Pope Francis to visit Bangladesh and Myanmar

Pope Francis will make an Apostolic Journey to Myanmar from 27 to 30 November 2017 and to Bangladesh from 30 November to 2 December 2017.

Greg Burke, Director of the Holy See Press Office, made the official announcement in a statement on Monday.  He said the Pope had welcomed "the invitation of the respective heads of state and bishops".

While in Myanmar (also known as Burma), Pope Francis will visit the cities of Yangon and Nay Pyi Taw. In Bangladesh the Pope will visit Dhaka. The programme for the Pope's Apostolic Journey will be published shortly.

The Motto of Pope Francis’ trip to Bangladesh (November 30-December 2, 2017) is Harmony and Peace, in Bangla Shomprity & Shanti.

Reality and at the same time aspiration of HARMONY among religions, cultures, peoples, society, history, heritage and traditions in Bangladesh. Reality of PEACE experienced, as well as aspired to in the future, with a vision of integrated human and spiritual development in Bangladesh.

Meaning of the Logo
Bird of Peace: Symbolizes Pope Francis, the ambassador of harmony and peace to this land and his free spirit. His presence is a joyful celebration for the nation and for the Church. The bird is designed with the colourful ribbons that explore festive spirit.

Cross and Shapla: Cross symbolizes Christ’s presence and God’s love for humanity. Bangladeshi people of multi-cultures and multi-religions are living together in a spirit of harmony founded on common bond, which is presented by the National Flower Shapla. It also symbolizes life and hope and also expresses that our faith is very much alive even though we are few in number. The bird and flower represent also the Earth, our common home.

The Colours: Green, red, and yellow are national colours of Bangladesh and the Vatican. The combination of these colours symbolizes the unity and lasting friendship between the Vatican and Bangladesh, remembering that the Vatican was one of the first countries to recognize Bangladesh’s Independence in 1971. Blue color in writing symbolizes peace and the clear water of the rivers in Bangladesh.

The visit of our Holy Father is to promote Love and Peace in Myanmar.

Indeed, the Motto of Pope Francis’ trip to Myanmar (November 27-30, 2017) is Love and Peace.

Christian Peace is founded on Love. There cannot be peace without love. Love, which the people of Myanmar value most, will pave the way to peace. The visit of our Holy Father is to promote Love and Peace in Myanmar.

Description and Meaning of the Logo
The shape of the logo is a heart. The common ground of the Christianity and Buddhism is Love. It is this concept that creates mutual respect and acceptance between the Christians and the Buddhists.

The ribbons that form the shape of the heart are two flags: one is of Vatican (yellow and white) and the other (yellow, green and red) is of Myanmar.

The map of Myanmar is colorfully painted like a rainbow. It signifies the multi ethnicity of Myanmar; it has eight major tribes and another 135 ethnic groups with different languages, dialects and culture.

The Holy Father with a dove says that the Holy Father is the messenger of peace.

The defining question

Here is the reflection I shared this weekend with fellow disciples of the Master who constantly invites us to follow in his footsteps and to make disciples of all those we meet.

Who am I?

During this past week, the Pope's Cardinal Secretary of State travelled to Russia.  Following meetings that have taken place between the Holy Father, the President of Russia and the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church – in recent months – Cardinal Parolin was in Russia to continue the development of relations between the Holy See and that country.  These are delicate negotiations: the process can be slow and very detailed, but it must continue until all the details have been settled.  Every new relationship involves a delicate dance, whether it involves new friends, the families of newlyweds or the relationship between God our Father and each one of his disciples.

In each case, developing these relationships is a matter of getting to know one another until we know the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge (Rom 11:33) of the other person’s mind and heart.  In the case of most human relationships, this is only a dream, but when it comes to the relationship between us and God, he willingly opens his mind and heart and allows us to come so close to him that we can truly discover his inscrutable ways (Rom 11:34).

When Jesus called the disciples and invited them to follow him, he began to open his heart to them.  After having had a number of occasions to grow closer to him, to trust him and to begin to love him, he asked them the question that we heard in today’s gospel: Who do people say the Son of Man is? (Mt 16:13), and just when they thought that this was a simple matter of delivering a report, he rephrased the question: But who do you say that I am? (Mt 16:15).  By asking this question, Jesus was testing the level of trust that had been established in the minds and hearts of the disciples.  Peter’s answer may have been tentative at first, but he was courageous enough to voice it and as a reward for his courage, Jesus praised him: Blessed are you Simon ... (Mt 16:17).

Like Peter and the other disciples, Jesus invites each of us to open our hearts, to trust him and to allow him to reveal the riches and wisdom of his heart.  Each of us needs to answer the same question.  Some of us may be like Shebna, the steward mentioned in the book of Isaiah (cf Is 22:15, 19-23).  He was comfortable, but the Lord challenged the sincerity of his relationship.  If the Lord were to challenge the sincerity of our relationships with Him, would he discover the skepticism of the steward or the steadfast trust of the humble disciple?

Qui suis-je?

Pendant cette semaine, le Cardinal Secrétaire d’État du Pape a fait un voyage jusqu’en Russie.  Suite aux réunions qui ont eu lieu entre le Saint-Père, le Président de la Russie et le chef de l’Église Orthodoxe Russe, le Cardinal Parolin continue le développement des relations officiels entre le Saint-Siège et la Russie.  Les négociations qui se font sont délicates: il faut procéder peu à peu jusqu’au temps où tous les détails seront mis en place.  Cette même situation délicate se montre chaque fois qu’une nouvelle relation est établie: entre des nouveaux amis, entre les parents des jeunes mariés et entre Dieu notre Père et chacun de ses disciples.

Dans chaque cas, développer ces relations est une question de connaissance mutuelle jusqu’à ce que nous découvrions la profondeur dans la richesse, la sagesse et la connaissance (Rom 11,33) de l’esprit et du coeur de l’autre personne.  Pour ce qu’il touche la plupart des relations humains, ce n’est qu’un rêve, mais quand il s’agit de notre relation avec le Seigneur, Il nous offre la plenitude de son esprit et son coeur en nous permettant de nous rapprocher jusqu’au point où nous pouvons vraiment découvrir ses chemins impénétrables (Rom 11,34).

Lorsque Jésus a appelé les disciples et les a invités à le suivre, il a commencé à leur ouvrir son coeur.  Après avoir profité de plusieurs occasions afin de se rapprocher de lui, de lui faire confiance et de l’aimer, il leur a posé la question que nous avons entendue dans l’évangile d’aujourd’hui:  Au dire des gens, qui est le Fils de l’homme? (Mt 16,13), et lorsqu’ils se pensaient que ce n’était qu’une simple occasion de donner un rapport de sondage, il a reformulé la question: Et vous, que dites-vous? Pour vous, qui suis-je? (Mt 16:15).  En posant cette question, Jésus voulait vérifier le niveau de confiance qui avait été établie dans l'esprit et le coeur des disciples.  Peut-être que la réponse de Pierre a été provisoire, mais il était au moins assez courageux pour l’exprimer et en récompense pour son courage, Jésus l’a loué: Heureux es-tu Simon ... (Mt 16,17).

Comme Pierre et les autres disciples, Jésus nous invite à lui ouvrir nos coeurs, à lui faire confiance et à lui permettre de révéler la richesse et la sagesse de son coeur.  Chacun d’entre nous doit répondre à la même question.  Certains d’entre nous peuvent y répondre comme Shebna, le gouverneur dont on parle dans la première lecture (cf Is 22, 15, 19-23).  Il était comfortable mais le Seigneur voulait vérifier sa sincérité.  Si le Seigneur devait vérifier la sincérité de notre relation avec lui, découvrait-il le scepticisme du gouverneur ou la confiance constante de l’humble disciple?

Angelus about discipleship and faith

At noon today (Rome time), 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.

Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

prior to the recitation of the Angelus

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

This Sunday's gospel (Mt 16:13-20) recounts a key passage in Jesus' journey with his disciples: the moment when He wanted to verify the strength of their faith in Him.  First, he wanted to know what people were thinking about Him; and people were thinking that Jesus was a prophet, something that was true, but that did not define who he was, it did not describe the focus of his mission.  Then, turning the question to his disciples - those who were closest to his heart - he asked them directly: But you, who do you say that I am? (Mt 16:15).  And with this but, Jesus decisively separates the Apostles from the rest of the people, as if to say: but you, who are with me every day and know me up close, what more have you learned about me?  The Master expected from them a higher answer, different from the response of public opinion.  And, indeed, this higher answer comes from the heart of Simon Peter: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God (Mt 16:16).  Simon Peter found words on his lips that were larger than himself, words that did not come from his own natural capacity.  It is possible that he did not attend elementary school, and yet he was capable of speaking such words, stronger than he was!  These words were inspired by our heavenly Father (cf Mt 16:17), who revealed Jesus' true identity first to the Twelve: He is the Messiah, the Son who was sent by the Father to save humanity.  In this response, Jesus understood that, thanks to the faith which was given by the Father, there was a solid foundation on which he could build his community, his Church.  This was the reason why he said to Simon: You, Simon, you are Peter - which means rock - and upon this rock I will build my Church (Mt 16:18).

Also with us today, Jesus wants to continue building his Church, this house with its solid foundation, but where there is no shortage of cracks that still need to be repaired.  Always.  The Church constantly needs to be reformed, repaired.  We certainly don't feel like rocks, only like small stones.  Nonetheless, no small stone is useless; indeed, in Jesus' hands, even the smallest stones are precious because He gathers them up, looks at them with tenderness, forms them with the help of his Spirit and puts them in the right places, where he has always known they belong and where they can be most useful for the overall construction.  Each one of us is a small stone, but in Jesus' hands, we participate in the building of the Church, and all of us, no matter how small, we are living stones, for when Jesus takes our stones into his hands, he makes us his, he gives us life, he fills us with life, he fills us with the Holy Spirit, he fills us with the life of his love, and therefore we have a place, a mission in the Church: a living community, made up of so many stones, each one of them is different but together we form a unique building, a sign of fraternity and communion.

Moreover, today's gospel reminds us that Jesus also desired a visible centre for his Church, for the community, and this focus was Peter - he too was not a great or big stone, only a small one, but held in Jesus' hands, he became the centre of communion - in Peter and in those who have succeeded him with the primatial responsibility, the ones who have from the very beginning been identified as the Bishops of Rome, the city where Peter and Paul bore the witness of their blood.

Let us entrust ourselves to Mary, the Queen of Apostles, Mother of the Church.  She was in the cenacle (the Upper Room), beside Peter, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles and motivated them to go out, to proclaim to all people that Jesus is Lord.  Today, our Mother supports us and accompanies us with her intercession, so that the fullness of unity and communion, for which Jesus and his Apostles prayed and for which they gave their lives, may truly come to be.



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

Dear brothers and sisters, major flooding has struck in Bangladesh, in Nepal and in India.  I wish to express my closeness to those people and to reassure them that I am praying for the victims and for all those who are suffering because of this calamity.

Sad news has arrived concerning the persecution of the Rohingya religious minority, our brothers and sisters.  I wish to express my closeness to all of them; and let us all ask the Lord to save them and to raise up men and women of good will to help them, to assure them the fullness of their rights.  Let us pray together for our Rohingya brothers and sisters.

I greet all of you, faithful of Rome and pilgrims from Italy and from other countries: families, parish groups and associations.

In particular, I greet the members of the Third Order Carmelites; the youth from Tombelle, in the diocese of Padua ... there are many of you! - who have recently celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation; and the group from Lodivecchio: they are very brave, they have come here on foot, on pilgrimage, the final part from Via Francigena.  Be as courageous in all aspects of your life!

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

In his remarks today, the Holy Father appealed for an end to the violent persecution of the minority Rohingya population in Burma. The Rohingya are an ethnic minority who live mostly in Rakhine State – sometimes styled Arakan – on the western coast of Burma, and practice Islam. The government of Burma – also known as Myanmar – does not recognize the citizenship or the ethnic minority status of the Rohingya.

After several years of fighting with the majority Buddhist population in the state, Rohingya began fleeing their native land en masse, precipitating a refugee crisis. Organized violence against the Rohingya, with the participation of government forces, has been underway since at least 2015, with spikes of intensity in 2016 and 2017.

Nearly 100 thousand Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh in the past year, though the Bangladeshi government has yet to recognize the refugee status of the displaced minority.

Pope Francis’ appeal today follows fighting between the Rohingya and the regular Burmese army on Friday in the city of Maungdaw, which are reported to be the worst since October of last year, and have prompted evacuations from the area of government personnel and of non-Muslims. Nearly 100 people are officially reported dead in the ongoing clashes, including 80 Rohingya insurgents and 12 members of the Burmese security forces deployed in the theatre.

Church organizations respond to famine crisis

In February 2017, the United Nations declared that there are 20 million people, including 1.4 million vulnerable children, at risk of death over the coming months in four countries (South Sudan, Yemen, northeast Nigeria and Somalia) due to food shortages. The Catholic Bishops of South Sudan issued two communiqués appealing for international assistance and calling for peace and reconciliation among their people. The famine crisis results from ongoing armed conflicts and severe droughts, with hundreds of thousands of people being displaced from their homes and land. Prior to this, a declaration of famine had not been made by the UN since July 2011 when some 260,000 people died in Somalia – half of them children under the age of five.

On April 27, 2017, the Most Reverend Douglas Crosby, O.M.I., Bishop of Hamilton and President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), the Most Reverend Archbishop Fred J. Hiltz, Primate of The Anglican Church of Canada, and the Reverend Douglas H. Rollwage, Moderator of the 2016 General Assembly of The Presbyterian Church in Canada signed a joint ecumenical letter addressed to the Prime Minister of Canada concerning the deteriorating situation in South Sudan.

In June 2017, a national ecumenical and interfaith appeal entitled Pray – Give – Speak – Out was launched to help address the severe food crises in South Sudan, Yemen, northeast Nigeria and Somalia. Twenty-seven faith communities in Canada mobilized in response to one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises since the Second World War: the grim reality of multiple famines occurring simultaneously in four separate countries. Three Canadian Catholic aid agencies coordinate action in response to the appeal.

In this televised round table discussion, leaders of four Catholic agencies speak about the famine and the Church’s response to this major crisis affecting millions of people. Father Thomas Rosica, CSB, CEO of Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation moderates the conversation between Most Reverend Douglas Crosby, O.M.I., Bishop of Hamilton and President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops; Luke Stocking, the Central Ontario animator for the Catholic Organization for Development and Peace; Marie-Claude Lalonde, National Director of Aid to the Church in Need; and Jenny Cafiso, Director of Canadian Jesuits International.

Greetings to Częstochowa

Pope Francis has sent a video message to pilgrims participating in celebrations being held today for the Feast of Our Lady of Częstochowa at her shrine in that central Polish city.

This year marks the 300th anniversary of the coronation of the Black Madonna, as the icon of Our Lady housed in the shrine in the monastery of Jasna Gora.

Video Message of His Holiness, Pope Francis

addressed to pilgrims gathered to celebrate

the Feast of Our Lady of Częstochowa

Dear pilgrims,

I greet you all with great affection, especially those of you who have travelled long distances to be there today, together with my dear brother Bishops and the priests, at the spiritual centre of the country.

