At General Audience, Pope Shares Heartwarming Anecdote... from ZENIT of Roswell, Georgia, United States for Wednesday, 26 October 2016

At General Audience, Pope Shares Heartwarming Anecdote... from ZENIT of Roswell, Georgia, United States for Wednesday, 26 October 2016
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At General Audience, Pope Shares Heartwarming Anecdote by Deborah Castellano Lubov

Pope Francis says we are to open our hearts and find new ways to help meet others’ needs, and has warned against the trap of closing in ourselves.
The Pontiff encouraged faithful to do this today, during his address at his weekly General Audience, in which he continued his catechesis on the theme of mercy as the Jubilee Year nears its end. This week, Francis focused on the fact that among the works of mercy, are those of welcoming the stranger and clothing the naked.
Jesus, the Holy Father reminded, mentions both of these will be considered during the Last Judgement.
While observing that nowadays, the “stranger” is often the immigrant in our midst, the Latin American Pontiff underscored that in every age, immigration calls for a response of openness and solidarity.
An Anecdote
As he reflected on this, Francis departed from his prepared remarks to share an anecdote, of an elderly woman who helped an immigrant. As the lady came across this young man, who was without shoes, they began to speak and she asked him, “What are you searching for?”
“Saint Peter’s to go through the Holy Door,” he responded to her question.
Moved with sympathy, she thought to herself: “But how can he walk? .. He doesn’t even have shoes. She insisted on offering a taxi to bring him. When the taxi driver stopped however, he was hesitant to accept the passenger, as he smelled very badly.
However, the driver agreed, as the immigrant and the lady got in and chatted on the way to the Vatican. They spoke about his history, what he has lived through, the trials, the war, etc.
By the end of the ride, the lady went to pay, and the driver, who hesitated to accept them, said: “No, Signora. It is I who must pay for you, because you made me listen to a story that changed my heart.”
Nowadays
In our own day, the Pontiff observed, the growing influx of refugees fleeing war, famine and dire poverty is a summons to welcome and care for these brothers and sisters.
Moreover, Francis encouraged those present to be inspired by the many committed Christians who have gone before us, such as Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, and like them, “find generous and creative ways of meeting their immediate needs.”
“Clothing the naked,” he stressed, implies caring for those whose dignity has been stripped from them, and ensuring it is safeguarded and upheld.
As Christians, the Pope underscored, we are never to close our hearts to those in need.
Pope Francis concluded, praying we are open to others, restoring their God-given dignity, so our lives are enriched and our societies, more peaceful.
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On ZENIT’s Web page:
Full text: To be made available shortly
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Pope Invites Newlyweds, Families to Pray the Rosary by Kathleen Naab
Pope Francis is proposing that the rosary is a “summary” of God’s mercy, since in the mysteries, we contemplate Jesus who “radiates the mercy of the Father Himself.” And he is inviting newlyweds to make of the rosary a “privileged moment of spiritual intimacy in your new family.”
The Pope said this today at the end of the general audience, as he greeted various language groups.
“We are nearing the end of the month of October, dedicated to the prayer of the Rosary. This is a summary of Divine mercy. In the mysteries of the Rosary, with Mary, we contemplate the life of Jesus that radiates the mercy of the Father Himself. Let us rejoice in his love and forgiveness, receiving it in strangers and those in need, and let us live every day of His Gospel,” he said.
Among the Italian-speaking pilgrims, he greeted the women religious participating in the meeting organised by the USMI, to whom he expressed his hope that their pilgrimage during the Holy Year may revive their communion with Peter’s Successor and with the universal Church, making them witnesses to Divine Mercy in their local churches.
He also mentioned the specialists from the Umberto I Hospital, with boys and girls affected by Apert Syndrome and their families, and participants in the congress of the National Society for Organ Transplants.
“At the end of this month of October I would like to recommend the prayer of the Rosary. This simple Marian prayer shows you, dear young people, the way to interpret God’s will in your lives; love this prayer, dear sick people, as it brings consolation to the mind and to the heart. May it become for you, dear newly-weds, a privileged moment of spiritual intimacy in your new family.”
