L`O S S E RVATOR E ROMANO

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L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO
WEEKLY EDITION
IN ENGLISH
Unicuique suum
Fiftieth year, number 4 (2481)
Non praevalebunt
Vatican City
Friday, 27 January 2017
Concluding the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity the Pope indicates the path to reconciliation among Christians
Learning from one another
Every person is called “to proclaim the
Gospel of reconciliation in word and
deed, to live and bear witness to a
reconciled life”. Pope Francis offered
this reflection in his Homily at the
traditional Ecumenical celebration of
Second Vespers on the Feast of the
Conversion of Saint Paul, concluding
the Week of Prayer for Christian
Unity. The celebration took place at the
Basilica of Saint Paul Outside-theWalls on Wednesday evening, 25
January 2017. The following is the
English text of the Holy Father’s
homily, which he delivered in Italian.
Encountering Jesus on the road to
Damascus radically transformed the
life of Saint Paul. Henceforth, for
him, the meaning of life would no
longer consist in trusting in his own
ability to observe the Law strictly,
but rather in cleaving with his whole
being to the gracious and unmerited
love of God: to Jesus Christ, crucified and risen. Paul experienced the
inbreaking of a new life, life in the
Spirit. By the power of the risen
Lord, he came to know forgiveness,
confidence and consolation. Nor
could Paul keep this newness to
himself. He was compelled by grace
to proclaim the good news of the
love and reconciliation that God offers fully in Christ to all humanity.
For the Apostle of the Gentiles,
reconciliation with God, whose ambassador he became (cf. 2 Cor 5:20),
is a gift from Christ. This is evident
in the text of the Second Letter to
the Corinthians which inspired the
theme of this year’s Week of Prayer
for Christian Unity: “Reconciliation —
The Love of Christ Compels Us” (cf. 2
Ecumenical notes
Before the General Audience on
Wednesday, 25 January, Pope Francis met with members of the Choir
of Westminster Abbey, who performed together with the Sistine
Chapel Choir at Second Vespers
that evening in the Basilica of Saint
Paul Outside-the-Walls.
Cor 5:14-20). “The love of Christ”:
this is not our love for Christ, but
rather Christ’s love for us. Nor is the
reconciliation to which we are compelled simply our own initiative. Before all else it is the reconciliation that
God offers us in Christ. Prior to any
human effort on the part of believers
who strive to overcome their divisions, it is God’s free gift. As a re-
sult of this gift, each person, forgiven and loved, is called in turn to
proclaim the Gospel of reconciliation in
word and deed, to live and bear witness to a reconciled life.
Today, in the light of this, we can
ask: How do we proclaim this Gospel of reconciliation after centuries
of division? Paul himself helps us to
find the way. He makes clear that re-
Francis speaks to the Roman Rota on marriage preparation
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
Love requires truth
The Holy Father addressed the Community
of
the
Apostolic Tribunal of
the Roman Rota, receiving them in audience on Saturday, 21
January, to inaugurate the opening of
the Judicial Year.
He spoke of the
need for “valid remedies” to address the
“widespread mentality”
which
today
“seeks to obscure access to eternal
truths”. One such remedy Pope
Francis recommended lies in the
preparatory programme for young
couples approaching the Sacrament of Marriage. “This moment”, he said, “becomes for the
entire community an extraordinary occasion for mission. Today
more than ever, this preparation
is presented as a true and proper
occasion” for evangelization.
As a second remedy, the
Pontiff called for assisting new
spouses on “their journey in the
conciliation in Christ requires sacrifice. Jesus gave his life by dying for
all. Similarly, ambassadors of reconciliation are called, in his name, to
lay down their lives, to live no more
for themselves but for Christ who
died and was raised for them (cf. 2
Cor 5:14-15). As Jesus teaches, it is
only when we lose our lives for love
of him that we truly save them (cf.
Lk 9:24). This was the revolution experienced by Paul, but it is, and always has been, the Christian revolution. We live no longer for
ourselves, for our own interests and
“image”, but in the image of Christ,
for him and following him, with his
love and in his love.
For the Church, for every Christian confession, this is an invitation
not to be caught up with programmes, plans and advantages, not
to look to the prospects and fashions of the moment, but rather to
find the way by constantly looking
to the Lord’s cross. For there we discover our programme of life. It is an
invitation to leave behind every form
of isolation, to overcome all those
temptations to self-absorption that
prevent us from perceiving how the
Holy Spirit is at work outside our
familiar surroundings. Authentic reconciliation between Christians will
only be achieved when we can acknowledge each other’s gifts and
learn from one another, with humility and docility, without waiting for
the others to learn first.
Mass for Dominicans’ Jubilee
The taste of the Gospel
PAGE 4
World Communications Day
Through the right lens
PAGE 6/7
faith and in the Church, also
after the marriage celebration”, by
identifying “with courage and creativity, a formation plan for
young married couples, with initiatives aimed at increasing their
awareness of the sacrament they
have received”.
To accomplish these goals, he
stressed “the need for a ‘new catechumenate’” for marriage preparation”.
PAGE 5
Fear versus fact in social media
What is the truth in
‘post-truth politics’?
CARLO MARIA POLVANI
ON
PAGE 7
Cardinal Donald Wuerl
On ‘Amoris Laetitia’
PAGE 11
page 2
AUDIENCES
VATICAN BULLETIN
Thursday, 19 January
Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, Prefect emeritus of the Congregation
for Catholic Education (for Institutes of Study)
Friday, 20 January
Bishop Kevin Peter Doran of Elphin with Bishop emeritus Christopher Jones
Bishop John Fleming of Killala
Bishop Fintan Monahan of Killaloe
Bishop Liam S. MacDaid, Bishop
emeritus of Clogher
Msgr Michael Ryan, Diocesan
Administrator of Ossory
Msgr Michael McLaughlin, diocesan Administrator of Galway
Msgr Joseph McGuinnes, diocesan Administrator of Clogher
H.E. Mr Horacio Manuel Cartes
Jara, President of the Republic of
Paraguay, and his entourage
Cardinal Angelo Amato, SDB, Prefect
of the Congregation for the Causes
of Saints
H.E. Mr James Kwame BebaakoMensah, Ambassador of Ghana, on
a farewell visit
The College of the Prelate Auditors
of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota
Members of the Irish Episcopal
Conference, on a visit ad limina
Apostolorum:
Archbishop Eamon Martin of
Armagh
Bishop Francis Duffy of Ardagh
Bishop Donal McKeown of Derry
Bishop Noël Treanor of Down
and Connor
Bishop John McAreavey of Dromore
Bishop Philip Leo O’Reilly of
Kilmore
Bishop Michael Smith of Meath
Bishop Philip Boyce, O CD, of Raphoe
Archbishop Kieran O’Reilly, SMA,
of Cashel and Emly
Bishop William Crean of Cloyne
Bishop John Buckley of Cork and
Ross
Bishop Raymond Browne of
Kerry
Bishop Brendan Leahy of Limerick with Bishop emeritus Donal
Brendan Murray
Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan of
Waterford and Lismore
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of
Dublin with the Auxiliaries: Bishop
Eamonn Oliver Walsh, titular Bishop of Elmhama; Bishop Raymond
W. Field, titular Bishop of Árd Mór
Bishop Denis Brennan of Ferns
Bishop Denis Nulty of Kildare
and Leighlin
Archbishop Michael Neary of
Tuam
Bishop Brendan Kelly of Achonry
Bishop John Kirby of Clonfert
Cardinal Marc Ouellet, PSS, Prefect
of the Congregation for Bishops
Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Academy for
Life
Bishop Giuseppe Sciacca, titular
Bishop of Fondi, Secretary of the
Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic
Signatura
Archbishop Robert Rivas,
Castries (Saint Lucia)
OP,
of
WEEKLY EDITION
Unicuique suum
IN ENGLISH
Non praevalebunt
Vatican City
[email protected]
www.osservatoreromano.va
Friday, 27 January 2017, number 4
Saturday, 21 January
Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller,
Prefect of the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith
Msgr Pio Vito Pinto, Dean of the
Tribunal of the Roman Rota, with
Msgr Maurice Monier, pro-Dean
Monday, 23 January
Cardinal Stanisław Ryłko, Archpriest
of the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary
Major
Archbishop Ghaleb Bader, titular
Archbishop of Mathara in Numidia,
Apostolic Nuncio in Pakistan
Bishop Lazzaro You Heung-sik of
Daejeon, Korea
CHANGES
IN
EPISCOPATE
The Holy Father appointed Fr José
Mauricio Vélez García as Auxiliary
Bishop of the Archdiocese of Medellín, Colombia, assigning him the titular episcopal See of Lapda. Until
now he has been episcopal vicar of
the Western area and parish priest of
Nuestra Señora de Belén Parish (17
Jan.).
Bishop-elect Vélez García, 52, was
born in Medellín, Colombia. He
holds a licence in marriage and the
family, he specialized in moral theology and bioethics. He was ordained
a priest on 15 December 1992. He
has served in parish ministry and as:
chaplain to Confenalco; professor at
the “Luis Amigo” Catholic University of Medellin; secretary of the
department of Ecclesial Communion
and Dialogue of the Latinamerican
Episcopal Council (CELAM).
The Holy Father accepted the resignation of Archbishop José Palmeira
Lessa from his office as Archbishop
of the Archdiocese Aracaju, Brazil.
He is succeeded by Archbishop João
José da Costa, O. CARM., who until
now has been Coadjutor of the same
Archdiocese (18 Jan.).
Archbishop da Costa, 58, was
born in Lagarto, Brazil. He was ordained a priest on 12 December
1992. He was ordained a bishop on
19 March 2009, subsequent to his
appointment as Bishop of Iguatu,
Brazil. On 5 November 2014 he was
appointed coadjutor Archbishop of
Aracaju.
