Greetings for volunteers from Sardegna

This morning, inside the Paul VI Hall, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience the members of the Sardegna Solidale Centre for Volunteer Service.  This is the 20th year of existence for that Service.

Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

offered to the members of the

Sardegna Solidale Centre for Volunteer Service

Dear brothers and sisters,

I am pleased to meet with you, representatives of the Sardegna Solidale Centre for Volunteer Service, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of your foundation, along with Cardinal Angelo Becciu, together with the Archbishops of Cagliari: His Excellency, Arrigo Miglio; and of Oristano: His Excellency, Ignazio Sanna.  I extend cordial greetings to all of you, and my thoughts also extend to the Authorities, especially to the President of the Region of Sardegna, the Honourable Francesco Pigliaru.  I thank the president of Sardegna Solidale, Giampiero Farru for the words with which he introduced this gathering.

You represent the multitude of Sardinian volunteers, who work in the territory of your beautiful island for a generous and necessary service to the poor.  Your territory is rich in natural treasures, history and art, but also marked by poverty and unease. I would like to express my appreciation for what you have done and the fact that you are working for the benefit of the weakest sections of the Sardinian population, with a focus on some of the poorest countries in the world. This should be emphasized, because it is a sign that you are not isolated but, despite the great needs present in your own home, you have kept the horizon of solidarity open. In this perspective, you have been able to welcome and include those who have come to Sardinia from other lands in search of peace and work.

Your presence gathers numerous volunteer organizations, carrying out a considerable service of aggregation and cooperation, aimed at making the commitment to helping those who are in precarious situations more qualified and effective. I encourage you to continue with a spirit of understanding and unity; in this way you will be able to spread the culture of solidarity even further. In order to interpret the authentic needs of the people and find adequate answers to them, it is necessary to maintain an attitude of collaboration with the institutional realities of the region: I am thinking in particular of the Municipalities and Parishes, who are close to the people every day, sharing their labours and their hopes.

The culture of solidarity and gratuitousness qualifies volunteerism and concretely contributes to the construction of a fraternal society, at the centre of which is the human person. In your land this culture draws abundantly from the strong Christian roots, that is, the love of God and the love of neighbour.  In the Gospel, Jesus invites us to love God with our whole heart and our neighbour as ourselves (cf Mk 12:29). It is the love of God that always makes us recognize our neighbour, our brother or sister and to love that person. And this requires personal and voluntary commitment, for which public institutions can and must create favourable general conditions. Thanks to this evangelical sap, we can maintain a human dimension which is not depersonalized. Precisely for this reason you volunteers do not perform a work of substitution in the social network, but rather, you contribute to giving a human and Christian face to our society.

The voluntary service of solidarity is a choice that allows you to be free and open to the needs of the other; to the demands of justice, to the defence of life, to the protection of creation, with a tender and special attention for the sick and above all for the elderly, who are a treasure of wisdom!

I encourage you to pursue your mission with passion, seeking all possible and constructive forms to awaken the need to work for the common good, in support of the weak and the poor. Today there is a great need for witnesses of goodness, tenderness and freely-offered love. There is a need for persevering people who face difficulties with a spirit of unity and who always place at the foundation of everything they do, their ultimate goal, that is, service to others. By doing so, you will continue to be a reference point and an example for Sardinia as a whole.

May the Virgin Mary - who the Sardinian people venerate with love in so many shrines - assist you and support you; may she inspire within you strength and confidence in God so that you may always be a gift to others. I warmly bless all of you and your loved ones, and I ask you to please pray for me. Thank you.
(Original text in Italian)

Greetings to the Shabbaz Bhatti Mission Association

At 11:00am this morning (5:00am EST) in the Consistory Hall at the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience the members of the Shabbaz Bhatti Mission Association.

Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

offered to members of the

Shabbaz Bhatti Mission Association

Dear brothers and sisters!

I offer you my cordial welcome and, through you, I wish to extend my greetings to all Christians in Pakistan, especially those who are living in the most difficult of situations.

I thank Mister Paul Bhatti for his words of greeting.  I render homage to the memory of his dear brother Shabbaz, and I am happy to know that today, he is loved and esteemed by everyone in Pakistan and that his sacrifice has borne the fruit of hope.  The words of Jesus also held true for him: If a grain of wheat, does not fall into the ground and die, it remains a single grain, but if it dies, it produces much fruit (Jn 12:24). The fruit of dialogue, understanding, reconciliation; the fruit of fortitude, of courage, of meekness.

And one of the fruits of the sufferings of Christians is the multiplication of groups and associations - like yours - that extend bridges of fraternity across the world, overcoming differences in language, culture and sometimes even in religion. Bridges of fraternity, first of all among the Churches and ecclesial communities themselves, which the Spirit motivates more and more to walk together in the service of peace and justice. Bridges of fraternity and dialogue with other believers, to foster relationships of respect and mutual trust.

Your appeal to solidarity has found a prompt and generous response in Italy, especially in the Triveneto, involving Pastors and communities, and I am happy and grateful for this. I encourage you to continue with this evangelical style that combines firmness and meekness, to assure the victims of false accusations and, at the same time, carry out concrete signs of the fight against poverty and modern slavery.

I hope that, supported by prayer and by the active solidarity of many, you can extend your actions to all areas of Pakistan where Christians and other minorities are more present and, unfortunately, also discriminated against and subjected to abuses and violence. May your hallmark always be one that shines in the testimony of Shahbaz Bhatti and of many other martyrs of our time, namely their humble and courageous faith in the Lord Jesus and the ability to place love where there is only hatred. This - we know - is not our work but rather the work of the Spirit, and therefore I ask the Virgin Mary to keep you always open and docile to the Paraclete.

I thank you for the gift of this visit.  I accompany you with my prayer and my blessing, which I ask you to extend to all people who you encounter in your service in Pakistan, saying to them: The Pope is thinking about Pakistan.  And I ask you please to pray for me.
(Original text in Italian)

Greetings to Polish children

This morning, in the Clementine Hall at the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience a group of children from the Oncological Clinic of Wrocław (Poland) who are suffering with tumours.

Un-scripted Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

offered to the children

Thank you for your visit!  I am happy to see you and to greet you.  Thank you very much.

Your journey through life is a bit difficult, dear children, because you have to treat yourself, overcome a disease or live with a disease: this is not easy. But you have many friends, many friends who help you so much. And your family members also help you move forward. Think about this: there is no difficulty in life that cannot be overcome. Victory is different for each person: everyone wins in his own way, but always ... winning is the ideal, it is the horizon toward which you must aim. Do not be discouraged.

And then, another thing: the Lord has given each of us a guardian angel, since we are young until we are elderly. The Lord has given an angel to help us in life. Each of you has his own guardian angel. Get used to talking with your angel; ask your guardian angel to help you, to inspire you and to lead you to always win in life.

And to you who are accompanying these children: thank you!  Thank you for caring for these children; they will help all of you to grow too.

You see that you are very important, because in order to listen to and to speak with the Pope, you need two interpreters: you are important!

Now, I want to give you my blessing and then I will greet you; but before this, let us pray the Hail Mary in Polish.

(Hail Mary ...)

(Blessing)
(Original text in Italian)

Greetings to the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople

Continuing the tradition of exchanging visits of delegations for the respective feasts of Patron Saints - on 29 June in Rome for the celebration of the annual Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, and on 30 November in Istanbul for the celebration of the Feast of Saint Andrew - Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Unity among Christians led the Holy See's delegation for the feast of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Cardinal Koch was accompanied by His Excellency, Brian Farrell, Secretary of that same Dicastery; and by Monsignor Andrea Palmieri, Under Secretary of that office.  In Istanbul, the Apostolic Nuncio in Turkey, Archbishop Paul F. Russell also joined the delegation to take part in the celebration of the Divine Liturgy which was presided over by His Holiness, Bartholomew I, inside the patriarchal church of Saint George at the Fanar.  Following the Liturgy, the Delegation met with the Patriarch and took part in a conversation with the Synodal Commission entrusted with promoting relations with the Catholic Church.

