Pope: ‘The Answer to Drama of Evil Lies in Christ’... from ZENIT of Roswell, Georgia, United States for Thursday, 29 September 2016

Pope: ‘The Answer to Drama of Evil Lies in Christ’... from ZENIT of Roswell, Georgia, United States for Thursday, 29 September 2016
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Pope: ‘The Answer to Drama of Evil Lies in Christ’ by Deborah Castellano Lubov

Pope Francis has given the answer to the drama of evil: Christ.
While addressing the Vatican’s charitable dicastery, the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, and aid agencies this morning in the Vatican, and reflecting on the suffering plaguing the world, Francis underscored this.
The Pope began his discourse thanking those gathered for all the Church is doing to alleviate the suffering of the millions of victims of these conflicts, and urging for a renewed cooperation at all levels between the different actors working in this sector.
Despite extensive efforts made in a variety of areas, the Pontiff lamented, “the logic of arms and oppression, hidden interests and violence continues to wreak devastation on these countries and that, even now, we have not been able to put an end to the exasperating suffering and repeated violations of human rights.”
The Pope decried the dramatic consequences of the crisis are already visible well beyond the borders of the region, and seen especially “in the grave phenomenon” of migration.
“Violence begets violence, and we have the impression of being caught up in a spiral of arrogance and inertia from which there is no escape. This evil which grips our will and conscience should challenge us.”
“Why, even at the cost of untold damage to persons, property and the environment,” he continued, “does man continue to pursue abuses of power, revenge and violence?”
Response to Evil
During this Jubilee Year, in which we are to fix our gaze more intensely on Christ, Francis reminded those present of Saint John Paul II’s words: “The limit imposed upon evil, of which man is both perpetrator and victim, is ultimately the Divine Mercy(Memory and Identity).”
“Yes,” Francis said, “the answer to the drama of evil lies in the mystery of Christ.”
Peace, in Our Hands
The Holy Father noted how the efforts of all committed to helping refugees and to safeguarding their dignity, is a reflection of God’s mercy and, as such, “a sign that evil has limits and does not have the last word.”
What our brothers and sisters in Syria and Iraq want today more than anything else–Francis stressed–is peace.
“And so I will never tire of asking the international community for greater and renewed efforts to achieve peace throughout the Middle East, and of asking not to look the other way.
The Holy Father pointed out that putting an end to the conflict is in the hands of men and women.
Appeal to Those With Political Responsibility
“Each of us can and must become a peacemaker, because every situation of violence and injustice is a wound to the body of the whole human family,”
“This request is my daily prayer to God, to inspire the minds and hearts of all who have political responsibility, that they may be able to renounce their own interests in order to achieve the greater good: peace.”
The Pope thanked and encouraged international organizations, in particular the United Nations, at the meeting, for their work of support and mediation among various governments.
Urgency
He also noted that working toward an agreement to end conflict and help the defenseless must be traveled together with patience and perseverance, but also with urgency.
The Holy Father then entrusted the Christian communities of the Middle East who suffer and are afraid, and those helping them, to the intercession of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, “exemplar of charity and mercy.”
“May the Lord bless you and our Blessed Mother keep you,” the Pope concluded.
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On ZENIT’s Web page:
Full Text: https://zenit.org/articles/popes-address-to-cur-unum-mideast-aid-agencies/
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Pope: Call on Archangels as You Fight Against Evil by ZENIT Staff

At the end of Wednesday’s general audience, Pope Francis mentioned today’s feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael.
“They are ‘ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation,'” the Pope said in greetings to Polish pilgrims.
He added that we should “be aware of their invisible presence,” and invited his listeners to “invoke them in prayer so that in every moment they remind us of the presence of God, supporting us in the struggle against evil and leading us safely on the roads of our life.”
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INTERVIEW: “Reconciliation” Between Catholics, Orthodox “Now Closer,” Says Archbishop Forte by Luca Marcolivio

The 14th Plenary Session of the Mixed Commission for the Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox church and the Catholic Church, which ended last week, represents a further step on the path of reconciliation. Convinced of this is Archbishop of Chieti-Vasto, Bruno Forte, whose diocese hosted the ecumenical meeting.
In particular, the agreement on the primacy and synodality represents an encouraging acceleration, after almost a decade of stalling in the ambit of these meetings: not since 2007 had a final document been produced. This year’s success was likely influenced by the epochal meeting between Pope Francis and the Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow, Kirill, which took place in Cuba last February 12.
The only “shade” in the recent plenary, was the abstention of the Georgian Orthodox on the final document, while the controversy continues on the Uniates, although it is not “emphasized,” according to Monsignor Forte.
In a conversation with ZENIT, the Archbishop of Chieti-Vast, one of the representatives of the Italian Episcopate most committed to ecumenism, expressed his satisfaction for the results obtained.
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ZENIT: Excellency, what are the most significant aspects of the Catholic-Orthodox agreement of Chieti on the primacy and synodality?
Archbishop Forte: In the first place, it is very important that we arrived at a common document on the subject of the primacy and on synodality. It was since 2007 at Ravenna, that there were no common results: the meetings of Cyprus, Vienna and Amman held in these years did not succeed in coming to a consensus. Now this has happened with the sole abstention of the Orthodox Church of Georgia on some aspect. And it is an important result.
ZENIT: More in general, what were the points of agreement between the various Churches?
Archbishop Forte: The necessity was affirmed of a first and a head (to use the language of Canon 34 of the Apostles, which is very important for the Orthodox) not only in the local Church (the Bishop) and at the regional level (the Patriarch), but also at the universal level and it was recognized that in the universal communion of the Churches, this role corresponds to the Bishop of Rome, the first of the Patriarchal Churches of the first millennium, when East and West were united.
ZENIT: Instead, where were the major disagreements found?
Archbishop Forte: The difficulty for the Orthodox is to admit the universal power of the Pope’s direct and immediate jurisdiction over the whole Church. Yet they accept that in the first millennium the synergy with Rome was decisive also in the East.
ZENIT: What is your opinion on the controversy of the Ukrainian “Uniates”?
Archbishop Forte: The question is delicate but is not emphasized: every Church, whether or not in communion with Rome, is respected.
ZENIT: The Chieti meeting took place seven months after the historic embrace between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill: in what measure was the historic event received by the reporters present in the past days?
Archbishop Forte: These meetings certainly had a great influence on the atmosphere of fraternity lived and on the will to reach a consensus.
ZENIT: Hence, after a millennium, can we say that the reconciliation between Catholics and Orthodox is closer?
Archbishop Forte: I really think so. There is still a long way but the model of conjugation between synodality and primacy certainly opens a fruitful way.
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Pope Chooses Theme for World Day for Social Communications by ZENIT Staff

