Greetings to the Scholas Occurrentes Foundation

The Holy Father, Pope Francis has sent a video message to participants taking part in the IV World Meeting of Youth organized by the Scholas Occurrentes Foundation and World Ort.  The Meeting is taking place in Mexico City (Mexico) from 28 to 31 October 2019.

Video Message of His Holiness, Pope Francis

sent to the IV World Meeting of Youth

Dear young people of Scholas Occurrentes gathered from many nations of the world, I celebrate with you the completion of this encounter.  I wish I could be there, I wish I could stay there with you.

What would this encounter be if it didn't have an end? Maybe it wouldn't be an encounter. And what would this life be like if it also had no end?

I know that someone is going to say: Father, do not let this gathering become a funeral. But let's think about this. I know from a good source that they kept the question about death burning throughout your experience. There you played, thought and created based on your differences.

Well, I celebrate and thank you for this. Because, do you know something? A question about death is a question about life, and keeping our questions about death open, perhaps, is the greatest human responsibility to keep our questions about life open.

Just as words are born out of silence and there they end, allowing us to hear their meanings, the same goes for life. This may sound somewhat paradoxical, but ... it is death that allows life to remain alive!

It is the end that allows a story to be written, a painting to be painted, two bodies to embrace. But beware, the end is not alone at the end. Maybe we should pay attention to every little end of everyday life. Not only at the end of the story - for we never know when it ends - but at the end of each word, at the end of each silence, of each page being written. Only a conscious life of this moment ends, it makes this moment eternal.

On the other hand, death reminds us of the impossibility of being, understanding and encompassing everything. It is a slap to our illusion of omnipotence. It teaches us in life to relate to mystery. The confidence of jumping into the void and realizing that we don't fall, that we don't sink; that always and forever there is someone there who supports us. Before and after the end.

It is the not knowing of this questioning the place of fragility that opens us to the listening and meeting of the other; it is that arising from the shock that calls us to create; and the sense that brings us together to celebrate it.

Finally, the question of death has always formed - throughout the ages and across the land - different communities, peoples and cultures. The different stories that fight in so many corners to stay alive, and others, that have not yet been born. That is why today, perhaps as never before, we should touch upon this question.

The world is already set up, where everything is explained. There is no place for the open question. That's true? It is true but it is not true. That is our world. It has been configured and there is no place for the open question. In a world that worships autonomy, self-reliance and self-realization, there seems to be no place for the other. The world of projects and infinite acceleration, the world of increasing speed does not allow interruptions, and that is why the worldly culture that enslaves tries to anesthetize us to forget what it means to stop at last.

But the forgetfulness of death is also its beginning, and also, a culture that forgets death begins to die inside. He who forgets death has already begun to die.

That's why I thank you so much! Because you had the courage to open this question and go through the body, the three deaths that empty us, in order to fill our lives! The death of every moment. The death of the ego. And the death of a world that gives way to a new one.

Remember, if death does not have the last word, it is because in life we learned to die for another.

Finally, I would like to thank ORT Mundial and each one of the people and institutions that made this activity possible in which the culture of meeting is palpable.

And I ask each of you please, each in his own way, each according to his convictions: do not forget to pray for me. Thank you.
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Greetings for those attending an exhibition

This afternoon, the Holy Father, Pope Francis went to the Pontifical Lateran University where, in the atrium of the University, he opened the exhibition entitled Calligraphy for Dialogue: promoting the culture of peace through culture and art by the artist Othman Alkhuzaiem.  The exhibition has been named in memory of Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, former President of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue.

Then, following the official opening ceremony, in the Benedict XVI Hall, the Pope met with those who are participating in a study day based on the theme: Education, human rights, peace.  Instruments of international action and the role of religions.  The study day is taking place in preparation for a later event entitled To rebuild the global education initiative, which will take place on 14 May 2020.

Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

addressed to the participants attending the exhibition

Illustrious representatives of the Churches, of Communities and Religions,
Ladies and Gentlemen who are serving as Ambassadors,
Dear Professors,
Dear Students,

I am pleased to be here among you at the conclusion of this Study Day which was organized by the Lateran University concerning education about peace, in preparation for the Global Education Pact event which will take place on 14 May next year.

Educating for peace requires giving relief and response to those - many, unfortunately - that conflicts and wars condemn to death or force to abandon their loved ones, their homes and their countries of origin. We need to take care of the expectations and anxieties of so many of our brothers and sisters. We cannot remain indifferent, limiting ourselves to praying for peace. Everyone: educators and students, are called to build and protect peace every day, turning our prayer to God to give peace to us as a gift.

Responsibility towards the new generations requires above all a commitment to form them and listen to them in order to respond to the challenges of our times, without denying the immutable value of truth, but with an understandable and current language. It is not enough to be critical of the past or of the present; rather, it is necessary to show creativity and proposals for the future, helping each person to grow to become a protagonist and not just a spectator.

Peace, human dignity, inclusion and participation show how necessary it is to have a broad educational pact in order to be able to transmit not only the knowledge of technical contents, but also and above all a human and spiritual wisdom, made of justice, righteousness, virtuous behaviour and at the same time, capable of realizing itself in practice. How many times are the youngest excluded because the proposed objectives are not really viable, or are they only meant to satisfy limited interests? Instead of conditioning the future journey of the young generations, we should rather pass on to them a method capable of enhancing the experience, even negative ones - and what is more negative than war and violence? We need a method capable of looking at the facts and their causes, capable of providing the tools to overcome conflicts.

For those who are called to teach by the light of their religion or their beliefs, this commitment also becomes a way of bearing witness and helping others to find an alternative model to the material and merely horizontal dimension. Many times we too, women and men of faith, limit ourselves to giving indications rather than transmitting the experience of values ​​and virtues. And so, in the face of conflicts and the need to build peace, we do not realize that our message is likely to be abstract and thus remain unheeded, theoretical. Even a habitat that defines itself as religious, but actually is ideological, generates feelings of violence and a desire for revenge in some people. Faced with the lack of peace, it is not enough to invoke freedom from war, to proclaim rights or even to use authority in its various forms. Above all, it is necessary to question oneself, to recover the ability to be among people, to dialogue with them and to understand their needs, perhaps with our weakness, which is then the most authentic way to be welcomed when we speak of peace.

Not only believers, but all those who are motivated by good will know how necessary dialogue is in all its forms. Dialogue not only serves to prevent and resolve conflicts, but it is a way to bring out the values and virtues that God has written in the heart of every man and has made evident in the order of creation. Searching and exploring every opportunity for dialogue is not just a way to live or coexist, but rather an educational criterion. Dialogue is an educational criterion. In this line, the course of studies in inter-confessional theology which started in this University finds its rightful place. Continue this path with courage. How much we need men of faith who educate in true dialogue, using every possibility and opportunity!

Your current efforts will end with the opening of an exhibition that presents works whose language seeks to be dialogical. The paintings of the Saudi artist Al-Khuzaiem are proposed as tools to open paths of peace, to recall rights, and to make the person the centre of every action and every educational project.

This moment becomes even more significant because it reminds us of the work of a man of dialogue and a peacemaker, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran. His life was all projected in the perspective of dialogue. First of all, dialogue with God, which the Christian, the priest and bishop Tauran cultivated, to whom he inspired the choices and actions and in which he found comfort during his illness. The second is the dialogue between peoples, governments and international institutions for which the diplomat Tauran did his utmost by favouring the conclusion of agreements, mediations or proposing solutions - including technical ones - to conflicts that threatened peace, limited the rights of man and obscured freedom of conscience. Third, dialogue between religions, which saw the Cardinal spend himself not to reaffirm the points already in common, but to search for and build new ones. As President of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, he made us understand that it is not enough to stop at what brings us closer, but it is necessary to explore new possibilities so that different religious traditions can transmit peace as a message, as well as a message of peace.

There is an episode in his service to the Holy See and to the Church that helps us understand the anxieties and aspirations, but also the simplicity and depth of this man of God. In June 1993 in Vienna, during the United Nations Conference on human rights, the then Archbishop Tauran had just finished his speech, recalling the necessary dialogue between religions. On leaving the grandstand, a member of the Saudi Arabian delegation met him by chance, asking how to deepen the importance of dialogue. His response was: We can do it when I come to your country. That desire accompanied him over the years and he found fulfillment only a few months before his return to the Father's house with his visit to Riyadh in April 2018.

