Greetings for members of the Precious Blood Family

At 11:55am this morning (5:55am EDT), in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience those who are participating in a Meeting that was organized by the Precious Blood Family.

Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

addressed to the members of the

Precious Blood Family

Dear brothers and sisters,

On the eve of the month of July, in which Christian piety turns its attention especially to the Blood of Christ, I am pleased to meet the Society of Apostolic Life and the Religious Institutes of men and women, along with your respective lay associates, who are inspired by the spirituality of the Blood of Jesus.  I greet all of you with affection and thank Father Terenzio Pastore and Sister Nicla Spezzati for the words through which they have introduced this encounter which was organized by the Precious Blood Union.

From the very beginnings of Christianity, the mystery of the love of Christ's blood has fascinated many people.  Your Holy Founders also cultivated this devotion, taking it as the basis of your Constitutions, for they understood in the light of faith that Christ's blood is a source of salvation for everyone.  God chose the sign of blood, because no other sign expresses more eloquently the supreme love of a life given to others.  This self-giving is repeated in every Eucharistic celebration, in which he makes present, together with the Body of Christ, also his precious Blood, the Blood of the new and eternal covenant, poured out for all in remission for sins (cf Mt 26:27).

Meditating on the sacrifice of Christ helps us to perform works of mercy giving our lives freely for God and our brothers and sisters. Meditation on the mystery of the Blood of Christ poured out on the cross for our redemption urges us, in particular, towards those who might be cured of their moral and physical suffering instead of being left to languish on the margins of a society of consumption and indifference. It is in this perspective that your service to the Church and society is highlighted in all its importance. For my part, I suggest three aspects that can help you in your activity and in your testimony: the courage of truth; attention to everyone, especially to those who are distant; and the ability to fascinate and communicate.

The courage of truth.  It is important that you be brave people, that you build courageous communities that are not afraid to stand up to affirming the values of the Gospel and the truth about the world and about mankind. It is a matter of speaking plainly and not turning away from the other side in the face of attacks on the value of human life from conception to its natural conclusion, facing the dignity of the human person, facing social ills, even facing various forms of poverty. The testimony of the disciples of Jesus is called to touch the lives of parishes and neighbourhoods, not leaving others indifferent but affecting and transforming the hearts and lives of people.

The second aspect is attention to everyone, especially to those who are distant.  In your mission you are called to reach out to everyone, to make yourselves understood by everyone, to be judged popular because you use a language that makes it possible for everyone to understand the message of the Gospel. The recipients of the love and goodness of Jesus are all neighbours, but above all must be reserved for those who are most distant. Therefore, we need to identify the most suitable forms in order to be able to bring together a multiplicity of people in homes, in social environments and in the streets. To do this, always keep before you the example of Jesus and of the disciples who walked the streets of Palestine proclaiming the Kingdom of God with many signs of healing that confirmed the Word. Strive to be an image of a Church that walks the streets, among the people, even risking in the first person, sharing the joys and hardships of those you meet.

The third aspect that I suggest for your testimony is the ability to fascinate and communicate. It is aimed especially at preaching, catechesis, and the itineraries for deepening the Word of God. It is a matter of arousing greater and greater involvement in offering and making the contents of the Christian faith savour, urging us to a new life in Christ. The Gospel and the Holy Spirit evoke words and gestures that make hearts burn and help them to open themselves to God and to others. For this ministry of the Word, we can draw inspiration from the attitude with which Jesus spoke with people to reveal his mystery to everyone, to fascinate ordinary people with high and demanding teachings. The strength of this attitude is hidden in the gaze of Jesus toward others, beyond their weaknesses and failings: Do not be afraid, little flock, because your Father is pleased to give you the Kingdom (Lk 12.32) (cf Evangelii Gaudium, 141). Imitating the style with which Jesus preached helps us to approach others by allowing them to perceive the tenderness of God. I believe that we are living in a time in which it is necessary to carry forward a revolution of tenderness.

These are three characteristics that can be useful for your journey of faith and your apostolate. But let us not forget that the true strength of Christian witness comes from the Gospel itself. And this is where the centrality of the Blood of Christ and its spirituality emerges. It is a matter of relying above all on the superabundance of love expressed in the Blood of the Lord, which brought to light the Church Fathers and the great saints and mystics of Christian history, from Saint Bonaventure to Saint Catherine of Siena and a Saint especially dear to you: Saint Gaspar del Bufalo. This Roman priest, the founder of the Missionaries of the Most Precious Blood, endeavoured to keep the ardor of faith in the Christian people alive by traveling through the regions of central Italy. With the example of his love for God, his humility, his charity, he was able to bring reconciliation and peace everywhere, meeting the spiritual and material needs of the most fragile people who lived on the margins of society.

Dear brothers and sisters, it is in Christ that we find the sure principle of our existence: He is our fundamental and definitive hope. In the journey of your communities, priority goes to prayer, to listening to the Word of God, to contemplation, and to docile obedience to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Communion and collaboration grow among you, indispensable conditions for the apostolic mandate received from the Lord to bear abundant spiritual fruits for the benefit of the whole people of God.

I accompany these wishes with my prayerful remembrance for you and for your mission and, as I ask you to pray for me, I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing to you.

Bolivia at the Vatican

This morning, inside the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience, the President of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, His Excellency, Mister Juan Evo Morales Ayma, who subsequently met with His Excellency, Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States.

During the cordial discussions, the positive relations between the Holy See and Bolivia were evoked, with special reference to the implementation of the bilateral agreements, and there was an exchange of views on the regional situation.

Do not cry

Here is the text of the homily I prepared for the celebration of a funeral that took place today: a remembrance of a woman of deep and joyous faith who we hope and trust is now singing with the angels in heaven.

Homélie pour les obsèques d’Irène Desaulniers

Nous voici rassemblés pour ce moment de prière inattendu.  Les amis et les parents de notre chère Irène n’auront jamais soupçonné que ce moment arriverait ci tôt.  Depuis la fin de semaine dernière, il semble que nous sommes en train de rêver.  Nous avons des questions qui se semblent pas avoir des réponses adéquates.

Ce sentiment d’être perdu habitait également le coeur de la veuve qui a rencontré Jésus et ses compagnons en sortant de la ville de Naïn (cf Lk 7,12).  Elle aussi semblait vivre un rêve.  Son fils unique venait de mourir et on apportait son corps en dehors de la ville afin de l’enterrer.

Voici que les deux processions se sont croisées.  Les écritures nous expliquent: Le Seigneur, l’ayant vue, fut ému de compassion pour elle et lui dit: ‘Ne pleure pas!’ (Lk 7,13).  C’est ce que Jésus fait avec nous ici aujourd’hui.  Il nous rencontre, il nous regarde avec compassion et il nous dit, Ne pleure pas!.

Le Seigneur rencontre chaque personne qui l'appelle. Il est présent aux réalités que nous vivons, jusqu’au moment ou il viendra juger les vivants et les morts.  Chaque fois qu'Irène est entrée dans cette église et a ouvert son cœur dans la prière, le Seigneur l'a rencontrée là où elle était.

Quand elle était joyeuse, il était rempli de joie. Quand elle était troublée ou triste, il écoutait, et quand elle était inquiète, il la regardait avec compassion. C'est ce qu'il fait avec nous aujourd'hui. Jésus regarde nos coeurs avec une grande compassion, car il sait que nos coeurs sont brisés, que nous n'avons pas de mots pour exprimer notre tristesse.

Quand les deux processions se furent arrêtées, Jésus s'approcha du cercueil qui tenait le fils de la veuve. Nous nous trouvons maintenant à ce moment où il semble que même le temps s'est arrêté. Saint Paul nous assure que si nous sommes morts avec Jésus, avec lui nous vivrons (2 Tim 2,11).  Irène est au seuil du ciel et nous devons maintenant confier son âme immortelle dans le cœur aimant de notre Dieu.