Pope Francis has chosen the theme: “Fear not, for I am with you” (Is43:5). Communicating hope and trust in our time” for the Church’s 51st World Day of Social Communications next year.
The day is celebrated each year on the Sunday before Pentecost.World Communications Day was established by Paul VI after the Second Vatican Council in order to draw attention to the “the vast and complex phenomenon of the modem means of social communication.”

The Vatican published the 2017 theme yesterday and the Vatican’s Secretariat for Communications issued the following statement about the Pope’s chosen theme:
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Numbness of conscience or letting desperation get the better of us are two possible “diseases” that our current communication system can cause.
It is possible that our conscience is cauterised, as Pope Francis comments in Laudato si’, as a result of the fact that often professionals, opinion leaders and means of communication work in urban areas distant from places of poverty and need, and their physical distance often leads them to ignore the complexity of the dramas faced by men and women.
Desperation is possible, instead, when communication is emphasised and transformed into spectacle, at times becoming a genuine strategy for constructing present dangers and looming fears.
But in the midst of this tumult a whisper is heard: “Fear not, for I am with you”. In His Son, God expresses his solidarity with every human situation and revealed that we are not alone, because we have a Father Who does not forget His children. Those who live united with Christ discover that even darkness and death become, for those who so wish, a place for communion with Light and Life. In every event, they try to discover what is happening between God and humanity, to recognise how He too, through the dramatic scenario of this world, is writing the history of salvation. We Christians have “good news” to tell, because we contemplate trustfully the prospect of the Kingdom. The Theme of the next World Day of Social Communications is an invitation to tell the history of the world and the histories of men and women in accordance with the logic of the “good news” that reminds us that God never ceases to be a Father in any situation or with regard to any man. Let us learn to communicate trust and hope for history.
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Knights of Columbus to Receive Award for Helping Persecuted Christians by ZENIT Staff

The Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, Carl Anderson, and the Knights will receive the Path to Peace Award this October.
The Path to Peace Foundation was founded in 1991 to support the work of the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations.
The President of the Foundation, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the UN, will be presenting the 2016 Path to Peace Award to the Knights of Columbus and Anderson, for their life-saving work on behalf of Christians and other persecuted minorities in the Middle East and for their humanitarian work throughout the world.
“Through the Supreme Knight’s vigorous leadership, the Knights of Columbus not only has been responding to the cries for help coming from the Middle East and elsewhere but used their resources to put together a compelling 300-page report on the violence against Christians in the Middle East that compelled U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to declare what was happening to Christians, Yezidis and other religious minorities in the region a genocide,” said Archbishop Auza.
“Mr. Anderson also brought that message to the United Nations at a Holy See sponsored conference in April, urging the international community to exercise its Responsibility to Protect and stop the genocide and other violent attacks against defenseless people taking place there,” Archbishop Auza added.
“The Path to Peace Board of Directors wanted to acknowledge the Knights’ powerful leadership in seeking to help restore peace in the region ravaged by ISIS, assist the victims to get their lives back to together and to create the necessary conditions for peace.”
Since this year’s Gala Dinner coincides with the 25th Anniversary of the incorporation of the Path to Peace Foundation, there will also be special recognition given to His Eminence Cardinal Renato Martino, whose work as Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the UN from 1986-2002 led to the creation of the Foundation to support and advance the Mission’s efforts.
Past recipients of the Path to Peace Award include UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali (1993), His Majesty King Baudoin I of Belgium (1994), President Corazon C. Aquino of the Philippines (1995), President Lech Walesa of Poland (1996), President Violeta Barrios de Chamorro (1997), President Rafael Caldera of Venezuela (1998), President Carlos Saul Menem (2000), Secretary General Kofi Annan (2000), Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein (2001), Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha of Bulgaria (2002), President Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão (2003), Cardinal Angelo Sodano (2004), Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta Fra Andrew Bertie (2005), Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg (2006), President of the 61st Session of the General Assembly Sheika Haya Rashed Al Khalifa (2007), President Elias Antonio Saca Gonzalez of El Salvador (2008), Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho of Mosul, Iraq (2009), U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Mary Ann Glendon (2010), Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta Fra Matthew Festing (2011), Queen Sofia of Spain (2014), and Princess Haya Bint Al-Hussein of Dubai (2015).
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Pope’s Address to Cor Unum, Mideast Aid Agencies by ZENIT Staff

