(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a message celebrating the role grandparents play in the life of faith for a XVI Grandparents Day in Spain, which will be celebrated on Sunday, the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, who are the parents of the Virgin Mary, and therefore the grandparents of Jesus.
Pope Francis sent the message through the Apostolic Nuncio to the country, inviting the elderly to reaffirm their faith in the closeness of the Lord, “who does not abandon them in any situation”, and in the belief that they can still contribute, “with the influence of their words of wisdom and cherished gestures”, in the life and growth of the members of their own families, “at a level which is profoundly human, spiritual and of the faith.”
Pope Francis also thanked those who take care of the elderly. He told them they should have joyful satisfaction knowing that, in caring for them with love, they are working for the common good of society.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a message of congratulations to the new Armenian Catholic Paticarch of Cilicia, his Beatiude Grégoire Pierre XX Ghabroyan.
In the message Pope Francis expresses his joy at the Patriarch’s election and the hope that his new ministry will bear many fruits. The Holy Father in the congratulatory note also grants his Beatiude Grégoire Pierre XX Ghabroyan the “Ecclesiastical Communion” which the Patricarch requested in an earlier letter.
Listen to Lydia O’Kane’s report
The Pope notes in the message that his election comes at a time when the Armenian church is confronted with various difficulties and challenges.
Pope Francis refers to the terrible ordeals that some Armenian Catholics in the Middle East are facing.
But he adds that “illuminated by the light of faith in the risen Christ, our vision of the world is full of hope and mercy, because we are certain that the Cross of Jesus is the tree that gives life”.
The Holy Father also writes that he is sure his Beatitude along with the Venerable Synod Fathers will be guided by the Holy Spirit to be the Good Shepherds to those People of God entrusted to them.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) The Archdiocese of Washington has issued a challenge ahead of the arrival of Pope Francis on September 22, 2015, for his first visit to the United States.
Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the Archbishop of Washington, has invited his flock to share their joy in their Catholic faith by taking the Walk with Francis Pledge .
“Our Holy Father, Pope Francis has captured the world’s attention with his infectious joy,” Cardinal Wuerl wrote on his blog. “What is striking to me is that in his actions we see the source of his joy. He loves sharing God’s love with others. His words, his gestures, his preaching teach us how to imitate Christ who is the human manifestation of God, the Father.”
The Walk with Francis Pledge invites the people of the Archdiocese to Pray, Serve, and Act:
Pray regularly for the Holy Father and learn about the message of the joy of the Gospel, the mercy of God and the love of Christ.
Serve by reaching out and caring for those in need and supporting charitable efforts in our community and beyond.
Act to promote human life and dignity, justice and peace, family life and religious freedom, care for creation and the common good.
“It is hard to imagine a more perfect gift to present to our Holy Father than the promise that those most in need of prayer and healing, compassion and hope will be touched by Christ’s love by all of us who have taken the Walk with Francis Pledge,” wrote Cardinal Wuerl.
“While touching those most in need of our love, I can also assure our Holy Father that we will be praying for him, for his ministry and for the Church, that all pledge takers will grow in love of God and others,” he concluded.
People can share their pledge on social media with the hashtag #WalkwithFrancis
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a telegram expressing his sadness upon the death of Cardinal William Wakefield Baum, Archbishop Emeritus of Washington.
In his message to the current Archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the Holy Father offered his “heartfelt condolences, together with the assurance of my prayers, to you and to all the faithful of the Archdiocese.”
Pope Francis also expressed his gratitude for Cardinal Baum’s service to the Church, both in diocesan leadership, as well as his various duties in the Vatican.
The full text of the telegram from Pope Francis is below
His Eminence Cardinal Donald Wuerl
Archbishop of Washington
I was saddened to learn of the death of Cardinal William Wakefield Baum, Archbishop Emeritus of Washington, and I offer my heartfelt condolences, together with the assurance of my prayers, to you and to all the faithful of the Archdiocese. With gratitude for the late Cardinal’s years of episcopal service in Springfield-Cape Girardeau and in Washington, and for his long service to the Apostolic See as Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education and subsequently Major Penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary, I join you in commending the late Cardinal’s soul to God the Father of mercies. To all present at the Mass of Christian Burial and to all who mourn Cardinal Baum in the hope of the Resurrection, I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of strength and consolation in the Lord.
FRANCISCUS PP.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has expressed his “esteem” for the work and dedication treating HIV/AIDS requires in a message to the six thousand participants in the Opening Session of the International AIDS Society’s 8th Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Vancouver, Canada.
The message was sent through the Holy See’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
In the message, Pope Francis gave thanks for the lives saved by Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Treatment (HAART) and for the use of “Treatment as Prevention” and noted that such efforts “give witness to the possibilities for beneficial outcome when all sectors of society unite in common purpose.”
Finally, he assured the participants of his prayers “that all advances in pharmacology, treatment, and research will be matched by a firm commitment to promote the integral development of each person as a beloved child of God.”
(from Vatican Radio)…