If Częstochowa is at the heart of Poland, it means that Poland has a maternal heart; it means that every life-giving heartbeat takes place together with the Mother of God.  To her, you have the practice of entrusting everything: the past, the present, the future, the joys and the worries of your personal lives and those of your beloved country.  This is very beautiful.  It is very beautiful for me to remember having done just that with you, last year, when I gazed upon the eyes of the Mother, when I looked into the eyes of Our Lady, entrusting to her heart all that was in my heart and in yours.  I am grateful for the vivid memories I still hold of those moments, the joy of having visited and celebrated the 1,050th anniversary of the baptism of Poland as a pilgrim under the gaze of the Mother.

Another occasion of grace gathers you in great numbers there today: three hundred years ago, the Pope granted permission to place the papal crown on the image of the Madonna of Jasna Gora, your Queen.  It is a great honour to have a Queen for your Mother, the Queen of the Angels and the Saints, who gloriously reigns in heaven, but it is even more a joyous thing to know that you have a Queen who is your Mother, that you love as your Mother the one who is called Our Lady.  In fact, the sacred image demonstrates that Mary is not a distant Queen who is seated on a throne, but a Mother who embraces her Son and, with Him, all of us her children.  She is a true Mother, with a scarred face, a Mother who suffers because she truly takes to heart all the problems of our lives.  She is a Mother who is close to us, who never loses sight of us; she is a tender Mother, who holds us by the hand as we journey day by day through life.

This is what I hope you experience during this solemn Jubilee which is being celebrated: that this will be a favourable time for you to truly feel that none of us is an orphan, we all have a Mother right beside us, a Queen who is unsurpassed in tenderness.  She knows us and accompanies us with her typically maternal style: at the same time meek and courageous; never invasive but always persevering in doing good; patient in the face of evil and active in promoting concord.

May Our Lady give you the grace of spending these days together, as a family reunited around its Mother.  In this spirit of ecclesial communion, made even stronger by the bond that unites Poland to the successor of Peter, I willingly impart my Apostolic Blessing and I ask all of you, please, to pray for me.  Thank you.

His protection for those he has chosen

Here is the text of the homily I prepared for the celebration that took place today in the faith community of Ste-Famille in Blind River.

Homélie pour la messe funèbre 

en honneur de Mme Cécile Marie Ida Ménard

Nous sommes réunis ce matin afin d’entourer de notre présence et notre affection tous les enfants et les parents de notre cher soeur Cécile qui nous a quitté cette semaine.  Le jour même où elle est entrée au royaume des cieux, le soleil cessa (Lc 23,44) pour au moins quelques minutes.  Une éclipse solaire est un phénomène rare qui fait que tout le monde s’arrête et regarde vers les cieux.  Voici ce que nous sommes en train de faire aujourd’hui en offrant nos prières et en célébrant l’accomplissement des promesses qui ont été faites à Cécile dès le jour de son baptême.

Nous croyons qu’ayant vécu ces quatre-vingt-dix ans sur terre, après avoir partagé tant de moments mémorables avec nous, après avoir enseigné tant de jeunes, après avoir nourri tant d’esprits et d’âmes, c’est à son tour de connaître maintenant la plénitude de la vie en présence de Dieu.

Suite au décès de Jésus sur la croix, l’évangile nous explique qu’un homme nommé Joseph – un homme bon et juste – s’est chargé de descendre le corps de la croix, de l’envelopper dans un drap de lin et de le déposer dans un tombeau ... (Lc 23, 50-53).  Pendant ces quelques jours qui se sont écroulés depuis le décès de notre chère Cécile, nous nous sommes préparés pour ce jour où nous aussi, nous allons enterrer sa dépouille mortelle.  Comme était le cas pour Joseph d’Arimathée ceci est un acte de respect pour Cécile mais c’est également un acte de foi car nous croyons que son âme est déjà parti, retourné entre les mains du Seigneur qui l’a créée.

Voici la vérité que nous avons entendu dans la première lecture de cette célébration: les âmes des justes sont entre les mains de Dieu (Sagesse 3,1) inclu celui de notre chère Cécile.  Aucun tourment ne l’attendra plus.

Confions donc l’âme immortelle de Cécile entre les mains de notre Seigneur Jésus Christ.  Prions ensemble qu’il l’accordera la récompense qu’elle mérite et ayons confiance que la promesse de la vie éternelle sera également réalisée pour nous qui sommes attachés au Seigneur, car il assure sa protection à ceux qu’il a choisi (Sagesse 3, 9).

Homily for the Funeral Mass

celebrated for Cecile Marie Ida Menard

This morning, we have gathered in order to surround the children and relatives of our dear sister Cécile - who died earlier this week - with our presence and our affection.  On the very day when she entered into the kingdom of heaven, darkness fell over the whole land (Lk 23:44) for at least a few minutes.  A solar eclipse is a rare event, an occasion for everyone to stop and to look up toward the heavens.  This is exactly what we are doing today as we offer our prayers and celebrate the fulfillment of the promise that was made to Cécile on the day of her Baptism.

We believe that having lived on this earth for the past ninety years, having shared many memorable moments with us, having taught so many children, having nourished so many spirits and souls, it is now her turn to experience the fullness of life in the presence of God.

Following the death of Jesus on the cross, the gospel tells us that a man named Joseph - a good and upright man - took the body down from the cross, wrapped it in a linen cloth and laid Him in a tomb ... (Lk 23:50-53).  For the past few days, since the death of our beloved Cécile, we have been preparing for this day, on which we will also bury her mortal remains.  As was the case for Joseph of Arimathea, what we do today is an act of respect for Cécile, but also an act of faith because we believe that her soul has already departed this world, returned to the arms of the Lord who created her.

This is the truth that we heard in the first reading of today's celebration: the souls of the virtuous are in the hands of God (Wisdom 3:1), and this includes the soul of our dear Cécile.  No torment will ever touch her now.

Therefore, let us confide Cécile's immortal soul to our Lord Jesus Christ.  Together, let us pray that he will grant her the reward that she deserves and let us be confident that the promise of eternal life will also be granted to us who trust in him, ... for those who are faithful will live with him in love (Wisdom 3:9).

A constructive visit to Russia

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, is just returned from a 4-day state visit to Russia, with which he says Pope Francis is pleased. In an exclusive interview with Vatican media on Friday, Cardinal Parolin reviewed his state visit to Russia this week, pointing out its highlights and the issues as yet unresolved between the Holy See and the Russian Federation.

Pope Francis ‘pleased’ with Parolin’s visit
Cardinal Parolin said he briefed Pope Francis immediately upon his return to the Vatican on Thursday. He said the Pope was pleased with the impressions and positive results which I shared with him.

The Pope as we know – and as he repeated also in this instance – is very, very attentive to all possible occasions for dialogue. He is very attentive to evaluating all existing occasions for dialogue, and he is very happy when steps forward are made in this direction.

Cardinal Parolin said he relayed the many greetings he was asked to give the Pope from all the people I met, including the warmth and closeness of the Catholic community… and the fraternal greetings of Patriarch Kirill.

Constructive, positive visit
The Vatican Secretary of State said he thought the outcome of the trip was substantially positive. Cardinal Parolin met with civil authorities, including President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergej Lavrov, as well as with Russian Orthodox leaders Patriarch Kirill and Metropolitan Hilarion. These meetings, he said, were truly characterized by a cordial, listening, and respectful climate. I would define them as important and constructive encounters.

During his meeting with Mister Lavrov, Cardinal Parolin brought up the needs of the local Catholic Church, especially the need for several churches confiscated by the Communist regime to be returned. He said the local Catholic community needs these churches in order to provide adequate places of worship.

Relations with Russian Orthodox Church
Cardinal Parolin told Vatican media his meeting with Patriarch Kirill took place in the new climate established in recent years, beginning with the 2016 meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill in Havana, Cuba. “We spoke a little about this new climate or atmosphere, which permeates the relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church.

