Ecumenical Event in Malmö Arena

At 5:00pm this afternoon, the Holy Father went to the Malmö Arena to participate in an Ecumenical Event.

Upon his arrival, the Holy Father, Pope Francis was accompanied by the President of the Lutheran World Federation, Bishop Munib Yunan; by the Secretary General, Reverend Martín Junge; and by the President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, Cardinal Kurt Koch as he travelled through the arena aboard an electronic vehicle.

The ecumenical event, marking the fifth centenary of the Lutheran Reform, was introduced by the Secretary General of the Lutheran World Federation, Reverend Martín Junge, who was followed by four testimonials: one by a young indian, a second by a Columbian priest, the third by a woman from Burundi and the fourth by a refugee from South Sudan which also underscored the common commitment to solidarity.

Following the speech by the President of the Lutheran World Federation, Bishop Munib Yunan, and that of the Holy Father, Caritas Internationalis and the Lutheran World Federation signed a statement of intent entitled: Together in Hope.  Then, there were speeches by the Chaldean Bishop of Aleppo (Syria), His Excellency, Antoine Audo, SJ; and the Prime Minister, Mister Stefan Löfven.  Finally, a Call to Action was launched.

Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

for the Ecumenical Event

Dear brothers and sisters,

I thank God for this joint commemoration of the five-hundredth anniversary of the Reformation. We remember this anniversary with a renewed spirit and in the recognition that Christian unity is a priority, because we realize that much more unites us than separates us. The journey we have undertaken to attain that unity is itself a great gift that God gives us. With his help, today we have gathered here, Lutherans and Catholics, in a spirit of fellowship, to direct our gaze to the one Lord, Jesus Christ.

Our dialogue has helped us to grow in mutual understanding; it has fostered reciprocal trust and confirmed our desire to advance towards full communion. One of the fruits of this dialogue has been cooperation between different organizations of the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church. Thanks to this new atmosphere of understanding, Caritas Internationalis and the Lutheran World Federation World Service will today sign a joint agreed statement aimed at developing and strengthening a spirit of cooperation for the promotion of human dignity and social justice. I warmly greet the members of both organizations; in a world torn by wars and conflicts, they have been, and continue to be, a luminous example of commitment and service to neighbour. I encourage you to advance along the path of cooperation.

I have listened closely to those who gave the witness talks, how amid so many challenges they daily devote their lives to building a world increasingly responsive to the plan of God, our Father. Pranita talked about creation. Clearly, creation itself is a sign of God’s boundless love for us. Consequently, the gifts of nature can themselves lead us to contemplate God. I share your concern about the abuses harming our planet, our common home, and causing grave effects on the climate. As we say in our land, in my land: In the end, it is the poor who pay for our great festivity. As you rightly mentioned, their greatest impact is on those who are most vulnerable and needy; they are forced to emigrate in order to escape the effects of climate change. All of us, and we Christians in particular, are responsible for protecting creation. Our lifestyle and our actions must always be consistent with our faith. We are called to cultivate harmony within ourselves and with others, but also with God and with his handiwork. Pranita, I encourage you to persevere in your commitment on behalf of our common home. Thank you!

Monsignor Héctor Fabio told us of the joint efforts being made by Catholics and Lutherans in Colombia. It is good to know that Christians are working together to initiate communitarian and social processes of common interest. I ask you to pray in a special way for that great country, so that, through the cooperation of all, peace, so greatly desired and necessary for a worthy human coexistence, can finally be achieved. And because the human heart, when it looks to Jesus, knows no limits, may it be a prayer that goes further, embracing all those countries where grave conflicts continue.

Marguerite made us aware of efforts to help children who are victims of atrocities and to work for peace. This is both admirable and a summons to take seriously the countless situations of vulnerability experienced by so many persons who have no way to speak out. What you consider a mission has been a seed, a seed that has borne abundant fruit, and today, thanks to that seed, thousands of children can study, grow and enjoy good health. You invested in the future! Thank you! And I am grateful that even now, in exile, you continue to spread a message of peace. You said that everybody who knows you thinks that what you are doing is crazy. Of course, it is the craziness of love for God and our neighbour. We need more of this craziness, illuminated by faith and confidence in God’s providence. Keep working, and may that voice of hope that you heard at the beginning of your adventure and your investment in the future, continue to move your own heart and the hearts of many young people.

Rose, the youngest, gave us a truly moving testimony. She was able to profit from the talent God gave her through sport. Instead of wasting her energy on adverse situations, she found fulfilment in a fruitful life. While I was listening to your story, I thought of the lives of so many young people who need to hear stories like yours. I would like everyone to know that they can discover how wonderful it is to be children of God and what privilege it is to be loved and cherished by him. Rose, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your efforts and your commitment to encouraging other young women to go back to school, and for the fact that you pray daily for peace in the young state of South Sudan, which so greatly needs it.

And after hearing these powerful witnesses, which make us think of our own lives and how we respond to situations of need all around us, I would like to thank all those governments that assist refugees, all the governments that help displaced persons and asylum-seekers. For everything done to help these persons in need of protection is a great gesture of solidarity and a recognition of their dignity. For us Christians, it is a priority to go out and meet the outcasts – for they are truly cast out of their homelands – and the marginalized of our world, and to make known the tender and merciful love of God, who rejects no one and accepts everyone. We Christians are called today to be active players in the revolution of tenderness.

Shortly we will hear the testimony of Bishop Antoine, who lives in Aleppo, a city brought to its knees by war, a place where even the most fundamental rights are treated with contempt and trampled underfoot. Each day the news tells us about the unspeakable suffering caused by the Syrian conflict, by that conflict in our beloved Syria, which has now lasted more than five years. In the midst of so much devastation, it is truly heroic that men and women have remained there in order to offer material and spiritual assistance to those in need. It is admirable too, that you, dear brother Antoine, continue working amid such danger in order to tell us of the tragic situation of the Syrian people. Every one of them is in our hearts and prayers. Let us implore the grace of heartfelt conversion for those responsible for the fate of the world, of that region and for all those who are intervening there.

Dear brothers and sisters, let us not become discouraged in the face of adversity. May the stories, the testimonies we have heard, motivate us and give us new impetus to work ever more closely together. When we return home, may we bring with us a commitment to make daily gestures of peace and reconciliation, to be valiant and faithful witnesses of Christian hope. And as we know, hope does not disappoint us! Thank you!
(Original text in Spanish)



At the conclusion of the Ecumenical Event, after having blessed those who were present, Pope Francis, together with Bishop Munib Yunan, President of the Lutheran World Federation; Reverend Martín Junge, Secretary General of the Lutheran World Federation; and Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, went to the Green Room in the Malmö Arena where they met and greeted individually all 30 of the Christian Heads of Delegations.

Finally, after bidding farewell to the Prime Minister of Sweden, Mister Stefan Löfven, the Holy Father returned by car to the Papal Residence in Lgelösa.

Joint Statement signed in Lund (Sweden)

During the celebration of Common Ecumenical Prayer, in the Lutheran Cathedral of Lund, the Holy Father, Pope Francis and Bishop Munib Yunan, President of the Lutheran World Federation signed the following joint declaration.

Joint Statement

on the occasion of the Joint Catholic-Lutheran Commemoration of the Reformation

Lund, 31 October 2016

Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me (John 15:4).

With thankful hearts
With this Joint Statement, we express joyful gratitude to God for this moment of common prayer in the Cathedral of Lund, as we begin the year commemorating the five hundredth anniversary of the Reformation. Fifty years of sustained and fruitful ecumenical dialogue between Catholics and Lutherans have helped us to overcome many differences, and have deepened our mutual understanding and trust. At the same time, we have drawn closer to one another through joint service to our neighbours – often in circumstances of suffering and persecution. Through dialogue and shared witness we are no longer strangers. Rather, we have learned that what unites us is greater than what divides us.

Moving from conflict to communion
While we are profoundly thankful for the spiritual and theological gifts received through the Reformation, we also confess and lament before Christ that Lutherans and Catholics have wounded the visible unity of the Church. Theological differences were accompanied by prejudice and conflicts, and religion was instrumentalized for political ends. Our common faith in Jesus Christ and our baptism demand of us a daily conversion, by which we cast off the historical disagreements and conflicts that impede the ministry of reconciliation. While the past cannot be changed, what is remembered and how it is remembered can be transformed. We pray for the healing of our wounds and of the memories that cloud our view of one another. We emphatically reject all hatred and violence, past and present, especially that expressed in the name of religion. Today, we hear God’s command to set aside all conflict. We recognize that we are freed by grace to move towards the communion to which God continually calls us.