Cardinal Koch presented the Ecumenical Patriarch with a Message which was signed by the Holy Father.  The Pope's correspondence was read aloud at the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy.

Message of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

To His Holiness Bartholomew
Archbishop of Constantinople
Ecumenical Patriarch

It is with particular joy, on the feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle, Patron of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, that I convey my sentiments of deep affection, together with the assurance of my prayers for Your Holiness, beloved brother in Christ, and for the Church entrusted by our Lord to your pastoral care. I also extend cordial greetings to the members of the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, to the clergy, monks and nuns, and all the faithful gathered in the Patriarchal Church of Saint George for the solemn celebration in honour of Saint Andrew, the first-called and brother of Saint Peter.

The exchange of delegations between the Church of Rome and the Church of Constantinople, on the occasion of their respective feast days, has become a joyful custom over the years and expresses the profound bond that unites our two Sees. While centuries of mutual misunderstanding, differences and silence may seem to have compromised this relationship, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of unity, has enabled us to recommence a fraternal dialogue. This was definitively resumed by our venerable predecessors, Patriarch Athenagoras and Pope Saint Paul VI, and has enabled us to rediscover those bonds of communion that have always existed between us.

Our Churches have safeguarded the Apostolic tradition with great care, along with the teaching of the first Ecumenical Councils and the Church Fathers, despite the differences that developed in local traditions and in theological formulations, which need to be more deeply understood and clarified. At the same time both Churches, with a sense of responsibility towards the world, have sensed that urgent call, which involves each of us who have been baptized, to proclaim the Gospel to all men and women. For this reason, we can work together today in the search for peace among peoples, for the abolition of all forms of slavery, for the respect and dignity of every human being and for the care of creation. With God’s help, through encounter and dialogue on our journey together over the last fifty years, we already experience being in communion, even though it is not yet full and complete.

The search for the re-establishment of full communion is above all a response to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, who on the eve of his Passion prayed that his disciples may all be one (Jn 17:21). United we give a more effective response to the needs of so many men and women of our own time, especially those who suffer from poverty, hunger, illness and war. Here I would express my profound gratitude to Your Holiness for your presence at the day of prayer and reflection for peace in the Middle East, held last 7 July in Bari, attended by the Heads of Churches, or their representatives, from that deeply troubled area. It is a source of great comfort to share with Your Holiness the same concerns for the tragic situation of our brothers and sisters in the region.

In a world wounded by conflict, the unity of Christians is a sign of hope that must radiate ever more visibly. With this in mind, I also assure Your Holiness of my prayer that God, fount of reconciliation and peace, may grant us Christians to be of one mind, sympathetic, loving toward one another (1Pt 3:8). We have been called by God for this, so that we might inherit a blessing (1Pt 3:9).

Trusting in the intercession of our patrons, Saint Peter and Saint Andrew, I assure you and all the faithful of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of my renewed prayerful best wishes, on behalf of the whole Catholic Church. With sentiments of profound esteem and fraternal affection, trusting also in your own prayers, I exchange with Your Holiness an embrace of peace in Christ our Lord.

Francis

Greetings for Rectors of Shrines

From 27 to 29 November, at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, the first International Congress for Rectors and Staff members of Shrines was held, focused on the theme: The Shrine, an open door to the New Evangelization.  At the conclusion of the working sessions, at 11:45am today (5:45am EST), in the Sala Regia at the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Pope received the participants in audience and shared the following remarks.

Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

addressed to Rectors of Shrines

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

I have been waiting for this moment which allows me to meet many representatives of the countless Shrines scattered in every region of the world. How much we need the Shrines in the daily journey that the Church undertakes! They are the places where our people more willingly gather to express their faith in simplicity, and according to the various traditions that have been learned since childhood. In many ways, our Shrines are irreplaceable because they keep popular piety alive, enriching it with a catechetical formation that sustains and reinforces the faith and at the same time nourishing the testimony of charity. This is very important: keep popular piety alive and do not forget that jewel that is spoken of in number 48 of Evangelii nuntiandi, where Saint Paul VI changed the name from popular religiosity to popular piety. It's a gem. That is the inspiration for popular piety which, as was once said by an Italian bishop, is the Church's immune system. It saves us from many things.

I thank His Excellency, Rino Fisichella for the words with which he introduced our gathering; words which offer me an opportunity for a few considerations.

First of all, I think of the importance of hospitality which should be offered to pilgrims. We know that more and more often our Shrines are destinations not of organized groups, but of individual pilgrims or autonomous groups who set out to reach these holy places. It is sad when it happens that, upon their arrival, there is no one to give them a word of welcome, to welcome them as pilgrims who have made a journey, often a long journey, in order to reach that Sanctuary. And uglier still is when they find the door closed! It can not happen that more attention is paid to material and financial needs, forgetting that the most important reality is the pilgrims. They are the ones who matter most. The bread comes later, but first them. Toward each of them we must be careful to make sure that they feel at home, like a long-awaited family who has finally arrived.

We must also consider that many people visit Shrines because they belong to local traditions; sometimes because their works of art are an attraction; or because they are located in a natural environment of great beauty and charm. These people, when they are welcomed, become more open to opening their hearts and allowing them to be shaped by grace. A climate of friendship is a fertile seed that our Shrines can throw into the soil of the pilgrims, allowing them to rediscover that trust in the Church that sometimes may have been disappointed by the indifference that has been received.

A Shrine is above all - and this is the second thing - a place of prayer. Most of our Shrines are dedicated to Marian piety. Here the Virgin Mary opens the arms of her maternal love to listen to everyone's prayer and to fulfill their requests. The feeling that every pilgrim experiences in the most profound depth of the heart are those that he or she finds also in the Mother of God. Here she smiles giving consolation. Here she sheds tears with those who are crying. Here she presents to each one the Son of God held tightly in her arms as the most precious thing that every mother possesses. Here Mary becomes the companion of every person who raises his or her eyes asking for a grace, all the while certain that it will be granted. The Virgin responds to all of us with the intensity of her gaze, which artists have been able to portray as often guided in turn from above in contemplation.

Concerning prayer in Shrines I would like to point out two requirements. First of all, encourage the prayer of the Church that makes salvation present and efficacious through the celebration of the sacraments. This allows anyone present in the Shrine to feel part of a larger community that from every part of the earth professes the same faith, witnesses the same love and lives the same hope. Many Shrines have arisen precisely because of the prayer request that the Virgin Mary has addressed to the seer, so that the Church never forgets the words of the Lord Jesus to pray without ceasing (cf Lk 18: 1) and to remain always vigilant in waiting for the his return (cf Mk 14:28).

Moreover, Shrines are called to nourish the prayer of the individual pilgrim in the silence of his heart. With the words of the heart, with silence, with formulas learned by heart as a child, with gestures of piety ... everyone must be able to be helped to express personal prayer. Many people come to Shrines because they need to receive a grace, and then they return to thank God for having experienced it, often for having received strength and peace in times of trial. This prayer makes Shrines fertile places, because popular piety is always nourished and grows in the knowledge of the love of God.

