(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dragan Čović, on Wednesday morning. Čović is the current occupant of the head position in a rotating collegial presidency, composed of three members: a Bosnian, a Croat, and a Serb, who serve together for a four-year term.
The rotating system was put in place in 1996, as part of the constitutional settlement that brought an end to the 1992-1995 conflict in the former Yugoslavia, which was the worst fighting in Europe since the end of World War II.
In remarks to the President, Pope Francis said that the example of the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina is one from which the Holy Father himself has learned much: about the capacity to suffer; to forgive and to strive for forgiveness; to come together and work for the common good; to dialogue. “Thank you so much for these examples, which you give to humanity,” said Pope Francis.
The Holy Father also asked the chairman of the Presidency to bring greetings to his colleagues in the office, and to extend a special word of greeting to the young people of the country. “Greet the good young people for me,” he said, recalling the questions they put to him during his visit to the city of Sarajevo earlier this year. “They are,” he said, “the promise of your homeland.”
Pope Francis concluded his remarks with a promise of prayer and with a blessing: “Now we ask God, the God of all, God the Father of all, that He bless us, bless our lives, bless our homes, bless our families, bless our children and bless the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis during his General Audience on Wednesday in St Peter’s Square continued his catechesis on the family, this week focusing on the importance of togetherness.
Below are the Pope remarks read out in English
Dear Brothers and Sisters: In our continuing catechesis on the family, today we consider the importance of togetherness. Sitting at table for the family dinner, sharing our meal and the experiences of our day, is a fundamental image of togetherness and solidarity. Because Jesus gave us the Eucharist as a meal, there is a close relationship between families and the Mass. The togetherness we experience in our families is meant, in the family of the Church, to extend to all as a sign of God’s universal love. In this way the Eucharist becomes a school of inclusion, in which we learn to be attentive to the needs of everyone. Sadly, the family meal, this great symbol of togetherness, is disappearing in some societies. Food itself, the very sign of our sharing with other, is wantonly wasted in some places, while our brothers and sisters go hungry in others. The Eucharist reminds us that our bread is meant to be shared with all. May our families, and the entire Church, be signs of togetherness and solidarity for the good of the whole human family, especially during the coming Jubilee of Mercy.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Tuesday sent a message to members of the Pontifical Academies on the occasion of their twentieth General Meeting.
In the message, Pope Francis described the Annual General Meeting of the Pontifical Academies as “moments of cultural and spiritual enrichment, moments of inspiration to fulfill personal and communal duties … moments which encourage the Church to renew her ideas on humanism, in response to modern day challenges”.
The theme of this year’s meeting was “ Ad limina Petri : historic pilgrimage trails during the first centuries of Christianity ”. The Pope observed how this evocative title could help the faithful to prepare for the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, which begins in December.
He explained how pilgrimage is a “unique part” of the Holy Year, because it “emblematizes the journey every human being makes during their existence”. “Life is a pilgrimage and the human being is a pilgrim”.
The Holy Father also wrote, “your reflections will contribute to enhance the significance of Christian pilgrimage”. Within the context of the forthcoming Year of Mercy, he noted: “pilgrimage is an experience that involves mercy, sharing and solidarity”.
The Pope then went on to announce awards for those who had made significant contributions to research in historical anthropology. The recipients of the Premio delle Pontificie Accademie (the Pontifical Academies Prize) were the Campo Arqueológico di Mértola , for their work on archeological campaigns, and Dr. Matteo Braconi for his doctoral thesis entitled ‘ The mosaic in the apse of the basilica di S. Pudenziana a Roma ’.
The Medaglia del Pontificato (the Pontifical Medal) was then awarded to Dr. Almudena Alba López, for her publication ‘ Teologia politica y polémica antiarriana’ (‘Political Theology and the anti-Arian controversy’).
Pope Francis concluded his message to the Pontifical Academies with his Apostolic Blessing.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis during his one-day visit to Florence on Tuesday (Nov. 10) spoke to the Fifth National Convention of the Italian Church gathered in St. Mary of the Flower Cathedral.
In his programmatic speech, Pope Francis laid out his vision for “a new humanism in Christ Jesus.”
Chiara Giaccardi is a member of the preparatory committee for the event and professor of sociology at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan.
She spoke to Vatican Radio’s Alessandro Gisotti about the impact of Pope Francis’ words on the assembly.
Listen to the full interview:
His smile tipped them off. Something important was coming.
In what followed, Pope Francis told the assembly what was wrong with the Church. “Everybody was moved by his parresia, his benevolent way of telling what is wrong in the Church, but like a father who loves his sons and daughters, not like a judge,” Ms. Giaccardi said.
“We need to start with mercy”, she continued, “and this is the way that Jesus Christ is telling us where to go and how to go.”
Agreeing that the Holy Father’s speech is also a challenge to the Italian Church to work together, she said it is “a challenge to be free, which is not easy at all”.
“The Church is not free because of money, because of power, because of the image in the media. Pope Francis invited all the Church and all the people to be free from [that which] is not able to make us happy and to make us free.”
Concluding, Ms. Giaccardi said, “And the bishop can be happy only with the sheep, only among his people, and this is the same for all the Church. The Church must be close to the people. This is the only way to be [the] real Church of Jesus Christ.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis stressed the need for “the Church to live among the people and for them,” saying it should maintain a healthy contact with reality and peoples’ lives. Christ’s disciples, he said, “must never forget that they come from the people and must never fall into the temptation of adopting an aloof attitude” and not being concerned about the thoughts and lives of the people. The Pope’s comments came during his homily at an outdoor Mass celebrated in Florence on Tuesday (10th November).
Taking the inspiration for his homily from the St Matthew’s gospel, Pope Francis reminded his listeners that Jesus wanted to know from his disciples what the people were saying about Him in order to communicate with them. He warned that without knowing how people think, “a disciple becomes isolated and begins to judge people according to his own thoughts and convictions.”
For this reason, said the Pope, “a disciple must maintain a healthy contact with reality and with people’s lives with their joys and sorrows,” saying this “is the only way” to be able to help and communicate with them. Christ’s disciples, he stressed, “should never forget from where they have been chosen, namely from among the people, and must never fall into the temptation of adopting an aloof or detached attitude as if the thoughts and lives of the people were not their concern and of no importance for them.”
Pope Francis said “the Church, like Jesus, lives among the people and for the people” and we need to nurture a personal faith in Him, as the Son of God. Only if we recognize this truth about Jesus, will we be able to see the truth of our human condition and add our contribution “to the full humanization of society.”
The Pope went on to explain that “our joy” is to share this faith, whose truth scandalizes. We must also “go against the tide” and “overcome the prevailing opinion” of our contemporary society where just as in the past people are unable to recognize Jesus as more than a prophet or teacher.
He said the good that we sow along our path as Christians helps to create “a new and renewed humanity where no one is marginalized or discarded, where the person who serves is the greatest and where the children and the poor are welcomed and helped.” Noting the importance of humanism in the most creative periods of Florence’s history, the Pope noted that this humanity always had a charitable face, and said he prayed for a new humanity both for the city and Italy as a whole.
Listen to this report by Susy Hodges:
(from Vatican Radio)…