Below is a Vatican-provided translation of Pope Francis’ address to the Vatican’s charitable dicastery, the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, and Mideast aid agencies this morning in the Vatican:
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Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I thank you for your participation during this moment of common reflection on the Church’s work in the context of the Syrian and Iraqi crisis. I greet all of you, Bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful. In particular, I wish to greet Mr Staffan de Mistura, Special Envoy to Syria of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, whom I thank for his presence. I express my grateful appreciation to Monsignor Dal Toso and the Pontifical Council Cor Unum for the attentive and effective support for what the Church is doing to alleviate the suffering of the millions of victims of these conflicts. In this respect, I would like to stress the importance of renewed cooperation at all levels between the different actors working in this sector.
We must note with great sadness that since our last meeting a year ago, despite extensive efforts made in a variety of areas, the logic of arms and oppression, hidden interests and violence continues to wreak devastation on these countries and that, even now, we have not been able to put an end to the exasperating suffering and repeated violations of human rights. The dramatic consequences of the crisis are already visible well beyond the borders of the region. This is seen in the grave phenomenon of migration.
Violence begets violence, and we have the impression of being caught up in a spiral of arrogance and inertia from which there is no escape. This evil which grips our will and conscience should challenge us. Why, even at the cost of untold damage to persons, property and the environment, does man continue to pursue abuses of power, revenge and violence? We think of the recent attack on a United Nations humanitarian convoy… This is the experience of the mysterium iniquitatis, that evil which is present in man and in history and which needs to be redeemed. Destruction for destruction’s sake. And so, during this Year, in which we fix our gaze more intensely on Christ, on Mercy incarnate who has conquered sin and death, I am reminded of the words of Saint John Paul II: “The limit imposed upon evil, of which man is both perpetrator and victim, is ultimately the Divine Mercy” (Memory and Identity). It is the only limit. Yes, the answer to the drama of evil lies in the mystery of Christ.
Seeing the many suffering faces in Syria, in Iraq and in the neighbouring and distant countries where millions of refugees are forced to seek shelter and protection, the Church beholds the face of her Lord in his Passion.
The work of all who like you, represent so many workers in the field, who are committed to helping refugees and to safeguarding their dignity, is certainly a reflection of God’s mercy and, as such, a sign that evil has limits and does not have the last word. This is a sign of great hope, for which I wish to thank you, and also the many unnamed people – though not nameless to God – who, especially in this Jubilee Year, are praying and interceding in silence for the victims of conflicts, particularly for children and the weak, and who in this way are also supporting your work. In Aleppo, children have to drink polluted water!
Beyond the necessary humanitarian aid, what our brothers and sisters in Syria and Iraq want more than anything else today is peace. And so I will never tire of asking the international community for greater and renewed efforts to achieve peace throughout the Middle East, and of asking not to look the other way.
Putting an end to the conflict is also in the hands of men and women: each of us can and must become a peacemaker, because every situation of violence and injustice is a wound to the body of the whole human family.
This request is my daily prayer to God, to inspire the minds and hearts of all who have political responsibility, that they may be able to renounce their own interests in order to achieve the greater good: peace.
In this regard, our meeting gives me the opportunity to thank and encourage international organizations, in particular the United Nations, for their work of support and mediation among various governments, so that there can be agreement which ends conflict and finally gives priority to the good of defenceless populations. It is a path we must travel together with patience and perseverance, but also with urgency, and the Church will certainly continue to make her contribution.
Finally, my thoughts turn to the Christian communities of the Middle East who suffer the consequences of violence and look to the future with fear. In the midst of so much darkness, these Churches hold high the lamp of faith, hope and charity. As they courageously and without discrimination assist all who suffer and work for a peaceful coexistence, Christians in the Middle East today are a clear sign of God’s mercy. They have the admiration, recognition and support of the universal Church.
I entrust these communities and those who work at the service of victims of this crisis to the intercession of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, exemplar of charity and mercy.
May the Lord bless you and our Blessed Mother keep you.[Original Text: Italian] [Vatican-provided translation]
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Ireland to Celebrate Day for Life: ‘Everything Is Connected’ by ZENIT Staff