Our commitment to common witness
As we move beyond those episodes in history that burden us, we pledge to witness together to God’s merciful grace, made visible in the crucified and risen Christ. Aware that the way we relate to one another shapes our witness to the Gospel, we commit ourselves to further growth in communion rooted in Baptism, as we seek to remove the remaining obstacles that hinder us from attaining full unity. Christ desires that we be one, so that the world may believe (cf Jn 17:21).

Many members of our communities yearn to receive the Eucharist at one table, as the concrete expression of full unity. We experience the pain of those who share their whole lives, but cannot share God’s redeeming presence at the Eucharistic table. We acknowledge our joint pastoral responsibility to respond to the spiritual thirst and hunger of our people to be one in Christ. We long for this wound in the Body of Christ to be healed. This is the goal of our ecumenical endeavours, which we wish to advance, also by renewing our commitment to theological dialogue.

We pray to God that Catholics and Lutherans will be able to witness together to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, inviting humanity to hear and receive the good news of God’s redeeming action. We pray to God for inspiration, encouragement and strength so that we may stand together in service, upholding human dignity and rights, especially for the poor, working for justice, and rejecting all forms of violence. God summons us to be close to all those who yearn for dignity, justice, peace and reconciliation. Today in particular, we raise our voices for an end to the violence and extremism which affect so many countries and communities, and countless sisters and brothers in Christ. We urge Lutherans and Catholics to work together to welcome the stranger, to come to the aid of those forced to flee because of war and persecution, and to defend the rights of refugees and those who seek asylum.

More than ever before, we realize that our joint service in this world must extend to God’s creation, which suffers exploitation and the effects of insatiable greed. We recognize the right of future generations to enjoy God’s world in all its potential and beauty. We pray for a change of hearts and minds that leads to a loving and responsible way to care for creation.

One in Christ
On this auspicious occasion, we express our gratitude to our brothers and sisters representing the various Christian World Communions and Fellowships who are present and join us in prayer. As we recommit ourselves to move from conflict to communion, we do so as part of the one Body of Christ, into which we are incorporated through Baptism. We invite our ecumenical partners to remind us of our commitments and to encourage us. We ask them to continue to pray for us, to walk with us, to support us in living out the prayerful commitments we express today.

Calling upon Catholics and Lutherans worldwide
We call upon all Lutheran and Catholic parishes and communities to be bold and creative, joyful and hopeful in their commitment to continue the great journey ahead of us. Rather than conflicts of the past, God’s gift of unity among us shall guide cooperation and deepen our solidarity. By drawing close in faith to Christ, by praying together, by listening to one another, by living Christ’s love in our relationships, we, Catholics and Lutherans, open ourselves to the power of the Triune God. Rooted in Christ and witnessing to him, we renew our determination to be faithful heralds of God’s boundless love for all humanity.

Ecumenical Prayer in the Lutheran Cathedral

At 2:30pm this afternoon, there was a Common Ecumenical Prayer held in the Lutheran Cathedral in Lund.

Upon his arrival at the Cathedral, Pope Francis was welcomed by the Primate of the Church in Sweden, Archbishop Antje Jackelén, and by the Catholic Bishop of Stockholm, His Excellency, Anders Arborelius, with whom he proceeded in procession toward the central altar.  Also taking part in the procession were other representatives of the Lutheran World Federation.

During the celebration, following the singing of songs and the readings, and after the sermon presented by the Secretary General of the Lutheran World Federation, Reverend Martin Junge, the Holy Father shared the following homily:

Homily of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

for the Common Ecumenical Prayer

Lund Lutheran Cathedral, Sweden

Abide in me as I abide in you (Jn 15:4). These words, spoken by Jesus at the Last Supper, allow us to peer into the heart of Christ just before his ultimate sacrifice on the cross. We can feel his heart beating with love for us and his desire for the unity of all who believe in him. He tells us that he is the true vine and that we are the branches, that just as he is one with the Father, so we must be one with him if we wish to bear fruit.

Here in Lund, at this prayer service, we wish to manifest our shared desire to remain one with Christ, so that we may have life. We ask him, Lord, help us by your grace to be more closely united to you and thus, together, to bear a more effective witness of faith, hope and love. This is also a moment to thank God for the efforts of our many brothers and sisters from different ecclesial communities who refused to be resigned to division, but instead kept alive the hope of reconciliation among all who believe in the one Lord.

As Catholics and Lutherans, we have undertaken a common journey of reconciliation. Now, in the context of the commemoration of the Reformation of 1517, we have a new opportunity to accept a common path, one that has taken shape over the past fifty years in the ecumenical dialogue between the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church. Nor can we be resigned to the division and distance that our separation has created between us. We have the opportunity to mend a critical moment of our history by moving beyond the controversies and disagreements that have often prevented us from understanding one another.

Jesus tells us that the Father is the vinedresser (cf Jn 15:1) who tends and prunes the vine in order to make it bear more fruit (cf Jn 15:2). The Father is constantly concerned for our relationship with Jesus, to see if we are truly one with him (cf Jn 15:4). He watches over us, and his gaze of love inspires us to purify our past and to work in the present to bring about the future of unity that he so greatly desires.

We too must look with love and honesty at our past, recognizing error and seeking forgiveness, for God alone is our judge. We ought to recognize with the same honesty and love that our division distanced us from the primordial intuition of God’s people, who naturally yearn to be one, and that it was perpetuated historically by the powerful of this world rather than the faithful people, which always and everywhere needs to be guided surely and lovingly by its Good Shepherd. Certainly, there was a sincere will on the part of both sides to profess and uphold the true faith, but at the same time we realize that we closed in on ourselves out of fear or bias with regard to the faith which others profess with a different accent and language. As Pope John Paul II said, We must not allow ourselves to be guided by the intention of setting ourselves up as judges of history but solely by the motive of understanding better what happened and of becoming messengers of truth (Letter to Cardinal Johannes Willebrands, President of the Secretariat for Christian Unity, 31 October 1983). God is the vinedresser, who with immense love tends and protects the vine; let us be moved by his watchful gaze. The one thing he desires is for us to abide like living branches in his Son Jesus. With this new look at the past, we do not claim to realize an impracticable correction of what took place, but to tell that history differently (Lutheran-Roman Catholic Commission on Unity, From Conflict to Communion, 17 June 2013, 16).

Jesus reminds us: Apart from me, you can do nothing (Jn 15:5). He is the one who sustains us and spurs us on to find ways to make our unity ever more visible. Certainly, our separation has been an immense source of suffering and misunderstanding, yet it has also led us to recognize honestly that without him we can do nothing; in this way it has enabled us to understand better some aspects of our faith. With gratitude we acknowledge that the Reformation helped give greater centrality to sacred Scripture in the Church’s life. Through shared hearing of the word of God in the Scriptures, important steps forward have been taken in the dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation, whose fiftieth anniversary we are presently celebrating. Let us ask the Lord that his word may keep us united, for it is a source of nourishment and life; without its inspiration we can do nothing.

The spiritual experience of Martin Luther challenges us to remember that apart from God we can do nothing. How can I get a propitious God? This is the question that haunted Luther. In effect, the question of a just relationship with God is the decisive question for our lives. As we know, Luther encountered that propitious God in the Good News of Jesus, incarnate, dead and risen. With the concept by grace alone, he reminds us that God always takes the initiative, prior to any human response, even as he seeks to awaken that response. The doctrine of justification thus expresses the essence of human existence before God.

Jesus intercedes for us as our mediator before the Father; he asks him that his disciples may be one, so that the world may believe (Jn 17:21). This is what comforts us and inspires us to be one with Jesus, and thus to pray: Grant us the gift of unity, so that the world may believe in the power of your mercy. This is the testimony the world expects from us. We Christians will be credible witnesses of mercy to the extent that forgiveness, renewal and reconciliation are daily experienced in our midst. Together we can proclaim and manifest God’s mercy, concretely and joyfully, by upholding and promoting the dignity of every person. Without this service to the world and in the world, Christian faith is incomplete.

As Lutherans and Catholics, we pray together in this Cathedral, conscious that without God we can do nothing. We ask his help, so that we can be living members, abiding in him, ever in need of his grace, so that together we may bring his word to the world, which so greatly needs his tender love and mercy.
(Original text in Spanish)



At the completion of the Common Ecumenical Prayer, the Pope, after having left the Cathedral of Lund, bid farewell to the Swedish Royals.

