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Day: September 1, 2015

Pope Francis’ prayer intentions for September

Vatican City, 1 September 2015 (VIS) – The Holy Father’s universal prayer intention for September is: “That opportunities for education and employment may increase for all young people”. His intention for evangelisation is: “That catechists may give witness by living in a way consistent with the faith they proclaim”….

Pope says Holy Year Indulgences are an experience of faith

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis says the forgiveness of God cannot be denied to one has repented.
In a letter addressed to Archbishop Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, the Pope expresses his wish that the upcoming Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy may represent a true moment of encounter with the mercy of God for all believers and he focusses on several points which he says “require attention to enable the celebration of the Holy Year”.  
Thus, he sets out some indications to those who would like to obtain a Jubilee Indulgence that “may reach one as a genuine experience of God’s mercy”.
Pope Francis explains that all those, whether in individual Dioceses or as pilgrims to Rome, may experience and obtain an Indulgence by making a  brief pilgrimage to the Holy Door,  open in every Cathedral or in the churches designated by the Diocesan Bishop, and in the four Papal Basilicas. 
He also disposes that the Indulgence may be obtained in the Shrines in which the Door of Mercy is open and in the churches which traditionally are identified as Jubilee Churches. 
It is important – the Pope points out – that this moment be linked, first and foremost, to the Sacrament of Reconciliation and to the celebration of the Holy Eucharist with a reflection on mercy.
Pope Francis also turns his thoughts to those for whom, “for various reasons, it will be impossible to enter the Holy Door, particularly the sick and people who are elderly and alone, often confined to the home” and “to those incarcerated, whose freedom is limited” who may obtain the Indulgence in the chapels of the prisons”.
And the Jubilee Indulgence – he says – can also be obtained for the deceased.
The Pope’s attention also reached out to women who have resorted to abortion saying the forgiveness of God cannot be denied to one who has repented: “For this reason too, I have decided, notwithstanding anything to the contrary, to concede to all priests for the Jubilee Year the discretion to absolve of the sin of abortion those who have procured it and who, with contrite heart, seek forgiveness for it”.
Finally Pope Francis makes a consideration that concerns those faithful who for various reasons choose to attend churches officiated by priests of the Fraternity of St Pius X and expresses his hope that in the near future solutions may be found to recover full communion with the priests and Superiors of the Fraternity. 
“I have asked the Church in this Jubilee Year – the Pope says – to rediscover the richness encompassed by the spiritual and corporal works of mercy (…). Each time that one of the faithful personally performs one or more of these actions, he or she shall surely obtain the Jubilee Indulgence. Hence the commitment to live by mercy so as to obtain the grace of complete and exhaustive forgiveness by the power of the love of the Father who excludes no one”
Please find below the full text of the Pope’s letter:
To My Venerable Brother
Archbishop Rino Fisichella
President of the Pontifical Council
for the Promotion of the New Evangelization
    With the approach of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy I would like to focus on several points which I believe require attention to enable the celebration of the Holy Year to be for all believers a true moment of encounter with the mercy of God. It is indeed my wish that the Jubilee be a living experience of the closeness of the Father, whose tenderness is almost tangible, so that the faith of every believer may be strengthened and thus testimony to it be ever more effective.
    My thought first of all goes to all the faithful who, whether in individual Dioceses or as pilgrims to Rome, will experience the grace of the Jubilee. I wish that the Jubilee Indulgence may reach each one as a genuine experience of God’s mercy, which comes to meet each person in the Face of the Father who welcomes and forgives, forgetting completely the sin committed. To experience and obtain the Indulgence, the faithful are called to make a brief pilgrimage to the Holy Door,  open in every Cathedral or in the churches designated by the Diocesan Bishop, and in the four Papal Basilicas in Rome, as a sign of the deep desire for true conversion. Likewise, I dispose that the Indulgence may be obtained in the Shrines in which the Door of Mercy is open and in the churches which traditionally are identified as Jubilee Churches. It is important that this moment be linked, first and foremost, to the Sacrament of Reconciliation and to the celebration of the Holy Eucharist with a reflection on mercy. It will be necessary to accompany these celebrations with the profession of faith and with prayer for me and for the intentions that I bear in my heart for the good of the Church and of the entire world.
    Additionally, I am thinking of those for whom, for various reasons, it will be impossible to enter the Holy Door, particularly the sick and people who are elderly and alone, often confined to the home. For them it will be of great help to live their sickness and suffering as an experience of closeness to the Lord who in the mystery of his Passion, death and Resurrection indicates the royal road which gives meaning to pain and loneliness. Living with faith and joyful hope this moment of trial, receiving communion or attending Holy Mass and community prayer, even through the various means of communication, will be for them the means of obtaining the Jubilee Indulgence. My thoughts also turn to those incarcerated, whose freedom is limited. The Jubilee Year has always constituted an opportunity for great amnesty, which is intended to include the many people who, despite deserving punishment, have become conscious of the injustice they worked and sincerely wish to re-enter society and make their honest contribution to it. May they all be touched in a tangible way by the mercy of the Father who wants to be close to those who have the greatest need of his forgiveness. They may obtain the Indulgence in the chapels of the prisons. May the gesture of  directing their thought and prayer to the Father each time they cross the threshold of their cell signify for them their passage through the Holy Door, because the mercy of God is able to transform hearts, and is also able to transform bars into an experience of freedom.
    I have asked the Church in this Jubilee Year to rediscover the richness encompassed by the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. The experience of mercy, indeed, becomes visible in the witness of concrete signs as Jesus himself taught us. Each time that one of the faithful personally performs one or more of these actions, he or she shall surely obtain the Jubilee Indulgence. Hence the commitment to live by mercy so as to obtain the grace of complete and exhaustive forgiveness by the power of the love of the Father who excludes no one. The Jubilee Indulgence is thus full, the fruit of the very event which is to be celebrated and experienced with faith, hope and charity.
    Furthermore, the Jubilee Indulgence can also be obtained for the deceased. We are bound to them by the witness of faith and charity that they have left us. Thus, as we remember them in the Eucharistic celebration, thus we can, in the great mystery of the Communion of Saints, pray for them, that the merciful Face of the Father free them of every remnant of fault and strongly embrace them in the unending beatitude. 
    One of the serious problems of our time is clearly the changed relationship with respect to life. A widespread and insensitive mentality has led to the loss of the proper personal and social sensitivity to welcome new life. The tragedy of abortion is experienced by some with a superficial awareness, as if not realizing the extreme harm that such an act entails. Many others, on the other hand, although experiencing this moment as a defeat, believe they they have no other option. I think in particular of all the women who have resorted to abortion. I am well aware of the pressure that has led them to this decision. I know that it is an existential and moral ordeal. I have met so many women who bear in their heart the scar of this agonizing and painful decision. What has happened is profoundly unjust; yet only understanding the truth of it can enable one not to lose hope. The forgiveness of God cannot be denied to one who has repented, especially when that person approaches the Sacrament of Confession with a sincere heart in order to obtain reconciliation with the Father. For this reason too, I have decided, notwithstanding anything to the contrary, to concede to all priests for the Jubilee Year the discretion to absolve of the sin of abortion those who have procured it and who, with contrite heart, seek forgiveness for it. May priests fulfil this great task by expressing words of genuine welcome combined with a reflection that explains the gravity of the sin committed, besides indicating a path of authentic conversion by which to obtain the true and generous forgiveness of the Father who renews all with his presence.
    A final consideration concerns those faithful who for various reasons choose to attend churches officiated by priests of the Fraternity of St Pius X. This Jubilee Year of Mercy excludes no one. From various quarters, several Brother Bishops have told me of their good faith and sacramental practice, combined however with an uneasy situation from the pastoral standpoint. I trust that in the near future solutions may be found to recover full communion with the priests and superiors of the Fraternity. In the meantime, motivated by the need to respond to the good of these faithful, through my own disposition, I establish that those who during the Holy Year of Mercy  approach these priests of the Fraternity of St Pius X to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation shall validly and licitly receive the absolution of their sins.
    Trusting in the intercession of the Mother of Mercy, I entrust the preparations for this Extraordinary Jubilee Year to her protection.
    From the Vatican,
    1 September 2015
(from Vatican Radio)…

