General Audience on our vocation as spouse

This morning's General Audience began at 9:20am in Saint Peter's Square where the Holy Father, Pope Francis met with groups of pilgrims and the faithful from Italy and from other parts of the world.

In his speech, the Pope continued his cycle of catecheses on the Commandments, adding a mediation on the theme: In Christ is found the fullness of our spousal vocation (Biblical passage: Ephesians 5:25-28, 31-32).

After having summarized his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father offered particular 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, I would like to complete the catechesis on the Sixth Word of the Decalogue - Do not commit adultery - by highlighting the fact that the faithful love of Christ is the light that allows us to live the beauty of human affectivity. In fact, our emotional dimension is a call to love, which manifests itself in fidelity, acceptance and mercy. This is very important. How does love manifest itself? In fidelity, in acceptance and in mercy.

 However, we should never forget that this commandment refers explicitly to fidelity in marriage, and therefore it is good to reflect more deeply on its spousal meaning. This passage from the Scriptures, this passage from the Letter of Saint Paul, is revolutionary! To think, with the anthropology of that time, and to say that the husband must love his wife as Christ loves the Church: this was a revolution! Perhaps, at that time, it was the most revolutionary thing that had been said about marriage. Continuing along the road of love, we can ask ourselves: this command of fidelity, to whom is it destined? Only for spouses? In reality, this command is for everyone, it is a paternal Word of God addressed to every man and woman.

Let us remember that the path of human maturity is the path of love itself that stretches from receiving care to the ability to offer care, from receiving life to the ability to give life. To become adult men and women means to arrive at a spousal and parental attitude, which manifests itself in the various situations of life as the ability to take upon oneself the weight of someone else and to love that person without ambiguity. It is therefore a global attitude of the person who knows how to take on reality and who knows how to enter into a profound relationship with others.

Who then is the adulterer, the lustful person, the unfaithful person? He is an immature person, who keeps his own life for himself and interprets situations based on his own well-being and satisfaction. So, in order to get married, it is not enough to celebrate the wedding! We need to embark on a journey from the I to the us, to think for ourselves and to think in pairs, to live alone and to live in harsh conditions: it is a beautiful path, it is a beautiful path. When we come to decentralize ourselves, then every act is spousal: we work, we talk, we decide, we meet others with a welcoming and warm attitude.

Every Christian vocation, in this sense, - now we can now widen the perspective a little, and say that every Christian vocation, in this sense, is spousal. The priesthood is, because it is the call, in Christ and in the Church, to serve the community with all the affection, concrete care and wisdom that the Lord gives. The Church does not need aspirants to the role of priests, they do not serve, it is better that they stay at home - but they serve men to whom the Holy Spirit touches the heart with an unconditional love for the Bride of Christ. In the priesthood one loves God's people with all the paternity, tenderness and strength of a husband and a father. Thus also consecrated virginity in Christ is lived with fidelity and joy as a spousal and fruitful relationship between motherhood and fatherhood.

I repeat: every Christian vocation is spousal, because it is the fruit of the bond of love in which we are all regenerated, the bond of love with Christ, as the passage of Saint Paul read at the beginning reminded us. It is in beginning from its fidelity, its tenderness, its generosity that we look with faith at marriage and every vocation, and that we understand the full meaning of sexuality.

The human creature, in its inseparable unity of spirit and body, and in its masculine and feminine polarity, is a very good reality, destined to love and be loved. The human body is not an instrument of pleasure, but the place of our call to love, and in authentic love there is no room for lust and for its superficiality. Men and women deserve more than this!

Therefore, the Word Do not commit adultery, even in its negative form, directs us to our original call, that is to the full and faithful spousal love, which Jesus Christ has revealed to us and given us (cf Rom 12: 1).



The Holy Father's catechesis was then summarized in various languages and His Holiness offered a greeting to each group.  To English-speaking pilgrims he said:

I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially those from England, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Indonesia, Korea, the Philippines, Vietnam and the United States of America. I thank the choirs for their praise of God in song. Upon all of you, and your families, I invoke the Lord’s blessings of joy and peace. God bless you!

Greeting members of the American Biblical Society

At 9:00am this morning (3:00am EDT) in the Atrium of the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience a delegation from the American Biblical Society (ABS).

Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

offered to a delegation from the American Biblical Society

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I greet you cordially and I thank you for your visit. In expressing gratitude for the work of the American Bible Society, I encourage you to pursue and even intensify your commitment, as stated in your mission statement, to transform lives through God’s word. Truly the word of God has the power to transform lives, for it is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword… to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb 4:12). Recalling these words of the Letter to the Hebrews, I offer my prayerful good wishes to all of you who have come to Rome this year for your annual retreat, centred precisely on the power of God’s word.

That word is living and active. At the very beginning of creation, God spoke and the world came to be (cf Gen 1:6-7). In the fullness of time, Jesus gave us words that are spirit and life (Jn 6:63). By his word, he restored broken hearts, as in the case of Zacchaeus and the tax collector Matthew, to whom he said, ‘Follow me’. And he got up and followed him (Mt 9:9). In these coming days, praying with the Scriptures, you will be able to experience anew the effectiveness of that word: it does not return empty, but accomplishes the purpose for which it was given (cf Is 55:10-11). It is my hope that you will always receive the Bible in its precious uniqueness: as a word that, imbued with the Holy Spirit the Giver of life, communicates to us Jesus, who is life (cf Jn 14:6), and thus makes our lives fruitful. No other book has the same power. In its word, we recognize the Spirit who inspired it: for only in the Spirit can Scripture truly be received, lived and proclaimed, for the Spirit teaches all things and reminds us of all that Jesus said (cf Jn 14:26).

God’s word is sharp. It is honey, offering the comforting sweetness of the Lord, but also a sword bringing a salutary unrest to our hearts (cf Rev 10:10). For it penetrates to the depths and brings to light the dark recesses of the soul. As it penetrates, it purifies. The double edge of this sword may at first wound, but it proves beneficial, for it cuts away everything that distances us from God and his love. I pray that, through the Bible, you will taste and feel deep within yourselves the Lord’s tender love and his healing presence, which searches us and knows us (cf Ps 139:1).

Finally, God’s word judges thoughts and intentions. The word of life is also truth (cf Jn 14:6), and his word creates truth in us, dissipating every form of falsehood and duplicity. Scripture constantly challenges us to redirect our path to God. Letting ourselves “be read” by the word of God thus enables us to become in turn open books, living reflections of the saving word, witnesses of Jesus and proclaimers of his newness. For the word of God always brings newness; it is elusive and often breaks through our own plans and preconceptions.

Dear friends, I offer you my prayerful good wishes that at the conclusion of these days you can renew your dedication to the service of the Bible for the benefit of so many brothers and sisters. I thank you and I ask you to remember me in your prayers.

Thank you.
(Original text in Italian; translation by Libreria Editrice Vaticana)

Greetings for the Scalabrini

At 11:05am this morning (5:05am EDT), in the Consistory Hall at the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience participants taking part in the XV General Chapter of the Congregation of Missionaries of Saint Charles (Scalabrinians).

The Holy Father entrusted the prepared speech to those in attendance and then proceeded to offer some unscripted remarks.

Prepared greetings of His Holiness, Pope Francis

for the meeting with the Scalabrini

Dear brothers,

I am pleased to meet you on the occasion of your General Chapter and to address to each one of you my cordial greetings, beginning with the new Superior General, whom I thank for his words and to whom I extend every good wish for his ministry.

At the center of your reflection these days you have placed the theme of Meeting and walking. Jesus walked with them (cf Lk 24:15). This reference is to the story of the disciples of Emmaus, who meet the risen Jesus along the way. He approaches in order to walk with them and to explain the Scriptures to them. Your Chapter is a privileged moment of grace for your religious family, called to assume this dual attitude of the divine Master towards those who are the object of your pastoral care: to proclaim the Word to them and to walk with them. It is a matter of finding ever new ways of evangelization and of proximity, in order to fulfill your charism - which places you at the service of migrants - with dynamic fidelity.