He then boarded a minivan along with Bishop Munib Yunan, President of the Lutheran World Federation; Reverend MArtin Junge, Secretary General of the LWF and Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Unity among Christians to travel to the Malmö Arena for an Ecumenical Event.

Welcome to Sweden

The aircraft carrying the Holy Father, which left this morning around 8:30am from Rome's Fumicino International Airport, landed at 10:45am local time at the International Airport in Malmö.

Pope Francis was welcomed by the Prime Minister of Sweden, Mister Stefan Löfven, and by the Minister of Culture and Democracy, Ms. Alice Bah-Kuhnke.  Also present were some other State authorities and a few members of the World Lutheran Federation.

The members of the official delegations were introduced and the national anthems were played before military honours were presented.

At the completion of the welcoming ceremony, the Holy Father, Pope Francis met privately in one of the rooms at the international airport in Malmö, with the Prime Minister of Sweden, Mister Stefan Löfven.  He then travelled by car to the Papal Residence at Igelösa.

At 1:35pm, the Holy Father left the Igelösa Residence and travelled by car to the Royal Palace in Lund for a courtesy visit with the Swedish Royals.

Upon his arrival, at 1:50pm, His Holiness was welcomed by King Carl XVI Gustav and by Queen Silvia.  Then, following the introductions of the respective delegations, they had a private meeting.  When it was completed, the Pope went on foot to the Lutheran Cathedral of Lund together with the Swedish Royals.

Rome to Sweden

This morning, the Holy Father's 17th International Apostolic Voyage began; this trip takes him to Sweden where he will mark the Lutheran-Catholic Common Commemoration of the Reformation.

The aircraft carrying the Holy Father (an Alitalia A321) departed from Rome's Fumicino International Airport around 8:30am local time and arrived at the International Airport in Malmö (Sweden) at 10:45am.

Telegram of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

to the President of the Italian Republic

At the moment when he left Italian territory, destined for Malmö (Sweden), the Holy Father, Pope Francis sent the following telegram to the President of the Italian Republic, the Honorable Sergio Mattarella:

To His Excellency
The Honorable Sergio Mattarella
President of the Italian Republic
Palazzo del Quirinale
00187 Rome

At the moment when I am beginning my Apostolic Voyage to Sweden for the Ecumenical Commemoration of the fifth centenary of the Lutheran Reform and to meet the Catholic community, I am pleased to extend to you, Mister President, my respectful greetings accompanied with fervent wishes for the spiritual, civil and social well being of the Italian people to whom I willingly extend my blessing.

Francis
(Original text in Italian)

Telegrams to the Heads of State

during the flight from Rome to Malmö

Passing over Austria

Her Excellency, Doris Bures
President of the National Council
of the Republic of Austria
Vienna

As I fly over Austria on my way to Sweden for a pastoral visit, I send cordial greetings to Your Excellency and your fellow citizens.  I pray that Almighty God may bless you all with peace and strength, as I invoke divine blessings upon the nation.

Francis

Passing over Germany

His Excellency, Joachim Gauck
Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany
Berlin

I extend cordial greetings to Your Excellency and the people of Germany as I fly over your country on my way to Sweden for a pastoral visit.  Invoking the blessing of Almighty God upon the nation, I pray that He may grant you all peace and well-being.

Francis

Greetings of the Holy Father aboard the flight

from Rome to Malmö

Good morning to all of you.  I thank you for your company and for your work.  This voyage is an important one because it is an ecclesial voyage, very ecclesial in the ecumenical sphere.  Your work will help many people to understand it, so that people can understand it well.  Thank you very much.

Angelus: lessons from Jericho

At 12:00 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 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!

Today's gospel presents something that happened in Jericho, when Jesus arrived in that city and was welcomed by the crowd (cf Lk 19:1-10).  Zachaeus lived in Jericho, the leader among the publicans, which is to say the tax collectors.  Zachaeus was a wealthy employee of the hated Roman occupiers, one who used to exploit his own people.  Even he, out of curiosity, wanted to see Jesus, but his condition as a public sinner would not permit him to come close to the Master; what's more, he was small in stature, and for this reason, he climbed a sycamore tree along the road where Jesus would be passing by.

When he arrived nearby that tree, Jesus raised his eyes and said to him: Zachaeus, come down at once, for today I have to stop at your house (Lk 19:5).  Can we imagine Zachaeus' surprise!  Why does Jesus say: I have to stop at your house?  What was that all about?  We know that his most important duty was to implement the Father's plan for all humanity, the plan that would be accomplished in Jerusalem with his condemnation to death, the crucifixion and, on the third day, the resurrection.  This is our merciful Father's plan of salvation.  This plan also includes the salvation of Zachaeus, a dishonest man who was hated by everyone, and therefore in need of conversion.  In fact, the gospel says that when Jesus called him, they all murmured: He has entered into the house of a sinner! (Lk 19:7).  The people see in him a villan who has become rich on the backs of others.  If Jesus had said: Come down, you bandit, traitor of the people!  Come and speak with me in order to settle your accounts!, surely the people would have applauded.  However, they began to murmur: Jesus is going to the house of a sinner, a bandit.

Jesus, guided by mercy, was looking especially for him.  And when he entered into Zachaeus' house, he said: Today, salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham.  The Son of man has come in fact to seek out and to salve those who are lost (Lk 19:9-10).  Jesus' regard goes beyond sins and prejudices; it sees the person with the eyes of God, which do not stop at the evil that has occurred, but also the good that is to come; Jesus does not resign himself to be closed in upon himself, instead he is always open, always open to new spaces and paths; he does not stop at appearances, he looks at the heart.  In this case, he looked at the wounded heart of this man: wouded by the sin of cupidity, by many terrible things that Zachaeus had done.  He looked into that wounded heart and went there.

Sometimes we try to correct or to convert a sinner by scolding him, by pointing out his mistakes and his unjust behaviour.  The attitude that Jesus had with Zachaeus indicates another way: the path of pointing out to the one who has done wrong, his value, the value that God continues to see despite everything, despite all his wrong doings.  This can bring about a positive surprise, which softens the heart and drives the person to focus on the good that he has within himself.  By trusting in the person, he allows him to grow and to change.  This is the way God acts with all of us: he is not deterred by our sin, but he overcomes our sin with love and makes us aware of our longing for good.  We have all known this nostalgia for good after having made mistakes.  This is what our Father God does, this is what Jesus does.  There is no such thing as a person who does not have something good within.  This is what God looks for in order to draw us out of evil situations.

May the Virgin Mary help us to see the good that exists within each person we meet every day, so that all people may be encouraged to show forth the image of God that is imprinted on our hearts.  In this way, we can rejoice in the surprises of God's mercy!  Our God, who is the God of surprises!



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

Dear brothers and sisters,

Yesterday in Madrid, José Antón Gómez, Antolín Pablos Villanueva, Juan Rafael Mariano Alcocer Martínez and Luis Vidaurrázaga Gonzáles, martyrs who were killed in Spain in the last century, during the persecution agains the Church, were beatified.  They were Benedictine priests.  Let us praise the Lord and confide to their intercession our brothers and sisters who unfortunately are still today, in various parts of the world, persecuted for their faith in Christ.

I express my closeness to the people of Central Italy who are suffering because of the earthquake.  Even this morning, there have been strong after shocks.  I pray for those who have been wounded and for families who have suffered because of major damage, as well as for all those who are committed to helping and assisting them.  May the risen Lord give them strength and may the Madonna care for them.

I greet with great affection all the people from Italy and from other countries, especially those who are from Ljubliana (Slovenia) and from Sligo (Ireland).  I greet the participants taking part in the world pilgrimage of hairdressers and beauticians, the National Federation of historical Marches and Games, the youth groups from Petosino, Pogliano Milan, Carugate and Padua.  I also greet the pilgrims from UNITALSI from Sardenia.

In the coming days, I will make an Apostolic Voyage to Sweden to commemorate the Reformation, which will include Catholics and Lutherans gathered together to remember and to pray.  I ask you all to pray that this voyage may be a new step in the journey of fraternity toward full communion.

I wish you all a good Sunday - there is beautiful sunshine ... - and a good celebration of All Saints Day.  And, please, don't forget to pray for me.  Good bye!

Lessons from the sycamore tree

Here is the reflection I prepared for the gatherings of faith that happened around the Lord's table in our local communities.  The story of Zachaeus is a reminder for all of us that God is at work within us, gently correcting us and drawing us closer to him so that he can share his joy with us.