The Holy Father appointed Fr
Pedro Baquero, SDB, as Bishop of
Kerema, Papua New Guinea. Until
now he has served as Provincial of
the new Salesian Province of Papua
New Guinea and the Solomon Islands (20 Jan.).
Bishop-elect Baquero, 46, was
born in Manila, the Philippines.
After taking his perpetual vows for
the Society of Don Bosco he was ordained a priest on 8 December 1999.
He studied philosophy and theology. He has served in parish ministry and as: advisor to the Salesian
Community in Lariau and in
Araimiri; director of the Gabutu
Technical School, Port Moresby; superior delegate of the Salesians in
Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
The Holy Father appointed Msgr
Michael Joseph Boulette from the
clergy of the Archdiocese of San
Antonio, USA, as Auxiliary Bishop of
the same Archdiocese, assigning him
the titular episcopal See of Hieron.
Until now he has been director of
“Saint Peter upon the Water” spiritual centre in Ingram (23 Jan.).
Bishop-elect Boulette, 66, was
born in Hudson Falls, USA. He
holds a Master’s in psychology and
a doctorate of ministry. He was ordained a priest on 19 March 1976.
He has served in parish ministry and
as: director of spiritual and liturgical
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
Irish Bishops on their ‘ad limina’ visit
On Friday morning, 20 January, the Holy Father received Irish Bishops on their ad limina visit to Rome.
Starting with this audience the Pope resumed the ‘ad limina’ visits which were suspended during the Jubilee of Mercy in 2016.
GIOVANNI MARIA VIAN
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number 4, Friday, 27 January 2017
page 3
At the General Audience the Pope speaks about Judith
The courage of women
A woman of “great beauty and wisdom” but
above all, “courage”, Judith speaks “with the
strength of a prophet” and shows men the “path
of faith ... of hope”. Pope Francis emphasized this
at the General Audience on Wednesday, 25
January in the Paul VI Hall. The Pontiff
dedicated his catechesis to Judith, the biblical
figure who “restores strength to her people who
are in mortal danger, and guides them along the
paths of hope”. The following is a translation of
the Holy Father’s catechesis which he delivered in
Italian.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Good morning!
Among the figures of women presented to us
by the Old Testament, one great heroine
stands out among the people: Judith. The
biblical Book which bears her name recounts
the massive military campaign of King
Nebuchadnezzar who, ruling over Nineveh,
expands the boundaries of the empire by defeating and enslaving all the surrounding
peoples. The reader understands he is faced
with a great, invincible enemy who is spreading death and destruction, and who reaches
the Promised Land, placing the lives of Israel’s children in jeopardy.
Indeed, Nebuchadnezzar’s army, under the
leadership of General Holofernes, lays siege
to a Judean city, Bethulia, cutting off the water supply and thus wearing down the
people’s resistance.
The situation is dramatic, to the point that
the city’s inhabitants turn to the elders, demanding that they surrender to the enemy.
Their words are desperate: “For now we have
no one to help us; God has sold us into their
hands, to strew us on the ground before
them with thirst and utter destruction”. They
have reached the point of saying this: “God
has sold us”; the people’s desperation was
great. “Now call them in and surrender the
whole city to the army of Holofernes and to
all his forces, to be plundered” (Judith 7:2526). The end now seems inevitable, the ability to trust in God is exhausted. The ability
to trust in God is exhausted. And how often
do we reach the limit of a situation, where
we do not even feel able to have faith in the
Lord. It is a terrible temptation! And, paradoxically, it seems that, to escape death,
there’s nothing left but to surrender oneself
into the hands of those who kill. They know
that these soldiers have come to loot the city,
to take the women as slaves and then kill
everyone else. This really is “the limit”.
And faced with so much despair, the leader of the people attempts to offer a foothold
for hope: resist for five more days, waiting
for God’s salvific intervention. However, it is
a weak hope which makes him decide: “But if
these days pass by, and no help comes for us,
I will do what you say” (7:31). Poor man: he
has no way out. God is given five days — and
here is the sin — God is given five days to intervene; five days of waiting, but already with
the prospect of the end. They give God five
days to save them, but they know they do not
have faith, and are expecting the worst. In
fact, there is no one among the people still
capable of hope. They were desperate.
It is in this situation that Judith appears on
the scene. A widow, a woman of great beauty
and wisdom, she speaks to the people with
the language of faith. Courageously, she reproaches the people to their face, (saying):
“You are putting the Lord Almighty to the
test.... No, my brethren, do not provoke the
Lord our God to anger. For if he does not
choose to help us within these five days, he
has power to protect us within any time he
pleases, or even to destroy us in the presence
of our enemies.… Therefore, while we wait for
his deliverance, let us call upon him to help
us, and he will hear our voice, if it pleases
him” (8:13, 14-15, 17). It is the language of
hope. Let us knock on the doors to God’s
heart. He is the Father; he can save us. This
woman, a widow, even risks making a fool of
herself in front of others. But, she is courageous. She goes forward! This is my opinion: women are more courageous than men.
[Applause]
And with the strength of a prophet, Judith
rebukes the men of her people to restore their
faith in God; with the gaze of a prophet, she
sees beyond the narrow horizon proposed by
the leaders, and which fear limits even further. God will surely
act, she says, while the proposal
of waiting five days is a way to
tempt him and escape his will.
The Lord is the God of Salvation — and she believed this —
whatever form it may take. It is
salvation to liberate from enemies and to bring life, but, in
his impenetrable plans, it can
also be salvation to allow death.
A woman of faith, she knows
this. Thus we know the end,
how the story ends: God saves.
Dear brothers and sisters, let
us never set conditions for God,
and let us instead allow hope to
conquer our fears. Entrusting
ourselves to God means entering into his plans without demanding anything, and also accepting that his salvation and
his help come to us in ways that differ from
our expectations. We ask the Lord for life, for
health, for love, for happiness; and it is right
to do so, but with the understanding that
God is able to bring life even from death,
that we can experience peace even in sickness,
and that there can be calm even in loneliness,
and happiness even in tears. It is not for us to
instruct God about what he must do, about
what we need. He knows better than we do,
and we must have faith, because his ways and
his thoughts are different from ours.
The path which Judith shows us is one of
faith, of waiting peacefully, of prayer, and of
obedience. It is the path of hope. Without
simple resignation, doing everything within
our power, but always remaining in the furrow of the Lord’s will, because — as we know
— she prayed so much, spoke a great deal to
the people and then, courageously, she went,
looked for a way to get close to the leader of
the army, and managed to cut off his head, to
“Judith
and Holofernes”,
Michelangelo,
Sistine Chapel
slit his throat. She is courageous in faith and
in deeds. And she always seeks out the Lord!
Judith, in fact, had her own plan, carried it
out successfully, and led the people to victory,
but always with the attitude of faith of those
who accept everything from the hand of God,
certain of his goodness.
Thus, a woman full of faith and courage restores strength to her people who are in mortal danger, and guides them along the paths
of hope, also pointing them out to us. And, if
we reflect a little, how often have we heard
the wise, courageous words of humble people,
of humble women who are thought of as —
without disregarding them — perhaps ignorant.... However, they are words of God’s wisdom! The words of grandmothers... how often
do grandmothers know the right thing to say,
the word of hope, because they have life experience. They have suffered greatly; they
have entrusted themselves to God, and the
Lord gives this gift of encouraging us to
hope. And, going along those paths, there
will be Paschal joy and light in entrusting
oneself to the Lord with Jesus’ words: “Father,
if thou art willing, remove this cup from me;
nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done”
(Lk 22:42). And this is the prayer of wisdom,
of faith, and of hope.
Special Greetings
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and
visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly the groups from the United States of
America. During this Week of Prayer for
Christian Unity I offer a special greeting to
the group from the Bossey Ecumenical Institute and to the choir of Westminster Abbey,
whom I thank for their praise of God in song.
Upon all of you, and your families, I cordially
invoke an abundance of joy and peace in our
Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you!
I turn a special thought to young people, to
the sick, and to newlyweds. Today we celebrate
the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul.
Dear young people, may the figure of Paul be
for all of you a model of missionary discipleship. Dear sick people, offer your suffering for
the cause of Christian unity in the Church of
Christ. And you, dear newlyweds, be inspired
by the example of the Apostle of the Gentiles,
recognizing the primacy of God and his love
in your family life.
page 4
The Pontiff celebrates Mass for Dominicans’ Jubilee
The taste of the Gospel
“If salt loses its taste, it is no longer good for anything. Woe to a
Church that loses its taste! Woe to a priest, a consecrated person, a
congregation that loses its taste”. Pope Francis shared this observation
with Dominicans on Saturday afternoon, 21 January, in the Basilica of
Saint John Lateran, where the Pontiff celebrated the closing Mass for
the end of the Jubilee celebrating the 800 years since Order received
papal approval. The following is a translation of the Holy Father’s
homily which he gave in Italian.
The Word of God today offers
us two opposing human scenarios: on the one hand the ‘carnival’ of worldly curiosity, and on
the other the glorification of the
Father through good works.
Our life always moves between
these two scenarios. Indeed,
they are of every age, as shown
by the words Saint Paul addressed to Timothy (cf. 2 Tim
4:1-5). Saint Dominic with his
first brothers, 800 years ago,
moved between these two scenarios.
Paul advises Timothy that he
will have to proclaim the Gospel in a context where the
people always seek new “teachers”, “myths”, different doctrines, ideologies.... “Having
itching ears” (2 Tim 4:3). It is
the ‘carnival’ of worldly curios-
ity, of seduction. For this reason
the Apostle instructs his disciple
also by using powerful verbs:
such as “be urgent”, “convince”,
“rebuke”, “exhort”, and then “be
steady”, “endure suffering” (vv.