Cardinal Parolin said his Orthodox interlocutors were touched by the faith and religiosity of the people on display as the relics of Saint Nicholas of Myra visited Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Some 2.5 million people visited the relics before they were returned to Bari in Italy.

It was underlined how even many Russians, who belong to the Orthodox tradition but do not practice, in this occasion have moved closer to the Church.

Other topics discussed, he said, were ways treated in an atmosphere of taking advantage of this new climate to further improve relations and collaborate on cultural, academic, and humanitarian issues. He said both parties greatly insisted on the need for the two Churches to carry out incisive and efficacious humanitarian work in the many situations of conflict around the world.

Slightly thorny issues were also touched on, respectfully and at the same time frankly, regarding relations between the two Churches. But, we tried to give them – at least in my opinion, from what I was able to glean – a positive sense, that is, to explore common paths for dealing with and for seeking to give birth to a solution to these problems.

Situation in Ukraine
Turning to the situation in Ukraine, Cardinal Parolin said that, for now, there is no news; perhaps, it is premature.

If there are seeds of good, which we have sought to sow, he said, we hope the Lord will make them sprout and bring them to fruition.

He said the Ukrainian question is of great concern for the Holy See.

The Pope has spoken on this theme several times. It’s obvious that it could not be ignored, this theme; it couldn’t be forgotten in that circumstance. Above all, I would speak of the need to try to see and to evaluate if there were some concrete steps that could be made towards a durable and just solution to the conflict, within the instruments currently available, which are practically the Agreement between the two Parties. It has been noted that the Holy See has insisted above all on the humanitarian aspects, beginning with the important initiative of the Pope for Ukraine. In this sense, for example, one theme is that of the liberation of prisoners. This is one humanitarian theme that could be truly important to giving a little impetus to the whole process, even the political one, in order to get out of this situation of stasis and to advance – for example –the theme of a truce or ceasefire, the theme of security conditions in the territory, and the theme of the political conditions necessary to make progress on a global solution.

Meeting with President Putin
Cardinal Parolin said his meeting with President Putin in Sochi on Wednesday was a cordial encounter. He said the two men discussed the conflicts in the Middle East, especially in Syria, and the presence of Christians there. Both Russia and the Holy See, he said, are particularly interested in the theme of persecution of Christians and other minorities. They also discussed the situations in Ukraine and Venezuela, both of which Cardinal Parolin also discussed with Foreign Minister Lavrov on Tuesday. Cardinal Parolin said he presented the Russian president with several situations of some difficulty for the Catholic community. His main point, he said, was the desire to transmit the important role Russia has to play in promoting peace.

Russia, for its geographical position, its history, its culture, and its past, present, and future, has an important role to play in the international community and in the world. Therefore, it has a particular responsibility regarding peace: both the country and its leaders have a great responsibility to build peace, and they must truly strive to put the higher interests of peace above all other interests.

Highlights of the visit
Finally, the Cardinal Secretary of State highlighted three moments, which he found especially touching. The first, he said, was the beautiful moment of the Mass celebrated with the Catholic community. The Cathedral was packed full of people, and that was somewhat of a surprise since it was a weekday. He also said he was touched by the faith and devotion of the people and by their attachment to the Pope.

Second was his brief visit to the sisters of Mother Teresa in Moscow. We were able to meet and greet all the people they assist, and even there the warmth they have the for the Pope was evident.

Lastly, he mentioned his visit to the Orthodox Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow one evening. The cathedral had been blown up during the Communist regime. So it was also a moment to recall this painful history, during which some people wanted to completely uproot the faith from the heart of the people and eliminate any sign of the presence of God and the Church in that land.

He said that this attempt did not succeed, because God is greater than the projects of men.

Greetings to students at an Argentinian prison

The Holy Father, Pope Francis has sent a video message to the Centre for University Students at the Ezeiza Federal Penitentiary (Argentina).

Video Message of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

addressed to university students at the

Ezeiza Federal Penitentiary in Argentina

A warm greeting to my friends, who form part of the University Students’ Centre of Ezeiza, a greeting that will recall those Sunday calls that I made to the prison. I am aware of all your activities and the existence of this area makes me very happy – an area of work, of culture, of progress; it’s a sign of humanity. And it wouldn’t be able to exist if there were not among you persons of so much human sensibility, among the inmates, the agents of the penitentiary service, managers, judges, members of the University of Buenos Aires and the students. Thank you.

Now a further step. You boosted the opening of the music workshop. I want to thank all those who helped in this initiative: the leader, Mister Claudio Segura; the Director, Mister Alejandro Gonzalez; the support and guarantee of the University of Buenos Aires and of the Judicial Power and, above all, the secretaries of the Court of Appeal, Luis and Victor; and the inmates in charge of the Students’ Centre – Marcelino, Guille. Edo – whom I know by telephone. Thank you for all you’ve done.

What is happening in your prison is a breath of life. And life – you know – is a gift, but a gift that must be won every day. We are given it, but we must win it every day. We must win it at every step of life's journey. A gift that’s not easy to keep. Courage, every day there are many difficulties, we all have them, but we take care of that gift and make it progress, we take care of it and make it flower.

Inmates are paying a penalty, a penalty for an error committed. However, let’s not forget that for the penalty to be fruitful it must have a horizon of hope, otherwise it remains shut-in on itself and is only an instrument of torture; it’s not fruitful. Penalty with hope is fruitful. The hope of social reinsertion and for that, social training, looking toward the future, and this is what you are doing. With this new music workshop you are looking to social reinsertion, you are already reinserting yourselves with your studies, with the University of Buenos Aires you are looking toward social reinsertion. It’s a penalty with hope, a penalty with horizon. I say it again, there are and there will be problems, but the horizon is greater than the problems, hope overcomes all problems.

Dear friends, I pray for you, I keep you close to my heart, I ask you not to forget to do the same for me. May God bless you and keep going forward, always with a smile — until our next call.

Reflections shared about the Liturgy

At noon today (Rome time), in the Paul VI Hall, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in Audience the participants taking part in the 68th National (Italian) Liturgical Week which is organized around the theme: A lively liturgy for a living Church.  This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Centre for Liturgical Action.

Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

addressed to the participants

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning.

I welcome all of you and I thank your President, His Excellency, Claudio Maniago, for the words with which he presented this National Liturgical Week, 70 years after the foundation of the Centre for Liturgical Action.

This period of time represents an era during which, in the history of the Church and, in particular, in the history of liturgy, some particularly important events - rather than merely superficial ones - have taken place.  How can we ever forget the Second Vatican Council and the liturgical reform that resulted from its study and deliberation?

These are two events that are closely related: the Council and reform: both came to fruition not by any accident but following a long period of preparation.  The fruit of the Council's work is something called the liturgical movement, the responses provided by the Supreme Pontiffs to various discomforts perceived in liturgical prayer; when a need is perceived, even if there is no immediate apparent solution, we need to start the ball rolling.

I think of Saint Pius X who reorganized sacred music (cf Motu proprio Tra le sollecitudini, 22 novembre 1903 and the celebratory restoration of Sunday (cf Apostolic Constitution Divino afflatu, 1 novembre 1911 and instituted a commissariat for the general reform of the liturgy, knowing that this would have represented a very large but short-lived effort; and therefore - as he himself acknowledged - it was necessary that many years pass by before this, so to speak, liturgical edifice ... was to reappear once again in its full dignity and harmony, having been cleaned of the squalor of aging (Motu proprio Abhinc duos annos, 23 ottobre 1913).

