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Month: November 2015

Pope to Guardini foundation: repentance key to door of mercy

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received members of the Romano Guardini Foundation on Friday, who are here in Rome to take part in a conference sponsored by the Pontifical Gregorian University to mark the 130 th anniversary of the birth of the Catholic priest and theologian, born in Verona, Italy, and reared in Mainz, Germany, who was one of the great lights of 20 th century Catholic intellectual life.
The Holy Father’s remarks to the participants turned on two central themes of Guardini’s theological work: true repentance as the condition of the efficacy of grace in our lives and in the world; and the need to cultivate docility to the Divine will in order to enter into what the theologian calls, “a living unity” with God.
Click below to hear our report

Quoting the words Dostoyevsky gave to his mystic priest-healer Zosima in The Brothers Karamazov , to speak to a woman who had taken the life of her abusive husband when he was sick, Pope Francis said, “Do not fear. Never fear, and do not be sad, so long as your remorse does not dry up, God forgives everything. There is no sin on the whole Earth that God will not forgive if you show true remorse. Man is unable to commit a sin that is too great for God’s unending love.”
Pope Francis went on to explain that the “living unity” with God made possible through openness to grace and docility to His will for us, is realized not in isolation, but in society – in belonging to a people, which is not a mere mass of humanity, but a real community founded on and living through conscious concord regarding the beautiful, the true and the good. Again quoting Guardini, Pope Francis explained that a people is, “the compendium of all that in mankind is genuine, profound, substantial.” Thus, “The individual feels himself woven into a people, that is, in an ‘original union of human beings, who, by species, country, and historical evolution in life and in [their] destinies are an unique whole.’”
The Holy Father concluded, saying, “I am convinced that Guardini is a thinker who has much to say to the men and women of our time, and not only to Christians.” He praised the work of the Guardini Foundation, saying, “[Y]ou are realizing this project, bringing Guardini’s thought into conversation with the spheres of politics, culture and science of today.”
(from Vatican Radio)…

Pope to Guardini foundation: repentance key to door of mercy

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received members of the Romano Guardini Foundation on Friday, who are here in Rome to take part in a conference sponsored by the Pontifical Gregorian University to mark the 130 th anniversary of the birth of the Catholic priest and theologian, born in Verona, Italy, and reared in Mainz, Germany, who was one of the great lights of 20 th century Catholic intellectual life.
The Holy Father’s remarks to the participants turned on two central themes of Guardini’s theological work: true repentance as the condition of the efficacy of grace in our lives and in the world; and the need to cultivate docility to the Divine will in order to enter into what the theologian calls, “a living unity” with God.
Click below to hear our report

Quoting the words Dostoyevsky gave to his mystic priest-healer Zosima in The Brothers Karamazov , to speak to a woman who had taken the life of her abusive husband when he was sick, Pope Francis said, “Do not fear. Never fear, and do not be sad, so long as your remorse does not dry up, God forgives everything. There is no sin on the whole Earth that God will not forgive if you show true remorse. Man is unable to commit a sin that is too great for God’s unending love.”
Pope Francis went on to explain that the “living unity” with God made possible through openness to grace and docility to His will for us, is realized not in isolation, but in society – in belonging to a people, which is not a mere mass of humanity, but a real community founded on and living through conscious concord regarding the beautiful, the true and the good. Again quoting Guardini, Pope Francis explained that a people is, “the compendium of all that in mankind is genuine, profound, substantial.” Thus, “The individual feels himself woven into a people, that is, in an ‘original union of human beings, who, by species, country, and historical evolution in life and in [their] destinies are an unique whole.’”
The Holy Father concluded, saying, “I am convinced that Guardini is a thinker who has much to say to the men and women of our time, and not only to Christians.” He praised the work of the Guardini Foundation, saying, “[Y]ou are realizing this project, bringing Guardini’s thought into conversation with the spheres of politics, culture and science of today.”
(from Vatican Radio)…

Educating today and tomorrow: a renewing passion, fifty years after Vatican Council II on Christian education