His willingness to dialogue supported, even in his illness, this figure of a priest, loyal and helpful, a friend, who also for me was important and of great help to understand many situations in my service as Bishop of Rome and successor of Peter.

My gratitude is extended to all those who have contributed to this initiative. To all of you, I address an invitation to pray without ceasing and to make every effort so that through an authentic Global Educational Pact we can inaugurate an era of peace for the entire human family. Thank you.
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Greetings for members of the Don Carlo Gnocchi Foundation

This morning, in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience the members of the Don Carlo Gnocchi Foundation.

Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

offered to the members of the

Don Carlo Gnocchi Foundation

Dear brothers and sisters!

I welcome you and thank your President, and your friend, for the words of greeting and presentation of this beautiful welfare and social reality which is the Don Carlo Gnocchi Foundation, which flowed from the mind and heart of this distinguished Ambrosian priest. In the homily delivered on the occasion of his Beatification, which took place in Milan ten years ago, Cardinal Tettamanzi spoke of him as a restless seeker of God and a courageous seeker of man, who spent his life in search of the face of Christ imprinted on the face of every man. How beautiful!

In fact, Blessed Don Carlo Gnocchi, an apostle of charity, served Christ in a heroic way, in children, in young people, in the poor and in the suffering, from the beginning of his priestly ministry, as a passionate educator. Then, as a military chaplain, he experienced the cruelties of the Second World War, first on the Greek-Albanian front, then, with the Alpini of the Tridentine Division, in the dramatic Russian campaign. During the disastrous retreat from that front, he did all he could with indefatigable charity for the wounded and the dying, and developed the plan for work in favor of the orphans and the mutilated caused by the outbreak of war and bombs. Once back in Italy, he implemented this wonderful project; his was not just a social enterprise, but motivated by the charity of Christ. It truly was a work, a fruit of Christ's charity.

After so many years, you carry on your heritage and, like a precious talent, you are multiplying it with the same apostolic zeal and the same fidelity to the Gospel. For this I am grateful to each of you: directors and managers of the Centres, doctors and staff members, volunteers and friends. And you are here today, together with the patients, the guests and their families, to confirm your commitment to remaining close to the sufferings of the most fragile people, with the style of the Good Samaritan and the example of your Blessed Founder. Do not tire of serving the least on the difficult frontier of infirmity and disability: together with the most advanced therapies and techniques for the body, offer to those who trust in your structures the medicines of the soul, that is, the consolation and tenderness of God.

Inspired by the care, the delicacy and the priestly sensitivity of Blessed Carlo Gnocchi, you are called to combine in the concreteness of daily life both social and health service and your evangelizing action. For you, this means courageously fighting the causes of suffering and lovingly caring for the discomfort of suffering or struggling people. Times have changed with respect to your origins, but it is necessary to go on with the same spirit, with the attitude and style that Don Gnocchi described in this way: Christians who are active, optimistic, serene, concrete and deeply human; who look at the world no longer as an enemy to be killed or to run away from, but as a prodigal son to be conquered and redeemed with love (Education of the heart).

The meaning and value of the health profession and of every service rendered to a sick brother or sister are fully manifested in the ability to combine competence and compassion, both together. Competence is the fruit of your preparation, of experience, of updating; and all this is supported by a strong motivation of service to your suffering neighbour, a motivation which in the Christian is animated by the charity of Christ. Competence is the quality that makes the testimony of the lay faithful in the various areas of society credible; competence also guarantees you when you go against the mainstream of the dominant culture: in your case, when you dedicate time and resources to a fragile life, even if someone may seem useless or even unworthy of being loved.

Competence and compassion. The suffering of the brothers asks to be shared, asks for attitudes and initiatives of compassion. It is a question of suffering with, pitying like Jesus who for man's sake made himself a man in order to be able to share our condition fully, in a very real way, in flesh and blood, as is shown in his Passion. A society that is not capable of welcoming, protecting and giving hope to the suffering, is a society that has lost pity, that has lost the sense of humanity. The vast network of centres and services that you have created in Italy and in other countries is a good model because it seeks to combine assistance, acceptance and evangelical charity. In a social context that favours efficiency with respect to solidarity, your structures are houses of hope, whose purpose is the protection, enhancement and the true good of the sick, the disabled and the elderly.

Dear friends, I renew my appreciation for the service you render to those who are in difficulty. I encourage you to continue your journey in the commitment to human promotion, which is also an indispensable contribution to the Church's evangelizing mission. In fact the proclamation of the Gospel is more credible thanks to the concrete love with which the disciples of Jesus testify to the faith in Him.

The human and Christian witness of Blessed Don Carlo Gnocchi, characterized by love for the weak, always guide your choices and your activities. May the Lord grant you to be messengers of his mercy and consolation, messengers of his tenderness everywhere. I accompany you with my prayer and I cordially impart to you the Blessing, which I willingly extend to those who are hosted in your centres. And please don't forget to pray for me. Thank you!
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Celebrating the Blessed Virgin Mary of Loretto

This morning, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, one of the Dicasteries (Offices) in the Roman Curia, has published a Decree establishing a new celebration of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Loretto which will be part of the liturgical calendar from now on.

DECREE

on the celebration of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Loreto

to be inscribed in the General Roman Calendar

Since the Middle Ages veneration for the Holy House of Loreto has been the origin of that particular shrine which still today is visited by many faithful pilgrims in order to nourish their faith in the Word of God made flesh for us.

This shrine recalls the mystery of the Incarnation, leading all those who visit it to consider the fullness of time, when God sent his Son, born of a woman, as well as to meditate both on the words of the Angel announcing the Good News and on the words of the Virgin in response to the divine call. Overshadowed by the Spirit, the humble handmaid of the Lord so became the dwelling-place of divinity, the purist image of the holy Church.

Closely bound to the Apostolic See this shrine, praised by Popes and known throughout the world, has, over the years and no less than Nazareth in the Holy Land, been able to illustrate powerfully the evangelical virtues of the Holy Family.

In the Holy House, before the image of the Mother of the Redeemer and of the Church, Saints and Blesseds have responded to their vocation, the sick have invoked consolation in suffering, the people of God have begun to praise and plead with Mary using the Litany of Loreto, which is known throughout the world. In a particular way all those who travel via aircraft have found in her their heavenly patron.

In light of this, Pope Francis has decreed, by his own authority, that the optional memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Loreto should be inscribed in the Roman Calendar on 10 December, the day on which the feast falls in Loreto, and celebrated every year. This celebration will help all people, especially families, youth and religious to imitate the virtues of that perfect disciple of the Gospel, the Virgin Mother, who, in conceiving the Head of the Church also accepted us as her own.

Therefore the new memorial must appear in all Calendars and Liturgical Books for the celebration of Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours; the relative texts are attached to this decree and their translations, approved by the Episcopal Conferences, will be published after confirmation by this Dicastery.

Anything to the contrary nothwithstanding.

From the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 7 October 2019, the memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Rosary.

Robert Card. Sarah
Prefect

+Arthur Roche
Archbishop Secretary

Greetings for Military Chaplains

This morning, at the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience those who are participating in the V International Course for the formation of Catholic Military Chaplains in International Human Rights.  The theme of this year's gathering is: The loss of liberty in situations of armed conflict. The mission of military chaplains, which is taking place in Rome, at the Institutum Patristicum Augustinianum, from 29 to 31 October.

Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

to Military Chaplains

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I offer you a warm welcome on the occasion of the Fifth International Course of Formation of Catholic Military Chaplains on International Humanitarian Law, dedicated to the theme The Loss of Personal Freedom in the Context of Armed Conflicts: The Mission of the Military Chaplain. I thank Cardinal Peter Turkson for his kind words offered in your name.

Four years ago, when I received the participants in previous session of this course, I highlighted the need to reject the temptation of viewing the other as merely an enemy to be destroyed, and not as a person endowed with intrinsic dignity, created by God in his image. I also urged everyone never to tire of remembering that even amid the devastations of war and conflict every person is immensely holy (cf Address to the Participants of the Fourth International Course of Formation of Catholic Military Chaplains on International Humanitarian Law, 26 October 2015).

