Greetings for the Oblates of Saint Joseph

At 12:10pm today (6:10am EDT), in the Consistory Hall at the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience those who are participating in the XVII General Chapter of the Oblates of Saint Joseph which is taking place in Rome, at the General Curia, from 3 to 31 August 2018 and focused on the theme: Et vocat ad se eos ... ut esent cum illo et ut mitteret eos praedicare (And he called them to himself ... so that they might stay with him, and so that he might send them out to preach).

Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

for the meeting with the Oblates of Saint Joseph

Dear brothers, good morning!

I like Saint Joseph, he has so much power!  For more than forty years, I have recited a prayer that I found in an old French missal that says the following about Saint Joseph ... dont la puissance sait rendre possibles les choses impossibles (... whose power can make impossible things possible).  The power of Saint Joseph.  Never, he never said no.  We should be encouraged by his example.  I am happy to meet with you on the occasion of your General Chapter and I cordially welcome you.  I offer a special thought to Father Jan Pelczarski, who has only recently been elected as Superior General, and I offer him and his Counsellors my best wishes for the new mission.  At the same time, I express my gratitude to Father Michele Piscopo for his generous service in guiding your Congregation.  Thank you.  Congratulations!  I extend my sentiments of affection to the entire religious family which you, Chapter Fathers, are representing here, and I encourage all of you to persevere in your respective apostolic endeavours.

A General Chapter is a moment of grace in the life of an Institute of Consecrated Life, certainly for her members and for the entire community, but also, in addition to all these, for many ecclesial, parochial, familial, and lay groups in various connected ways.  The mission entrusted to you by your founder, Saint Joseph Marello, shows your particular charism to reproduce in life and in your apostolate the ideal of service as Saint Joseph of Nazareth lived it, beginning with the imitation of his discreet, humble and industrious lifestyle. He lived his vocation as custodian of Mary and of Jesus with fidelity and simplicity. He was close to his bride in joyful and difficult moments, and with her he established a wonderful familiarity with Jesus, who he held continually before his gaze.

Enriched by the industrious simplicity of Saint Joseph, you are called to be witnesses in the world of a particular message, of consoling good news: that God uses everyone, with a preference for the small and those who are humanly unsuited, to plant and to grow his Kingdom. The prospect of serving Jesus in the Church and in our brothers and sisters, with particular attention to the young and the humble, can always influence your life and your joy. In this the words of your holy Founder inspire you: words which are always very timely: "Poor Josephites of the Hospice-Chronic, young priests, you are nothing and you do not have anyone who claims positions for the future, and yet in the meantime the Lord also uses you for the good of souls. You should also say: servi inutiles sumus (we are useless servants), but pull ahead in doing the part that the divine will assigns to you, by means of those who represent it; and let it be that men videant opera vestra bona et glorificent Patrem vestrum here in coelis est (seeing your good works, will give glory to your Father who is in heaven) (Epistolario, Letter 241).

Therefore, I encourage you to continue to live and work in the Church and in the world with the simple and essential virtues of the Bridegroom of the Virgin Mary: humility, which attracts the benevolence of the Father; intimacy with the Lord, who sanctifies all Christian activity; silence and concealment, united with zeal and industriousness in favour of the Lord's will, in the spirit of that happy synthesis left to you by Marello as a motto and program: Be convinced withinin the house and apostles outside the home. This teaching, always alive in your spirit, commits all of you, dear brothers, to preserving a climate of recollection and prayer in your religious houses, fostered by silence and opportune community meetings. The family spirit affirms the union of the communities and of the whole Congregation.

Saint Joseph Marello exhorted his spiritual children to put ahead of everything else, love and obedience to the teachings and directives of the Supreme Pontiff. These were times of rationalism that were impatient for every spiritual dogma; ours are times of rampant relativism that undermines the building of faith and strips the very idea of Christian fidelity. Therefore, the mandate of your Founder is to be witnesses of love and fidelity to Christ and to his Church where ever you are. To people in every part of the world and to young people in particular, to whom your apostolate is addressed, you teach, with your life and with your words, that the example of Joseph of Nazareth, fully consecrated to the service of Jesus, is still the easiest, safest and most fascinating way to live life and the Christian vocation in a full and joyful way.

Faced with a superficial culture that exalts the possession of material goods and that promises happiness through dangerous shortcuts, you do not fail to motivate young people to temper the spirit and to form a mature personality, capable of strength but also of tenderness. And the greatest joy is to talk to young people about Jesus Christ, reading the Gospel with them, comparing it with life ... This is the best way to build a solid future.

May the intercession of the two Josephs, the Patron of the universal Church and your own Founder, make the work of your Chapter fruitful.  May their prayer also support the mission of the Marcellian family: Oblate Fathers and Brothers, Oblate Sisters, associates and lay people who share your spirituality.  With all my heart, I bless all of you, and I ask you please to pray for me.

General Audience reflecting on Ireland

This morning's General Audience began at 9:20am local time (3:20am EDT) in Saint Peter's Square, where the Holy Father, Pope Francis met with groups of pilgrims and the faithful from Italy and from every corner of the world.

In his address, the Pope added his meditation on his recent Apostolic voyage to Ireland to celebrate the IX World Meeting of Families (Gospel passage: Psalms 128:1-6).

After having summarized his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father issued greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance.

He then issued a call on the occasion of the World Day of Prayer for the care of creation which will be observed on 1 September.

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!

Last weekend, I travelled to Ireland to take part in the World Meeting of Families: I am sure that you watched it on television.  My presence was - above all - intended to confirm Christian families in their vocation and their mission.  The thousands of families - spouses, grandparents, children - gathered in Dublin, with all the variety of their languages, cultures and experiences, were an eloquent sign of the beauty of God's dream for the entire human family. And we know this dream: God's dream is unity, harmony and peace, in families and in the world, the fruit of fidelity, forgiveness and reconciliation that he has given us in Christ. He calls families to participate in this dream and to make the world a home where nobody is alone, nobody is unwanted, nobody is excluded. Think about this: what God wants is that nobody is alone, nobody is unwanted, nobody is excluded. Thus the theme of this World Meeting was very appropriate. The theme was: The Gospel of the family, joy for the world.

I am grateful to the President of Ireland, to the Prime Minister, to the various governmental, civil and religious authorities, and to the many people at every level who helped to prepare for and to execute the events that were part of the Meeting.  And thank you very much to the Bishops who worked so hard.  Speaking to the Authorities in Dublin Castle, I reiterated the fact that the Church is a family of families, and that, like a body, she supports each one of her cells in its indispensable role, promoting the development of a fraternal and supportive society.

The truly enlightening points of these days were the testimonies of conjugal love provided by couples of all ages. Their stories reminded us that the love of marriage is a special gift from God, to be cultivated every day in the domestic church that is the family. How much the world needs a revolution of love, a revolution of tenderness which will save us from the current throw-away culture! And this revolution begins in the heart of the family.

In the Pro-Cathedral in Dublin, I met spouses who are engaged in the Church and many young married couples who have many young children. Then I met some families who are facing particular challenges and difficulties. Thanks to the Capuchin Friars, who are always close to the people, and to the wider ecclesial family, they experience solidarity and support that are the fruit of charity.

The high point of my visit was the great festival with families, held on Saturday evening in the Dublin stadium, followed on Sunday with the Mass celebrated in Phoenix Park.  During the vigil, we heard very touching testimonies from families who have suffered because of war, families who have been renewed through forgiveness, families who have been saved from the spiral of dependence through love, families who have learned how to use cellphones and tablets well and who give priority to spending time together. And the value of communication between generations and the specific role of grandparents in consolidating family ties and transmitting the treasure of faith were also highlighted. Today - it is hard to say - but it seems that grandparents are a nuisance. In this culture of waste, grandparents are discarded, they are distanced from their children and grandchildren. But grandparents are wise, they are the memory of a people, the memory of families! And grandparents must pass on this memory to their grandchildren. Young people and children must talk with their grandparents in order to carry on the story. Please: do not discard your grandparents. Let them be close to your children, to their grandchildren.

On Sunday morning, I made a pilgrimage to the Marian Shrine of Knock, which is so dear to the Irish people.  There, in the chapel that was built on the place where the Virgin appeared, I entrusted all families to her maternal protection, especially the families of Ireland.  And although my journey did not include a visit to Northern Ireland, I greeted the people of that region cordially and encouraged the process of reconciliation, pacification, friendship and ecumenical cooperation.