This Sunday across Ireland marks the celebration of Day for Life, a day dedicated to raising awareness about the meaning and value of human life at every stage, and in every condition. Day for Life is celebrated each year by the Catholic Church in Ireland, Scotland, and in England & Wales. The theme for this year’s Day for Life is ‘Everything is Connected’.
In their pastoral message for 2016, bishops share a reflection from Laudato Si’. In Laudato Si’ Pope Francis said, “Neglecting to monitor the harm done to nature and the environmental impact of our decisions is only the most striking sign of a disregard for the message contained in the structures of nature itself. When we fail to acknowledge as part of reality the worth of a poor person, a human embryo, a person with disabilities – to offer just a few examples – it becomes difficult to hear the cry of nature itself; everything is connected.”
In their Day for Life pastoral message the bishops say, “When we recognise and grow in wonder that we are all brothers and sisters living in one common home, it will not only affect how we care for the environment, but also how we care for one another and how we welcome and accept those with different needs and abilities, refugees, the elderly, the unborn, the forgotten and the abandoned.”
Commenting on this year’s Day for Life message, Bishop Kevin Doran of Elphin and the Bishops’ Conference Day for Life delegate said, “Laudato Si’ is not just about conserving the environment for its own sake. It is about how we use and share the limited natural resources, which God originally intended for all, including the generations yet to be born. For many in our world today, the management of the environment is a matter of life and death”.
A special web feature is available on www.catholicbishops.ie which includes:
Link to Laudato Si’, the encyclical letter from Pope Francis on Care for Our Common Home.
Text of the bishops’ pastoral message ‘Everything is Connected’ in English, Irish and Polish.
Day for Lifeprayers and reflections.
The Day for Life has been celebrated in Ireland since 2001. The Day for Life was initiated by Pope John Paul II, to encourage the Catholic Church worldwide to promote and celebrate the sacredness of life. In his 1995 Encyclical Letter ‘Evangelium Vitae’ (‘The Gospel of Life’), the late Pope proposed that “a day for life be celebrated each year in every country.” The primary purpose of this day should be “to foster in individual consciences, in families, in the Church, and in civil society, recognition of the meaning and value of human life at every stage and in every condition” (EV #85). Day for Life is the Church’s special day dedicated to celebrating the dignity of life from conception to natural death. Since 2001, the following themes have been chosen to celebrate the annual Day for Life:
2001: Proclaiming the Gospel of Life
2002: End of Life Care – Ethical and Pastoral Issues
2003: The Wonder of Life, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Pontificate of Pope John Paul II
2004: Life is for Living – A Reflection on suicide
2005: Cherishing the Evening of Life
2006: Celebrating the life and presence of people with disabilities in the Church and in society
2007: Blessed is the fruit of your womb – dedicated to protecting all human life
2008: Mental Health – mental ill-health can happen to anyone
2009: Focus on suicide, particularly the pastoral dimensions of this difficult and sensitive subject
2010: The meaning of Christian death and care for those who are dying
2011: A call to solidarity and hope in difficult times
2012: Choose Life!
2013: Care for Life: It’s Worth It
2014: Protect and Cherish Life #Livelife
2015: Cherishing Life: Accepting Death
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Here is the bishops’ message:
Day for Life 2016 pastoral message: ‘Everything in Connected’
‘Faced with the sacredness of life and of the human person, and before the marvels of the universe, wonder is the only appropriate attitude.’
Letter of St John Paul II to Artists, 1999
Last year was the hottest on record. In a small village in the South East of India, a farmer called Jejabba braved the midday heat to take his cows to shelter by a mango grove. He arrived home dehydrated and died before he could reach a hospital. He was 63. Jejabba is not alone. Over 4,500 people in India and Pakistan died during last summer’s heatwave. Rising temperatures are making droughts more severe and floods more intense. The poor always suffer most.
On 18 June 2015, Pope Francis published his environmental encyclical Laudato Si’ (Praise Be), and in December of that year, the historic Paris Climate Change Agreement was signed. The pope reminded us powerfully that we are one human family sharing a common home, dependent upon one another and the whole of creation. It is our duty to ‘pay special attention to the most vulnerable.’ He said, ‘Neglecting to monitor the harm done to nature and the environmental impact of our decisions is only the most striking sign of a disregard for the message contained in the structures of nature itself. When we fail to acknowledge as part of reality the worth of a poor person, a human embryo, a person with disabilities – to offer just a few examples – it becomes difficult to hear the cry of nature itself; everything is connected.’ (Pope Francis, Laudato Si’ 117)
When we recognise and grow in wonder that we are all brothers and sisters living in one common home, it will not only affect how we care for the environment, but also how we care for one another and how we welcome and accept those with different needs and abilities, refugees, the elderly, the unborn, the forgotten and the abandoned.
Growing in wonder will help us to treasure more deeply the gift of human life.
A Prayer for Our Earth
All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe
and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with peace, that we may live
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
Amen
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Voting and Living as Good Citizens by Bishop James Conley