Little by little

Many if not most of those who are regularly part of this faith community are aware of the regularity with which I visit our schools.  On most such occasions, I am present early in the morning to assist other staff members and to greet the students as they arrive.  The school community refers to this task as bus duty.  My presence allows me to get to know the students in an informal way but a major breakthrough happened on the first day that one of the students waved in recognition from the window of the bus.  There have even been moments when they are quick to call out: Good morning Father.

Over the past four years, I have also come to know many of the teachers in our schools.  They are remarkable people who would do anything to help a child learn.  I have nothing but admiration for them.  Like my relationship with the students, I have noticed that my relationship with the teachers has matured as well: in some cases, I am regularly in their classrooms, and from time to time we take a moment to discuss strategies to help the children understand various aspects of faith.

We do all of this because we believe that each of us is a child of God, precious in his eyes.  The book of Wisdom reminds us that God has made us all and therefore he loves us all and he wants the best for us (cf Wis 11:24).  He knows each one of us infinitely, even better than we know ourselves.  He knows what we are capable of and he never stops correcting us little by little ... even reminding us and warning us of situations that might lead us to sin (cf Wis 12:2).  Our God is boundlessly patient with us, but he is always at work within us, chiseling away the hard parts of our hearts and replacing them with tenderness.

At times we may not pay much attention to the work that God is doing within us.  We may even be lured away by other temptations and find ourselves truly distant from him, but he will never stop looking for us, drawing us back.  Zachaeus had heard about Jesus and wanted to see him for himself (Lk 19:3).  Saint Luke does not say anything about the reasons why this rich tax collector wanted to see Jesus.  Perhaps it was a business affair, but most probably, something that he had heard about Jesus had stirred a long-forgotten longing or at the very least a curiosity in his heart and this drove him to stop at nothing in order to see him.

We too need to be courageous enough to place ourselves in situations where we can share our faith with others.  If people see us making the sign of the cross in restaurants, if they hear us speaking about the joy of knowing Jesus, if they witness our willingness to strengthen the ties that bind our families together, perhaps they too will discover a longing within and dare to come running in order to meet Jesus.

The tax collector Zachaeus was so overjoyed to welcome Jesus that he made a public promise to give away half his fortune (cf Lk 19:8): a sure sign that his heart had been changed.  God never gives up on any of us.  He is always at work, finding new ways to meet us where we are and to gently invite us to come to him ... and when we do, miracles happen.

There is a another way that we can help those who have been distanced from the Church; it's mentioned in the second reading today.  Take the words that Saint Paul wrote to the believers in Thessalonica and pray them especially (by name) for those in your family or among your friends who are experiencing difficulties.  The prayer might sound like this:  (Say the first name of the person) ... then continue: We always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith, that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, in accord with the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thes 1:11-12).  If this prayer begins in our hearts, perhaps the Lord will place it on our lips too, and others will come to know him and believe in him.

Communion and reciprocity

This week at the Vatican, there is an International Convention taking place, involving Episcopal Vicars and Delegates of Consecrated Life.  The meetings continue until tomorrow (October 30).  This morning, a press release entitled Bishops and Consecrated Persons: Journeying Together was released.

Congregation

for the Institutes of Consecrated Life

and Societies of Apostolic Life

Press Release

 Bishops and Consecrated Persons: Journeying in Communion

Vatican City
October 29, 2016

The key words of the International Meeting for Episcopal Vicars and Delegates for Consecrated Life are communion and reciprocity. The Meeting started on October 28. The Meeting then proceeded in the Clementine Hall in the Vatican with an audience with the Holy Father who exhorted the participants to: love Consecrated Life and, to this end, seek a profound knowledge of it. Construct mutual relations starting from the ecclesiology of communion, from the principle of co-essentiality, from the just autonomy that is due to consecrated persons.

In the afternoon Gianfranco Ghirlanda, SJ spoke about the juridical aspects regarding the Bishops' care and vigilance of the Institutes of Consecrated Life. He affirmed: Consecrated Life in general, and the individual Institutes, are a gift of the Spirit not only to those who are called to this form of life, but also to the Church, because Consecrated Life forms part of the same nature of the Church. That is why it is subject to the hierarchical authority; however, this same authority, as all the faithful, is subject to the Spirit, and thus, for the good of consecrated persons and the Institutes, it needs to ensure that the evangelical counsels are rightly interpreted not only theoretically in Constitutions and Rules, but also in practice.

Sister Nicla Spezzati, ASC, Under-Secretary at the CICLSAL, in her keynote speech, looked at the journey that Consecrated Life in doing with the aim of identifying some converging points in the local Churches in the light of the Magisterium of Vatican II and Pope Francis. Moreover, consecrated persons are urged to make theirs the invitation to grow in missionary communion as a process of a fruitful relationship. Sister Nicla added: In the Novo millennio ineunte, Pope Saint John Paul II invites us to commit ourselves to nurture and dilate spaces of communion, day by day and at every level, in the texture of the life of every Church. Missionary communion may be a vital proposal, a shared journey, and an efficacious space for such a growth.

Leonello Leidi C.P., Head of Office at the Congregation, highlighted the theological and juridical criteria which diocesan Bishops need for the discernment, accompaniment and ecclesial recognition of the new gifts of Consecrated Life. He also  spoke about the issues linked to the ageing and decrease in numbers of members, and the eventual extinction of Institutes with reference to what the Code says about particular cases like fusion, union and suppression and the Congregation's praxis. He underlined: If, on one hand it is the Spirit who continues to donate new chrisms to the Church, on the other hand, as Vatican II reminds us, the responsibility to discern their genuineness, their usefulness for this time and their orderly formation lies with those who have authority in the Church, that is, the Bishops in communion with the Roman Pontiff.

His Excellency, José Rodríguez Carballo O.F.M., Archbishop Secretary at CICLSAL, emphasized communion and reciprocity: «Mutuae relationes (mutual relations) happen where there is an authentic meeting between persons or groups of persons, where there is mutual respect, and a humble dialogue held in a spirit of fraternity». On the contrary, Mutuae relationes cannot exist where the diverse vocations and missions are not respected, and where dialogue is lacking. Mutuae relationes are always a two-way journey. If they are successful, the merit is of the Bishop and the consecrated persons; if they fail, experience tells us that both sides are to blame.

Vittoria Terenzi
Press Office - CICLSAL

In celebration of ...

This morning, we celebrated the life of a woman who appeared from the outside to shun the limelight and to cling to the shadows, but a woman who nonetheless was filled with the light of faith.

Funeral homily for Bernice Leblond

Dear brothers and sisters, we have gathered today around the table of the Lord.  Here in this place, Jesus is our host.  He is the one who has invited us once again to assemble in prayer and in faith to remember all that Bernice has shared with us in this life and to peer beyond the veil that separates mortals from heaven to glimpse the place where she is now, united at last with her beloved Issy in the heavenly homeland that awaits us all.

There was a period of about six months or so, back in latter part of 2005 and the early part of 2006 when I would travel each week from Sudbury to North Bay to celebrate the weekend Masses at Saint Rita’s church.  It was during this time that I met Isadore Sr. and Bernice, and many of the other people who called that place of prayer their spiritual home.  Those visits were frequent but brief, yet it was as though we had begun to know one another, just a bit.  Thank you Maurice for explaining some more of the details.

What Bernice tried to do in this life was what we all must try to do.  Each one of us has been welcomed into the family of God, like she was welcomed into the Leblond family.  The image of her being taken aback the first time she witnessed so much music, singing and dancing in celebration of ... nothing is I think the way some people are surprised when they are welcomed into the family of faith.  There’s a tendency today to think that we all live in our own worlds – focused more on computer screens and tied to the electronic gadgets that we carry around, but if were to put them away for a while and look up at the rest of the world, we might be surprised to find that we are part of a very large family that gathers, sings and dances quite often in celebration of what appears to be nothing.  The truth is that we celebrate everything: the promise that is made to each one of us on the day of our baptism – you are a precious child of God, part of a family that loves you deeply.

Like every large family, we learn from the experience of living in our faith family that we do not live to ourselves.  That is to say that none of us lives in our own worlds, isolated or cut off from others.  In fact, Christ died and rose again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living (Rom 14:9).  This family of ours is immense.  It includes all those who have been part of our lives here in earth: those who have taught us about Jesus, about our Father, about Mary our Mother ... and it includes all the saints as well: those who tried during their earthly lives to be examples of faith for us and those who now pray with us and for us in heaven.

