here, for your many words of consolation, and even more for the many prayers and Masses you have offered at the death of our father, Antonin Scalia.

In particular I thank Cardinal Wuerl, first for reaching out so quickly and so graciously to console our mother. It was a consolation to her and therefore to us as well. Thank you also for allowing us to have this parish funeral Mass here in this basilica dedicated to Our Lady. What a great privilege and consolation that we were able to bring our father through the holy doors and for him gain the indulgence promised to those who enter in faith.

I thank Bishop Loverde, the bishop of our diocese of Arlington, a bishop our father liked and respected a great deal. Thank you, Bishop Loverde, for your prompt visit to our mother, for your words of consolation, for your prayers.

The family will depart for the private burial immediately after Mass and will not have time to visit, so I want to express our thanks at this time so that you all know our profound appreciation and thanks. You will notice in the program mention of a memorial that will be held on March 1st. We hope to see many of you there. We hope the Lord will repay your great goodness to us.

We are gathered here because of one man. A man known personally to many of us, known only by reputation to even more. A man loved by many, scorned by others. A man known for great controversy, and for great compassion. That man, of course, is Jesus of Nazareth.

It is He whom we proclaim. Jesus Christ, son of the father, born of the Virgin Mary, crucified, buried, risen, seated at the right hand of the Father. It is because of him. because of his life, death and resurrection that we do not mourn as those who have no hope, but in confidence we commend Antonin Scalia to the mercy of God.

Scripture says Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever. And that sets a good course for our thoughts and our prayers here today. In effect, we look in three directions. To yesterday, in thanksgiving. To today, in petition. And into eternity, with hope.

We look to Jesus Christ yesterday, that is, to the past, in thanksgiving for the blessings God bestowed upon Dad. In the past week, many have recounted what Dad did for them. But here today, we recount what God did for Dad, how he blessed him.

We give thanks first of all for the atoning death and life-giving resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our Lord died and rose not only for all of us, but also for each of us. And at this time we look to that yesterday of his death and resurrection, and we give thanks that he died and rose for Dad.

Further, we give thanks that Jesus brought him to new life in baptism, nourished him with the Eucharist, and healed him in the confessional.

We give thanks that Jesus bestowed upon him 55 years of marriage to the woman he loved, a woman who could match him at every step, and even hold him accountable.

God blessed Dad with a deep Catholic faith: The conviction that Christ’s presence and power continue in the world today through His body, the Church. He loved the clarity and coherence of the church’s teachings. He treasured the church’s ceremonies, especially the beauty of her ancient worship. He trusted the power of her sacraments as the means of salvation as Christ working within him for his salvation.

Although one time, one Saturday afternoon, he did scold me for having heard confessions that afternoon, that same day. And I hope that it’s some source of consolation, if there are any lawyers present, that the Roman collar was not a shield against his criticism.

The issue that evening was not that I had been hearing confessions, but that he had found himself in my confessional line, and he quickly departed it. As he put it later, “Like heck if I’m confessing to you!”

The feeling was mutual.

God blessed Dad, as is well known, with a love for his country. He knew well what a close-run thing the founding of our nation was. And he saw in that founding, as did the founders themselves, a blessing, a blessing quickly lost when faith is banned form the public square, or when we refuse to bring it there. So he understood that there is no conflict between loving God and loving one’s country, between one’s faith and one’s public service. Dad understood that the deeper he went in his Catholic faith, the better a citizen and public servant he became. God blessed him with the desire to be the country’s good servant because he was God’s first.

We Scalias, however, give thanks for a particular blessing God bestowed. God blessed Dad with a love for his family. We have been thrilled to read and hear the many words of praise and admiration for him, for his intellect, his writings, his speeches, his influence and so on.

But more important to us — and to him — is that he was Dad. He was the father that God gave us for the great adventure of family life. Sure he forgot our names at times, or mixed them up, but there are nine of us.

He loved us, and sought to show that love. And sought to share the blessing of the faith he treasured. And he gave us one another, to have each other for support. That’s the greatest wealth parents can bestow, and right now we are particularly grateful for it.