Faced with today's migratory phenomenon, which is very vast and complex, your Congregation draws the necessary spiritual resources from the prophetic witness of your Founder - who is as current as ever - and from the experience of many confreres who have worked with great generosity from the very beginning of your existence - 131 years ago - until today. Today as yesterday, your mission takes place in difficult contexts, sometimes characterized by attitudes of suspicion and prejudice, or even rejection towards the foreign person. This motivates you even more to live with courageous and persevering apostolic enthusiasm, to bring the love of Christ to those who - far from their homelands and families - are in danger of feeling far from God.

The biblical icon of the disciples of Emmaus shows Jesus explaining the Scriptures as he walks with them. Evangelization is done by walking with people. First of all we must listen to people, listen to the history of the communities; above all the disappointed hopes, the expectations of people's hearts, the trials of their faith ... First of all listen, and do it in an attitude of com-passion, of sincere closeness. How many stories there are in the hearts of migrants! Beautiful stories and ugly ones. The danger is that they might be removed: the ugly ones, it is obvious; but also the beautiful ones, because remembering makes people suffer. And so the risk is that the migrant becomes a person who is uprooted, faceless, without identity. But this is a very serious loss, which can be avoided by listening, walking alongside people and especially migrant communities. Being able to do this is a grace, and it is also a resource for the Church and for the world.

After listening, like Jesus, we must share the Word and the sign of the broken Bread. It is fascinating to make Jesus known to people of different cultures through the sharing of the Scriptures; tell them about his mystery of love: his incarnation, his passion, his death and resurrection. To share with migrants the amazement of a salvation that is historical - it is situated in the context of history - and yet it is universal, it is for everyone! To enjoy together the joy of reading the Bible, to welcome the Word of God offered for us today within its pages; discovering that through the Scriptures, God wants to give these concrete men and women his Word of salvation, of hope, of liberation, of peace. And then, inviting them to the Mensa of the Eucharist, where words fail and all that remains is the Sign of the Broken Bread: the Sacrament in which everything is summarized, in which the Son of God offers his Body and his Blood for the life of those travellers, those men and women who risk losing hope and who prefer to cancel the past so that they will not have to suffer.

Today, the Risen Christ sends you, in the Church, to walk together with many brothers and sisters who are making their way as migrants from Jerusalem to Emmaus. This mission is ancient and always new; it is tiring, and sometimes painful, but it can also make you cry with joy. I encourage you to carry it out with your own style, matured in the fruitful encounter between the charism of Blessed Scalabrini and the historical circumstances you encounter. This style is part of the attention you place on the dignity of the human person, especially where it is most wounded and threatened. This is part of the educational commitment with the new generations, catechesis and the pastoral care of the family.

Dear brothers, let us not forget that the condition of every mission in the Church is that we are united to the Risen Christ like branches to the vine (cf Jn 15:1-9). Otherwise what we do becomes social activism. This is why I repeat to you the exhortation to remain in him. First of all we need to let ourselves be renewed in faith and hope by Jesus who is alive in the Word and in the Eucharist, but also in sacramental forgiveness. We need to be with him in silent adoration, in lectio divina and in the recitation of the Virgin Mary's Rosary.

And we need to lead healthy community lives, simple but not trivial, not mediocre. I appreciated when the Superior General said that the Spirit calls you to live communion in diversity among you. Yes, as a testimony but first of all as a joy for you, as a human and as a Christian; this is truly ecclesial wealth. I also encourage you to continue the journey of sharing with the laity, facing the challenges of today together; as well as taking care of the itineraries of ongoing formation.

Brothers, I thank you for this gathering. I pray that your Chapter will bear much good fruit! We ask this through the intercession of Our Mother Mary, of Saint Charles Borromeo and of Blessed John Baptist Scalabrini. I warmly bless you and all the Scalabrinian Missionaries. And you too, please do not forget to pray for me.

Condolences to Indonesia

The Cardinal Secretary of State of His Holiness, Pietro Parolin, has sent a telegram of condolence in the name of the Holy Father to the Apostolic Nuncio in Jakarta (Indonesia) where an accident involving an airliner took place yesterday.

Telegram of Condolence

To His Excellency, Piero Pioppo
Apostolic Nuncio in Indonesia
Jakarta

Having learned with sadness of the recent plane crash in Jakarta, His Holiness, Pope Francis conveys his condolences to all those affected by this tragedy. He offers the assurance of his prayers for all who have died and for those who mourn their loss. Upon the nation and all involved in the rescue and recovery efforts His Holiness invokes the strength and peace of Almighty God.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin
Secretary of State

Celebrating 30 years of the Italian Bishops' Information Service

This morning, the Holy See Press Centre released the text of a Message which the Holy Father, Pope Francis sent to the Director of the Italian Episcopal (Bishops') Conference's Information Agency, Doctor Vincenzo Corrado.  The Information Agency, known as SIR, is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its foundation.

Message of His Holiness, Pope Francis

To Doctor Vincenzo Cornado
Italian Episcopal Conference

Dear friends of the SIR Agency,

I am pleased to send you this short message on the occasion of an important anniversary of your newspaper.  During these particular days - 25 October - remember the thirty years that have passed since the first edition of your publication was published, and the beginning of the journalistic activity of the SIR.  This is an important year for all of you and for this reason, I wish you well and I send you a special remembrance for the professional activities you accomplish every day.

Thirty years certainly represent a good milestone, but they are not and should not be considered a point of arrival. Continue to carry out your commitment, always looking for the same novelty with which the founding fathers thought and then, give shape to a unique project of its kind: an information tool that connects the Italian territory, represented by the diocesan weeklies, which are your focus and which, at the same time, return from your work to their respective territories under the care of their respective diocesan leaders.  You have been advocates of communion in information, both ecclesial and socio-cultural. Keep it up!

The SIR, the information agency of the Italian Episcopal Conference, responds to the needs of different communities. With your daily newsletter, people can find news concerning the Holy See, the Italian Church, the dioceses, Europe, the Middle East, the whole world ... Now, as you know, I decided to dedicate to the LIII World Day of Social Communications, which will be celebrated in 2019, the theme We are members of one another (Eph 4:25) From community to community I know that you in turn are committed to promoting an informative community, founded on authenticity and reciprocity.

Over the years, you have followed technological developments, always maintaining the editorial line that was so well expressed in 1988 by your late president, Monsignor Giuseppe Cacciami: We would like to be judged and tested on objectivity, rigor of language, documentation, on the attention we have paid to the causes and the implications of the religious event rather than on its instrumental, brilliant and ephemeral use for the curiosity of the moment.  This aim still merits your attention: just think of the phenomenon of false news, the so-called fake news. Continue to practice your profession while always keeping to the truth. It is the most effective antidote with which to combat falsehood. And remember that to discern the truth it is necessary to examine what accompanies communion and promotes goodness and what, on the contrary, tends to isolate, divide and oppose (cf Saint Paul VI, Message for the 1st World Day of Social Communications).

Thirty years are many, but this is the moment to think about the future. I encourage you to continue on the path of innovation, but not turning your gaze from all the territories: Italians, Europeans, the Middle East, international ... The territory is not a simple geographical border, it is something more: it indicates the existence of people that inhabit it. In the wake of the diocesan weeklies, give voices to those who have no voice. Keep turning your information lights toward all the suburbs. Make yourselves communicate with the stories you tell. Get more passionate about the truth. Be custodians of the news. Journalism, in the contemporary world, is not just a trade, but a real mission. It has the task, in the frenzy of the news and in the whirlwind of the scoops, to remember that at the centre of the news there is not the speed in giving it and the impact on the audience, but the people. To inform is to form, is to deal with the life of the people (cf Message for the 1st World Day of Social Communications).

Dear friends, I accompany you in your work, I hope that you will always be ready to listen and to enter into sincere dialogue in order to let the truth emerge. I encourage you to focus more and more on the fullness of quality information that can build bridges of understanding and dialogue. Walk, as you have done so far, on the beautiful and tiring paths of thinking, not compromising with anyone. Be free and far from reductive models. Help people to understand the facts in their complexity and their deep meaning.

With all my heart, I bless you and, please, don't forget to pray for me.