This encouragement, which I would renew today, becomes all the more significant in the case of persons deprived of personal freedom due to armed conflicts, since in addition to their vulnerability as prisoners, they are also in the hands of their adversaries. Often, persons detained in the context of armed conflicts are victims of violations of their fundamental rights. These violations include abuse, violence and various forms of torture and cruel treatment that are inhuman and degrading.

How many civilians, too, have been kidnapped, forcibly disappeared and killed! Among these, we can count numerous men and women religious of whom we hear nothing more, or who have given their lives for their consecration to God and their service to others, without favouritism or nationalistic bias.

I assure all these persons and their families of my prayers, that they may always have the courage to move forward and not lose hope.

International humanitarian law contains a number of provisions aimed at the protection of the dignity of detainees; this is especially the case in regard to the law governing international armed conflicts. The ethical foundation and crucial importance of these norms for safeguarding human dignity in the tragic context of armed conflicts means that they must be properly and rigorously respected and enforced. This also applies to encounters with detainees, independently of the nature and gravity of the crimes they may have committed. Respect for the dignity and physical integrity of the human person, in fact, cannot depend upon the actions they have done, but is a moral duty to which every person and every authority is called.

Dear Ordinaries and military chaplains: as you carry out your mission to form the consciences of the members of the armed forces, I encourage you to spare no effort to enable the norms of international humanitarian law to be accepted in the hearts of those entrusted to your pastoral care. Let yourselves be guided by the words of the Gospel: I was in prison and you came to me (Mt 25:36).

This means assisting the particular portion of the People of God entrusted to your care to identify those elements of the common patrimony of humanity, based on the natural law, that can become a bridge and a platform of encounter with everyone. The servants of Christ in the military world are also the first to be at the service of men and women and of their fundamental rights. I think of those among you who are close to military personnel in situations of international conflict; you are called to open their consciences to that universal love which brings one person closer to another, no matter what the other’s race, nationality, culture or religion may be.

But even before this, something else is required: an educational effort alongside that of families and Christian communities. This involves instilling the values of friendship, understanding, tolerance, goodness, and respect for all persons. It means forming young people who are sensitive to other cultures and their richness and committed to a global citizenship, in order to promote the growth of the one great human family. The Second Vatican Council calls those in military service custodians of the security and freedom of their people (Gaudium et Spes, 79). You are in their midst so that those words, which war contradicts and nullifies, can become a reality, so that they can give meaning to the lives of so many, both young and not so young, who, as military personnel, do not want to be robbed of human and Christian values.

Dear brothers and sisters, on 12 August 1949, the Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War was signed. On this, its seventieth anniversary, I want to reaffirm the importance the Holy See gives to international humanitarian law and to express the hope that its norms will be respected in every circumstance. The latter should be further clarified and reinforced where appropriate, especially with regard to non-international armed conflicts, and in particular with regard to the protection of persons deprived of freedom because of these conflicts.

I assure you that the Holy See will continue to make its contribution in discussions and negotiations within the family of nations. I entrust you to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, and I impart my heartfelt blessing to you and your loved ones. And I ask you please to pray for me. Thank you!
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Before his time

God's people gathered to bid farewell to one of our own today.  Here is the text of the homily I wrote to help his family and friends at this moment of suffering and grief.

Funeral Homily for David William Milton

Ever since the beginning of the Church, Jesus' disciples have referred to themselves as brothers and sisters, for we are all part of God's family.  In this spirit, we have gathered in this place today to pray for the repose of the soul of our beloved brother David.

At moments such as these, we look back at the life that has been lived, and in so doing, we give thanks for all that God has shared with us.  It is part of God's plan, for instance, that David and Gail met, that they came to Elliot Lake, that they fell in love with this little jewel in the wilderness and that they chose to raise their children here.  We may not often think of God when we consider the work that we are called to do, but David found employment here.  Like so many others, he worked underground, but this brother of ours will perhaps be remembered more for his work in carpentry.  In addition to the construction and renovation projects he undertook, he also left us a number of little boxes, each of them a work of art.  And more than the tangible reminders, he has left us a treasure of memories.

As we look back at all that has been, we echo the words of the first reading from the Book of Wisdom: David has departed this world too soon, before his time (Wis 4:7).  We remember and celebrate the years that we have been privileged to spend in his company because the Lord has allowed us to know him and to love him.

Over the past year or so, David's body endured great suffering.  As a result, he was weakened and dehydrated.  In those final days and weeks of his earthly life, all the physical strength and agility had seeped out of him.  Yet even in his weakness, his hearing still functioned: he could still hear words that were spoken in his presence.  It is perhaps significant that the gospel passage chosen for this morning's celebration reminds us of the importance of listening to the words that Jesus speaks (Jn 5:24) and coming to believe in the One who sent him.  Today, we have come to listen for the words that Jesus is speaking to us.  He wants to reassure us that the hour is coming when the dead will leave their graves ... and rise again to life (Jn 5:28-29).  This was true during the time of Jesus and it is true today.

Today, we entrust David to the love and mercy of Jesus.  It is never easy to say goodbye to someone we have known and loved, but we can do this because we believe that God's grace is present to guide us and to console us.  It is the gift of God's grace that allows us to give thanks today for David; it is the gift of God's grace that allows us to look forward to the life that lies ahead of us.  Even if we should think that it will be difficult to go on without him in our lives, we can ask the Lord to help us.  He will always come to our help: feeding us with the special food of the Eucharist and giving us the gift of his grace to help us get up again so that we can keep going.

General Audience: a response to a plea

This morning's General Audience began at 9:00am 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 catechesis on the Acts of the Apostles, adding his meditation on the theme: Come to Macedonia and help us! (Acts 16:9).  The Christian faith arrives in Europe (Acts 16:9-10).

After having summarized his catechesis in various languages, the Holy Father offered particular greetings to each group of the faithful in attendance.  Then, he called for special attention to the situation in Iraq, expressing his condolences for victims of the protests which have taken place in that country.

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!

Reading the Acts of the Apostles, we see how the Holy Spirit is the protagonist of the Church's mission: it is he who guides the path of evangelizers showing them the way they are to follow.

We see this clearly when the apostle Paul, having reached Troas, receives a vision. A Macedonian begs him: Come to Macedonia and help us (Acts 16: 9). The people of Northern Macedonia are proud of this, they are so proud to have called Paul, for it was Paul who announced Jesus Christ. I remember so much that beautiful people who welcomed me with such warmth: may they keep this faith that Paul preached to them! The Apostle did not hesitate; he left for Macedonia, certain that it was God himself who sent him, and he arrived at Philippi, a Roman colony (Acts 16:12) on the Egnatia way, to preach the Gospel. Paul stopped there for several days. There were three events that characterized his stay in Philippi, during these three days: three important events. 1) Evangelization and the baptism of Lidia and her family; 2) the arrest he suffered, together with Silas, after having exorcised a slave woman exploited by her masters; 3) the conversion and baptism of his jailer and his family. We see these three episodes in Paul's life.

The power of the Gospel is addressed, first of all, to the women of Philippi, in particular to Lydia, a merchant of purple cloth, from the city of Thyatira, a believer in God to whom the Lord opened her heart to adhere to the words of Paul (Acts 16:14). In fact, Lidia welcomed Christ, received baptism together with her family and welcomed those who were of Christ, hosting Paul and Silas in her home. Here we have the testimony of the arrival of Christianity in Europe: the beginning of a process of inculturation that continues even today. He entered from Macedonia.

After the warmth experienced at Lidia's home, Paul and Silas then found themselves dealing with the harshness of the prison: they passed from the consolation of this conversion of Lidia and her family, to the desolation of the prison, where they were thrown for having freed a slave who had a spirit of divination and brought much gain to her masters with the trade of guess ... in the name of Jesus (Acts 16:16) with what seemed to be magic. His masters earned so much and this poor slave did what fortune-tellers usually do: she guesses the future, she reads your palms - as the song says, take this palm, gypsy, and people paid for this. Even today, dear brothers and sisters, there are people who pay for this. I remember in my diocese, in a very large park, there were more than 60 tables where there were soothsayers who would read your palm and people believed these things! And they paid for it. And this also happened at the time of Saint Paul. His masters, in retaliation, denounced Paul and lead the Apostles to magistrates on charges of public disorder.

