Pope to Those Mourning Nice Victims: Respond to Devil’s Assault With Works of God... from ZENIT of Roswell, Georgia, United States for Monday, 26 September 2016Like
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Pope to Those Mourning Nice Victims: Respond to Devil’s Assault With Works of God by Kathleen Naab
Pope Francis on Saturday welcomed to the Vatican some of the relatives of the July 14 terrorist attack in Nice, France, assuring them of the closeness of the Church and the Successor of Peter.Nearly 90 people were killed and more than 430 injured that night, when a terrorist drove a cargo truck into crowds celebrating Bastille Day.
“I want to share your pain, a pain that becomes even greater when I think of the children, even of entire families, whose life was taken away from them suddenly in a dramatic way,” the Pope said. “I assure each of you of my compassion, my closeness and my prayer.”
The Holy Father noted the hope of the Resurrection, praying that “our heavenly Father, Father of all,” may “take to Himself your dear deceased, so that they soon find the rest and joy of eternal life.”
He also urged the mourning to confront hatred with love.
“When the temptation is great to withdraw into oneself or to respond to hatred with hatred, to violence with violence, a genuine conversion of heart is necessary,” he said. “This is the message that Jesus’ Gospel addresses to all of us. One can respond to the assaults of the devil only with the works of God, which are forgiveness, love and respect of one’s neighbor, even if he is different than you.”
The Pope reiterated the closeness of the Church, saying that She is near “with immense compassion.”
“With her presence at your side in these very heavy moments to be faced, she asks the Lord to come to your help and to put in your hearts sentiments of peace and fraternity,” he said.
“Dear brothers and sisters,” the Pope said, “once again I assure you of my prayer and of all the tenderness of the Successor of Peter.”
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On ZENIT’s Web page:
Full text: https://zenit.org/articles/popes-address-to-victims-of-the-terrorist-attack-in-nice/
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Pope: A Caress, a Smile Are What the Sick Need by Kathleen Naab
Secularism sometimes attempts to evict God even from hospitals, but when that happens, a “painful lack of humanity” is usually the result, Pope Francis says.The Pope said this on Saturday when he welcomed the Sisters Hospitallers of Mercy to the Vatican during this Jubilee of Mercy, noting that their celebration of the jubilee corresponds directly to their vocation.
The Holy Father noted the sisters’ and the whole Church’s care for the sick, saying that in the face of “the weakness of sickness, there cannot be distinctions of social state, race, language or culture; we all become weak and must entrust ourselves to others.”
“The Church feels, as her commitment and responsibility, closeness to all those who suffer, to bring them consolation, comfort and friendship.”
To support the sick, the Pope said, “there is no need for long speeches: A caress, a kiss, being at their side in silence, a smile suffices.”
The Bishop of Rome lamented how “in our days, sometimes a secular culture attempts to remove, even from hospitals, any religious reference, beginning with the Sisters’ presence itself. When this happens, however, it is usually accompanied by a painful lack of humanity,” he said.
Thus he encouraged the nuns to never tire of “being friends, sisters and mothers of the sick.”
“May prayer be always the lymph that sustains your evangelizing mission,” he recommended.
“When you approach each sick person, have peace and joy in your heart, which are fruits of the Holy Spirit,” Francis added. “It is always Jesus on that hospital bed, present in the person who suffers, and it is He who asks for help from each one of you. It is Jesus.”
The Pope also acknowledged the difficulties in caring for the sick.
“Sometimes,” he said, “one can think: ‘Some of the sick are annoying.’ But we also annoy the Lord, and He supports and accompanies us! May closeness to Jesus and to the weakest be your strength.”
The Pope also praised the mission of these sisters, founded by Servant of God Teresa Orsini Doria Pamphili Landi.
He said their vocation is ever more important, “especially because individuals without a family, without a home, without a homeland are multiplying and in need of hospitality.”
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On ZENIT’s Web page:
Full text: https://zenit.org/articles/popes-address-to-sisters-hospitallers-of-mercy/
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President of Democratic Republic of the Congo Visits Pope by ZENIT Staff
Today Pope Francis received in audience the president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Joseph Kabila, who subsequently met with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary for Relations with States.According to a statement from the Vatican, the two discussed “the good relations between the Holy See and the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” especially “the important contribution of the Catholic Church in the life of the nation, with its institutions in the educational, social and healthcare spheres, as well as in development and the reduction of poverty. In this context, mutual satisfaction was expressed for the signing of the framework Agreement between the Holy See and the State, which took place on 20 May this year.”