Here is the latest column from Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska, reprinted from the Southern Nebraska Register.
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This November, American Catholics have the opportunity to shape the direction of our nation, our states, and our local communities in the voting booth. Good citizenship is a moral obligation for all Catholics, and voting is an important part of that obligation. In the United States, the responsibility for our government’s direction lies with us, as citizens, and we can’t take that responsibility lightly. We cannot, because of apathy, or discouragement, or perfectionism, abandon our obligation to vote.
In the past few months, many Catholics have asked me how to make good choices in the voting booth. Many Catholics have especially expressed to me being uncertain about how to make choices when faced with two presidential candidates they find intolerable or unacceptable. While a bishop should never tell Catholics who they should vote for, I would like to offer four points of guidance, drawn from wisdom of the Church, as we discern our choices as voters.
The first is that government has an important purpose, and our votes help to achieve that purpose.
The Catholic Church teaches that the purpose and obligation of our government is to support the common good. The Second Vatican Council said that the common good is “the sum of those conditions of social life which allow social groups and their individual members relatively thorough and ready access to their own fulfillment.” Our common good has three elements: respect for the dignity, rights, obligations, and freedom of the human person; respect for the well-being, development, and flourishing of the entire community; and peace, in the stability and security of a well-ordered community, governed by the rule of law.
When we vote, we do so in order to promote the common good, to express it, advance it, and protect it. There are some issues in which the common good is clear and some issues which require careful discernment and prudent judgment. This discernment can, therefore, lead to different conclusions and ideas among people of good will. In fact, often the best solutions to difficult political issues can come from robust discussion among people with the same goals in mind, and different ideas about the best ways to achieve those goals.
My second point is that on some issues the moral obligations of Catholics, and the demands of the common good, are abundantly clear. For example, no Catholic can vote in good conscience to expand legal protection for abortion, or to support the killing of unborn children.
Mother Teresa of Kolkata, who was canonized a saint earlier this month, said it best in a 1994 letter she wrote to the United States Supreme Court. She said that “Roe v. Wade has deformed a great nation. The so-called right to abortion has pitted mothers against their children and women against men. It has shown violence and discord at the heart of the most intimate human relationships. It has aggravated the derogation of the father’s role in an increasingly fatherless society. It has portrayed the greatest of gifts –a child– as a competitor, an intrusion, and an inconvenience…. Human rights are not a privilege conferred by government. They are every human being’s entitlement by virtue of his humanity. The right to life does not depend, and must not be declared to be contingent, on the pleasure of anyone else, not even a parent or a sovereign.”
Abortion is a grave, unconscionable, and intolerable evil, and we cannot support it in the voting booth.
My third point is that when we vote, we need to carefully consider the specifics of each race. Blind partisanship can be dangerous, and we have to look past political rhetoric and media alarmism to make prudent discernments.
In each race, we need to discern whether there is a candidate who can advance human dignity, the right to life, and the common good. When there is, we should feel free to vote for that candidate—whether they are a member of a major party or not. In extraordinary circumstances, some Catholics may decide, in good conscience, there is not a suitable candidate for some particular office and abstain from voting in that particular race.
We also need to remember that we are not responsible for the votes of other people. Choosing not to vote for “Candidate A” is not the same as actively voting for “Candidate B.” No Catholic should feel obliged to vote for one candidate just to prevent the election of another.
In good conscience, some Catholics might choose to vote for a candidate who, with some degree of probability, would be most likely to do some good, and the least amount of harm, on the foundational issues: life, family, conscience rights and religious liberty. Or, in good conscience, some might choose the candidate who best represents a Christian vision of society, regardless of the probability of winning. Or, in good conscience, some might choose not to vote for any candidate at all in a particular office.
As a matter of conscience, faithful Catholics have to weigh all those pertinent issues, and make the choice that seems most in accord with the common good of our nation: with respect for human dignity, social well-being, and peace. Catholics will make different judgments about those questions, and come to different conclusions—this reflects the fact the Lord has given us free intellects and free wills.
My final point is that we need to remember that being good citizens—building a culture of life and a civilization of love—is a much broader obligation, and opportunity, than the voting booth. Americans today, are, in many ways, disengaged, discouraged, and divided. Much of our political rhetoric is unhelpful. And family, community, and public life are in decline. We need a broader vision of public life, which values and proclaims the dignity of every human life, and which aims for the flourishing of individuals, families, and communities. This broader vision won’t come through an election. It will come through life in Jesus Christ. The most important part of being good citizens is living as faithful and active missionary disciples of Jesus Christ.
In fact, Christ is the broader reason we are called to hope. God calls us to be faithfully engaged in working to build up and proclaim the Kingdom. That includes our vocation to the public square. But our hope is in the eternal mercy of God—the salvation won in the Incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
This month at Notre Dame, Archbishop Charles Chaput said that “Christians are not of the world, but we’re most definitely in it. Augustine would say that our home is the City of God, but we get there by passing through the City of Man.” Our hope is in the Lord. We are his faithful disciples when we work to help others to know the Lord. But the success is according to his plan. We are called to be faithful to his call, as we make thoughtful, prudent, and prayerful choices as citizens. And we are called to trust in the Providence of his plan for the world. Christ is the only real source of our nation’s hope.-------

Pope at Audience: Are You Suffering? Look to the Cross... from ZENIT of Roswell, Georgia, United States for Wednesday, 28 September 2016
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Pope at Audience: Are You Suffering? Look to the Cross by Deborah Castellano Lubov

“To those who are nailed on a hospital bed, to those living closed in a prison, to those who are trapped by wars, I say: Look at the Crucified One; God is with you, He stays with you on the cross and offers Himself to all of us as Savior.”
Pope Francis made this moving exhortation today during the general audience, when he gave a catechesis on Jesus’ words during His Passion, namely those of forgiveness: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Lk 23:34).
For the good thief, the Pontiff explained, these are not mere words, for Jesus truly forgives him. Yet, for the bad thief, Francis contrasted, it is inconceivable that the Messiah would remain on the Cross and not save Himself.
“But it is precisely by remaining on the Cross that Jesus offers salvation to every person regardless of their situation,” the Pope said.
The Holy Father recalled that this Jubilee Year is a time of grace and mercy for all, the good and the bad, those in health and those who suffer.
“It is a time to remember that nothing can separate us from the love of God (cf. Rm 8:39).”
We learn a lesson from the good thief, Francis stressed, namely on how we should approach God.
When we approach Him with awe and respect for His power and infinite goodness, he noted, “we entrust ourselves to his mercy, even in the darkest of moments.”
The Pontiff stressed to those gathered in the Square that God is always with us sinners, and he loves us even to death on the Cross.
“Let us see in the good thief a model of confidence in the Lord and, like him, let us call upon Jesus’ name and ask him to remember us in Paradise,” he said.
During today’s audience, the Pope also renewed his appeal to help the suffering nation of Syria and decried unemployment in Italy.
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On ZENIT’s Web page:
Full text: https://zenit.org/articles/general-audience-on-the-two-thieves/
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General Audience: On the Two Thieves by ZENIT Staff