What's going on? Paul was in prison and during his imprisonment, a surprising event occurred. He was in desolation, but instead of complaining, Paul and Silas sang a hymn of praise to God and this praise released a power that freed them: during the prayer an earthquake shook the foundations of the prison, the doors were opened and their shackles were opened (cf Acts 16:25-26). Like the prayer of Pentecost, even what was done in prison caused prodigious effects.

The jailer, believing that the prisoners had fled, was about to commit suicide, because jailers paid with their own lives if a prisoner escaped; but Paul shouted to him: We are all here! (Acts 16:27-28). Then he asked: What must I do to be saved? (Acts 16:30). The answer was: Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your family will be saved (Acts 16:31). At this point the change took place: in the middle of the night, the jailer listened to the word of the Lord with his family, welcomed the apostles, washed their wounds - because they had been beaten - and together with their relatives, received baptism; then, full of joy with all his people for having believed in God (Acts 16:34), the jailer prepared the table and invited Paul and Silas to stay with them: the moment of consolation! In the middle of the night, in the heart of this anonymous jailer, the light of Christ shone and defeated darkness: the chains of the heart fell and a joy never felt in him and in his family appeared. Thus the Holy Spirit is doing the mission: from the beginning, from Pentecost onwards the Spirit is the protagonist of the mission. And this carries us forward, we need to be faithful to the vocation that the Spirit moves us to do. To proclaim the Gospel.

We also ask the Holy Spirit today for an open heart, sensitive to God and hospitable to our brothers and sisters, a heart like that of Lydia, and a bold faith, like that of Paul and Silas, and also an opening of the heart, like that of the jailer who allows himself to be touched by the Holy Spirit.



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 guests, he said:

I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, especially the groups from England, Ireland, Denmark, Australia, Korea, Indonesia, Israel, the Philippines, Canada and the United States of America. Upon all of you, and your families, I invoke the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you!

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

Dear brothers and sisters, my thoughts go out to beloved Iraq, where protests have taken place during the past few months, causing many deaths and others to be wounded.  While I express condolences for the victims and my closeness to their families and to those who have been wounded, I invite the Authorities to listen to the cries of the people who are asking to live with dignity and tranquility.  I exhort all Iraqi people, with the support of the international community, to continue their efforts toward dialogue and reconciliation and to seek just solutions to the challenges and the problems in that country.  I pray that those suffering people may find peace and stability after having endured so many years of fighting and violence, during which they have suffered so much.
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Updates for the voyage to Thailand and Japan

The programme for the Apostolic Voyage of His Holiness, Pope Francis to Thailand and Japan was first published on 2 October of this year.  The following is an updated itinerary:

Updated itinerary for the Voyage of His Holiness, Pope Francis

to Thailand and Japan

Tuesday, 19 November 2019
7:00pm
Departure from Rome's Fiumicino International Airport

Wednesday, 20 November 2019
12:30pm
Arrival at the Military Air Terminal 2 in Bangkok
Official welcome at the Military Air Terminal 2 in Bangkok

Thursday, 21 November 2019
9:00am
Welcome ceremony in the courtyard outside Government House

9:15am
Meeting with the Prime Minister in the Inner Ivory Room at Government House

9:30am
Meeting with Authorities, members of Civil Society and the Diplomatic Corps in the Inner Santi Maitri Room at Government House
Speech by the Holy Father

10:00am
Visit with the Supreme Patriarch of the Buddhists at the Wat Tatchabophit Sathit Maha Simaram Temple
Greetings by the Holy Father

11:15am
Meeting with medical personnel at Saint Louis Hospital
Greetings by the Holy Father

12:00noon
Private visit with sick and disabled persons at Saint Louis Hospital

Lunch at the Apostolic Nunciature

5:00pm
Private visit with His Majesty, King Maha Vajiralongkorn Rama X at the Amphorn Royal Palace

6:00pm
Holy Mass in the National Stadium
Homily by the Holy Father

Friday, 22 November 2019
10:00am
Meeting with Priests, Religious men and women, Seminarians and Catechists inside Saint Peter's Parish church
Speech by the Holy Father

11:00am
Meeting with Bishops of Thailand and the FABC at the Shrine of Blessed Nicholas Boonkerd Kitbamrung
Speech by the Holy Father

11:50am
Private meeting with the members of the Company of Jesus in a room at the Shrine

Lunch at the Apostolic Nunciature

3:20pm
Meeting with Christian leaders and leaders of other religions at Chulalongkorn University
Speech by the Holy Father

5:00pm
Holy Mass with young people at the Cathedral of the Assumption
Homily by the Holy Father

Saturday, 23 November 2019
9:15am
Departure ceremony at the Military Air Terminal 2 in Bangkok

9:30am
Departure for Tokyo

5:40pm
Arrival at Tokyo's Haneda Airport
Welcome ceremony at Tokyo's Haneda Airport

6:30pm
Meeting with Bishops at the Apostolic Nunciature
Speech by the Holy Father

Sunday, 24 November 2019
7:20am
Departure of the aircraft for Nagasaki

9:20am
Arrival of the aircraft at Nagasaki

10:15am
Message concerning Nuclear Arms at Atomic Bomb Hypocenter Park
Message by the Holy Father

10:45am
Homage to the Holy Martyrs at the Monument of the Martyrs on Nishizaka Hill
Greetings by the Holy Father
Angelus

Lunch at the Archbishop's residence

2:00pm
Holy Mass in the Baseball Stadium
Homily by the Holy Father

4:35pm
Departure of the aircraft for Hiroshima

5:45pm
Arrival of the aircraft at Hiroshima

6:40pm
Meeting for Peace at the Peace Memorial
Message by the Holy Father

8:25pm
Departure of the aircraft for Tokyo

9:50pm
Arrival at Tokyo's Haneda Airport

Monday, 25 November 2019
10:00am
Meeting with victims of the triple disaster at Bellesalle Hanzomon
Speech by the Holy Father

Private visit with Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace

11:45am
Meeting with young people in Saint Mary's Cathedral
Speech by the Holy Father

Lunch with the Papal party at the Apostolic Nunciature

4:00pm
Holy Mass at the Tokyo Dome
Homily by the Holy Father

Meeting with the Prime Minister at Kantei

Meeting with Authorities and members of the Diplomatic Corps at Kantei
Speech by the Holy Father

Tuesday, 26 November 2019
7:45am
Holy Mass in private with members of the Company of Jesus in the Chapel of the Kulturzentrum at Sophia University

Breakfast and private meeting with Collegio Massimo at Sophia University

9:40am
Visit with elderly and sick priests at Sophia University

10:00am
Visit to Sophia University
Speech by the Holy Father

11:20am
Departure ceremony at Haneda Airport

11:35am
Departure from Japan

5:15pm
Arrival at Rome's Fiumicino International Airport

An other-worldly mission

Here is the text of the homily I prepared for this Sunday's celebrations of the Eucharist and the gatherings of God's people.

The Christian's Mission

Throughout the month of October, we have been reflecting on the mission that all Christians are called to fulfill.  Week after week, we gather to celebrate the Eucharist.  Jesus, who is the host at this gathering, welcomes us, instructs us and feeds us with the special food that is only available at this table.  Then he sends us out into the world so that we can share the good news of the love we have encountered here with others.  Day after day, we share with our brothers and sisters the good news of God's mercy that we have discovered in our own lives, and God continues to work in the hearts of others who have heard our words, encouraging them to discover the joy of knowing Him.

In the early centuries of Christianity, many who witnessed the joy that was part of the everyday life of those who followed Jesus would wonder what it was that caused them to be so convinced.  One writer said it this way: Christians are indistinguishable from other people, either by nationality, language or customs.  They do not inhabit separate cities of their own, or speak a strange dialect, or follow some outlandish way of life ... They live in their own countries as through they were only passing through ... but for them their homeland, wherever it may be, is a foreign country (Letter to Diognetus).

