(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis’s highly-anticipated post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation, “Amoris Laetitia” (The Joy of Love) on love in the family will be released on Friday 8th April. The Vatican said the Exhortation will be presented to journalists at the Holy See’s Press Office on Friday 8th April at 11.30.
The text of the Apostolic Exhortation in Italian, French, English, German, Spanish and Portuguese (in paper and/or digital format) will be available to accredited journalists from 8.00 a.m. (Rome time) on Friday 8th April. However, the document will remain under embargo until 12 noon that day.
The panel of speakers at the press conference will include: Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, general secretary of the Synod of Bishops; Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, O.P., archbishop of Vienna, and an Italian married couple: Professor Francesco Miano, lecturer in moral philosophy at Rome’s University of Tor Vergata, and his wife, Professor Giuseppina De Simone in Miano, lecturer in philosophy at the Theological Faculty of Southern Italy in Naples.
A simultaneous translation service will be available in Italian, English and Spanish. The Press Conference can be seen via live streaming (audio-video) on the site:
http://player.rv.va (Vatican Player, Vatican Radio) where it will subsequently remain available on demand.
T he Apostolic Exhortation is the conclusion of a two-year synod process discussing both the beauty and challenges of family life today.
In 2014 the Vatican hosted an Extraordinary Synod which was in preparation for the October 2015 Ordinary Synod. An estimated 190 bishops from around the world participated in each gathering.
The 2015 Synod’s theme was “the vocation and mission of the family in the Church and the modern world.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
Click to download bulletin for April 10, 2016
God in his goodness “does not hide the
sin but destroys and blots it out”. Indeed, “he blots it out from the very
root, not as they do at the dry cleaners’ when we take a suit and they remove a
stain“. No! God blots out our sin from the very root, completely! ”. With this
evocative imagery Pope Francis spoke of divine mercy in the catechesis — the
last in a series dedicated to the Jubilee theme in light of the Old Testament —
during the General Audience on Wednesday, 30 March. With the faithful present
in St Peter’s Square, the Pope elaborated on Psalm 51[50], the ‘Miserere’. The
following is a translation of the Holy Father’s address, which he gave in
Italian.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Good morning,
Today we shall complete the catecheses on
mercy in the Old Testament, and do so by meditating on Psalm 51[50], known as
the Miserere. It is a penitential prayer in which the request for forgiveness is
preceded by the confession of sins and in which the one praying allows himself
to be purified by the Lord’s love. Thus, he becomes a new creature, capable of
obedience, steadfastness of spirit, and of sincere praise.
The
“title” that the ancient Hebrew tradition gave to this Psalm refers to King
David and his sin with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite. We are quite
familiar with the event. Kind David, called by God to shepherd the people and
guide them on the paths of obedience to divine Law, betrayed his mission and,
after committing adultery with Bathsheba, has her husband put to death. A
terrible sin! The prophet Nathan shows David his sin and helps him to recognize
it. It is the moment of reconciliation with God, in confessing his sin. Here David
was humble. He showed greatness!
Those who pray with this Psalm are called
to feel the same sense of remorse and of trust in God, which David had when he
mended his ways and, although the king, he humbled himself without being afraid
to confess his crime and show his misery to the Lord, yet confident that the
Lord’s mercy was assured. What he had done was not a minor sin, a small lie: he
had committed adultery and murder!
The
Psalm begins with these words of supplication:
“Have mercy on
me, O God,
according to
thy steadfast love;
according to
thy abundant mercy
blot out my
transgressions.
Wash me
thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me
from my sin! (vv. 1-2).
The invocation is addressed to the God of
mercy in order that, moved by a love as great as that of a father or mother, he
have mercy, that is, grant grace, show his favour with benevolence and
understanding. It is a heartfelt plea to God, who alone can free one from sin.
Very descriptive images are used: blot out, wash me, cleanse me. Made manifest
in this prayer is man’s true need: the only thing that we truly need in our
life is that of being forgiven, freed from evil and from its consequence of
death. Unfortunately, life often makes us experience these situations. In [such
circumstances] we must first trust in mercy. God is greater than our sin. Let
us not forget this: God is greater than our sin! “Father, I do not know how to
say it. I have committed many, serious [sins]!”. God is greater than all the
sins we can commit. God is greater than our sin. Shall we say it together? All
together: “God is greater than our sin!”. Once again: “God is greater than our
sin!”. Once more: “God is greater than our sin!”. His love is an ocean in which
we can immerse ourselves without fear of being overcome: to God forgiving means
giving us the certainty that he never abandons us. Whatever our heart may
admonish us, he is still and always greater than everything (cf. 1 Jn 3:20),
because God is greater than our sin.
In
this sense, whoever prays with this Psalm seeks forgiveness, confesses his sin,
but in acknowledging it celebrates the justice and holiness of God. Moreover he
asks to be granted grace and mercy. The Psalmist trusts in the goodness of God.
He knows that divine goodness is immensely effective, because [God] creates
what he says. He does not hide the sin but destroys and blots it out. He blots
it out from the very root, not as they do at the dry cleaners’ when we take a
suit and they remove a stain. No! God blots out our sin from the very root,
completely! Therefore the penitent person becomes pure again; every stain is
eliminated and now he is whiter than pure snow. We are all sinners. Is this
true? If any of you does not feel you are a sinner, raise your hand…. No one.