Bien sûr, nous aurons préféré qu’elle soit encore ici sur terre, chantant avec nous, partageant les moments les plus précieux de nos vies, mais nous savons que le Seigneur est avec nous, qu’il nous accompagne en tout moment.  En ce moment même, il dit à Irène: lève-toi! (cf Lk 7,14).

Les paroles prononcées par Job nous encouragent à vivre nos vies avec une foi et une conviction profondes. Nous savons que notre libérateur est vivant, et qu'au dernier jour il ressuscitera (Job 19,25). C'est la promesse que Jésus nous a donnée. Le dernier jour, nous allons tous nous lever avec lui.

Quand arrivera ce jour, nous allons tous rencontrer le Seigneur.  Dès maintenant, nous pouvons vivre en espérant revoir de nouveau notre chère Irène, au paradis: là où il n'y aura plus de souffrance, plus de doute et plus de larmes ... seulement la plénitude de la joie dans la présence de Dieu.

Funeral homily for Irène Desaulniers

We have assembled for this unexpected moment of prayer.  The friends and relatives of our dear Irène would never have guessed that this moment would have arrived so soon.  Since last weekend, it seems that we are dreaming.  We have questions that seem not to have any adequate answers.

This feeling of being lost was also present in the heart of the widow who met Jesus, and the thoughts of her companions as they were making their way out of the village of Nain (cf Lk 7:12).  Perhaps she too thought that she was dreaming.  Her only son had just died and they were bringing his body out of the village in order to bury it.

The two processions met.  The scriptures tell us that: Upon seeing her, the Lord was filled with compassion and said to her: 'Do not cry!' (Lk 7:13).  This is what Jesus says to us today.  He meets us, he looks at us with compassion and he says: Do not cry!

The Lord meets every person who calls out to him.  He is present in the experiences that we encounter, until the moment when he will come to judge the living and the dead.  Each time that Irene entered into this church and opened her heart in prayer, the Lord met her where she was, as she was.

When she was happy, He was filled with joy.  When she was troubled or sad, He listened, and when she was worried, he looked at her with compassion.  This is what He does with us today.  Jesus looks at our hearts with great compassion, for he knows that our hearts are broken, that we have no words to express our sadness.

When the two processions had stopped, Jesus approached the bier that held the widow's son's body.  At this moment, we find ourselves at a moment in time where it seems that even time has stopped.  Saint Paul assures us that if we have died with Jesus, we will also live with him (2 Tim 2:11).  Irène stands at the gates of heaven and we must now entrust her immortal soul into the loving heart of our God.

Of course, we would have preferred that she still be here with us, singing with us, sharing the most precious moments of our lives with us, but we know that the Lord is with us, that He is close to us at all moments of our lives.  Even now, he is saying to Irène: Get up! (cf Lk 7:14).

The words spoken by Job encourage us to live our lives with profound faith and conviction.  We know that our redeemer lives, and that he will raise us up on the last day (Job 19:25).  This is the promise that Jesus has given us.  On the last day, we will all be raised with him. 

When that day comes, we will all meet the Lord.  Even now, we can live in hope of seeing our beloved Irène again, in paradise: where there will be no more suffering, no more doubt, no more tears ... only the fullness of joy in the presence of God.

Angelus for Saints Peter and Paul

At noon today (6:00am EDT), the Solemnity of the Apostles Peter and Paul, the Holy Father, Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to recite the Angelus with the pilgrims and faithful 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!

Today, the Church, who is a pilgrim here in Rome and throughout the entire world, goes to the roots of her faith and celebrates the Apostles Peter and Paul.  Their mortal remains, which are kept in the two Basilicas which are dedicated to them, are very dear to Romans and to many pilgrims who come from everywhere across the globe to venerate them.

I want to focus on the gospel (cf Mt 16:13-19) that the liturgy proposes for this feast.  In it, we hear an account that is fundamental for our journey in faith.  It consists of a dialogue in which Jesus poses a question about identity to his disciples.  First, he asks: Who do people say the Son of Man is? (Mt 16:13).  And then he asks them directly: You, who do you say that I am? (Mt 16:15).  With these two questions, Jesus seems to say that it is one thing to follow the current opinions, and another thing to meet Him and to open ourselves to his mystery: it is there that we discover the truth.  The common opinion contains a response that is true but partial; Peter, and along with him the Church of yesterday, today and forever, responds, by the grace of God, with the truth: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God (Mt 16:16).

Throughout the centuries, the world has defined Jesus in various ways: a great prophet of justice and love; a wise teacher in the ways of life, a revolutionary; a dreamer of God's dreams .. and so on.  Many beautiful things.  In the midst of these and other hypotheses, Simon's confession - the one who is called Peter, a humble man who is filled with faith - rings out loud and clear: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God (Mt 16:16).  Jesus is the Son of God: therefore he is eternally alive just as the Father is eternally alive. This is the novelty that grace ignites in the hearts of those who open themselves to the mystery of Jesus: the non-mathematical certainty, but even stronger, the interior experience of having met the Source of Life, life itself made flesh, visible and tangible among us. This is the experience of all Christians, and it is not based on our own merit, not based on any merit on the part of us Christians; it is not based our merit, but it comes from God, it is a grace of God, Father and Son and Holy Spirit. All this is contained in a seed, found in Peter's answer: You are the Christ, the son of the living God.

And then, Jesus' answer is filled with light: You are Peter and on this rock, I will build my Church, and the gates of hades will not be able to overcome it (Mk 16:18).  This is the first time that Jesus pronounces the word Church: and he does so while expressing all his love toward her, which he defines as my Church.  It is the new community of the Covenant, no longer based on its connection to the Law, but rather on faith in Him, in Jesus, the Face of God.  This faith, Blessed Paul VI expressed with a prayer while he was still Archbishop of Milan.  He used to say:

O Christ, our only mediator, we need You:
in order to live in communion with God our Father;
in order to become with you, who are the only Son and our Lord,
his adopted children;
in order to be reborn in the Holy Spirit (Pastoral Letter, 1955).

Through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Queen of the Apostles, may the Lord grant the Church, Rome and the entire world, the grace to be always faithful to the gospel, to whose service the Saints Peter and Paul consecrated their lives.



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

Dear brothers and sisters,

This morning, here in Saint Peter's Square, I celebrated the Eucharist with the new Cardinals who were created during yesterday's Consistory; I blessed the Palliums for the Metropolitan Archbishops who have been named during the past year, who are now found in various countries.  I renew my greetings and my wishes to them and to all those who are accompanying them in these festal circumstances.  May they always live their service to the gospel and to the Church with enthusiasm and generosity.

During that same celebration, I warmly welcomed the delegation that was sent to Rome in the name of the Ecumenical Patriarch, my beloved brother Bartholomew.  This presence is another sign of the journey toward communion and fraternity that - thank God - characterizes our Churches.

I offer a special greeting to all of you, families, parish groups, associations and single faithful who have come from Italy and from many other parts of the world, especially from the Czech Republic, from Pakistan, from China and from the United States of America.  And I see the Spanish flag: also from Spain ... and from many other countries.

Today, my greetings are offered especially for you, the faithful of Rome, on the feast day of the Patron saints of our city!  For this occasion, the Roman Pro Loco has promoted the traditional floral arrangements which I see from here, put together by various artists and by many associations and voluntary organizations.  Thank you for this beautiful initiative and for the beautiful floral decorations!

I wish you all a good feast day.  And please, don't forget to pray for me.  Enjoy your lunch and good bye!

