(Vatican Radio) At a rain-soaked General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis called for renewed prayers for the upcoming Synod of Bishops in the Family.
After meeting briefly with a group of sick people gathered in the Paul VI Hall, Pope Francis greeted pilgrims in Saint Peter’s Square. The Pope began his reflection by noting that March 25th, the Solemnity of the Annunciation, marks a special stage in the journey of catechesis on the family, a moment to pause for prayer. The Annunciation, the “beginning of the mystery of the Incarnation” shows that God willed for His Only-begotten Son to not only be conceived in the womb of a mother, but to be welcomed into a true family. Pope Francis led his audience in the recitation of the Hail Mary as a means of contemplating the beauty of this relationship between God and mankind.
The Holy Father then noted that March 25th is celebrated in many countries as the Day of Life; it is also the twentieth anniversary of the encyclical Evangelium vitae by St John Paul II. Pope Francis noted that the family occupies a central place in the encyclical. “The words of my venerable Predecessor remind us that the human couple was blessed by God from the beginning to form a community of love and life, to which He entrusted the mission of procreation,” the Pope said, and Christian spouses open themselves to the blessing of children.
The Church too, he said, “is solemnly committed to the care of the family that results from it, as a gift of God for her own life, in good fortune and in bad: the bond between the Church and the family is sacred and inviolable.” The Church never abandons families, even when they are weak and wounded, but always seeks to heal them.
To complete this mission, the Pope continued, there is great need for prayer, prayer which is full of love for the family and for life. For that reason, Pope Francis asked for a great renewal of our prayers for the upcoming Synod of Bishops on the Family, set for next October. “I would like for this prayer, and the whole Synod journey, to be animated by the compassion of the Good Shepherd for His flock, especially for persons and families that, for different reasons, are ‘troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd’.” Everyone, from the Pope to the lay faithful, are called to pray for the Synod. There is great need for prayer, he repeated, and not for gossip or chatter.
To renew this prayer, Pope Francis offered a special prayer for the upcoming Synod, in which he led the crowd. The full text of the prayer, in an unofficial translation, can be found at the end of the full text of Pope Francis’ remarks for the General Audience:
Dear brothers and sisters, good day!
But good day… but it’s not a pretty day, eh? Today the Audience is in two different places, as we do when it rains: you here in the Square, and many sick people in the Paul VI Hall, who are following the audience on the big screens. Now, as a gesture of brotherly courtesy, let us greet them with a round of applause. [Those in the Square applaud.] It’s not easy to applaud with an umbrella in hand, eh?
In our journey of catechesis on the family, today is a somewhat special stage: It will be a break for prayer.
In the Church on March 25th, we solemnly celebrate the Annunciation, the beginning of the mystery of the Incarnation. The Archangel Gabriel visits the humble girl of Nazareth, and announces that she will conceive and bear the Son of God. With this Announcement, the Lord illumines and strengthens the faith of Mary, as He will later do for her husband, Joseph, so that Jesus could be born in a human family. This is very beautiful: it shows us how profoundly the mystery of the Incarnation, just as God wanted, comprises not only the conception in the womb of the mother, but also being welcomed into a true family. Today I want to contemplate with you the beauty of this bond, the beauty of this condescension of God; and we can do so by reciting together the Hail Mary, which in the first part resumes the very words that the Angel addressed to the Virgin. I invite you to pray together :
[In Italian] Hail Mary, full of grace…
And now a second aspect: On March 25, the Solemnity of the Annunciation, the Day of Life is celebrated in many countries. For this reason, twenty years ago, Saint John Paul II on this date signed the Encyclical Evangelium vitae. To celebrate this anniversary, many members of the Movement for Life are in the Square today. In Evangelium vitae the family occupies a central place, insofar as it is the womb of human life. The words of my venerable Predecessor remind us that the human couple was blessed by God from the beginning to form a community of love and life, to which He entrusted the mission of procreation. Christian spouses, celebrating the Sacrament of Matrimony, open themselves to honour this benediction, with the grace of God, for all of life. The Church, for her part, is solemnly committed to the care of the family that results from it, as a gift of God for her own life, in good fortune and in bad: the bond between the Church and the family is sacred and inviolable. The Church, as a mother, never abandons the family, even when it is disheartened, wounded, and mortified in so many ways; it will always do everything to seek to cure and heal it, to invite it to conversion and to reconcile it with the Lord.
So then, if this is the task, it appears clear how much prayer the Church needs in order to be up to fulfilling this mission at all times! A prayer full of love for the family and for life. A prayer that knows how to rejoice with those who rejoice, and to suffer with those who suffer.
So here is what I, with my collaborators, have thought to propose today: to renew the prayer for the Synod of the Bishops on the family. We are taking up this commitment again next October, when the ordinary Assembly of the Synod, dedicated to the family, will take place. I would like for this prayer, and the whole Synod journey, to be animated by the compassion of the Good Shepherd for His flock, especially for persons and families that, for different reasons, are “troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd” (Mt 9:36). So, sustained and animated by the grace of God, the Church can be ever more committed, and ever more united, in the witness of the truth of the love of God and of His mercy for the families of the world, excluding none, whether within or outside the flock. I ask you, please, to not neglect your prayer. All of us – the Pope, Cardinals, Bishops, priests, religious, lay faithful – we are all called to pray for the Synod. There is need of this, not of chatter! I also invite those who feel far away, or who are not accustomed to do so, to pray. This prayer for the Synod on the Family is for the good of everyone. I know that this morning you were given a little prayer card, which you have in your hands. It might be a little wet. I invite you to hold on to it and keep it with you, so that in the coming months you can recite it often, with holy insistence, as Jesus has asked us. Now, let us say it together:
Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
In you we contemplate
The splendour of true love,
We turn to you with confidence.