We all are sinners. We sinners, with forgiveness, become new creatures, filled
by the spirit and full of joy. Now a new reality begins for us: a new heart, a
new spirit, a new life. We, forgiven sinners, who have received divine grace,
can even teach others to sin no more. “But Father, I am weak, I fall, I fall”.
— “If you fall, get up! Stand up!”. When a child falls, what does he do? He
raises his hand to mom, to dad so they help him to get up. Let us do the same!
If out of weakness you fall into sin, raise your hand: the Lord will take it
and help you get up. This is the dignity of God’s forgiveness! The dignity that
God’s forgiveness gives us is that of lifting us up, putting us back on our
feet, because he created men and woman to stand on their feet.
The
Psalmist says:
“Create in me
a clean heart, O God,
and put a new
and right spirit within me.
[…].
Then I will
teach transgressors thy ways,
and sinners
will return to thee” (vv. 10, 13).
Dear
brothers and sisters, God’s forgiveness is what we all need, and it is the
greatest sign of his mercy. It is a gift that every forgiven sinner is called
to share with every brother and sister he meets. All those whom the Lord has
placed beside us, family, friends, coworkers, parishioners… everyone needs,
as we do, the mercy of God. It is beautiful to be forgiven, but you too, if you
want to be forgiven, forgive in turn. Forgive! May the Lord allow us, through
the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy, to be witnesses to his forgiveness,
which purifies the heart and transforms life. Thank you.
I
greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s
Audience, including those from England, Ireland, Norway, Nigeria, Australia,
Indonesia, Pakistan and the United States.
In the joy of the Risen Lord, I invoke upon you and your families the
loving mercy of God our Father. May the Lord bless you all!
…
(Vatican Radio) “God is greater than all the sins we may do! God is greater than our sin!” That’s what Pope Francis reminded pilgrims at the General Audience Wednesday 30 March. In his remarks in Italian, the Pope said God’s infinite mercy wipes away our sins like the dry cleaner eliminates the stains from our clothes.
But “divine forgiveness is supremely effective,” noted the Pope. Unlike the dry cleaner, however, “it doesn’t hide the sin; it destroys it and cancels it… God eliminates our sin from its very roots – all of it!”
In his catechesis, Pope Francis reflected on God’s all-encompassing mercy in Psalm 51 from the Old Testament. The passage refers to a penitent King David who, trusting in God’s mercy, humbly prays for forgiveness after he committed not simply “a small lie” but the great sins of adultery and murder.
He invited those gathered in Saint Peter’s square to raise their hands if any among them had not sinned in his or her lifetime. He remarked that no one present had raised a hand and observed that “we are all sinners” and some people find themselves sinning over and over again.
Like a child who reaches up to his parents to lift him after a fall – noted the Pope, when we fall in sin, we can raise our hand to God who will pull us up. “God created man and woman to stand upright,” said the Pope. “It is beautiful to be forgiven,” stressed Pope Francis, “but you too, if you want to be pardoned, you should also forgive. Forgive!”
Pope Francis conveyed this message to English speaking pilgrims:
Dear Brothers and Sisters: In our continuing catechesis for this Holy Year of Mercy, we now conclude our treatment of the Old Testament with a consideration of Psalm 51, the Miserere . This Psalm is traditionally seen as King David’s prayer for forgiveness following his sin with Bathsheba. Its opening words: “Have mercy on me, O God in your kindness”, are a moving confession of sin, repentance and confident hope in God’s merciful pardon. Together with a heartfelt plea to be cleansed and purified of his sin, the Psalmist sings the praise of God’s infinite justice and holiness. He asks for the forgiveness of his great sin but also for the gift of a pure heart and a steadfast spirit, so that, thus renewed, he may draw other sinners back to the way of righteousness. God’s forgiveness is the greatest sign of his infinite mercy. Through the prayers of Mary, Mother of Mercy, may we become ever more convincing witnesses to that divine mercy which forgives our sins, creates in us a new heart, and enables us to proclaim God’s reconciling love to the world.
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, including those from England, Ireland, Norway, Nigeria, Australia, Indonesia, Pakistan and the United States. In the joy of the Risen Lord, I invoke upon you and your families the loving mercy of God our Father. May the Lord bless you all!
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) The Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations in New York has paid “special homage” to “women who have had profound and lasting effects on the lives of millions of people and on the development of nations through their selfless and long-term work in education, healthcare and values formation among the young.”
In a statement presented to the Security Council Open Debate on Women, peace and security 28 March 2016, Archbishop Bernardito Auza addressed the issue of “the role of women in conflict prevention and resolution in Africa,” saying that women, “ even in the most difficult circumstances, distinguish themselves for their bravery, constancy and dedication.”
“Women and girls who have become victims of rape and other forms of violence during conflicts find security and understanding in the institutions run by these women, more often than not by women religious.”