We hear an echo of this conviction in the words of the tax collector who is mentioned in today's gospel.  Knowing that he was in the presence of God, all he could bring himself to say was: O God, be merciful to me a sinner (Lk 18:13) and as he wrote to Timothy, Saint Paul was very aware of the fact that his time on earth was drawing to a close, yet he was convinced that there was another destiny to which he was heading.  I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand ... from now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge will award to me on that day (2 Tim 4:6-8).

This past week, we celebrated the liturgical Memorial of Saint John Paul II.  On the day when he began his pontificate, crowds of people filled Saint Peter's Square in Rome, all of them eagerly wanting to hear the words he would speak.  The words of that first homily still ring out across the years that have come and gone: Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid to welcome Christ and to accept his power (Homily for the Mass of Inauguration, 22 October 1978).  Throughout the following 27 years, the Polish Pope travelled the world, greeted people young and old, rich and poor, and all the while, he continued to encourage us with the same words: Do not be afraid!

The mission of the Church is still the same today as it always has been.  The Lord always hears the cry of the oppressed.  The Lord is not deaf to the wail of the orphan, nor to the widow when she pours out her complaint (Sir 35:12-14).  We must never be afraid to cry out to God in our time of need, or to cry out to God when we recognize the needs of others ... and we should never be afraid to welcome Christ, to accept his power and to joyfully share with others the goodness that our God has made known to us.

La mission des chrétiens

Tout au long du mois d'octobre, nous avons réfléchi à la mission qui est confiée à tous les chrétiens et chrétiennes. De semaine en semaine, nous nous réunissons pour célébrer l'Eucharistie. Jésus, qui est l'hôte de ce rassemblement, nous accueille; il nous instruit et nous nourrit de la nourriture spéciale qui est disponible uniquement à cette table. Ensuite, il nous envoie dans le monde afin que nous puissions partager la bonne nouvelle de l'amour que nous avons rencontré ici avec d'autres. Jour après jour, nous partageons avec nos frères et sœurs la bonne nouvelle de la miséricorde de Dieu que nous-même nous avons découverte, et Dieu continue d'œuvrer dans le cœur de ceux qui ont entendu nos paroles, en les encourageant à découvrir la joie de Le connaître.

Pendant les premiers siècles du christianisme, nombreux étaient ceux qui étaient témoins de la joie qui faisait partie de la vie quotidienne de ceux et celles qui suivaient Jésus; souvent, ils se demandaient ce qui les avait rendus si convaincus. Un auteur a dit ceci: Les chrétiens ne se distinguent pas des autres, que ce soit par leur nationalité, leur langue ou leurs coutumes. Ils n'habitent pas des villes séparées, ni ne parlent un dialecte étrange, ni ne suivent un style de vie étrange ... Ils vivent dans leur propre pays comme ils ne faisaient que passer ... mais pour eux leur patrie, où que ce soit peut être, est un pays étranger (Lettre à Diognetus).

Nous entendons un écho de cette conviction dans les mots du publicain dans l'évangile d'aujourd'hui. Sachant qu'il était en présence du Seigneur, tout ce qu'il pouvait se résoudre à dire c'était: Mon Dieu, montre-toi favorable au pécheur que je suis (Lc 18: 13) et, comme il l'écrivait à Timothée, Saint Paul était très conscient du fait que sa vie sur terre touchait à sa fin, mais il était convaincu qu'il se dirigeait vers un autre destin. Je suis déjà offert en sacrifice, le moment de mon départ est venu ... je n'ai plus qu'à recevoir la couronne de la justice: le Seigneur, le juste juge, me la remettra en ce jour-là  (2 Tim 4: 6-8).

La semaine dernière, nous avons célébré le Mémorial liturgique de Saint Jean-Paul II. Le jour où il a commencé son pontificat, une foule de gens a envahi la place Saint-Pierre à Rome, tous désirant ardemment entendre les paroles qu'il allait prononcer. Les paroles de cette première homélie résonnent encore au fil des années: Frères et sœurs, n’ayez pas peur d’accueillir le Christ et d’accepter son pouvoir! (Homélie pour la messe d’inauguration du 22 octobre 1978). Au cours des 27 années qui ont suivi, le pape polonais a parcouru le monde, il a salué des personnes jeunes ainsi que les âgées, les riches et les pauvres, tout en continuant à nous encourager avec les mêmes paroles: N'ayez pas peur!

La mission de l'Église est toujours la même aujourd'hui et depuis toujours. Le Seigneur ne défavorise jamais le pauvre, il écoute la prière de l'opprimé.  Il ne méprise pas la supplication de l'orphelin, ni la plainte répétée de la veuve (Sir 35: 12-14). Nous ne devons jamais avoir peur de crier vers Dieu quand nous en avons besoin, ou de crier vers le Seigneur quand nous reconnaissons les besoins des autres ... et nous ne devrions jamais avoir peur d'accueillir le Christ, d'accepter son pouvoir et de partager avec joie la bonté que notre Dieu nous a faite connaître.

Angelus after the Synod

At noon today, local time in Rome (6:00am EDT), at the conclusion of the Holy Mass celebrated in the Vatican Basilica to mark the end of the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazonian region (which has taken place from 6 to 27 October 2019) on the theme: Amazonia: New paths for the Church and for an Integral Ecology, the Holy Father, Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study inside the Apostolic Palace to recite the Angelus with the faithful and with pilgrims gathered in Saint Peter's Square.

Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

prior to the recitation of the Angelus

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

The Mass that was celebrated this morning in Saint Peter's Basilica concluded the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazonian region. The first reading, from the Book of Sirach, reminded us of the starting point of this journey: the invocation of the poor, which pierces the clouds, because God hears the prayer of the oppressed (Sir 35: 21.16). The cry of the poor, together with that of the earth, came to us from the Amazon. After these three weeks we can't pretend not to have heard it. The voices of the poor, together with those of many others inside and outside the Synod Assembly - Pastors, young people, scientists - are pushing us not to remain indifferent. We have often heard the phrase later, it will be too late: this sentence cannot remain a slogan.

What was the Synod? It was, as the word says, a walk together, comforted by the courage and consolation that comes from the Lord. We walked while looking into each other's eyes and listening to each other, sincerely, without hiding the difficulties, experiencing the beauty of moving forward together, in order to serve. The Apostle Paul inspires us in this regard in the second reading today: in a dramatic moment for him, while he knows that he is about to be paid in the offering - that is, executed - and that the time has come to leave this life (cf 2 Tim 4:6), he writes, at that moment: The Lord, however, was close to me and gave me strength, so that I could bring the proclamation of the Gospel to completion and all the nations heard him" (2 Tim:17). Here is Paul's last wish: not something for himself or for some of his people, but for the Gospel, so that it may be proclaimed to all peoples. This comes first and counts most of all. Each of us will have asked ourselves many times what we should do that would be good for our lives; today is the time; let us ask ourselves: I, what can I do good for the Gospel?

At the Synod, we asked ourselves this question, for we are eager to open new paths for the proclamation of the Gospel. Only what is lived is proclaimed. And to live for Jesus, to live for the Gospel we must go out of ourselves. We felt encouraged to take off, to leave the comfortable shores of our safe ports and to go deep into the waters: not into the swampy waters of ideologies, but into the open sea where the Spirit invites us to throw the nets.

For the journey that is to come, let us invoke the Virgin Mary, venerated and loved as Queen of the Amazon. She gained this title not by conquering but rather by being inculturated: with the humble courage of a mother she became the protector of her children, the defence of the oppressed, always going toward the culture of peoples. There is no standard culture, there is no pure culture that purifies the others; there is the Gospel; it is pure and needs to be inculturated. To her, who took care of Jesus in the poor house of Nazareth, we entrust the poorest children and our common home.



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

Dear brothers and sisters,

I offer a special thought to the beloved people of Lebanon, in particular the young people, who in recent days have made their cries heard in response to social, morial and economic challenges and problems in their country.  I urge all people to seek out just solutions through dialogue, and I am praying to the Virgin Mary, the Queen of Lebanon, that with the support of the international community, that country may continue to be a place of peaceful coexistence and respect for the dignity and freedom of every person for the benefit of the entire Middle-eastern region, which is suffering so much.