Celebrating Apostles in Rome

At 9:30am local time this morning (3:30am EDT), the liturgical Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, in Saint Peter's Square in Rome, the Holy Father, Pope Francis blessed the Pallia which had been taken from the Confession of Saint Peter (beneath the high altar inside the Basilica) and which were later presented to the Metropolitan Archbishops who have been appointed over the past year.  The Pallium will later be presented to each of the Metropolitan Archbishops by their local Pontifical Representatives (Nuncios) at celebrations which will take place in their respective Metropolitan Sees.

Following the rite of blessing for the Pallia, the Pope presided over the Eucharistic celebration along with the Cardinals (those who have been named in former years and those who were created yesterday), as well as the Metropolitan Archbishops, Bishops and Priests.

As has been the custom on the occasion of the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, the patrons of the city of Rome, a delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople was also present at the Mass, having been sent by His Beatitude, Bartholomew and led by His Eminence, Job, Archbishop of Telmessos, along with His Grace, Theodoretos, Bishop of Nazianzos, and by Reverend Alexander Koutsis, Patriarchal Deacon.

During the Eucharistic celebration, following the proclamation of the gospel (Mt 16:13-19), the Holy Father shared the following homily.

Homily of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

for the Mass celebrated on the

Feast day of Saints Peter and Paul

The readings we have just heard link us to the apostolic Tradition. That Tradition is not the transmission of things or words, an assortment of lifeless objects; it is the living stream that links us to the origins, the living stream in which those origins are ever present (Benedict XVI, Catechesis, 26 April 2006) and offer us the keys to the Kingdom of heaven (cf Mt 16:19). A Tradition ancient yet ever new, that gives us life and renews the joy of the Gospel. It enables us to confess with our lips and our hearts: ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’, to the glory of God the Father (Phil 2:11).

The entire Gospel is an answer to the question present in the hearts of the People of Israel, a question that dwells also today in the hearts of all those who thirst for life: “Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?” (Mt 11:3). Jesus takes up that question and asks it of his disciples: But who do you say that I am? (Mt 16:15).

Peter speaks up and calls Jesus by the greatest title he could possibly bestow: You are the Christ (cf Mt 16:16), the Anointed, the Holy One of God. It is good to think that the Father inspired this answer because Peter had seen how Jesus anointed his people. Jesus, the Anointed One, walked from village to village with the sole aim of saving and helping those considered lost. He anointed the dead (cf Mk 5:41-42; Lk 7:14-15), the sick (cf Mk 6:13; James 5:14), the wounded (cf Lk 10:34) and the repentant (cf Mt 6:17). He anointed with hope (cf Lk 7:38.46; 10:34; Jn 11:2; 12:3). By that anointing, every sinner – the downcast, the infirm, pagans, wherever they found themselves – could feel a beloved part of God’s family. By his actions, Jesus said in a very personal way: You are mine. Like Peter, we too can confess with our lips and our heart not only what we have heard, but also concretely experienced in our lives. We too have been brought back to life, healed, renewed and filled with hope by the anointing of the Holy One. Thanks to that anointing, every yoke of slavery has been shattered (cf Is 10:27). How can we ever lose the joyful memory that we were ransomed and led to proclaim: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God (cf Mt 16:16).

It is interesting to see what follows this passage in the Gospel where Peter confesses his faith: From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised (Mt 16:21). God’s Anointed kept bringing the Father’s love and mercy to the very end. This merciful love demands that we too go forth to every corner of life, to reach out to everyone, even though this may cost us our good name, our comforts, our status … even martyrdom.

Peter reacts to this completely unexpected announcement by saying: God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you (Mt 16:22). In this way, he immediately becomes a stumbling block in the Messiah’s path. Thinking that he is defending God’s rights, Peter, without realizing it, becomes the Lord’s enemy; Jesus calls him Satan. To contemplate Peter’s life and his confession of faith also means learning to recognize the temptations that will accompany the life of every disciple. Like Peter, we as a Church will always be tempted to hear those whisperings of the evil One, which will become a stumbling block for the mission. I speak of whispering because the devil seduces from hiding, lest his intentions be recognized. He behaves like a hypocrite, wishing to stay hidden and not be discovered (Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Spiritual Exercises, number 326).

To share in Christ’s anointing, on the other hand, means to share in his glory, which is his cross: Father, glorify your Son … Father, glorify your name (Jn 12:28). In Jesus, glory and the cross go together; they are inseparable. Once we turn our backs on the cross, even though we may attain the heights of glory, we will be fooling ourselves, since it will not be God’s glory, but the snare of the enemy.

Often we feel the temptation to be Christians by keeping a prudent distance from the Lord’s wounds. Jesus touches human misery and he asks us to join him in touching the suffering flesh of others. To proclaim our faith with our lips and our heart demands that we – like Peter – learn to recognize the whisperings of the evil one. It demands learning to discern and recognize those personal and communitarian pretexts that keep us far from real human dramas, that preserve us from contact with other people’s concrete existence and, in the end, from knowing the revolutionary power of God’s tender love (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 270).

By not separating his glory from the cross, Jesus wants to liberate his disciples, his Church, from empty forms of triumphalism: forms empty of love, service, compassion, empty of people. He wants to set his Church free from grand illusions that fail to sink their roots in the life of God’s faithful people or, still worse, believe that service to the Lord means turning aside from the dusty roads of history. To contemplate and follow Christ requires that we open our hearts to the Father and to all those with whom he has wished to identify (cf Saint John Paul II, Novo Millennio Ineunte, 49), in the sure knowledge that he will never abandon his people.

Dear brothers and sisters, millions of people continue to ask the question: Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another? (Mt 11:3). Let us confess with our lips and heart that Jesus Christ is Lord (cf Phil 2:11). This is the cantus firmus that we are called daily to intone. With the simplicity, the certainty and the joy of knowing that the Church shines not with her own light, but with the light of Christ. Her light is drawn from the Sun of Justice, so that she can exclaim: ‘It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me’ (Gal 2:20) (Saint Ambrose, Hexaemeron, IV, 8, 32).

Cardinals visit Benedict XVI

On the night when he was elected as Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis left the balcony and boarded a bus along with his fellow Cardinals for the short ride to the Casa Santa Marta where they were staying.

This afternoon, after conducting the Ordinary Public Consistory for the creation of 14 new Cardinals, His Holiness hopped into a van, along with the newly-created Cardinals and made another short trip - this time to the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, within the walls of Vatican City.  Together, they visited briefly with Pope-emeritus Benedict XVI.

Inside the chapel at the Monastery, they had a brief encounter which concluded with the recitation of the Ave Maria.  Pope-emeritus Benedict XVI then imparted his blessing before the newly-created Cardinals returned to Casa Santa Marta.

Cardinals created

At 4:00pm today (10:00am EDT), inside the Vatican Basilica, the Holy Father, Pope Francis held an Ordinary Public Consistory for the creation of 14 new Cardinals, the imposition of the Beretta, the presentation of Cardinalatial rings and the assignment of their respective Roman churches (In keeping with an ancient tradition, all Cardinals are assigned a titular church within the Diocese of Rome).

The celebration began with a greeting and then continued with a prayer and the reading of a passage from the Gospel according to Mark (Mk 10:32-45).  The Pope then shared his homily.

After the homily, the Holy Father read the formula of creation (of the new Cardinals) and solemnly proclaimed the names of the new Eminences, announcing the assignment of the Presbyteral or Diaconal order for each of them.  The Rite was then followed by the profession of faith which the new Cardinals proclaimed before the people of God and the oath of fidelity and obedience to Pope Francis and his Successors.

The new Cardinals then knelt before the Holy Father - in the order of their creation - and His Holiness imposed the zucchetto and the Cardinalatial beretta.  At the same time, His Holiness presented each of them with a ring and assigned one of the churches of Rome to each one of them as a sign of their participation in the pastoral care that the Pope has for the city of Rome.