My visit to Ireland, in addition to great joy, also bore pain and bitterness for the suffering caused in that country by various forms of abuse, even by members of the Church, and the fact that the ecclesiastical authorities in the past were not always able to deal appropriately with these crimes. A profound sign of this pain was left by the meeting I had with some of the survivors - there were eight-; and on several occasions I asked the Lord for forgiveness for these sins, for the scandal and the sense of betrayal that resulted. The Irish Bishops have undertaken a serious path of purification and reconciliation with those who have suffered abuse, and with the help of national authorities have established a series of strict rules to ensure the safety of young people. And then, in my meeting with the Bishops, I encouraged them in their efforts to remedy the failures of the past with honesty and courage, trusting in the Lord's promises and counting on the profound faith of the Irish people, to inaugurate a season of renewal for the Church in Ireland. In Ireland there is faith, there are people of faith: a faith with great roots. But do you know something? There are few vocations to the priesthood. Why does this faith fail? For these problems, the scandals, many things ... We must pray for the Lord to send holy priests to Ireland, send new vocations. And we will do it together, praying an Ave Maria to the Madonna of Knock. Hail Mary ... Lord Jesus, send us holy priests.

Dear brothers and sisters, the World Meeting of Families in Dublin was a prophetic, comforting experience of many families committed to the evangelical way of living marriage and family life; families who are disciples and missionaries, source of goodness, holiness, justice and peace. We forget so many families - so many! - who care for their families, their children, with fidelity, asking for forgiveness when there are problems. We forget why today it is fashionable in magazines, in newspapers, to talk like this: This one has been divorced from this one ... That one from that one ... And the separation ... But please: this is a bad thing. It's true: I respect everyone, we must respect people, but the ideal is not divorce, the ideal is not separation, the ideal is not the destruction of the family. The ideal is the united family. So let us continue: this is ideal!

The next World Meeting of Families will be held in Rome in 2021.  Let us entrust all families to the protection of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, that in their homes, parishes and communities, they may truly be sources of joy for the world.



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

I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially those from Ghana, South Africa, Korea and the United States of America. Upon all of you, and your families, I invoke the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you!

At the conclusion of the General Audience, the Holy Father issued the following call:

Next Saturday, 1 September, will be the World Day of Prayer for the care of creation, which we celebrate in union with our Orthodox brothers and sisters in union with other Churches and Christian communities.

In the Message for this year, I want to re-focus our attention on the question of water, one of the primary gifts which we must care for and make available to everyone.

I am grateful for the various initiatives which in various places, particular Churches, Institutes of Consecrated Life and ecclesial groups have organized.  I invite all people to be united in prayer on Saturday for our common home, for the care of our common home.

Press Conference from Dublin to Rome

During the flight from Dublin to Rome last evening, the Holy Father held his customary Press Conference with journalists who were on board.

Transcription of the Press Conference

held on board the flight from Dublin to Rome

Greg Burke
Good evening, Holy Father.

Pope Francis
Good evening.

Greg Burke
Thank you for this time that you are dedicating to us, after two very intense days.  There have certainly been difficult moments in Ireland – there is always the abuse question – but also very beautiful moments: the festival of families, the testimonies of the families, the meeting with young couples and also the visit to the Capuchins, who are helping the poor so much. May we give the microphone to the journalists, beginning with the Irish … But perhaps you would like to say something first …

Pope Francis
I would like to say thank-you, because if I am tired, then I think about you, who have work, work, work … I thank you very much for your efforts, for your work.  Thank you so much.

Greg Burke
The first question, as is our custom, comes from a journalist from the country you visited; he is Tony Connelly, from RTÉ - Irish Radio and Television.

Tony Connelly
RTÉ
Your Holiness, on Saturday you spoke about the meeting you had with the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs; you said how you were touched by what she told you about the homes for mothers and children.  What exactly did she say to you?  And were you so moved because it was the first time you heard of these homes?

Pope Francis
The Minister first said something to me not so much about mothers and children; she said – briefly – Holy Father, we have found mass graves of children, of children interred.  We are looking into this.  Does the Church have any role in this?, but she said it very politely indeed, with great respect.  I thanked her; this touched my heart, so much so that I wanted to mention it in my speech.  It was not at the airport – I was mistaken – it was at the meeting with the President.  At the airport, there was another lady – a government minister, I think – and I got confused.  But she said to me: I will send you a memo.  She sent me the memo, but I wasn’t able to read it.  I saw that she had sent me a memo.  She was very balanced in what she said to me: there is a problem, and even though the investigation is not yet completed, she made me feel that the Church too had some involvement in the matter.  In my opinion, this was an example of constructive cooperation, prior to… I don’t want to use the word protest, but before lamenting, lamenting about what the Church may have favoured in the past.  That lady had a great dignity which touched my heart.  And now I have that memo, which I shall study when I return home.  Thank you.

Greg Burke
Now to another Irishman, Paddy Agnew, from the Sunday Independent, living in Rome but an Irish journalist.

Pope Francis
Not the only Irishman in Rome!

Paddy Agnew
Sunday Independent
Holy Father, thank you and good evening.  Yesterday, Marie Collins, the victim Marie Collins, whom you know well, indicated that you are not favourable to setting up new Vatican courts of enquiry concerning the problem of sexual abuse, and in particular, so-called courts of enquiry concerning bishops and bishop accountability.  Why do you feel that these are not needed?

Pope Francis
No, no, that isn’t it.  That isn’t it.  Marie Collins puts much emphasis on the idea …  I have great respect for Marie Collins, sometimes in the Vatican we call her to give a presentation – she emphasizes the idea of the 2016 Motu Proprio, As a Loving Mother, in which it was said that to  bishops, it would be good to set up a special tribunal.  It was subsequently seen neither to be feasible nor suitable for the different cultures of the bishops who should be judged.  We are taking the recommendation of As a Loving Mother and setting up a jury for each bishop, but that is not the same thing.  A particular bishop has to be judged and so the Pope sets up a jury more capable of taking that case.  It is something that works better, also because, for a group of bishops to leave their dioceses… for this reason it is not possible.  So the tribunals and the juries change.

This is the way we have done things up to now.  A number of bishops have been judged this way: the latest was the Archbishop of Guam, who appealed his sentence and I decided – because it was a very, very complex case – to make use of the right that I have to hear his appeal on my own, and not to send him to the appeal court that carries out its work with priests.  I took it up personally.  I set up a commission of canon lawyers to help me, and they told me that, in a short time, a month at most, they would offer a recommendation so that I could make a judgement.  It is a complicated case on the one hand, but not difficult, because the evidence is extremely clear; from the standpoint of evidence, it is clear.  But I cannot pre-judge.  I am waiting for the report and then I will pass judgement.  I say that the evidence is clear because that is what led the court of the first instance to its verdict.  This was the most recent case.  Now there is another in progress; we will see how it ends.  But it’s clear, and I said this to Marie: the spirit and the recommendation of As a Loving Mother are being put into effect: a bishop must be judged by a tribunal, but not always the same tribunal, because that is not possible.  She (Marie Collins) didn’t understand this entirely, but when I see her – because she comes to the Vatican sometimes, we call her – I will explain it to her more clearly.  I like her.

Greg Burke
And now the Italian group, Holy Father: here is Stefania Falasca from Avvenire.

Stefania Falasca
Avvenire
Good evening, Holy Father.  You said, today even, that it is always a challenge to welcome the migrant and the outsider.  Just yesterday a painful episode was resolved, that of the Diciotti ship.  Is your paw behind this resolution?  Were you involved, are you part of it?

Pope Francis
The paw is the devil’s, not mine! (laughter). The paw is the devil’s …

Stefania Falasca
Then too, many people see Europe being blackmailed and these people having to pay the price.  What do you think?

Pope Francis
Welcoming migrants is as ancient as the Bible.  In Deuteronomy, God commands this in the commandments: welcome the migrant, the stranger.  This is ancient and in the spirit of divine revelation and the spirit of Christianity.  It is a moral principle.  I spoke about this, and then I saw that I needed to make it a little clearer, because this is not just about welcoming migrants willy-nilly, but in a reasonable way.  And this is true for all of Europe.  When did I realize what this reasonable welcoming has to be like?  It was after the attack in Zaventem (Belgium): the young men, the fighters who carried out the attack on Zaventem were Belgian, but were sons of immigrants who were not integrated; they were ghettoized.  That is, they had been received by the country, but left there, and had become a ghetto: they were not integrated.  That is why I emphasized this; it is important.