No one in our Shrines should feel like a stranger, especially when he or she comes to us with the weight of his or her own sin. And here I would like to make the last consideration: a Shrine is a privileged place to experience mercy that knows no boundaries. This is one of the reasons that led me to want Doors of mercy also in Shrines during the Extraordinary Jubilee. In fact, when mercy is experienced, it becomes a form of real evangelization, because it transforms those who receive mercy into witnesses of mercy. In the first place, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, which is so often celebrated in Shrines, requires well-trained, holy, merciful priests who are able to make the true encounter with the forgiving Lord. I hope that especially in Shrines, the figure of the Missionary of Mercy will never be lacking - if in some Shrines there is not such a person, ask the dicastery - as a faithful witness of the love of the Father who extends his arms and happily goes out to encounter those who have rediscovered the love that they have left behind (cf Lk 15: 11-32). Finally, the works of mercy beg to be lived in a particular way within our Shrines, because in them generosity and charity are realized in a natural and spontaneous way as acts of obedience and love for the Lord Jesus and for the Virgin Mary.

Dear brothers and sisters, I ask the Mother of God to support you and to accompany you in this great pastoral responsibility which has been entrusted to you. I bless you and I pray for you. And you too, please, do not forget to pray and to have others pray for me within your Shrines.

And, before I finish, I would like to talk about an experience, an experience of a brother and even my own experience. The Shrine is a place, so to speak, for the meeting not only with the pilgrim, with God, but also for the meeting of us pastors with our people. The liturgy of 2 February tells us that the Lord goes to the Shrine to meet his people; he goes out to meet his people, to understand the people of God, without prejudices; the people endowed with that nose of faith, of infallibility in believing of which number 12 of Lumen gentium speaks. This meeting is fundamental. If the pastor who is in the Shrine cannot meet the people of God, it is better for the bishop to give him another mission, because he is not suitable for that; and he will suffer so much and he will make the people suffer. I remember - and now I come to the anecdote - a professor of literature, a man was such a genius. All his life, he was a Jesuit; all his life, he had been a professor of advanced literature. Then he retired and asked the Provincial: "I am retired, but I would like to do something pastoral in a poor neighbourhood, to have contact with the people, with the people ... And the Provincial entrusted him with a neighbourhood filled with very devout people, who went to Shrines, people who had this spirit, but who were very poor; it was more or less a shantytown. And he had to come once a week to the community of the Faculty of Theology, where I was Rector. He spent the whole day with us, in fraternity, then he returned. Thus he maintained life in community. And since he was a genius, one day he told me: You must tell the professor of ecclesiology that he is lacking two theses - How come? - Yes, two theses that he must teach - And what are they? - The first is that the holy faithful people of God are ontologically Olympians, that is to say that they do what they want; and second: they is metaphysically tedious, that is, blocked. He understood how in his meetings with the people of God, he grew tired. If you are in contact with the people of God, you will get tired. A pastoral worker who does not get tired leaves me very perplexed! And with regard to the fact that he is an Olympian, that is, he does what he wants, I remember when I was a novice master: I went every year - as a provincial with novices - to the Shrine of Salta, to the North of Argentina, for the feast of Señor del Milagro. Coming out of the Mass - I confessed, during the Mass - there were so many people, and a lady approached another priest with some holy people: Father, can you bless them?, and that priest, a very smart theologian, he said: But madam, were you not just at Mass? - Yes - And do you know that at Mass there is the sacrifice of Calvary, that Jesus Christ is present? - Yes, father, yes - And do you know that all these things are more than blessed? - Yes, father - And do you know that in the final blessing everything is blessed? - Yes, father. And at that moment, another priest came out, and the lady said: Father, can you bless me?. And he touched her and blessed her. She got what she wanted: she wanted the priest to touch them. The religious sense of touch. When people touch images, they touch God.

Thank you for all that you do!  And now, I will give you my blessing.
(Original text in Italian)

Advice for managing the Church's cultural heritage

This morning, the Holy See Press Centre published the text of a Message which the Holy Father has sent to those participating in a Congress entitled Does God no longer live here? The decommissioning of places of worship and integrated management of ecclesiastical cultural heritage.  The Congress has been organized by the Pontifical Council for Culture in collaboration with the Pontifical Gregorian University and the Italian Episcopal Conference and is taking place in Rome, at the Gregorian University from 29 to 30 November 2018.  The Holy Father's message was read during the opening session by His Eminence, Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture.

Message of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

To my venerable brother
Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi
President of the Pontifical Council for Culture

I offer a cordial greeting to those who are participating in the Congress, assembled by the Pontifical Council for Culture, in collaboration with the Italian Episcopal Conference and the Pontifical Gregorian University to discuss the decommissioning of churches and their ecclesiastical re-purposing, as well as the administration of cultural goods into normal pastoral care, and I express my gratitude to the illustrious recorders and to those who have organized this initiative.

Saint Paul VI, a pastor who was very sensitive to the value of culture, while addressing a group who were participating in a congress for archivists, affirmed the truth that caring for documents is equivalent to caring for the cult of Christ, having the sense of the Church, recounting for us and for those who will come after us the history of the transitus Domini in the world (cf Speech to ecclesial archivists, 26 September 1963, Insegnamenti, I, 1963, 615).  This happy expression can naturally be extended to include the cultural heritage of the Church.

Saint John Paul II, who was also particularly attentive to the pastoral relevance of art and cultural goods, said: In formulating their pastoral projects, the local Churches should not fail to use their cultural heritage properly.  In fact, they have a singular ability to push people to a deeper perception of the values of the spirit and, witnessing in various ways the presence of God in the history of men and in the life of the Church, they have hearts of acceptance for the novelty of evangelizing. (Address to the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church, March 31, 2000: Insegnamenti, XXIII, 2000, 505).

I myself have intended to give a more markedly social expression to the theological esthetic, affirming, for example, in the Encyclical Laudato si', that paying attention to beauty and loving it helps us to get out of utilitarian pragmatism (LS, 215); as well as recalling, in a speech to the Pontifical Academies, the importance of the work of architects and artists in the redevelopment and rebirth of urban suburbs and in general in the creation of urban contexts that safeguard the dignity of mankind (cf Message to the XXI Public Meeting of the Pontifical Academies, 6 December 2016).

Following the thinking of the ecclisial Magesterium, we can therefore elaborate almost a theological discourse on cultural heritage, considering that they are part of the sacred liturgy, evangelization and the exercise of charity. In fact, they are in the first place among those things (res) that are (or have been) instruments of worship, holy signs according to the expression of the theologian Romano Guardini (The spirit of the liturgy. 1930, 113-204), res ad sacrum cultum pertinentes, according to the definition of the Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium (SC, 122). The common sense of the faithful perceives the environments and objects destined to worship the permanence of a kind of imprint that does not end even after they are no longer used for this purpose.

Furthermore, ecclesiastical cultural assets are witnesses of the faith of the community that has produced them over the centuries and for this reason they are in their own way instruments of evangelization that are flanked by the ordinary instruments of proclamation, preaching and catechesis. But their original eloquence can be preserved even when they are no longer used in the ordinary life of the people of God, especially in a proper museum exhibition, which does not consider them only as documents concerning the history of art, but gives them a new life, so that they can continue to carry out an ecclesial mission.

Finally, cultural assets are aimed at the charitable activities carried out by the ecclesial community. This is highlighted for example in the Passio of the Roman martyr Lawrence, where it is said that he "had been ordered to deliver the treasures of the Church, in order to demonstrate them to the tyrant who was making fun of them, the poor, those who had been fed and clothed with the that which had been given as alms (Martyrologium Romanum, editio altera, Typis Vaticanis 2004, 444). And sacred iconography has often interpreted this tradition by showing Saint Lawrence in the act of selling the precious furnishings of the Church and distributing the proceeds to the poor. This constitutes a constant ecclesial teaching which, while emphasizing the duty of protection and conservation of the Church's goods, and in particular of cultural heritage, declares that they do not have an absolute value, but that in case of necessity they must serve the greater good of human beings and especially at the service of the poor.