After presenting each of the new Cardinals with the official Bull of Cardinalatial creation and assigning each one of them a Cardinalatial title (deacon, priest or bishop), the Holy Father, Pope Francis exchanged a sign of peace with each of them.

Homily of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

for the Ordinary General Consistory

for the creation of new Cardinals

They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them (Mk 10:32).
Jesus uses the same verb, proago, when he tells his disciples that he will precede them into Galilee (cf. Mk 10:32).

The beginning of this typical passage in Mark's gospel always helps us realize how the Lord cares for his people with a pedagogy all his own. Journeying to Jerusalem, Jesus is careful to walk ahead of his disciples.

Jerusalem represents the defining and decisive moment of his life. All of us know that at important and crucial times in life, the heart can speak and reveal the intentions and tensions within us. These turning points in life challenge us; they bring out questions and desires not always evident to our human hearts. This is what is presented, with great simplicity and realism, in the Gospel passage we have just heard. At the third and most troubling announcement of the Lord’s passion, the Evangelist does not shrink from disclosing secrets present in the hearts of the disciples: their quest for honours, jealousy, envy, intrigue, accommodation and compromise. This kind of thinking not only wears and eats away at their relationship, but also imprisons them in useless and petty discussions. Yet Jesus is not concerned with this: he walks ahead of them and he keeps going. And he tells them forcefully: But it shall not be so among you; whoever would be great among you must be your servant (Mk 10:43). In this way, the Lord tries to refocus the eyes and hearts of his disciples, so that there will be no fruitless and self-referential discussions in the community. What does it profit us to gain the whole world if we are corroded within? What does it profit us to gain the whole world if we are living in a stifling atmosphere of intrigues that dry up our hearts and impede our mission? Here, as someone has observed, we might think of all those palace intrigues that take place, even in curial offices.

But it shall not be so among you. The Lord’s response is above all an encouragement and a challenge to his disciples to recoup their better part, lest their hearts be spoiled and imprisoned by a worldly mentality that is blind to what is really important. But it shall not be so among you. The voice of the Lord saves the community from undue introspection and directs its vision, resources, aspirations and heart to the only thing that counts: the mission.

Jesus teaches us that conversion, change of heart and Church reform is and ever shall be in a missionary key, which demands an end to looking out for and protecting our own interests, in order to look out for and protect those of the Father. Conversion from our sins and from selfishness will never be an end in itself; it is always a means of growing in fidelity and willingness to embrace the mission. At the moment of truth, especially when we see the distress of our brothers and sisters, we will be completely prepared to accompany and embrace them, one and all. In this way, we avoid becoming effective roadblocks, whether because of our short-sightedness (cf Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Ejercicios Espirituales a los Obispos españoles, 2006) or our useless wrangling about who is most important. When we forget the mission, when we lose sight of the real faces of our brothers and sisters, our life gets locked up in the pursuit of our own interests and securities. Resentment then begins to grow, together with sadness and revulsion. Gradually we have less and less room for others, for the Church community, for the poor, for hearing the Lord’s voice. Joy fades and the heart withers (cf Evangelii Gaudium, 2).

But it shall not be so among you. Jesus goes on to say. Whoever would be first among you must be slave of all (Mk 10:43.44). This is the Beatitude and the Magnificat that we are called to sing daily. It is the Lord’s invitation not to forget that the Church’s authority grows with this ability to defend the dignity of others, to anoint them and to heal their wounds and their frequently dashed hopes. It means remembering that we are here because we have been asked to preach good news to the poor … to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord (Lk 4:18-19).

Dear brother Cardinals and new Cardinals! In our journey towards Jerusalem, the Lord walks ahead of us, to keep reminding us that the only credible form of authority is born of sitting at the feet of others in order to serve Christ. It is the authority that comes from never forgetting that Jesus, before bowing his head on the cross, did not hesitate to bow down and wash the feet of the disciples. This is the highest honour that we can receive, the greatest promotion that can be awarded us: to serve Christ in God’s faithful people. In those who are hungry, neglected, imprisoned, sick, suffering, addicted to drugs, cast aside. In real people, each with his or her own life story and experiences, hopes and disappointments, hurts and wounds. Only in this way, can the authority of the Shepherd have the flavour of Gospel and not appear as a noisy gong or a clanging symbol (1 Cor 13:1). None of us must feel superior to anyone. None of us should look down at others from above. The only time we can look at a person in this way is when we are helping them to stand up.

I would like now to share with you a part of the spiritual testament of Saint John XXIII. Progressing in his own journey, he could say: Born poor, but of humble and respectable folk, I am particularly happy to die poor, having distributed, in accordance with the various needs and circumstances of my simple and modest life in the service of the poor and of Holy Church which has nurtured me, whatever came into my hands – and it was very little – during the years of my priesthood and episcopate. Appearances of wealth have frequently disguised thorns of frustrating poverty, which prevented me from giving to others as generously as I would have wished. I thank God for this grace of poverty to which I vowed fidelity in my youth; poverty of spirit, as a priest of the Sacred Heart, and material poverty, which has strengthened me in my resolve never to ask for anything – money, positions or favours – never, either for myself, or for my relations and friends (29 June 1954).

New Cardinals will be created

This afternoon at the Vatican, the Holy Father, Pope Francis will preside over an Ordinary Public Consistory (a meeting of the Cardinals) during which he will create 14 new Cardinals who are from 11 countries.

The Holy Father announced the names of the new Cardinals following his Regina Coeli greetings on May 20, 2018.

The cardinals-designate are from Bolivia, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Peru, Madagascar, Mexico and Spain. At the time when he announced their names, the Pope explained that the places from where the new cardinals come expresses the universality of the Church, which continues to announce the merciful love of God to all men and women on earth.  He said their nominations manifest the unbreakable bond between the See of Peter and the local Churches throughout the world.

The new Cardinals are:

• His Beatitude Louis Raphaël I Sako – Chaldean Catholic Patriarch of Babylon (Iraq)
• Archbishop Luis Ladaria –Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (Spain)
• Archbishop Angelo De Donatis – Vicar General of Rome (Italy)
• Archbishop Giovanni Angelo Becciu – Substitute of the Vatican Secretary of State and Special Delegate for the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (Italy)
• Archbishop Konrad Krajewski – Almoner of the Office of Papal Charities (Poland)
• Archbishop Joseph Coutts of Karachi (Pakistan)
• Bishop António dos Santos Marto of Leiria-Fátima (Portugal)
• Archbishop Pedro Barreto of Huancayo (Peru)
• Archbishop Desiré Tsarahazana of Toamasina (Madagascar)
• Archbishop Giuseppe Petrocchi of L’Aquila (Italy)
• Archbishop Thomas Aquinas Manyo of Osaka (Japan)
• Emeritus Archbishop Sergio Obeso Rivera of Xalapa (Mexico)
• Emeritus Bishop Toribio Ticona Porco of the Territorial Prelature of Corocoro (Bolivia) and
• Father Aquilino Bocos Merino of the Claretian order (Spain).

The Pope said that he chose these last three clerics for their distinguished service to the Church.

What is a consistory?

The consistory is not a Holy Mass but an assembly of cardinals with or without the pope to deal with important Church matters, such as fixing the dates of beatification and canonization and the creation of new cardinals. During the Middle Ages, popes used to convoke consistories to decide on important issues.  The cardinals are the closest advisers and collaborators of the Pope in the government of the worldwide Catholic Church. Blessed Paul VI used to convoke a consistory every time he came back from an international trip, to share his impressions and exchange opinions on the trip with the cardinals.

Pope Benedict XVI announced his historic resignation on February 11, 2013, during a Consistory for the Canonization of the Martyrs of Otranto. The consistory of February 22, 2014 called by Pope Francis was preceded by an extraordinary consistory on the issues of the family.