2, 5).
It is interesting to see that
already then, 2,000 years ago,
the Apostles of the Gospel faced
this scenario, that up to our
days it has really evolved and
globalized due to the seduction
of subjective relativism. The
tendency of human beings to
seek their own newness finds the
ideal environment in the society
of appearances, in consumption,
in which old things are often recycled, but the important thing
is to make them seem new, attractive, captivating. Even the
truth is disguised. We move
within the so-called ‘liquid society’, without
fixed points, demolished, lacking sound
and steady references;
in the ephemeral culture
of the disposable.
In the face of this
worldly ‘carnival’ the
opposite scenario clearly
stands out. We find it
in the words of Jesus
which we just heard:
“give glory to your
Father who is in heaven” (Mt 5:16). How
does this passage happen,
from
pseudo-
celebratory superficiality
to glorification, which is
true celebration? It happens thanks to the good
works of those who, becoming disciples of Jesus, became ‘salt’ and
‘light’. “Let your light so
shine before men” — Jesus says — “that they may
see your good works and
give glory to your Father
who is in heaven” (Mt
5:16).
In the midst of the
‘carnival’ of yesterday
and today, this is the response of Jesus and of
the Church; this is the
sound support in the
midst of the ‘liquid’ environment:
the
good
works that we are able to
do thanks to Christ and
to his Holy Spirit, and
which make grow in our
heart thanksgiving to
God the Father, praise,
or at least wonder and
the
question:
‘why?’,
‘why does that person
behave in this way?’.
That is the restlessness of
the world before the
testimony of the Gospel.
But for this ‘shaking up’ to
happen, salt must not lose its
taste and light must not be hidden (cf. Mt 5:13-15). Jesus says it
very clearly: if salt loses its taste
it is no longer good for anything. Woe to salt that loses its
taste! Woe to a Church that
loses its taste! Woe to a priest, a
consecrated person, a congregation that loses its taste!
Today we give glory to the
Father for the work that Saint
Dominic, full of the light and
salt of Christ, carried out 800
years ago: a work in service to
the Gospel, preached with his
words and with his life; a work
that, with the grace of the Holy
Spirit, allowed many men and
women to be helped so as not
to be lost in the midst of the
‘carnival’ of worldly curiosity,
but rather to have tasted the flavour of healthy doctrine, the
taste of the Gospel, and to have
become, in their turn, light and
salt, artisans of good works ...
and true brothers and sisters
who glorify God and teach others to glorify God with the
good works of life.
Concluding the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
If we experience this dying to
ourselves for Jesus’ sake, our old
way of life will be a thing of the
past and, like Saint Paul, we will
pass over to a new form of life and
fellowship. With Paul, we will be
able to say: “the old has passed
away” (2 Cor 5:17). To look back is
helpful, and indeed necessary, to
purify our memory, but to be fixated
on the past, lingering over the
memory of wrongs done and endured, and judging in merely human
terms, can paralyze us and prevent
us from living in the present. The
word of God encourages us to draw
strength from memory and to recall
the good things the Lord has given
us. But it also asks us to leave the
past behind in order to follow Jesus
today and to live a new life in him.
Let us allow him, who makes all
things new (cf. Rev 21:5), to unveil
before our eyes a new future, open
to the hope that does not disappoint, a future in which divisions
can be overcome and believers, renewed in love, will be fully and visibly one.
This year, in our journey on the
road to unity, we recall in a special
way the fifth centenary of the Protestant Reformation. The fact that
Catholics
and
Lutherans
can
nowadays join in commemorating an
event that divided Christians, and
can do so with hope, placing the
emphasis on Jesus and his work of
atonement, is a remarkable achievement, thanks to God and prayer,
and the result of fifty years of growing mutual knowledge and ecumenical dialogue.
As we implore from God the gift
of reconciliation with him and with
one another, I extend cordial and
fraternal greetings to His Eminence
Metropolitan Gennadios, the representative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, to His Grace David Moxon,
the personal representative in Rome
of the Archbishop of Canterbury,
and to all the representatives of the
various Churches and Ecclesial
Communities gathered here. I am
especially pleased to greet the members of the joint Commission for
theological dialogue between the
Catholic Church and the Oriental
Orthodox Churches, and to offer
my good wishes for the fruitfulness
of the plenary session taking place
in these days. I also greet the students of the Ecumenical Institute of
Bossey — how joyful they are! I met
them this morning; they are visiting
Rome to deepen their knowledge of
the Catholic Church. Also, the Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox
young people studying in Rome
thanks to the scholarships provided
by the Committee for Cultural Collaboration with the Orthodox
Churches, based in the Pontifical
Council for Promoting Christian
Unity. To the superiors and staff of
this Dicastery I express my esteem
and gratitude.
Dear brothers and sisters, our
prayer for Christian unity is a sharing in Jesus’ own prayer to the Father, on the eve of his passion, “that
they may all be one” (Jn 17:21). May
we never tire of asking God for this
gift. With patient and trusting hope
that the Father will grant all Christians the gift of full visible communion, let us press forward in our
journey of reconciliation and dialogue, encouraged by the heroic witness of our many brothers and sisters, past and present, who were one
in suffering for the name of Jesus.
May we take advantage of every occasion that Providence offers us to
pray together, to proclaim together,
and together to love and serve, especially those who are the most poor
and neglected in our midst.
page 5
Francis speaks to the Roman Rota at the beginning of the Judicial Year
Love requires truth
A new catechumenate is needed to prepare couples for marriage
‘Formation’ and ‘accompaniment’ were
the two terms around which Francis
developed his reflection in an address
to the Community of the Apostolic
Tribunal of the Roman Rota. He
received them in audience in the
Clementine Hall on Saturday morning,
21 January, on the occasion of the
inauguration of the Judicial Year. The
following is a translation of the address
which the Holy Father delivered in
Italian.
Dear Judges, Officials, Lawyers and
Staff of the Apostolic Tribunal of
the Roman Rota.
I extend to each of you my cordial
greeting, starting with the College of
Prelate Auditors and the Dean,
Msgr Pio Vito Pinto, whom I thank
for his words, and the Pro-Dean
who was recently appointed to this
position. I wish you may all work
with serenity and fervent love for the
Church in this judicial year which
we are inaugurating today.
Today I would like to turn to the
theme of the relationship between
faith and matrimony, especially from
the prospective of faith inherent in
the human and cultural context, in
which the nuptial intention is
formed. Saint John Paul II focused
on it, and based his teaching on
Sacred Scripture, which “indicates
with remarkably clear cues how
deeply related are the knowledge
conferred by faith and the knowledge conferred by reason.... What is
distinctive in the biblical text is the
conviction that there is a profound
and indissoluble unity between the
knowledge of reason and the knowledge of faith” (Encyclical Letter
Fides et Ratio, n. 16). Therefore, the
more distant he or she is from the
perspective of faith, the more “the
human being runs the risk of failure
and ends up in the condition of ‘the
fool’. For the Bible, in this foolishness there lies a threat to life. The
fool thinks that he knows many
things, but really he is incapable of
fixing his gaze on the things that
truly matter. Therefore he can
neither order his mind (cf. Prov 1:7)
nor assume a correct attitude to
himself or to the world around him.
And so when he claims that ‘God
does not exist’ (cf. Ps 14:1), he
shows with absolute clarity just how
deficient his knowledge is and just
how far he is from the full truth of
things, their origin and their destiny” (ibid., n. 18).
For his part, Pope Benedict XVI,
in his Final Address to you, recalled
that “it is only in opening oneself to
God’s truth ... that it is possible to
understand and achieve in the concrete reality of both conjugal and
family life the truth of men and women as his children, regenerated by
Baptism.... The rejection of the divine proposal, in fact, leads to a profound imbalance in all human relations ..., including matrimonial relations” (26 January 2013, n. 2). It is
ever more necessary to deepen the
relationship between love and truth.
“Love requires truth. Only to the extent that love is grounded in truth
can it endure over time, can it transcend the passing moment and be
sufficiently solid to sustain a shared
journey. If love is not bound to
truth, it falls prey to fickle emotions
and cannot stand the test of time.
True love, on the other hand, unifies
all the elements of our person and
becomes a new light pointing the
way to a great and fulfilled life.
Without truth, love is incapable of
establishing a firm bond; it cannot
liberate our isolated ego or redeem
it from the fleeting moment in order
to create life and bear fruit” (Encyclical Lumen Fidei, n. 27).
We cannot ignore the fact that a
widespread mentality seeks to obscure access to eternal truths. A
mentality which affects, often in vast
and detailed ways, the attitudes and
behaviour patterns of Christians
themselves (cf. Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, n. 64),
whose faith weakens and loses its
originality of interpretive and operative criteria for personal, family,
and social existence. This context,
lacking in religious values and faith,
cannot but influence matrimonial
consensus too. The experiences of
faith of those requesting Christian
marriage are very different. Some
actively participate in
the life of the parish;
others come for the first
time. Some even have a
strong prayer life; others, instead, are guided
by a more generic religious sentiment. At
times they are people
far from the faith, or
who lack faith.