Therefore, it is opportune that your Conference is taking place in these days. The observation that many churches, which were necessary until a few years ago, now are no longer needed due to the lack of faithful and clergy, or a different distribution of population in cities and rural areas, should be welcomed in the Church not with anxiety, but as a sign of the times that invites us to reflection and requires us to adapt. In some ways, this affirms the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium which, claiming the superiority of time over space, declares that giving priority to time means taking care of starting processes rather than possessing spaces. Time orders spaces, illuminates them and transforms them into rings of a constantly growing chain, without a reverse gear (EG, 223).

This reflection, which began a long time ago on the technical level and in academic and professional circles, has already been addressed by some episcopates. The contribution of the present conference is certainly to make people perceive the breadth of the problems, but also to share virtuous experiences, thanks to the presence of the delegates of the Episcopal Conferences of Europe and some countries in North America and Oceania.

Your conference will certainly give suggestions and indicate lines of action, but the concrete and ultimate choices will be given to the Bishops. I warmly recommend to them that every decision be the result of a choral reflection conducted within the Christian community and in dialogue with the civil community. Disposal of such goods should not be the first and only solution to think about, nor should this process ever be carried out in order to cause scandal among the faithful. Should it be necessary, it should be inserted in time in ordinary pastoral planning, preceded by adequate information which has been shared as much as possible.

In the First Book of the Maccabees we read that, once Jerusalem was liberated and the temple which had been defiled by the pagans was restored, the liberators, having to decide the fate of the stones of the old demolished altar, preferred to put them aside until a prophet appeared to decide their fate (Mac 4:46). Even the building of a church or its new destination are not operations that can only be treated technically or economically, but they must be evaluated according to the spirit of this prophecy: through them, in fact, passes the testimony of the faith of the Church, which welcomes and enhances the presence of her Lord in history.

With every good wish for the best outcome of the Convention, I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing to you, dear Brother, to your collaborators, the speakers and to all the participants.

From the Vatican
29 November 2018

Francis
(Original text in Italian)

Whoever answered first

Today, we celebrated the funeral liturgy for a man of great courage and faith.  A missionary in a foreign land, he knew how to teach others about Jesus, about love and about self-sacrifice because he truly believed that these precious gifts had been shared with him too.

Funeral homily for Gysbertus Timotheus (Bert) Nagel

Job, the holy man whose life is described in the Old Testament once expressed his desire that these words be written down, inscribed on a monument forever: My redeemer lives ... after my awakening, he will set me close to him and in my flesh I shall look on God (Job 19:23-27).  These words, uttered so many years ago, could easily be applied to our brother Bert.  Today, we are here to remember and to give thanks to God for the gift of our brother, and to inscribe upon our hearts the truth that we have come to know: that our redeemer lives and that one day, we too shall look upon his face.

We have come this morning to remember Bert.  His earthly life began at a certain moment in time, at a particular place on this earth: in his case, that place was in the Netherlands, in the city of Utrecht.  Like many of us, Bert’s life was a series of adventures.  In his case, he shared each of them with Cecilia, the love of his life.  They were married in the Netherlands and then set out for Canada, arriving in Brantford in 1960.  There, Bert worked as a draftsman, and then he and Cecilia ran a deli.  All the while, they were both active members of their local parish.  It was there that they met Father Tom, who they came to fondly refer to simply as Lobby.

As time went on, Bert became more and more involved in the life of the Church.  Visits in jails and in hospitals where he shared the gift of the Eucharist with those he encountered opened the door for him to respond to an ever-deepening call to service.  In response to this call, they eventually set out for the Diocese of Whitehorse.  Setting out on that adventure, they were both being led to a deeper understanding of the truth that in baptism, we all enter into the self-sacrificing death of Jesus.  Dying to ourselves, we are called to live in union with him and to look forward to the day when we shall also rise with him to new life (cf Rom 6:3-4).

Even the most fervent of Christians can only respond to such a call if he or she is dressed for action and has a lamp lit (Lk 12:35).  This was certainly the case with Bert and Cecilia.  Once they made up their minds, they wrote to many of the northern dioceses in Canada and offered their assistance.  It was their old friend, now Bishop Lobby who answered first, and they were off.

They sold their home and their business in Brantford and arrived in the Yukon in November 1987.  As the years came and went, they happily served in a variety of ways:  Bert spent his time as an itinerant jack of all trades, doing physical repairs to church buildings, leading prayer services in various communities whenever priests were not able to be present.  He and Cecilia were the first lay pastoral workers in that part of the world.  Eventually, they were the ones who trained others before leaving them to follow in their footsteps when they came back to Ontario and settled here in Elliot Lake.

Today, we have come to celebrate the Eucharist, to thank God for having allowed us to share a part of our faith journey with Bert.  Our faith reassures us that he who served so faithfully will now sit down at table where the Lord himself will put on an apron ... and wait on him (Lk 12:37).  And as for us, the Lord continues to send us out into this world, inviting us to be close to those who we meet, to share their laughter and their struggles, all the while encouraging them with the light of our faith until the day that we too shall be called home to the Father’s house.

General Audience on the new Law in Christ

This morning's General Audience began at 9:30am in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, 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 concluded the cycle of catecheses on the Ten Commandments, adding his meditation on the theme: The new law in Christ and desires according to the Spirit (Biblical passage: Galatians 5:15-18, 22-23).

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!

In today's catechesis, which concludes our journey through the Ten Commandments, we can define our key theme as desires, which allows us to retrace the journey we have made and summarize the steps taken by reading the text of the Decalogue in the light of full revelation in Christ .

We began with gratitude as the basis of the relationship of trust and obedience: God, we have seen, does not ask for anything before already having given us much more. He invites us to obedience in order to redeem ourselves from the deception of idolatries that have so much power over us. In fact, to seek our own fulfillment in the idols of this world empties us and enslaves us, while what gives us stature and consistency is the relationship with Him who, in Christ, makes us children, and God our father (cf Eph 3:14-16).

This implies a process of blessings and freedoms which are the sources of true and authentic rest.  As the Psalm says: Only in God will my soul find rest: from him comes my salvation (Ps 62:2).

This liberated life becomes the acceptance of our personal history and reconciles us with what, from infancy to the present, we have lived, making us adults and capable of giving the right weight to the realities and people who are part of our lives. Following this path we enter into the relationship with the neighbour who, starting from the love that God shows in Jesus Christ, is a call to the beauty of fidelity, generosity and authenticity.

But in order to live this way - that is, in the beauty of fidelity, generosity and authenticity - we need a new heart, inhabited by the Holy Spirit (cf Ez 11,19; 36,26). I wonder: what does this transplant of heart, from the old heart to the new heart, look like? Through the gift of new desires (cf Rom 8:6); which are sown in us by the grace of God, especially through the Ten Commandments brought to completion by Jesus, as He teaches in the Sermon on the Mount (cf Mt 5:17-48). In fact, in contemplating the life described in the Decalogue, that is a grateful, free, authentic, blessed, adult life; a guardian and lover of life who is faithful, generous and sincere; we - almost without realizing it - find ourselves standing before Christ. The Decalogue is his X-ray, he describes it as a photographic negative that allows his face to appear - like the Holy Shroud. And so the Holy Spirit feeds our hearts by putting in them the desires that are his gifts, the desires of the Spirit. To desire according to the Spirit, to desire at the rhythm of the Spirit, to desire with the music of the Spirit.