They also considered “the current political challenge and the recent clashes that have occurred in the capital. Emphasis was placed on the importance of collaboration between political actors and representatives of civil society and religious communities, in favour of the common good, through a respectful and inclusive dialogue for the stability of peace in the country.”
“Finally, the Parties focused on the persistent violence suffered by the population in the east of the country, and on the urgency of cooperation at national and international levels, in order to provide the necessary assistance and to re-establish civil co-existence.”
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Updated Program for Pope’s Visit to Commemorate Reformation by ZENIT Staff
Today an updated programme was published for Pope Francis’ apostolic trip to Sweden, to take place from 31 October to 1 November, for the Lutheran-Catholic Joint Commemoration of the Reformation.The Pope will depart at 8.20 from Rome’s Fiumicino airport and will arrive at 11 a.m. at Malmö airport, where the official welcome and a meeting with the prime minister of Sweden will take place.
At 1.50 p.m. he will make a courtesy visit to the Swedish royal family in the Kunghuset Royal Palace in Lund.
At 2.30 he will participate in the joint ecumenical prayer in the Lutheran Cathedral of Lund, where he will pronounce a homily.
And at 4.40 p.m. he will attend the ecumenical event in the Malmö Arena in Malmö, where he will give an address.
He will subsequently meet the ecumenical delegations at 6.10 p.m., again in the Malmö Arena.
On Tuesday, 1 November, at 9.30 a.m., he will celebrate Mass in the Swedbak Stadium in Malmö, after which he will transfer to the city’s airport where the official farewell ceremony will take place.
At 12.45 p.m. he will depart for Rome, where he is scheduled to arrive at 3.30 p.m. at Ciampino airport.
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Stats on Azerbaijan and Georgia by ZENIT Staff
Pope Francis leaves Friday for his three-day trip to Georgia and Azerbaijan.The Central Church Statistics Office published statistics relating to the Catholic Church in the two countries, last updated as of 31 December 2015.
Georgia has a surface area of 69,700 km2 and a population of 4,506,000 inhabitants, of whom 112,000 are Catholics, equivalent to2.5% of the population. There is one ecclesiastical circumscription and 32 parishes. There are currently two bishops, 28 priests, 39 religious (two male and 37 female), and 45 catechists. There are 14 seminarians. The Church has three centres for Catholic education, from pre-school to university level. With regard to charitable and social centres belonging to the Church or directed by ecclesiastics or religious, in Georgia there are nine clinics, one home for the elderly, sick or disabled, one orphanage/nursery, two family advisory centres, and two institutions of other types.
Georgia is 84% Orthodox, with a near 10% Muslim minority.
Azerbaijan has a surface area of 86,600 km2 and a population of 9,642 inhabitants, of whom 570 are Catholics, equivalent to 0.01 % of the population. There is one ecclesiastical circumscription, one parish and one other pastoral centre. There are currently seven priests, ten religious (three male and seven female), and four catechists. There is one seminarian. The Church has one centre for Catholic education, at secondary level. With regard to charitable and social centres belonging to the Church or directed by ecclesiastics or religious, in Azerbaijan there is one home for the elderly, sick or disabled.
Azerbaijan is 97% Muslim (mostly Shia).
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Ranchi Archbishop to Represent Pope at Asian Bishops’ Meeting by ZENIT Staff
Cardinal Telesphore Placidus Toppo, archbishop of Ranchi, India, will be Pope Francis’ special envoy at the 11th Plenary Assembly of the Federation of Episcopal Conferences of Asia (FABC).The assembly will be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 28 November to 4 December 2016.
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Bishops Welcome UN Step Toward World Without Nuclear Weapons by ZENIT Staff
On Friday, the United Nations Security Council approved its first-ever resolution to reinforce the international norm against the testing of nuclear weapons.Bishop Oscar Cantú of Las Cruces, New Mexico, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on International Justice and Peace, welcomed the action of the U.N. Security Council.
“The Conference of Bishops has long supported U.S. ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and welcomes the action of the U.N. Security Council as encouraging this important step toward a world without nuclear weapons,” Bishop Cantú said.
Saturday marked the 20th anniversary of the opening for signature of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). Since then, 183 countries, including the United States, have become signatories to the Treaty, and 166 have ratified it.