Ceremony of creation of new cardinals

Today’s Consistory is a ceremony during which Pope Francis will create the new cardinals and induct them as members of the worldwide body of cardinals known as the College of Cardinals. Dressed in their red robes, the cardinals-designate will profess the Creed and then approach Pope Francis one by one who will place the red biretta (hat) on each one of them and give them the cardinal’s ring.  Each cardinal will be assigned a titular church of Rome. This is symbolic of the cardinals being part of the Diocese of Rome, whose bishop is the Pope, successor of the first Bishop of Rome, Saint Peter.

Reforms

Blessed Paul VI reformed the rite of the consistory for the creation of new cardinals in 1969, giving it a liturgical look, though consistories had not previously been seen as a liturgical event. The rite included prayers with the imposition of the red biretta and the ring, emphasizing the spiritual bond between the cardinals and the pope.

Pope Benedict XVI further reformed and simplified the rite of the creation of new cardinals in 2012, maintaining Pope Paul VI’s vision of a liturgical framework. The Code of Canon Law speaks about two types of consistories: ordinary and extraordinary. An extraordinary consistory is called in particular cases, and all the cardinals are called to take part in it. An ordinary consistory takes place when the Pope needs the cardinals’ counsel on some important, though normal, issue, or to give solemnity to the Pope’s decision, such as the approval of the canonization of saints.

Greetings for Italian swimmers

At 11:15am today (5:15am EDT), in the Clementine Hall at the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father received in audience the members of the Italian Swimming Federation.

Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

addressed to Italian swimmers

Dear friends,

I cordially welcome you, with a special thank you to the President of your Federation for his words.

In these days of sports competitions - the Sette Colli Trophy - in addition to technical results, you also offer a testimony of discipline, healthy competition and team play. Show us what goals you can achieve through your commitment to personal training, which involves great effort and even denying yourselves of some pleasures. All this is a lesson in life especially for your peers. Swimming, like any sports activity, if practiced with loyalty, becomes an occasion for training in human and social values, to strengthen - together with the body - also the character and the will, and to learn to know each other and to accept each other.

I would like to insist a bit on this aspect of team building. Of course, swimming is a predominantly individual sport, but in any case practicing it in a sporting society and even at a national level becomes a team experience, in which collaboration and mutual help are very important. And then there are the relays, and there is Water Polo, which is a classic team game. Above all there is Synchronized Swimming, which is really the exaltation of team building: it is all harmony, and excellence is achieved when the athletes move in such a way as to form a single movement. It is really fascinating, and for us ordinary spectators it seems almost impossible; but even there, the secret is helping one another, in addition to individual skill.

Speaking of synchronized swimming, I can not help thinking of Noemi, your companion who tragically died a few days ago, here in Rome. I have prayed for her and her family, and today I remember her together with you.

Dear coaches and athletes, be a good example for your peers, an example that can help them build their future. The language of sport is universal and easily reaches the new generations. So I encourage you to pass on positive messages through your activity; in this way, you will also help to improve the society in which we live.

May the Lord bless you and always give you the joy of competing together, in a spirit of fraternity.

Thank you.

Meeting with the Patriach's delegation

At 10:00am this morning (4:00am EDT), the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in Audience a delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, who have come to Rome for the traditional visit on the occasion of the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (which will be celebrated tomorrow).

Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

addressed to the delegation from the

Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople

Your Eminence,
Dear brothers in Christ,

On this, the eve of the Solemnity of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, I greatly rejoice to meet you who have come to Rome to represent His Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Holy Synod. I offer you a heartfelt welcome. Your presence at these celebrations in honour of the principal patrons of the Church of Rome is a sign of the growth of communion between the Catholic Church and the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

To commemorate the Apostles, their teachings and their witness is to be mindful of the common roots of our sister Churches, but also to acknowledge our common mission in the service of the Gospel, for the sake of bringing about a new humanity, ever closer to God.

In many traditionally Christian societies, side by side with radiant examples of fidelity to the Lord Jesus Christ, we see a gradual dimming of the light of faith, which no longer inspires the choices of individuals and public policies. Contempt for the dignity of the human person, the idolatry of money, the spread of violence, a totalizing view of science and technology, the reckless exploitation of natural resources: these are only a few of the grave signs of a tragic reality to which we must not resign ourselves. I agree fully with the words spoken by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew during his recent visit to Rome to take part in the International Conference on New Policies and Life-Styles in the Digital Age: We reject the cynical phrase ‘there is no alternative’… It is unacceptable for the alternative forms of development and the strength of social solidarity and justice to be ignored and slandered. Our Churches can create new possibilities of transformation for our world. In fact, the Church itself is an event of transformation, of sharing, of love and of openness ... In our Churches we experience the blessed certainty that the future does not belong to ‘having’ but to ‘being’, not to ‘pleonexia’ but to ‘sharing’, not to selfishness but to communion – nor does it belong to division but to love.

It is comforting for me to realize that this convergence of views with my beloved brother Bartholomew is being translated into a concrete common effort. Even in recent months, the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Catholic Church have cooperated in initiatives involving important issues such as combating modern forms of slavery, protecting creation and promoting peace. In this regard, I am deeply grateful to His Holiness, Bartholomew for having readily accepted my invitation to meet on 7 July next in Bari, together with the Heads of Churches and Christian Communities in the Middle East, in order to pray and reflect on the tragic situation afflicting so many of our brothers and sisters in that region.

It is my prayerful hope that there will be increased opportunities for us Catholics and Orthodox at all levels to work together, pray together and proclaim together the one Gospel of Jesus Christ received from the apostolic preaching, in order to experience ever more fully in our shared journey the unity that by God’s grace already joins us.

Your Eminence, dear brothers, thank you once more for your presence. Through the intercession of Saints Peter and Paul, and of Saint Andrew, the brother of Saint Peter, may the Almighty Lord grant that we may be faithful heralds of the Gospel. As I invoke his blessing upon us all, I ask you, please, to remember me in your prayers. Thank you.

General Audience on the love that gives meaning

This morning's General Audience began at 9:40am in Saint Peter's Square.  The Holy Father, Pope Francis met there with groups of pilgrims and the faithful from Italy and from every corner of the world.

Before making his way to Saint Peter's Square, the Pope met with various groups of the sick and disabled in the Paul VI Hall.

Greetings of His Holiness, Pope Francis

addressed to the sick and disabled

inside the Paul VI Hall

Dear friends,

I offer a warm welcome to the group from the “Deaf Catholic Youth Initiative of the Americas”. I pray that your pilgrimage – “A Time to Walk with Jesus” – will help you to grow in love for Christ and for one another. The Lord has a special place in his heart for those with any kind of disability, and so does the Successor of Saint Peter! I hope that your time in Rome will be spiritually enriching and strengthen your witness to God’s love for all his children. As you continue your journey, I ask you please remember to pray for me. May Almighty God richly bless you all!

The Holy Father also offered greetings to a group of Special Olympians who were in attendance at this morning's Audience.  His Holiness said:

I extend a special welcome to the delegation from the Special Olympics organization on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of its foundation. The world of sport offers a particular opportunity for people to grow in mutual understanding and friendship, and I pray that this Olympic Flame may be a sign of joy and hope in the Lord who bestows the gifts unity and peace on his children. Upon all who support the aims of the Special Olympics, I willingly invoke God’s blessings of joy and peace.

In his speech (delivered in Saint Peter's Square), the Pope continued the new cycle of catechesis on the Commandments, adding a meditation on the theme: The love of God precedes the law and gives it meaning (Inspired by the biblical passage taken from the Book of Deuteronomy 4:32-35).

After having summarized his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father addressed 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

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

Today, this audience is taking place as it did last Wednesday.  In the Paul VI Hall, there are many sick people and to protect them from the heat, so that they can be more comfortable, they are gathered there.  But they are following the audience on the jumbotrons and, we too are with them so that there are not two audiences: only one.  Let us greet all the sick in the Paul VI Hall.

