(Vatican Radio) The director of La Stampa ’s Vatican Insider magazine, Andrea Tornielli, has teamed with the Italian daily’s Vatican beat reporter, Giacomo Galeazzi, to write a book profiling the social teaching of the Church under the direction of Pope Francis. The Italian language volume, titled Papa Francesco. Questa economia uccide – “Pope Francis: this economy kills” – closes with an interview with the Holy Father, which the authors conducted in October of 2014, ample excerpts of which appeared in the Sunday edition of La Stampa just ahead of the book’s scheduled January 13 th release date.
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In the published excerpts, Pope Francis focuses on the human cost of the present world economic order, and repeats his call for Christians to have great care for the poor and the marginalized, explaining that such care is essential to living the Gospel and to making Christ’s Church credible. “I recognize that globalization has helped many people to lift themselves out of poverty,” says Pope Francis in response to a question regarding the current state and direction of the global economy, “but it has condemned many others to starve.” The Pope’s answer goes on to say, “It is true that in absolute terms the world’s wealth has grown, but inequality has also increased and new [forms of] poverty have arisen.”
The Holy Father goes on to reiterate the connection he sees to this throw-away culture and an economic system – any economic system – from the center of which the human person is displaced and money established as the object of idolatry. “[Then] men and women are reduced to mere instruments of a social and economic system characterized, indeed dominated by deep imbalances,” he says, adding that the throw-away culture also leads to abortion and euthanasia, and thus severs the connection of the present generation from both its past and its future. Nevertheless, “We do not consider this situation as irreversible, we do not resign ourselves,” says Pope Francis.
Rather, as Christians, “We try to build a society and an economy where man and his own good, and not money, are at the center.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) The director of La Stampa’s Vatican Insider magazine, Andrea Tornielli, has teamed with the Italian daily’s Vatican beat reporter, Giacomo Galeazzi, to write a book profiling the social teaching of the Church under the direction of Pope Francis. The Italian language volume, titled Papa Francesco. Questa economia uccide – “Pope Francis: this economy…
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(Vatican Radio) Remember to pray to the Holy Spirit: this was the message Pope Francis had for pilgrims and tourists who braved the drear and drizzle of a January morning in Rome, to gather in St Peter’s Square beneath the window of the Papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace and pray the Angelus with the Holy Father on this Sunday – the Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord and the conclusion of the liturgical season of Christmas.
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Noting that the descent of the Holy Spirit at Christ’s baptism in the Jordan is the sign by which the Lord begins His public teaching ministry, Pope Francis said, “We often pray to Jesus, we pray to the Father, especially when we pray the “Our Father” – but not so frequently do we pray to the Holy Spirit – it is true, no? – He is the Forgotten One.” The Holy Father went on to say, “We need to ask for His help, His strength, His inspiration,” explaining, “the Holy Spirit, who entirely animated the life and ministry of Jesus, is the same Spirit who now leads Christian existence, the existence of [every] man and woman who say they are and want to be Christians.”
Earlier in the day, Pope Francis marked the Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord with Mass in the Sistine Chapel, during the course of which he baptized thirty-three infants.
In his homily, the Holy Father focused on three related themes: on the Word of God as nourishment for the soul; on faith as an intrinsically and essentially ecclesial reality – something that is “of the Church” and into which we are incorporated in baptism; on the anointing that is part of baptism, and therefore on the sacrament as one of royal, prophetic and priestly consecration. Departing from his prepared text, the Holy Father offered some homiletic reflections on the importance of prayer – especially of prayer to the Holy Spirit – in the life of Christians. “It is so very important to pray to the Holy Spirit,” he said, “for the Spirit teaches us to carry forward the family, the children – He makes it possible to see that the children grow up in the atmosphere of the Holy Trinity.” The Pope went on to say, “It is precisely the Spirit who leads them forward – and this is why we need not forget to invoke the Holy Spirit often, every day.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Remember to pray to the Holy Spirit: this was the message Pope Francis had for pilgrims and tourists who braved the drear and drizzle of a January morning in Rome, to gather in St Peter’s Square beneath the window of the Papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace and pray the Angelus with the…
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Pope Francis addressed the participants of a meeting convened by the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum” and the Pontifical Council for Latin America to mark the fifth anniversary of the earthquake that struck Haiti. Among those present were representatives of the Holy See, bishops and Episcopal conferences, as well as charitable and religious organizations. The two…
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