Looking at Christ we see beauty, goodness and truth. And the Spirit generates a life which, following these desires, triggers hope, faith and love in us.

Thus we discover what it means that the Lord Jesus did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it, to make it grow, and while the law according to the flesh was a series of prescriptions and prohibitions, according to the Spirit, this same law leads us to life (cf Jn 6:63; Eph 2:15), because it is no longer a norm but the very flesh of Christ, who loves us, seeks us, forgives us, comforts and reconciles us in his Body, promoting communion with the Father, which was lost through the disobedience of sin. And so the literary negativity, the negativity in the expression of the commandments - do not steal, do not insult, do not kill - that not becomes a positive attitude: love, make room for others in my heart, all desires that sow positivity. And this is the fullness of the law that Jesus came to bring us.

In Christ, and only in him, the Decalogue stops being condemned (cf Rom 8: 1) and becomes the authentic truth of human life, that is, the desire for love - thus is born a desire for good, to do good - a desire for joy, a desire for peace, magnanimity, benevolence, goodness, fidelity, meekness, self-control. From those no's we pass on to a yes: the positive attitude of a heart that opens with the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is why we must look for Christ in the Decalogue: to nourish our hearts so that they may be full of love, and open to the work of God. When man favours the desire to live according to Christ, he opens the door to salvation, which will always arrive, because God the Father is generous and, as the Catechism says, he thirsts for us to be thirsty for him (Catechesis of the Catholic Church, 2560).

If it is evil desires that ruin mankind (cf Mt 15:18-20), the Holy Spirit lays down in our hearts his holy desires, which are the seeds of new life (cf 1 Jn 3:9). New life in fact is not a titanic effort to be consistent with a norm; instead, new life is the Spirit of God who begins to guide us to its fruits, in a happy synergy between our joy of being loved and his joy of loving us. We meet the two joys: the joy of God to love for us and our joy of being loved.

This is what the Decalogue is for us Christians: contemplating Christ in order to open ourselves so that we can receive his heart, so that we can receive his desires, so that we can receive his Holy Spirit.



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

I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially those from England, Australia 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!

Encouragement for Business Executives

The Holy Father, Pope Francis sent a message to those who are participating in the XXVI World Congress of the International Christian Union of Business Executives (UNIAPAC), which took place at the Catholic University of Lisbon (Portugal) from 22 to 24 November, focused on the theme: Business as a Noble Vocation.  The Holy Father's message was read aloud by Monsignor Bruno Marie Duffé, Secretary of the Dicastery for Integral Human Development during the opening session of the Congress.

Message of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

addressed to members of the

International Christian Union of Business Executives

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I offer a cordial greeting to all of you, business executives and leaders of economic life, who have gathered for the 26th UNIAPAC World Congress, on the theme of Business as a Noble Vocation. From its origin, some eight decades ago, your federation has sought to translate into economic and financial terms the principles and guidelines of Christian social doctrine in the light of changing times.

Today’s context of the globalization of economic activity and exchange has profoundly affected outlooks, goals and ways of conducting business. Your decision to reflect on the vocation and mission of economic and business leaders is thus more essential and necessary than ever. In effect, with the more intensified pace of life and work… the goals of this rapid and constant change are not necessarily geared to the common good or to integral and sustainable human development”, and can even “cause harm to the world and to the quality of life of much of humanity (Laudato Si’, 18).

Amid such complex changes, fidelity to your vocation and mission calls for maintaining a delicate balance between embracing innovation and increasingly competitive production while at the same time viewing progress within the greater horizon of the common good, human dignity and a just use of the natural resources entrusted to our care. In your professional lives, you frequently encounter situations where these values are in tension, and consequently you must make important practical decisions regarding investment and management. Here it may prove helpful to recall three guiding principles present in the Gospel and the Church’s social teaching.

The first is the centrality of individual persons, with their abilities, their aspirations and their problems and difficulties. The Church has always managed to do great things with scanty resources, as a reminder that the results are from God and not from men (cf 2 Cor 4:7). When a business becomes a family, in which management is concerned that working conditions always serve the community, labourers in turn become a source of enrichment. They are encouraged to put their talents and abilities at the service of the common good, knowing that their dignity and circumstances are respected and not simply exploited.

In exercising this economic discernment, the goals to be set should always be guided by the rule of the common good. This foundational principle of Christian social thought illumines and, like a compass, directs the social responsibility of businesses, their research and technology, and their services of quality control, towards the building of a more humane and fraternal society that can make the goods of this world more accessible to all (Evangelii Gaudium, 203). The principle of the common good points the way to an equitable growth wherein decisions, programmes, mechanisms and processes [are] specifically geared to a better distribution of income, the creation of sources of employment and an integral promotion of the poor that goes beyond a simple welfare mentality (EG, 204). In this way, the horizon can broaden to embrace the entire world and foster a new political and economic mindset open to higher values (cf EG, 205). The vocation of business leaders will become a noble commitment to the extent that it is open to being challenged by a greater meaning in life (EG, 203).

Finally, we must never lose sight of the moral and economic value of labour, which is our means of cooperating with God in an ongoing creation, which hastens the coming of God’s kingdom by promoting justice and social charity, and by respecting the two dimensions individual and social, of the human person. The noble vocation of business leaders will be evident in the measure that all human activity becomes a witness of hope in the future and an incentive to greater social responsibility and concern through each person’s wise use of his or her talents and abilities. Like the first community of apostles, who were chosen to accompany Jesus along his way, you too are called, as Christian executives and business leaders, to undertake a journey of conversion and witness with the Lord, allowing him to inspire and guide the growth of our contemporary social order.

With prayerful good wishes for the fruitfulness of your deliberations, I ask Mary, Mother of the Church, to sustain you in hope and in docile openness to the Spirit, so that you can be effective instruments of the Lord who constantly makes all things new (Rev 21:5). In imparting to you my blessing, I ask you, please, to remember to pray for me.

From the Vatican
22 November 2018

Francis

What is truth?

Here is the reflection I shared with those who came to pray with us this weekend: some thoughts about the virtue of truth to which we are all called as we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King.

Truth

On the final weekend of the liturgical year, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe.  On this day, the gospel presents the scene where Jesus was appearing before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate.  This is no ordinary trial, and for this reason, we must look deeper into the scene in order to understand what is truly going on.

Pilate was a notorious figure.  He had a reputation for being particularly cruel to anyone who did not follow his orders.  Jesus stands before him, accused of having the reputation of being considered to be the king of the Jews (Jn 18:33).  It’s very interesting to watch Pilate at work.  He is a very calculating individual.  Outside the walls of his headquarters, where he meets with religious officials, he is a politician in charge of protecting the social order and negotiating with the leaders of the people he governs, but inside, he is an individual.  He meets Jesus, but is reluctant to make a judgment about who Jesus is.

Pilate’s inability to reflect the conviction of his heart in his outward appearance caused great conflict within him.  He ultimately wanted others to make important decisions for him because he was unable to be at peace with himself.  The same is true for us: if we speak one truth but believe another, we will never be able to find peace within ourselves.

Thankfully, Jesus is always willing to help us.  He came into the world in order to testify to the truth (Jn 18:37), so if we follow him, he will always lead us to the truth.  This is not always an easy journey, because we must admit that we need his help, and we must be willing to allow him to help us.  If we can get over our own insecurities, if we can learn to trust him, Jesus will always lead us to situations where we can grow in our awareness of those in our world who are truly in need, and he will always give us the words to speak so that we can comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.