The Holy See has signed and ratified the CTBT. The United States has signed, but not yet ratified, the Treaty.
More information on the work of the USCCB Committee on International Justice and Peace on nuclear weapons is available at: www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/war-and-peace/nuclear-weapons/index.cfm.
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Pope’s Address to Victims of the Terrorist Attack in Nice by ZENIT Staff
On Saturday Pope Francis received in audience some of the relatives of the victims of the terrorist attack in Nice last July 14.Here is a Zenit translation of the text of the Pope’s address:
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My dear brothers and sisters, I apologize for speaking in Italian, but my French is not good.
With profound emotion I meet with you, who are suffering in your body and spirit because, on a day of celebration, violence struck you blindly, you or one of your dear ones, without care for your origin or religion. I want to share your pain, a pain that becomes even greater when I think of the children, even of entire families, whose life was taken away from them suddenly in a dramatic way. I assure each of you of my compassion, my closeness and my prayer.
Dear families, I invoke our heavenly Father, Father of all, may He take to Himself your dear deceased, so that they soon find the rest and joy of eternal life. For us Christians, the foundation of our hope is Jesus Christ, dead and risen. The Apostle Paul assures us of this: “If we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him. For we know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him” (Romans 6:8-9). May the certainty of eternal life, which belongs also to believers of other religions, be of consolation to you in the course of life, and constitute a strong motive for perseverance to continue with courage your journey down here.
Related: Vatican’s Declaration on Tragedy in Nice: https://zenit.org/articles/vaticans-declaration-on-tragedy-in-nice/
I pray to the God of mercy also for all the persons who were left wounded, in certain cases atrociously mutilated, in the flesh or in the spirit, and I do not forget all those who, because of this, were unable to come or are still in hospital. The Church is close to you and accompanies you with immense compassion. With her presence at your side in these very heavy moments to be faced, she asks the Lord to come to your help and to put in your hearts sentiments of peace and fraternity.
The tragedy that the city of Nice experienced has aroused everywhere significant gestures of solidarity and accompaniment. I thank all the persons who helped the victims immediately, or who up to today and certainly also in the long run, are dedicated to support and accompany the families. I am thinking, naturally, of the Catholic community and its Bishop, Andre Marceau, but also of the services of aid and of the voluntary sector, in particular the Alpes-Maritimes Fraternite, here present, which brings together representatives of all the religious confessions, and this is a very beautiful sign of hope. I rejoice to see that among you inter-religious relations are very alive, and this cannot but contribute to alleviate the wounds of these dramatic events.
In fact, to establish a sincere dialogue and fraternal relations among all, in particular among all those who confess the one and merciful God, is an urgent priority that leaders, whether political or religious, must seek to foster and that each one is called to carry out around him. When the temptation is great to withdraw into oneself or to respond to hatred with hatred, to violence with violence, a genuine conversion of heart is necessary. This is the message that Jesus’ Gospel addresses to all of us. One can respond to the assaults of the devil only with the works of God, which are forgiveness, love and respect of one’s neighbor, even if he is different than you.
Dear brothers and sisters, once again I assure you of my prayer and of all the tenderness of the Successor of Peter. I pray also for your dear country and for its leaders, so that, without tiring, a just, peaceful and fraternal society is built. As sign of my closeness, I invoke upon each one of you the help of the Virgin Mary and an abundance of heavenly blessings.
May the Lord bless you all.
[Original text: Italian] [Translation by ZENIT]
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Pope’s Address to Sisters Hospitallers of Mercy by ZENIT Staff
My dear brothers and sisters, I apologize for speaking in Italian, but my French is not good.
With profound emotion I meet with you, who are suffering in your body and spirit because, on a day of celebration, violence struck you blindly, you or one of your dear ones, without care for your origin or religion. I want to share your pain, a pain that becomes even greater when I think of the children, even of entire families, whose life was taken away from them suddenly in a dramatic way. I assure each of you of my compassion, my closeness and my prayer.
Dear families, I invoke our heavenly Father, Father of all, may He take to Himself your dear deceased, so that they soon find the rest and joy of eternal life. For us Christians, the foundation of our hope is Jesus Christ, dead and risen. The Apostle Paul assures us of this: “If we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him. For we know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him” (Romans 6:8-9). May the certainty of eternal life, which belongs also to believers of other religions, be of consolation to you in the course of life, and constitute a strong motive for perseverance to continue with courage your journey down here.