Faced with this situation, we need to find
valid remedies. A first
remedy is one I recommend in the formation
of
young
people,
through an appropriate
“Les amoureux de profil”, Marc Chagall
preparation which is
aimed at rediscovering
marriage and family according to motivated by a strong concern for
God’s plan. It is about helping fu- making the preparatory programmes
ture spouses to understand and sa- for the sacrament of marriage ever
vour the grace, beauty, and joy of more effective, not only for human
true love, saved and redeemed by Je- growth, but above all for the faith of
sus. The Christian community to the engaged couple. The fundawhich engaged couples turn is called mental objective of the encounters is
to warmly proclaim the Gospel to to help engaged couples realize a
them, in order that their experience progressive integration into the mysof love may become a sacrament, an tery of Christ, in the Church and
efficacious sign of salvation. In this with the Church. This carries a prosituation, the redeeming mission of gressive maturation in the faith,
Jesus reaches men and women in the through the proclamation of the
realization of their life of love. This Word of God, adhesion to and genmoment becomes for the entire com- erously following Christ. The finality
munity an extraordinary occasion for of this preparation consists, namely,
mission. Today more than ever, this in helping engaged couples to know
preparation is presented as a true and live the reality of marriage
and proper occasion for the evangel- which they intend to celebrate, in
ization of adults and, often, of the order that they may be able to do so
so-called distant. There are, indeed, not only validly and lawfully, but
numerous young people for whom also fruitfully, and that they may be
the approach of the wedding is an willing to make this celebration a
opportunity to encounter once again
stage on their journey of faith. In
the faith which has long been relegorder to achieve this, there is a need
ated to the margins of their lives;
for people with specific abilities and
moreover, they experience a unique
appropriate preparation in this sermoment, often characterized by a
vice, wherein there is a favourable
readiness to re-examine and change
the direction of their life. It can be, synergy between priests and married
therefore, an advantageous time for couples.
In this spirit, I would like to
renewing their encounter with the
person of Jesus Christ, with the mes- stress the need for a “new catechusage of the Gospel, and with the menate” for marriage preparation.
Welcoming the support of the Fathteaching of the Church.
It is therefore necessary that workers of the last Ordinary Synod, it is
ers and organizations charged with urgent to effectively implement what
the pastoral care of the family be has already been proposed in Familiaris Consortio (n. 66). Namely, just
as the catechumenate is part of the
sacramental process for the baptism
of adults, so too may the preparation for marriage form an integral
part of the whole sacramental procedure of marriage, as an antidote to
prevent the increase of invalid or inconsistent marriage celebrations.
A second remedy is that of helping the newlyweds to follow up their
journey in the faith and in the
Church, also after the marriage celebration. It is necessary to identify,
with courage and creativity, a formation plan for young married couples,
with initiatives aimed at increasing
their awareness of the sacrament
they have received. It is about encouraging them to consider the various aspects of their daily life as a
CONTINUED ON PAGE 9
page 6/7
Scenes from film
adaptations of George
Orwell’s novel: at left
“Nineteen eighty-four”,
directed by Michael
Radford (1984); below
“1984”, directed by
Michael Anderson (1956).
Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for World Communications Day
In his Message for World Communications Day,
which will be celebrated on 28 May, the Solemnity of
the Ascension of the Lord, Pope Francis seeks to
“encourage everyone to engage in constructive forms of
communication that reject prejudice towards others
and foster a culture of encounter, helping all of us to
view the world around us with realism and trust”.
He explains that “in and of itself, reality has no one
clear meaning. Everything depends on the way we
look at things, on the lens we use to view them”, and
that lens, the Pope says, is the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. The following is the English text of the Holy
Father’s Message.
“Fear not, for I am with you” (Is 43:5):
Communicating Hope
and Trust in our Time
Access to the media — thanks to technological
progress — makes it possible for countless people
to share news instantly and spread it widely. That
“Viewpoints”, David Datuna
news may be good or bad, true or false. The early
Christians compared the human mind to a constantly grinding millstone; it is up to the miller to
determine what it will grind: good wheat or
worthless weeds. Our minds are always “grinding”, but it is up to us to choose what to feed
them (cf. SAINT JOHN CASSIAN, Epistle to Leontius).
I wish to address this message to all those who,
whether in their professional work or personal relationships, are like that mill, daily “grinding out”
information with the aim of providing rich fare
for those with whom they communicate. I would
Through the right lens
like to encourage everyone to engage in constructive forms of communication that reject prejudice
towards others and foster a culture of encounter,
helping all of us to view the world around us
with realism and trust.
I am convinced that we have to break the vicious circle of anxiety and stem the spiral of fear
resulting from a constant focus on “bad news”
(wars, terrorism, scandals and all sorts of human
failure). This has nothing to do with spreading
misinformation that would ignore the tragedy of
human suffering, nor is it about a naive optimism
blind to the scandal of evil. Rather, I propose
that all of us work at overcoming that feeling of
growing discontent and resignation that can at
times generate apathy, fear or the idea that evil
has no limits. Moreover, in a communications industry which thinks that good news does not sell,
and where the tragedy of human suffering and
the mystery of evil easily turn into entertainment,
there is always the temptation that our consciences can be dulled or slip into pessimism.
I would like, then, to contribute to the search
for an open and creative style of communication
that never seeks to glamourize evil but instead to
concentrate on solutions and to inspire a positive
and responsible approach on the part of its recipients. I ask everyone to offer the people of our
time storylines that are at heart “good news”.
even to dying our death. In Christ, even darkness
and death become a point of encounter with
Light and Life. Hope is born, a hope accessible
to everyone, at the very crossroads where life
meets the bitterness of failure. That hope does
not disappoint, because God’s love has been
poured into our hearts (cf. Rom 5:5) and makes
new life blossom, like a shoot that springs up
from the fallen seed. Seen in this light, every new
tragedy that occurs in the world’s history can also
become a setting for good news, inasmuch as love
can find a way to draw near and to raise up sympathetic hearts, resolute faces and hands ready to
build anew.
Confidence in the seed of
the Kingdom
not let themselves be robbed of the joy of the
Kingdom by the weeds that spring up all about.
The horizons of the Spirit
Our hope based on the Good News which is
Jesus himself makes us lift up our eyes to contemplate the Lord in the liturgical celebration of the
Ascension. Even though the Lord may now appear more distant, the horizons of hope expand
all the more. In Christ, who brings our human
nature to heaven, every man and woman can now
freely “enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus,
by the new and living way he opened for us
through the curtain, that is, through his flesh”
(Heb 10:19-20). By “the power of the Holy Spirit”
we can be witnesses and “communicators” of a
new and redeemed humanity “even to the ends of
the earth” (Acts 1:78).
Confidence in the seed of God’s Kingdom and
in the mystery of Easter should also shape the
way we communicate. This confidence enables us
to carry out our work — in all the different ways
that communication takes place nowadays — with
the conviction that it is possible to recognize and
highlight the good news present in every story
and in the face of each person.
Those who, in faith, entrust themselves to the
guidance of the Holy Spirit come to realize how
God is present and at work in every moment of
our lives and history, patiently bringing to pass a
history of salvation. Hope is the thread with
which this sacred history is woven, and its weaver
is none other than the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.
Hope is the humblest of virtues, for it remains
hidden in the recesses of life; yet it is like the
yeast that leavens all the dough. We nurture it by
reading ever anew the Gospel, “reprinted” in so
many editions in the lives of the saints who became icons of God’s love in this world. Today
too, the Spirit continues to sow in us a desire for
the Kingdom, thanks to all those who, drawing
inspiration from the Good News amid the dramatic events of our time, shine like beacons in the
darkness of this world, shedding light along the
way and opening ever new paths of confidence
and hope.
To introduce his disciples and the crowds to
this Gospel mindset and to give them the right
“lens” needed to see and embrace the love that
dies and rises, Jesus uses parables. He frequently
compares the Kingdom of God to a seed that releases its potential for life precisely when it falls
to the earth and dies (cf. Mk 4:1-34). This use of
images and metaphors to convey the quiet power
of the Kingdom does not detract from its importance and urgency; rather, it is a merciful way of
making space for the listener to freely accept and
appropriate that power. It is also a most effective
way to express the immense dignity of the
Paschal mystery, leaving it to images, rather than
Good news
concepts, to communicate the paradoxical beauty
Life is not simply a bare succession of events, of new life in Christ. In that life, hardship and
but a history, a story waiting to be told through the cross do not obstruct, but bring about God’s
the choice of an interpretative lens that can select salvation; weakness proves stronger than any human power; and failure can
be the prelude to the fulfilment of all things in love.
This is how hope in the
“The Kingdom of God is already present in our
Kingdom of God matures
and deepens: it is “as if a
midst, like a seed that is easily overlooked, yet silently
man should scatter seed on
takes root. Those to whom the Holy Spirit grants
the ground, and should
keen vision can see it blossoming”
sleep by night and rise by
day, and the seed should
sprout and grow” (Mk
4:26-27).
and gather the most relevant data. In and of itThe Kingdom of God is already present in our
From the Vatican, 24 January 2017
self, reality has no one clear meaning. Everything midst, like a seed that is easily overlooked, yet sidepends on the way we look at things, on the lently takes root. Those to whom the Holy Spirit
lens we use to view them. If we change that lens, grants keen vision can see it blossoming. They do
reality itself appears different. So how can we begin to “read” reality through the right lens?
For us Christians, that lens can only be the
good news, beginning with the Good News par
excellence: “the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Son of
God” (Mk 1:1). With these words, Saint Mark
opens his Gospel not by relating “good news”
about Jesus, but rather the Good News that is Jesus
himself. Indeed, reading the pages of his Gospel,
we learn that its title corresponds to its content
and, above all else, this content is the very person
of Jesus.
This Good News — Jesus himself — is not good
because it has nothing to do with suffering, but
rather because suffering itself becomes part of a
bigger picture. It is seen as an integral part of Jesus’ love for the Father and for all mankind. In
Christ, God has shown his solidarity with every
human situation. He has told us that we are not
alone, for we have a Father who is constantly
mindful of his children. “Fear not, for I am with
you” (Is 43:5): these are the comforting words of
a God who is immersed in the history of his
people. In his beloved Son, this divine promise —
“Look at life through red tinted glasses”, Andela 1998
“I am with you” — embraces all our weakness,
Fear versus fact social in media
What is the truth in
‘post-truth politics’?