Then, I remembered my trip to Sweden – and Franca Giansoldati made mention of this in an article, and of how I developed my thinking; when I went to Sweden I spoke about integration, and I knew about this, because during the dictatorship in Argentina, from 1976 to 1983, a great number of Argentinians and Uruguayans fled to Sweden.  And there the government took them in immediately, made them study the language and gave them work, integrated them.  To such a point that – and this is an interesting anecdote – the Minister who came to bid me farewell at Lund airport was the daughter of a Swede and an African migrant; and this African migrant had been integrated to the extent that his daughter became a minister of the country.  Sweden was a model.  But, at that moment (the time of my visit), Sweden was beginning to have difficulties: not because it did not have good intentions, but because it did not have the capacity for integration.  This was the reason why Sweden stopped somewhat, (why) it took this step.  Integration. 

Then too, I spoke here, at a press conference with you, of the virtue of prudence which is the virtue of governance, and I spoke of the prudence of peoples concerning numbers or possibilities:  a people that can accept but does not have the possibility of integrating, is better not accepting.  There is an issue of prudence here.  That I think is really the painful note with today’s dialogue in the European Union.  We have to keep on speaking: solutions can be found …

What happened with the Diciotti?  I did not put my paw there.  The one who did the work with the Ministry of the Interior was Father Aldo, good Father Aldo, who is the one who follows the organization of Father Benzi, which the Italians know well, and work at freeing prostitutes, those who experience exploitation and so many things …  And the Italian Bishops’ Conference got involved, Cardinal Bassetti, who was here but followed all the mediation on the telephone, and it was one of the two undersecretaries, Monsignor Maffeis, who negotiated with the Ministry.  And I think Albania got involved …  Albania, Ireland and Montenegro took a certain number of migrants, I think, but I’m not sure.  The Bishops’ Conference took responsibility for the others; I don’t know whether under the umbrella of the Vatican or not …  I don’t know how the matter was negotiated; but they are going to Mondo Migliore Centre in Rocca di Papa; they will be accommodated there.  I think there are more than a hundred of them.  And there they will start to learn the language and do the work done with migrants already integrated.

I had a very gratifying experience.  When I went to the Roma III University, there were students who wanted to ask me questions and I saw a female student… I thought: I know that face: she had come with me as one of the thirteen people I brought back with me from Lesvos.  That young woman at the university!  How?  Because the Sant’Egidio Community, from the day she arrived, took her to school to learn: go, keep going …  And they integrated her at university level.  This is what it is to work with migrants.  (First) there is an openness of heart to all those who suffer; then there is integration, as a condition for being welcomed; and then prudence on the part of government leaders to do this.  I saw … I have secret footage, what happens to those who get sent back and who are taken again by traffickers: it is horrible, the things they do to these men, to women and children … they sell them, but they inflict more sophisticated tortures on the men.  There was one there, a spy, who was able to make that film, which I sent to my two undersecretaries for migration.  For this reason, before sending them back, one has to think very, very, very carefully …

And one last thing.  There are these migrants who come; but there are others who are tricked when they arrive: We will give you work …  They give them all papers,  and they end up on the sidewalk as slaves, threatened by traffickers in women … This is it.

Greg Burke
Thank you, Holy Father. The next question is from the English-speaking group: Anna Matranga, from the American television network CBS.

Anna Matranga
CBS
Good evening, Holy Father!  I would like to return to the topic of abuse about which you have already spoken.  In a document issued early this morning, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò says that in 2013 he had a personal conversation with you at the Vatican, and that in this meeting he spoke explicitly with you about the sexual abuse by former Cardinal McCarrick.  I wanted to ask you if this is true.  Another question I wanted to ask of you: the Archbishop also said that Pope Benedict XVI had imposed sanctions on McCarrick, telling him not to live in the seminary, not to celebrate Masses in public and not to travel; the Church imposed sanctions on him. Can I ask you if these two things are true?

Pope Francis
Just one thing, I would prefer – even though I will answer your question – that we speak about the trip to Ireland and then move on to other topics ... but I will answer your question.  I read the statement this morning.  I read it and sincerely I must tell you, and all those who are interested: read it yourselves carefully and make your own judgment.  I will not say a single word on this.  I believe the memo speaks for itself, and you are capable enough as journalists to draw your own conclusions.  This is an act of trust: when some time has passed and you have drawn conclusions, perhaps I will speak.  But I ask that you use your professional maturity in doing this: it will do you good, really. That is enough for now.

Anna Matranga
CBS
Marie Collins said, after you met her during your meeting with victims, that she spoke directly with you about former Cardinal McCarrick.  She said that you were very harsh in your condemnation of McCarrick.  I wanted to ask you: when did you first hear about the abuses committed by the former Cardinal?

Pope Francis
This is part of the statement on McCarrick: study it and then I will say something.  But since I had not read it yesterday, I did want to speak clearly with Marie Collins and the group of victims in the meeting that lasted for a good hour and a half, and which I found very painful.  But I think it was necessary to listen to those eight people; from this meeting emerged the proposal – which I made, and which they accepted and helped me to carry out – to ask forgiveness today in the Mass, but for concrete things.  For example, the last, which I had never heard: those mothers – in what was called the women’s laundry – when a woman became pregnant out of wedlock, she would be sent to a hospital or an institution, I forget what it was called ... but it was run by sisters and then they gave the children up for adoption.  And there were children at that time, who tried to find their mothers to know if they were alive, they did not know ... and they told them it was a mortal sin to do this; and also to mothers who were looking for their children; they also told them that it was a mortal sin.  So I ended today by saying that it is not a mortal sin; it is about the fourth commandment.  And some of the things I have said today I did not know beforehand, and it was painful for me, but with the consolation of being able to help clarify these things.  And I am waiting for your comment on that document; I would like to hear it! Thank you.

Greg Burke
Thank you, Holy Father.  Now Cecile Chambraud of Le Monde

Cecile Chambraud
Le Monde
Good evening, Holy Father.  I hope you don’t mind if I ask my question in Spanish but I ask that you answer in Italian for all my colleagues.  In your address to the Irish authorities, you referred to your recent Letter to the People of God.  In that Letter, you invited all Catholics to take part in the fight against abuse in the Church.  Can you explain to us concretely what Catholics can do, each in their own way, to fight against abuse?  In this regard, in France, a priest has written a petition calling for the resignation of Cardinal Barbarin, accused by victims.  Do you think this initiative is adequate or not?

Pope Francis
If there are suspicions, or proofs or even half-proofs, I see no problem in conducting an investigation, but always based on the fundamental legal principle: Nemo malus nisi probetur, one is presumed innocent until proven guilty.  Frequently there is the temptation not only to investigate, but to publish that an investigation was carried out and the reason ..., and so some media – not yours, I don’t think – begin to create a climate of guilt.  And I would like to mention something that happened recently, which will help in this, because for me it is important how one proceeds and how the media can help.  Three years ago, more or less, the issue of so-called paedophile priests came up in Granada – a small group of seven, eight or ten priests, who were accused of abuse of minors and of holding parties, orgies and such things.  I received the accusation directly in a letter sent by a twenty-three year old man, who claimed to have been abused; he gave names and details.  He was a young man who was working in a very prestigious religious school in Granada; the letter was perfectly written ... And he asked me what he should do to report it.  I replied: Go to the Archbishop, the Archbishop will know what you should do.  The Archbishop did everything he was supposed to do, the matter even went to the civil court.  There were two trials.  The local media began to talk, and talk … Three days later the words paedophile priests, and similar expressions, appeared all over the parish, and so there was a sense that these priests were criminals.  Seven of them were interviewed, and nothing was found; in three cases the investigation went ahead, they remained in custody for five days, two days, and one day – Father Roman, who was the parish priest – for seven days.  For almost three years they suffered the hatred and insults of everyone: they were criminalized, they weren’t able to go out, and they suffered humiliations during the jury’s attempt to prove the young man’s accusations, which I do not dare to repeat here.  After three years and more, the jury declared the priests innocent, all of them innocent, but above all these three – the others were already out of the case – and the accuser guilty.  Because they had seen that that young man had quite an imagination; he was very intelligent and was working in a Catholic school, and thus had a certain prestige which gave the impression that he was telling the truth.  He was sentenced to pay the costs and all that, and they were innocent.  These men were condemned by the media rather than by the justice system.  For this reason, your work is very sensitive: you have to follow things; you have to speak about things, but always with this legal presumption of innocence, and not the legal presumption of guilt!  And there is a difference between a reporter, who provides information about a case without deciding the matter beforehand, and the detective, who plays Sherlock Holmes, with the presumption that everyone is guilty.  When we look at Hercule Poirot’s method, we see that, for him, everyone was guilty.  But that is the job of a detective.  They are two different roles.  But reporters must always start from the presumption of innocence, stating their own impressions, doubts ..., but without condemning.  This case that occurred in Granada is, for me, an example that will do us all good, in our respective professions.