Pope sends telegram following death of Bishop Pastore

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a telegramme of condolence following the death of Bishop Pierfranco Pastore at the age of 88, and bestowed his Apostolic blessing on those attending his funeral Tuesday morning.
Bishop Pastore had served as secretary for the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, and was at Vatican Radio for many years.
 
Please find Vatican Radio’s translation of the telegramme below:
 
Having learned of the news of the death of his Excellency, Mons Pierfranco Pastore, the Holy Father wishes to extend to the family of the departed his heartfelt condolences and, while remembering with a grateful spirit the generous work performed with intelligence and passion in service of the Gospel and the Holy See, especially in the field of social communications, he raises a fervent prayer for the repose of his soul, and from the heart sends those who mourn his passing the comfort of the Apostolic Blessing extended to everyone present at the funeral.
 
Cardinal Pietro Parolin
 
Secretary of State to His Holiness
(from Vatican Radio)…

Pope holds “virtual audience” ahead of US trip

(Vatican Radio)  On Monday  evening, Pope Francis held a  “virtual audience”  in several cities across the United States as part of the lead-up to his visit later this month.
During the interactive event, those taking part were able to share their stories and ask the Holy Father questions.
In one instance, the Pope asked a teenage girl, who had been a victim of bullying, to sing for him.
Speaking from the Vatican, and alternating between English and Spanish, Pope Francis addressed those taking part at various locations across the US.  These included students at the Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Chicago, faithful at a Texas Church near the Mexican border, as well as homeless people and those who work to assist them in Los Angeles.
The event was hosted by ABC News and moderated by network’s “World News  Tonight ” anchor David Muir.
The entire virtual audience is scheduled to air in a one-hour special edition of ABC News’ “20/20” on  Friday, Sept. 4 , and will be posted in its entirety in both English and Spanish on the ABCNews.com website.
Pope Francis visit the United States for the first time from September 22-27. The papal visit will include the canonization of Blessed Junipero Serra in Washington, D.C., a meeting with the United Nations in New York, and the participation in the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.
(from Vatican Radio)…