CARLO MARIA POLVANI*
In the daily edition of L’Osservatore Romano on 6 January, H.E.
Mr Antonio Zanardi Landi — Ambassador of the Sovereign Order of
Malta to the Holy See — pointed
out, with incontrovertible sagacity,
the abusive tendency of social media in the political realm. He
warned of the risk that instruments
such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram could become dangerous
causes “of disaffection” and paralyze “the public debate and the
functioning
of
democracies”.
Without ever directly naming it,
and with perfect refinement, the illustrious diplomat shed light on
the controversy surrounding the
so-called ‘post-truth politics’ that
has jolted the English-speaking
world after the surprising results
(at least based on pre-election
polling) of the United Kingdom’s
‘Brexit’ referendum and the recent
presidential election in the United
States.
According to some of its detractors, post-truth politics is a theory
devised by a group of progressive
intellectuals seeking to justify their
failure to demonstrate the buildup
in public opinion of grassroots
movements that led to the approval of Brexit and to the victory of
U.S. President Donald J. Trump.
For many of its supporters, it represents a new, effective and troubling form of communication that
has changed the rules of election
campaigns. The controversy has
been so intense — thinking back to
William Davies’ editorial in “The
New York Times” on 24 August:
The Age of Post-Truth Politics — that
in November, the term ‘post-truth’
was selected as the “word of the
year” by Oxford Dictionaries. There
are also those who — invoking examples of imaginary dystopian societies such as Brave New World by
Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) or 1984
by George Orwell (1903-1950) —
have attributed post-truth politics
to a large-scale attempt to manipulate public opinion. In reality,
there is also no shortage of those
who dare to compare post-truth
politics to frighteningly real examples of this phenomenon, such
as the große Lüge (those people
who more readily believe a big lie
than a small one, as asserted by
Adolf Hitler in Mein Kampf) or the
disinformatsia (the system of ‘disinformation’ perfected by the State
Political Directorate, precursor to
the KGB).
In fact, the term ‘post-truth’, in
its current meaning, was first used
by the writer Stojan Steve Tesich
(1942-1996), in “The Nation”, the
oldest weekly political and cultural
magazine in the U.S. In a 1992 article, deeming American public
opinion unjustifiably insensitive to
the ‘Irangate’ scandal that afflicted
the Reagan administration, and superficially passionate about the success of Operation Desert Storm
ordered by George Bush, Sr., the
Serbian-American playwright wrote:
“we, as a free people, have freely
decided that we want to live in
some post-truth world”. The essence of post-truth politics would
seem to originate from the philosophical thought of Harry Gordon
Frankfurt (1929-). In the last decade, this expert in 17th-century rationalism carefully analyzed the role
of the propagation of lies and the
diffusion of fabrications in political
and social debate. His analysis was
later enriched by the proposals of
writer Ralph Keyes (1945-), journalist Eric Alterman (1960-), and political analysts Colin Crouch (1944-)
and Dominique Moïsi (1946-), and
was popularized by blogger David
Roberts in the online environmental magazine, “Grist”.
Today, post-truth politics refers
to a political culture in which discussions are distinguished by emotions to the detriment of facts and
ideas, and in which the central
points of the debate are established
and spread by the din of rhetorical
elements in the new means of communication.
Consider this theoretical example: In the course of an electoral campaign, a candidate proposes
an amnesty bill for those illegal
immigrants present in the national
territory for a minimum period of
five years. His political opponent
does not oppose the plan in the
press or in political forums by invoking an ideological rationale
(e.g., establishing a culture of condonation fosters illegal immigration) or a factual argument (e.g.,
the proposed law does not provide
for arrears of taxes on illegal
work). He concentrates instead, in
the social media, on spreading
highly emotional messages (e.g.
that thousands of jobs will be lost
by honest citizens through the regularization of illegal immigrants).
When the candidate in favour of
amnesty responds that the posts to
be regularized could not be
intended for non-immigrants, and
even modifies the proposed law to
include payment of deferred taxes
on the income of those who wish
to become regularized, the adversary, unconcerned about responding to the new counterproposals, continues to hammer on incessantly in the social media about
the danger of losing thousands of
jobs. The efficacy of post-truth
politics is seen in the emergence of
an obsessive preoccupation in the
public opinion with the risk of lost
jobs which renders impossible, or
in any case useless, any rational
discussion of the benefits and disadvantages of the proposed law in
question.
The characteristics of post-truth
politics are thus both technical —
because they depend on epochal
changes in media, such as the fact
that the primary, if not exclusive,
source of information for half of
young people today is social media
— and substantial — it is not a matter of refuting one truth with another, nor of countering it with another non-truth, but of placing
ideas and facts in second place
with respect to an emotional focal
point whose causal nexus with
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
page 8
VATICAN
BULLETIN
Telegram to U.S. President
For human
dignity and
freedom
On Friday, 20 January, the Pontiff
sent a telegram for the occasion of
the inauguration of the 45th
President of the United States,
Donald Trump. The following is a
translation of the Holy Father’s
message.
The Honorable Donald Trump
President of the
United States of America
Upon your inauguration as the
45th President of the United
States of America, I offer you my
cordial good wishes and the assurance of my prayers that Almighty
God will grant you wisdom and
strength in the exercise of your
high office. At a time when our
human family is beset by grave
humanitarian crises demanding
far-sighted and united political responses, I pray that your decisions
will be guided by the rich spiritual
and ethical values that have
shaped the history of the American people and your nation’s commitment to the advancement of
human dignity and freedom
worldwide. Under your leadership,
may America’s stature continue to
be measured above all by its concern for the poor, the outcast and
those in need who, like Lazarus,
stand before our door. With these
sentiments, I ask the Lord to
grant you and your family, and all
the beloved American people, his
blessings of peace, concord and
every
material
and
spiritual
prosperity.
FRANCISCUS
PP.
Westminster Abbey and Sistine Chapel Choirs join
Sign of the unity we seek
MASSIMO PALOMBELLA,
SDB*
In anticipation of the Feast of the
Conversion of Saint Paul and the
closing of the Week of Prayer for
Christian Unity, the Choir of Westminster Abbey joined the Sistine
Chapel Choir in concert on Tuesday evening, 24 January, in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran in
Rome. The following day, the two
choirs met again in the Basilica of
Saint Paul Outside-the-Walls to
sing at the celebration of Second
Vespers, at which Pope Francis
presided.
Each year there is a ‘twinning’
with a prestigious non-Catholic
choir to celebrate the Solemnity of
Saints Peter and Paul in the Vatican
Basilica. The practice began in 2012
with the Choir of Westminster Abbey, and since then the Sistine
Chapel Choir has been joined in
Rome by the St. Thomas Boys
Choir, The Russian Patriarchate
Choir of Moscow, the Choir of
New College Oxford, the Chamber
Choir of the Frauenkirche, the
Windsbach Boys Choir, and the
choirs of the Cathedrals of
Winchester and Canterbury.
The Sistine Chapel Choir is one
of the oldest in the world. It can be
traced to singers who performed for
the Popes dating back to the first
centuries of the Church. In 597
Gregory the Great even sent singers
along with monks to evangelize in
England. Thus the papal Choir has
followed all pontifical liturgical
events and today, having lived
through many reforms, it has naturally acquired principles of the liturgical reform of the Second Vatican
Council, regarding the dialogue
with modernity and culture. In fact,
looking back at its history, the
Choir has shown its greatest splendour when, fully assimilated in the
present, experimenting with new
languages, it has included Europe’s
greatest musicians among its singers. Today, for example, earnestly
undertaking the path outlined by
the Council, the Choir has for some
time revisited a certain singing style
capable of producing powerful and
moving “basilica sounds”.
For the Sistine Chapel Choir,
meeting the challenges that Vatican
II left us means studying and working in a professional way exclusively
for the Church and for evangelization. The ecumenical journey thus
becomes a duty rather than a possibility. Working with the most
prestigious Anglican choir is a tangible sign of the willingness to walk
together in the attempt to anticipate
in history the desired unity that we
all seek.
*Director of the Sistine Chapel Choir
Fear versus fact in social media
reality has not necessarily been demonstrated.
Can these distinctive signs of post-truth politics, in
and of themselves, justify its being considered an unprecedented form of opinion-making? Only time will tell if
post-truth politics represents a lasting change or a temporary adjustment to the emergence of new means of
mass communication. For now, the characteristics of
post-truth politics are interesting for two reasons. First
of all, they would explain why the changing of opinions
during electoral campaigns has become so difficult to
identify in Western democracies (at least, using statistical models currently in use to measure polling tendencies). Moreover, they would illustrate why foreign
powers would consider it possible to try to influence
elections in other countries through the use of the
means of communication (at least according to what has
been indicated by various national intelligence services
in reference to the presumed attempt by the Russian
Federation to influence the recent U.S. presidential election).
In the near future, therefore, it is possible that the
dispute over post-truth politics will lead to a deeper ex-
amination of the role of social media in helping citizens
choose among emotionally comfortable messages and
rationally uncomfortable truths. But the underlying
problem seems to be far more substantial and, in certain
respects, somewhat more unsettling.
In The Republic (III, 414D), Plato presented the myth
of the noble lie (gennàion psèudos): a legend created by
the elite in order to maintain social harmony, inasmuch
as it develops a civic sense among the citizens and one
of responsibility in the ruling class. Without taking a
position on the necessity and morality of this paideic
project — which were both brilliantly analyzed by Leo
Strauss (1899-1973), one of the most influential philosophers of the American neoconservative movement — it
seems legitimate to wonder: is the ultimate reason for
which government leaders always seek the means,
whether more or less ethical, to convince citizens perhaps what Orwell described in the aforementioned
1984: “The choice for mankind lies between freedom
and happiness and for the great bulk of mankind, happiness is better”?