Greg Burke
In the first part of the preceding question, she asked what the people of God could do in this regard…

Pope Francis
Yes.  When you see something, speak up at once. I will say something else, a bit unpleasant.  Sometimes it is the parents who cover up the abuse by a priest.  Often you see this in the sentences.  They say, But no …  They don’t believe it, or they convince themselves that it is not true, and the boy or girl is left like that.  I usually speak to one or two persons a week, by and large, and I spoke to one person, a lady, who had suffered from this scourge of silence for forty years because her parents had not believed her.  She had been abused when she was eight years old.  Speaking out, this is important.  True, for a mother, to see this …, It would be better that it were not true, and so she thinks that maybe the child has imagined it … But there is a need to speak up.  To speak with the right persons, speak with those who can begin a judgment, at least a prior investigation.  To speak with the judge or the bishop, or if the parish priest is good, to speak with the parish priest.  This is the first thing that the people of God can do.  These things must not be covered up.  A psychiatrist told me some time ago – but I don’t want this to be offensive to women – that out of their maternal sense women are inclined to cover up matters affecting the child than men.  I don’t know if it’s true or not …  But this is: to speak up.  Thank you.

Greg Burke
From the Spanish group there is Javier Romero of Reme Reports TV.

Javier Romero
Reme Reports TV
Holiness, I would like to ask you two questions.  The first is that the Prime Minister of Ireland, who was very pointed in his speech, is proud of a new model of family that differs from the one that the Church has traditionally proposed up to now: I am speaking of homosexual marriage.  And this is perhaps one of the models that generates the most tension, especially in the case of Catholic families when one of the members of the family declares that he or she is homosexual.  Holiness, the first question I would like to ask you is: what do you think, what would you like to say to a father whose son says he is homosexual and wants to go to live with his companion.  This is the first question.  The second, and you also spoke about in this in your address with the Prime Minister, is abortion; we have seen how Ireland has changed greatly in recent years and it seems that the Minister was satisfied with these changes, one of which was abortion.  We have seen that in recent months, in recent years, the question of abortion has been raised in many countries, including Argentina, your own country.  How do you feel when you see that this is a subject on which you speak out often, and there are many countries where it is allowed …

Pope Francis
I see.  I’ll begin with the second, but there are two points – thank you for this – because they are tied to the questions we are discussing.  On abortion, you know what the Church thinks.  The issue of abortion is not a religious issue: we are not opposed to abortion for religious reasons.  No.  It is a human issue and has to be addressed as such.  To consider abortion starting from religion is to step over that realm of thought.  The abortion question has to be studied from an anthropological standpoint.  There is always the anthropological question of how ethical it is to eliminate a living being in order to resolve a problem.  This is the real issue.  I would only emphasize this: I never allow the issue of abortion to be discussed starting with religion.  No.  It is an anthropological problem, a human problem.  This is my thinking.

Second.  There have always been homosexuals and persons with homosexual tendencies.  Always.  The sociologists say, but I don’t know if it’s true, that at times of epochal change certain social and ethical phenomena increase, and that this would be one of them.  This is the opinion of some sociologists. Your question is clear: what would I say to a father who sees his son or daughter has that tendency.  I would tell him first of all to pray.  Pray.  Don’t condemn, but dialogue, understand, make room for his son or daughter. Make room for them to say what they have to say.  Then too, at what age does this concern of the child become evident?  This is important.  It is one thing when it shows up in childhood when there are so many things that one can do to see how the matter stands; it is another when it is shows up at twenty years of age or so.   But I would never say that silence is the answer; to ignore a son or daughter with a homosexual tendency is not good parenthood.  You are my son, you are my daughter, just as you are.  I am your father or your mother, let’s talk about this.  And if you, as a father or mother, can’t deal with this on your own, ask for help, but always in dialogue, always in dialogue.  Because that son and daughter has a right to family, and their family is this family, just as it is.  Do not throw them out of family.  This is a serious challenge for parenthood.  Thank you for the question.

Greg Burke
Thank you, Holy Father.

Pope Francis
Now, I would like to say something for the Irish who are with us.  I found great faith in Ireland.  Great faith.  True, the Irish people have suffered greatly because of the scandals.  But there is faith in Ireland, and strong faith.  Also, the Irish people know how to distinguish, and here I would repeat something I heard today from a bishop.  The Irish people know how to distinguish between truths and half-truths: deep down they have this ability.  True, they are in a process of working things out, of healing from this scandal.  True, some are becoming open to positions that seem increasingly distant from the faith.  But the Irish people have a deeply rooted and strong faith.  I want to say this, because it is what I saw, what I heard and what I learned in these two days.

Thank you for your work, thank you very much!  And please pray for me.

Greg Burke
Thank you.  Have a good dinner and a good rest.
(Original text in multi-languages; translation by Libreria Editrice Vaticana)

A difficult moment

In the midst of very trying times for people of faith, we must continue to be faithful disciples, even if this means having to ask ourselves some very difficult questions and to dare to advance answers that are brutally honest.

A difficult moment

Today’s gospel begins with words which Jesus spoke to the crowds: ... unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you (Jn 6:53).  Many of those who heard these words found them difficult to understand, and because they could not understand his words, many of them turned back and no longer went along with him (Jn 6:66).  This was a kind of litmus test for them, a breaking point.  Like them,  we must always ask ourselves: how far am I willing to go to follow in the footsteps of Jesus?  It is always easy to follow him when things are going well, but the true level of our commitment only comes to light when there are challenges, when we are tested.

This summer has been a very trying time for many in the Church.  At the end of July, a retired Cardinal who once shepherded the Archdiocese of Washington, DC resigned his position as an advisor to the Holy Father as a result of accusations of inappropriate behaviour and cover-ups regarding abuses committed by clergy under his care while he was in active ministry.  Last week, the Pennsylvania Grand Jury released a report that accuses more than 300 priests in dioceses throughout that state of sexually abusing more than 1,000 children over a 70-year period.

Reports like this always remind me that although God is perfect, none of us is.  The weakness of those who serve in the Church is understandably a cause for concern, because we are called to lead first and foremost by example ... and because the victims in this case are the innocent: those who should be protected most of all.

Those who are guilty must always answer for their actions, but such situations should also make all of us aware of our own weaknesses, and each of us must ask ourselves the question: how far am I willing to go to follow in the footsteps of Jesus?

In the first reading for today’s liturgy, Joshua challenged the elders, the heads, the judges and the officers of Israel ... to choose who they would serve (Joshua 24:15).  In the midst of confusion and chaos, his words rang out and reverberated in their hearts, and they recognized a call to affirm their willingness to serve the Lord.

Even today, when we are faced with situations of confusion and chaos, we must always stop and listen deeply for the voice of God that is always whispering wisdom in the depths of our souls.  This voice will always help us to return to the basics.  It will always help us to find our way, even when we are faced with the most disturbing news.

The report issued by the Pennsylvania Grand Jury has sent shock waves throughout the Church in the United States and these shock waves have reverberated here in Canada and as far away as Rome.  These difficult questions require answers, and the answers will be forthcoming, but in the meanwhile, each of us can and must pray for our brothers and sisters: those who have committed such unspeakable acts and those who have been victimized.  Let us all strive to be kind to one another, tender-hearted and forgiving one another as Christ has forgiven us (Eph 4:32).

Un moment difficile

Aujourd’hui, l’Évangile commence par des paroles que Jésus a adressées à la foule:… si vous ne mangez la chair du Fils de l’homme, et si vous ne buvez son sang, vous n’avez point la vie en vous (Jn 6,53). Beaucoup de ceux qui ont entendu ces paroles les ont trouvés difficiles à comprendre, et à cause du fait qu’ils ne pouvaient pas les comprendre, beaucoup d'entre eux se sont retournés et ont cessé de l’accompagner (Jn 6, 66). C'était une sorte d’épreuve pour eux, un point décisif. Comme eux, nous devons toujours nous demander: jusqu’à quel point suis-je disposé à marcher sur les traces de Jésus? Il est toujours facile de le suivre quand la vie est belle, mais le véritable niveau de notre engagement ne se révèle que lorsqu'il y a des défis, lorsque nous sommes mises à l’épreuve.