Vatican City, 13 November 2015 (VIS) – “Educating today and tomorrow: a renewing passion” is the title of the World Congress organised by the Congregation for Catholic Education to commemorate the 50th anniversary of “Gravissimum educationis”, the Vatican Council II Declaration on Christian education, and the 25th of “Ex corde Ecclesiae (Apostolic Constitution on Catholic Universities). The event will take place in Rome from 18 to 21 November. The Congress was presented this morning in the Holy See Press Office by Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi, prefect of the Congregation for Education, Bishop Angelo Vincenzo Zani, secretary of the same congregation, and Professor Italo Fiorin, director of the “Educating in encounter and solidarity” School of Higher Education at the Libera Università Maria Ss. Assunta (LUMSA), Rome. Cardinal Versaldi commented that these commemorative events highlight the participation of the Congregation for Catholic Education in the educational passion of the Church, which “is still aware today – as is stated in the incipit of the conciliar document whose fiftieth year we are celebrating – ‘how extremely important education is in the life of man and how its influence ever grows in the social progress of this age’. Aware of this, the most recent consequence is the World Congress”. Bishop Zani went on to explain that the idea of the Congress emerged during the plenary session of the cardinals and bishops of the Congregation for Catholic Education in 2011, in in which they discussed the Department’s future lines of action and Pope Benedict XVI, in his discourse, referred to the two anniversaries in 2015. This led to the choice of date for the Congress. In 2012, around fifty experts from around the globe met in Rome to identify pending problems regarding education promoted by the Church all over the world, and to make some first suggestions to relaunch important educational activities carried out by many Catholic institutions. The results of the seminar were gathered into a document bearing the same title as the Congress, and were sent to interested parties along with a questionnaire to be returned to the dicastery. “The reaction was surprising”, said Bishop Zani, “We received thousands of answers to the online questionnaire and hundreds of postal responses”. The November Congress was preceded in June by a UNESCO international forum on education, attended by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin. “Educating today and tomorrow: a renewing passion” will open on 18 November in the Paul VI Hall with a session describing new scenarios in education and the aims of the meeting, and will continue on 19 and 20 November in other places, considering four themes: the identity and mission of Catholic schools and universities, the subjects of education and their various responsibilities (bishops, parents, directors, teachers and students), the formation of formators and the challenges of today and tomorrow. On 21 November the participants, more than 2,200 in number, will be received in audience by the Holy Father. The prelate emphasised, however, that the Congress will not be an end in itself, but may instead represent a new beginning in collaboration with the Congregation for Catholic Education and various other institutions. For example, there have been some requests for a General Directory of Catholic education, summarising the essential principles and norms issued in documents from the Council to today, relating to Catholic educational institutions, and the constitution of a working group for this purpose. Another aspect that emerged from the answers to the questionnaire is the need for a permanent centre of Christian inspiration to study pedagogical problems. This proposal has been accepted by LUMSA and a few months ago the “Educating in encounter and solidarity” School of Higher Education was established. On 28 October this year Pope Francis constituted by chirograph the new Foundation “Gravissimum Educationis”, to study particular situations and to implement original and innovatory problems, especially in the most difficult situations. Finally, a small working group will be formed to study the legal problems that inevitably emerge in various parts of the world, especially following changes to constitutions or laws that may endanger the survival of Catholic schools and universities….

Educating today and tomorrow: a renewing passion, fifty years after Vatican Council II on Christian education