So we look to the past, to Jesus Christ yesterday. We call to mind all of these blessings, and we give our Lord the honor and glory for them, for they are His work. We look to Jesus today, in petition, to the present moment, here and now, as we mourn the one we love and admire, the one whose absence pains us. Today we pray for him. We pray for the repose of his soul. We thank God for his goodness to Dad as is right and just. But we also know that although dad believed, he did so imperfectly, like the rest of us. He tried to love God and neighbor, but like the rest of us did so imperfectly.

He was a practicing Catholic, “practicing” in the sense that he hadn’t perfected it yet. Or rather, Christ was not yet perfected in him. And only those in whom Christ is brought to perfection can enter heaven. We are here, then, to lend our prayers to that perfecting, to that final work of God’s grace, in freeing Dad from every encumbrance of sin.

But don’t take my word for it. Dad himself, not surprisingly, had something to say on the matter. Writing years ago to a Presbyterian minister whose funeral service he admired, he summarized quite nicely the pitfalls of funerals and why he didn’t like eulogies.

He wrote: “Even when the deceased was an admirable person, indeed especially when the deceased was an admirable person, praise for his virtues can cause us to forget that we are praying for and giving thanks for God’s inexplicable mercy to a sinner.”

Now he would not have exempted himself from that. We are here then, as he would want, to pray for God’s inexplicable mercy to a sinner. To this sinner, Antonin Scalia. Let us not show him a false love and allow our admiration to deprive him of our prayers. We continue to show affection for him and do good for him by praying for him: That all stain of sin be washed away, that all wounds be healed, that he be purified of all that is not Christ. That he rest in peace.

Finally we look to Jesus forever, into eternity. Or better, we consider our own place in eternity and whether it will be with the Lord. Even as we pray for Dad to enter swiftly into eternal glory, we should be mindful of ourselves. Every funeral reminds us of just how thin the veil is between this world and the next, between time and eternity, between the opportunity for conversion and the moment of judgment.

So we cannot depart here unchanged. It makes no sense to celebrate God’s goodness and mercy to Dad if we are not attentive and responsive to those realities in our own lives. We must allow this encounter with eternity to change us, to turn us from sin and towards the Lord.

The English Dominican, Father Bede Jarrett, put it beautifully when he prayed, “O strong son of God, while you prepare a place for us, prepare us also for that happy place, that we may be with you and with those we love for all eternity.”

Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever,.

My dear friends, this is also the structure of the Mass, the greatest prayer we can offer for Dad, because it’s not our prayer, but the Lord’s. The Mass looks to Jesus yesterday. It reaches into the past — reaches to the Last Supper, to the crucifixion, to the resurrection — and it makes those mysteries and their power present here on this altar.


Jesus himself becomes present here today under the form of bread and wine so that we can unite all our prayers of thanksgiving, sorrow and petition with Christ himself as an offering to the father. And all of this with a view to eternity, stretching towards heaven, where we hope one day to enjoy that perfect union with God himself and to see Dad again and, with him, rejoice in the communion of saints.

Reflections on charity

On Thursday and Friday, February 25 and 26, 2016, an international conference will take place in the New Synod Hall at the Vatican entitled: Love never fails.  Perspectives ten years after Deus Caritas Est.  This conference, organized by the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, is part of the program of events for the Jubilee of Mercy and intends to examine and deepen the theological and pastoral perspectives of the Encyclical for the modern-day world, particularly in relation to the efforts of those working in the Church's ministry of charity.

Participants who will be present for this meeting include especially representatives of the Episcopal Conferences and various international Catholic charitable organizations.