Cet été a été une période très éprouvante pour beaucoup de personnes qui font partie de l'Église. À la fin du mois de juillet, un cardinal à la retraite qui dirigeait autrefois l’archidiocèse de Washington a démissionné de son poste de conseiller du Saint-Père pour faire suite à des accusations de comportement inapproprié et de dissimulation des abus commis par le clergé confit à sa charge pendant qu’il était en ministère actif. La semaine dernière, le Grand Jury de Pennsylvanie a publié un rapport accusant plus de 300 prêtres dans les diocèses de cet état d’abus sexuel de plus de 1 000 enfants sur une période de 70 ans.

Des rapports comme celui-ci me rappellent toujours le fait que même si Dieu est parfait, aucun de nous n’est parfait. La faiblesse de ceux qui servent dans l’Église est naturellement une source de préoccupation, car nous sommes appelés avant tout à fournir l’exemple… et les victimes en l’occurrence sont des innocents: celles qui devraient être protégés par-dessus tout.

Ceux qui sont coupables doivent toujours répondre de leurs actes, mais de telles situations devraient également nous rendre conscients de nos propres faiblesses, et chacun de nous doit se poser la question: jusqu’à quel point suis-je disposé à marcher sur les traces de Jésus?

Dans la première lecture de la liturgie d’aujourd’hui, Josué appela les anciens d’Israël, les chefs, les juges et les scribes (Josué 24,15). Au milieu de la confusion et du chaos, ses paroles résonnèrent et se répercutèrent dans leurs cœurs, et ils reconnurent un appel à affirmer leur volonté de servir le Seigneur.

Même de nos jours, lorsque nous sommes confrontés à des situations de confusion et de chaos, nous devons toujours nous arrêter et écouter profondément la voix de Dieu qui murmure toujours la sagesse au plus profond de notre âme. Cette voix nous aidera toujours à revenir aux bases. Cela nous aidera toujours à trouver notre chemin, même lorsque nous sommes confrontés aux nouvelles les plus inquiétantes.

Le rapport publié par le Grand Jury de Pennsylvanie a provoqué des ondes de choc dans toute l’Eglise aux Etats-Unis et ces ondes de choc se sont répercutées ici au Canada et même à Rome. Ces questions difficiles nécessitent des réponses, et les réponses seront à venir, mais entre-temps, chacun de nous peut et doit prier pour nos frères et sœurs: ceux qui ont commis de tels actes indicibles et ceux qui ont été victimisés. Efforçons-nous tous d'être gentils les uns envers les autres, compatissants, se pardonnant réciproquement comme Dieu nous a pardonné (Ep 4, 32).

Departure from Ireland

This afternoon, at 6:30pm local time (1:30pm EDT), a departure ceremony was held at the Dublin International Airport.

Upon his arrival, the Holy Father, Pope Francis was welcomed, at the foot of the stairs leading to his aircraft, by the Taoiseach (Prime Minister).  Also present were Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life; His Excellency, Eamon Martin, President of the Irish Episcopal Conference; His Excellency, Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland; His Excellency, Michael Neary, Archbishop of Tuam; His Excellency, Kieran O'Reilly, SMA, Archbishop of Cashel and Emly; and members of the local organizing party as well as one family.

The aircraft, an Aer Lingus A321, carrying the Pope on the return flight following his Apostolic Visit to the Republic of Ireland, departed at 6:45pm local time (1:45pm EDT) for Rome.  The aircraft is expected to arrive in Rome - at the Ciampino International Airport - at 11:00pm local time (5:00pm EDT).

Immediately following the departure of the Holy Father's flight, Pope Francis sent the following telegram to the President of the Republic of Ireland.

His Excellency, Michael D. Higgins
President of Ireland
Dublin

As I leave Ireland, I wish to express my gratitude to Your Excellency, the government and the beloved people of Ireland for the warm welcome and hospitality I have received.  With the assurance of my prayers, I invoke upon all of you Almighty God's blessings of peace, fraternity and prosperity.

Francis

Meeting the Bishops of Ireland

At the conclusion of the Holy Mass celebrated in Phoenix Park, the Holy Father, Pope Francis travelled to the Convent of the Dominican Sisters where he met with the Bishops of Ireland.

Upon his arrival, the Pope was welcomed by His Excellency, Eamon Martin, Archbishop of Armagh, Primate of all Ireland and President of the Irish Episcopal Conference.

Following a word of greeting offered by His Excellency, the Holy Father shared his speech with the Bishops who were in attendance.

Before leaving the Bishops, Pope Francis posed for a photo with the group, as well as with the Dominicans in the courtyard outside the Church.

Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

for the meeting with the Bishops of Ireland

Dear Brother Bishops,

as my visit to Ireland comes to a close, I am grateful for this chance to spend a few moments with you. I thank Archbishop Eamon Martin for his gracious words of introduction and I greet all of you with affection in the Lord.

Our meeting tonight takes up the fraternal discussion we shared in Rome last year during your visit ad Limina Apostolorum. In these brief remarks, I would like to resume our earlier conversation, in the spirit of the World Meeting of Families we have just celebrated. All of us, as bishops, are conscious of our responsibility to be fathers to God’s holy and faithful people. As good fathers, we want to encourage and inspire, to reconcile and unify, and above all, to preserve all the good handed down from generation to generation in this great family which is the Church in Ireland.

So, my word to you this evening is one of encouragement for your efforts, in these challenging times, to persevere in your ministry as heralds of the Gospel and shepherds of Christ’s flock. In a particular way, I am grateful for the concern you continue to show for the poor, the excluded and those in need of a helping hand, as witnessed most recently by your pastoral letters on the homeless and on substance misuse. I am also grateful for the support you give to your priests, whose hurt and discouragement in the face of recent scandals is often ignored or underestimated.

A recurrent theme of my visit, of course, has been the Church’s need to acknowledge and remedy, with evangelical honesty and courage, past failures with regard to the protection of children and vulnerable adults. In recent years, you as a body have resolutely moved forward, not only by undertaking paths of purification and reconciliation with victims of abuse, but also, with the help of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Church in Ireland, by establishing a stringent set of norms aimed at ensuring the safety of young persons. In these years, all of us have had our eyes opened to the gravity and extent of sexual abuse in various social settings. In Ireland, as elsewhere, the honesty and integrity with which the Church chooses to confront this painful chapter of her history can offer an example and a warning to society as a whole.

As we mentioned in our conversation in Rome, the transmission of the faith in its integrity and beauty represents a significant challenge in the context of Ireland’s rapidly evolving society. The World Meeting of Families has given us great hope and encouragement that families are growing more and more conscious of their own irreplaceable role in passing on the faith. At the same time, Catholic schools and programmes of religious instruction continue to play an indispensable role in creating a culture of faith and a sense of missionary discipleship. I know that this is a source of pastoral concern for all of you. Genuine religious formation calls for faithful and joyful teachers who are able to shape not only minds but also hearts in the love of Christ and in the practice of prayer. The formation of such teachers and the expansion of programmes of adult education, are essential for the future of the Christian community, in which a committed laity will be increasingly called to bring the wisdom and values of their faith to their engagement in the varied sectors of the country’s social, political and cultural life.

The upheavals of recent years have tested the traditionally strong faith of the Irish people. Yet they have also offered the opportunity for an interior renewal of the Church in this country and pointed to new ways of envisioning its life and mission. God is eternal newness and he impels us constantly to set out anew, to pass beyond what is familiar, to the fringes and beyond (Gaudete et Exsultate, 135). With humility and trust in his grace, may you discern and set out on new paths for these new times. Surely, the strong missionary sense rooted in the soul of your people will inspire creative ways of bearing witness to the truth of the Gospel and building up the community of believers in the love of Christ and zeal for the growth of his kingdom.

In your daily efforts to be fathers and shepherds to God’s family in this country, may you always be sustained by the hope that trusts in the truth of Christ’s words and the certainty of his promises. In every time and place, that truth sets free (Jn 8:32); it has a power all its own to convince minds and draw hearts to itself. Whenever you and your people feel that you are a little flock facing challenges and difficulties, do not grow discouraged. As Saint John of the Cross teaches us, it is in the dark night that the light of faith shines purest in our hearts. And that light will show the way to the renewal of the Christian life in Ireland in the years ahead.

Finally, in the spirit of ecclesial communion, I ask you to continue to foster unity and fraternity among yourselves and, together with the leaders of other Christian communities, to work and pray fervently for reconciliation and peace among all the members of the Irish family.

With these thoughts, dear brothers, I assure you of my prayers for your intentions, and I ask you to keep me in your own. To all of you, and to the faithful entrusted to your pastoral care, I impart my Apostolic Blessing, a pledge of joy and strength in our Lord Jesus Christ.
(Original text in Italian, translation by Libreria Editrice Vaticana)

Mass in Phoenix Park, Dublin

This afternoon, at 2:30pm local time (9:30am EDT) the Holy Father, Pope Francis arrived at Phoenix Park in Dublin to celebrate the Holy Mass which concluded the IX World Meeting of Families.