With great affection, I greet you all, pilgrims from Italy and from other countries, especially those who have come from Sao Paolo in Brazil and those who have come from Poland, as well as the Céntro Académico Romano Fundación group from Spain.

I greet the Apostles of the Sacred Heart, who are celebrating one hundred years since their foundation; the Siro-Malabar community from the Diocese of Patti; and the seminarians from the Dioceses of Regiio Emilia-Guastalla, who served the Mass inside the Basilica this morning.  And I also see that there are some recently Confirmed young people from Galzignano: greetings to you!

This is the final Sunday of October, the Missionary month, and this year, it had a special character, in addition to being the month of the Rosary.  I renew my invitation to pray the Rosary for the Church's missions today, especially for the missionaries who are experiencing major difficulties.  And at the same time, let us continue to pray the Rosary for peace.  May the gospel and peace continue to journey together.

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

Mass to Conclude the Synod for the Amazon Region

At 10:00am local time this morning, XXX Sunday of Ordinary Time, inside the Vatican Basilica, the Holy Father, Pope Francis celebrated Holy Mass on the occasion of the conclusion of the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazonian Region which has been taking place at the Vatican from 6-27 October 2019, focused on the theme: Amazonia: New Paths for the Church and for Integral Ecology.

Homily of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

for the Mass celebrated

at the conclusion of the Synod of Bishops

The word of God today helps us to pray through three figures: in Jesus’ parable both the Pharisee and the tax collector pray, while the first reading speaks of the prayer of a poor person.

1. The prayer of the Pharisee begins in this way: God, I thank you.

This is a great beginning, because the best prayer is that of gratitude, that of praise. Immediately, though, we see the reason why he gives thanks: that I am not like other men (Lk 18:11). He also explains the reason: he fasts twice a week, although at the time there was only a yearly obligation; he pays tithes on all that he has, though tithing was prescribed only on the most important products (cf Dt 14:22ff). In short, he boasts because he fulfils particular commandments to the best degree possible. But he forgets the greatest commandment: to love God and our neighbour (cf Mt 22:36-40). Brimming with self-assurance about his own ability to keep the commandments, his own merits and virtues, he is focused only on himself. The tragedy of this man is that he is without love. Even the best things, without love, count for nothing, as Saint Paul says (cf 1 Cor 13). Without love, what is the result? He ends up praising himself instead of praying. In fact, he asks nothing from the Lord because he does not feel needy or in debt, but he feels that God owes something to him. He stands in the temple of God, but he worships a different god: himself. And many prestigious groups, Catholic Christians, go along this path.

Together with God, he forgets his neighbour; indeed, he despises him. For the Pharisee, his neighbour has no worth, no value. He considers himself better than others, whom he calls literally the rest, the remainders (loipoi, Lk 18:11). That is, they are leftovers, they are scraps from which to keep one’s distance. How many times do we see this happening over and over again in life and history! How many times do those who are prominent, like the Pharisee with respect to the tax collector, raise up walls to increase distances, making other people feel even more rejected. Or by considering them backward and of little worth, they despise their traditions, erase their history, occupy their lands, and usurp their goods. How much alleged superiority, transformed into oppression and exploitation, exists even today! We saw this during the Synod when speaking about the exploitation of creation, of people, of the inhabitants of the Amazon, of the trafficking of persons, trade in human beings! The mistakes of the past were not enough to stop the plundering of other persons and the inflicting of wounds on our brothers and sisters and on our sister earth: we have seen it in the scarred face of the Amazon region. Worship of self carries on hypocritically with its rites and prayers – many are Catholics, they profess themselves Catholic, but they have forgotten that they are Christians and human beings – forgetting the true worship of God which is always expressed in love of one’s neighbour. Even Christians who pray and go to Mass on Sunday are subject to this religion of the self. Let us examine ourselves and see whether we too may think that someone is inferior and can be tossed aside, even if only in our words. Let us pray for the grace not to consider ourselves superior, not to believe that we are alright, not to become cynical and scornful. Let us ask Jesus to heal us of speaking ill and complaining about others, of despising this or that person: these things are displeasing to God. And at Mass today we are accompanied providentially not only by indigenous people of the Amazon, but also by the poor from our developed societies: our disabled brothers and sisters from the Community of L’Arche. They are with us, in the front row.

2. Let us turn to the other prayer. The prayer of the tax collector helps us understand what is pleasing to God. He does not begin with his own merits but with his shortcomings; not with his riches but with his poverty. His was not economic poverty – tax collectors were wealthy and tended to make money unjustly at the expense of their fellow citizens – but he felt a poverty of life, because we never live well in sin. The tax collector who exploited others admitted being poor before God, and the Lord heard his prayer, a mere seven words but an expression of heartfelt sincerity. In fact, while the Pharisee stood in front of him, on his feet (cf Lk 18:11), the tax collector stood far off and would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, because he believed that God is indeed great, while he knew himself to be small. He beat his breast (cf Lk 18:13), because the breast is where the heart is. His prayer is born straight from the heart; it is transparent. He places his heart before God, not outward appearances. To pray is to stand before God’s eyes – it is God looking at me when I pray – without illusions, excuses or justifications. Often our regrets filled with self-justification can make us laugh. More than regrets, they seem as if we are canonizing ourselves. Because from the devil come darkness and lies – these are our self-justifications; from God come light and truth, transparency of my heart. It was a wonderful experience, and I am so grateful, dear members of the Synod, that we have been able to speak to one another in these weeks from the heart, with sincerity and candour, and to place our efforts and hopes before God and our brothers and sisters.

Today, looking at the tax collector, we rediscover where to start: from the conviction that we, all of us, are in need of salvation. This is the first step of the true worship of God, who is merciful towards those who admit their need. On the other hand, the root of every spiritual error, as the ancient monks taught, is believing ourselves to be righteous. To consider ourselves righteous is to leave God, the only righteous one, out in the cold. This initial stance is so important that Jesus shows it to us with an unusual comparison, juxtaposing in the parable the Pharisee, the most pious and devout figure of the time, and the tax collector, the public sinner par excellence. The judgment is reversed: the one who is good but presumptuous fails; the one who is a disaster but humble is exalted by God. If we look at ourselves honestly, we see in us all both the tax collector and the Pharisee. We are a bit tax collectors because we are sinners, and a bit Pharisees because we are presumptuous, able to justify ourselves, masters of the art of self-justification. This may often work with ourselves, but not with God. This trick does not work with God. Let us pray for the grace to experience ourselves in need of mercy, interiorly poor. For this reason too, we do well to associate with the poor, to remind ourselves that we are poor, to remind ourselves that the salvation of God operates only in an atmosphere of interior poverty.

3. We come now to the prayer of the poor person, from the first reading. This prayer, says Sirach, will reach to the clouds (Sir 35:21). While the prayer of those who presume that they are righteous remains earthly, crushed by the gravitational force of egoism, that of the poor person rises directly to God. The sense of faith of the People of God has seen in the poor the gatekeepers of heaven: the sense of faith that was missing in the Pharisee’s utterance. They are the ones who will open wide the gates of eternal life ... or not. They were not considered bosses in this life, they did not put themselves ahead of others; they had their wealth in God alone. These persons are living icons of Christian prophecy.

In this Synod we have had the grace of listening to the voices of the poor and reflecting on the precariousness of their lives, threatened by predatory models of development. Yet precisely in this situation, many have testified to us that it is possible to look at reality in a different way, accepting it with open arms as a gift, treating the created world not as a resource to be exploited but as a home to be preserved, with trust in God. He is our Father and, Sirach says again, he hears the prayer of one who is wronged (Sir 35:16). How many times, even in the Church, have the voices of the poor not been heard and perhaps scoffed at or silenced because they are inconvenient. Let us pray for the grace to be able to listen to the cry of the poor: this is the cry of hope of the Church. The cry of the poor is the Church’s cry of hope. When we make their cry our own, we can be certain, our prayer too will reach to the clouds.
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@ the Synod: Pope Francis' remarks

Yesterday evening, during the final General Congregation of the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon region, which has been taking place from 6 to 27 October 2019 at the Vatican, the Holy Father, Pope Francis offered the following unscripted comments.