On the first day, at 9:00am, following a word of welcome offered by Monsignor Giampietro Dal Toso, Secretary of Cor Unum, Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith will speak on the topic: The Encyclical Deus Caritas Est: a theological lecture.  Then there will be a presentation by Michel Thio, President of the Saint Vincent de Paul International Confederation, and testimonials by Marina Almeida Costa, Director of Caritas Cabo Verde; and Roy Moussalli, Executive Director of the Syrian Society for Social Development.  In the afternoon, after lunch, a lecture on the significance of love within the three mono-theistic religions will be presented by Rabbi David Shlomo Rosen, Director of the Department of Religious Affairs at the American Jewish committee of Jerusalem; Professor Saeed Ahmed Khan, lecturer at the Wayne State University of Detroit (USA); and philosopher Fabrice Hadjadj, Director of the Philanthropic Institute of Friburg (Switzerland).

The second day will begin with reports from Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle, Archbishop of Manila and President of Caritas Internationalis, entitled: The importance of Deus Caritas Est for the Church's charitable work today; followed by testimonials by Alejandro Marius, President of the Asociación Civil Trabajo y Persona (Venezuela), and Eduardo M. Almeida, Representative in Paraguay of the Inter-American Development Bank.  At 12:00 noon, participants will be received in audience by Pope Francis at the Apostolic Palace.  In the afternoon, some space will be allowed for interventions by Reverend Professor Paolo Asolan, a lecturer at the Pontifical Lateran University and Professor Rainer Gehrig, a lecturer at the Catholic University of Murcia (Spain).

Martina Pastorelli, President of Catholic Voices Italia will act as moderator during the morning sessions, and the afternoon sessions will be moderated by Professor Luca Tuninetti, a lecturer at the Pontifical Urbaniana University.

At the conclusion of each of the two days, Eucharistic celebrations will be held at 6:00pm at the Church of Santa Maria della Pietà in Camposanto dei Teutonici, situated within Vatican City: on February 25, Cardinal Paul Josef Cordes, President emeritus of Cor Unum will preside, and on February 26, Cardinal Robert Sarah, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments will preside.

The entire convention will be broadcast via live streaming on the website of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum.

A new Director appointed

In view of the approaching retirement from service at Radio Vaticana of the Director General, Father Federico Lombardi, SJ and of the Administrative Director, Doctor Alberto Gasbarri, the Prefect of the Secretariat for Communications, Monsignor Dario Edoardo Viganò, acting upon the advice of the Secretariat of State, has temporarily appointed, beginning on March 1 of this year, Doctor Giacomo Ghisani as Legal Representative, as well as Responsible for the Administrative Direction of Radio Vaticana, to take care of the ordinary administration of that same Radio Vaticana in the context of the current restructuring of Vatican Media.

Mass for the Jubilee of the Roman Curia

At 10:30am today, the Solemnity of the Chair of Saint Peter the Apostle, the Holy Father, Pope Francis celebrated a Mass for the Jubilee of the Roman Curia, the Governatorato and other Institutions connected with the Holy See.  The Eucharistic celebration took place in Saint Peter's Basilica.

Homily of His Holiness, Pope Francis

for the Jubilee of the Roman Curia

The liturgical feast of the Chair of Peter sees us gathered to celebrate the Jubilee of Mercy as a community of service: the Roman Curia, the Governatorato and other institutions associated with the Holy See.  We have entered the Holy Door and together we have arrived at the tomb of the Apostle Peter to make our profession of faith, and today the Word of God illuminates our gestures in a special way.

In this moment, to each one of us, the Lord Jesus repeats his question: And you, who do you say I am? (Mt 16:15).  It is a clear and direct question, before which we cannot hide or remain neutral, nor can we delay the response or delegate it to someone else.  But there is nothing about it that is accusing; rather it is full of love!  The love of our one and only Master, who calls us today to renew our faith in Him, recognizing him as the Son of God and the Lord of our lives ... and the first to renew his profession of faith is the Successor of Peter, who carries with him the responsibility to confirm his brothers (cf Lk 22:32).