When Bernice was learning about the Catholic faith, I wonder how often she and Father Dennis Murphy – he’s a Monsignor now, you know – spoke about the beatitudes: the attitudes that we must take on in order to become more and more like Jesus.  Blessed are the poor in spirit ... blessed are those who mourn ... blessed are the meek ... blessed are the merciful ... blessed are the peacemakers (cf Mt 5:3-9).  Bernice took those sessions seriously.  Throughout the rest of her life, she tried to practice them in the way she lived her life.  She tried to share these lessons with all of you, and this is the reason why we always found in her a compassionate spirit who would speak out in the name of justice, and one who would find such joy in the simple pleasure of cuddling with a newborn child.

If the Beatitudes are the recipe for living a life of faith, the proof of our success at living the life of a disciple will be discovered only on the day when each of us stands before the gates of heaven.  On that day, Jesus tells us, the Son of Man will sit on his throne of glory and all the nations will be gathered before him (Mt 25:31-32).

Bernice might be surprised to hear him say to her: Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world (Mt 25:34).  You see, for those who have tried all their lives to live generously and to love sincerely, quite often, there is no question about recompense for being good to others.  People like Bernice don’t even want to be seen or heard.  They just do what they do: they feed the hungry, they quench the thirst of those who are need, they welcome strangers, clothe the naked, care for the sick, visit the imprisoned, the elderly, the housebound (Mt 25:35-36) ... and joyfully care for their needs. 

These are the lessons we learn as we gather each week with our family of faith around the Lord’s table.  A newcomer to this family gathering will quite possibly be taken aback to see the way we sing joyfully even in times of mourning, or to hear us speak with faith about life even in the midst of suffering and death, but if we take the time to welcome these onlookers, to make a place for them at our table, they will in turn come to see that although it might seem that we are celebrating no special occasion at all, the truth is that every time we gather, we are filled with joy because the secret to our joy is the faith we share, the person of Jesus who unites us and the promise of eternal life in his presence that we look forward to.

Advice for Episcopal Vicars and Delegates for Consecrated Life

At noon today, in the Clementine Hall at the Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience those who are participating in the International Convention of Episcopal Vicars and Delegates for Consecrated Life, currently in progress in Rome at the Pontifical Antonianum University from today until 30 October.

Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

addressed to Episcopal Vicars and

Delegates for Consecrated Life

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I greet you warmly and thank you for having come to this first International Congress of Episcopal Vicars and Delegates for Consecrated Life. Through you, I wish to greet all your Bishops and to express my appreciation for the attention they give to consecrated life in its different expressions. I thank Cardinal Braz de Aviz for the words with which he introduced our meeting.

You, dear brothers, are called to help the Bishop in all that concerns consecrated life (cf. CIC, 479 §2). Today I would like to share with you three brief reflections.

Consecrated life in the particular Church
Consecrated life is a gift to the Church, it is born in the Church, it grows in the Church and is altogether oriented to the Church (Apostolic Letter To All the Consecrated on the occasion of the Year of Consecrated Life, 5). This is a principle that cannot be forgotten either by the Pastors or by the consecrated. In fact, consecrated life expresses emblematically and with altogether particular force the contribution of a charismatic gift to the baptismal priesthood and to the ministerial priesthood and, as such, is placed in the charismatic dimension of the Church (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Letter Iuvenescit Ecclesia, May 15, 2016, 22c.) It is for the Bishops to receive it with joy and gratitude (cf. Iuvenescit Ecclesia, 8), showing to it benevolence, paternity and solicitous love.

Consecrated life is a spiritual capital that contributes to the good of the whole Body of Christ (cf Lumen Gentium, 43) and not only of Religious Families (Apostolic Letter To All the Consecrated on the occasion of the Year of Consecrated Life, III, 5). For this reason, I have asked and ask also today the Pastors and you, Vicars and Delegates of Consecrated Life, receive it warmly and joyfully (Apostolic Letter to All the Consecrated on the occasion of the Year of Consecrated Life, III, 5) as a reality that is in the very heart of the Church and as a decisive element of her mission, in as much as it belongs irrevocably to her life and to her holiness (Apostolic Letter to All the Consecrated on the occasion of the Year of Consecrated Life, III, 5). Therefore, I encourage the Pastors, and you with them, to manifest a special solicitude in promoting in your Churches the various charisms, be they old or new; to be close to the consecrated, with tenderness and love, and to teach the People of God the value of consecrated life.

I remind the consecrated that a just autonomy and exemption cannot be confused with isolation and independence. Today more than ever it is necessary to live a just autonomy and exemption, in the Institutes that provide them, in close relation with insertion, in such a way that the charismatic freedom and the catholicity of consecrated life are also expressed in the context of the particular Church. The latter would not respond fully to what Jesus desired for His Church, if it were deprived of consecrated life, which is part of her essential structure, in the same way as the laity or the ordained ministry. It is for this reason that, in the light of Vatican Council II, we speak today of the co-essentialness of the hierarchical gifts and of the charismatic gifts (cf Lumen Gentium, 4), which flow from the one Spirit of God and nourish the life of the Church and her missionary action. All these gifts are destined to contribute in different ways, to the building of the Church, and in harmonious and complementary relation between them. Pastors are called to respect, without manipulating, the multi-dimensionality that constitutes the Church and through which the Church manifests herself. On their part, the consecrated must remember that they are not a closed patrimony, but an integrated facet in the body of the Church, attracted to the centre, that is Christ (J.M. Bergoglio, Address to the Synod on Consecrated Life and Its Mission in the Church and in the World, XVI, General Congregation, October 13, 1994).

Erection of new Institutes of Consecrated Life
Both  before and after Vatican II, several Institutes of Consecrated Life arose and continue to arise. The Spirit does not cease to blow where it wills and when it wills (cf John 3:8). It being the responsibility of the diocesan Bishop to discern and recognize the authenticity of charismatic gifts and to erect in the diocese Institutes of Consecrated Life, this cannot be done without a serene and appropriate discernment that, in addition to the criteria pointed out in the Apostolic Letter Iuvenescit Ecclesia in n. 18, takes account of the originality of the charism, of its prophetic dimension, of its insertion in the life of the particular Church, of the affective and effective communion with it and with the universal Church, of the commitment for evangelization, also in its social dimension; as well as verifying that the founder has shown proven ecclesial maturity, with a life that does not contradict the action of the Holy Spirit, author of the charisms, and that these charisms harmonize adequately in the ecclesial communion (cf IE, 17). Finally, I remind you of the obligation to always consult previously the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life, as I recently established in giving a clarification on canon 579.

At the moment of erecting a new Institute one cannot think only of its usefulness for the particular Church. The Bishops, their Vicars and Delegates, as well as the Congregation itself for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, cannot be simplistic when they exercise this grave responsibility. The Pastors must consider that, in erecting a new Institute, they are certainly exercising a right proper to them but that at the same time they are assuming a responsibility in the name of the universal Church, from the moment that such an Institute is destined to grow and to come out of the confines of the Diocese that saw its birth. And, moreover, it is necessary to consider prudently the duty to provide appropriate formation to the candidates. Because it is a delicate decision, it is good that the Bishops allow themselves to be helped by all those that have experience of consecrated life, and you can also be among these, dear brothers.

Mutual relations
You play an important role in the mutual relations between the Pastors and the consecrated. I know that this subject will be studied during the present Congress, but in the Synod of ’94 it was requested to look again at the Instruction Mutuae relationes: we are somewhat late! At present it is the object of a specific study of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic life and of the Congregation for Bishops, whom I have asked to re-elaborate the document Mutuae relationes.

In addition to the updating of the norms that must govern mutual relations between the Bishops and all forms of consecrated life, masculine and feminine, it is about reflecting further on the value of reciprocity, which commits Pastors and the consecrated. Mutual relations do not exist where some command and others submit themselves, out of fear or convenience. Instead, there are mutual relations where dialogue, respectful listening, and reciprocal hospitality, encounter and knowledge, shared quest for the truth, the desire of fraternal collaboration for the good of the Church, which is a house of communion, are cultivated. All this is the responsibility both of the Pastors and of the consecrated. In this connection, we are all called to be pontiffs, builders of bridges. Our time requires communion in respect of diversities. We are not afraid of diversity, which comes from the Spirit.

