(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis is donating to the parish church of Lampedusa a crucifix that was gifted to him by President Raul Castro of Cuba during the recent papal visit to the Caribbean island. Measuring over 3 metres high, the crucifix is crafted from wooden oars tied with ropes to symbolize the reality of migrants who have crossed the Mediterranean by boat. Lampedusa is an island off the coast of Sicily whose shores receive the majority of migrants and refugees crossing the Mediterranean sea by boat from Libya to Italy. The tiny island was also the first place in Italy that Pope Francis chose to visit after his election.
Pope Francis’ decision was announced by Cardinal Francesco Montenegro of Agrigento whose archdiocese includes Lampedusa. He made the announcement at Italy’s National Ecclesial Congress in Florence that was attended by the Pope on Tuesday.
On hearing of the Pope’s gift, the parish priest of Lampedusa Don Mimmo Zambito said the image of this crucifix symbolizes the mercy and humanity of Jesus Christ who triumphs over every conflict, knocking down walls and crossing borders.
The crucifix will be displayed in the Church of the Holy Cross in Agrigento for the local inauguration of the Jubilee Year of Mercy on December 11th and then will be taken on a pilgrimage across the archdiocese of Agrigento before taking up its final residence in the parish Church of Lampedusa.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday thanked the Don Guanella Servants of Charity for their work in favour of the poor, the disabled and the sick.
The Pope’s words of gratitude came during a private audience with representatives of the Don Guanella family who are celebrating their patron, Our Lady of Divine Providence.
Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni :
In his address the Pope recalled the words of Don Guanella himself, the founder of the Congregation, whose birth centenary has just been marked.
He said that at the core of Don Guanella’s faith was his total trust in God, and he noted that Lord is sad when he sees that his children do not trust in him fully. God, he said, is pure love, providential love, and knows what is good for us so there is no reason for being wary or distant.
The Pope then commented on how we all need to look at the world with the eyes of hope and love.
Remarking on how our world is full of problems, poverty and injustice, Pope Francis said the greatest shortage we have is a shortage of charity, and to overcome this shortage we need people whose eyes have been renewed by love and by hope.
Finally, he said, we need to make haste because the poor are God’s most beloved children and he who gives to the poor, gives to God.
As Don Guanella said, he continued: “misery cannot wait” and we must not stop as long as there are poor people to assist.
Pope Francis concluded his discourse thanking those present for the good work they do and encouraging them to continue to do so without tiring.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis delivered a video message to the participants in the XVI Latin American Congress of Former Students of Jesuit Institutions, taking place in Guayaquil, Ecuador, from the 11 th to the 13 th of November.
In his remarks to those taking part, the Holy Father focused on the dynamic tension that the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius seek to develop in the soul of the subject who undertakes them – a tension that becomes a distinctive element in the charism of the Jesuit and a signal characteristic of the person formed by Jesuit education.
Click below to hear our report
Pope Francis explained that this tension is threefold: between heaven, earth, and the person experiencing it – a tension that, like electrical tension, makes it possible for power current to course and do its work in and through a medium that is properly attuned to it.
“This,” said Pope Francis, “is how the Church desires former Jesuit students to be: a tension created by the faith they profess in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – God, who sends His Son into the world – and this faith is to be in tension with what is happening in the world today.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis sent a message on Thursday (12th November) to the participants of a seminar jointly organized by the Pontifical Council for the Laity and the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross to discuss the theme: Vocation and mission of the Laity: Fifty years after the Decree: Apostolicam actuositatem. In his message which was addressed to Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, the Pope recalled how the Second Vatican Council with its keynote documents led to a new way of looking at the vocation and mission of lay people within the Church and the World. He said the Council does not consider the laity as though they were members of a second tier, at the service of the hierarchy and merely carrying out their orders issued from high up but instead as Christ’s disciples who are called to animate every place and human activity in the world according to the spirit of the Gospel. In conclusion, Pope Francis wrote that he prayed that this seminar will encourage both pastors and lay faithful to live out and put into practice this Council teaching on the laity which, he said, was always a keen pastoral concern of St. John Paul II. (from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday told the bishops of Slovakia the Church is called to receive migrants “in a spirit of charity and respect for the human person,” while, at the same time, necessarily observing the law. The Holy Father was meeting the bishops as part of their ad limina visit to Rome. He held an informal discussion with them, while presenting them his speech in written form. “It is desirable for the Slovak people to maintain their cultural identity and heritage of ethical and spiritual values, which is closely linked to the Catholic tradition,” Pope Francis said. He said this was necessary for the country to contribute to a “sincere and fruitful dialogue” on the continent and in the world, including on such issues as the dignity of the human life and the essential role of the family. “Faced with the prospect of an ever-expanding multicultural environment, we must assume an attitude of mutual respect in favour of encounter,” Pope Francis said. “In our day, it is even more necessary to illuminate the path of people with Christian principles, seizing the opportunity the current situation offers to develop a new evangelization, which, with a new language, makes it easier to understand Christ’s message,” he continued. Pope Francis expressed his appreciation for what the bishops are doing to support the family, “which faces many difficulties, and is subject to many dangers.” He encouraged the establishment of family ministries at the national and diocesan level, which helps even broken families, especially where there are children. “As part of the pastoral care of the family, it is necessary to appreciate young people, the hope of the Church and society,” said the Holy Father. “In them, there beats a strong desire to serve others and to work for solidarity, which requires the guidance and confidence of their pastors for it to become a living encounter with Christ, in a committed project to spread the Gospel.” Pope Francis added that despite the temptations to “hedonism, mediocrity, and instant success,” young people do not allow themselves to be easily intimidated by difficulties, and are particularly sensitive to unreserved commitment, when presented with the true meaning of life. “Therefore, they need to have from you a clear instructions about doctrine and morals, to build in the city of man, the city of God,” he said. (from Vatican Radio)…