Let us allow grace to invade our hearts, so that they might believe, and to open our hearts to make our profession of faith and to obtain salvation (cf Rom 10:10).  Let us therefore make our own, the words of Peter: You are the Christ, the son of the living God (Mt 16:16).  Our thoughts and our gazes are fixed on Jesus Christ, the beginning and end of every action of the Church.  He is the foundation and no one can pour a different one (1 Cor 3:11).  He is the rock on which we should build.  She (the Church) remembers this with the expressive words of Saint Augustine when he wrote that the Church, while moved and shaken by the events of history, does not crumble because she is founded on the rock from which Peter derives his name.  It is not the rock that draws its name from Peter, but Peter who derives his name from the rock; just as the name of Christ is not derived from the word Christian, but the name Christian that is drawn from Christ ... The rock is Christ, the foundation upon which Peter too was built (In Joh 124, 5; PL 35, 1972).

In this profession of faith, each of us finds the task that corresponds to the call from God.  First of all to Shepherds, who are asked to have God himself, who cares for his flock as our model.  The prophet Ezekiel described the way in which God acts: He goes in search of the lost sheep, leads the stray back to the right path, bandages the wounded and cares for the sick (Ez 34:16).  These are gestures that are signs of love that know no bounds.  This is faithful, constant, unconditional dedication, so that his mercy might reach all those who are the weakest.  And yet we must not forget that the prophecy of Ezekiel begins with the observations of the weaknesses of the shepherds of Israel.  Therefore it is also good that we, called to be Pastors of the Church, allow the face of God, the Good Shepherd to illuminate us, to purify us, to transform us and fully renewed, to return us to our mission ... that even in our places of work, we may feel, cultivate and practice a strong sense of pastoral presence, above all toward those we meet each day ... so that no one might feel neglected or mistreated, but rather that everyone experience, here first of all, the loving care of the Good Shepherd.

We are called to be God's collaborators in the fundamental and unique task of witnessing with our strengths to the grace that transforms and to the power of the Spirit to renew all things.  Let us ask the Lord to free us from the temptations that distance us from the roots of our mission, so that we can rediscover the beauty of professing our faith in the Lord Jesus.  Faithfulness to our ministry combines well with the mercy that we also want others to experience here.  Indeed, in Sacred Scripture, faithfulness and mercy are inseparable.  Where one exists, we find the other, and it is in the reciprocity and complementarity between them that we see the very presence of the Good Shepherd. The loyalty that is required is to act according to the heart of Christ.  As we heard in the words of the apostle Peter, we must pasture the flock with generous hearts, and become models for all people.  In this way, when the supreme Pastor appears, we will be able to receive the crown of glory that does not fade away (1 Peter 5:14).

The Jubilee of the Roman Curia, the Governatorato and other Institutions connected with the Holy See began at 8:30am in the Paul VI Hall with the celebration of Mid-morning Prayer and a meditation by Father Marko Ivan Rupnik, SJ on 'Mercy in our daily lives'.  The Holy Father was in attendance for this meditation and then immediately following its completion, he participated with other members of the faithful and religious men and women in a procession which - passing through Saint Peter's Square - made its way to the Vatican Basilica through the Holy Door.

Angelus for Lent II

At noon today in Rome, 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 gathered in Saint Peter's Square for the usual Sunday appointment.

Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

prior to the recitation of the Angelus

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

The second Sunday of Lent presents us with the gospel passage of the Transfiguration of Jesus.

The apostolic voyage that I have completed in these last days in Mexico was an experience of transfiguration.  How could it not be? ... for the Lord showed us the light of his glory through the boy of his Church, that of his holy people who live in that land.  A boy that is often wounded, a people who have been repeatedly oppressed, despised and had their dignity violated.  In effect, the various encounters that we experienced in Mexico were filled with light: the light of faith that transfigures faces and shows us the way.

The spiritual centre of gravity was the Shrine of the Madonna of Guadalupe.  My first desire was to spend some time in silence before the image of the Mother, and I thank God that he granted me that possibility.  I contemplated, and I allowed myself to be gazed upon by the One who bears, etched into her eyes, the gaze of all her children, and collects the pain of violence, kidnappings, killings, the abuses to the detriment of many poor people, of many women.  Guadalupe is the most visited Marian shrine in the world.  People come from all over America to pray there, where the Virgin Morenita showed herself to the indian Saint Juan Diego, giving birth to the evangelization of the continent and its new civilization, the fruit of the encounter between various cultures.