Holy Family of Nazareth,
Make our families, also,
Places of communion and cenacles of prayer,
Authentic schools of the Gospel,
And little domestic Churches.
Holy Family of Nazareth
May our families never more experience
Violence, isolation, and division:
May anyone who was wounded or scandalized
Rapidly experience consolation and healing.
Holy Family of Nazareth,
May the upcoming Synod of Bishops
Re-awaken in all an awareness
Of the sacred character and inviolability of the family,
Its beauty in the project of God.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
Hear and answer our prayer. Amen.
(Unofficial translation)
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) At a rain-soaked General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis called for renewed prayers for the upcoming Synod of Bishops in the Family. After meeting briefly with a group of sick people gathered in the Paul VI Hall, Pope Francis greeted pilgrims in Saint Peter’s Square. The Pope began his reflection by noting that…
Read more
SIGNIS Services Rome (SSR) has introduced a new Reporter Kit which offers multi-media solutions for journalists in the field. The kit is ideal for Catholic radio and television in Africa. With this kit, freelance and media journalists will find user-friendly tools that enable them produce content, ready to go online or for broadcast at their convenience. It is as it were a mini mobile studio.
The SIGNIS Reporter Kit facilitates the broadcast and publication of news on radio, TV, websites or social networks.
The Reporter Kit contains all that the journalist needs to report and edit news or content on the go. A package or a whole programme can be assembled while out in the field. The kit has digital audio recorders, an HD video camera, a netbook (laptop) for editing video and audio, professional headphones, USB keys and hard disk for data storage. The kit even has accessories to enable the recording of sound in a difficult acoustic environment.
The SIGNIS Reporters Kit comes in three models: First is the entry kit for audio productions, then there is the medium range kit for multi-media productions as well as the top of the range kit for professional audio and video.
SIGNIS is the World Catholic Association for Communications. It headquarters is in Brussels, Belgium but it also has a branch in Rome, Italy that offers specialised services such as the provision of equipment and training. SIGNIS has members from over 140 countries. The aim of SIGNIS is to bring together Catholic radio, television, cinema, video, media education, Internet, and new technology professionals. Its very diversified programmes cover fields such as the promotion of films or television programmes (juries at important festivals: Cannes, Berlin, Monte Carlo, Venice, Ouagadougou and Zanizibar…), the creation of radio, video, and television studios, production and distribution of programmes, supplying specialised equipment and training professionals.
The Mission of SIGNIS is to engage with media professionals and support Catholic Communicators o help transform cultures in the light of the Gospel by promoting human dignity, Justice and Reconciliation.
(SIGNIS ROME, www.signisrome.net)
e-mail: engafrica@vatiradio.va
(from Vatican Radio)…
SIGNIS Services Rome (SSR) has introduced a new Reporter Kit which offers multi-media solutions for journalists in the field. The kit is ideal for Catholic radio and television in Africa. With this kit, freelance and media journalists will find user-friendly tools that enable them produce content, ready to go online or for broadcast at their…
Read more
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has expressed his closeness to the families of the victims of a plane crash in the French Alps.
In a telegram released on Tuesday, the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin writes that the Holy Father “joins in the grief of the families” of the victims, which include many children. Pope Francis is also praying for those who died “entrusting them to the mercy of God” and he has expressed his sympathy for all those affected by the tragedy, including rescue workers who are carrying out their duties in difficult conditions.
The German A320 Airbus carrying 150 people came down in a remote, snow-covered mountainous region in the French Alps. There were no survivors. The cause of the crash is not yet known, however, the first black box flight recorder has been located. Weather at the time of the crash was calm, but it later deteriorated and there are forecasts of snow Wednesday further hampering search efforts.
The Germanwings flight was travelling non-stop from Barcelona in Spain to Duesseldorf in Germany. Germanwings spokesman Thomas Winklemann said the descent lasted for eight minutes.
16 of those aboard the plane were pupils from Joseph-Koenig school in the German town of Haltern, returning from an exchange trip. A memorial mass was held Tuesday for the victims and the local church remained opened all night for those wishing to mourn.
The leaders of Germany, France and Spain are due to visit the crash site.
Below, please find the full text of the telegram for the air crash in France:
Having learned of the tragic plane crash in the region of Digne, which caused many casualties, including many children, His Holiness Pope Francis joins in the grief of the families, expressing his closeness to them in sorrow. He prays for peace for the deceased, entrusting them to the mercy of God that He might welcome them into His dwelling place of peace and light. He expresses his deep sympathy for all those touched by this tragedy, as well as for the rescue workers working in difficult conditions. The Holy Father asks the Lord to give strength and consolation to all, and, as a comfort, he invokes upon them the abundance of divine Blessings.
(from Vatican Radio)…