Related: Vatican’s Declaration on Tragedy in Nice: https://zenit.org/articles/vaticans-declaration-on-tragedy-in-nice/
I pray to the God of mercy also for all the persons who were left wounded, in certain cases atrociously mutilated, in the flesh or in the spirit, and I do not forget all those who, because of this, were unable to come or are still in hospital. The Church is close to you and accompanies you with immense compassion. With her presence at your side in these very heavy moments to be faced, she asks the Lord to come to your help and to put in your hearts sentiments of peace and fraternity.
The tragedy that the city of Nice experienced has aroused everywhere significant gestures of solidarity and accompaniment. I thank all the persons who helped the victims immediately, or who up to today and certainly also in the long run, are dedicated to support and accompany the families. I am thinking, naturally, of the Catholic community and its Bishop, Andre Marceau, but also of the services of aid and of the voluntary sector, in particular the Alpes-Maritimes Fraternite, here present, which brings together representatives of all the religious confessions, and this is a very beautiful sign of hope. I rejoice to see that among you inter-religious relations are very alive, and this cannot but contribute to alleviate the wounds of these dramatic events.
In fact, to establish a sincere dialogue and fraternal relations among all, in particular among all those who confess the one and merciful God, is an urgent priority that leaders, whether political or religious, must seek to foster and that each one is called to carry out around him. When the temptation is great to withdraw into oneself or to respond to hatred with hatred, to violence with violence, a genuine conversion of heart is necessary. This is the message that Jesus’ Gospel addresses to all of us. One can respond to the assaults of the devil only with the works of God, which are forgiveness, love and respect of one’s neighbor, even if he is different than you.
Dear brothers and sisters, once again I assure you of my prayer and of all the tenderness of the Successor of Peter. I pray also for your dear country and for its leaders, so that, without tiring, a just, peaceful and fraternal society is built. As sign of my closeness, I invoke upon each one of you the help of the Virgin Mary and an abundance of heavenly blessings.
May the Lord bless you all.
[Original text: Italian] [Translation by ZENIT]
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Pope’s Address to Sisters Hospitallers of Mercy by ZENIT Staff
On Saturday, Pope Francis received in audience Sisters Hospitallers of Mercy. Here is a ZENIT translation of his address:
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Dear Sisters, good morning!
I receive you with joy during the days of the Jubilee of Mercy, which finds you particularly involved because it corresponds in a direct way to your vocation. I greet Monsignor Fisichella, who is carrying this Jubilee forward. I thank Mother Paola Iacovone for the words she addressed to me; and I thank the Lord for the commitment that your Religious Family puts into the path of fidelity to the original charism, attentive to the new forms of poverty of our times. You are a concrete sign of how the Father’s mercy is expressed.
The institution of your Founder, the Servant of God Teresa Orsini Doria Pamphili Landi, shows eloquently how the Word of the Lord can change the life of one who becomes His disciple. This noble laywoman, supported by two priests, let herself be guided by Jesus’ words: “I was sick and you visited me (cf. Matthew 25:36). In face of the weakness of sickness, there cannot be distinctions of social state, race, language or culture; we all become weak and must entrust ourselves to others.
The Church feels, as her commitment and responsibility, closeness to all those who suffer, to bring them consolation, comfort and friendship. You dedicate your life especially to the service of brothers and sisters who are recovering in hospital, because, thanks to your presence and professionalism they feel, to a great extent, supported in their sickness. And to do this, there is no need for long speeches: a caress, a kiss, being at their side in silence, a smile <suffices>. Never give up this very precious service, despite all the difficulties you might encounter. In our days, sometimes a secular culture attempts to remove, even from hospitals, any religious reference, beginning with the Sisters’ presence itself. When this happens, however, it is usually accompanied by a painful lack of humanity, truly strident in places of suffering. Do not tire of being friends, sisters and mothers of the sick; may prayer be always the lymph that sustains your evangelizing mission.