Upon his arrival, the Pope was welcomed by the Archbishop of Dublin and the Primate of Ireland, His Excellency, Diarmuid Martin, who accompanied the Holy Father aboard the popemobile which toured among the crowds that had gathered for the Mass.

Following a few words of greeting offered by the Archbishop of Dublin, the Pope offered a penitential act.

Immediately after that Act had been offered, the Mass for the XXI Sunday in Ordinary Time began.  Following the proclamation of the gospel, the Holy Father spoke the homily.

Before the final blessing, His Eminence, Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, during his greetings offered at the conclusion of the World Meeting of Families, announced the Holy Father's decision to hold the X World Meeting of Families in rome in 2021, on the occasion of the V anniversary of the publication of the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia.

Finally, the Pope offered a Message of gratitude to all those who were in attendance and then imparted his final blessing.

At the conclusion of the Eucharistic Celebration, the Holy Father returned to the sacristy, where he greeted ten people who are part of the organizing committee for the World Meeting of Families.

The Holy Father immediately departed and made his way to the convent of the Dominican Sisters where he met with the Bishops of Ireland.

Homily of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

for the concluding Mass of the World Meeting of Families

Phoenix Park, Dublin

You have the words of eternal life! (Jn 6:68)

At the end of this World Meeting of Families, we gather as a family around the table of the Lord. We thank God for the many blessings we have received in our families. And we want to commit ourselves to living fully our vocation to be, in the touching words of Saint Therese, love in the heart of the Church.

In this precious moment of communion with one another and with the Lord, it is good to pause and consider the source of all the good things we have received. Jesus reveals the origin of these blessings in today’s Gospel, when he speaks to his disciples. Many of them were upset, confused or even angry, struggling to accept his hard sayings, so contrary to the wisdom of this world. In response, the Lord tells them directly: The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life (Jn 6:63).

These words, with their promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit, are teeming with life for us who accept them in faith. They point to the ultimate source of all the good that we have experienced and celebrated here in these past few days: the Spirit of God, who constantly breathes new life into our world, into our hearts, into our families, into our homes and parishes. Each new day in the life of our families, and each new generation, brings the promise of a new Pentecost, a domestic Pentecost, a fresh outpouring of the Spirit, the Paraclete, whom Jesus sends as our Advocate, our Consoler and indeed our Encourager.

How much our world needs this encouragement that is God’s gift and promise! As one of the fruits of this celebration of family life, may you go back to your homes and become a source of encouragement to others, to share with them Jesus’ words of eternal life. For your families are both a privileged place for, and an important means of spreading those words as Good News for everyone, especially those who long to leave behind the desert and the house of bondage (cf Jos 24:17) for the promised land of hope and freedom.

In today’s second reading, Saint Paul tells us that marriage is a sharing in the mystery of Christ’s undying fidelity to his bride, the Church (cf Eph 5:32). Yet this teaching, as magnificent as it is, can appear to some as a hard saying because living in love, even as Christ loved us (cf Eph 5:2), entails imitating his own self-sacrifice, dying to ourselves in order to be reborn to a greater and more enduring love. The love that alone can save our world from its bondage to sin, selfishness, greed and indifference to the needs of the less fortunate. That is the love we have come to know in Christ Jesus. It became incarnate in our world through a family, and through the witness of Christian families in every age it has the power to break down every barrier in order to reconcile the world to God and to make us what we were always meant to be: a single human family dwelling together in justice, holiness and peace.

The task of bearing witness to this Good News is not easy. Yet the challenges that Christians face today are, in their own way, no less difficult than those faced by the earliest Irish missionaries. I think of Saint Columbanus, who with his small band of companions brought the light of the Gospel to the lands of Europe in an age of darkness and cultural dissolution. Their extraordinary missionary success was not based on tactical methods or strategic plans, but on a humble and liberating docility to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. It was their daily witness of fidelity to Christ and to each other that won hearts yearning for a word of grace and helped give birth to the culture of Europe. That witness remains a perennial source of spiritual and missionary renewal for God’s holy and faithful people.

Of course, there will always be people who resist the Good News, who murmur at its hard words. Yet like Saint Columbanus and his companions, who faced icy waters and stormy seas to follow Jesus, may we never be swayed or discouraged by the icy stare of indifference or the stormy winds of hostility.

But let us also humbly acknowledge that, if we are honest with ourselves, we too can find the teachings of Jesus hard. How difficult it is always to forgive those who hurt us; how challenging always to welcome the migrant and the stranger; how painful it is to joyfully bear disappointment, rejection or betrayal; how inconvenient to protect the rights of the most vulnerable, the unborn or the elderly, who seem to impinge upon our own sense of freedom.

Yet it is precisely at those times that the Lord asks us: What about you, do you want to go away too? With the strength of the Spirit to encourage us and with the Lord always at our side, we can answer: We believe; we know that you are the Holy One of God (Jn 6:69). With the people of Israel, we can repeat: We too will serve the Lord, for he is our God (Jos 24:18).

Through the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, each Christian is sent forth to be a missionary, a missionary disciple (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 120). The Church as a whole is called to go forth to bring the words of eternal life to all the peripheries of our world. May our celebration today confirm each of you, parents and grandparents, children and young people, men and women, religious brothers and sisters, contemplatives and missionaries, deacons and priests, to share the joy of the Gospel! Share the Gospel of the family as joy for the world!

As we now prepare to go our separate ways, let us renew our fidelity to the Lord and to the vocation he has given to each of us. Taking up the prayer of Saint Patrick, let each of us repeat with joy: Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me. With the joy and strength given by the Holy Spirit, let us say to him with confidence: Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life (Jn 6:68).

Concluding remarks of His Holiness, Pope Francis

at the termination of the closing Mass

At the conclusion of this Eucharistic celebration and of this stupendous World Meeting of Families, a gift which God has given to us and to all the Church, I wish to say a cordial thank you to all those who in various ways contributed to making this gathering possible.

I thank Archbishop Martin and the Archdiocese of Dublin for the work of preparing and organizing this gathering.  I express special gratitude for the support and help that was extended by the Government, the civil Authorities and by many volunteers, both Irish and from other countries, who generously offered their time and efforts.

In a special way, I wish to say a very sincere thank you to all the people who were praying for this Day: the elderly, children, religious men and women, the sick, those who are in prison ... I am sure that the success of this Day is thanks to their simple yet profound prayers.  Thank you to all of you!  May the Lord reward you!

A Pope asks forgiveness

In an unprecedented gesture during the closing Mass for the World Meeting of Families in Dublin’s Phoenix Park, Pope Francis asked pardon for a litany of abuses committed by the Church against men, women, and children in Ireland. The Pope’s gesture was both unprecedented and unexpected. It came during the Penitential Rite, the moment within Mass when the celebrant and faithful acknowledge their sins, repent, and ask for mercy and forgiveness.

Speaking in Spanish, Pope Francis asked pardon for a list of abuses committed by the Church in Ireland. He began by referencing his meeting on Saturday evening with eight abuse survivors and, on the basis of what they told him, said he wanted to place before the mercy of the Lord these crimes, and ask forgiveness for them.

Penitential Act spoken by His Holiness, Pope Francis

during the closing Mass for the World Meeting of Families

Yesterday, I met with eight survivors who have suffered abuse of power, of conscience and sexual abuse. Taking up on what they said to me, I want to place these crimes before the mercy of the Lord and ask forgiveness for them.

We ask forgiveness for the abuses in Ireland, abuses of power, of conscience and sexual abuse perpetrated by members with roles of responsibility in the Church. In a special way, we ask pardon for all the abuses committed in various types of institutions run by male or female religious and by other members of the Church. Furthermore, we ask forgiveness for the cases of exploitation through manual work that was inflicted upon so many minors.

We ask forgiveness for the times that as a Church we did not show survivors of all kinds of abuse, compassion and the search for justice and truth through concrete actions. We ask forgiveness.

We ask forgiveness for some members of the Church’s hierarchy who did not take charge of these painful situations and kept quiet. We ask forgiveness.

We ask forgiveness for the children who were taken away from their moms and for all those times when many single mothers were told that to seek their children who had been separated from them – and the same was told to their daughters and sons who were looking for their mothers – that this was a mortal sin. This is not a mortal sin but the Fourth Commandment. We ask forgiveness.