This is the inheritance that the Lord has bequeathed to Mexico: to cherish the treasure of diversity and, at the same time, to manifest the harmony of the common faith, a sincere and strong faith, along with great care for vitality and for humanity.  Like my predecessors, I too went to confirm the faith of the Mexican people, but at the same time to be confirmed myself; I gathered this gift with both my hands so that it could benefit the universal Church.

An enlightening example of what I am saying is given by families: Mexican families welcomed me with joy as a messenger of Christ, the Pastor of the Church; but they also provided me with clear and strong testimonies of their lived faith, of faith that transforms lives, and this helps to build up all Christian families throughout the world.  The same can be said about young people, about consecrated men and women, about priests, about workers and about prisoners.

For all this I give thanks to the Lord and to the Virgin of Guadalupe for the gift of this pilgrimage.  In addition, I thank the President of Mexico and the other civic authorities for their warm welcome; I sincerely thank my brother bishops, and all those who in many ways contributed toward the success of this journey.

Special praise should be raised to the Holy Trinity for having desired that, on this occasion, a meeting was made possible in Cuba between the Pope and the Patriarch of Moscow and of all Russia, my dear brother Kirill; a meeting which has been long anticipated by me and by my predecessors.  This event too is a prophetic light of Resurrection, which people today need more than ever before.  May the Holy Mother of God continue to guide us on the path to unity.  Let us pray to the Madonna of Kazan', an icon of whom Patriarch Kirill presented to me.

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

Dear brothers and sisters,

Tomorrow in Rome, there will be an international convention held under the title: For a world without the death penalty, organized by the Saint Egidio Community.  I hope that this symposium will bring renewed strength of commitment toward the abolition of capital punishment.  A sign of hope is found in the development, according to public opinion, of a growing opposition to the death penalty as a legitimate tool of social defence.

Indeed, modern societies have the ability to effectively express the crime without permanently removing the one who has committed the crime from the possibility of redeeming him- or herself.  The problem must be seen in the context of penal justice that is increasingly in conformity with the dignity of mankind and the will of God for mankind and for society, and also a system of penal justice that is open to the hope of reintegration into society.  The commandment: Thou shall not kill refers equally to the innocent and to those who are guilty.

The extra-ordinary Jubilee of Mercy is a propitious occasion for promoting throughout the world increasingly mature forms of respect for life and for the dignity of every person.  Even a criminal retains the inviolable right to life, the gift of God.  I appeal to the consciences of all rulers, that we may achieve an international consensus for the abolition of the death penalty, and I propose that those among them who are Catholic might be committed to a courageous and exemplary gesture: that no death sentence will be executed during this Holy Year of Mercy.

All Christians and men of good will are called today to work not only for the abolition of the death penalty, but also to improve prison conditions, in respect to the dignity of those persons who are deprived of liberty.

I extend a cordial greeting to families, to parish groups, to associations and to all pilgrims from Rome, Italy and various other countries.

I greet the faithful from Seville, Cádiz, Ceuta (Spain) and those from Trieste, Corato and Turin.  A special thought is extended to the Pope John XXIII Community, founded by the Servant of God, Father Oreste Benzi, who will form a Via crucis in the streets of Rome next Friday in solidarity with and in prayer for women who are victims of trafficking.

Lent is a favourable time to walk a path of conversion that is focused on mercy.  Therefore, today, I thought of gifting all of you who are here in the Square with a spiritual medicine called Misericordina.  I have already done this on one other occasion, but this one is better quality: Mistericordina plus: a box containing a rosary and a small image of the Merciful Jesus.  Now they will be distributed by volunteers, including the poor, the homeless, refugees and some religious men and women.  Accept this gif as a spiritual tool to help you spread love, forgiveness and fraternity especially during this Year of Mercy.

I wish you all a good Sunday.  Please, don't forget to pray for me.  Enjoy your lunch and good bye!