From the Vatican
21 October 2018

Francis

Pope Francis speaks to the Synod

Yesterday, during the 22nd and final General Congregation of the XV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, focused on the theme: Youth, faith and vocational discernment, the Holy Father, Pope Francis addressed the Synod Fathers who were in attendance, offering them some unscripted remarks.

Unscripted remarks offered by His Holiness, Pope Francis

during the final session of the XV Ordinary General Synod of Bishops

I also have to say thank you to everyone. To Cardinal Baldisseri, to Bishop Fabene, to the delegated Presidents, to the Relator, to the special Secretaries - I said that they had left their skin in the preparatory document; now I believe that they have also left their bones, because they have lost everything! -; thanks to the experts: we have seen how we pass from a martyr text to a martyr commission; this is the work of an editorial staff, who has done this with so much effort and so much penance. Thank you. Thank you to all of you, the auditors, especially the young people, who brought their music to us here in the Hall - music is the diplomatic word to say noise, but this is the way it is ... Thank you.

There are two little things that are close to my heart. First: I want to reiterate once more that the Synod is not a Parliament. It is a protected space for the Holy Spirit to act. For this reason, the information that is given is general and it is not the most particular things, the names, the way of saying things, with which the Holy Spirit works in us. And this was a protected space. Let's not forget this: it was the Spirit who worked here. And the second thing, that the result of the Synod is not a document, I said it at the beginning. We are full of documents. I do not know if this document will have any effect outside these walls, I do not know. But I certainly know that we must have the Spirit in us, he must work in us. We have created the document, the commission; we studied it, we approved it. Now the Spirit is giving us the document so that it may work in our heart. We are the recipients of the document, not the people outside. In order for this document to work, we must pray with it, study it, ask for light ... It is for us, the document, mainly. Yes, it will help many others, but the first recipients are us: it is the Spirit who has done all this, and the Spirit returns the document to us. Please do not forget this.

And there is a third thing: I think of our Mother, the Holy Mother Church. The last three numbers (in the concluding document) concerning holiness show what the Church is: our Mother is Holy, but we children are sinners. We are all sinners. Let us not forget that expression of the Fathers, the casta meretrix, the holy Church, the Holy Mother with sinful children. And because of our sins, the Great Prosecutor always takes advantage of us, as the first chapter of Job says: he goes around, goes around the Earth looking for someone to accuse. At this moment he is accusing us strongly, and this accusation also becomes persecution; today's President - presiding over the 22nd General Congregation - (Patriarch Sako) may say: his people (the Church in Iraq) is persecuted and so are many others from the East or from other parts. And it also becomes another type of persecution: continuous accusations used to dirty the Church. But the Church does not get dirty; yes children, we are all dirty, but the mother is not. And this is why it is time to defend the Mother; and the Mother defends us from the Great Accuser with prayer and penance. This is why I asked, in this month that ends in a few days, that we pray the Rosary, that we pray to Saint Michael the Archangel, that we pray to Our Lady to always cover and protect Mother Church. We must continue to do this.  This is a difficult moment, because the accuser who is attacking us attacks the Mother, but the Mother does not touch him. I wanted to say this sincerely at the end of the Synod.

And now, may the Holy Spirit gift us all with this document, even me, so that we may reflect on that which the Spirit wants to say to us.  Thank you very much to all of you, thank you all!
(Original text in Italian)

A place for everyone

The scripture passages proposed for the celebration of the Lord's day paint a picture of a place where everyone will be welcome.  Even in this life, we can practice this virtue.

A place for everyone

This past week, municipal elections were held throughout Ontario.  In some cases, the people that will sit in council chambers did not change, but there are some who will no longer be there, and there are some new faces that will now take their places.  As with every such change, there will be a period of adjustment but the work of creating and sustaining communities must go on.

Communities can be defined in various ways: some people belong to the same families, some attend the same schools, some are employed by the same company and some pray according to the same faith tradition.  In each of these cases  ... and many more, individuals seek the experience of community.  This is not something new.  The creation accounts in the Book of Genesis speak of a community being formed when God created Adam and Eve.  The prophet Jeremiah tells us that God brought his people from the land of the north ... from the furthest parts of the earth ... Led by the Lord they walked by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they did not stumble (Jer 31:8-9).

Even in the time of Jesus, we see evidence of God’s work as he led His people to encounter one another and taught them how to walk together along the paths of life.  The gospel passage we have heard today speaks of the encounter that Jesus had with Bartimaeus, a blind beggar who was sitting by the roadside (cf Mk 10:46).  It’s interesting to note that at the beginning of the story, Bartimaeus is all alone.  The other people who are there try to stop him from calling out to Jesus, as though he is a bother, but he is persistent, and Jesus chooses him to provide the example by which we all should live.  Imagine their surprise when Jesus instructed them to bring this blind beggar to him.  Perhaps he had supporters in the crowd, or maybe there was a sudden change of heart among those who had previously tried to silence him.  In any case, voices of encouragement began to be heard: Take heart, get up, he is calling you (Mk 10:49).

In our time too, each of us tries day by day to make our way through life.  We sometimes encounter many turns in the road, but we do not make this journey alone.  At times, it might seem as though we are on our own, especially when people try to exclude us with words and gestures of judgment, but like Bartimaeus, we must be persistent in our prayer, knowing that Jesus always hears the cries of those who need his help.

When they had brought him to Jesus, Bartimaeus was finally able to make his plea: My teacher, let me see again (Mk 10:51).  How many in our world are still crying out to Jesus, pleading for his help?  Among them, we can count those who are suffering from physical ailments, but there are also others like refugees who have been displaced.  Closer to home, there are many of our brothers and sisters who are newcomers even in this land, and there are those – like our indigenous neighbours – who live right next door to us and yet seem so distant from us.

Bartimaeus provides us all with an example of faith and perseverance that longs to hear the words of Jesus in response: Go, your faith has made you well (Mk 10:52).  With these words, Jesus assured a blind beggar that there was a place for him in his heart.  Jesus knows that each of us also has a similar cry, a need to be part of the community.  Oh, how we long to hear such words of consolation spoken to us as well.

Une place pour tous

La semaine dernière, des élections municipales ont eu lieu partout en Ontario. Dans certains cas, les personnes qui siégeront dans les chambres du conseil n'ont pas changé, mais certaines personnes ne seront plus là et certains nouveaux visages prendront désormais leur place. Comme pour tout changement de ce type, il y aura une période d'ajustement, mais le travail de la création et de soutien des communautés doit continuer.

Les communautés peuvent être définies de différentes manières: certaines personnes appartiennent à la même famille, certaines fréquentent les mêmes écoles, certaines sont employées par la même entreprise et certaines prient selon la même tradition religieuse. Dans chacun de ces cas ... et dans de nombreux autres cas, les individus recherchent l'expérience de la communauté. Ce n'est pas quelque chose de nouveau. Les récits de la création dans le livre de la Genèse parlent d'une communauté en formation lorsque Dieu créa Adam et Eve. Le prophète Jérémie nous dit que Dieu a amené son peuple du pays du nord ... des confins de la terre ... Conduits par le Seigneur, ils sont conduits vers les cours d’eau par un droit chemin où ils ne trébucheront pas (Jer 31,8-9).

Même à l’époque de Jésus, nous voyons des preuves du travail de Dieu lorsqu'il a amené son peuple à se rencontrer et lui a appris à marcher ensemble sur les chemins de la vie. Le passage de l'Évangile que nous avons entendu aujourd'hui parle de la rencontre de Jésus avec Bartimée, un mendiant aveugle assis au bord du chemin (cf Mc 10,46). Il est intéressant de noter qu’au début de l’histoire, Bartimée est tout seul. Les autres personnes présentes tentent de l'empêcher d'appeler Jésus, comme s'il le dérangeait, mais il persiste et Jésus le choisit pour donner l'exemple par lequel nous devrions tous vivre. Imaginez leur surprise quand Jésus leur a demandé de lui amener ce mendiant aveugle. Peut-être avait-il des partisans dans la foule ou peut-être y avait-il eu un revirement soudain chez ceux qui avaient précédemment essayé de le faire taire. En tout cas, des voix d'encouragement ont commencé à être entendues: Confiance, lève-toi, il t'appelle (Mc 10,49).