Lord, sustain and increase this state of shame and repentance and give us the strength to commit ourselves so that these things never happen again and so that justice may be done. Amen.
(Original text in Spanish, translation by Libreria Editrice Vaticana)

Angelus at the Shrine of Knock

This morning, after having left the Apostolic Nunciature at 8:10am local time (3:10am EDT), Pope Francis went to the International Airport of Dublin and flew to the Chapel at the Shrine of Knock, located on a plateau in the Irish county of Mayo. Upon arrival at the heliport of Knock at 9:20am local time (4:20am EDT), the Pope went to the Shrine, a destination of Marian pilgrimages in Ireland.

After having made a tour in the popemobile among the faithful, Pope Francis was welcomed by the Archbishop of Tuam, His Excellency Michael Neary and the four Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province. Some children were also present.

Immediately afterwards the Pope went to the Chapel of the Apparitions, where he was welcomed by the Rector of the Shrine, Father Richard Gibbons. Around 200 people were assembled in the Chapel. After gathering in silent prayer before the image of the Madonna, the Holy Father presented a golden rosary as a gift. Then he moved to the esplanade of the Shrine for the recitation of the Angelus.

At 11:15 local time (6:15am EDT), the Holy Father left by plane to return to Dublin and at 12:10pm (7:10am EDT) he returned to the Nunciature and had lunch with the Papal entourage.

Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

prior to the recitation of the Angelus

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I am happy to be here with you. I am happy to be with you in the house of Our Lady. And I thank God for this opportunity, in the context of the World Meeting of Families, to visit this Shrine, so dear to the Irish people. I thank Archbishop Neary and the Rector, Father Gibbons, for their warm welcome.

In the Apparition Chapel, I lifted up to Our Lady’s loving intercession all the families of the world, and, in a special way, your families, the families of Ireland. Mary our Mother knows the joys and struggles felt in each home. Holding them in her Immaculate Heart, she brings them with love to the throne of her Son.

As a remembrance of my visit, I have presented the Shrine with a rosary. I know how important the tradition of the family rosary has been in this country. I warmly encourage you to continue this tradition. Who can tell how many hearts, of fathers, mothers and children alike, have drawn comfort and strength over the years from meditating on Our Lady’s participation in the joyful, luminous, sorrowful and glorious mysteries of Christ’s life!

Mary is Mother. Mary is our Mother and the Mother of the Church, and it is to her that we commend today the journey of God’s faithful people on this emerald isle. We ask that our families be sustained in their efforts to advance Christ’s Kingdom and to care for the least of our brothers and sisters. Amid the storms and winds that buffet our times, may families be a bulwark of faith and goodness, resisting, in the best traditions of this nation, all that would diminish our dignity as men and women created in God’s image and called to the sublime destiny of eternal life.

May Our Lady also look with mercy on all the suffering members of her Son’s family. In my prayer before her statue, I presented to her in particular all the survivors of abuse committed by members of the Church in Ireland. None of us can fail to be moved by the stories of young people who suffered abuse, were robbed of their innocence, were separated from their mothers, and were left scarred by painful memories. This open wound challenges us to be firm and decisive in the pursuit of truth and justice. I beg the Lord’s forgiveness for these sins and for the scandal and betrayal felt by so many others in God’s family. I ask our Blessed Mother to intercede for all the survivors of abuse of any kind and to confirm every member of our Christian family in the resolve never again to permit these situations to occur. And to intercede for all of us, so that we can proceed always with justice and remedy, to the extent it depends on us, such violence.

My pilgrimage to Knock also allows me to address a warm greeting to the beloved people of Northern Ireland. Although my Journey for the World Meeting of Families does not include a visit to the North, I assure you of my affection and my closeness in prayer. I ask Our Lady to sustain all the members of the Irish family to persevere, as brothers and sisters, in the work of reconciliation. With gratitude for advance of ecumenism, and the significant growth of friendship and cooperation between the Christian communities, I pray that all Christ’s followers will support the continuing efforts to advance the peace process and to build a harmonious and just society for today’s children, be they Christians, Muslims, Jews, or of any faith: the children of Ireland.

Now, with these intentions, and all the intentions hidden in our hearts, let us turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the prayer of the Angelus.



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

I offer a special greeting to the men and women in this country who are in prison. I especially thank those who wrote to me upon learning that I would visit Ireland. I would like to say to you: I am close to you, very close. I assure you and your families of my closeness in prayer. May Our Lady of Mercy watch over you and protect you, and strengthen you in faith and hope! Thank you!
(Original text in Italian, translation by Libreria Editrice Italiana)

Festival of Families in Dublin

At 7:15pm local time this evening (2:15pm EDT), the Holy Father travelled from the Apostolic Nunciature in Dublin to Croke Park Stadium for the Festival of Families.

Upon his arrival, Pope Francis was welcomed by the Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland, His Excellency, Diarmuid Martin, who accompanied him aboard a golf cart on a tour around the stadium.

After having travelled through the crowds of faithful, at 7:45pm local time (2:45pm EDT), the Festival of Families began with a word of welcome offered by His Eminence, Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life.  This was followed by dances, songs, a testimonial offered by an Irish nun and the testimonials of five families from India, Canada, Iraq, Ireland and Burkina Faso.

Then, the Holy Father shared his speech with those who were present, and when he was finished, before imparting his blessing, recited the official prayer for the IX World Meeting of Families.

The Pope then returned to the Nunciature.

Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

offered during the Festival of Families

Dear brothers and sisters, good evening!

I thank you for your warm welcome.  It is good to be here!  It is good to celebrate, because it makes us more human and more Christian. It also helps us to share the joy of knowing that Jesus loves us, accompanies us on the journey of life and every day attracts us closer to himself.

In every family celebration, everyone's presence is felt: fathers, mothers, grandparents, grandchildren, uncles and aunts, cousins, those who could not come and those who live too far away, everyone. Today in Dublin we are gathered for a family celebration of thanksgiving to God for what we are: one family in Christ, spread throughout the world. The Church is the family of the children of God. A family in which we rejoice with those who are joyful and cry with those who are in pain or feel that they have had the life knocked out of them. A family in which we care for everyone, because God our Father has made us all his children in Baptism. That's why I keep encouraging parents to have their children baptized as soon as possible, so that they can become part of God's great family. We need to invite everyone to the party, even the little babies! And for this reason, they must be baptized sooner rather than later. And there is another thing: when a child is baptized, the Holy Spirit enters into his heart. Let's make a comparison: a child without baptism, because the parents say: No, we will do it when it will be great, and a child with baptism, with the Holy Spirit inside: this is stronger, because the child has the power of God inside!

You, dear families, are the great majority of the People of God. What would the Church look like without you? A Church of statues, a Church of lonely people ... The Church's role is to help us recognize the beauty and importance of the family, with its lights and its shadows, which was written in the Exhortation Amoris laetitia on the joy of love, and I wanted the theme of this World Meeting of Families to be the Gospel of the family, joy for the world. God wants every family to be a beacon that radiates the joy of his love in the world. What does this mean? It means that, after having met the love of God who saves, we try, with or without words, to manifest it through small gestures of goodness in our daily routine and in the simplest moments of our day.

And what is this called? It is called holiness. I like to speak of the saints next door, all those ordinary people who reflect God’s presence in the life and history of our world (cf Gaudete et Exsultate, 6-7). The vocation to love and to holiness is not something reserved for a privileged few. No. Even now, if we have eyes to see, we can see it being lived out all around us. It is silently present in the heart of all those families that offer love, forgiveness and mercy when they see the need, and do so quietly, without great fanfare. The Gospel of the family is truly joy for the world, since there, in our families, Jesus can always be found, dwelling in simplicity and poverty as he did in the home of the Holy Family of Nazareth.

Christian marriage and family life are only seen in all their beauty and attractiveness if they are anchored in the love of God, who created us in his own image, so that we might give him glory as icons of his love and holiness in the world. Fathers and mothers, grandfathers and grandmothers, children and grandchildren: each and every one of us. All of us are called to find, in the family, our fulfilment in love. God’s grace helps us daily to live as one in mind and heart. Even daughters-in-law and mothers-in-law! No one said this would be easy. You know that better than I. It is like making tea: it is easy to bring the water to a boil, but a good cup of tea takes time and patience; it needs to brew! So it is that each day Jesus warms us with his love and lets it penetrate our whole being. From the treasury of his Sacred Heart, he offers us the grace we need to heal our infirmities and to open our minds and hearts to hear, understand and forgive one another.