The work of reform was resumed by Pius XII with the Encyclical Mediator Dei and the institution of a study commission (cf Sacrae Congregationum Rituum, Sectio historica, 71, Memoria sulla riforma liturgica, 1946).  He also made concrete decisions about the version of the Psalter (cf Pius XII, Motu proprio In cotidianis precibus, 24 marzo 1945), the establishment of the Eucharistic fast, the use of current languages in the Rituals, some important reforms to the Pascal Liturgy and to the liturgies of Holy Week (cf Sacrae Congregationum Rituum, Decretum Dominicae Resurrectionis, 9 February 1951; Decretum Maxima Redemptionis, 16 November 1955).  From this beginning and the example of other nations, there arose in Italy a Centre for Liturgical Action, guided by the vigilance of the Bishops for the people entrusted to them and enlivened by scholars who loved the Church and paid particular attention to liturgical formation.

The Second Vatican Council then produced, as good fruit from the tree of the Church, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum concilium, whose general lines of reform responded to real needs and concrete hopes for renewal: a desire for a lively liturgy for a Church that is truly vivified by the mysteries that are celebrated.  It was a matter of expressing in a renewed way the perpetual vitality of the Church at prayer, so that the faithful might not be present as strangers and mere spectators to this mystery of faith, but, properly understanding it by means of rituals and prayers, consciously, fully and actively participating in the sacred action (SC, 48).  Blessed Paul VI recalled this hope when he explained the first steps of the reform: It is good that we should know that it is indeed within the Church's authority to desire, to promote and to bring about this new manner of praying, thus increasing its spiritual mission ...; and we should not hesitate first of all to become disciples ad then supporters of the school of prayer which is about to begin (General Audience, 13 January 1965).

The directives mapped out by the Council were shaped according to the principle of respect for the healthy tradition and legitimate progress (cf SC, 23) outlined in the liturgical books promulgated by Blessed Paul VI, well received by the Bishops who were present at the Council, and used almost universally for 50 years within the Roman Rites.  Practical applications, guided by the Episcopal Councils in their respective countries, are still in progress, since it is not enough to reform liturgical books in order to renew a mentality.  Books reformed according to the decrees of the Second Vatican Council have initiated a process that takes time, involving faithful reception, obedient practice, clever celebratory implementation first of all on the part of ordained ministers, but also by other ministers, cantors and all those who participate in the liturgy.  In truth, we know that the liturgical education of Pastors and the faithful is a challenge which must be taken up again and again.  That same Paul VI, one year before his death, said to the Cardinals gathered in Consistory: The moment has come, now, to definitively let go of disruptive ferments which are equally pernicious in one sense or another, and to integrally apply justly inspired criteria for reforms which We approved in application of the Council's intent.

Today, we still have work to do in this domain, in particular in rediscovering the motives for the decisions that we implemented in the liturgical reform, overcoming superficial and unfounded readings, partial revelations and practices that disfigure it.  It is not a matter of rethinking the reform or rethinking its choices, so much as it is a matter of knowing the underlying reasons, including through historical documentation, of internalizing its inspirational principles and observing the disciplines that govern it.  After this magisterium, after this long journey, may we affirm with surety and with magisterial authority that the liturgical reform is irreversible.

The task of promoting and caring for the liturgy is entrusted by right to the Apostolic See and to the diocesan Bishops, upon whom the responsibility and authority rest at the present moment; in addition, there are national and diocesan organizations dedicated to the pastoral care of the liturgy, and there are Institutes of formation and Seminaries which are also dedicated to this work  In the field of education, there is a specific group in Italy known as the Centre for Liturgical Action which has its own initiatives, among which is the annual Liturgical Week.

Having retraced this path, I would now like to touch upon some aspects in the light of the theme you have chosen to reflect during these days, that is: A lively liturgy for a living Church.

• The liturgy is alive by reason of the living presence of the One who by dying has destroyed death and by rising has restored us to life (Preface I for Easter).  Without the real presence of the mystery of Christ, there is no life to the liturgy.  As is the case where without a heartbeat there is no human life, so without the pulsing heart of Christ, there can be no liturgical action.  That which defines the liturgy is in fact the bringing about, in sacred signs, of the priesthood of Jesus Christ, the offering of his life to the point of stretching out his arms on a cross, a priesthood that is constantly present through rites and prayers, most of all in his Body and Blood, but also in the person of the priest, in the proclamation of the Word of God and in the assembly gathered in prayer in his name (cf SC, 7).  Among the visible signs of the invisible Mystery is the altar, the sign of Christ the living stone which has been discarded by men but has become the cornerstone of the spiritual building in which the worship of the living God is offered in spirit and in truth (cf 1 Peter 2:4; Eph 2:20).   For this reason, the altar, the centre toward which our Churches converge (cf Ordinamento generale del Messale Romano, n. 299; Rite of dedicating an altar, Premesse, nn. 155, 159), is dedicated using Chrism oil, incense, kissed, venerated: toward the altar, our gaze is fixed, around them priests and faithful gather for the sacred assembly (Rite of dedication of an altar, 213, Preface); on the altar is placed the offering of the Church which the Spirit consecrates, the sacrament of Christ's sacrifice; from the altar, we receive the bread of life and the chalice of salvation so that in Christ, we may become one body and one spirit (Eucharistic Prayer III).

• The liturgy is life for the entire Church population (SC, 23).  By its nature, the liturgy is in fact an act of the people and not something clerical, being - as its etymology teaches - an action for the people, but also by the people.  As we are reminded by many liturgical prayers, it is the action that God himself accomplishes in favour of his people, but also the action of his people who are listening as God speaks and they respond by praising him and invoking his help, approaching the inexhaustible font of life and of mercy that flows from the sacred signs.  The Church at prayer gathers all those whose hearts are listening to the gospel, without neglecting anyone: this gathering includes the little ones and the great ones, the rich and the poor, the young and the elderly, the healthy and the sick, just ones and sinners.  Along with the immense multitude that celebrates the liturgy in the heavenly shrine (cf Rev 7:9), the liturgical assembly surpasses, in Christ, every limit of age, race, language and nation.  The popular reach of the liturgy reminds us that it is inclusive and not exclusive, advocating communion with everyone but never homologous, for it calls each person, with his or her own vocation and origin, to contribute to the building up of the body of Christ: the Eucharist is not a sacrament 'for me', it is a sacrament for many who form one body, the holy people who are faithful to God (Homily for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, 18 June 2017).  Therefore, we should never forget that the liturgy is first and foremost the expression of the piety of the entire people of God, exercised through the many exercises and devotions that we know by the name of popular piety, each to be valued and encouraged in harmony with the liturgy (cf Evangelii Gaudium, 122-126).

• The liturgy is life and not merely an idea to be understood.  In fact, it allows us to an initiating experience, transforming the way we think and behave, and not by enriching its own ideas about understanding God.  Liturgical worship is not merely and primarily a doctrine to be understood, or a rite to be accomplished; it is naturally this too, but in another way, it is essentially different: it is a source of life and of light for our journey of faith (Homily for the Mass of III Sunday of Lent, celebrated in the Roman Parish of All Saints, 7 March 2015). Spiritual reflections are different from the liturgy, which is the very act of entering into the mystery of God; allowing ourselves to be led to the mystery of being in mystery (Homily for the Mass celebrated at Casa Santa Marta, 10 February 2014).  There is a beautiful difference between saying that God exists and feeling that God loves us just as we are, here and now.  In liturgical prayer, we experience the significant communion which does not come from an abstract thought but from the actions effected by God within us, Christ and the Church (Homily for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, 18 June 2017).  The rites and the prayers (cf SC, 48), based on what they are and not on the explanations that we provide, therefore become a school of Christian life, open to all those who have ears, eyes and hearts that are willing to learn the vocation and the mission of the disciples of Jesus.  This is in line with the mystagogical catechetical practice of the Fathers, followed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church which speaks about the liturgy, the Eucharist and other Sacraments in the light of the texts and rights of today's liturgical books.

The Church is truly alive if, forming one living being with Christ, it is a bearer of life, maternal and missionary, going out to meet others, ready to serve without seeking any worldly power which would make it sterile.  Therefore, celebrating the sacred mysteries, we recall Mary, the Virgin of the Magnificat, contemplating in her as in the most pure image, that which we all desire and hope to be (SC, 103).