Yemen: Sisters of Charity sacrificed their lives for the poor
The Vatican diplomat recalled with “gratitude and sorrow” the sacrifice of four Missionary Sisters of Charity Sister Anselm from India, Sister Marguerite and Sister Reginette from Rwanda, and Sister Judit from Kenya, “who were massacred by cowardly fundamentalists on March 4 in Aden, Yemen.”
“They devoted their lives for poor and elderly women, a dozen of whom were also killed with them, while some sources claim that the terrorists who kidnapped the Indian priest Father Tom from the same institution crucified him on Good Friday.”
Archbishop Auzo praised efforts by the U.N. and governments to “raise awareness and arrive at a fuller recognition of the vital role of women” in conflict prevention and peacebuilding.
The Vatican diplomat said women have a “special gift in educating people to be more receptive and sensitive of the needs of others around them and beyond” and that their contribution in this area “is crucial in conflict resolution and in fostering post-conflict reconciliation.”
Please find below the full transcript of Archbishop Auzo’s statement to the UN Security Council:
Mr. President,
My delegation wishes to thank the Angolan Presidency for convening this particularly important Open Debate on the role of women in conflict prevention and resolution in Africa. Women are drivers of development and human flourishing in multiple fields: in the family and faith communities, in socio-cultural initiatives and humanitarian efforts, in education and health care, in mediation and preventive diplomacy, in peacekeeping and peacebuilding. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development cannot be achieved without the contribution of women.
Sustainable development goal 16 aims to “promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development.” In many countries in Africa, in particular in the Great Lakes Region, “peaceful and inclusive societies” are still a distant dream. Women can greatly contribute towards realization. Thus the Holy See expresses its appreciation for the initiatives promoted by the Security Council and Governments to raise awareness and arrive at a fuller recognition of the vital role of women in preventive diplomacy, mediation, peacekeeping missions and peace-building processes. This recognition, however, must be fully translated into action in order to unleash skills and capacities that allow women to bring order out of chaos, community out of division, and peace out of conflict. Their special gift in educating people to be more receptive and sensitive of the needs of others around them and beyond is crucial in conflict resolution and in fostering post-conflict reconciliation.
Mr. President,
My delegation wishes to pay special homage to the women who have had profound and lasting effects on the lives of millions of people and on the development of nations through their selfless and long-term work in education, healthcare and values formation among the young. These women, even in the most difficult circumstances, distinguish themselves for their bravery, constancy and dedication. Women and girls who have become victims of rape and other forms of violence during conflicts find security and understanding in the institutions run by these women, more often than not by women religious.
Their spirit of sacrifice for the good of others bring some of them to death. My delegation feels dutybound at this moment to remember with gratitude and sorrow the four Missionary Sisters of the Charity Sister Anselm from India, Sister Marguerite and Sister Reginette from Rwanda, and Sister Judit from Kenya, who were massacred by cowardly fundamentalists on March 4 in Aden, Yemen.
They devoted their lives for poor and elderly women, a dozen of whom were also killed with them, while some sources claim that the terrorists who kidnapped the Indian priest Father Tom from the same institution crucified him on Good Friday.
Pope Francis has prayed that “this pointless slaughter will awaken consciences, lead to a change of heart, and inspire all parties to lay down their arms and take up the path of dialogue.” There is no greater sacrifice for peace and reconciliation than to lay down one’s life for it. May their blood these be seeds for a peaceful and reconciled Yemen!
Mr. President,
The Holy See has been very attentive to the inspiring work of African women in defending the voiceless, in preventing the outbreak of communal violence, in caring for the victims of conflicts, in reinforcing fragile peace, in fostering human dignity and fundamental human rights. Through various initiatives, the Holy See aims to consolidate their tremendous contributions to build peaceful and inclusive societies. The rise of more and more African women to high political and diplomatic spheres can greatly help Africa find answers to the problems that until now have kept it from sharing fully the fruits of development and the dividends of peace.
Education has been key to this empowerment. If women are to become prime drivers of sustainable development and peaceful societies, ensuring that all girls and women have access to education is indispensable. Improving access to education for women will not only redound to a fuller realization of their potentials and greater professional opportunities; it is also a key to better educated future generations capable of ushering in and maintaining just and peaceful societies. I am proud to say that the Catholic Church in Africa is the leading provider of quality education for all, ensuring to the best of its possibilities that no woman or girl would be left unschooled, preparing them to become dignified agents of their own personal flourishing and active protagonists in building strong families and peaceful societies.
Sadly, for far too many women, it is still a steep uphill struggle to emancipate themselves from situations of marginalization, violence, abandonment and exclusion. The world today continues to be confronted with various old and new forms of violence directed against women and girls, in particular the use of rape as a weapon of war during conflicts, the abuses in refugee camps, the trafficking of women and girls for sexual exploitation, forced abortion, forced conversion and forced marriage. Instead of being eradicated, some of these acts of violence have re-emerged in even crueler forms, constituting some of the most horrendous violations of human rights.
Mr. President,
The obligation to put an end to these barbaric acts against women and girls is incumbent upon every one of us, upon every Government and in a particular way, upon this Council.
Thank you, Mr. President.
(from Vatican Radio)…