We just heard the testimonies of Felicité, Isaac and Ghislain, who are from Burkina Faso. They told us a moving story of forgiveness in the family. The poet says that “to err is human, to forgive divine”. And that is true: forgiveness is a special gift from God that heals our brokenness and draws us closer to one another and to him. Small and simple acts of forgiveness, renewed each day, are the foundation upon which a solid Christian family life is built. They force us to overcome our pride, our aloofness and embarrassment, and to make peace. How many times do we get angry at one another and then want to make up, but we don’t know how! It is embarrassing to make peace, but we still want to do it. It isn’t hard. It’s easy. Give a caress, and peace is made!

It is true that I like to say that in our families we need to learn three words. Ghislain, you spoke those three words. They are sorry, please and thank you. Three words. What were they? Everyone! (all: sorry, please, thank you!) Another time! (sorry, please, thank you!). I can’t hear you! (sorry, please, thank you!) Thank you very much! When you quarrel at home, be sure that before going to bed you apologize and say you are sorry. Before the day is done, make peace. Do you want to know why it is necessary to make peace before ending the day? Because if you don’t make peace, the next day you have a cold war and that is very dangerous! Watch out for cold wars in the family! Maybe you get mad sometimes and are tempted to sleep in another room, all by yourself. If you feel that way, just knock on the door and say: Please, can I come in? All it takes is a look, a kiss, a soft word … and everything is back to the way it was! I say this because when families do this, they survive. There is no such thing as a perfect family; without the practice of forgiveness, families can grow sick and gradually collapse.

To forgive means to give something of yourself. Jesus always forgives us. By the power of his forgiveness, we too can forgive others, if we really want to. Isn’t that what we pray for, when we say the Our Father? Children learn to forgive when they see their parents forgiving one another. If we understand this, we can appreciate the grandeur of Jesus’ teaching about fidelity in marriage. Far from a cold legal obligation, it is above all a powerful promise of God’s own fidelity to his word and his unfailing grace. Christ died for us so that we, in turn, might forgive and be reconciled with one another. In this way, as individuals and as families, we can know the truth of Saint Paul’s words that, when all else passes away, love never ends (1 Cor 13:8).

Thank you Nisha and Ted, for your testimony from India, where you are teaching your children how to be a true family. You have helped us to understand that social media are not necessarily a problem for families, but can also serve to build a web of friendships, solidarity and mutual support. Families can connect through the internet and draw nourishment from it. Social media can be beneficial if used with moderation and prudence. For example, all of you gathered for this World Meeting of Families have formed a spiritual network, a web of friendship; social media can help you to maintain this connection and expand it to even more families throughout the world. It is important, though, that these media never become a threat to the real web of flesh and blood relationships by imprisoning us in a virtual reality and isolating us from the concrete relationships that challenge us to grow to our full potential in communion with others.

Perhaps Ted and Nisha’s story will help all families to question whether they need to cut down on the time they spend with technology, and to spend more quality time with one another and with God. When you use the social media too much, you spin into orbit. When at table, instead of talking to one another as a family, everyone starts playing with his or her cell phone, they spin into orbit. This is dangerous. Why? Because it takes you away from the concrete reality of the family and into a life of distraction and unreality. Be careful about this. Remember Ted and Nisha’s story; they teach us to make good use of the social media.

We have heard from Enass and Sarmaad how a family’s love and faith can be a source of strength and peace even amid the violence and destruction caused by war and persecution. Their story reminds us of the tragic situations endured daily by so many families forced to flee their homes in search of security and peace. But they also show us how, starting from the family, and thanks to the solidarity shown by so many other families, lives can be rebuilt and hope born anew. We saw this support in the video of Rammy and his brother Meelad, where Rammy expressed his deep gratitude for the encouragement and help their family received from so many other Christian families worldwide, who made it possible for them to return to their village. In every society, families generate peace, because they teach the virtues of love, acceptance and forgiveness that are the best antidote to the hatred, prejudice and vengeance that can poison the life of individuals and communities.

As a good Irish priest taught us, the family that prays together, stays together and radiates peace. In a special way, such a family can be a support for other families that do not live in peace. Following the death of Father Ganni, Enass, Sarmaad and their family chose forgiveness and reconciliation over hatred and resentment. They saw, in the light of the cross, that evil can only be fought by good, and hatred overcome only by forgiveness. Almost incredibly, they were able to find peace in the love of Christ, a love that makes all things new. This evening they share that peace with us. They prayed. Prayer. Praying together. While I was listening to the choir, I saw a mother teaching her child to make the sign of the cross. Let me ask you, do you teach your children to make the sign of the cross? Yes or no? (all: yes!) Or do you teach them to make some quick wave of the hand (he gestures) that they don’t even understand? It is very important that children learn as early as possible to make the sign of the cross well. It is the first creed that they learn, a way of saying I believe in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This evening, before going to bed, ask yourselves, as parents: do I teach my children to make a good sign of the cross? Think about it, it is up to you!

The love of Christ that renews all things is what makes possible marriage and a conjugal love marked by fidelity, indissolubility, unity and openness to life. It is what we see in the fourth chapter of Amoris Laetitia. We saw this love in Mary and Damian and their family of ten children. Let me ask you (he turns to Mary and Damian), do your children ever make you grow angry? Ah, that is life! But it is beautiful to have ten children. Thank you for your testimony and for your witness of love and faith! You experienced the power of God’s love to change your lives completely and to bless you with the joy of a beautiful family. You told us that the key to your family life is truthfulness. From your story, we see how important it is to keep going back to the source of the truth and the love that can change our lives. Who is it? Jesus, who began his public ministry precisely at a wedding feast. There, in Cana, he changed water into a good new wine that kept the joyful celebration going strong.

Did you ever think of what would have happened if Jesus did not perform that miracle? Did you ever think how terrible it would be to finish a wedding feast by drinking just water? It would be awful! Our Lady understood that, and so she told her Son: They have no wine. And Jesus realized that the party would not have ended happily with people just drinking water. Conjugal love is like that. The new wine begins to ferment during the time of engagement, which is necessary but fleeting, and matures throughout marriage in a mutual self-giving that enables spouses to become, from two, “one flesh”. And also to open their hearts, in turn, to all those in need of love, especially the lonely, the abandoned, the weak and vulnerable so often discarded by our throw-away culture. The culture we are living in today discards everything, everything that is not useful. It discards babies because they are troublesome; it discards the elderly because they aren’t useful … Only love saves us from this throw-away culture.

Families everywhere are challenged to keep growing, to keep moving forward, even amid difficulties and limitations, just as past generations did. All of us are part of a great chain of families stretching back to the beginning of time. Our families are a treasury of living memory, as children become parents and grandparents in turn. From them we receive our identity, our values and our faith. We see this in Aldo and Marissa, who have been married for over fifty years. Their marriage is a monument to love and fidelity! Their grandchildren keep them young; their house is filled with laughter, happiness and dancing. It was delightful to see [in the video] the grandmother teaching her granddaughters how to dance! Their love for one another is a gift from God, and it is a gift that they are joyfully passing on to their children and grandchildren.

A society – listen carefully to this! – a society that does not value grandparents is a society that has no future. A Church that is not mindful of the covenant between generations will end up lacking the thing that really matters, which is love. Our grandparents teach us the meaning of conjugal and parental love. They themselves grew up in a family and experienced the love of sons and daughters, brothers and sisters. So they are a treasury of experience, a treasury of wisdom for the new generation. It is a big mistake not to ask the elderly about their experience, or to think that talking to them is a waste of time. Here I would like to thank Missy for her words of witness. She told us that, among travellers, the family has always been a source of strength and solidarity. Her witness reminds us that, in God’s house, there is a place at table for everyone. No one is to be excluded; our love and care must extend to all.

I know it is late and you are tired! So am I! But let me say one last thing to all of you. As families, you are the hope of the Church and of the world! God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, created mankind in his image and likeness to share in his love, to be a family of families, and to enjoy the peace that he alone can give. By your witness to the Gospel, you can help God’s dream to come true. You can help to draw all God’s children closer together, so that they can grow in unity and learn what it is for the entire world to live in peace as one great family. For this reason, I wanted to give each of you a copy of Amoris Laetitia, prepared in the two Synods on the family and written as a kind of roadmap for living joyfully the Gospel of the family. May Mary our Mother, Queen of the Family and Queen of Peace, sustain all of you in your journey of life, love and happiness!

And now, at the conclusion of our evening together, we will recite the prayer for this World Meeting of Families. Let us all recite together the official prayer for the Meeting of Families:

(Recitation of the prayer and blessing)

Good night and rest well! See you tomorrow!
(Original text in Italian, translation by Libreria Editrice Vaticana)