Finally, I cannot forget that the richness of the Catholic Church in prayer reaches beyond the Roman Rite, which, while being the largest is not the only rite.  There is harmony between the ritual traditions of the East and the West, for the breath of the same Spirit gives voice to the one Church at prayer for Christ, with Christ and in Christ, to the glory of the Father and for the salvation of the world.

Dear brothers and sisters, I thank you for your visit and I encourage the organizers of the Centre for Liturgical Action to continue, keeping faith in your original inspirations, to serve prayer and the holy people of God.  In fact, the Centre for Liturgical Action has always distinguished itself by the care given to the liturgy, in faithfulness to the directions received from the Apostolic See and from the Bishops and enjoying their support.  The well-established experience of the Liturgical Week, which has been held in many of the dioceses throughout Italy, together with the review entitled Liturgica, have helped to continue liturgical renewal in the lives of many parishes, seminaries and religious communities.  There is no lack of work, but neither is there any lack of joy!  This is still the commitment I ask of you today: help the ordained ministers, as well as other ministers, the cantors, the artists and the musicians to work together so that the liturgy may be a source and culmination of the vitality of the Church (cf SC, 10).

I ask you please to pray for me and I give you my Apostolic Blessing.

A Cardinal meets a President

Photo courtesy of the Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin received Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, at the presidential residence in Sochi, Russia, on Wednesday, August 23, 2017, reported the Kremlin’s Website. The situation of Christians in the Middle East region and North Africa, the situation in Syria and in Ukraine, were to be the order of the day.

According to the Holy See Press Office, the talks lasted approximately an hour and they were carried out in a positive, cordial climate, of respect and mutual listening, with an open exchange of views on both international and bilateral themes.

The meeting was an occasion to exchange ideas on current questions of the international agenda, reads a press release. President Putin greeted his guest, recalling the warm welcome he received from Pope Francis at the Vatican in November 2013 and in June 2015.

We appreciate the trusting and constructive dialogue that has developed between the Holy See and Russia, he said. We are very happy that the dialogue continues between the two Churches. I know you had a conversation with Patriarch Kirill. We welcome this dialogue, which began directly between the Holy See and the Russian Orthodox Church.

The humanitarian values that the Holy See and the Russian Orthodox Church defend, added President Putin, are without a doubt at the heart of relations between the two Churches, and at the base of relations between Russia as State and the Vatican.

Cardinal Parolin also recalled these ecumenical relations. In these relations between the Churches, I see a new dynamic that has appeared these last years and these last months. I hope that all the participants will continue in the same direction, so that our interaction will be even more vast and closer, he said.

The Vatican adds that the Secretary of State has given to President Putin a bronze representation of an olive tree stick, which is a symbol of peace. The Russian President has offered a series of collectable coins dedicated to the Sochi Olympic Games in 2014.

Cardinal Parolin has returned to Moscow at the end of this third day in Russia. Tomorrow morning, August 24, he will celebrate a private mass in the Nunciature before flying back to Rome.

Cardinal Parolin meets Patriarch Krill

Yesterday, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow received the Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin at the patriarchal and synodal residence of Saint Daniel’s monastery in Russia. At the heart of the exchanges was, most notably: aid to Christians of the Middle East, the Ukrainian conflict, and the development of relations between the two Churches.

This was a highly symbolic ecumenical meeting, which attests to the thaw in relations between the Vatican and the Orthodox Patriarchate of Moscow. Vatican Radio reported that Cardinal Parolin transmitted greetings from Pope Francis to his brother Krill.

According to the same source, the meeting furnished an occasion to recall the convergence between the Holy See and the Russian Orthodox Church on several questions, including humanitarian assistance to populations who have become victims of conflicts in the Near East.

Also on the list of exchanges was the conflict in Ukraine, on which contrasts exist always concerning the very delicate question of relations with the four million Greek-Catholics. However, Vatican Radio believes that it’s not a dossier that creates an obstacle to dialogue.

In this connection, following a press release issued by the Patriarchate, Patriarch Kirill stressed in this regard that the Church can play no other role than a peaceful role while people are in conflict with one another.

For Cardinal Parolin, the historic meeting between the Russian Patriarch and Pope Francis in Havana, Cuba in February 2016 set the basis for a new stage in relations between our Churches, giving a new impulse to those relations.

Among the consequences of this meeting, he welcomed the stay of Saint Nicholas’ relics in Russia, which attracted 2.3 million pilgrims form May 21 to July 28. This aspect accelerated an advance in our relations, stressed the Vatican’s Number 2.  I was very happy to see the importance of that event, of its reception in the Russian Orthodox Church … It can be said that one of the results of the relics’ stay is a new atmosphere which helps us to exchange and to advance.

When we said goodbye to the relics at Saint Petersburg, Patriarch Kirill confided, I told the people neither ecclesiastical diplomacy, nor Governmental diplomacy were able to do as much for the development of relations between the Catholic world and the Orthodox world as what Saint Nicholas did.

He believes that this first official visit of a Vatican Secretary of State to Russia, attests to the development if relations between the Russian Federation and the Holy See and relations between our Churches: a new stage has effectively begun in our relations.

According to a report issued by the RIA Novosti Russian Agency, during the meeting between Cardinal Parolin and Patriarch Kirill, there was an exchange of gifts, said Bishop Hilarion de Volokolamsk, President of the Department of Foreign Ecclesiastical Relations (DREE).

The Pope offered to the Patriarch a gift representing a vine and the Patriarch gave the Cardinal an icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary as well as his book in Italian entitled 'Freedom and Responsibility: A Search for Harmony', said Bishop Hilarion. The book is already published in many languages and speaks about Christian attitudes towards modern liberal values.

The meeting took place within Saint Daniel's monastery, the patriarchal and synodal residence.

Monsignor Celestino Migliore, the Apostolic Nuncio in Russia; Monsignor Visvaldas Kulbokas, a member of the Holy See State Secretariat, and Monsignor Erwin Lengyel, First Secretary at the Apostolic Nunciature, represented the Catholic Church.

Taking part for the Moscow Patriarchate at the meeting were Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, President of the Department of External Ecclesiastical Relations (DREE), Archimandrite Philarete (Boulekov), Vice-President of the DREE, hiero-monk Stephane (Igoumnov), Secretary of the DREE for Inter-Christian Relations, and Father Alexii Dikarev, collaborator of the DREE.

General Audience on the novelty of Christian hope

This morning's General Audience began at 9:30am in the Paul VI Hall.  the Holy Father, Pope Francis met there with groups of pilgrims and the faithful from Italy and from every corner of the world.

In his speech, the Pope focused on the theme: Behold, I am making all things new (Rev 21:5).  The newness of Christian hope.

After having summarized his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father offered specific greetings to each group of the 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

Biblical text (Rev 21:5-7)The One who sat on the throne said: Behold, I am making all things new.  And he added: Write this, for these words are certain and true.  And He said to me: Behold, it is accomplished!  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.  To him who is thirsty, I will freely give the springs of living water so that he can drink.  The one who is victorious will inherit these things: I will be his God and he will be my son.

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

We have heard the Word of God in the book of Revelation which says: Behold, I am making all things new (Rev 21:5).  Christian hope is based on faith in God that always creates novelty in the lives of humans, creates novelty in history, creates novelty in the cosmos.  Our God is a God who creates novelty (newness), for he is the God of surprises.

It is not Christian to walk with our faces downcast - like the pigs do: they are always like that - without raising their eyes toward the horizons as though our journey always goes out from here, spreading out even for the first few metres of the journey; as though in our lives there were never any destination or place of landing, and we were abandoned to an eternal wandering, without any reason for expending so much effort.  This is not the Christian way.