This is what Jesus did.  During his time here on earth, he did not seek any earthly measure of power or prestige.  Rather, he found ways to comfort the disturbed: the poor, the downtrodden, those who were neglected and those who were ignored; and he wasn’t afraid to disturb the comfortable, including the Jewish leaders and even the Roman governor.

Even today, we must bravely continue the work that Jesus began.  It is up to us to comfort those in our world who are disturbed, including those who mourn the loss of their loved ones, or those who feel powerless and unable to influence the world around them.  We must find ways to welcome the strangers who appear in our midst and do everything we can to make them feel at home.  At the same time, we must be courageous enough to dare to disturb those who have been lulled into complacency because they are too comfortable.

This the truth to which the Lord invites us; it is the truth which we must proclaim.

La vérité

Lors du dernier dimanche de l'année liturgique, l'Église célèbre la Solennité de Notre-Seigneur Jésus-Christ, le Roi de l'univers. En ce jour, l'évangile nous propose la scène où Jésus se présentait devant le gouverneur romain, Ponce Pilate. Ce n'est pas un procès ordinaire, et nous devons examiner cet épisode de près afin de mieux comprendre ce qui se passe.

Pilate était une figure notoire. Il avait la réputation d'être particulièrement cruel envers quiconque ne respectait pas ses ordres. Jésus se tient devant lui, accusé d'avoir la réputation d'être considéré comme le roi des Juifs (Jn 18,33). C'est très intéressant de regarder Pilate au travail. C'est un individu très calculateur. En dehors des murs de son palais, devant la foule, il est un politicien. Cependant, lorsqu’il rencontre Jésus, en privé, il hésite à porter jugement.

L’incapacité de Pilate à refléter la conviction de son cœur dans son apparence extérieure a provoqué un grand conflit en lui. Il a finalement voulu que les autres prennent des décisions importantes, car il était incapable de vivre en paix avec lui-même. La même chose est vraie pour nous: si nous disons une vérité, mais croyons une autre, nous ne pourrons jamais trouver la paix en nous-mêmes.

Heureusement, Jésus est toujours disposé à nous aider. Il est venu dans le monde afin de rendre témoignage à la vérité (Jn 18,37), donc si nous le suivons, il nous conduira toujours à la vérité. Ce n'est pas toujours facile; pour ce faire, nous devons admettre que nous avons besoin de son aide et nous devons être disposés à lui permettre de nous aider. Si nous pouvons surmonter nos propres insécurités, si nous pouvons apprendre à lui faire confiance, Jésus nous mènera toujours dans des situations où nous pouvons prendre davantage conscience de ceux de notre monde qui sont vraiment dans le besoin et il nous fournira toujours les paroles nécessaires afin de réconforter ceux qui sont perturbés et de déranger ceux qui sont trop confortables.

C'est ce que Jésus a fait. Au cours de son séjour sur terre, il n'a recherché aucune mesure terrestre de pouvoir ou de prestige. Il a plutôt trouvé des moyens de réconforter les personnes perturbées: les pauvres, les opprimés, les négligés et les ignorés; et il n’avait pas peur de déranger ceux qui étaient confortables, y compris les dirigeants juifs et même le gouverneur romain.

Même aujourd'hui, nous devons continuer courageusement le travail commencé par Jésus. Il nous appartient de réconforter ceux qui sont perturbés dans notre monde, y compris ceux qui pleurent la perte de leurs êtres chers ou ceux qui se sentent impuissants et incapables d’influencer le monde qui les entoure. Nous devons trouver des moyens d’accueillir les étrangers qui se présentent et à faire tout notre possible pour qu’ils se sentent chez eux. En même temps, nous devons être assez courageux pour oser déranger ceux qui ont été apaisés dans la complaisance parce qu’ils sont trop à l’aise.

C’est la vérité à laquelle le Seigneur nous invite; c'est la vérité que nous devons proclamer.

Angelus for Christ the King

At noon today in Rome (6:00am EST), 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 who were gathered in Saint Peter's Square.

Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

prior to the recitation of the Angelus

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

The Solemnity of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, which we are celebrating today, is is set at the end of the liturgical year and recalls the fact that the life of creation does not advance by chance, but rather proceeds towards a final goal: the definitive manifestation of Christ, Lord of history and of all creation. The conclusion of the story will be its eternal kingdom. Today's Gospel passage (cf Jn 18,33b-37) tells us about this kingdom, the kingdom of Christ, the kingdom of Jesus, recounting the humiliating situation in which Jesus was found after being arrested in Gethsemane: bound, insulted , accused and brought before the authorities of Jerusalem. And then, he is presented to the Roman governor, as one who is seeking political power, to become the king of the Jews. Pilate then conducts his inquiry and in a dramatic interrogation, asks him twice if he is a king (cf Jn 18:33-37).

First, Jesus responds that his kingdom is not of this world (Jn 18:36). Then he says: You say so: that I am king (Jn 18:37). It is evident from his whole life that Jesus has no political ambitions. We recall that after the multiplication of the loaves, the people, who were enthusiastic about the miracle, wanted to proclaim him king, to overthrow the Roman power and restore the kingdom of Israel. But for Jesus the kingdom is something else, and certainly not achieved with revolt, violence and the strength of arms. Therefore he withdrew alone to the mountain to pray (cf Jn 6:5-15). Now, responding to Pilate, he points out that his disciples did not fight to defend him. He says: If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have fought because I was not handed over to the Jews (Jn 6:36).

Jesus wants to make it clear that beyond the political power there is another much greater one, which is not achieved by human means. He came to earth to exercise this power, which is love, bearing witness to the truth (cf Jn 6:37). This is the divine truth that is ultimately the essential message of the Gospel: God is love (1 Jn 4:8) and he wants to establish his kingdom of love, justice and peace in the world. And this is the kingdom of which Jesus is the king, a kingdom that extends to the end of time. History teaches us that the kingdoms founded on the power of arms and on untruths are fragile and sooner or later collapse. But the kingdom of God is founded on his love; it is rooted in our hearts - the kingdom of God is rooted in our hearts - it is given to those who welcome peace, freedom and fullness of life. We all want peace, we all want freedom and we all want fulfillment. How do we do this? Let the love of God, the kingdom of God, the love of Jesus take root in your heart and you will have peace, you will have freedom and you will have fulfillment.

Today, Jesus asks us to let him become our king. A king who with his word, his example and his life - surrendered on the cross - has saved us from death, and indicates - this king - the way to the lost man, gives new light to our existence marked by doubt, by fear and from the tests of every day. But we must not forget that the kingdom of Jesus is not of this world. Jesus is able to give a new meaning to our life, sometimes also to put us to the test through our mistakes and our sins, only on condition that we do not follow the logic of the world and its kings.

May the Virgin Mary help us to welcome Jesus as the king of our lives and to defend his kingdom by bearing witness to the truth which is love.



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

Dear brothers and sisters,

Yesterday Ukraine commemorated the anniversary of the Holodomor, a terrible famine caused by the Soviet regime which claimed millions of victims. This image is painful. This wound from the past is a call for all of us so that such tragedies are never repeated again. We pray for that dear country and for much desired peace.

I greet all of you pilgrims who have come from Italy and from different countries: families, parish groups, associations. In particular, I greet the numerous choirs that came for their Third International Conference here at the Vatican, and I thank them for their presence and for their precious service to the liturgy and to evangelization. Thank you very much!

I greet the participants taking part in the Congress on fertility, promoted by the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart on the 50th anniversary of Saint Paul VI's Encyclical Humanae vitae; as well as university law students from the Roma Tre University, and the faithful from Pozzuoli, Bacoli and Bellizzi. I greet the members of the Ranchibile Institute of Palermo. And congratulations, because you have been brave! Coming here in the midst of this rain! You are brave! Brave!