À notre époque aussi, chacun de nous tente jour après jour de se frayer un chemin dans la vie. Nous rencontrons parfois de nombreux tournants sur la route, mais nous ne faisons pas ce voyage seuls. Parfois, il peut sembler que nous sommes seuls, surtout quand les gens essaient de nous exclure avec des paroles et des gestes de jugement, mais comme Bartimée, nous devons être persistants dans notre prière, sachant que Jésus entend toujours les cris de ceux qui ont besoin de son appui.

Quand ils l'ont amené à Jésus, Bartimée a finalement pu plaidoyer sa cause: Rabbouni, que je retrouve ma vue! (Mc 10, 51). Combien de personnes dans notre monde réclament encore Jésus pour implorer son aide? Parmi eux, on peut compter ceux qui souffrent de maux physiques, mais il y en a aussi d'autres comme des réfugiés qui ont été déplacés. Plus près de chez nous, beaucoup de nos frères et soeurs sont des nouveaux arrivés, même dans ce pays, et il y en a, comme nos voisins autochtones, qui vivent tout près de chez nous et semblent pourtant si éloignés de nous.

Bartimée nous fournit à tous un exemple de foi et de persévérance qui souhaite entendre les paroles de Jésus en réponse à notre enquête: Va, ta foi t’a sauvé (Mc 10,52). Avec ces paroles, Jésus assura un mendiant aveugle qu'il y avait une place pour lui dans son cœur. Jésus sait que chacun de nous a également le même cri, le besoin de faire partie de la communauté. Ah, comme nous avons hâte d'entendre ces paroles de consolation nous aussi.

Angelus after the closing of the Synod

At noon today in Rome (6:00am EDT), at the conclusion of the Mass celebrated inside the Vatican Basilica at the conclusion of the XV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, focused on the theme: Youth, faith and vocational discernment, the Holy Father, Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to recite the Angelus with the faithful and with pilgrims gathered in Saint Peter's Square for the usual Sunday appearance.

Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

prior to the recitation of the Angelus

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
But it doesn't seem to be such a good morning!
(there was rain and wind)

This morning, inside Saint Peter's Basilica, we celebrated the closing Mass of the Assembly of the Synod of Bishops dedicated to young people. The first reading from the Book of the prophet Jeremiah (31: 7-9), was particularly pertinent at this moment, because it is a word of hope that God gives to his people. It is a word of consolation, founded on the fact that God is a father to his people, loves them and treats them like sons (cf Jer 31:9); He opens up a horizon of the future, an accessible, practicable road on which the blind and the lame, the pregnant woman and the woman in labor (Jer 31:8), ie people in difficulty, can walk. Because God's hope is not a mirage - like certain advertisements where everyone is healthy and beautiful - but rather a promise for real people, with strengths and weaknesses, potentiality and fragility, like all of us: God's hope is a promise for people like us.

This Word of God expresses the experience we have lived during the weeks of the Synod: it was a time of consolation and hope. First of all it was a moment of listening: in fact, listening requires time, attention, openness of mind and heart. But this commitment was transformed every day into consolation, above all because we had among us the lively and stimulating presence of the young, with their stories and their contributions. Through the testimonies of the Synod Fathers, the multifaceted reality of the new generations has entered the Synod, as it were, on all sides: from every continent and from many different human and social situations.

With this fundamental attitude of listening, we tried to read reality, to grasp the signs of our times. Community discernment, done in the light of the Word of God and of the Holy Spirit. This is one of the most beautiful gifts that the Lord offers to the Catholic Church, that is, to gather voices and faces from the most varied realities and thus be able to attempt an interpretation that takes into account the richness and complexity of the phenomena, always in the light of the Gospel. So, in these days, we discussed how to walk together through many challenges, such as the digital world, the phenomenon of migration, the sense of body and sexuality, the drama of wars and violence.

The fruits of this work are already fermenting, like grape juice in barrels after the harvest. The Youth Synod was a good harvest, and it promises good wine. But I would like to say that the first fruit of this Synodal Assembly should be precisely in the example of a method that we have tried to follow, even in the preparatory phases. A synodal style that does not have as its main objective the drafting of a document, which is also valuable and useful. More than the document, however, it is important that a way of being and working together is spreading: young and old, listening and discerning, in order to reach pastoral choices that respond to reality.

For this we invoke the intercession of the Virgin Mary. To her, who is the Mother of the Church, we entrust our thanksgiving to God for the gift of this Synodal Assembly. She will help us now to carry forward what has been experienced, without fear, in the ordinary life of the communities. May the Holy Spirit make the fruits of our work grow with his wise imagination, to continue to walk together with the young people of the whole world.



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

Dear brothers and sisters,

I express my closeness to the city of Pittsburgh, in the United States of America, and in particular to the Jewish community, struck yesterday by a terrible attack in a synagogue. May the Most High welcome the dead in his peace, comfort their families and support the wounded. In reality, we are all wounded by this inhumane act of violence. May the Lord help us to extinguish the outbreaks of hatred that develop in our societies, strengthening the sense of humanity, respect for life, moral and civil values, and the holy fear of God, who is Love and Father of all.

Yesterday, in Morales, Guatemala, José Tullio Maruzzo, a religious of the Friars Minor, and Luis Obdulio Arroyo Navarro, who were killed in hatred of the faith in the last century during the persecution against the Church, were proclaimed Blessed.  They were committed to promoting justice and peace. We praise the Lord and entrust the Church in Guatemala to their intercession, as well as all the brothers and sisters who unfortunately still today, in various parts of the world, are persecuted because they are witnesses of the Gospel.  Everyone, some applause for these two new Blesseds.

I greet you with affection, dear pilgrims from Italy and various countries, especially young people from Maribor (Slovenia), the Spanish Centro Académico Romano Foundation and the parishioners from San Siro Vescovo in Canobbio (Switzerland). I greet the volunteers from the Shrine of San Giovanni XXIII in Sotto il Monte, 60 years after the election of the beloved Pope from Bergamo; as well as the faithful from Cesena and Thiene, as well as the ministers and the children from Catholic Action in the diocese of Padua.

Today is celebrated the party of El Señor de los Milagros (The Lord of Miracles), very well known in Lima and throughout Peru; I extend a grateful thought to the Peruvian people and to the Peruvian community of Rome. Last Sunday you were here with the icon of El Señor de los Milagros, and I did not notice. Celebrate well on the day of the party! And I affectionately greet the Venezuelan community in Italy, gathered here with the image of Our Lady of Chiquinquirá, la Chinita.

I wish you all a good Sunday and, please, don't forget to pray for me.  Enjoy your lunch and good bye!
(Original text in Italian)

Concluding the Synod on Youth, Faith and Vocational Discernment

At 10:00am this morning in Rome (4:00am EDT), the XXX Sunday of Ordinary Time, inside the Vatican Basilica, the Holy Father, Pope Francis celebrated Mass on the occasion of the closure of the XV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops which focused on the theme: Youth, faith and vocational discernment.

At the conclusion of the Eucharistic celebration, before the final blessing was imparted by the Pope, His Eminence, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops read the text of a Letter which the Synod Fathers addressed to the youth at the conclusion of the Synod.

Homily of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

for the Mass concluding the

Synod on Youth, Faith and Vocational Discernment

The account we have just heard is the last of those that the evangelist Mark relates about the itinerant ministry of Jesus, who is about to enter Jerusalem to die and to rise. Bartimaeus is thus the last of those who follow Jesus along the way: from a beggar along the road to Jericho, he becomes a disciple who walks alongside the others on the way to Jerusalem. We too have walked alongside one another; we have been a synod. This Gospel seals three fundamental steps on the journey of faith.

First, let us consider Bartimaeus. His name means son of Timaeus. That is how the Gospel describes him: Bartimaeus son of Timaeus (Mk 10:46). Yet, oddly, his father is nowhere to be found. Bartimaeus lies alone on the roadside, far from home and fatherless. He is not loved, but abandoned. He is blind and no one listens to him; when he tries to speak, everyone tells him to keep quiet. Jesus hears his plea. When he goes to him, he lets him speak. It was not hard to guess what Bartimaeus wanted: clearly, a blind person wants to see or regain his sight. But Jesus takes his time; he takes time to listen. This is the first step in helping the journey of faith: listening. It is the apostolate of the ear: listening before speaking.