Finally, I would like to ask you to give special attention to the contemplative Sisters. As I affirmed in the recent Apostolic Constitution Vultum Dei Quaerere, this way of following Christ, rooted in the silence of the cloister, represents in the Church and for the Church the “praying heart, custodian of gratuitousness and of rich apostolic fecundity, which generates precious fruits of grace and mercy and of many-sided holiness (VDQ, 5). The Church, also the particular Church, is in need of these lighthouses that indicate the route to reach the port, of these torches that accompany the path of men and women in the dark night of time, of these watchmen of the morning that herald the rising of the sun (VDQ, 6). Accompany them with fraternal affection, treating them always as adult women, respecting their own competencies, without undue interferences. Accompany them by giving them help in all that refers to the essential elements of their life, as they are presented in the mentioned Apostolic Constitution (cf CDQ, 12ff), and taking into account the Instruction that the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life will produce (cf CDQ, 14 §1). Focusing all your attention on one element, as important as it might be, such as the case of cloister or that of autonomy, could lead to a vital imbalance that would have sad consequences for the life of these Sisters.

Dear brothers, love consecrated life and to this end proceed so as to know it in depth. Build mutual relations from the ecclesiology of communion, from the principle of co-essentiality, from the just autonomy that corresponds to the consecrated. Greet your Bishops and all the consecrated of your dioceses on my behalf.

I assure you of my prayer and you, please, do not forget to pray for me. Thanks you and have a good Congress!

Speaking with the Pontifical John Paul II Institute

At 11:45am today, in the Clementine Hall at the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience the members of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies in Marriage and Family on the occasion of the opening o the new academic year.

Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

addressed to members of the John Paul II Institute

for Studies in Marriage and the Family

Your Excellencies,
Reverend Dean,
Kind professors,
Dear students,

I am particularly happy to begin with you this new academic year of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute, the thirty-fifth of its existence.  I thank the Grand Chancellor, His Excellency, Vincenzo Paglia; and the Dean, Monsignor Pierangelo Segueri for their words, and I extend my thanks also to all those who are involved in the guidance of the Institute.

1.  The far-sighted intuition of Saint John Paul II, who strongly desired this academic institution, can be even better recognized and appreciated today in its fruitfulness and current thinking.  His wise discernment of the signs of the times has resulted in the vigorous attention has returned to the attention of the Church, and of human society itself, the depth and the delicate nature of the ties that are generated as a result of the marital alliance between a man and a woman.  The development that the Institute has enjoyed on the five continents confirms the validity and the sense of catholic form of its programme.  The validity of this project, which has generated an institute of such a high profile, encourages it to develop further initiatives and colloquia as well as exchanges with all academic institutions, including those belonging to different religious areas and cultural areas which are currently committed to reflecting on this most delicate human frontier.

2.  At this current juncture, marital and family bonds are in many ways put to the test.  The emergence of a culture that exalts narcissistic individualism, a conception of freedom which is disconnected from responsiblity for others, the growth of indifference toward the common good, the rise of ideologies that directly attack the family, as well as the growth of poverty whcih threates the future of so many families, are some of the many reasons for the crisis facing contemporary families.  Then there are unresolved issues based on new technologies, which make it possible to enter into practices that are sometimes in conflict with the true dignity of human life.  The complexity of these new horizons requires a closer connection between the John Paul II Institute and the Pontifical Academy for Life.  I urge you to boldly pay attention to these new and delicate implications with all the rigour that is necessary, without falling into the temptation to varnish them, to perfume them, to adjust them a little and to tame them (Letter to the Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina, 3 March 2015).

The uncertainty and the disorientation that affect the fundamental sufferings of persons and of life destabilizes all ties, those between family members and those in society, making all the more prevalent the word I over the word we, the individualism of society.  One outcome that contradicts the plan of God, the one who confided the world and history to the agreement between man and woman (Gen 1:28-31).  This agreement - by its very nature - implies cooperation and respect, generous dedication and shared responsibility, an ability to recognize difference as an enrichment and a promise, not as a motive for subjugation and abuse.

The recognition of the dignity of man and of woman leads to a proper appreciation of their mutual relationships.  How can we get to know the concrete humanity of which we are composed without learning it through this difference?  This is what happens when a man and a woman talk and ponder together, love each other and act together, with mutual respect and good will.  It is impossible to deny the contribution of modern culture to the rediscovery of the dignity of sexual difference.  For this reason, it is also very disturbing to find that this culture appears to be blocked by a tendency to cancel the difference instead of resolving the problems that are killing it.

The family is the irreplaceable womb of initiating the alliance between the creatures of man and woman.  This bond, sustained by the grace of the Creating and Saving God, is destined toward the bringing about of many means of their relationships, which are reflected in various communitarian and social ties.  The correlating depth between the family figure and various social forms of this alliance - in religion and in ethics, in work, in economy and in politics, in caring for life and the relationship between various generations - is now seen globally.  In effect, when things are going well between a man and a woman, the world and all of history goes well.  In the opposite case, the world becomes inhospitable and history is done.

3.  The testimony of humanity and of the beauty of the Christian experience of the family must therefore be inspired again more in depth. The Church dispenses God’s love for the family in view of its mission of love for all the families of the world. The Church – which recognizes herself as family people – sees in the family the icon of the God’s covenant with the whole human family.  And, in reference to Christ and to the Church, the Apostle affirms that this is a great mystery (cf Eph 5:32). Therefore, the charity of the Church commits us to develop – on the doctrinal and pastoral plane – our capacity to read and interpret, for our time, the truth and the beauty of God’s creative plan. The radiation of this divine project, in the complexity of the human condition, calls for a special intelligence of love. And also a strong evangelical dedication, animated by great compassion and mercy for the vulnerability and fallibility of the love between human beings.

It is necessary to apply oneself with greater enthusiasm to the rescue – I would almost say to the rehabilitation – of this extraordinary invention of divine creation. This rescue must be taken seriously, be it in the doctrinal sense as well as the practical, pastoral and testimonial sense. The dynamics of the relationship between God, man and woman, and their children, are the golden key to understanding the world and history, with all that they contain. And, finally, to understand something of the profound, which is found in the love of God Himself. Can we succeed in thinking thus greatly? Are we convinced of the power of life that this plan of God bears in the love of the world? Are we able to snatch the new generations from resignation and re-conquer them to the audacity of this plan?

We are certainly very aware of the fact that we also bear this treasure in earthen vessels (cf 2 Cor 4:7). Grace exists, as does sin. Therefore, we must learn not to be resigned to human failure, but let us sustain the rescue of the creative plan at all costs. It is right, in fact, to recognize that at times we have presented a theological ideal of marriage that is too abstract, almost artificially constructed, far from the concrete situation and of effective possibilities of families as they are. This excessive idealization, especially when we have not reawakened confidence in grace, has not made marriage more desirable and attractive, but all the contrary (Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, 36). God’s justice shines in fidelity to His promise. And this splendour, as we learned from Jesus’ revelation, is His mercy (cf. Rom 9:21-23).

4.  The twofold Synodal appointment of the Bishops of the world, cum Petro e sub Petro (with Peter and under Peter), has manifested concordantly the necessity to extend the Church’s understanding and care for this mystery of human love, in which the love of God gains ground for all. The Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia makes a treasure of this extension and solicits the entire people of God to render the Church’s family dimension more visible and effective. The families that make up the people of God and build the Lord’s body with their love, are called to be more aware of the gift of grace that they themselves bear, and to become proud to be able to put it at the disposition of all the poor and the abandoned that despair of being able to find or re-find it.  Today’s pastoral topic is not only that of the distance of many from the ideal and practice of the Christian truth of marriage and the family; more decisive yet is the topic of the Church’s closeness: closeness to the new generations of spouses, so that the blessing of their bond convinces them increasingly and accompanies them, and closeness to the situations of human weakness, so that grace can rescue them, give them new courage and heal them. The Church’s indissoluble bond with her children is the most transparent sign of God’s faithful and merciful love.

5.  The new horizon of this commitment certainly sees your Institute convoked, in an altogether special way, to sustain the necessary opening of the intelligence of the faith at the service of the pastoral solicitude of the Successor of Peter. The fruitfulness of this task of further reflection and study, in favour of the whole Church, is entrusted to the impetus of your mind and your heart. Let us not forget that good theologians also, as good Pastors, smell of the people and of the street and, with their reflection, pour oil and wine on men’s wounds (March 3, 2015). Theology and pastoral care go together. A theological doctrine that does not let itself be guided and molded by the evangelizing end and by the pastoral care of the Church is all the more unthinkable than a pastoral approach of the Church that is unable to make a treasure of the revelation and of her tradition in view of a better intelligence and transmission of the faith.