And let us continue to speak about the commandments that, as we have said, are more than commandments; are the words of God to help his people to walk well.  They are loving words of a Father. The Ten Words begin like this: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the condition of slavery (Exodus 20: 2). This beginning would seem extraneous to the actual laws that follow. But it is not.

Why does God make this proclamation about himself and about freedom? Because we reached Mount Sinai after crossing the Red Sea: the God of Israel first saved, then asked us to trust him*. That is: the Decalogue begins with the generosity of God. God never asks without giving first. Never. First save, first give, then ask. This is our Father, our good God.

We understand the importance of the first declaration: I am the Lord your God. There is a possessive, there is a relationship, one belongs to the other. God is not a stranger: he is your God**. This enlightens the whole Decalogue and also reveals the secret of Christian action, because it is the same attitude of Jesus who says: As the Father has loved me, I have loved you (Jn 15: 9). Christ is loved by the Father and loves us with that love. He does not start with himself but with the Father. Often, our efforts fail because we start out being focused on ourselves and not on gratitude. And who starts from himself, where does he get to? He gets to himself! He is incapable of making his way back by himself. It is precisely that selfish attitude that, joking, people say: That person is an I, me with me, and for me. He comes out of himself and returns to himself.

The Christian life is above all the grateful response to a generous Father. Christians who follow only duties report that they do not have a personal experience of that God who is our God. I have to do this, this, this ... only duties. But you're missing something! What is the foundation of this duty? The foundation of this duty is the love of God the Father, who first gives, then commands. Putting the law before the relationship does not help the journey of faith. How can a young person desire to be a Christian, if we start from obligations, commitments, coherences and not from liberation? But being a Christian is a journey of liberation! The commandments free us from our selfishness and free us because there is the love of God that carries us forward. Christian formation is not based on willpower, but on the acceptance of salvation, on letting ourselves be loved: first the Red Sea, then Mount Sinai. Salvation first: God saves his people in the Red Sea; then in Sinai he tells us what we must do. But that people know that these things are done because they have been saved by a Father who loves them.

Gratitude is a characteristic trait of the heart that has been visited by the Holy Spirit; to obey God we must first remember his goodness. Saint Basil says: Whoever does not let those benefits fall into oblivion, is oriented towards good virtue and to every work of justice (Short Rules, 56). Where does all this bring us? To exercise memory***:  how many beautiful things God has done for each of us! How generous is our Heavenly Father! Now I would like to offer you a little exercise, in silence, everyone answer in his heart. How many beautiful things has God done for me? This is the question. In silence, each of us can answer. How many beautiful things has God done for me? And this is the freedom of God. God does many beautiful things and frees us.

Yet someone might feel that he has not yet had a true experience of the freedom of God. This can happen. It could be that we look inward and find only a sense of duty, a spirituality of servants and not of children. What can we do in this case? As the chosen people did. The Book of Exodus says: The Israelites groaned for their slavery, they cried out wailing and their cry from slavery ascended to God. God listened to their lament, God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God looked at the condition of the Israelites, God thought about them (Ex 2,23-25). God thinks about me.

The liberating action of God placed at the beginning of the Decalogue - that is, of the commandments - is the answer to this lamentation. We do not save ourselves, but we can cry out for help: Lord save me, Lord teach me the way, Lord caress me, Lord give me a little joy. This is a cry asking for help. This is up to us: to ask to be freed from selfishness, from sin, from the chains of slavery. This cry is important, it is prayer, it is consciousness of what is still oppressed and not liberated in us. There are many things not liberated in our souls. Save me, help me, free me. This is a beautiful prayer to the Lord. God waits for our cry, because he can and wants to break our chains; God has not called us to life in order to remain oppressed, but to be free and to live in gratitude, obeying with joy the One who has given us so much, infinitely more than we can ever give to Him. This is beautiful. May God be always blessed for all he has done, all that he does and all that he will do in us!



* In the rabbinical tradition there is an illuminating text on the subject: Why were the 10 words not proclaimed at the beginning of the Torah? ... What can you compare to? To a man who, assuming the government of a city, asked the inhabitants: 'May I reign over you?'. But they answered: 'What have you done us good for you to claim to reign over us?'. So, what did he do? He built them defensive walls and a channel to supply the city with water; then he fought wars for them. And when he asked again: 'May I reign over you?', They replied: 'Yes, yes'. So the Place brought Israel out of Egypt, divided the sea for them, sent the manna down to them and climbed the water of the well, brought them flying quails and finally fought for them the war against Amaleq. And when he asked them, 'May I reign over you?', They replied: 'Yes, yes' (The gift of the Torah, Commentary on the Decalogue on Ex 20 in the Mekilta by R. Ishamael, Rome 1982, p.49).

** cf Benedict XVI, Encyclical Letter Deus caritas est, 17: The love-story between God and man consists in the very fact that this communion of will increases in a communion of thought and sentiment, and thus our will and God's will increasingly coincide: God's will is no longer for me an alien will, something imposed on me from without by the commandments, but it is now my own will, based on the realization that God is in fact more deeply present to me than I am to myself. Then self- abandonment to God increases and God becomes our joy.

*** cf Homily for the Mass in the Casa Santa Marta, 7 October 2014: What does it mean to pray?  It is a matter of remembering our history before God.  Because our history is the story of his love for us.  cf Words and Deeds of the Desert Fathers, 1975, p. 71: Oblivion is the root of all evil.

The Holy Father's catechesis was then summarized and translated into various languages, and after each summary, the Holy Father offered greetings to those who were in attendance.  To English-speaking pilgrims who were in the Square and in the Paul VI Hall, His Holiness said:

I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly those from Scotland, Ireland, Sweden, Greece, Australia, China, Vietnam and the United States of America. I also welcome the delegation from the NATO Defense College, with prayerful good wishes for their service to the cause of peace. Upon all of you, and your families, I invoke the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you!

To Francophones, he said:

Je suis heureux de saluer les pèlerins venus de France et de divers pays francophones. Je forme le vœu que cette période estivale qui commence soit l’occasion pour chacun d’approfondir sa relation personnelle avec Dieu afin de le suivre plus librement sur la voie de ses commandements. Que Dieu vous bénisse!
I am happy to greet the pilgrims who have come from France ad from various other francophone countries.  I hope that this summer period which is only just beginning will be an occasion for each of you to deepen your personal relationship with God so that you will be able to follow the path of his Commandments more freely.  May God bless you!

France at the Vatican

Today, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience the President of the French Republic, His Excellency, Mister Emmanuel Macron, who subsequently met with His Eminence, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, accompanied by His Excellency, Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States.

During the cordial discussions, the good existing bilateral relations between the Holy See and France were highlighted, and the contribution of religions to the promotion of the common good of the country, with particular reference to the commitment of the Church, was noted.

Attention then turned to global issues of shared interest, such as the protection of the environment, migration, and multilateral commitment to conflict prevention and resolution, especially in relation to disarmament. The conversation also permitted an exchange of views on various situations of conflict, particularly in the Middle East and in Africa. Finally, there was a joint reflection on the prospects of the European project.

Changes among the order of some Cardinals

Roman Pontiffs have always been concerned - with an eye of special fraternal care - for the College of Cardinals.  In fact, the Cardinals offer support to the mission of the Successor of Peter, adding their precious contribution and their experience to the service of their particular Churches spread throughout the world and enriching in a special way their ties of communion with the Church of Rome.