Here is a ZENIT translation of Pope Francis’ address as this morning’s general audience.
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Dear Brothers and Sisters, good morning!
The words that Jesus pronounces during His Passion find their culmination in forgiveness:
Jesus forgives: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). They are not just words, because they become a concrete act of forgiveness offered to the “good thief,” who was beside Him. Saint Luke talks about two evildoers crucified with Jesus, who turn to Him with opposite attitudes.
The first insults Him, as all the people insulted Him, as the leaders of the people did, but this poor man, driven by despair, says: “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” (Luke 23:39). This cry testifies to the anguish of man in face of the mystery of death and the tragic awareness that only God can be the liberating answer: therefore, it is unthinkable that the Messiah, the one sent by God, can be on the cross without doing anything to save Himself. And they did not understand this. They did not understand the mystery of Jesus’ sacrifice. And, instead, Jesus has saved us by staying on the cross. All of us know that it is not easy to “stay on the cross,” on our small crosses of every day. He stayed on this great cross, in this great suffering, and He saved us there; He showed us His omnipotence there and He forgave us there. Fulfilled there was His self-giving of love; from it flows forever our salvation. By dying on the cross, innocent between two criminals, He attests that God’s salvation can reach any man in any condition, even the most negative and painful. God’s salvation is for all; no one is excluded. It is offered to all.
Hence, the Jubilee is a time of grace and mercy for all, good and evil, those who are healthy and those who suffer. Remember that parable that Jesus tells on the celebration of the marriage of the son of a powerful man of the earth: when those invited did not want to go, he said to his servants: “Go therefore to the thoroughfares, and invite to the marriage feast as many as you find” (Matthew 22:9). We are all called: the good and the evil. The Church is not just for the good and for those who seem to be good or believe they are good; the Church is for all, and even preferably for the evil, because the Church is mercy. And this time of grace and mercy reminds us that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ! (cf. Romans 8:39). To those who are nailed on a hospital bed, to those living closed in a prison, to those who are trapped by wars, I say: look at the Crucified One; God is with you, He stays with you on the cross and offers Himself to all of us as Savior. To you who suffer so much I say, Jesus is crucified for you, for us, for all. Allow the strength of the Gospel to penetrate your heart and to console you; may it give you hope and the profound certainty that no one is excluded from His forgiveness. But you can ask me: “But tell me, Father, does one who has done the worst things in life have the possibility of being forgiven?” Yes! Yes, no one is excluded from God’s forgiveness. He must only approach Jesus repentant and with the desire to be embraced by Him.
This was the first evildoer. The other is the so-called “good thief.” His words are a wonderful model of repentance, a concentrated catechesis to learn to ask Jesus for forgiveness. First, he turns to his companion: “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?” (Luke 23:40). Thus he highlights the point of departure of repentance: fear of God, no: filial fear of God. It is not fear but that respect that is due to God because He is God. It is a filial respect because He is Father. The good thief recalls the fundamental attitude that opens to trust in God: the awareness of His omnipotence and His infinite goodness. It is this confident respect that helps to make room for God and to entrust oneself to His mercy.
Then, the good thief declares Jesus’ innocence and confesses his guilt openly: “We indeed justly; for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong” (Luke 23:41). Therefore Jesus is there, on the cross, to be with the guilty: through this closeness He offers them salvation. What is a scandal for the leaders and for the first thief, for those who were there, who made a mockery of Jesus, this is, instead, the foundation of the latter’s faith. And thus the good thief becomes a witness of Grace; the unthinkable has happened: God has loved me to such a point that He died on the cross for me. The faith itself of this man is the fruit of Christ’s grace: his eyes contemplate in the Crucified One God’s love for him, poor sinner. It is true, he was a thief, he was a robber, he robbed all his life. But at the end, repentant of what he had done, looking at Jesus so good and merciful, he succeeded in stealing Heaven for himself: this was <indeed> a good thief!
Finally, the good thief turns directly to Jesus, invoking His help: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom” (Luke 23:42). He calls Him by His name, “Jesus,” with confidence, and so he confesses what that name indicates: “the Lord saves”: this is what the name “Jesus” means. That man asks Jesus to remember him. How much tenderness there is in this expression, how much humanity! It is the human being’s need not to be abandoned, that God be always close to him. Thus, a man sentenced to death becomes a model of the Christian who entrusts himself to Jesus. A man sentenced to death is a model for us, a model for a man, for a Christian who entrusts himself to Jesus; and also a model of the Church that so often in the liturgy invokes the Lord saying: “Remember … Remember your love …”
While the good thief speaks of the future: “when you enter into your Kingdom,” Jesus’ answer is not long in coming; he speaks of the present: “today you will be with me in Paradise” (v. 43). In the hour of the cross, Jesus’ salvation reaches its culmination, and His promise to the good thief reveals the fulfilment of His mission: that is to save sinners. At the beginning of His ministry, in the synagogue of Nazareth, Jesus proclaimed “release to the captives” (Luke 4:18); at Jericho, in the house of the public sinner Zacchaeus, He declared that “the Son of man – namely He — came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:9). On the cross, His last act confirms the realization of this salvific plan. From the beginning to the end He revealed Himself Mercy, He revealed Himself the definitive and unrepeatable incarnation of the Father’s love. Jesus is truly the face of the Father’s mercy. And the good thief called Him by name: “Jesus.” It is a brief invocation, and we can all do it many times during the day: “Jesus,” simply “Jesus.” And do so during the whole day.
[Original text: Italian] [Translation by ZENIT]
In Italian
A warm welcome to Italian-speaking pilgrims!
I am happy to receive the faithful of the Dioceses of Ascoli Piceno, — you have also suffered! –, with the Bishop, Monsignor Giovanni D’Ercole, and of Otranto with the Archbishop, Monsignor Donato Negro, and those of Modena-Nonantola. Dear brothers and sisters, may your pilgrimage for the Holy Year express the significance of communion with the universal Church and make you witnesses of mercy in your local churches.
I greet the delegation of the Diocese of Rome that has prepared the Week of the Family, which will be held from October 2-8. Shortly, I will light a torch for them, symbol of the love of the families of Rome and of the whole world.
A special thought goes to the Archbishop of Potenza and to the group of laid off workers of Basilicata, and I hope that their grave occupational circumstance will find a positive solution through an incisive commitment on the part of all to open ways of hope. The percentage of unemployment cannot go up more!
I greet the participants in the General Chapter of the Tertiary Capuchin Sisters of the Holy Family; the Elderly Association with the cyclists of the Generals Group; the participants in the “Italian Wonder Ways” initiative with the Bishop, Monsignor Paolo Giulietti; and the faithful of Pieve di Soligo, here present to observe the anniversary of John Paul I’s death.
Finally, I greet young people, the sick and newlyweds. May the example of charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, whom we remembered yesterday as Patron of charitable associations, lead you, dear young people, to carry out the plans of your future with a joyful and selfless service to your neighbor. May it help you, dear sick, to face suffering with your gaze turned to Christ. And may it solicit you, dear newlyweds, to build a family that is always open to the poor and to the gift of life.
[Original text: Italian] [Translation by ZENIT]
The Holy Father’s Appeal
My thought goes once again to beloved and martyred Syria. Tragic news continues to reach me on the fate of the populations of Aleppo, to whom I feel united in their suffering, through prayer and spiritual closeness. In expressing profound grief and intense concern for all that is happening in this already martyred city, where children, elderly, the sick, young people, old people, so many die … I renew to all the appeal to commit themselves with all their strength to the protection of civilians as an imperative and urgent obligation. I appeal to the conscience of those responsible for the bombardments, who will have to render account before God!
[Original text: Italian] [Translation by ZENIT]
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Pope Renews Appeals to Help Syria by ZENIT Staff

