(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received the President of the Republic of Peru, Ollanta Moisés Humala Tasso, in private audience Friday. The President then met – in the absence of the Cardinal Secretary of State – Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.
During the cordial talks mention was made of the good relations between the Holy See and the Republic of Peru, with particular emphasis on the special role of Christianity in the formation of the country, as well as on the contribution that the Catholic Church has given and continues to provide in favor of human, social and cultural development of the population.
Finally, there was an exchange of views on the political and social situation in the region, with a focus on efforts to promote the integral development and environmental protection.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has commissioned three showers to be built for use by the homeless in the area under St. Peter’s colonnades. The showers will be installed in an existing lavatory block used by pilgrims and tourists and the building works are set to begin on November 17th. The initiative was inspired by the experience of the Pope’s almoner (almsgiver) Archbishop Konrad Krajewski and received the immediate blessing of the Pope.
Archbishop Krajewski recently meet a 50 year old homeless man from Sardinia named Franco on the streets of Rome and offered to buy him dinner because it was his birthday. The man declined his invitation explaining that he couldn’t go to the restaurant with him because he stank. Not deterred, Archbishop Krajewski took the homeless man out for a meal anyway at a Chinese restaurant. During dinner the man explained to the archbishop that homeless people in Rome could always find some food but what they really lacked was a place to wash.
In addition to the 3 showers that will be built by St. Peter’s Square, Archbishop Krajewski has already asked ten parishes in Rome to build showers for use by the homeless, with money donated by the Pope’s charity.
The archbishop says the aim of this project is to restore dignity to Rome’s homeless people. According to the Catholic charity Sant’Egidio there are an estimated 8,000 people living rough on the streets of the Italian capital.
Listen to this report by Susy Hodges:
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) The Schedule for the 2015 Apostolic Voyage of Pope Francis to Sri Lanka and the Philippines was released on Friday. Pope Francis will leave Rome on January 12, and return on January 19.
Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, said at a press conference in Manila on Friday that Pope Francis is bringing the “joy of Gospel personally, to us, on the five special days in January that we have officially announced.”
But the bishops reiterated that the papal visit “carries a message of pastoral love, mercy and compassion” and it is “through the understanding and living out of this message that the grace will flow.”
The Apostolic Voyage of Pope Francis to Sri Lanka and the Philippines (12-19 January 2015)
Programme
Monday 12 January 2015
19:00 Departure from Rome’s Fiumicino Airport for Colombo
Tuesday 13 January 2015
09:00 Arrival at the International Airport in Colombo
Welcoming Ceremony(Speech by Pope Francis)
13:15 SPEECH TO THE BISHOPS OF SRI LANKA
At the Archdiocese of Colombo
17:00 COURTESY VISIT TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC
At the Presidential Residence
18:15 INTERRELIGIOUS MEETING at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall
(Speech by Pope Francis)
Wednesday 14 January 2015
08:30 Holy Mass and Canonization of Blessed Joseph Vaz at Galle Face Green in Colombo
(Homily by Pope Francis)
14:00 Transfer by helicopter to Madhu
15:30 MARIAN PRAYER at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Rosary at Madhu
(Speech by Pope Francis)
16:45 Transfer by Helicopter to Colombo
Thursday 15 January 2015
08:15 Visit to the Chapel “Our Lady of Lanka” at Bolawalana
08:45 Departure Ceremony from the International Airport of Colombo
09:00 Departure by plane from Colombo to Manila
17:45 Arrival from Sri Lanka – Villamor Air Base, Manila
Motorcade to the Apostolic Nunciature – Taft Avenue, Manila
Friday, January 16, 2015
9:15 Welcome Ceremony – Malacañan Palace, Manila
10:15 Meeting with Civil Authorities and the Diplomatic Corps (Speech by Pope Francis)
Motorcade to the Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Manila Cathedral)
11:15 Mass with Bishops, Priests, and Religious – Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Manila (Homily by Pope Francis)
Motorcade to the Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay
17:30 Encounter with Families – Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay (Speech by Pope Francis)