Instead, many of those with Jesus ordered Bartimaeus to be quiet (cf Mk 10:48). For such disciples, a person in need was a nuisance along the way, an obstacle unexpected and unforeseen. They preferred their own timetable above that of the Master, their own talking over listening to others. They were following Jesus, but they had their own plans in mind. This is a risk that we must constantly guard against. Yet, for Jesus, the cry of those pleading for help is not a nuisance but a challenge. How important it is for us to listen to life! The children of the heavenly Father are concerned with their brothers and sisters, not with useless chatter, but with the needs of their neighbours. They listen patiently and lovingly, just as God does to us and to our prayers, however repetitive they may be. God never grows tired; he is always happy when we seek him. May we too ask for the grace of a heart that listens. I would like to say to the young people, in the name of all of us adults: forgive us if often we have not listened to you, if, instead of opening our hearts, we have filled your ears. As Christ’s Church, we want to listen to you with love, certain of two things: that your lives are precious in God’s eyes, because God is young and loves young people, and that your lives are precious in our eyes too, and indeed necessary for moving forward.

After listening, a second step on the journey of faith is to be a neighbour. Let us look at Jesus: he does not delegate someone from the large crowd following him, but goes personally to meet Bartimaeus. He asks him, What do you want me to do for you? (Mk 10:51). What do you want … – Jesus is completely taken up with Bartimaeus; he does not try to sidestep him - … me to do – not simply to speak, but to do something … for you – not according to my own preconceived ideas, but for you, in your particular situation. That is how God operates. He gets personally involved with preferential love for every person. By his actions, he already communicates his message. Faith thus flowers in life.

Faith passes through life. When faith is concerned purely with doctrinal formulae, it risks speaking only to the head without touching the heart. And when it is concerned with activity alone, it risks turning into mere moralizing and social work. Faith, instead, is life: it is living in the love of God who has changed our lives. We cannot choose between doctrine and activism. We are called to carry out God’s work in God’s own way: in closeness, by cleaving to him, in communion with one another, alongside our brothers and sisters. Closeness: that is the secret to communicating the heart of the faith, and not a secondary aspect.

Being a neighbour means bringing the newness of God into the lives of our brothers and sisters. It serves as an antidote to the temptation of easy answers and fast fixes. Let us ask ourselves whether, as Christians, we are capable of becoming neighbours, stepping out of our circles and embracing those who are not one of us, those whom God ardently seeks. A temptation so often found in the Scriptures will always be there: the temptation to wash our hands. That is what the crowd does in today’s Gospel. It is what Cain did with Abel, and Pilate with Jesus: they washed their hands. But we want to imitate Jesus and, like him, to dirty our hands. He is the way (cf Jn 14:6), who stopped on the road for Bartimaeus. He is the light of the world (cf Jn 9:5), who bent down to help a blind man. Let us realize that the Lord has dirtied his hands for each one of us. Let us look at the cross, start from there and remember that God became my neighbour in sin and death. He became my neighbour: it all starts from there. And when, out of love for him, we too become neighbours, we become bringers of new life. Not teachers of everyone, not specialists in the sacred, but witnesses of the love that saves.

The third step is to bear witness. Let us consider the disciples who, at Jesus’ request, called out to Bartimaeus. They did not approach a beggar with a coin to shut him up, or to dispense advice. They went in Jesus’ name. Indeed, they said only three words to him, and all three are words of Jesus: Take heart; get up, he is calling you (Mk 10:49). Everywhere else in the Gospel, Jesus alone says, Take heart, for he alone heartens those who heed him. In the Gospel, Jesus alone says, Get up, and heals in spirit and body. Jesus alone calls, transforming the lives of those who follow him, helping raise up the fallen, bringing God’s light to the darkness of life. So many children, so many young people, like Bartimaeus, are looking for light in their lives. They are looking for true love. And like Bartimaeus who in the midst of that large crowd called out to Jesus alone, they too seek life, but often find only empty promises and few people who really care.

It is not Christian to expect that our brothers and sisters who are seekers should have to knock on our doors; we ought to go out to them, bringing not ourselves but Jesus. He sends us, like those disciples, to encourage others and to raise them up in his name. He sends us forth to say to each person: God is asking you to let yourself be loved by him. How often, instead of this liberating message of salvation, have we brought ourselves, our own recipes and labels into the Church! How often, instead of making the Lord’s words our own, have we peddled our own ideas as his word! How often do people feel the weight of our institutions more than the friendly presence of Jesus! In these cases, we act more like an NGO, a state-controlled agency, and not the community of the saved who dwell in the joy of the Lord.

To listen, to be a neighbour, to bear witness. The journey of faith in today’s Gospel ends in a beautiful and surprising way when Jesus says Go; your faith has made you well (Mk 10:52). Yet Bartimaeus had made no profession of faith or done any good work; he had only begged for mercy. To feel oneself in need of salvation is the beginning of faith. It is the direct path to encountering Jesus. The faith that saved Bartimaeus did not have to do with his having clear ideas about God, but in his seeking him and longing to encounter him. Faith has to do with encounter, not theory. In encounter, Jesus passes by; in encounter, the heart of the Church beats. Then, not our preaching, but our witness of life will prove effective.

To all of you who have taken part in this journey together, I say thank you for your witness. We have worked in communion, with frankness and the desire to serve God’s people. May the Lord bless our steps, so that we can listen to young people, be their neighbours, and bear witness before them to Jesus, the joy of our lives.
(Original text in Italian; translation by Libreria Editrice Vaticana)

Young people thank Pope Francis

The young auditors who participated in the Synod organized a show to thank the Pope and the Synod Fathers for listening throughout this month of discussions. The young people who participated at the Synod organized an evening of entertainment for the Pope and the Bishops who partook in the gathering. Synod Fathers also got into the spirit of the occasion with Cardinal Baldisseri performing two pieces on the piano. Poetry, dance, song and music also formed part of the show in the Paul VI Hall complex.

Message presented by youth to His Holiness, Pope Francis

at the conclusion of the Synod discussions

Dearest Pope Francis,

We, the young people present at the Synod, want to take this opportunity to express our gratitude and joy to you for having given us the space to make this little piece of history together. New ideas need space and you gave it to us. Today's world, which presents us young people with unprecedented opportunities but also a lot of suffering, needs new answers and the new power of love. There is a need to rediscover hope and to live the happiness that is experienced in giving more than receiving, working for a better world.

We want to affirm that we share your dream: an outgoing Church, open to all, especially the weak, a field hospital Church. We are already an active part of this Church and we want to continue to make a concrete commitment to improving our cities and schools, and the social and political world and working environments, by spreading a culture of peace and solidarity and by putting the poor at the centre, in whom Jesus himself is recognized.

At the end of this Synod we wish to tell you that we are with you and with all the bishops of our Church, also in times of difficulty. We ask you to continue the journey you have undertaken and we promise you our full support and daily prayer.

Letter from the Synod Fathers to Youth

We the Synod Fathers now address you, young people of the world, with a word of hope, trust and consolation. In these days, we have gathered together to hear the voice of Jesus, the eternally young Christ, and to recognize in Him your many voices, your shouts of exultation, your cries, and your moments of silence.

We are familiar with your inner searching, the joys and hopes, the pain and anguish that make up your longings. Now we want you to hear a word from us: we wish to be sharers in your joy, so that your expectations may come to life. We are certain that with your enthusiasm for life, you will be ready to get involved so that your dreams may be realized and take shape in your history.

Our weaknesses should not deter you; our frailties and sins must not be an obstacle for your trust. The Church is your mother; she does not abandon you; she is ready to accompany you on new roads, on higher paths where the winds of the Spirit blow stronger – sweeping away the mists of indifference, superficiality and discouragement.

When the world that God so loved, that he gave us his only Son, Jesus, is focused on material things, on short-term successes, on pleasures, and when the world crushes the weakest, you must help it to rise up again and to turn its gaze towards love, beauty, truth and justice once more.

For a month, we have walked together with some of you and with many others who have been united to us through prayer and affection. We wish to continue the journey now in every part of the earth where the Lord Jesus sends us as missionary disciples.