The final pages of the bible show us the ultimate horizon of the journey of all believers: Jerusalem in the skies, the Heavenly Jerusalem.  We can imagine first of all an immense tent, where God welcomes all people, a place where we will live forever with him (Rev 21:3).  This is our hope.  And what will God do when we are finally in His presence?  He will show us infinite tenderness, like a father who welcomes his children who have struggled and suffered for far too long.  In the book of Revelation, John prophesies: Behold the tenderness of God toward mankind! ... He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and there will be no more death nor struggle nor lament nor hunger, for the first things will all be past ... Behold I am making all things new! (Rev 21:3-5).  The God of novelty.

Try to meditate on this passage of Sacred Scripture, not in an abstract way, but after having read a chronicle of our days, after having seen the news or the headlines in the newspapers, where there are so many tragedies, where we find sad news and where we all are at risk of finding ourselves.  On my way in, I greeted some of you from Barcelona: what sad news we have heard from that place!  I greeted some from the Congo, there is sad news from there as well!  And many others!  I have only named two countries from among all those who are represented here ... Try to think of the faces of children who are afraid because of war, the tears of mothers, the broken dreams of so many young people, refugees who face terrifying voyages, and those who have been exploited so often ... Unfortunately, life is also like that.  Sometimes we can be tempted to say that life is like that.

Perhaps.  But there is a Father who is weeping with us; there is a Father who is crying tears of infinite pity for his children.  We have a Father who knows how to cry, who cries with us.  A Father who waits for us in order to console us, for he knows our suffering and has prepared a different kind of future for us.  This is the great vision of Christian hope that expands throughout all the days of our existence, a vision that includes our growth.

It was not by mistake that God desired our lives, he does not force Himself nor us to endure nights of anguish.  Instead, he created us so that we could be happy.  He is our Father, and if we, here and now, are living a life that is the life that He wants for us, Jesus assures us that God himself is offering the ultimate ransom: He is working to redeem us.

We believe and we know that death and hatred are not the final words pronounced in the parable of human existence.  To be Christian implies a new perspective: a gaze that is full of hope.  Some people believe that all happiness in life is limited to youth and to the past, and that living is a matter of slow decay.  Others believe that our joy is only a matter of passing episodes, and that throughout human life, these episodes make no sense.  There are those who, when they are faced with many tragedies say: Life doesn't make sense.  Our path is non-sense.  But we Christians do not believe this.  Instead, we believe that at the horizon there is a sun that is always burning.  We believe that our best days are yet to come.  We are more spring people than autumn people.  I would like to ask you now - everyone answer in his heart, in silence, but respond - Am I a man, a woman, a boy or a girl of springtime or of autumn?  Is my soul in its springtime or its autumn?  Everyone respond.  We see the seedlings of a new world rather than the yellowing leaves on the branches.  We do not yield to nostalgia, regret or lamentation: we know that God wants us to inherit a promise and to be tireless dream-makers.  Don't forget this question: Am I a person of springtime or of autumn?  Of springtime, awaiting the flowers, awaiting the fruit, awaiting the sun that is Jesus, or the autumn, which always has its face downcast, sour and, as I have said before, with a face of peppers and vinegar.

The Christian knows that the Kingdom of God, his Lordship of love is growing like a large field of grain, even if there are weeds also growing there.  We always have problems, there is always gossip, there are wars, there are illnesses ... there are all kinds of problems.  But the grain grows, and in the end evil will be eliminated.  The future does not belong to us, but we know that Jesus Christ is life's greatest grace: God's embrace awaits us in the end, but already here, He accompanies us and consoles us along the way.  He leads us toward the great tent of encounter where God and man will meet (cf Rev 21:3), with all our other brothers and sisters, when we will bring to God the memory of the days we have lived here below.  It will be good to discover in that moment that nothing has been lost, no smile and no tear.  As long as our lives have been long, it seems that we have lived them as a time of breathing, and that creation did not stop on the sixth day but rather it continued untiringly, for God has always been concerned about us ... until the day when everything will be accomplished, in the morning when all tears will be wiped away, at the very instant when God will pronounce his final word of blessing: Behold - says the Lord - I am making all things new! (Rev 21:5).  Yes, our Father is a God of novelty and of surprises.  On that day we will be truly happy, we will cry.  Yes, we will cry with joy.



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

I offer an affectionate greeting to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at today’s Audience, including those from England, India and Vietnam. In a particular way, I extend a warm welcome to pilgrims from the Cardjin Community International on the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Cardinal Joseph Cardijn, and I encourage them in their generous service to the Gospel. May Jesus Christ confirm all of you in faith and make you witnesses of his love in the world. God bless you!

As part of his greetings to the Italian-speaking pilgrims, the Holy Father expressed his prayerful closeness to victims of the magnitude 4.0 earthquake that struck the Italian island of Ischia:

At least two people were killed and three young children, including a 7 month old baby were pulled from the rubble by firefighters. One of the victims was an elderly woman who was in a church that crumbled in the disaster. Dozens of people were injured when the quake struck and around 2,600 people were left homeless.

... Finally, I turn my thoughts toward and express my close affection for all those who have suffered as a result of the earthquake that struck the island of Ischia on Monday evening.  I am praying for those who have died, for those who have been wounded, for their families and for all the people who have lost their homes.

Dialogue between the Vatican and Russia

The Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergej Lavrov for talks today, during which they discussed issues of international concern and agreed to visa-free diplomatic travel. During the press conference following their talks, the Holy See and the Russian Federation signed an Agreement waiving visa requirements for holders of diplomatic passports.

Cardinal Parolin and Foreign Minister Lavrov called this a sign of the two countries’ desire to continue to work together on bilateral relations and issues of international concern. Cardinal Parolin said he raised questions regarding the Catholic Church’s life and activity in Russia with his counterpart.

 He said difficulties remaining between the Vatican and Russia include working residency permits for non-Russian personnel and the restitution of several churches necessary for the pastoral care of Catholics in the country.

International concerns
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov evoked the need for solutions for Christians living in the Middle East. We need to find similar solutions that would provide proper balance between different ethnic and religious groups in Yemen, Libya, and Iraq, where state-building processes are underway.

Cardinal Parolin said he recognized the difference in approaches between Russia and the Holy See on these issues. But he said the two share a strong concern for the situation of Christians in several countries of the Middle East and the African continent ... the Holy See nourishes constant concern that religious liberty be preserved in all States and in all political situations.

Venezuela
Responding to a question about the situation in Venezuela, Cardinal Parolin said he believes Russia can help to overcome this very difficult moment. He said Russia can promote the Vatican’s efforts to create dialogue between Venezuela’s government and the opposition.

This is the only solution the Holy See sees for an exit to this situation.

Cardinal Parolin meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi tomorrow.

Opening Remarks by His Excellency, Sergej Lavrov

Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs

Your Eminence,
Esteemed guests,

We are happy to meet with you during your visit to the Russian Federation. It is a good opportunity to carry on the dialogue which we began with Your Eminence in the Vatican in December 2016.

This is the first visit of Vatican’s Secretary of State to Russia in the current century. As you have told me now, this is also your very first visit to Russia. I hope you will be able to see how we live and what Moscow and our other cities, including Sochi, are like.

We are glad that our dialogue is developing dynamically, including at the top level. President of Russia Vladimir Putin has met with His Holiness Pope Francis twice over the past few years.

We see that our positions are close on a number of current issues, including the peaceful settlement of crises, fighting terrorism and extremism, promoting the dialogue among religions and civilisations and strengthening social justice and the role of the family.

We highly appreciate the projects aimed at practical cooperation in the areas of culture, humanitarian ties, science and education, as well as healthcare. We certainly consider it significant that interstate ties are complemented by the dialogue between religions, which was launched during the historical meeting between Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis in Cuba in February 2016.