This task calls for being rooted in the joy of the faith and in the humility of joyful service to the Church. Of the Church that exists, not of a Church thought in one’s image and likeness. The living Church in which we live, the beautiful Church to which we belong, the Church of the one Lord and one Spirit, to whom we give ourselves as unworthy servants (Luke 17:10), who offer their best gifts. The Church we love, so that all can love her. The Church in which we feel loved beyond our merits, and for which we are ready to make sacrifices, in perfect joy. May God accompany us in this path of communion that we undertake together. And may He bless from now on the generosity with which you are about to sow the furrow entrusted to you.

Thank you!

Speaking with the Santa Marta Group

At 11:25am today, in the Consistory Hall at the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience the members of the Santa Marta Group, on the occasion of the Conference which was organized by that international organization against the trafficking of human beings (26-27 October 2016).

Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

addressed to members of the Santa Marta Group

Dear brother Bishops,
Illustrious Sirs and Madames,

With great pleasure, I meet you on the occasion of this conference which is developing your collaboration against the trafficking of human beings and in support of the victims.  I thank Cardinal Nichols for his words and for the efforts being put into this cause, which is one of the greatest challenges of our time.

The Santa Marta Group, which unites ecclesial and civil authorities, is making an important contribution to tackling the social evil of human trafficking, linked to new forms of slavery, whose victims are men and women, at times children, who are exploited, taken advantage of due to their poverty and marginalization.  As I wrote a year ago on the occasion of your meeting at the Escorial, what is needed is a concerted effort, effective and consistent, either to eliminate the causes of this complex phenomenon or to meet, assist and accompany those persons who fall into the snares of trafficking.  The number of these victims - according to international organizations - unfortunately are increasing each year.  They are the most vulnerable, whose dignity has been stolen away, their physical and mental integrity, some have even lost their lives.

Dear friends, I thank you and I encourage you to continue in your commitment.  The Lord will repay you for what you are doing for these little ones of today's society.  He himself said: I was hungry ... I was thirsty ... and you helped me; today, he might also say: I was abused, exploited, enslaved ... and you helped me.

Continue your work, accompanied by my closeness and my prayer.  You too, please, pray for me.  Thank you.

Meeting Christian leaders from South Sudan

Today in the Vatican Apostolic Palace the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience the principal Christian religious leaders of South Sudan: His Excellency, Paulino Lukudu Loro, MCCJ, Archbishop of Juba; Reverend Daniel Deng Bul Yak, Archbishop of the Province of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan & Sudan; and Reverend Peter Gai Lual Marrow, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of South Sudan.

In the context of the tensions that divide the population to the detriment of coexistence in the country, during the meeting with the Holy Father it was acknowledged that good and fruitful collaboration exists among the Christian Churches, who wish primarily to offer their contribution to promoting the common good, protecting the dignity of the person, protecting the helpless and implementing initiatives for dialogue and reconciliation. In the light of the Year of Mercy in progress in the Catholic Church, it was underlined that the fundamental experience of forgiveness and acceptance of the other is the privileged path to building peace and to human and social development. In this regard, it was confirmed that the various Christian Churches are committed, in a spirit of communion and unity, to service to the population, promoting the spread of a culture of encounter and sharing.

Finally, all parties reiterated their willingness to journey together and to work with renewed hope and mutual trust, in the conviction that, drawing from the positive values inherent in their respective religious traditions, they may show the way to respond effectively to the deepest aspirations of the population, which keenly thirsts for a secure life and a better future.

General Audience on welcoming the stranger

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

In his speech, the Pope continued his catechesis on mercy, adding a meditation on the theme: Welcome the stranger and clothe the naked (cf Mt 2:13-15).

After having summarized his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father offered particular greetings to the groups of faithful in attendance.

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

Catechesis of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

for the General Audience

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

We continue our reflections on the corporal works of mercy, which the Lord Jesus confided to us in order to keep our faith always alive and dynamic.  In fact, these works show clearly that Christians are not tired and lazy as we await the final encounter with the Lord, but every day, they go out to others, recognizing his face in the faces of the many persons who ask for help.  Today, we focus on this word of Jesus: I was a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me (Mt 25:25-36).  In our times, work with those who are strangers is more needed than ever before.  The economic crisis, armed conflicts and the changing climate are forcing many people to the margins.  However, migration is not a new phenomenon; it is part of the history of humanity.  It is a lack of historical memory to think that this is something that has only happened in recent years.

The bible offers us many concrete examples of migration.  It is enough to think about Abraham.  The call of God drove him to leave his country and to go to another: Go from your country, and your kindred, and your father's house, toward the land that I will point out to you (Gen 12:1).  It was so also for the people of Israel, who from Egypt, where they were slaves, went marching for forty years in the desert until they reached God’s Promised Land. The Holy Family itself – Mary, Joseph and the little Jesus – was forced to emigrate, to flee from Herod’s threat: Joseph rose and took the child and His Mother by night, and departed to Egypt, where he remained until Herod’s death (Mt 2:14-15). The history of humanity is the history of migrations: in all latitudes there are no people that have not known the migratory phenomenon.

In this connection, in the course of the centuries we witnessed great expressions of solidarity, even though social tensions were not lacking. Today, unfortunately, the context of economic crisis fosters the emergence of closed and unwelcome attitudes. Walls and barriers rise in some parts of the world. It seems sometimes that the silent work of many men and women, who spend themselves in different ways to help and assist refugees and migrants, is overshadowed by the noise of others who give voice to an instinctive egoism. But closure is not a solution; rather it ends by fostering criminal trafficking. The only way to work toward a solution is solidarity — solidarity with the migrant, solidarity with the stranger.

Christians’ commitment in this field is as urgent today as it was in the past. To look only at the last century, we recall the stupendous figure of Saint Frances Cabrini, who dedicated her life, together with her companions, to immigrants in the United States of America. Today we are also in need of these testimonies so that mercy can reach the many who are in need. It is a commitment that involves everyone; no one is excluded. Dioceses, parishes, Institutes of Consecrated Life, Associations and Movements, as well as individual Christians, we are all called to receive brothers and sisters fleeing from war, from hunger, from violence and from inhuman conditions of life. All of us together are a great source of support for all those who have lost their homeland, family, work and dignity. A little story happened a few days ago in the city. A refugee was looking for a street and a lady approached him and said to him: But are you looking for something? That refugee was without shoes. And he said: I would like to go to Saint Peter’s to enter the Holy Door. And the lady thought: But he doesn’t have shoes, how can he walk? And she called a taxi. But that migrant, that refugee stank and the driver of the taxi almost did not want him to get in, but in the end he let him get into the taxi. And, in the course of the trip, the lady, who was beside him, asked him about his story as a refugee and migrant: it took ten minutes to arrive here. The man told his story of grief, of war, of hunger and why he fled from his country to migrate here. When they arrived, the lady opened her purse to pay the taxi driver and the driver, who at first did not want the migrant to get in because he stank, said to the lady: No, madam, I should pay you because you made me hear a story that has changed my heart. This lady knew the pain of a migrant because she had Armenian blood and knew the suffering of her people. When we do something of this sort; initially we refuse because it gives us some trouble, but … he stinks …  But in the end, the story perfumes our soul and makes us change. Think of this story and let us think what we can do for the refugees.

And the other thing is to clothe the naked: what does it mean if not to restore dignity to one who has lost it? Certainly, to give garments to those deprived of them, but we think also of the women victims of trafficking thrown out on the streets, or of the others, too many ways of using the human body as merchandise, even of minors. And so, to not have work, a home, a just salary is also a form of nakedness, or to be discriminated against because of race or because of faith – they are all forms of nakedness, situations in which as Christians we are called to be attentive, vigilant and ready to act.

Dear brothers and sisters, let us not fall into the trap of withdrawing into ourselves, indifferent to the needs of brothers and concerned only about our own interests. It is precisely in the measure to which we open our hearts to others that life becomes fertile, societies re-acquire peace and individuals recover their full dignity. And do not forget that lady, do not forget that migrant who stank and do not forget the driver whose soul was changed by the migrant.



The above catechesis was then summarized in various languages, and the Holy Father offered greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance.  To English-speaking pilgrims, he said:

I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly those from England, Wales, Ireland, Finland, Norway, Israel, Australia, Indonesia, China, Japan, Canada 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.