The Church and the world urgently need your enthusiasm. Be sure to make the most fragile people, the poor and those wounded by life your traveling companions.

You are the present; be a brighter future.

The Synod is over

This afternoon in Rome, the Final Document of the XV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops consisting of 3 parts, 12 chapters, 167 paragraphs and 60 pages was approved in the Synod Hall. The text was received with applause, Cardinal Sergio da Rocha, Archbishop of Brazília (who is serving as the Relator General of the Synod) said. It is the result of real teamwork on the part of the Synod Fathers, together with other Synod participants and the young people in a particular way. The Document, therefore, gathers the 364 modifications, or amendments, that were presented. Most of them, the Cardinal said, were precise and constructive. Furthermore, the entire document passed with the necessary 2/3 majority voting in favour.

The inspiration for the Final Document for the Synod on Youth is the episode of the disciples of Emmaus, recounted by the evangelist Luke. It was read in the Synod Hall by the Rapporteur General, Cardinal Sérgio da Rocha, by the Special Secretaries, Father Giacomo Costa and Father Rossano Sala, together with Bishop Bruno Forte, a member of the Commission for the drafting of the text. It is complementary to the Instrumentum laboris of the Synod, and follows the three-part subdivision.

Part One: He walked with them

The first part of the document considers concrete aspects of young people’s lives. It emphasizes the important of schools and parishes. It acknowledges the need for laity to be trained to accompany young people especially since so many priests and bishops are already overburdened. The Document notes the irreplaceable role of Catholic educational institutions. The challenge the Document addresses is the need to rethink the role of the parish in terms of its vocational mission because it is often ineffective and not very dynamic, above all in the realm of catechesis.

The reality of young people regarding migration, abuse, the throwaway culture are also dwelt on in part one. Regarding abuse, the Synod Document calls for a firm commitment for the adoption of rigorous preventive measures that will keep such abuse from being repeated, beginning with the selection and formation of those to whom leadership and educational roles are entrusted. The world of art, music and sports is also discussed in terms of using them as pastoral resources.

Part Two: Their eyes were opened

The Synod Document calls young people one of the theological places in which the Lord makes himself present. Thanks to them, it says, the Church can renew herself, shaking off its heaviness and slowness. Mission, it says is a sure compass for youth since it is the gift of self that brings an authentic and lasting happiness. Closely connected with the concept of mission is vocation. Every baptismal vocation is a call to holiness.

Two other aspects covered in part two that aid in the development of the mission and vocation of young people are that of accompaniment and discernment.

Part Three: They left without delay

The icon presented by the Synod Fathers of the young Church is Mary Magdalene, the first witness of the Resurrection. All young people, the Synod Fathers affirm, including those with different visions of life, are in God’s heart.

Walking together is the synodal dynamic which the Fathers also bring to light in the third part. They invite the Conferences of Bishops’ around the world to continue the process of discernment with the aim of developing specific pastoral solutions. The definition of synodality provided is a style for mission that encourages us to move from I to we and to consider the multiplicity of faces, sensitivities, origins and cultures. One request repeatedly made in the hall, was that of establishing a Directory of youth ministry in a vocational key on the national level, that can help diocesan and parish leaders qualify their training and action with and for young people, helping to overcome a certain fragmentation of the pastoral care of the Church.

The Synod Document reminds families and Christian communities of the importance of accompanying young people to discover the gift of their sexuality. The bishops recognize the Church's difficulty in transmitting the beauty of the Christian vision of sexuality in the current cultural context. It is urgent - the document says - to seek more appropriate ways which are translated concretely into the development of renewed formative paths.

In the end, the Document brings the various topics covered in the Synod into one vocational thrust, that is, the call to holiness. Vocational differences are gathered in the unique and universal call to holiness. Through the holiness of so many young people willing to renounce life in the midst of persecution in order to remain faithful to the Gospel, the Church can renew its spiritual ardor and its apostolic vigour.

Condolences to Jordan

The Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, has sent a telegram of condolence in the name of the Holy Father to the Apostolic Nuncio in Jordan, His Excellency, Martín Alberto Ortega, expressing the Pope's closeness to the victims of flooding that has resulted in that country due to violent rains that fell yesterday.

Telegram of Condolence

Deeply saddened to learn of the tragic loss of life and the injury caused by the serious floods following heavy rains in Jordan, His Holiness Pope Francis expresses heartfelt solidarity with all those affected by this natural disaster. In a particular way, he prays for the young people whose lives were lost, the healing of those injured and the consolation of all who grieve. While offering encouragement to the civil authorities and those involved in the search and rescue efforts, His Holiness willingly invokes upon all the divine gifts of strength and peace.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin
Secretary of State

A walking pilgrimage arrives

At 12:00 noon today in Rome (6:00am EDT), participants who took part in a walking pilgrimage - along the Via Francigena from Monte Mario to Saint Peter's Square - during the Synod of Youth arrived at the Vatican and celebrated a Mass with the Holy Father, Pope Francis at the Altar of the Chair, inside the Basilica of Saint Peter.

Walking, like so many pilgrims did in the past, along the final leg of the via Francigena in order to pay homage at the tomb of Peter.  This is the pilgrimage that took place today along the via Camilluccia in Rome, involving young people and bishops who have been participating in the Synod of Youth.

Approximately 300 Synod Fathers, auditors and young people from some of the parishes of Rome took part in the Pilgrimage to the Tomb of Saint Peter along the via Francigena which was organized by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization.  The via Francigena begins at the south entrance to the Canterbury Cathedral, passes through France and Switzerland and makes its way to the Basilica of Saint Peter in Rome and continues further south toward Jerusalem.  It is a path which, already in the ninth century, was used by travellers to transport merchandise and spices throughout Europe, truly a crossroads of various cultures.

Participants walked six kilometres along the via Camilluccia before first arriving at the Monte Mario Nature Reserve, then continued along the Viale Angelico toward Saint Peter's Basilica, the heart of Christianity.  At the tomb of the Apostle Peter, they paid homage and participated in a Mass which was celebrated by Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops.  The Mass took place in the presence of the Holy Father, Pope Francis.

General Audience on fidelity

This morning's General Audience began at 9:30am (3:30am 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 speech, the Pope continued the cycle of catecheses on the Commandments, adding his meditation on the Commandment: Thou shalt not commit adultery (Gospel passage: Mark 10:2-9).

After having summarized His catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father offered 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!

In our itinerary of catecheses on the Commandments, we arrive today at the Sixth Word, which concerns the affective and sexual dimension; it reads: Do not commit adultery.

The immediate appeal is to fidelity, and in effect, no human relationship can be authentic without fidelity and loyalty.

One can not love only as long as it is convenient to do so; love manifests itself just beyond the threshold of one's own advantage, at the point where everything is given without reserve. As the Catechism states: Love wants to be definitive. It can not be 'until further notice' (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1646). Fidelity is the characteristic of a free, mature, responsible human relationship. Even a friend proves himself to be authentic because he remains such in all circumstances, otherwise he is not a friend. Christ reveals true love, He lives on the boundless love of the Father, and by virtue of this he is the faithful friend who welcomes us even when we make mistakes and always wants our good, even when we do not deserve it.

Human beings need to be loved without conditions, and those who do not receive this welcome bring with them a certain incompleteness, often without knowing it. The human heart tries to fill this void with surrogates, accepting compromises and mediocrity that only possess a vague taste of love. The risk is that we end up seeking love of unripe and immature relationships, with the illusion of finding life's light in something that, at best, is only a reflection of true light.

So it happens for example that we overestimate physical attraction, which in itself is a gift from God but is aimed at preparing the way for an authentic and faithful relationship with the person. As Saint John Paul II said, the human being is called to the full and mature spontaneity of relationships, which are the gradual fruit of the discernment of the impulses of one's heart. It is something that is conquered, since every human being must with perseverance and consistency learn what the meaning of the body is (cf Catechesis, 12 November 1980).