During his weekly General Audience this morning in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis repeated his appeals to help the suffering nation of Syria.
According to Vatican Radio, at the conclusion of the audience, Francis lamented “the dramatic news concerning the fate of the people of Aleppo.”
After a ceasefire collapsed last week, rebel-held areas of Aleppo were heavily bombarded again, in what has been reported to be one of the worst attacks of the more than five-year war. This morning, the Syrian military announced it was launching concentrated air strikes in Aleppo and nearby areas, targeting insurgent held areas in the surrounding countryside.The Pope said that through prayer and spiritual closeness, he feels united in suffering with these people.

“In expressing my deep sorrow and lively concern for what is happening in that already battered city – where children, the elderly, the sick, young and old, all are dying,” Francis said, “I renew my appeal to everyone to commit themselves with all their strength to the protection of civilians as an imperative and urgent obligation.”
The Holy Father departed from his prepared text to appeal directly to those responsible for the bombing, warning them that, for their actions, they will be “accountable to God.”
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Holy See to UN: We Have No Reasonable Option Other Than Abolition of Nuclear Weapons by ZENIT Staff

Here is a statement given Monday on the International Day For The Total Elimination Of Nuclear Weapons, by Archbishop Bernardino Auza, Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations.

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Mr. President,
The Holy See fervently hopes that this annual commemoration of the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons will contribute to breaking the deadlock that has beset the United Nations’ disarmament machinery for far too long now.
In February 1943, two years and a half before the Trinity test, Pope Pius XII had already voiced deep concern regarding the violent use of atomic energy. After Hiroshima and Nagasaki and given the totally uncontrollable and indiscriminate consequences of nuclear weapons, Pope Pius XII demanded the effective proscription and banishment of atomic warfare, calling the arms race a costly relationship of mutual terror. The Holy See has maintained this position ever since the advent of nuclear weapons.
Related: Holy See Press Office Confirms Pope’s Concern for Situation in North Korea
My delegation believes that nuclear arms offer a false sense of security, and that the uneasy peace promised by nuclear deterrence is a tragic illusion. Nuclear weapons cannot create for us a stable and secure world. Peace and international stability cannot be founded on mutually assured destruction or on the threat of total annihilation. The Holy See believes that peace cannot be solely the maintaining of a balance of power. On the contrary, as Pope Francis affirmed, “Peace must be built on justice, socio-economic development, freedom, respect for human rights, the participation of all in public affairs and the building of trust between peoples.”[1] Lasting peace thus requires that all must strive for progressive and concerted nuclear disarmament.
The Holy See has been a Party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) since the very beginning, in order to encourage nuclear possessing States to abolish their nuclear weapons, to dissuade non-nuclear possessing States from acquiring or developing nuclear capabilities, and to encourage international cooperation on the peaceful uses of nuclear material. While firmly believing that the NPT remains vital to international peace and security and regretting deeply our collective failure to move forward with a positive disarmament agenda, the Holy See will continue to argue against both the possession and the use of nuclear weapons, until the total elimination of nuclear weapons is achieved.
Indeed, the Holy See considers it a moral and humanitarian imperative to advance the efforts towards the final objective of the total elimination of nuclear weapons. Disarmament treaties are not just legal obligations; they are also moral commitments based on trust between States, rooted in the trust that citizens place in their governments. If commitments to nuclear disarmament are not made in good faith and consequently result in breaches of trust, the proliferation of such weapons would be the logical corollary.
For our own good and that of future generations, we have no reasonable or moral option other than the abolition of nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons are a global problem and they impact all countries and all peoples, including future generations. Increasing interdependence and globalization demand that whatever response we make to the threat of nuclear weapons be collective and concerted, based on reciprocal trust, and within a framework of general and complete disarmament, as Art. VI of the NPT demands. Moreover, there is the real and present danger that nuclear weapons and other arms of mass destruction would fall into the hands of extremist terrorist groups and other violent non-state actors.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development calls upon all of us to embark on the implementation of the daunting ambition to better every life, especially those who have been and are left behind. It would be naïve and myopic if we sought to assure world peace and security through nuclear weapons rather than through the eradication of extreme poverty, increased accessibility to healthcare and education, and the promotion of peaceful institutions and societies through dialogue and solidarity.
Mr. President,
No one could ever say that a world without nuclear weapons is easily achievable. It is not; it is extremely arduous; to some, it may ever appear utopian. But there is no alternative than to work unceasingly towards its achievement.
Let me conclude by reaffirming the conviction that Pope Francis expressed in his December 2014 message to the President of the Vienna Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons: “I am convinced that the desire for peace and fraternity planted deep in the human heart will bear fruit in concrete ways to ensure that nuclear weapons are banned once and for all, to the benefit of our common home.”
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[1] Message of His Holiness Pope Francis on the occasion of the Vienna Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons, December 2014.
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Pope Gives Words of Encouragement to Earthquake Victims, Laid-Off Workers by ZENIT Staff