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GENERAL AUDIENCE: On Welcoming the Stranger, Clothing the Naked by ZENIT Staff
Here is a ZENIT working translation of Pope Francis’ prepared address during this morning’s general audience in St. Peter’s Square.
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THE HOLY FATHER’S CATECHESIS
Dear Brothers and Sisters, good morning!
We continue with the reflection on the works of corporal mercy, which the Lord Jesus has given us to keep our faith always alive and dynamic. These works, in fact, make evident that Christians are not tired and lazy in awaiting the final encounter with the Lord, but they go to encounter Him every day, recognizing His face in that of the many individuals who ask for help. Today we reflect on this word of Jesus: “I was a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me” (Matthew 25:35-36). How much more timely in our time is the work regarding strangers. The economic crisis, armed conflicts and climate changes drive many people to emigrate. However, migrations are not a new phenomenon, but belong to humanity’s history. It is a lack of historical memory to think that they are in fact only of our years.
The Bible gives us so many concrete examples of migration. Suffice it to think of Abraham. God’s call drives him to leave his country and go to another: “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1). It was so also for the people of Israel, who from Egypt, where they were slaves, went marching for forty years in the desert until they reached God’s Promised Land. The Holy Family itself – Mary, Joseph and the little Jesus – was constrained to emigrate to flee from Herod’s threat: “Joseph rose and took the child and His Mother by night, and departed to Egypt, where he remained until Herod’s death” (Matthew 2:14-15). The history of humanity is the history of migrations: in all latitudes there are no people that have not known the migratory phenomenon.
In this connection, in the course of the centuries we witnessed great expressions of solidarity, even though social tensions were not lacking. Today, unfortunately, the context of economic crisis fosters the emergence of closed and unwelcome attitudes. Walls and barriers rise in some parts of the world. It seems sometimes that the silent work of many men and women, who spend themselves in different ways to help and assist refugees and migrants, is overshadowed by the noise of others who give voice to an instinctive egoism. But closure is not a solution; rather it ends by fostering criminal trafficking. The only way of solution is that of solidarity — solidarity with the migrant, solidarity with the stranger.
Christians’ commitment in this field is as urgent today as it was in the past. To look only at the last century, we recall the stupendous figure of Saint Frances Cabrini, who dedicated her life, together with her companions, to immigrants in the United States of America. Today we are also in need of these testimonies so that mercy can reach the many who are in need. It is a commitment that involves everyone; no one is excluded. The dioceses, the parishes, the Institutes of Consecrated Life, the Associations and Movements, as well as individual Christians, we are all called to receive brothers and sister fleeing from war, from hunger, from violence and from inhuman conditions of life. All of us together are a great force of support for all those who have lost their homeland, family, work and dignity. A little story happened a few days ago in the city. A refugee was looking for a street and a lady approached him and said to him: “But are you looking for something?” That refugee was without shoes. And he said: “I would like to go to Saint Peter’s to enter the Holy Door.” And the lady thought: “But he doesn’t have shoes, how can he walk?” And she called a taxi. But that migrant, that refugee stank and the driver of the taxi almost did not want him to get in, but in the end he let him get into the taxi. And, in the course of the trip, the lady, who was beside him, asked him about his story as a refugee and migrant: <it took> ten minutes to arrive here. The man told his story of grief, of war, of hunger and why he fled from his country to migrate here. When they arrived, the lady opened her purse to pay the taxi driver and the driver, who at first did not want the migrant to get in because he stank, said to the lady: “No, lady, I should pay you because you made me hear a story that has changed my heart.” This lady knew the pain of a migrant because she had Armenian blood and knew the suffering of her people. When we do something of this sort; initially we refuse because it gives us some bother, “but … he stinks …” But in the end, the story perfumes our soul and makes us change. Think of this story and let us think what we can do for the refugees.
And the other thing is to clothe the naked: what does it mean if not to restore dignity to one who has lost it? Certainly, to give garments to those deprived of them, but we think also of the women victims of trafficking thrown out on the streets, or of the others, too many ways of using the human body as merchandise, even of minors. And so, also, to not have work, a home, a just salary is a form of nakedness, or to be discriminated because of race or because of faith – they are all forms of ‘nakedness,” in face of which as Christians we are called to be attentive, vigilant and ready to act.