The call to married life therefore requires careful discernment concerning the quality of the relationship and the time required to verify it. To enter the Sacrament of Marriage, the engaged couple must mature the certainty that in their bond there is the hand of God, who precedes them and accompanies them, and who will allow them to say: With the grace of Christ I promise to always be faithful to you. They cannot promise fidelity in joy and pain, in health and in sickness, and to love and honour each other every day of their lives, only on the basis of good will or hope that it will work. They need to build on the solid ground of God's faithful love. And for this reason, before receiving the Sacrament of Matrimony, they need careful preparation, I would say a catechumenate so that they may spend their whole lives in love, and love is not a joke. Three or four conferences given in the parish can not be defined as "preparation for marriage"; no, this is not preparation: this is fake preparation. And the responsibility of those who do this falls on the parish priest, on the bishop who allows these things. The preparation must be ripened and that takes time. It is not a formal act: it is a sacrament. But they must be prepared with a true catechumenate.

In fact, fidelity is a way of being, a style of life.  We work with loyalty, we speak sincerely, we remain faithful to the truth in our own thoughts and actions. Lives woven of fidelity are expressed in all dimensions and lead us to be faithful and reliable men and women in all circumstances.

But in order to arrive at such a beautiful life our human nature is not enough; we need the fidelity of God to enter into our existence, to infect us. This Sixth Word calls us to turn our gaze to Christ, who with his fidelity can take from us an adulterous heart and give us a faithful heart. In him, and only in him, there is love without reserve and rethinking, complete giving without parentheses and the tenacity of acceptance to the end.

From his death and resurrection comes our fidelity, from his unconditional love comes our constancy in relationships. From communion with him, with the Father and with the Holy Spirit comes the communion among us and the ability to live our relationships in fidelity.



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

I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially those from England, Scotland, Ireland, Norway, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Canada and the United States of America. Upon all of you, and your families, I invoke the Lord’s blessings of joy and peace. God bless you!

Final Statement from Taiwan

Today, the Holy See Press Centre published the text of the Final Statement from the First International Buddhist-Christian Dialogue for Nuns which took place in Fo Guang Shan, Kaohsiung, Taiwan from 14-18 October 2018.

The First International Buddhist-Christian Dialogue for Nuns

Fo Guang Shan, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Final Statement

1. The Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue (PCID), in collaboration with Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Monastery, the Association of the Major Superiors of Religious Women in Taiwan and Dialogue Inter-religieux Monastique/Monastic Inter-religious Dialogue (DIM·MID), organized the First International Buddhist-Christian Dialogue for Nuns at Fo Guang Shan, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, from 14-18 October 2018. The theme of the conference was Contemplative Action and Active Contemplation: Buddhist and Christian Nuns in Dialogue.

Seventy nuns from Taiwan, Korea, Japan, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Cambodia, the Philippines, Brazil, Italy, Germany, Norway, and the United States participated in the conference. There was also a representative from the World Council of Churches.

2. The Most Venerable Hsin Bao, Head Abbot of Fo Guang Shan monastery, gave the welcome address. Several other representatives also offered their greetings, and then His Excellency, Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, Secretary of the PCID, delivered the keynote address.

3. The agenda of the conference focused on various items related to the main theme of the dialogue, such as: the origin, evolution and present-day situation of monastic religious life for women in Buddhism and Christianity; Buddhist meditation and Christian contemplation; the service to humanity; and religious women promoting the Feminine Genius.

Ample time was devoted to plenary and small group discussions, one-on-one interaction, as well as attendance at Buddhist chanting and Catholic liturgy. The programme also included visits to the Fo Guang Shan Tsung Lin College, the Buddha Museum, and the Wanchin Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.

4. Encouraged by the fruitful outcome of the conference, the participants agreed on the following:

• we acknowledge that the First International Buddhist-Christian Dialogue for Nuns was a landmark to foster mutual understanding and friendship among us as religious women so that we may be able to build bridges connecting our different spiritual paths;
• we recognize that while remaining steadfast in our respective deepest convictions, we can learn from one another how to enrich ourselves spiritually, culturally and socially, and thereby become humble and credible witnesses for our brothers and sisters;
• we believe that our witness to a way of life that can be meaningful and joyful through detachment from consumerism, materialism, and individualism may encourage others to walk on the path of goodness;
• we stress the importance of being contemplatives in the midst of action who work together to show tenderness to those who are in need and bring hope and healing to their lives;
• we believe that inter-religious dialogue is a journey that men and women must undertake together. Therefore, we encourage more and more religious women to contribute their feminine genius to the realization of new and creative ways of inter-religious dialogue and for openness in our communities for this contribution to be received;
• we see the need of supporting students, teachers and parents and other walks of life to be ambassadors of peace and harmony and of empowering them to be a voice in the world inviting humanity to walk on the path of ecological healing and nonviolence;
• we acknowledge that love is our common language and that it invites us to go beyond ourselves and embrace the other in spite of the differences between us;
• we feel closer to one another when we join hearts and minds as we walk along our respective spiritual paths, and therefore we see the need of continuing this common journey for mutual enrichment and for the betterment of the world.

The participants express their gratitude to the organizers for creating a pleasant atmosphere and for the warm hospitality and friendship that marked this dialogue. They also thank the Civil Authorities, Fo Guang Shan Buddhist monastery, the local Catholic Church and Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages for their generous support in making the First International Buddhist-Christian Dialogue for Nuns a success.

Condolences to Trinidad and Tobago

The Cardinal Secretary of State of His Holiness, Pietro Parolin has sent a telegram in the name of His Holiness, Pope Francis expressing condolences for the many people in Trinidad and Tobago who have been struck in recent days by strong earthquakes and floods.

Telegram of Condolence

Having learned of the injury and destruction of property caused by the grave earthquakes and floods in Trinidad and Tobago, His Holiness Pope Francis expresses prayerful solidarity with all those affected by these natural disasters. He offers encouragement to the civil authorities and emergency personnel as they assist in the recovery, and he willingly invokes upon all divine blessings of grace and strength.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin
Secretary of State

Be close to those who are suffering

At 11:45am this morning (5:45am EDT), in the Consistory Hall at the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience the participants taking part in the 47th General Chapter of the Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ (Passionists) which is taking place in Rome from 6 tu 27 October 2018.

Speech of His Holiness, Pope Francis

addressed to the General Chapter of

the Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ

Dear brothers,

I am pleased to meet you on the occasion of your General Chapter and I thank your Superior for his words. In these days, your reflections have been guided by the theme Renewing our mission: Gratitude, Prophecy and Hope. These three words: gratitude, prophecy and hope express the spirit with which you wish to stimulate your Congregation for a renewal in the mission. In fact, in addition to electing the government of the Institute, you propose to undertake a new path of ongoing formation for your communities, rooted in the experience of daily life; and you also intend to conduct a discernment on the pastoral methodology in your approach to younger generations.

Your Founder, Saint Paul of the Cross, adopted for himself and for his companions this motto: May the Passion of Jesus Christ be always in our hearts. His first biographer, Saint Vincent Maria Strambi, said of him: It seemed that God Almighty had chosen Father Paul, in a special way, to teach people how to look for Him in the interiority of their hearts. Saint Paul of the Cross wanted your communities to be schools of prayer, where you could experience God. His holiness was experienced between darkness and desolation, but also with joy and peace that touched the heart of those who encountered him.

At the centre of your life and your mission is the Passion of Jesus, which your Founder described as the greatest and most beautiful work of the love of God (Letters II, 499). The vow that distinguishes you, with which you are committed to keep alive the memory of the passion, places you at the foot of the Cross, from which flows the healing and reconciling love of God. I encourage you to be ministers of spiritual healing and reconciliation, so necessary in today's world, marked by ancient and new wounds. Your Constitutions call you to dedicate your whole self to the evangelization and re-evangelization of peoples, preferring the poor in the most abandoned places (Constitution, 70). Your closeness to people, traditionally expressed through popular missions, spiritual direction and the sacrament of Penance, is a precious testimony. The Church needs ministers who speak with tenderness, listen without condemning and welcome with mercy.

The Church today feels a strong appeal to come out of itself and go to the peripheries, both geographic and existential. Your commitment to embracing the new frontiers of mission implies not only going to new territories in order to proclaim the Gospel, but also facing the new challenges of our time, such as migration, secularism and the digital world. This means being present in those situations where people perceive the absence of God, and try to be close to those who are suffering in any way or form.