Saturday, January 17, 2015
08:15 Departure for Archdiocese of Palo – Villamor Air Base
09:30 Arrival at Tacloban Airport
10:00 Holy Mass – Tacloban Airport (Homily by Pope Francis)
12:45 Lunch with the Poor and Survivors of Calamities at Gonzagahaus (Residence of the Archbishop of Palo) – Palo, Leyte
15:00 Blessing of the Pope Francis Center for the Poor – Palo, Leyte
15:30 Meeting with the Priests and Religious at Cathedral of Our Lord’s Transfiguration (Palo Cathedral) – Palo, Leyte (Speech by Pope Francis)
17:00 Departure for Manila
18:15 Arrival at Manila – Villamor Air Base
Sunday, January 18, 2015
09:45 Brief Meeting with the Religious Leaders
10:30 Encounter with the Youth – Pontifical University of Santo Tomas, España, Manila (Speech by Pope Francis)
Motorcade to Rizal Park, Manila
15:30 Concluding Mass, Rizal Park, Manila (Homily by Pope Francis)
Monday, January 19, 2015
09:45 Departure Ceremony at Villamor Air Base
10:00 Departure for Rome – Villamor Air Base
17:40 Arrival at Rome’s Ciampino Airport
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Actions speak louder than words, particularly in transmitting the faith to children and young people today, the so-called ‘digital natives’. If we want to help them experience “truth and love” then we adults must lead by example, said Pope Francis at morning Mass. Emer McCarthy reports listen: It was a very special celebration…
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(Vatican Radio) Actions speak louder than words, particularly in transmitting the faith to children and young people today, the so-called ‘digital natives’. If we want to help them experience “truth and love” then we adults must lead by example, said Pope Francis at morning Mass.
Emer McCarthy reports listen :
It was a very special celebration in the Santa Marta Chapel Friday, with the pews filled with children from a local Roman parish. After an initial awkwardness, the children overcame their shyness to engage in a lively question and answer session with the Holy Father. Looking out over them he said that it was like “looking at a promise, looking at the world to come”. Then Pope Francis asked the question: “what will we leave our future?”.
“Do we teach them what we heard in the First Reading: to walk in love and truth? Or do we teach them with words, and then allow our lives to go in another direction? But it is our responsibility to look out for these children! A Christian has to take care of children, little ones and pass on the faith, pass on what he lives, what is in his heart. We cannot ignore the little plants that grow”.
Pope Francis said that everything depends on our having the right attitude towards children. “What is my attitude?” he asked, “is it the attitude of brother, father, mother, sister, that helps them to grow or is it a detached [distant], “they grow up, I have my own life …?”.
“We all have a responsibility to give our very best and the very best that we have is our faith: give it to them, but give it by example! Words are pointless….in today’s world [obsessed with] images, where everyone has these cell phones words are pointless … Example! Example! What should I give them?”.
At this point of his homily, Pope Francis began asking the children why they were at Mass, giving rise to a spontaneous conversation. It took some time before one child took courage and admitted: ‘To see you…” to which Pope Francis replied “I also like to see you all”.
He then began questioning the children as to who had already received First Holy Communion, Confirmation, while pointing out to all of them that it is the Sacrament of Baptism that “opens the door to Christian life” and immediately after which “the journey of a lifetime begins”. The same journey described by the passage from the letter of St. John read out in the First Reading: “Walking in truth and love”. Later in that journey, he said, other Sacraments arrive such as marriage. But Pope Francis repeated, “it is important to know how to live this journey, to know how to live it like Jesus”:
“In these Sacraments – let me ask you a question – is prayer a sacrament? … Out loud now! … No! That’s right it is not! Prayer is not a sacrament, but we must pray. Do you know that you need to pray? Good, good … Yes! Pray to the Lord, pray to Jesus, pray to Our Lady, to help us in this journey of truth and love. Do you understand? You have come to see me, who said that? You. But also to see Jesus. Right? Or do we just leave Jesus out? (the children respond, ‘No!’). Now, Jesus is on the altar. And we will see Him, all of us! Jesus! Right now we have to ask Jesus to teach us to walk in truth and love. Will we all say it together? (all together) ‘Walking in truth and love’”.
(from Vatican Radio)…