Dear brothers and sisters, let us not fall into the trap of withdrawing into ourselves, indifferent to the needs of brothers and concerned only about our interests. It is precisely in the measure in which we open to others that life becomes fecund, societies re-acquire peace and individuals recover their full dignity. And do not forget that lady, do not forget that migrant who stank and do not forget the driver whose soul was changed by the migrant.[Original text: Italian] [Working Translation by ZENIT]
Greeting in Italian
A warm welcome goes to the Italian-speaking pilgrims! I am happy to receive the faithful of the Diocese of Ivrea, with the Bishop, Monsignor Edoardo Cerrato; the “Fidei Donum” priests of the Diocese of Brescia; generous diocese, that gives “Fidei Donum” priests …; and the women religious participants in the meeting promoted by USMI. Dear brothers and sisters, may your pilgrimage for the Holy Year revive your communion with the Successor of Peter and the universal Church and render you witnesses of Divine Mercy in your local Churches.
I greet the specialists of the Umberto I Polyclinic, with the youngsters affected by the Apert syndrome and their relatives; the participants in the national congress of the Society of Organ Transplants; the Welcome Network Association; the Daughters of Charity with the little ones of the “Puppies of Aquila” family home of Mollas in Albania and the numerous students, in particular those of the De Carlo Lyceum of Giugliano di Campania and of the Gerini-Torlonia Institute of Rome.
Finally, my greeting goes to young people, the sick and newlyweds. At the end of the month of October, I want to recommend the prayer of the Rosary. May this simple Marian prayer indicate to you, dear young people, the way to interpret God’s will in your life; love this prayer, dear sick, because it bears in it consolation for the mind and heart. May it become for you, dear newlyweds, a privileged moment of spiritual intimacy in your new family.[Original text: Italian] [Working Translation by ZENIT]
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Holy See to UN: Girls Must Have Full Access to Quality Education by Kathleen Naab
Here is the statement given Tuesday by Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, at the Security Council Open Debate on Women, Peace, and Security.
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Mr. President,
The Holy See is pleased that the Russian Federation Presidency has submitted this topic for Open Debate in this Council and brought it to the attention of the International Community.
The Holy See has long advocated for an increased involvement of women in making, maintaining and building peace. Thus it appreciates the initiatives promoted by the Security Council and Governments to raise awareness and arrive at a fuller recognition of the vital role of women in preventing the outbreak of war through mediation and preventive diplomacy, in reconciling, rehabilitating and rebuilding societies in post-war situations, and in avoiding relapses into armed conflicts. Women can and should play much greater roles in all of these processes. Their special capacities to bring order out of chaos, community out of division, and peace out of conflict and their special gifts in educating people to be more receptive and sensitive to the needs of others is essential in order to spare our world from further scourges of war and help heal the wounds of previous and present violent conflicts.
To harness the special capacities of women in peace and security, however, an international effort should be made to enable them to succeed, something that will be difficult to achieve if women still represent a disproportionate number of the world’s disadvantaged. The lack of access for women and girls to education, in particular, quality education, must be addressed. Sad to say, as Pope Francis pointed out in his 25 September 2015 Address to the General Assembly, not everywhere are girls and women given full access to education; most of the time, this results in condemning them to a second-class role within society and in giving them no possibility of being heard. Education is the great enabler for women to be able to contribute fully to the promotion and consolidation of peace and harmony not only in the family, but also in local communities, and the entire world.
The Catholic Church has long placed great emphasis on the absolute necessity of giving young women and girls access to education. Today, young women and girls constitute the majority in many of the more than 100,000 schools of the Catholic Church worldwide, from kindergarten through university, in particular, in regions where women and girls still suffer discrimination. They learn the skills to become well-trained educators and professionals, that may greatly contribute to a secure and safe society. The priority of ensuring a quality education for girls and women is also essential if we hope that they will transmit to boys and men the necessary values to desist from violence and conflict, for the role and influence of the mother are vital in the education of children and youth in the values of peace and mutual respect, of reconciliation and healing. The peacemaking role of the mother in the family is of the essence not merely fora peaceful and secure home but also for a peaceful, inclusive and safe society.
