(Vatican Radio) A moment of deep discernment for the Church. That was how Fr Federico Lombardi, head of the Holy See press office, described the atmosphere during the Synod of Bishops on the Family which ended here in the Vatican on Sunday. Noting how the two week meeting was part of a longer process that…
Read more
(Vatican Radio) A moment of deep discernment for the Church. That was how Fr Federico Lombardi, head of the Holy See press office, described the atmosphere during the Synod of Bishops on the Family which ended here in the Vatican on Sunday. Noting how the two week meeting was part of a longer process that will conclude in October 2015, Fr Lombardi said the atmosphere of honesty and transparency was a key element which distinguished it from any other previous Synod of the Universal Church.
Among the 253 participants were also representatives of other Christian Churches, invited to share their experience of family ministry in the context of evangelisation. They included Valérie Duval Poujol, the ‘fraternal delegate’ from the Baptist World Alliance. As the daughter of a mixed Baptist-Catholic family who now works as a theologian and professor at the Catholic Institute in Paris, she has a long experience of ecumenism in action. She sat down with Philippa Hitchen to share her thoughts on a common sense of mission and the need for a new language to touch the hearts of young people today….
Listen :
“I was very impressed by the good quality of exchange between the Synodal Fathers – sometimes people have a vision of the Church which is distant or cold, but I really felt the compassion of the heart of the shepherds….
A Synod is about (knowing) we have some difficulties and we try to think together about what would be the best way to speak the Gospel to our generation…
What we share most in common between Baptists and Catholics is our common concern for mission, we Baptists are really a mission Church and we felt strongly it was also the desire of the Synodal Fathers, so we encourage each other in our common mission….
Our common basis is Scripture and I was very touched by all Synodal Fathers who quoted the Scriptures in their discourses and it’s our common heritage. The more we dig together into Scripture and the more we try to connect to Jesus Christ, the more we look like him and the more we can get closer and be missionaries or witnesses to this world….”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis expressed his hope on Wednesday that administrators of an Italian airline company that risks bankruptcy may find a fair solution that safeguards its workers with jobs at risk. The Pope was speaking in St. Peter’s Square at the General Audience where, amongst the crowd, was a large group of “Meridiana” airline…
Read more
(Vatican Radio) “We are seeing an increase in the use of religion to advance political ambitions and often as a legitimizer: an excuse for violence:” that’s according to the new Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See who arrived in Rome this past August. And Victoria Alvarado is no lightweight…
Read more
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis expressed his hope on Wednesday that administrators of an Italian airline company that risks bankruptcy may find a fair solution that safeguards its workers with jobs at risk.
The Pope was speaking in St. Peter’s Square at the General Audience where, amongst the crowd, was a large group of “Meridiana” airline workers carrying banners denouncing their predicament.
Pope Francis turned his attention to them expressing “deep closeness and solidarity in these hours of apprehension regarding the future of their work”.
Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni :
“I hope” – the Pope said – “that a fair solution may be worked out, that considers above all the dignity of the human person and the essential needs of the families concerned”.
And his reiterated and heartfelt plea: “Please, I appeal to all those with responsibility: no family without work!” rang out across the Square.
Pope Francis has repeatedly called for the promotion of the dignity of the human person and the nobility of labour. In June 2014, on the occasion of a Conference of the International Labour Organization he released a message that said:
“It is (…) time to reinforce existing forms of cooperation and to establish new avenues for expanding solidarity. This calls for: a renewed insistence on the dignity of every person; a more determined implementation of international labour standards; planning for a focused development on the human person as its central actor and primary beneficiary; a re-evaluation of the responsibilities of international corporations in the countries where they operate, including the areas of profit and investment management”.
And in the message he also called – as he has done in many occasions – for substantial efforts to protect the environment, ensure decent work for all, and provide appropriate protection for the family, which – he says – is an essential element in sustainable human and social development.
(from Vatican Radio)…