Unscripted remarks of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

at the conclusion of the Special Assembly

of the Synod of Bishops

First of all, I want to thank all of you who have given this testimony of work, of listening, of seeking, of seeking to put in practice this synodal spirit that we are learning to establish, and which we have still been unable to complete. However, we are on a journey; we are on a good journey. And we are increasingly understanding what it means to walk together; we are understanding what it is to discern, what it means to listen, what it means to incorporate the Church’s rich tradition in critical moments. Some think that tradition is a museum of old things. I like to repeat what Gustav Mahler said: Tradition is the safeguard of the future and not the custody of ashes. It’s like the root from which the sap comes that makes the tree grow so that it bears fruits. To take that and to make it go forward is how the early Fathers conceived what tradition is. To receive and to walk in the same direction, with that very lovely triple dimension of Vincent of Lerins already in the 5th century: Christian dogma, remaining absolutely intact and unaltered, is consolidated over the years, develops with time and deepens with age (cf Primo Commonitorio, 23: PL 50, 667-668)] Thank you for all this.

One of the topics that was voted on, which had a majority  — three topics had a majority for the next Synod –, is that of Synodality. I don’t know if it will or will not be chosen, I’ve still not decided, I’m reflecting and thinking, but I can certainly say that we have walked a lot and we still have to walk more in the journey of Synodality; thank you all very much for your company.

The Post-Synodal Exhortation that – it’s not obligatory for the Pope to do it – which most probably – no, sorry, the easiest would be: well, here is the Document, you all see to it. In any case, a word of the Pope about what he has lived in this Synod might do good. I would like to do it before the end of the year so that not much time goes by; it all depends on the time I’ll have to think.

We are talking of four dimensions, which were — we have worked on the cultural dimension; we talked of inculturation, the valuation of the culture, very forcefully, and I am happy with what was said in this regard, which is in the tradition of the Church. Inculturation: Puebla had already opened the door, to name the closest. Second: the ecological dimension: I would like to pay tribute here to one of the pioneers of this awareness in the Church – Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. He was among the first who opened the way to create this awareness. And after him, so many have followed him, with that anxiety and, increasingly, with an acceleration of geometric progression, of the Paris team and the other meetings that followed. Laudato Si’ was born there with an inspiration with which many people worked, scientists, theologians, pastoralists. Well, this ecological awareness that goes forward and which today denounces the way of compulsive exploitation, of destruction, of which Amazonia is one of the most important points. I would say this ecological dimension is a symbol, in which our future is at stake, isn’t that so? In the protests made by young people, be it in Greta’s movement or others, youngsters came out with placards: The future is ours, that is, don’t you decide what our future will be. It’s ours. The awareness that exists along with that of the ecological danger  —  evidently not only in Amazonia, but in other places: the Congo is another point, other sectors, in my homeland it is in the Chaco, the zone of the impenetrable, which is also small, but we also know this, in some way. Along with the ecological dimension is the social dimension, of which we spoke, which is no longer what is exploited wildly, the created, Creation, but persons. And in Amazonia, all sorts of injustices appear: destruction of persons, exploitation of persons at all levels and destruction of the cultural identity. I remember that on arriving at Puerto Maldonado – I believe I said this, I don’t remember –, there was a placard in the airport with the image of a very beautiful girl, very beautiful,  stating: defend yourself or beware of trafficking. That was a warning to an arriving tourist. Trafficking listens, and trafficking is the highest level of corruption, but of persons at all levels. And this, together with the destruction of the cultural identity, which is another of the phenomena you have pointed out very well in the Document – how cultural identity is destroyed in all this. And the fourth dimension, which is the one that includes all – and I would say, which is the principal one –, is the pastoral, the pastoral dimension. The proclamation of the Gospel is urgent, urgent, but it must be understood, assimilated, understood by these cultures. And there was talk of the laity, of Permanent Deacons, of men and women religious, to point to on this issue. And there was talk of what they do, to strengthen that. There was talk of new ministries, inspired by Paul VI’s Ministeria Quaedam, of creativity in this, creativity in the new ministries, to see how far one can go. There was talk, very forceful, of indigenous Seminaries. I thank Cardinal O’Malley for his courage in this because he put his finger on the sore in something that is a real social injustice, which is, in fact, the Indians are not allowed to go on the seminarian path and on the path of the priesthood. There was talk of creativity in all this of the new ministries and of everything. I assume the request to recall the Commission or perhaps open it with new members to continue studying how the Permanent Diaconate existed in the primitive Church. You all know that they came to an agreement among themselves that wasn’t clear. I handed this to the nuns, to the General Union of Women Religious, which had asked me to do the research. I gave it to the Union and now each one of the theologians is with his line looking into and researching this. I’m going to try to do this again with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and to bring in new persons in this Commission, and I pick up the glove, that they have put there: that we be heard I pick up the glove (applause). Things appeared that must be reformed: the Church must always be reforming herself — priestly formation in the country.

I heard it said, that in some countries, or perhaps it was said in a group or here, it was once said  — which I heard –, that a certain lack of zeal was noted in the clergy in the non-Amazonian area as opposed to the Amazonian area. With Cardinal Filoni, we have faced difficulties when a Religious Congregation has left a Vicariate, to find priests of that country to take the Vicariate: No, of course, I’m not for that, they say. Well, that has to be reformed. Priestly formation in the country, which is universal, and that there is a responsibility to take charge of all the problems of the geographic countries, let’s say, of that Episcopal Conference. But to reform that: there must not be a lack of zeal Some also – I remember two – pointed out that, perhaps, the lack of zeal is not so strongly seen – sorry –, that there is lack of zeal, strong or not but . . . in young men religious, as something that must be taken into account. Young men religious have a very great vocation and they must be formed in apostolic zeal to go to the borders. It would be good that, in the plan of formation of men religious, there was a one-year or more experience in border regions. The same, and this is a suggestion  that I received in writing, but now I express it, that in the Holy See’s Diplomatic Service – in the curriculum for the Diplomatic Service, a young priest should spend at least one year in a mission land, not doing the internship in the Nunciature as is now done and is very useful, but simply at the service of a Bishop in a place of mission. That will be studied but it’s also a reform to see to.  And the re-distribution of the clergy in the same country. It was said, referring to a situation where there is a great quantity of priests of that country in the first world, read the United States, Europe, etc., and there are none from that country to send to the Amazonian area. That will have to be evaluated, but be in agreement. Those interested of fidei donum . . .  it’s true that sometimes – and this happened to me while I was Bishop in another diocese  — one of them comes whom you sent to study and he fell in love with the place and stayed there with all that the first world offers, and he doesn’t want to return to the diocese And, of course, to save the vocation, one yields. However, be very careful on that point and don’t favor.

I thank the true fidei donum priests who come to Europe from Africa, from Asia, and from America, but those that are fidei donum, who return that fidei donum, that Europe gave them. However, those that come and stay constitute a danger. It’s something that is a bit sad, a Bishop of Italy said to me, who has three of those who stay and don’t go to celebrate a Mass in the mountain villages if the offer is not made to them first. This is historical of here, this no. Then, let’s be on the alert with this and let’s be courageous in doing these reforms of re-distribution of the clergy in the same country.

And woman was a point of the pastoral part. Evidently woman – what is said in the Document, falls short, what woman is, no? In the transmission of the faith, in talking about the culture, I would only like to stress this: that we have not yet realized what woman means in the Church, and in this connection, we stay in the functional part, which is important, which must be in the Councils . . . or in all that was said, that yes.  However, woman’s role in the Church goes far beyond functionality. And that is what has to continue to be worked on, beyond functionality.

