Vatican City, 8 May 2015 (VIS) – The Holy See Press Office today published the programme of the Holy Father’s apostolic trip to Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay (5 to 13 July 2015). The Pope will leave Rome’s Fiumicino airport at 9 a.m. on Sunday 5 July and will arrive at the Mariscal Sucre airport in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, at 3 p.m. local time, where the welcome ceremony will be held. On Monday 6 he will proceed to Guayaquil to celebrate Mass in the shrine of Divine Mercy, after which he will lunch at the Colegio Javier with the Jesuit community. Upon return to Quito, he will pay a courtesy visit to the Ecuadorian president in the presidential palace and will subsequently visit the Cathedral. In the morning of Tuesday 7 July he will meet with the bishops of Ecuador in the Congress Centre of the Bicentenary park, where he will celebrate Mass. In the afternoon he will encounter representatives of schools and universities in the Pontifical University of Ecuador, and later, representatives of civil society in the Church of San Francisco, after which he will pay a private visit to the “Iglesia de la Compania”. On Wednesday 8, he will first visit the Rest Home of the Missionaries of Charity, and will then meet with clergy, men and women religious and seminarians at the national Marian shrine, El Quinche. On the same day he will depart by air for Bolivia. Upon arrival at the airport of El Alto in La Paz, he will give an address and, following the welcome ceremony, will transfer to the Government Palace to pay a courtesy visit to the president. From there, he will go to the Cathedral of La Paz, where he will meet with the civil authorities, after which he will travel by air to Santa Cruz de la Sierra where he will spend the night. On Thursday 9 he will celebrate Mass in the the square of Cristo Redentor, and will meet with men and women religious in the Don Bosco school, after which he will participate in the World Meeting of Popular Movements in the Expo trade fair centre. On Friday 10 he will visit the Santa Cruz-Palmasola re-education centre and, in the same morning, will meet with the bishops of Bolivia in the parish church of Santa Cruz. The Pope will leave Bolivia from the Viru Viru airport in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, destined for Paraguay; his aircraft is expected to land at around 3 p.m. local time in the Silvio Pettirossi airport of Asuncion. After arriving in Paraguay, the Pope will pay a courtesy visit to the president in the Palacio de Lopez, where he will also meet with the authorities and the diplomatic corps. On Saturday 11 July, he will visit the “Ninos de Acosta Nu” general paediatric hospital and will subsequently officiate at Mass in the square of the Marian sanctuary of Caacupe. In the afternoon he will meet with representatives of civil society in the Leon Condou stadium of the San Jose school. The day will conclude with the celebration of vespers with the bishops, priests, deacons, men and women religious, seminarians and Catholic movements in the metropolitan cathedral of Our Lady of Asuncion. Sunday 12 will begin with a visit to the people of Banado Norte in the Chapel of San Juan Batista, and Mass in the Nu Guazu field. The Holy Father will meet the bishops of Paraguay in the Cultural Centre of the apostolic nunciature, where they will then dine. His last engagement will be a meeting with young people at the Costanera riverside area. At 7 p.m. local time Francis will depart by air for Rome, where he is expected to arrive on Monday 13 July at around 1.45 p.m….
Vatican City, 8 May 2015 (VIS) – To complete the publication of the Statutes, the Chirograph by which the Pope instituted the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors on 22 March 2014 was also published today. “The effective protection of minors and a commitment to ensure their human and spiritual development, in keeping with the dignity of the human person, are integral parts of the Gospel message that the Church and all members of the faithful are called to spread throughout the world. Many painful actions have caused a profound examination of conscience for the entire Church, leading us to request forgiveness from the victims and from our society for the harm that has been caused. This response to these actions is the firm beginning for initiatives of many different types, which are intended to repair the damage, to attain justice, and to prevent, by all means possible, the recurrence of similar incidents in the future. For these reasons, and after having received the counsel of many cardinals and members of the college of bishops, together with other collaborators and experts in these matters, I decided to continue the work begun by my Predecessors by establishing a permanent Commission attached to the Holy See. The aim of the Commission is to promote the protection of the dignity of minors and vulnerable adults, using the forms and methods, consonant with the nature of the Church, which they consider most appropriate, as well as through their cooperation with individuals and groups pursuing these same objectives. As I had the opportunity to highlight during an encounter with several victims of sexual abuse, I rely on the members of this Commission for the effective protection of minors and vulnerable adults, regardless of religion they profess, because they are the little ones on whom the Lord looks with love. To my collaborators in this work, I ask for all efforts possible to assist me in responding to these needs of these little ones. The Commission’s specific task is to propose to me the most opportune initiatives for protecting minors and vulnerable adults, in order that we may do everything possible to ensure that crimes such as those which have occurred are no longer repeated in the Church. The Commission is to promote local responsibility in the particular Churches, uniting their efforts to those of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, for the protection of all children and vulnerable adults. It is for all these reasons that I have instituted the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. All that is established with the present Chirograph has full and stable effect, anything to the contrary not notwithstanding, even if deserving of special mention”….