When you approach each sick person, have peace and joy in your heart, which are fruits of the Holy Spirit. It is always Jesus on that hospital bed, present in the person who suffers, and it is He who asks for help from each one of you. It is Jesus. Sometimes one can think: “Some of the sick are annoying.” But we also annoy the Lord, and He supports and accompanies us! May closeness to Jesus and to the weakest be your strength. The fourth vow that characterizes you as a Religious Family is all the more timely, especially because individuals without a family, without a home, without a homeland are multiplying and in need of hospitality. By living this particular vow with coherence, you assume in yourselves the sentiments of Christ, who “though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor” (2 Corinthians 8:9). May the Holy Mother of Mercy accompany you always and sustain you in your daily service to the weakest. I bless you from my heart and ask you, please, to pray for me.
And now, if you, Mother, have the prayer for the consecration, we can do together the consecration of the Institute of the Mother of Mercy.
[Original text: Italian] [Translation by ZENIT]
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Pope Sends Messages to 2 Argentina Communities by ZENIT Staff
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Dear Sisters, good morning!
I receive you with joy during the days of the Jubilee of Mercy, which finds you particularly involved because it corresponds in a direct way to your vocation. I greet Monsignor Fisichella, who is carrying this Jubilee forward. I thank Mother Paola Iacovone for the words she addressed to me; and I thank the Lord for the commitment that your Religious Family puts into the path of fidelity to the original charism, attentive to the new forms of poverty of our times. You are a concrete sign of how the Father’s mercy is expressed.
The institution of your Founder, the Servant of God Teresa Orsini Doria Pamphili Landi, shows eloquently how the Word of the Lord can change the life of one who becomes His disciple. This noble laywoman, supported by two priests, let herself be guided by Jesus’ words: “I was sick and you visited me (cf. Matthew 25:36). In face of the weakness of sickness, there cannot be distinctions of social state, race, language or culture; we all become weak and must entrust ourselves to others.
The Church feels, as her commitment and responsibility, closeness to all those who suffer, to bring them consolation, comfort and friendship. You dedicate your life especially to the service of brothers and sisters who are recovering in hospital, because, thanks to your presence and professionalism they feel, to a great extent, supported in their sickness. And to do this, there is no need for long speeches: a caress, a kiss, being at their side in silence, a smile <suffices>. Never give up this very precious service, despite all the difficulties you might encounter. In our days, sometimes a secular culture attempts to remove, even from hospitals, any religious reference, beginning with the Sisters’ presence itself. When this happens, however, it is usually accompanied by a painful lack of humanity, truly strident in places of suffering. Do not tire of being friends, sisters and mothers of the sick; may prayer be always the lymph that sustains your evangelizing mission.
When you approach each sick person, have peace and joy in your heart, which are fruits of the Holy Spirit. It is always Jesus on that hospital bed, present in the person who suffers, and it is He who asks for help from each one of you. It is Jesus. Sometimes one can think: “Some of the sick are annoying.” But we also annoy the Lord, and He supports and accompanies us! May closeness to Jesus and to the weakest be your strength. The fourth vow that characterizes you as a Religious Family is all the more timely, especially because individuals without a family, without a home, without a homeland are multiplying and in need of hospitality. By living this particular vow with coherence, you assume in yourselves the sentiments of Christ, who “though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor” (2 Corinthians 8:9). May the Holy Mother of Mercy accompany you always and sustain you in your daily service to the weakest. I bless you from my heart and ask you, please, to pray for me.
And now, if you, Mother, have the prayer for the consecration, we can do together the consecration of the Institute of the Mother of Mercy.
[Original text: Italian] [Translation by ZENIT]
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Pope Sends Messages to 2 Argentina Communities by ZENIT Staff
From Vatican Radio:Pope Francis has sent a message marking the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Diocese of Quilmes in Argentina.
“I know that you are preparing enthusiastically for this anniversary, and I join you in thanksgiving to God for the gifts received from His divine goodness,” – Pope Francis wrote to Bishop Carlos José Tissera. “He has remained faithful, giving you shepherds, from the first bishop, Jorge Novak, to this day; many priests and consecrated persons have given their lives to make Christ present among you. This fills me with joy.”
Pope Francis said he urged the people of the Diocese to be attentive to the Lord “passing before them,” and to help Him present in those who are “oppressed, exploited, disillusioned, sick, or suffering because of any other needs.”
Pope Francis also sent a message to the Diocese of San Carlos de Bariloche to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Argentinian town, Ingeniero Jacobacci.
Noting the damage to the town once caused by the Puyehue volcano in nearby Chile, Pope Francis said “after the ashes came the cloud of solidarity and a renewed effort to move forward,” and he noted the “creative solidarity” expressed by the town’s citizens.
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