*Official of the Secretariat of State
formation; vicar forane of the Fredricksburg Deanery; member of
the
College
of
Consultors;
founder and director of the Saint
Peter upon the Water Spiritual
Centre; chairman of the Presbyteral Council.
EASTERN CHURCHES
The Holy Father accepted the
resignation of Bishop Antonios
Aziz Mina of the Eparchy of
Guizeh for Copts. He is succeeded by H.B. Patriarch Ibrahim
Isaac Sedrak of Alexandria for
Copts, Egypt, as Apostolic Administrator sede vacante (23 Jan.).
Patriarch Sedrak, 61, was born
in Beni-Chiker, Egypt. He was ordained a priest on 7 February
1980. He was ordained a bishop
on 15 November 2002, subsequent
to his appointment as Bishop of
Minya for Copts, Egypt. On 15
January 2013 he was appointed
Patriarch of Alexandria.
RELATIONS
WITH
STATES
The Holy Father appointed Archbishop Giambattista Diquattro,
titular Archbishop of Giru Mons,
as Apostolic Nuncio in India and
in Nepal. Until now he has been
Apostolic Nuncio in Bolivia (21
Jan.).
The Holy Father appointed Archbishop Celestino Migliore, titular
Archbishop of Canosa, Apostolic
Nuncio in the Russian Federation,
as Apostolic Nuncio in Uzbekistan (21 Jan.).
SPECIAL LEGATE
The Holy Father appointed Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of
State, as his Special Legate at the
celebrations for the 25th World
Day of the Sick, to be celebrated
in Lourdes, France, on 11 February
2017 (19 Jan.).
NECROLO GY
Bishop José Luis Astigarraga
Lizarralde, CP, Vicar Apostolic
emeritus of Buleliana, formerly
Yurimaguas, Peru, at age 76 (20
Jan.)
Bishop Francesco Saverio Salerno,
titular Bishop of Cerveteri, former
secretary of the Apostolic Signatura, at age 88 (21 Jan.)
Bishop José de Jesús Madera
Uribe, MSpS, titular Bishop of
Orte, Auxiliary Bishop emeritus of
the Military Ordinariate of the
United States of America, at age
89 (21 Jan.)
Bishop Pietro Bottaccioli, Bishop
emeritus of Gubbio, Italy, at age
88 (22 Jan.)
page 9
Audience with the organizers of the History of Jubilees Exhibit held in the Italian Senate
Mercy is at the heart of every Holy Year
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thank you for coming. I cordially welcome
you, beginning with the Honourable Pietro
Grasso, President of the Senate, whom I
thank for his courteous words.
This meeting offers an occasion to express my heartfelt gratitude for the Exhibit
on the history of Jubilees, which was held
in the Senate of the Republic last year. It
documented multiple aspects of the Holy
Years, beginning with the first [Jubilee]
convened by Pope Boniface VIII with the
Bull Antiquorum Habet. Since 1300, every
Jubilee has made its mark on the history of
Rome: from the architecture to the welcoming of the pilgrims: from the art to the social and charitable works of assistance. But
there is an essential element, the heart of
each Holy Year, that must never be overlooked: in the Jubilee, God’s goodness and
the fragility of mankind, who is ever in need
of the Father’s love and forgiveness, come
together. Indeed, it is God himself who employs mercy, and it is especially in doing
this that he manifests his omnipotence. You
[speaking to President Grasso] spoke of
welcome as the heart of every Jubilee; and
“There is an essential element, the heart of each Holy Year, that must never be overlooked:
in the Jubilee, God’s goodness and the fragility of mankind, who is ever in need of the
Father’s love and forgiveness, come together”. The Pope recalled this in an audience for
organizers of the Exhibit “Antiquorum Habet” on the history of Jubilees, which was held in
the Senate of the Italian Republic from March to June 2016. The Pontiff received them on
Thursday morning, 19 January, in the Consistory Hall. The following is a translation of
the Holy Father’s address, which he delivered in Italian.
this is the great welcome: when God welcomes us, without asking many questions,
he forgives us, hugs us, kisses us and says
these beautiful words to us: “my son, my
daughter”.
In thanking the organizers and the volunteers of the Exhibit and the Senate which
hosted it as a means of raising historical and
cultural awareness among its visitors, I express my hope that everyone will continue to
derive from the Jubilee experience abundant
and enduring spiritual fruits. May the Virgin
Mary, Mother of Mercy obtain [this hope].
Thank you, Mr President, for this visit. I
pray for your noble institutional service and
for the work of all of you. I bless you together with your loved ones. And you too,
please, pray for me. Many thanks.
To the Roman Rota
couple, which is the sign and instrument of God’s love, incarnate in the
history of men and women. I will
give two examples. First of all, the
love which a new family lives has its
roots and fundamental source in the
mystery of the Trinity, of which it
bears the seal despite the hardship
and poverty which they must confront in their daily lives. Another example: the history of the love of the
Christian couple is part of sacred
history, because it is inhabited by
God, and because God never fails to
honour the commitment he has assumed with the married couple on
the day of their wedding; he is indeed a God who “remains faithful —
for he cannot deny himself” (2 Tim
2:13).
The Christian community is called
to welcome, accompany, and help
young couples, by offering them opportunities and appropriate tools —
apart from participating in Sunday
Mass — to look after the spiritual
life both in family life, in the pastoral programmes of the parish, or
both. Often, young married couples
are left to their own devices, perhaps
for the simple fact that they are seen
less often in the parish; this happens
especially with the birth of children.
However, it is exactly these first moments of family life that need to be
guaranteed greater closeness and
stronger spiritual support, including
in the work of educating children,
toward those who are the first witnesses and bearers of the gift of
faith. On the journey of the human
and spiritual growth of young married couples, it would be beneficial
that there be competent groups with
whom they can undertake permanent formation: through listening to
the Word, and the discussion of topics which pertain to family life, prayer, fraternal sharing.
These two remedies which I have
suggested are aimed at fostering an
appropriate context of faith in
which to celebrate and live marriage. An aspect that is so crucial
for determining the robustness and
truth of the marriage sacrament. It
reminds parish priests to be ever
more aware of the delicate task entrusted to them in overseeing the
sacramental marriage journey of the
future spouses, making the synergy
between foedus and fides intelligible
and real to them. Thus, it is about
passing from a purely juridical and
formal vision of the future spouses’
marriage preparation, to an ab initio
sacramental formation, namely, to
a journey towards the fullness of
their foedus-consensus which Christ
raised to the status of a sacrament.
This will require the generous contribution of adult Christians, men
and women, who support the
priest in the pastoral care of the
family to build the “masterpiece of
society”, which “is the family: a
man and a woman who love each
other” (Catechesis, 29 April 2015)
according “to God’s luminous
plan” (Words to the Extraordinary
Consistory, 20 February 2014).
The Holy Spirit, who always and
in all things guides the holy People
of God, helps and supports those,
priests and laity, who are committed
and engaged in this field, in order
that they may never lose the momentum and courage to work towards the beauty of the Christian
family, despite the devastating hidden dangers of the dominant culture
of the ephemeral and the temporary.
Dear brothers, as I have said on
other occasions, it takes a great deal
of courage to get married in the age
we are living in. And those who
have the strength and joy to accomplish this important step should feel
the concrete affection and closeness
of the Church beside them. With
this hope, I renew my best wishes
for the new year that the Lord gives
us. I assure you of my prayers, and
likewise I count on yours, as I cordially impart to you the Apostolic
Blessing.
The Bull “Antiquorum Habet”
With the
President of
Paraguay
On Friday morning, 20 January,
the Holy Father received in audience H.E. Mr Horacio Manuel
Cartes Jara, President of the Republic of Paraguay, who subsequently met with Cardinal
Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State,
accompanied by Archbishop Paul
Richard Gallagher, Secretary for
Relations with States.
The discussions, which took
place in a cordial atmosphere,
highlighted the existing good relations between the Holy See and
Paraguay. The parties focused on
themes of common interest, such
as the integral development of
the human person, the struggle
against poverty, and social peace.
From this perspective, the collaboration of the Catholic Church
was noted, along with her contribution in the social and educational fields, and in assistance to
those most in need.
The conversation continued
with an exchange of views on the
regional political and social situation, with special reference to
the development of democratic
institutions.
page 10
Integral Human Development
Entrusted to the Apostleship of Prayer for 2017
Mission in Aleppo
The Holy Father sent Msgr Giampietro
Dal Toso, secretary delegate of the
Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human
Development, to Aleppo from 18 to 23
January, together with Cardinal Mario
Zenari, Apostolic Nuncio in Syria, and
Msgr Thomas Habib, Counselor to the
Nunciature. This was the first official visit
by representatives of the Holy See following the end of hostilities in Aleppo.
Members of the delegation met with
Christian communities and their pastors,
who expressed gratitude to the Pope for
his constant concern for beloved Syria.
They also visited Catholic charitable institutions and several refugee camps. In particular, work commenced in a humanitarian aid centre operated by Caritas
Aleppo in the Hanano quarter. During the
mission, the delegation participated in a
moment of ecumenical prayer organized
for the Week of Prayer for Christian
Unity, and inspected the conditions of
several Catholic hospital structures in
light of a future reconstruction project.
There were also meetings with Islamic
representatives, during which emphasis
was given to the responsibility of religions
in educating for peace and reconciliation.
In the course of the visit, civil and religious authorities praised the delegation,
expressing particular gratitude for the
Holy Father’s gesture of elevating to the
dignity of Cardinal the Pontifical Representative in the country and recognizing in
this act the Pope’s special closeness to the
suffering Syrian population.
In the meetings with Catholic charities,
particular notice was made of the importance of the assistance they provide to the
entire Syrian population. With the support of the universal Church and the generous contribution of the international
community, this aid can be strengthened in the future in order to address
the growing needs of the people. Among
the most immediate and urgent needs,
special attention was paid to the needs of
food, clothing, education, health care and
housing.