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

Greetings for choirs

From 23 to 25 November, the III International Meeting of Choirs is taking place in the Paul VI Hall, including the participation of choirs and musicians from all over the world.  It has been organized by the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization in collaboration with the New Onlus Work.

At 12:20pm today (6:20am EST), the Holy Father, Pope Francis went to the Hall to meet there with the participants and to offer them a speech.

Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

offered to choirs and musicians

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

Your presence in this House allows music and songs to resonate, even beyond these walls: you have awakened the Vatican! It is nice to listen to your melodies and to feel the joy and the seriousness with which you give voice all together to the beauty of our prayer. I thank Archbishop Rino Fisichella for his creativity and his words and for the initiative that allows you to touch the many paths of evangelization.

In recent days, as you know, the Synod of Bishops dedicated to young people, was held here. One of the topics that was treated with interest was precisely that of music: "The importance of music, which is real and an environment in which young people are constantly immersed, as well as a culture and language that is capable of arousing emotions and shaping identity. The musical language also represents a pastoral resource, which particularly challenges the liturgy and its renewal (Final Document, 47).

Your music and your singing are a true instrument of evangelization insofar as you bear witness to the depth of the Word of God that touches the hearts of people, and allows for a celebration of the sacraments, especially that of the Holy Eucharist, which allows us to perceive the beauty of paradise. Never stop in this commitment which is so important for the life of our communities; in this way, with your songs, you give voice to the emotions that are deep in everyone's heart. In moments of joy and sadness, the Church is called to be always close to people, to offer them the company of faith. How many times music and song make these moments unique in people's lives, because they preserve them as precious memories that have marked their existence.

Bringing about the renewal of the liturgy, the Second Vatican Council reiterated the fact that the musical tradition of the Church constitutes a heritage of inestimable value (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 112). That's it. I think, in particular, of the many traditions of our communities scattered throughout the world, which bring out the most rooted forms in popular culture, and which also become a real prayer. That popular piety that can creatively pray, that can sing creatively; that popular piety which, as an Italian bishop said, is the Church's immune system. And singing carries on this piety. Through these music and songs, voice is also given to prayer and in this way a real international choir is formed, where in unison the praise and glory of his people rises to the Father of all.

Your presence, while highlighting the internationality of your respective countries, allows us to grasp the universality of the Church and its different traditions. Your song and your music, especially in the celebration of the Eucharist, make it clear that we are one body and we sing one single faith with one voice. Even if we speak different languages, everyone can understand the music we sing, the faith we profess and the hope that awaits us.

You study and prepare to make your song a melody that favours prayer and liturgical celebration. Do not fall, however, in the temptation of a protagonism that overshadows your commitment, and humiliates the active participation of the people in prayer. Please do not be prima donnas. Be animators of the song of the whole assembly and do not replace it, depriving the people of God of singing with you and giving witness to an ecclesial and community prayer. Sometimes I get sad when, in some ceremonies, you sing so well but people can not sing those things ... You who have understood more deeply the importance of singing and music, do not devalue the other expressions of popular spirituality: the patronal feasts, processions, dances and religious songs of our people are also a true patrimony of religiosity that deserves to be valued and sustained because it is still an action of the Holy Spirit in the heart of the Church. The Spirit of singing helps us to move forward.

Music, therefore, is an instrument of unity to make the Gospel effective in today's world, through the beauty that still fascinates and makes it possible to believe by relying on the love of the Father.

I am accompanying you with my blessing and entrusting you to Saint Cecilia, your Patroness, but above all I ask you not to forget to pray for me; pray for me also with your song! Thank you!
(Original text in Italian)

Speaking with Seminarians from Agrigento

At 11:30am this morning (5:30am EST), in the Consistory Hall at the Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience the Seminarians from the Diocese of Agrigento (Italy).

After having presented those who were in attendance with his prepared text, the Pope offered unscripted remarks to those who were present.

Prepared speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

for the meeting with seminarians from

the Diocese of Agrigento

Dear brothers,

I welcome you and I thank you for this visit.  I especially thank your Rector for his words of introduction.

In the brief time that we have together, I wish to give you a few points for your personal reflection and that of your community, and I take them from the recent Synod of Youth.

First of all, the biblical icon: the Gospel of the disciples of Emmaus.  I wish to present you with this icon, because it guided all of the work during this most recent Synod and it can continue to inspire your journey.  And the journey is the first key word: the Risen Jesus meets us on the journey, which at the same time is the path, that is, the reality in which each of us is called to live, and it is the interior path, the path of faith and hope, which knows moments of light and moments of darkness. Here, in the journey, the Lord meets us, listens to us and speaks to us.

Second of all, he listens to us. This is the second key word: listen. Our God is Word, and at the same time He is silence that listens. Jesus is the Word that has listened to us, the acceptance of our human condition. When he appears next to the two disciples, he walks with them listening to them, and even stimulating them to take out what they have inside, their hope and their disappointment. This, in your life as a seminary, which means that in the first place there is the dialogue with the Lord made up of mutual listening: He listens to me and I listen to Him. There is no fiction, no mask.

This listening to the heart in prayer teaches us to be people able to listen to others, to become - God willing - priests who offer the service of listening - and as we need it! -; and it teaches us to be more and more a Church that listens, a community that knows how to listen. You now experience this especially in your contact with the young, meeting them, listening to them, inviting them to express themselves ... But this applies to all pastoral life: like Jesus, the Church is sent into the world to listen to the cry of humanity, which is often a silent cry, sometimes repressed, even suffocated.

Journey; listening; the third word is discernment. This seminar is a place and time for discernment. And this requires accompaniment, as Jesus does with the two disciples and with all his disciples, especially the Twelve. He accompanies them patiently and with wisdom, teaches them to follow him in the truth, exposing the false expectations that they carry in their hearts. With respect and decision, like a good friend and also a good doctor, who sometimes has to use the scalpel. Many problems that occur in the life of a priest are due to a lack of discernment during the years of the seminary. Not all and not always, but many. It's normal, the same goes for marriage: certain things not addressed before can become problems later. Jesus does not pretend with the two disciples of Emmaus, he is not evasive, he does not circumvent the problem: he calls them foolish and slow-hearted (Lk 24:25) because they do not believe in the prophets. And he opens their minds to the Scriptures, and then, at the table, he opens their eyes to his new Presence, in the sign of broken bread.

The mystery of vocation and discernment is a masterpiece of the Holy Spirit, which requires the collaboration of the young man who is called and of the adult who accompanies him.

We know that the fourth word is mission; and the Synod of Youth greatly valued the synodal dimension of the mission: going out together to meet others. The two disciples of Emmaus return together to Jerusalem and above all they join the apostolic community which, by the power of the Spirit, becomes entirely missionary. This underlining is important, because the temptation to be good individual missionaries is always lurking. Already as seminarians one can fall into this temptation: feeling good because one is brilliant in preaching, or organizing events, or in beautiful ceremonies, and so on. Too often our approach has been individual, rather than collegial or fraternal. And so the presbyteral and the diocesan pastoral work may present splendid individuality but little testimony of communion, of collegiality. Thank God we are growing in this, even that we are being forced to do so by the scarcity of clergy, but communion is not created by compulsion, we must believe in it and we must be docile to the Spirit.