In recent decades, there have been a number of additions to the College of Cardinals (28 June 2018; 28 June 2017; 19 November 2016; 14 February 2015; 22 February 2014).  Within the College of Cardinals, there are three Orders: Cardinal Bishops, Cardinal Presbyters (Priests) and Cardinal Deacons.  While the number of Cardinals belonging to the Order of Presbyters and the Order of Deacons has grown considerably, the number of those who are Cardinal Bishops has remained constant and unvaried.  Therefore, it has become necessary to enlarge the current number of Cardinals belonging to the Order of Cardinals.

The Supreme Pontiff, Francis,

In an audience granted to the undersigned Substitute for General Affairs (of the Secretariat of State) on 12 June 2018, has decided to elevate to the Order of Cardinal Bishops, equating them in all respects to the other Cardinal Bishops, and assigning to them the titles of suburban Churches within the Diocese of Rome, in accordance with the prescriptions of Canons 350 §§ 1-2 and 352 §§ 2-3 of the Code of Canon Law, the following Cardinals:

• His Eminence, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State; assigning him the Title of Saints Simon and Jude Thadeus in Torre Angela;
• His Eminence, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for Oriental Churches; assigning him the Title of Saints Biagio and Charles in Catinari;
• His Eminence, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops; assigning him the Title of Santa Maria in Traspontina; and
• His Eminence, Cardinal Fernando Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples; assigning him the title of Deacon of Nostra Signora di Coromoto in San Giovanni di Dio.

The present Rescript will be promulgated by publication in L'Osservatore Romano, entering into effect on 28 June 2018, and then published in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis (Acts of the Apostolic See).

Given at the Vatican
26 June 2018

+Angelo Becciu
Substitute for General Affairs

GG of Australia at the Vatican

Today, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience in the Apostolic Palace the Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia, His Excellency, General Sir Peter Cosgrove, who subsequently met with His Eminence, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State, accompanied by His Excellency, Paul R. Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States.

During the cordial discussion, the themes of migration, at both global and regional levels, and climate change, were considered. Mention was also made of the role of the Church in Australian society, and the current discussion on the protection of minors and vulnerable people, reiterating the commitment of all members of the Church in this regard.

Attention then turned to the social situation of the country, and to the question of peace and stability in the entire region of the Pacific and of Asia.

Greetings for the Pontifical Academy for Life

At 11:30am this morning (5:30am EDT), in the Clementine Hall at the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience those who are participating in the XXIV General Assembly of the Pontifical Academy for Life (PAV).  The theme of this gathering - which is taking place at the New Synod Hall at the Vatican from 25 to 27 June 2018 - is Equal beginnings.  But then? A global responsibility.

Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

addressed to members of the

Pontifical Academy for Life

Illustrious Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am pleased to greet to all of you, beginning with your President, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, whom I thank for introducing me to this General Assembly, in which the theme of human life will be situated in the broad context of the globalized world in which we live today. And also, I want to offer greeting to Cardinal Sgreccia, ninety years old but enthusiastic, young, in the struggle for life. Thank you, Your Eminence, for what you have done in this field and for what you are doing. Thank you.

The wisdom that should inspire our attitude towards human ecology urges us to consider the ethical and spiritual quality of life in all its phases. There is a conceived human life, a life in gestation, a life that comes to light, a child's life, a teenage life, an adult life, an aged and consummate life - and eternal life exists. There is a life that exists in family and community, a life that is made up of invocation and hope. Just as there is fragile and sick human life, wounded, offended, dejected, marginalized, discarded life. It is always human life. It is the life of human persons, who inhabit the earth created by God and who share the common home with all living creatures. Certainly in the biology laboratories life is studied with the tools that allow us to explore its physical, chemical and mechanical aspects. This is a very important and indispensable study, but one which must be integrated with a broader and deeper perspective, which calls for attention to be paid to the properly human life, which bursts on the world scene with the prodigy of the word as well as thought, affections and spirit. What recognition does the human wisdom about life receive from the natural sciences? And what political culture inspires the promotion and protection of real human life? The beautiful work of life is the creation of a new person, the education of his spiritual and creative qualities, the initiation to the love of family and community, the care that is taken of his vulnerabilities and his wounds; as well as initiation into the life of the children of God, in Jesus Christ.

When we deliver children to deprivation, the poor to hunger, the persecuted to war, the elderly to abandonment, do we not ourselves, instead, do the dirty work of death? Where does the dirty work of death come from? It comes from sin. Evil tries to persuade us that death is the end of everything, that we have come to the world by chance and we are destined to end up in nothingness. Excluding the other from our horizon, life folds back on itself and becomes a consumer good. Narcissus, the character of ancient mythology, who loves himself and ignores the good of others, is naive and does not even realize it. Meanwhile, however, it spreads a very contagious spiritual virus, which condemns us to become mirror-men and mirror-women, who see only ourselves and nothing else. It is like becoming blind to life and its dynamic, like a gift received from others and asking to be placed in a position of responsibility for sharing this gift with others.

The global vision of bioethics, which you are preparing to relaunch on the field of social ethics and of planetary humanism, strengthened by Christian inspiration, will engage with more seriousness and rigor to defuse complicity with the dirty work of death, supported by sin. In this way, you will be able to give back to the reasons and practices of the covenant with the grace destined by God for the life of each one of us. This use of bioethics will not move from illness and death to decide the meaning of life and define the value of the person. It will rather move from the profound conviction of the irrevocable dignity of the human person, as God loves us, the dignity of every person, in every phase and condition of his existence, in the search for the forms of love and care that must be addressed to his vulnerability. and his fragility.

Therefore, in the first place, this global bioethics will be a specific way to develop the perspective of integral ecology that is proper to the Encyclical Laudato si ', in which I have insisted on these strong points: the intimate relationship between the poor and the fragility of the planet; the belief that everything in the world is intimately connected; the critique of the new paradigm and the forms of power that derive from technology; the invitation to look for other ways of understanding the economy and progress; the proper value of every creature; the human sense of ecology; the need for sincere and honest debates; the grave responsibility of international and local politics; the culture of waste and the proposal of a new way of life (LS, 16).

Secondly, in a holistic view of the person, it is a matter of articulating with ever greater clarity all the concrete connections and differences in which the universal human condition dwells and which involve us, beginning with our bodies. In fact our body places us in a direct relationship with the environment and with other living beings. Acceptance of one's body as a gift from God is necessary to accept the whole world as a gift from the Father and a common home; instead a logic of domination over one's own body is transformed into a sometimes subtle logic of dominion over creation. Learning to welcome your body, to take care of it and to respect its meanings is essential for a true human ecology. Also to appreciate one's own body in its femininity or masculinity is necessary in order to recognize oneself in the encounter with the other who is different from oneself (LS, 155).

Therefore, it is necessary that we proceed with a careful discernment of the complex fundamental differences of human life: of man and woman, of fatherhood and motherhood, of filiation and fraternity, of sociality and also of all the different ages of life. As well as all the difficult conditions and all the delicate or dangerous passages that require special ethical wisdom and courageous moral resistance: sexuality and generation, sickness and old age, insufficiency and disability, deprivation and exclusion, violence and war. "The defence of the innocent who was not born, for example, must be clear, firm and passionate, because there is at stake the dignity of human life, always sacred, and love requires it for every person beyond his development. But equally sacred is the life of the poor who are already born, who are struggling in misery, abandonment, exclusion, trafficking in persons, in the hidden euthanasia of the sick and the elderly who are deprived of care, in the new forms of slavery, and in every form of waste (Apostolic Exhortation, Gaudete et exsultate, 101).

In the texts and teachings of Christian and ecclesiastical formation, these themes of the ethics of human life will have to find an appropriate place in the context of a global anthropology, and not be confined to the limit-questions of morality and law. A conversion to today's centrality of integral human ecology, that is, of a harmonious and comprehensive understanding of the human condition, I hope you find in your intellectual, civil and religious commitment, valid support and propositional intonation.