Setting up women to succeed in using their talents for making, maintaining and building peace also requires combatting poverty and ensure access to other fundamental resources. In both urban and rural areas, it is far more common for women to lack access to basic services, including health-care and social protections. In vast areas of the world, the lack of consistent and nutritious food, clean water and sanitation services, as well as the lack of employment opportunities and decent pay, continue to undermine women’s abilities to play their role in the life of their own families and society as a whole.
Helping women to bring healing to the world by addressing the causes and consequences of war and violence also means protecting them in this vital mission. The close to fifty conflicts raging in different parts of the world today call on us to concentrate our efforts on the plight of women and girls in violent situations. Women who have fallen victims to violence must be helped to overcome the stigma and the shame to which they are subjected to in certain societies, and to seek justice. It is so much more difficult for women to sustain the family and care for family members maimed by violence if their own wounds are not being treated and the injustices they have suffered not being remedied. With so much money available for weapons, can’t the world spare resources to compensate for the loss of life and limb, of the families and homes of these innocent victims, to help them overcome the ravages of conflict and enable them to become peacemakers?
Mr. President,
That women suffer disproportionately from conflicts and wars that they did not cause creates the false impression that women are only victims and not also peacemakers. It is high time – indeed, high time is long past – that this flawed image be laid to rest. And one sure way of achieving that is to harness to the full the active role of women in all phases of conflict prevention, mediation, conflict resolution and post-conflict peacebuilding. Without the inputs and specific skills of women, the most comprehensive understanding possible of the causes of conflicts and the most effective solutions to end them and build peace may never be fully attained.
Thank you, Mr. President.
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2 Auxiliaries Named for Quebec by ZENIT Staff
Pope Francis has named Fathers Louis Corriveau and Marc Pelchat as auxiliary bishops of the Archdiocese of Québec.
The two will be assisting Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, archbishop of Québec and Primate of Canada.
Louis Corriveau was born March 23, 1964, in Sainte-Marie-de-Beauce, Quebec. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Québec on June 16, 1990. He served as Vocation Director (1994-1995) and as a member of the Formation Committee of the Grand Séminaire (1996-1997). In 1997-1998, he audited courses in spirituality at the Centre Sèvres in Paris and, after returning to the Archdiocese of Québec, was once again assigned to formation work and spiritual direction at the Grand Séminaire until 2011. Since 2009 he has been spiritual director for the Teams of Our Lady Canada.
Marc Pelchat was born May 3, 1950, in Saint-Samuel du Lac Drolet (Gayhurst), in Quebec’s Eastern Townships. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Québec on June 19, 1976. That same year he also obtained a Master’s degree in theology from Laval University. He then studied at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, obtaining a doctorate in theology in 1986. In 2013 he became an adjunct professor. From 1986 to 1996, he was a member of the formation group of the Grand Séminaire of Québec. He is the author of numerous publications on ecclesiology, the theology of ministry and pastoral theology.
According to the CCCB 2016 Directory, the Archdiocese of Québec has 201 parishes and missions, with a Catholic population of 917,045 served by 359 diocesan priests, 262 priests who are members of institutes of consecrated life, 89 permanent deacons, 2,596 religious Sisters and Brothers who are also members of religious institutes, as well as 59 lay pastoral workers.
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Holy See Continues Talks With Vietnam by ZENIT Staff
To implement the agreement reached at the fifth Meeting of the Vietnam-Holy See Joint Working Group in Ha Noi (September 2014), the sixth Meeting of the group took place in Vatican City, concluding today.
The Meeting was co-chaired by Bui Thanh Son, Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Head of the Vietnamese delegation, and Msgr. Antoine Camilleri, under-secretary for Relations with States, Head of the Holy See Delegation.
The Vietnamese side reiterated the consistent and practical improvement of the legal framework and policies on the promotion and protection of freedom of belief and religion; encouragement and continued facilitation of the active engagement of the Catholic Church in Vietnam in the national cause of socio-economic development.