The programme of your visit to Russia is sufficiently extensive to give us time for discussing all aspects of relations between the Russian Federation and the Vatican.

Your Eminence, we are happy to see you. Welcome.

Statement of His Eminence, Pietro Parolin

Vatican Secretary of State

at the Press Conference following the meeting

with the Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs

Mr Minister,
Ladies and gentlemen,

We have just finished the first, intense part of our conversations with Mister Minister Sergiey Lavrov, through whose person I express my gratitude to the Russian Authorities for the invitation and warm welcome in the country.

I have come to Moscow to be an interpreter for my interlocutors – today Minister Lavrov and tomorrow the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin –, of Pope Francis’ solicitude be it for the bilateral situation between the Holy See and the Russian Federation, be it for questions and concerns in the international realm.

In the bilateral relations, we have shared the satisfaction regarding development in several fields, beginning with the frequent contacts at the level of high representatives of both parties, and continuing with the review of positive experiences in the ambit of cultural exchanges and of cooperation between scientific and medical institutes. It goes without saying that both parties confirmed the intention to continue weaving contacts in all the above-mentioned realms also in the future. Attesting and confirming this intention was the signing of the Agreement between the Holy See State Secretariat and the Government of the Russian Federation, regarding the exemption of visas for holders of diplomatic passports, which we witnessed a short while ago together with Minister Lavrov.

Clearly, the conversation also offered the occasion to discuss some concrete questions regarding the life of the Catholic Church in the Russian Federation, among which were the difficulties still remaining of work permits for non-Russian religious staff and the restitution of some churches which are necessary for the pastoral care of Catholics in the country, finding in the interlocutor ample attention to the solution of these problems and the will to follow them.

In the field of questions of international interest I confirmed first of all that just and lasting solutions be found for the conflicts that afflict, in particular, the Middle East, Ukraine and several other regions of the world. If, in such dramatic situations the Holy See is more directly active in the effort to promote initiatives geared to alleviating the sufferings of the populations, at the same time it expresses a clear appeal to have the common good prevail, and primarily justice, legality, the truth of the facts and abstention from their manipulation, the safety and fitting conditions of life of the civilian populations. While the Holy See does not intend to and cannot identify itself with some of the political positions, it recalls the duty to hold rigorously to the great principles of international law, whose respect is essential be it to protect global order and peace, be it to recover a healthy atmosphere of mutual respect in international relations.

Among the subjects in which the Holy See and the Russian Federation find points of convergence, even if with different approaches, mention should be made first of all of the intense concern for the situation of Christians in some countries of the Middle East and of the African continent, as well as in some other regions of the world. In this connection, the Holy See nourishes the constant concern that religious freedom be preserved in every State and in every political situation.

I think that we will also to take up again these and other topics in the continuation of today’s meeting.

Cardinal Parolin in Russia

His Eminence, Pietro Cardinal Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness is in Russia this week.  He left the Vatican yesterday and will return on Thursday.  In advance of his journey, the Cardinal granted an interview to the Tass Agency.  In it, he explained the urgency of a more effective cooperation between different Confessions and a greater understanding between the Churches.

Orthodox Patriarchate, Moscow (Russia)
Wikimedia Commons

Vatican Radio's Synthesis

of the interview granted to the

Tass Agency

On the eve of his important visit to Russia, the Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, gave a long and articulated interview to the Russian Agency TASS. The Cardinal stressed first of all that the meeting with the Orthodox hierarchy attests to the openness established in recent years up to last year’s meeting in Havana between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill. The meeting, noted Cardinal Parolin, “served to give new eyes to see one another not predominantly on the background of the past, but of that of 'desired and pursued communion'. The Cardinal added that this is the condition necessary to be able to give new and unprecedented steps for the development of the ecumenical dialogue between Catholics and Orthodox. It’s a path that requires love, patience, tenacity and commitment. And in this connection, he mentioned the initiative of the relics of Saint Nicholas, which arrived at Moscow from Bari, and were received with enthusiasm and devotion by the Russian faithful, in the more than two months of permanence in the capital and in Saint Petersburg.

Responding to a question on the crisis of values being experienced in today’s world, the Vatican Secretary of State highlighted the urgency of a more effective cooperation between the different Confessions. An ever greater understanding between the Churches will also be able to make its contribution through the sharing of experiences lived in different regions.

Then, answering a question on terrorism, a danger, he stressed, that must be addressed, pondering, however, with much care on the eventual ways of intervention, in order to avoid actions of force triggering in turn new spirals of violence. The work of the Church, specified the Cardinal, is always long-term, made up of education and the formation of consciences, and he recalled that, in the last decades, the Holy See spared no efforts to start, consolidate and sometimes renew relations of dialogue at the cultural and religious level, but especially at the socio-humanitarian level.

Hence, Tass agency asked Cardinal Parolin to reflect on Trump’s Presidency. The Vatican Secretary of State hoped that the American President, like all the other actors of the International Community, will not desist from the challenge of pursuing a reduction of the global overheating of the planet. And widening the horizon, he warned that in international relations “the awareness matures increasingly that policies and strategies based on open and heated confrontations, almost a dialogue between the deaf, or worse, fuelled by fear and the terror of atomic or chemical arms, don’t open the door to just and lasting solutions to problems among the nations. It’s necessary to listen to Pope Francis, exhorted the Cardinal, when asking the world leaders to build peace and not shut themselves in national or partial interests.


Cardinal Parolin answered a question about the grave situation in Venezuela., a country the Cardinal knows well, having been the Apostolic Nuncio in Caracas before becoming Secretary of State. He stressed that the Holy See is very committed to fostering a peaceful and democratic solution, even in the midst of many misunderstandings. Once again he said that the path is always the same. They must meet, create an atmosphere of trust. Cardinal Parolin recalled the serious humanitarian crisis the country is experiencing and he appealed to the International Community and friendly countries of Venezuela to give their disinterested and peaceful aid so that there is a positive evolution.

I’m going to visit Russia for the purpose of talking about, in addition to topics of a bilateral character and those regarding the life of the Catholic Church, also questions connected with the conflicts that afflict many, too many regions of the world. So that every effort will be made to re-establish justice and peace, in respect of the dignity and inviolability of every human person, Cardinal Parolin explained in an interview with the Russian State agency Ria Novosti.

Planned for the first day is the Cardinal’s meeting with the Catholic Bishops of the country, a conversation with Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, President of the Department for Foreign Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate and, in the evening, a Mass in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Moscow. And among the most important meetings planned for the next few days are those with the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov. During the conversations, particular attention will be given to the Middle East and to the dramatic situation of Syria and Iraq, but also to the war in Ukraine and the unresolved situations of the southern Caucasus.

There are various worrying international dossiers, explained the Cardinal, and I think that particular attention will be able to be dedicated to them during the visit, especially in the situations where Russia is more directly active. In reality, the list would be long and it will not be the only object of discussion on this occasion, because diplomatic contacts are constant. However, the drama lived by the population, especially in some of the situations just mentioned, calls for assiduous attention at all levels.

In regard to international relations, the Vatican Secretary of State stressed that the message of the Holy See is always that of putting above the interests of a particular State mutual respect and sincere dialogue, even when such an attitude can be rather unpopular for vast strata of the population, for various reasons.

Today, the Cardinal will meet with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow. After the historic meeting between Pope Francis and the Patriarch at Cuba, there is no doubt that relations between the Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church are going through a positive period, the Cardinal pointed out. However this goal becomes in turn the beginning of a new path, that of even more intense dialogue, in an attempt to understand one another ever better, overcoming the misunderstandings and the differences that can exist.

Finally, responding to a question of a possible opening for a trip by Pope Francis to Russia, he said that at the moment the topic of an eventual papal visit is not part of the agenda of the conversations, but the hope is that every meeting, especially with Patriarch Kirill, may contribute to prepare the way for the development of increasingly positive and intense contacts.