Global bioethics therefore urges us toward the wisdom of a profound and objective discernment of the value of personal and community life, which must be preserved and promoted even in the most difficult conditions. We must also strongly state that, without the adequate support of a responsible human proximity, no purely juridical regulation and no technical aid can, on their own, guarantee conditions and relational contexts corresponding to the dignity of the person. The prospect of a globalization that, left only to its spontaneous dynamics, tends to increase and deepen inequalities, urges an ethical response in favour of justice. The attention to social, economic, cultural and environmental factors that determine health is part of this commitment, and becomes a concrete way to realize the right of every people to participate, on the basis of equality and solidarity, in the enjoyment of goods that are destined for all men (John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo rei socialis, 21).

Finally, the culture of life must take a more serious look at the serious question of its ultimate destination. It is a matter of highlighting with greater clarity what directs the existence of man towards a horizon that surpasses him: every person is freely called to communion with God himself as a son and to participate in his own happiness ... The Church teaches that eschatological hope does not diminish the importance of earthly commitments, but rather gives new reasons to support their implementation (Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et Spes, 21). We need to examine ourselves more deeply on the ultimate destination of life, capable of restoring dignity and meaning to the mystery of its deepest and most sacred affections. The life of man, beautiful to the point of being enchanted and fragile to the point of dying, refers beyond itself: we are infinitely more than what we can do for ourselves. But man's life is also incredibly tenacious, certainly for a mysterious grace that comes from above, in the audacity of his invocation of a justice and a definitive victory of love. And it is even capable - hoping against all hope - to sacrifice itself for this purpose until the end. Recognizing and appreciating this fidelity and dedication to life arouses gratitude and responsibility in us, and encourages us to generously offer our knowledge and our experience to the whole human community. Christian wisdom must reopen with passion and audacity the thought of the destination of the human race to the life of God, which has promised to open to the love of life, beyond death, the infinite horizon of loving bodies of light, without tears. And to amaze them eternally with the ever new charm of all the visible and invisible things that are hidden in the womb of the Creator. Thank you.

Greetings for the Gravissimum Educationis Foundation

At 11:00am this morning (5:00am EDT), in the Consistory Hall at the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience the members of the Gravissimum Educationis Foundation.

Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

offered to the members of the

Gravissimum Educationis Foundation

Dear friends,

I offer a cordial welcome to those taking part in the Conference To Educate is to Transform promoted by the Gravissimum Educationis Foundation. I thank Cardinal Versaldi for his words of introduction and I am grateful to each of you for bringing the richness of your experiences in various sectors related to your personal and professional activities.

As you know, I established this Foundation on 28 October 2015, on the fiftieth anniversary of the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration Gravissimum Educationis, at the request of the Congregation for Catholic Education. By this foundation, the Church renews her commitment to Catholic education in step with the historical transformations of our time. The Foundation is in fact a response to the appeal made by the conciliar Declaration, which suggested that schools and universities cooperate so as better to face today’s challenges (cf GE, 12). This recommendation of the Council has developed over time, and can also be found in the recent Apostolic Constitution Veritatis Gaudium on Ecclesiastical Universities and Faculties, which speaks of the urgent need for ‘networking’ between those institutions worldwide that cultivate and promote ecclesiastical studies (Forward, 4d) and, more broadly, among Catholic educational institutions.

Only by changing education can we change the world. To this end, I should like to offer you some suggestions:

1. First, it is important to network. Networking means uniting schools and universities for the sake of improving the work education and research, drawing upon everyone’s strong points for greater effectiveness on the intellectual and cultural levels.

Networking also means uniting the various branches of knowledge, the sciences and fields of study, in order to face complex challenges with an inter-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary approach, as recommended by Veritatis Gaudium (cf VG, 4c).

Networking means creating spaces for encounter and dialogue within educational institutions, and encouraging similar spaces outside our institutions, with people of other cultures, other traditions and different religions, so that a Christian humanism can consider the overall reality of humanity today.

Networking also means making the school an educating community where teachers and students are brought together not only by the teaching curriculum, but also by a curriculum of life and experience that can educate the different generations to mutual sharing. This is so important so as not to lose our roots!

Moreover, the challenges facing our human family today are global, in a more wide-ranging sense than is often thought. Catholic education is not limited to forming minds to a broader outlook, capable of embracing distant realities. It also recognized that mankind’s moral responsibility today does not just extend through space, but also through time, and that present choices have repercussions for future generations.

2. Another challenge facing education today is one that I pointed out in my Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium: we must not allow ourselves to be robbed of hope! (EG, 86). With this appeal, I meant to encourage the men and women of our time to face social change optimistically, so that they can immerse themselves in realty with the light that radiates from the promise of Christian salvation.

We are called not to lose hope, because we must offer hope to the global world of today. Globalizing hope and supporting the hopes of globalization are basic commitments in the mission of Catholic education, as stated in the recent document of the Congregation for Catholic Education Educating to Fraternal Humanism (cf numbers18-19). A globalization bereft of hope or vision can easily be conditioned by economic interests, which are often far removed from a correct understanding of the common good, and which easily give rise to social tensions, economic conflicts and abuses of power. We need to give a soul to the global world through an intellectual and moral formation that can support the good things that globalization brings and correct the harmful ones.

These are important goals that can be attained by the growth of scientific research carried out by universities and present, too, in the mission of the Gravissimum Educationis Foundation Quality research, which looks to a horizon rich in challenges. Some of these challenges, as I noted in my Encyclical Laudato Si’, have to do with processes of global interdependence. The latter is, on the one hand, a beneficial historical force since it marks a greater cohesion among human beings; on the other, it gives rise to injustices and brings out the close relationship between grave forms of human poverty and the ecological crises of our world. The response is to be sought in developing and researching an integral ecology. Again, I should like to emphasize the economic challenge, based on researching better models of development corresponding to a more authentic understanding of human fulfilment and capable of correcting some of the perverse mechanisms of consumption and production. Then too, there is the political challenge: the power of technology is constantly expanding. One of its effects is to spread a throw-away culture that engulfs objects and persons without distinction. It entails a vision of man as a predator and the world in which we live as a resource to be despoiled at will. Certainly, there is no shortage of work for academics and researchers engaged with the Gravissimum Educationis Foundation!

3. The work before you, with the support you give to innovative educational projects, must respect three essential criteria in order to be effective:

First, identity. This calls for consistency and continuity with the mission of schools, universities and research centres founded, promoted or accompanied by the Church and open to all. Those values are essential for following the way marked out by Christian civilization and by the Church’s mission of evangelization. In this way, you can help to indicate what paths to take, in order to give up-to-date answers to today’s problems, with a preferential regard for those who are most needy.

Another essential point is quality. This is the sure beacon that must shed light on every enterprise of study, research and education. It is necessary for achieving those outstanding interdisciplinary centres recommended by the Constitution Veritatis Gaudium (cf VG, 5) and which the Foundation Gravissimum Educationis aspires to support.

Then too, your work cannot overlook the goal of the common good. The common good is difficult to define in our societies characterized by the coexistence of citizens, groups and peoples belonging to different cultures, traditions and faiths. We must broaden the horizons of the common good, educating everyone to understand that we belong to one human family.

To fulfil your mission, therefore, you must lay its foundations in a way consistent with our Christian identity; establish means appropriate for the quality of study and research; and pursue goals in harmony with service to the common good.

A plan of thought and action based on these solid pillars will be able to contribute, through education, to building a future in which the dignity of the person and universal fraternity are global resources upon which every citizen of the world can draw.

I thank you for all that you can do with your support for the Foundation, and I encourage you to continue in this worthy and beneficial mission. Upon you, your colleagues and families, I cordially invoke the Lord’s abundant blessings. And I ask you, please, to remember to pray for me.

Thank you.