Dear brothers, these are the points that I leave with you, entirely contained in the gospel icon of the disciples of Emmaus; journey, listen, discern, go out together.  I ask the Lord and the Virgin Mary to accompany you, to bless you and I am praying for you.  And you too, please, remember to pray for me.
(Original text in Italian)

Iraq at the Vatican

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

During the cordial discussions, the good relations between the Holy See and Iraq and the positive developments of the political situation were evoked, highlighting the importance of joint efforts, with the support of the international community, to face the challenges of the reconciliation process to promote national unity. In this context, emphasis was placed on the historic presence of Christians in the country, of which they are an integral part, the significant contribution they make to the reconstruction of the social fabric, and the importance of ensuring that those who have been compelled to abandon their own lands of origin are able to return there, highlighting the need to guarantee their safety and a place in the future of Iraq.

Finally, attention turned to the various conflicts and grave humanitarian crises that afflict the Region, underlining the need for dialogue between the various ethnic and religious groups to re-establish trust and peaceful co-existence.

Video Message to Youth gathered in Panama

The Holy See Press Centre has published the text of a video message which the Holy Father, Pope Francis has sent to all youth on the occasion of the approaching XXXIV World Youth Day which will be held in Panama in January 2019.  The theme of this gathering will be Behold the handmaiden of the Lord, may it be done for me according to your word (Lk 1:38).

Video Message of His Holiness, Pope Francis

addressed to the Youth of the world

Dear young people,

World Youth Day is fast approaching. It will be held in Panama in January and the theme is Mary’s response to God’s call, I am the servant of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word (Lk 1:38).

Her words are a brave and generous yes. It is the positive reply of one who understands the secret of vocation ‒ to go beyond oneself and place oneself at the service of others. Our lives only find meaning in service to God and to other people.

There are many young people, both believers and nonbelievers, who when they come to the end of a stage in their studies, feel a desire to do something for those who are suffering. This is a strength in young people, a strength that all of you possess. It is a strength that can change the world. It is a revolution that can overturn the powerful forces at work in our world. It is the revolution of service.

To be at the service of others does not only mean to be ready for action. It means also to be in conversation with God with an attitude of listening, just like Mary. She listened to what the angel said to her and then she responded. It is by relating to God in the silence of our hearts that we discover our identity and the vocation to which God is calling us. It can be expressed in different ways: in marriage, in consecrated life, in the priesthood… All these are ways of following Jesus. The important thing is to discover what God wants from us and to be brave enough to say yes.

Mary was a happy woman, and this is because she replied generously to God and opened her heart to God’s plan for her. When God has a proposition for us, like the one he had for Mary, it is not intended to extinguish our dreams, but to ignite our aspirations. Propositions like this are meant to make our lives fruitful and produce many smiles and happy hearts. To respond to God positively is to take a first step towards being happy and towards making many people happy.

Dear young people, take courage, enter within yourselves and say to God: What do you want from me? Allow God to answer you. Then you will see how your life is transformed and filled with joy.

With the upcoming World Youth Day in our sights, I invite you all to prepare for it by following and taking part in the initiatives that are happening. They will help you on your path towards this goal. May Our Lady be with you on this pilgrimage, and may her example encourage you to be brave and generous in your response.

Have a good journey on your way to Panama! And, please, do not forget to pray for me. See you soon.

General Audience about desiring that which is not ours

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 every corner of the world.

In his speech, the Pope continued the cycle of catecheses on the Commandments, adding his meditation on the theme: Thou shalt not desire your neighbour's wife; thou shalt not desire your neighbour's property (Biblical passage: Exodus 17).

After having summarized his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father offered greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance.  Then, he offered an invitation to remember all cloistered religious communities on the occasion of the Day pro Orantibus which is observed today.

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!

Our meetings on the Decalogue lead us today to the last commandment. We heard it at the beginning of this encounter. These are not only the last words of the text, but much more: they are the fulfillment of the journey through the Decalogue, touching the heart of all that is delivered to it. In fact, on closer inspection, they do not add any new content: the indications «you will not desire your neighbour's wife ..., nor anything that belongs to your neighbour are at least latent in the commands on adultery and theft; what then is the function of these words? Are they meant as a summary? Is there something more?

Keep in mind that all the commandments have the task of indicating the boundaries of life, the limits beyond which man destroys himself and his neighbour, spoiling his relationship with God. If we go further, we may destroy ourselves, we may even destroy our relationship with God and our relationships with others. The commandments point to this. Through this last word, the fact is emphasized that all transgressions arise from a common inner root: evil desires. All sins are born of an evil desire. All of them. The heart begins to move, and we enter that wave, and the story ends in transgression. But not a formal, legal transgression: a transgression that wounds itself and others.

In the Gospel, the Lord Jesus explicitly says: From within, in fact, from the heart of men, the intentions of evil come out: impurity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these bad things come from within and make man impure (Mk 7:21-23).

Thus we understand that the whole journey made by the Decalogue would have no use if it did not reach this level, the heart of man. Where do all these bad things come from? The Decalogue shows itself to be lucid and profound on this aspect: the point of arrival - the last commandment - of this journey is the heart, and if this, if the heart is not liberated, the rest is of little use. This is the challenge: freeing the heart from all these evil and ugly things. God's precepts can be reduced to being only the beautiful facade of a life that still remains an existence of slaves and not sons. Often, behind the pharisaic mask of suffocating correctness, something ugly and unresolved hides.

Instead, we must allow ourselves ourselves to be unmasked by these commands that concern desire, because they show us our poverty; they lead us to a holy humiliation. Each of us can ask ourselves: but what bad wishes do I often come to? Envy, greed, gossip? All these things that come from inside me. Everyone can ask and it will do us good. Man needs this blessed humiliation, that from which he discovers he can not free himself, the aspects for which he shouts to God to be saved. Saint Paul explains it in a wonderful way, referring to the commandment not to desire (cf Rom 7: 7-24).

It is vain to think of being able to correct ourselves without the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is futile to think of purifying our hearts in a titanic effort of our sole will: this is not possible. We must open ourselves to a relationship with God, in truth and in freedom: only in this way can our efforts be fruitful, because it is the Holy Spirit who carries us forward.

The task of the Biblical Law is not to delude mankind into believing that literal obedience will lead us to an artificial and, moreover, unattainable salvation. The task of the Law is to bring mankind to his truth, that is, to his poverty, which becomes authentic openness and personal openness to the mercy of God, who transforms and renews us. God is the only one who is capable of renewing our hearts, as long as we open our hearts to him: this is the only condition; He does everything, but we have to open our hearts.

The last words of the Decalogue teach everyone to recognize themselves as beggars; they help us to face the disorder of our hearts, to stop living selfishly and to become poor in spirit, authentic in the presence of the Father, allowing ourselves to be redeemed by the Son and taught by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the teacher who guides us: let us allow ourselves to be helped. We are beggars, we must ask for this grace.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Mt 5:3). Yes, blessed those who stop deluding themselves by believing that they can save themselves from their weakness without the mercy of God, who alone can heal. Only God's mercy heals the heart. Blessed are those who recognize their evil desires and with a repentant and humbled heart do not stand before God and other men as righteous, but rather as sinners. It is beautiful that Peter said to the Lord: Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinner. This is a beautiful prayer: Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinner.

These are the ones who know how to have compassion, who know how to have mercy on others, because they experience it in themselves.



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 visitors, he said:

I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially those from England, Ireland, Nigeria, Israel, Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, 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!

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

Today, on the Liturgical Memorial of the Presentation of Blessed Mary in the Temple, we celebrate the Day pro Orantibus, dedicated to the memory of religious cloistered communities: there are many of them! This is a most opportune time to thank the Lord for the gift of so many people who, in monasteries and hermitages, dedicate themselves totally to God in prayer, in silence and in hiding. These communities offer the entire Church affection, closeness and material support.