Vatican City, 13 November 2015 (VIS) – “Educating today and tomorrow: a renewing passion” is the title of the World Congress organised by the Congregation for Catholic Education to commemorate the 50th anniversary of “Gravissimum educationis”, the Vatican Council II Declaration on Christian education, and the 25th of “Ex corde Ecclesiae (Apostolic Constitution on Catholic Universities). The event will take place in Rome from 18 to 21 November. The Congress was presented this morning in the Holy See Press Office by Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi, prefect of the Congregation for Education, Bishop Angelo Vincenzo Zani, secretary of the same congregation, and Professor Italo Fiorin, director of the “Educating in encounter and solidarity” School of Higher Education at the Libera Università Maria Ss. Assunta (LUMSA), Rome. Cardinal Versaldi commented that these commemorative events highlight the participation of the Congregation for Catholic Education in the educational passion of the Church, which “is still aware today – as is stated in the incipit of the conciliar document whose fiftieth year we are celebrating – ‘how extremely important education is in the life of man and how its influence ever grows in the social progress of this age’. Aware of this, the most recent consequence is the World Congress”. Bishop Zani went on to explain that the idea of the Congress emerged during the plenary session of the cardinals and bishops of the Congregation for Catholic Education in 2011, in in which they discussed the Department’s future lines of action and Pope Benedict XVI, in his discourse, referred to the two anniversaries in 2015. This led to the choice of date for the Congress. In 2012, around fifty experts from around the globe met in Rome to identify pending problems regarding education promoted by the Church all over the world, and to make some first suggestions to relaunch important educational activities carried out by many Catholic institutions. The results of the seminar were gathered into a document bearing the same title as the Congress, and were sent to interested parties along with a questionnaire to be returned to the dicastery. “The reaction was surprising”, said Bishop Zani, “We received thousands of answers to the online questionnaire and hundreds of postal responses”. The November Congress was preceded in June by a UNESCO international forum on education, attended by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin. “Educating today and tomorrow: a renewing passion” will open on 18 November in the Paul VI Hall with a session describing new scenarios in education and the aims of the meeting, and will continue on 19 and 20 November in other places, considering four themes: the identity and mission of Catholic schools and universities, the subjects of education and their various responsibilities (bishops, parents, directors, teachers and students), the formation of formators and the challenges of today and tomorrow. On 21 November the participants, more than 2,200 in number, will be received in audience by the Holy Father. The prelate emphasised, however, that the Congress will not be an end in itself, but may instead represent a new beginning in collaboration with the Congregation for Catholic Education and various other institutions. For example, there have been some requests for a General Directory of Catholic education, summarising the essential principles and norms issued in documents from the Council to today, relating to Catholic educational institutions, and the constitution of a working group for this purpose. Another aspect that emerged from the answers to the questionnaire is the need for a permanent centre of Christian inspiration to study pedagogical problems. This proposal has been accepted by LUMSA and a few months ago the “Educating in encounter and solidarity” School of Higher Education was established. On 28 October this year Pope Francis constituted by chirograph the new Foundation “Gravissimum Educationis”, to study particular situations and to implement original and innovatory problems, especially in the most difficult situations. Finally, a small working group will be formed to study the legal problems that inevitably emerge in various parts of the world, especially following changes to constitutions or laws that may endanger the survival of Catholic schools and universities….

Pope: The greatest glory is God, everything else fades away

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis said God is the greatest glory and warned believers against the temptation to deify earthly things and even to idolize our habits. Instead, he said, we should be looking beyond these things to the transcendent, to God the creator, whose glory never fades. The Pope’s words came during his homily at his Mass on Friday (13th November) celebrated at the Santa Marta residence.   
Pope Francis reflected in his homily on God’s eternal glory and said there are two dangers that undermine believers: the temptation to deify our earthly things and even to idolize our habits, as if all this were lasting forever. Instead, he said, God is the greatest glory and this is made clear in the psalms where we read how “The heavens declare the Glory of God.” The problem, said the Pope, is that humans often bow down before things whose splendour is only a reflection that will be extinguished one day – or worse still they become devoted to even more fleeting pleasures.
Attached to the beauty of the here and now
Pope Francis warned about the “error” of many people who, he said,  are incapable of looking beyond the beauty of earthly things towards the transcendent, describing this attitude as the idolatry of immanence.
“They are attached to this idolatry: they are astonished by the power and energy (of these things). They haven’t thought about how much greater is their sovereign because He created them, He who is the origin and the author of this beauty. It’s an idolatry to gaze at all these beautiful things without believing that they will fade away. And the fading too has its beauty… And this idolatry of being attached to the beauty of the here and now, without (a sense of) the transcendence, we all run the risk of having that. It’s the idolatry of immanence. We believe that these things are almost gods and they will last forever. We forget about that fading away.”
The other trap or idolatry into which many people fall, warned the Pope, is that of our daily habits which make our hearts deaf. He said Jesus illustrated this when he described the men and woman during the time of Noah or Sodom who ate and drank and got married without caring about anything else until the flood came or the Lord rained down burning sulphur. 
“Everything is according to habit.  Life is like that: We live in this way, without thinking about the end of this way of living. This too is an idolatry: to be attached to our habits, without thinking that this will come to an end. But the Church makes us look at the end of these things. Even our habits can be thought of as gods. The idolatry? Life is like this and we go forward in this way…  And just as this beauty will finish in another (kind of) beauty, our habits will finish in an eternity, in another (kind of) habit. But there is God!”
Look at the glory that doesn’t fade
Pope Francis went on to urge his listeners to direct their gaze always beyond towards the one God who is beyond “the end of created things” so as not to repeat the fatal error of looking back, as Lot’s wife did. We must be certain, he stressed, that if life is beautiful then its end will be just as beautiful as well. 
“We believers are not people who look back, who yield, but people who always go forward.”  We must always go forward in this life, looking at the beautiful things and with the habits that we all have but without deifying them. They will end. Be they these small beauties, which reflect a bigger beauty, our own habits for surviving in the eternal song, contemplating the glory of God.”
(from Vatican Radio)…