Francis’ prayer intentions
The following are the Prayer Intentions for 2017 — universal and for
evangelization — which the Pope has entrusted to the Worldwide Prayer
Network, Apostleship of Prayer.
AUGUST
Universal: That artists of our
time, through their ingenuity,
may help everyone discover the
beauty of creation.
SEPTEMBER
JANUARY
Evangelization: That all Christians may be faithful to the Lord’s
teaching by striving with prayer
and fraternal charity to restore ecclesial communion and by collaborating to meet the challenges facing humanity.
FEBRUARY
Universal: That all those who are
afflicted, especially the poor,
refugees, and the marginalized,
may find welcome and comfort in
our communities.
MARCH
Evangelization: That persecuted
Christians may be supported by
the prayers and material help of
the whole Church.
APRIL
Universal: That young people
may respond generously to their
vocations and seriously consider
offering themselves to God in the
priesthood or consecrated life.
Evangelization: That our parishes, animated by a missionary
spirit, may be places where faith
is communicated and charity is
seen.
OCTOBER
MAY
Evangelization: That Christians
in Africa, in imitation of the Merciful Jesus, may give prophetic
witness to reconciliation, justice,
and peace.
Universal: That all workers may
receive respect and protection of
their rights, and that the unemployed may receive the opportunity to contribute to the common
good.
NOVEMBER
JUNE
Universal: That national leaders
may firmly commit themselves to
ending the arms trade, which victimizes so many innocent people.
Evangelization: That Christians
in Asia, bearing witness to the
Gospel in word and deed, may
promote dialogue, peace, and
mutual understanding, especially
with those of other religions.
JULY
Evangelization: That our brothers
and sisters who have strayed from
the faith, through our prayer and
witness to the Gospel, may rediscover the merciful closeness of
the Lord and the beauty of the
Christian life.
DECEMBER
Universal: That the elderly, sustained by families and Christian
communities, may apply their
wisdom and experience to spreading the faith and forming the new
generations.
Meeting of the Bilateral Permanent Working Commission
Joint Communiqué of the Holy See and the State of Israel
The Bilateral Permanent Working Commission
(BPWC) between the Holy See and the State of Israel met on Wednesday, 18 January, in Jerusalem,
at the Plenary level, to continue negotiations pursuant to the Fundamental Agreement between the
Holy See and the State of Israel of 1993, Art. 10
paragraph 2.
The meeting was headed by Mr Tzachi
Hanegbi, Minister for Regional Cooperation of
the State of Israel, and by Msgr Antoine Camilleri, Undersecretary for the Holy See’s Relations
with States.
The Plenary welcomed the progress accomplished at the working level regarding the negotiations pursuant to Art. 10 paragraph 2, and is
pleased that they continue in a thoughtful and
constructive atmosphere. The Plenary further acknowledged the work of the Ministry of Justice
regarding the implementation of the 1997 Bilateral
Legal Personality Agreement. The Parties have
agreed on future steps, in view of the next Plenary meeting scheduled for March 2017, in the Vatican City.
Following the BPWC meeting, the Holy See and
the State of Israel held a bilateral dialogue at the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The delegations dis-
cussed matters of common interest and explored
new opportunities for cooperation.
The Delegation of the Holy See was comprised
of:
Msgr Antoine Camilleri, Undersecretary for
Relations with States, Head of Delegation;
Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, Apostolic
Nuncio in Israel;
Archbishop Antonio Franco, Apostolic Nuncio;
Bishop Giacinto-Boulos Marcuzzo, Latin Patriarchal Vicar for Israel;
Fr Lorenzo Lorusso, Undersecretary of the
Congregation for the Oriental Churches;
Msgr Ionut Paul Strejac, Desk officer, Secretariat of State;
Msgr Marco Formica, Deputy Head of Mission, Apostolic Nunciature in Israel;
Mr Henry Amoroso, Principal Legal Adviser;
Fr Jacek Jasztal, OFM, Vicar of the Custody of
the Holy Land;
Fr Ibrahim Faltas, OFM, Treasurer of the Custody of the Holy Land;
Sr Kathy Zimmermann, FSE, Secretary of the
D elegation.
The Delegation of the State of Israel was comprised of:
Mr Tzachi Hanegbi, Minister for Regional Cooperation;
Mrs Emi Palmor, Director General, Ministry of
Justice;
Mr Ehud Keinan, External Advisor & Head of
Israeli working level team;
Mr Akiva Tor, Head of World Jewish and
World Religions Affairs Bureau (MFA);
Dr Joseph Draznin, Advisor for the Minister
for Regional Cooperation;
Mrs Sharon Regev, Director of the World Religions Affairs Department (MFA);
Mrs Tamar Kaplan, Principal Deputy Legal
Advisor and Director of the Diplomatic and Civil
Law Department (MFA);
Mrs Karin Dosoretz, Diplomatic and Civil Law
Department (MFA);
Mr Itai Apter, Office of the Deputy Attorney
General (International Law) (MOJ);
Mr Moshe Golan, External Advisor;
Mrs Anat Eilon Ganor, Senior Advisor to the
Chief Economist (MOF);
Mr Amir Haran, Senior Advisor to the Director
General (MOJ);
Mr Gilad Atlacevitz, World Religions Affairs
Department (MFA).
page 11
Cardinal Wuerl to the Canon Law Society of America
‘Amoris Laetitia’
Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation
al ministry. It is part of
the
“synodality”
or
together”
In Amoris Laetitia specifically, we “journeying
find long-held, theologically sound which he sees as essenteaching that displays the reality of tial to the Church at
practical, pastoral guidance that is every level. The fruit of
offered to someone who, like all of this listening is reflecus, is struggling to live up to the ted in the generous
fullness of the norm, but within the citation and engagecircumstances and situations in ment of the reports of
which they find themselves.
the two synods in this
In many ways the document’s Exhortation.
teaching is a further response to the
Another activity on
Second Vatican Council’s call for a which the document forenewal of Catholic moral teaching cuses is ACCOMPANYand practice and the response to this ING, the pastoral accall by the subsequent papal magis- companiment of all
terium.
who seek to find a way
The assertion of the primacy of closer to God. In many
love does not in any way diminish ways this is an extenthe role of law. What the Exhorta- sion of listening and of the synodaltion is calling us to is a recognition ity to which it gives rise. The jourthat the starting point or principle neying together of all of the memfrom which our pastoral actions flow bers of the Church implies this acmust be the revelation of God’s love companiment. But it also calls for a
and mercy. Church law certainly has change in pastoral style and intensgreat importance but it is not the ity.
only point of reference in pastoral
Pope Francis calls pastors to do
ministry.
more than teach the Church’s docThe document clearly sounds im- trine — though they clearly must do
portant notes of its own, and signi- that. Pastors must “take on the
‘smell of the sheep’” whom
they serve so that “the
sheep are willing to hear
The Cardinal Archbishop of
their voice.”2 This requires
a more careful and intensWashington delivered the keynote
ive formation of all who
address entitled “Pope Francis:
minister — all who invite
people to renew their
Fresh Perspectives on Synodality” at
faith.
the annual convention of the Canon
The Church’s pastoral
ministry is intended to
Law Society of America in Houston,
help the faithful to grow
Texas. The accompanying text is the
in the art of DISCERNING.
A key part of discernment
third and final excerpt of the
is the formation of conaddress to be published.
science. The Holy Father
insists that the Church’s
pastors must “make room
ficantly contributes to and applies for the consciences of the faithful,
these hallmarks of post-conciliar re- who very often respond as best they
newal. The focus on the person and can to the Gospel amid their limitahis or her dignity is carried forward tions, and are capable of carrying
in the Holy Father’s critique of what out their own discernment in comhe calls “a culture of the ephemeral”1 plex situations. We have been called
— a culture which views and treats to form consciences, not to replace
others as sources of affective or them.”3
sexual pleasure to be discarded
Part of this formation requires
when this pleasure runs dry. This presenting the teaching of the
pursuit of a shallow happiness falls Church in its fullness and without
short of the joy of which the Ex- compromise4 though in language
hortation speaks. As was true for the which is welcoming rather than deCouncil, the dignity of the human fensive or one-sided.5 But it is familperson is fully disclosed in Christ
ies themselves who must be invited
but in this case especially in Christ’s
to understand how to apply and beembrace of families with their
gin to live out this teaching in the
struggles, in children and other vulparticularity of their situations.
nerable persons, and in sinners.
One can say that Amoris Laetitia Those in seriously challenging situis itself the fruit of very intensive ations, such as the divorced and
civilly remarried, should be invited
LISTENING on the part of Pope Francis. The two synods on family called to deeper inclusion in the life of the
by the Holy Father were themselves Church. But the Holy Father is clear
preceded by consultation of local that he is in no way changing the
churches throughout the world on Church’s doctrine nor making genthe lived situation of families, their eral changes to its sacramental practice or Canon Law.6 He is inviting
challenges, and their experience.
Pope Francis understands the pro- such families and the pastors who
cess of listening to the faithful and accompany them to discern what it
to his brother bishops to be a key means for them to walk the path of
part of his own teaching and pastor- conversion.
D ONALD WUERL
Even in the midst of their challenges and imperfections, families
are called to respond to the Holy
Spirit’s promptings.