Then there was talk of re-organizations, the point is made at the end of the Document and I saw, from the votes, that some weren’t in agreement. An organism of service, following REPAM, to do a sort of . . .  REPAM must have greater consistency, a sort of Amazonian face. I don’t know, to progress in organization, to progress in the semi-Episcopal Conferences, that is: there is an Episcopal Conference of the country, but there is also a partial semi-Episcopal Conference of an area, and that’s done everywhere; here, in Italy, there is the Lombardi Episcopal Conference . . . That is, there are countries that have sectorial Episcopal Conferences. Why can the countries of the Amazonian region not have small Amazonian Episcopal Conferences, which belong to the general one, but that do their own work, and organizing this sort of REPAM structure, this sort of Amazonian CELAM. Opening, opening . . . There was talk of a ritual reform, to open to rites. This is within the competence of the Congregation for Divine Worship, and it can do so following the criteria, and I know they can do it very well, and make the necessary proposals that inculturation calls for, but always stress overflowing, always go beyond. Not only ritual organization, but organization of another sort, what the Lord will inspire. Of the 23 Churches with their own rites that are mentioned in the Document, which came out at least in the pre-Document, I believe that at least 18 if not 19 are sui iuris Churches, which began small and build traditions up to where the Lord leads us, and not be afraid of organizations that guard a special life. Always with the help of Holy Mother Church, Mother of all, who guides us on this path so that we don’t separate. Don’t be afraid of them.

And in regard to the organization of the Roman Curia, there must also be a contribution. Open an Amazonian section within the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, in such a way, as — since it doesn’t have work — I give it more.

In addition to thanking you, which I’ve already done, I want to thank all those that worked outside, especially from this room. Well, the secretaries that helped, the hidden secretariat, the media, the publishing team, those that prepared the meetings and information. The great hidden ones that make it possible for something to go forward, the famous regi that has helped us so much. Gratitude also to them.

I include the Presidency of the General Secretariat in gratitude to all and gratitude to the media – that I thought would be here to hear the voting, as the voting is public – for what they have done. Thank you for this matter, for this favor you do for us of spreading the Synod. I would ask you a favour: that in spreading the Final Document you pause especially on the diagnoses, which is the heavy part, which is the part where the Synod really expressed itself better: the cultural diagnosis, the social diagnosis, the pastoral diagnosis, and the ecological diagnosis, because society must take charge of this.

The danger is that, perhaps, you might entertain yourselves – it’s a danger, I’m not saying you will do it, but society asks for it – sometimes saying: Let’s see what they decided on this disciplinary question; what they decided on the other; this side won, did that one lose? In small disciplinary things, which have their importance, but that wouldn’t do the good this Synod must do. Society must take charge of the diagnoses, which we have carried out in four dimensions. I would ask the media to do so. There is always a group of elite Christians that like to meddle, as if it was universal, in this sort of diagnosis – smaller, in this sort of more disciplinary intra-ecclesiastical resolutions. I don’t say inter-ecclesial but inter-ecclesiastical, and say that the world won this section, won that other one. No, we all won with the diagnoses we did up to where we reached in pastoral and intra-ecclesiastical questions. However, they must not shut themselves in that.  Thinking today of those Catholic elites and sometimes, Christian elites but especially Catholic, that want to go to the little thing and forget the great. I remember a phrase of Peguy, I went to look for it. I’ll try to translate it well, I think it can help us when we describe these groups that want the little things and forget the actual thing. Because they don’t have the courage to be with the world, they believe they are with God. Because they don’t have the courage to commit themselves in the options of man’s life, they believe they fight for God. Because thy don’t love anyone, they believe they love God. It enlightened me a lot, not to fall prisoner to these selective groups, who will want to see from the Synod what was decided on this intra-ecclesiastical point or on this other one, and they are going to deny the body of the Synod, which are the diagnoses we have made in the four dimensions.

My heartfelt thanks. Forgive my petulance and pray for me, please. Thank you. (Applause).
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Greetings for the Servants of Mary

At noon local time today (6:00am EDT), the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience those who are participating in the General Chapter of the Order of Servants of Mary which is taking place from 7 to 27 October 2019 at the House of the Divine Master in Ariccia.

Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

addressed to members of the Servants of Mary

Dear brothers!

You are now at the end of your 214th General Chapter, and you have wished to meet the Successor of Peter in order to be confirmed in faith and encouraged in your commitment to bearing witness and to serving.  I greet all of you with affection and I thank your Prior General for his words.

The Order of the Servants of Mary had its origins and its initial development in thirteenth-century Florence, a lively and warlike city. You was born from a group of men: the Seven Holy Founders, who were dedicated to commerce and volunteering. However, your religious family places the germinal nucleus of your charism in your special consecration to the Virgin Mary, who is recognized as the true foundress. You live your personal consecration to Mary as a daily commitment to assimilate her style, as it is handed down from Sacred Scripture. The theological-pastoral study of the figure of Mary of Nazareth also becomes an integral part of a vocation for you, which you transmit in particular through teaching in the Pontifical Theological Marianum Faculty.

Another area in which you witness the Gospel, inspired by the Holy Virgin, is that of your apostolate and mission. Here you strive to imitate Mary, drawing inspiration from four of her attitudes. When -after the Annunciation - she went to help Elizabeth; when at Cana in Galilee, she obtained from Jesus the sign of water changed into wine for the joy of the newlyweds; when she remained full of faith and pain at the foot of the cross of Jesus; and finally when she prayed in the cenacle with the Apostles as they waited for the Holy Spirit. Starting from these four Marian moments, you are constantly called to deepen your founding charism, to actualize it, so that you can respond with hope to the challenges that the contemporary world launches at the Church and also at your Order. The theme that has guided your General Chapter: Servants of Hope in a changing world expresses precisely this purpose, which becomes a trace of your journey and your mission for the coming years.

From this perspective, I would like to recall an important aspect of your history, which can be paradigmatic. The Seven Holy Founders knew how to live both the mountain and the city. In fact, from Florence they climbed Mount Senario, where they encountered the profound experience of the encounter with Him who is Hope, Jesus Christ. Later they came down from the mountain, establishing their home in Cafaggio, immediately outside the walls of Florence, on the outskirts of the city, to engage in daily life, in witness and in service to society and to the Church.

In the light of the Gospel passage of the Transfiguration (cf Lk 9:28-36), you would do well to read this journey of your Founders again. Strengthened by the experience of God, they descended more deeply into history and were renewed interiorly. And so they could live the Gospel by responding to the needs of the people, their brothers and sisters who asked to be welcomed, supported, accompanied, helped along the path of their lives. Going back to their unique human and vocational experience, you too become more and more men of hope, capable of dispelling the fears that sometimes torment the heart, even in a religious community. I am thinking, for example, of the shortage of vocations in certain areas of the world; as well as the effort to be faithful to Jesus and to the Gospel in some community or social contexts. The Lord, alone, allows you to carry everywhere, through the holiness of your life, a presence of hope and a look of trust, identifying and valuing the many sprouts of positivity that emerge. We think of vocations in the new territories in which you are present. I urge you to enjoy the beauty, cultural and spiritual novelty of so many peoples to whom you have been sent to announce the Gospel.

Being men of hope means cultivating dialogue, communion and fraternity, which are profiles of holiness. In fact, sanctification is a community journey, to be experienced two by two. This is reflected by some holy communities (Gaudete et exsultate, 141).

Being men of hope means finding the courage to face some of today's challenges. I am thinking, for example, of using the means of communication in a responsible way, which convey positive news, but which can also destroy people's dignity, weaken spiritual impetus, hurt fraternal life. It is about educating oneself to an evangelical use of these tools. Another challenge to be taken up and managed is that of multiculturalism, which you in fact faced during this Chapter. There is no doubt that Catholic religious communities have become laboratories in this sense, certainly not without problems and yet offering everyone a clear sign of the Kingdom of God, to which all peoples are invited, through the one Gospel of salvation. It is not easy to live human differences in harmony, but it is possible and it is a cause for joy if we make room for the Holy Spirit, who, as they say, goes there.

May your communities also be a sign of universal brotherhood, schools of acceptance and integration, places of openness and relationships. With this testimony you will help keep away the divisions and foreclosures, the prejudices of superiority or inferiority, the cultural, ethnic and linguistic enclosures, the walls of separation. And your communities will be so to the extent that you are men of communion, fraternity and unity, as your Founders were.

May the Virgin Mary always maintain the joy of the Gospel within you. I cordially bless you and all the brothers of the Order, as well as the communities entrusted to you. And I ask you to please pray for me.
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