Present at today’s General Audience were faithful of the Marche dioceses of Ascoli-Piceno, stricken by the earthquake of last July 24, accompanied by Bishop Giovanni D’Ercole. The Pope turned to them when greeting the Italian-speaking pilgrims, saying: “I am happy to receive the faithful of the Dioceses of Ascoli-Piceno; you have also suffered!”
“Dear brothers and sisters, may your pilgrimage for the Holy Year express the significance of communion with the universal Church and render you witnesses of mercy in your local churches,” added the Holy Father.
The Pontiff also greeted the delegation of the diocese of Rome that prepared the Week of the Family, which will be held from October 2-8. “Shortly, I will light for them a torch, symbol of the love of the families of Rome and of the whole world.”
A special thought went to the Archbishop of Potenza and to a group of laid off workers of Basilicata. The Pontiff hoped “that the grave circumstance of unemployment can find a positive solution through an incisive commitment on the part of all to open ways of hope. The percentage of unemployment cannot go up!” he added off-the-cuff.
A greeting went also to the participants in the General Chapter of the Tertiary Capuchin Sisters of the Holy Family; the Elderly Association with the cyclists of the Generals Group; the participants in the “Italian Wonder Ways” initiative with the Bishop Paolo Giulietti; and the faithful of Pieve di Soligo, who came to Rome to observe today’s anniversary of John Paul I’s death.
Finally, turning to young people, the sick and newlyweds, Pope Francis said: “May the example of charity of Saint Vincent of Paul, whom we remembered yesterday as Patron of charitable associations, lead you, dear young people, to realize the plans for your future with joyful and selfless service to your neighbor. May it help you, dear sick, to face suffering with your gaze turned to Christ. And may it solicit you, dear newlyweds, to build a family always open to the poor and to the gift of life.”
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Pope’s Telegram for Death of Former Israel President Shimon Peres by ZENIT Staff

Below is a Vatican-provided translation of the telegram of condolences Pope Francis sent upon learning of the death of Former President of Israel Shimon Peres:
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His Excellency Reuven Rivlin
President of the State of Israel
I was deeply saddened to learn of the death of His Excellency Shimon Peres, and I wish to convey to you and to all the people of Israel my heartfelt condolences. I fondly recall my time with Mr Peres at the Vatican and renew my great appreciation for the late President’s tireless efforts in favour of peace. As the State of Israel mourns Mr Peres, I hope that his memory and many years of service will inspire us all to work with ever greater urgency for peace and reconciliation between peoples. In this way, his legacy will truly be honoured and the common good for which he so diligently laboured will find new expressions, as humanity strives to advance on the path towards enduring peace. With the assurance of my prayers for all who grieve, especially for the Peres family, I invoke the divine blessings of consolation and strength upon the nation.
FRANCISCUS PP.[Original text: English] [Vatican-provided text]
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English Summary of Pope’s General Audience by ZENIT Staff

Here is the Vatican-provided English-language summary of Pope Francis’ General Audience this morning in St. Peter’s Square:
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Speaker: Dear Brothers and Sisters: Jesus’ words during his Passion culminate in forgiveness: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Lk 23:34). For the good thief, these are not mere words, for Jesus truly forgives him. For the bad thief, however, it is inconceivable that the Messiah would remain on the Cross and not save himself. But it is precisely by remaining on the Cross that Jesus offers salvation to every person regardless of their situation. This Jubilee Year is a time of grace and mercy for all, the good and the bad, those in health and those who suffer. It is a time to remember that nothing can separate us from the love of God (cf. Rm 8:39). To all those sick in hospital, who live within the walls of a prison, or who are trapped by war, we are called to look to Christ Crucified on the Cross, who is God with us, who remains with us on the Cross and who offers himself as our Saviour. The good thief helps us to understand how we should approach God: with awe and not fear, with respect for God’s power and infinite goodness. When we approach him in this way, we entrust ourselves to his mercy, even in the darkest of moments. For God is always with us sinners, and he loves us even to death on the Cross. Let us see in the good thief a model of confidence in the Lord and, like him, let us call upon Jesus’ name and ask him to remember us in Paradise.
Speaker: I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly those from England, Scotland, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, South Africa, Australia, Canada and the United States of America. I extend a special welcome to the seminarians of the Pontifical North American College and their families gathered here for the Ordination to the Diaconate to be celebratedtomorrow. May God bless you all![Original text: English] [Vatican-provided text]
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