In this age of change, which is rather a change of era, you are called to be attentive to the presence and action of the Holy Spirit, reading the signs of the times. New situations require new answers. Saint Paul of the Cross was very creative in responding to the needs of his time, recognizing - as he says in the Rule - that the love of God is very ingenious and does not show itself so much with words, as with the works and examples of those who love (XVI). A creative fidelity to your charism will allow you to respond to the needs of the people of today, staying close to the suffering Christ in order to bring his presence to a world that is suffering.

Your Congregation has given many examples of holiness to the people of God; we can think of Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows, a young man whose joyful following of Christ still speaks to today's youth. The testimony of the saints and blesseds of your religious family manifests the fruitfulness of your charism and represents models to inspire your apostolic choices. The strength and simplicity of your message, which is the love of God revealed on the Cross, can still speak to today's society, which has learned not to trust words alone but rather to be convinced only by facts. For many young people who are looking for God, the Passion of Jesus can be a source of hope and courage, showing them that everyone is loved personally and to the end. May your testimony and your apostolate continue to enrich the Church, and may you always remain close to Christ crucified and his suffering people.

May the Apostolic Blessing, which I now warmly impart to you as Chapter participants and to the whole Passionist family accompany you on your journey. Please do not forget to pray for me. Thank you.

Columbia at the Vatican

This morning, Monday the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the President of the Republic of Colombia, His Excellency, Iván Duque Márquez, who subsequently met with His Eminence, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, accompanied by Monsignor Antoine Camilleri, Under-Secretary for Relations with States.

During the discussions, which took place in a cordial atmosphere, satisfaction was expressed for the good bilateral relations. In such a context, the contribution of the Holy See and the local Church in the peace process and in favour of the reconciliation of the Colombian people was evoked. In addition, the importance of constant dialogue between the Church and the State to face current social challenges was underlined, with special reference to matters of mutual interest such as the protection of life, the fight against corruption and drug trafficking, the promotion of legality and care for the environment.

Finally, there was a fruitful exchange of views on the political and social situation of the region, with special attention to migrations.

Wants vs needs

For the celebrations of the Lord's Day, I shared some thoughts about the relationship that existed between Jesus and his disciples, and the lessons he taught them about love and service.

What we want or what we need

Today’s gospel passage begins with a very bold request.  Two of the disciples – James and John – who are brothers, come to Jesus and say: Teacher, we want you do for us whatever we ask of you (Mk 10:35).  There was a time when some of us may have thought that such a question was rather impertinent, disrespectful, but in many cases today, the rules that once applied no longer seem to apply.  In fact, if we are honest with ourselves, we will admit that we all act in this manner when we come to Jesus to ask him for what we want: we present our prayer and we want him to do for us whatever we ask.

Sometimes, these prayers are couched in hidden desires too.  We attend Mass more often, we do our best to act obediently, and we secretly hope that in return, God will do whatever we ask of him, but how would we feel if the shoe was on the other foot?  Have we ever known a situation where people seem only to have time for us when they need something?  The human tendency is to react to such requests by pronouncing judgment, but Jesus is able to see beyond the limited vision of the disciples’ question.  He does not scold them for asking, nor does he punish us for presenting our requests in prayer.  Rather he encourages us to widen our understanding.

The question he asks of James and John, Jesus also asks of us: Are you willing to drink the cup that I must drink, or to be baptized with the baptism that I must be baptized with (Mk 10:38)?  Even then, in their eagerness, the disciples speak without thinking.  How often have we said yes to such conditions without giving them much thought and only later discover the truth that we have agreed to something that we didn’t truly understand?  In the world of business, we are always taught never to sign a contract before we have read it and understood the terms and conditions.  This same rule should apply in other circumstances too, but sometimes we act before we think.

Thankfully, Jesus is able to sympathize with us (cf Heb 4:15).  He knows that we sometimes speak out of turn, and he loves us so much that he is able to overlook our eagerness.  He knows exactly what we need and when we need it.  Who among us has not prayed for something and thought that our prayer had gone unheard, or at the very least unanswered.  Could it be that what we were asking for was not what we truly needed at the time?

The boldness of the question asked by James and John also provoked jealousy among the other disciples (cf Mk 10:41).  Here again, we see that they were unable to comprehend the meaning of Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice.  Jesus was always compassionate with them.  He was always willing to use such moments in order to teach important lessons: about love and sacrifice, about authority and power.

The prophet Isaiah spoke about the servant who would make many righteous (cf Is 53:11), but no one expected this servant to define greatness in terms of being servants (cf Mk 10:43-44), yet this is precisely what is needed.

Ce que nous voulons ou ce dont nous avons besoin

Le passage de l’Évangile d’aujourd’hui commence par une requête très audacieuse. Deux des disciples - Jacques et Jean - qui sont des frères-  viennent à Jésus et disent: Maître, ce que nous allons te demander, nous voudrions que tu le fasses pour nous (Mc 10, 35). Il fut un temps où certains d’entre nous auraient pu penser qu’une telle question était plutôt impertinente, irrespectueuse, mais dans de nombreux cas aujourd'hui, les règles qui s’appliquaient autrefois ne semblent plus avoir leur place. En fait, si nous sommes honnêtes avec nous-mêmes, nous admettrons que nous agissons tous de la même manière lorsque nous venons à Jésus pour lui demander ce que nous voulons: nous présentons notre prière et nous voulons qu'il fasse pour nous tout ce que nous lui demandons.

Parfois, ces prières sont également formées de désirs cachés. Nous assistons plus souvent à la messe, nous faisons de notre mieux pour agir avec obéissance et nous espérons secrètement qu'en retour, Dieu fera tout ce que nous lui demanderons; mais que ressentirions-nous si la chaussure était sur l'autre pied? Avons-nous déjà connu une situation où les gens semblent venir nous trouver seulement lorsqu’ils ont besoin de quelque chose? La tendance humaine est de réagir à de telles demandes en prononçant un jugement, mais Jésus est capable de voir au-delà de la vision limitée de la question des disciples. Il ne les réprimande pas pour avoir demandé et il ne nous punit jamais pour avoir présenté nos demandes dans la prière. Il nous encourage plutôt à élargir notre compréhension.

La question que Jésus pose à Jacques et à Jean, il nous la pose aussi: Pouvez-vous boire la coupe que je vais boire, être baptisé du baptême dans lequel je vais être plongé (Mc 10, 38)? Même alors, dans leur empressement, les disciples parlent sans réfléchir. Combien de fois avons-nous dit oui à de telles conditions sans y accorder beaucoup d’attention et découvert seulement plus tard que nous avions convenu de quelque chose que nous n’avions pas vraiment compris? Dans le monde des affaires, on nous apprend toujours à ne jamais signer un contrat avant de l'avoir lu au complet et compris tous les termes. Cette même règle devrait s'appliquer également dans d'autres circonstances, mais parfois nous agissons avant de penser.

Heureusement, Jésus est capable de sympathiser avec nous (cf Héb 4,15). Il sait que nous parlons parfois de manière irrégulière et il nous aime tellement qu'il est capable de négliger notre empressement. Il sait exactement ce dont nous avons besoin et quand nous en avons besoin. Qui parmi nous n'a pas prié pour quelque chose et a pensé que sa prière était passée inaperçue, ou du moins est restée sans réponse? Se pourrait-il que ce que nous demandions ne soit pas ce dont nous avions vraiment besoin à l'époque?

L'audace de la question posée par Jacques et Jean a également suscité la jalousie parmi les autres disciples (cf Mc 10,41). Ici encore, nous voyons qu’ils n’ont pas compris le sens du sacrifice ultime de Jésus. Jésus a toujours été compatissant avec eux. Il était toujours disposé à utiliser de tels moments pour enseigner d'importantes leçons: concernant la relation entre l'amour et le sacrifice, l'autorité et le pouvoir.

Le prophète Isaïe a parlé du serviteur qui justifierait les multitudes (cf Is 53,11), mais personne ne s'attendait à ce que ce serviteur définisse la grandeur en termes de service (cf Mk 10: 43-44). Pourtant, c'est précisément ce qu'il faut.