Admittedly, this individual process
of discernment may not be easy. A
person may know full well Church
teaching, Pope Francis notes, yet
have great difficulty in either understanding its inherent positive value,
or in being able to fully embrace it
right away because of circumstances.7 Yet, the underlying moral
principle which should inform both
that personal discernment and the
priest’s ministry is that a person
whose situation in life is objectively
contrary to moral teaching can still
love and grow in the faith, he or she
can still take steps in the right direction and benefit from God’s mercy
and grace while receiving the assistance of the Church.8
The Exhortation does not create
some sort of internal forum process
where, for example, a marriage can
be annulled or where the objective
moral order can be changed. The
teachings of the Church on marriage
and family, and on conscience and
moral decision-making, remain unchanged. The role of the priest in
listening and offering affirmation or
challenge to persons as they work
through their own understanding of
their situation, is not the same as absolving from the law or annulling a
marriage.
Instead, pastoral dialogue, accompaniment and integration involve
the development of conscience and
also the expression of a level of support or confirmation for the judg-
ment that the individual is making
about the state of his soul or her
soul. That judgment is the act of the
individual and is the basis for their
accountability before God.
Amoris Laetitia is not a list of answers to each individual human issue. Rather, it is a call to compassionate accompaniment in helping
all to experience Christ’s love and
mercy. To the extent that our ministry does this, it is also an EVANGELIZING action. As we recall the challenge to go out, to encounter, and to
accompany, we also recognize that
this is at its heart an act of the evangelizing disciple.
In the action of going out, encountering, sharing and accompanying, we also recognize that in the
journey we, ourselves, are also drawing closer to the Lord. In all of our
action of evangelizing, teaching, catechizing, counseling, admonishing,
instructing, we also remember both
God’s liberating truth and saving
mercy. None of us can claim yet to
be perfect as is our heavenly Father.
But we can grow closer to the Lord
who will by his grace heal us so that
we can have the life he wants for us.
1 Pope Francis, Post-Synodal Exhortation, Amoris Laetitia (2016), 39.
2 Ibid., Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (2013), 24.
3 Ibid.,
Post-Synodal Exhortation,
Amoris Laetitia (2016), 37.
4 Ibid., 307.
5 Ibid., 36, 38.
6 Ibid., 300.
7 Ibid., 301.
8 Ibid., 305.
Communiqué of the
Holy See Press Office
On Tuesday, 24 January 2017, in an audience with the Holy Father, His
Most Eminent Highness Fra’ Matthew Festing tendered his resignation
from the office of Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of
Malta.
On Wednesday, 25 January, the Holy Father accepted his resignation,
expressing appreciation and gratitude to Fra’ Festing for his loyalty and
devotion to the Successor of Peter, and for his willingness to humbly
serve the good of the Order and the Church.
The governance of the Order will be undertaken ad interim by the
Grand Commander pending the appointment of the Papal Delegate.
page 12
The Holy Father’s reflection at the Angelus
Kim Ki-chang
“Jesus calls the
first disciples”
The light that radiates
from the periphery
The light of Christ radiated from the periphery of Galilee and thus, Christians
must continue “to carry the Word to all the peripheries”. The day’s Gospel passage
inspired Pope Francis’ reflection at the Angelus in Saint Peter’s Square on 22
January, the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time. The following is a translation of the
Holy Father’s meditation, which he offered in Italian.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Good morning!
Today’s Gospel passage (cf. Mt 4:1223) recounts the beginning of Jesus’
preaching in Galilee. He leaves Nazareth, a village in the mountains,
and settles in Capernaum, an important centre on the lakeshore, inhabited largely by pagans, a crossroads between the Mediterranean
and the Mesopotamian inland. This
choice indicates that the beneficiaries of his preaching are not only
his compatriots, but those who arrive in the cosmopolitan “Galilee of
the Gentiles” (v. 15, cf. Is 9:1): that’s
what it was called. Seen from the
capital Jerusalem, that land is geographically peripheral and religiously impure because it was full of
pagans, having mixed with those
who did not belong to Israel. Great
things were not expected from Galilee for the history of salvation. Instead, right from there — precisely
from there — radiated that “light” on
which we meditated in recent
Sundays: the light of Christ. It radiated right from the periphery.
Jesus’ message reiterates that of
the Baptist, announcing the “kingdom of heaven” (v. 17). This kingdom does not involve the establishment of a new political power, but
the fulfillment of the Covenant
between God and his people, which
inaugurates a season of peace and
justice. To secure this covenant pact
with God, each one is called to convert, transforming his or her way of
thinking and living. This is important: converting is not only changing the way of life but also the way
of thinking. It is a transformation of
thought. It is not a matter of changing clothing, but habits! What differentiates Jesus from John the
Baptist is the way and manner. Jesus
chooses to be an itinerant prophet.
He doesn’t stay and await people,
but goes to encounter them. Jesus is
always on the road! His first mis-
The Feast of Saint Agnes
Presentation of the lambs
Pope Francis presided at the
ceremony for the presentation of the blessed lambs in
the Urban VIII Chapel of the
Apostolic Palace on Saturday morning, 21 January,
the Feast of Saint Agnes.
Agnes — associated with
agnus or “lamb” in Latin —
is the name of an early 4th
century saint: a consecrated
virgin who was martyred as
a young girl for refusing to
worship the pagan gods.
Her tomb is found in the
Roman Basilica of Saint Agnes Outside-the-Walls, where the lambs receive the traditional blessing
before being brought to the Vatican to be presented to the Pope. In the
presentation ceremony, one of the lambs wears a crown of white flowers
representing Saint Agnes’ purity; the other wears a red floral wreath recalling the Saint’s faithful witness even unto death.
On Holy Thursday the lambs are shorn and their wool woven into pallia. The white stoles are then kept in a shrine near the foot of the Altar of
Confession, close to the tomb of the Apostle Peter, thus symbolizing the
special bond between the metropolitan archbishops and the Pope. The
Pope presents the pallia to newly consecrated metropolitan archbishops
on 29 June, the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul.
sionary appearances take place along severe in prayer, so that Jesus’ wish
the lake of Galilee, in contact with may be fulfilled: “that they may all
the multitude, in particular with the be one” (Jn 17:21).
fishermen. There Jesus does not
In recent days, the earthquake
only proclaim the coming of the and snows have once again put to
kingdom of God, but seeks compan- the test our brothers and sisters of
ions to join in his salvific mission. Central Italy, especially in Abruzzo,
In this very place he meets two pairs the Marches and Lazio. I am close
of brothers: Simon and Andrew, with prayers and affection to the
James and John. He calls them, say- families whose loved ones have been
ing: “Follow me, and I will make victims. I encourage those who are
you fishers of men” (v. 19). The call committed with great generosity in
reaches them in the middle of their the work of aid and assistance; as
daily activity: the Lord reveals him- well as the local Churches, which
self to us not in an extraordinary or are doing all they can to relieve the
impressive way, but in the everyday suffering and difficulty. Many
circumstances of our life. There we thanks for this closeness, for their
must discover the Lord; and there work and the concrete help that they
he reveals himself, makes his love bring. Thank you! I invite you to
felt in our heart; and there — with pray together to Our Lady for the
this dialogue with him in the every- victims and also for those who, with
day circumstances of life —
he changes our heart. The
response of the four fishermen is immediate and willing: “Immediately they left
their nets and followed
him” (v. 20). We know, in
fact, that they were disciples
of the Baptist and that,
thanks to his witness, they
had already begun to believe in Jesus as the Messiah
(cf. Jn 1:35-42).
We, today’s Christians,
have the joy of proclaiming
and witnessing to our faith
because there was that first
announcement,
because
there were those humble
and courageous men who
responded generously to Jesus’ call. On the shores of
the lake, in an inconceivable
land, the first community of
disciples of Christ was
born. May the knowledge
of these beginnings give rise
Lanterns being hung in Xuchang for the celebration
in us to the desire to bear
of the Lunar New Year (Reuters)
Jesus’ word, love and tenderness in every context,
even the most difficult and resistant. great generosity, are committed in
To carry the Word to all the peri- the rescue efforts.
pheries! All the spaces of human liv[Hail Mary....]
ing are soil on which to cast the
In the Far East and in many parts
seeds of the Gospel, so they may
of the world, millions of men and
bear the fruit of salvation.
women are preparing to celebrate
May the Virgin Mary help us with the Lunar New Year on 28 January.
her maternal intercession to respond May my cordial greeting reach all
joyfully to Jesus’ call, and to place their families, with the wish that
ourselves at the service of the King- they may become ever more a school
dom of God.
in which to learn to respect others,
to communicate and to take care of
After the Angelus, the Holy Father
one another in an unselfish way.
added:
May the joy of love multiply within
the family and radiate from it
Dear brothers and sisters, we are
throughout society.
in the Week of Prayer for Christian
I greet all of you, faithful of
Unity. This year, its theme is an expression taken from Saint Paul, Rome and pilgrims from different
which indicates the path for us to countries. I greet the members of
follow. It says: “Reconciliation — the Union of Catholic Teachers,
The Love of Christ Compels Us” Principals, Educators and Forma(cf. 2 Cor 5:14). This Wednesday we tors, which has concluded its 25th
will conclude the Week of Prayer national conference, and I wish
with the celebration of Vespers in them fruitful educational work, in
the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside- cooperation with families. Always in
the-Walls, in which the brothers and cooperation with families!
sisters of other Christian Churches
I wish everyone a happy Sunday.
and Communities present in Rome Please do not forget to pray for me.
will participate. I invite you to per- Enjoy your lunch. Arrivederci!

L`O S S E RVATOR E ROMANO

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1 Madam President, 1. The Delegation of the Holy See

6 - 18th November 2011

Jubilee for Workers of Mercy and Volunteers

L`O S S E RVATOR E ROMANO

L`O S S E RVATOR E ROMANO

PRONTI PER TE - 08 - Give me Jesus

Private Day School – Fort Madison , Iowa

06.06.2010 - St Cyril of Jerusalem Parish

The Most Holy Trinity - Holy Angels Roman Catholic Church

STONE ROADS

Module: Accountancy and Financial Reporting – A