Instruction regarding the burial of the deceased

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has published a new Instruction entitled Ad resurgendum cum Christo (To Rise with Christ) regarding the burial of the deceased and the conservation of the ashes in the cases of cremation.

Instruction Ad resurgendum cum Christo

regarding the burial of the deceased

and the conservation of the ashes in the case of cremation

1. To rise with Christ, we must die with Christ: we must be away from the body and at home with the Lord (2 Cor 5:8). With the Instruction Piam et Constantem of 5 July 1963, the then Holy Office established that all necessary measures must be taken to preserve the practice of reverently burying the faithful departed, adding however that cremation is not opposed per se to the Christian religion and that no longer should the sacraments and funeral rites be denied to those who have asked that they be cremated, under the condition that this choice has not been made through a denial of Christian dogmas, the animosity of a secret society, or hatred of the Catholic religion and the Church (Acta Apostolica Sedes, 56 (1964), 822-823).  Later this change in ecclesiastical discipline was incorporated into the Code of Canon Law (1983) and the Code of Canons of Oriental Churches (1990).

During the intervening years, the practice of cremation has notably increased in many countries, but simultaneously new ideas contrary to the Church’s faith have also become widespread. Having consulted the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts and numerous Episcopal Conferences and Synods of Bishops of the Oriental Churches, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has deemed opportune the publication of a new Instruction, with the intention of underlining the doctrinal and pastoral reasons for the preference of the burial of the remains of the faithful and to set out norms pertaining to the conservation of ashes in the case of cremation.

2. The resurrection of Jesus is the culminating truth of the Christian faith, preached as an essential part of the Paschal Mystery from the very beginnings of Christianity: For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures; that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures; that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve (1 Cor 15:3-5). Through his death and resurrection, Christ freed us from sin and gave us access to a new life, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life (Rm 6:4). Furthermore, the risen Christ is the principle and source of our future resurrection: Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep … For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive (1 Cor 15:20-22).

It is true that Christ will raise us up on the last day; but it is also true that, in a certain way, we have already risen with Christ. In Baptism, actually, we are immersed in the death and resurrection of Christ and sacramentally assimilated to him: You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead (Col 2:12). United with Christ by Baptism, we already truly participate in the life of the risen Christ (cf Eph 2:6).

Because of Christ, Christian death has a positive meaning. The Christian vision of death receives privileged expression in the liturgy of the Church: Indeed for your faithful, Lord, life is changed not ended, and, when this earthly dwelling turns to dust, an eternal dwelling is made ready for them in heaven (Roman Missal, Preface I for the Dead).  By death the soul is separated from the body, but in the resurrection God will give incorruptible life to our body, transformed by reunion with our soul. In our own day also, the Church is called to proclaim her faith in the resurrection: The confidence of Christians is the resurrection of the dead; believing this we live (Tertullian, De Resurrectione carnis, 1,1: CCL 2, 921).

3. Following the most ancient Christian tradition, the Church insistently recommends that the bodies of the deceased be buried in cemeteries or other sacred places (cf Code of Canon Law, can. 1176, § 3, can. 1205; CCEO, can. 876, § 3; can. 868).  In memory of the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord, the mystery that illumines the Christian meaning of death (cf Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1681), burial is above all the most fitting way to express faith and hope in the resurrection of the body (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2300).

The Church who, as Mother, has accompanied the Christian during his earthly pilgrimage, offers to the Father, in Christ, the child of her grace, and she commits to the earth, in hope, the seed of the body that will rise in glory (cf 1 Cor 15:42-44; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1683).

By burying the bodies of the faithful, the Church confirms her faith in the resurrection of the body (cf Saint Augustine, De cura pro mortuis gerenda, 3, 5; CSEL 41, 628) and intends to show the great dignity of the human body as an integral part of the human person whose body forms part of their identity (Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 14).  She cannot, therefore, condone attitudes or permit rites that involve erroneous ideas about death, such as considering death as the definitive annihilation of the person, or the moment of fusion with Mother Nature or the universe, or as a stage in the cycle of regeneration, or as the definitive liberation from the prison of the body. Furthermore, burial in a cemetery or another sacred place adequately corresponds to the piety and respect owed to the bodies of the faithful departed who through Baptism have become temples of the Holy Spirit and in which “as instruments and vessels the Spirit has carried out so many good works (Saint Augustine, De cura pro mortuis gerenda, 3, 5: CSEL 41, 627).  Tobias, the just, was praised for the merits he acquired in the sight of God for having buried the dead (Tobit 2:9; 12:12), and the Church considers the burial of dead one of the corporal works of mercy (cf Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2300).

Finally, the burial of the faithful departed in cemeteries or other sacred places encourages family members and the whole Christian community to pray for and remember the dead, while at the same time fostering the veneration of martyrs and saints.

Through the practice of burying the dead in cemeteries, in churches or their environs, Christian tradition has upheld the relationship between the living and the dead and has opposed any tendency to minimize, or relegate to the purely private sphere, the event of death and the meaning it has for Christians.

4. In circumstances when cremation is chosen because of sanitary, economic or social considerations, this choice must never violate the explicitly-stated or the reasonably inferable wishes of the deceased faithful. The Church raises no doctrinal objections to this practice, since cremation of the deceased’s body does not affect his or her soul, nor does it prevent God, in his omnipotence, from raising up the deceased body to new life. Thus cremation, in and of itself, objectively negates neither the Christian doctrine of the soul’s immortality nor that of the resurrection of the body (cf Holy Office, Instruction Piam et costantem, 5 July 1963: AAS 56 (1964) 822).

The Church continues to prefer the practice of burying the bodies of the deceased, because this shows a greater esteem towards the deceased. Nevertheless, cremation is not prohibited, “unless it was chosen for reasons contrary to Christian doctrine (Code of Canon Law, can. 1176 § 3; cf. CCEC, can. 876 § 3).  In the absence of motives contrary to Christian doctrine, the Church, after the celebration of the funeral rite, accompanies the choice of cremation, providing the relevant liturgical and pastoral directives, and taking particular care to avoid every form of scandal or the appearance of religious indifferentism.

5. When, for legitimate motives, cremation of the body has been chosen, the ashes of the faithful must be laid to rest in a sacred place, that is, in a cemetery or, in certain cases, in a church or an area, which has been set aside for this purpose, and so dedicated by the competent ecclesial authority. From the earliest times, Christians have desired that the faithful departed become the objects of the Christian community’s prayers and remembrance. Their tombs have become places of prayer, remembrance and reflection. The faithful departed remain part of the Church who believes in the communion of all the faithful of Christ, those who are pilgrims on earth, the dead who are being purified, and the blessed in heaven, all together forming one Church (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 962).

The reservation of the ashes of the departed in a sacred place ensures that they are not excluded from the prayers and remembrance of their family or the Christian community. It prevents the faithful departed from being forgotten, or their remains from being shown a lack of respect, which eventuality is possible, most especially once the immediately subsequent generation has too passed away. Also it prevents any unfitting or superstitious practices.

6. For the reasons given above, the conservation of the ashes of the departed in a domestic residence is not permitted. Only in grave and exceptional cases dependent on cultural conditions of a localized nature, may the Ordinary, in agreement with the Episcopal Conference or the Synod of Bishops of the Oriental Churches, concede permission for the conservation of the ashes of the departed in a domestic residence. Nonetheless, the ashes may not be divided among various family members and due respect must be maintained regarding the circumstances of such a conservation.

7. In order that every appearance of pantheism, naturalism or nihilism be avoided, it is not permitted to scatter the ashes of the faithful departed in the air, on land, at sea or in some other way, nor may they be preserved in mementos, pieces of jewelry or other objects. These courses of action cannot be legitimized by an appeal to the sanitary, social, or economic motives that may have occasioned the choice of cremation.

8. When the deceased notoriously has requested cremation and the scattering of their ashes for reasons contrary to the Christian faith, a Christian funeral must be denied to that person according to the norms of the law (Code of Canon Law, can. 1184; Code of Canons of Oriental Churches, can.876, § 3).

The Sovereign Pontiff Francis, in the Audience granted to the undersigned Cardinal Prefect on 18 March 2016, approved the present Instruction, adopted in the Ordinary Session of this Congregation on 2 March 2016, and ordered its publication.

Rome, from the Offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 15 August 2016, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Gerhard Cardinal Müller

Prefect

Luis F. Ladaria, S.I.

Titular Archbishop of Thibica

Secretary