The Holy See, while reaffirming the freedom of the Church to carry out its mission for the good of the whole of society, expressed appreciation to the Vietnamese government for the attention given to the needs of the Catholic Church, as recently witnessed through the establishment of the Catholic Institute of Vietnam, and for the assistance in the organisation of important ecclesial ceremonies and events.
The two sides agreed that the Catholic Church in Vietnam will continue to be inspired by the Magisterium of the Church regarding the practice of ‘living the Gospel in the nation’ and being, at the same time, good Catholics and good citizens. The Holy See reaffirms that Pope Francis has a keen interest in the development of Vietnam – Holy See relations and it looks forward to the continued and invaluable contribution offered by the Catholic community, in cooperation with other actors in Vietnamese society, and in accordance with the applicable laws, to national development and the promotion of the common good.
The two sides acknowledged the progress in Vietnam – Holy See relations, including regular contacts and consultations, the exchange of high level delegations and frequent pastoral visits to Vietnam by the papal representative and non-resident special envoy, Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli.
The meeting took place in an atmosphere of cordiality, frankness and mutual respect.
The two Parties agreed to maintain constructive dialogue, in a spirit of good will with a view to increasing mutual understanding and further promoting relations between the two sides. They also agreed to convene the seventh meeting of the Vietnam – Holy See Joint Working group in Hanoi. The date of the meeting will be arranged through diplomatic channels.
Before departing from the Vatican, the Vietnamese delegation paid courtesy visits to Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, and Archbishop Paul Gallagher, secretary for Relations with States. They also visited some religious institutions of the Holy See.
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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: In our catechesis for this Holy Year of Mercy, we now consider two particular corporal works of mercy: welcoming the stranger and clothing the naked. Jesus mentions both of these in connection with the Last Judgement (cf. Mt 25:35-36). Nowadays, the “stranger” is often the immigrant in our midst. In every age, the phenomenon of immigration calls for a response of openness and solidarity. In our own day, the growing influx of refugees fleeing war, famine and dire poverty is a summons to welcome and care for these brothers and sisters. Like so many committed Christians who have gone before us, such as Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, we need to find generous and creative ways of meeting their immediate needs. So too, “clothing the naked” increasingly means caring for those whose dignity has been stripped from them, and working to ensure that it is upheld and safeguarded. As followers of Christ, may we never close our hearts to those in need. For by openness to others, our lives are enriched, our societies enjoy peace and all people can live in a way befitting their God-given dignity.
Speaker: I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly those from England, Wales, Ireland, Finland, Norway, Israel, Australia, Indonesia, China, Japan, Canada and the United States of America. With prayerful good wishes that the present Jubilee of Mercy will be a moment of grace and spiritual renewal for you and your families, I invoke upon all of you joy and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ.
[Original text: English] [Vatican-provided text]
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Archives of Argentina’s Military Dictatorship to Be Opened to Victims’ Families by ZENIT Staff
On Saturday 15 October 2016 in Vatican City, the Executive Commission of the Argentine Episcopal Conference, met with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, and other officials of the Secretariat of State, for an evaluation of the work of cataloguing and digitalisation of the archive material from the period of the Military Dictatorship (1976-1983), conserved in the Archives of the Argentine Episcopal Conference, the Secretariat of State and the Apostolic Nunciature in Buenos Aires.
It was acknowledged that this process of organisation and digitalisation, which was carried out in compliance with the decisions and indications of the Holy Father and represents the continuation of work already initiated years ago by the Argentine Episcopal Conference, has been completed.
On the basis of a protocol to be established shortly, access can be given to the relative documents for consultation by victims and direct relatives of the desaparecidos and detainees and, in the case of religious or ecclesiastics, also their major superiors.
It is to be emphasised that this work was carried out in the interest of service to truth, justice and peace, in the continuation of the wish for dialogue and a culture of encounter.
The Holy Father and the Argentine episcopate commend the homeland to the merciful protection of Our Lady of Luján, trusting in the intercession of beloved St. José Gabriel del Rosario Brochero.
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