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis says discussions within the Church are to seek unity and and it should not be a place where people are always clashing, betraying each other and forming lobbies to win their argument. He said the Holy Spirit helps bring change and moves things forward within the Church but at the same time it creates unity between all its members. This was the core message of his homily on Friday (May 8th) at morning Mass in the Santa Marta residence.
Pope Francis said the Holy Spirit creates movement within the Church which at first sight might appear to be confusion but if this movement or change is welcomed with prayer and a spirit of dialogue it always generates unity between Christians.
‘No forming of lobbies’
Taking his cue from the day’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles, the Pope pointed to the example of the outcome from the first Council of Jerusalem where the early Christian community was able, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to resolve differences of opinion and reach an agreement. The Christian community had clashed between the so-called ‘closed in’ Christians who remained very attached to the Jewish laws and who wanted to impose those same laws on the early Christians and Paul of Tarsus who strongly opposed this.
“How do they resolve this problem? They hold a meeting and each person gives his opinion, his views. They discuss this issue but like brothers and sisters and not like enemies. They don’t form external lobbies in order to win, they don’t go to the civil authorities in order to win and they don’t kill in order to triumph. They seek the path of prayer and dialogue. Those who had opposing views have a dialogue with the other side and they reach an agreement. This is the work of the Holy Spirit.”
‘Spirit creates harmonious unity ’
Pope Francis stressed that the Holy Spirit moves us towards harmony and that was why the Christians taking part in the Council of Jerusalem were able to agree on a final decision.
“A Church where there are never problems of this type makes me think that the Holy Spirit is not very present within it. And a Church where its people are always arguing and there are lobbies and people are betraying their brothers and sisters, is a Church where there is no Holy Spirit! It’s the Spirit which creates change, which creates the momentum for going ahead, that creates new spaces, that creates that wisdom which Jesus promised: ‘It will teach you!’ This moves things but is also what at the end creates the harmonious unity between everyone.”
‘Church faithful to movements of Holy Spirit’
The Pope concluded his homily by noting the words used at the conclusion of the day’s gospel reading. He said these words reveal the soul of Christian harmony, not a simple act of goodwill but a fruit of the Holy Spirit.
“That’s what this Reading teaches us today, it teaches us about the first ecumenical Council. It appears fine both to the Spirit and to us….this is the formula used when the Spirit makes everybody reach agreement. Let us now continue the Eucharistic celebration and let us ask our Lord Jesus who will be present among us to always send the Holy Spirit to us, to each one of us. May he send it to the Church and may the Church always know how to be faithful to the movement that the Holy Spirit creates.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday met with members of the Italian Tennis Federation, and used the encounter to speak about sport as an “educational experience.”
“There are three paths – three fundamental pillars – for children and young people: Education – in the school and in the family –, sport and work,” said Pope Francis.
“When we have all three – school, sport and work – then there exists the conditions to develop a full and authentic life, avoiding those dependencies that poison and ruin existence,” he said.
The Pope said the Church is interested in sport because the Church is concerned about the person – “the whole man” – and recognizes that sport affects the formation of the person, including his relationships and his spirituality.
“You athletes have a mission to fulfill: To be, for those who admire you, good role models,” said Pope Francis. “And also you managers, coaches and others working in sport: You are called to give a good witness to human values, practitioners of a sporting profession that is always fair and transparent.”
The Holy Father also said that despite the competitiveness of the sport, the pressure to win should never lead to “shortcuts”, such as doping.
“How ugly and sterile is the victory that is obtained by cheating and deceiving others!” Pope Francis said.
The Holy Father suggested the athletes apply the words of the Apostle Paul to their lives: “Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the prize? Run so as to win.” (1 Cor 9:24)
“In a certain sense, this is your daily experience in tennis,” said Pope Francis.
“But St. Paul refers to the challenge of giving an ultimate meaning to life itself,” he continued.
“I would therefore urge each of you to get into the game, not only in sport – as you already do and with excellent results – but in life, the pursuit of the good, the true good, without fear, with courage and enthusiasm,” said Pope Francis.
“Get into the game with others and with God, giving the best of yourself, giving your life for what is of true value, and endures forever,” he said. “Put your talents in the service of encounter among persons, of friendship, of inclusion.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday afternoon met with a group of Pentecostal pastors in the “Auletta”, a meeting room adjoining the Paul VI Audience Hall. A statement released by the Holy See Press Office said the meeting was private, and involved around 100 pastors from around the world. The group was led by Pastor…
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