(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has written to the Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbot ahead of the Group of 20 summit that opens this weekend in Brisbane. In the letter, he asks the leaders of the world’s 20 largest economies “not to forget that many lives are at stake behind these political and technical discussions”. The…
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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has written to the Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbot ahead of the Group of 20 summit that opens this weekend in Brisbane. In the letter, he asks the leaders of the world’s 20 largest economies “not to forget that many lives are at stake behind these political and technical discussions”. The…
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(Vatican Radio) The Holy See announced the creation of a new judicial body within the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on Tuesday , for the specific purpose of dealing with the most serious crimes ( delicta graviora ), specifically: the sexual abuse of minors, and certain serious abuses associated with the Sacrament of Penance. The new body is to be a College composed of seven Cardinals or Bishops (who may be members of the Congregation, but are not required to be members thereof), chosen by the Holy Father.
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Paragraph 4 of the Rescript creating the new College offers a special provision for bishops accused of grave crimes: any bishop accused of grave crimes shall have his case examined by the whole body of members of the Congregation – the Ordinary Session – which may also examine other specific cases upon Papal request, and/or examine cases refered to it by the newly created College.
The Rescript also requires the College periodically to inform the Ordinary Session of its decisions (Paragraph 5), and specifies that the new laws enter into effect on November 11 th , 2014, upon their appearance in the edition of L’Osservatore Romano – the official newspaper and gazette of the Holy See – bearing the same date.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) We must resist temptations that distance us from our service to others. Instead, like Jesus, we must serve without asking for anything in return and avoid transforming our service “into a power structure”. This was the focus of Pope Francis’s reflections at Mass Tuesday morning in Casa Santa Marta.
Emer McCarthy reports Listen:
The Pope based his homily on the Gospel of the Day from St Luke which recounts Jess parable of the “unprofitable servant”. Pope Francis said it teaches us what service means for a Christian. Jesus speaks of a servant who, after working all day, comes home and instead of resting still has to serve his master:
” Some of us would advise this servant to go to his trade union for some advice, on how to deal with a boss like that. But Jesus said, ‘No, service is total’, because His path was this attitude of service; He is a servant. He presents himself as a servant, the one who came to serve and not to be served: He says so clearly. And so, the Lord shows the Apostles the path of those who have received the faith, that faith which works miracles. Yes, this faith will do wonders on the path of service “.
The Pope added, a Christian who receives this gift of faith in Baptism, but who does not carry forward this gift on the path of service, becomes a Christian without strength, without fertility”. In the end, he warned, he becomes “a Christian out for himself, to serve himself.” His is a “sad life”, “the many great things of the Lord” are “wasted”.
Pope Francis reaffirmed that the Lord tells us that “service is total”, we cannot serve two masters” either we serve God or we serve riches. We may distance ourselves from this “attitude of service, first of all out of laziness, which cools our hearts “making them lukewarm, laziness makes us comfortable”.
” Laziness distances us from work and leads us to this ease, this selfishness. Many Christians are like this … they are good, they go to Mass, but only serve to a certain point … But when I say service, I mean everything: service to God in worship, in prayer, in praise; service to others, when I have to do it; service to the very end, because Jesus is strong in this: So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants . Gratuitous service – service that asks for nothing in return”.
Pope Francis continued that we also distance ourselves from this attitude of the service, when we try to “take over control of the situation”. The Pope said this is something that “happened to the disciples, the Apostles themselves”: They would distance people so as not to disturb Jesus, so they could be at ease”. The disciples, he said, ” took control of the Lord’s time, took control of the power of the Lord: they wanted Him all for their little group”. They “took over control of this attitude of service, turning it into a power structure”.
The Pope said we can understand this dynamic from observing the discussion between James and John about who was the greatest. Their mother “goes to ask the Lord for one of her sons to be Prime Minister and the other minister of the economy, with all the power in hand”. This happens even today when “Christians become masters: masters of the faith, masters of the Kingdom, masters of Salvation”. This happens; it is a temptation for all Christians. Instead, the Lord speaks to us about service: “Service in humility”, “service in hope, and this is the joy of Christian service”.
“In life we have to struggle so much against the temptations that try to distance us from this attitude of service. Laziness leads to ease: half-hearted service; taking control of the situation, and to becoming master instead of servant, which leads to arrogance, pride, to treating people badly, to feeling important ‘because I am a Christian, I have salvation’, and so many things like this. The Lord gives us these two great graces: humility in service, in order to be able to say, ‘We are unprofitable servants – but servants – until the very end’; and hope while waiting for the manifestation, when the Lord will come to us”.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received the President of the Republic of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, in audience Monday. The President subsequently met with the Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Secretary for Relations with States.
During the cordial discussions, the Parties noted the good relations between the Holy See and Ghana and underlined the positive contribution offered by the Catholic Church in the social, educational and healthcare spheres, as well as in relation to the promotion of dialogue between the different members of society. Furthermore, mention was made of the promotion of the good of the family.
Finally, attention turned to various current issues of an international nature, and in particular the serious humanitarian crisis caused by the recent epidemic of the Ebola virus in West Africa.
(from Vatican Radio)…