Click to download Bulletin for March 13, 2016
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis said on Thursday that some organisations at the service of human life “are more interested in the economic side than working for the common good.” He also warned that human nature nowadays is increasingly reduced to a malleable material that can be molded to any design and said the first thing to safeguard is our own humanity. His comments came in an address to participants at the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Academy for Life.
Participants at the Assembly are discussing the theme of virtue in the ethics of life and in his address to the gathering, Pope Francis stressed the need to welcome and care for human life in all circumstances. At the same time, he said, we must protect our humanity from the poison of selfishness and lies and warned that when it comes to defending human life, it’s not uncommon that so-called “splendid vices” are “masquerading under the name of virtues.”
The Pope explained that whilst there are many institutions working in the service of human life there are also many others that are more interested in the economic side than in striving for the common good.
Departing from his prepared text and speaking off the cuff, the Pope reiterated his frequent warning against ideological colonizations, saying these insinuate themselves into the minds of humans under the form of virtues, modernity and new attitudes. However, in reality, he said, they are taking away our ideological freedom and are afraid of the reality as created by God.
When it comes to virtues, he went on,” it’s not a ‘cosmetic’ question or a beautiful facade” but instead it’s about rooting out dishonest desires from our hearts and of seeking good with sincerity.
In the field of ethnics about life, said the Pope, the norms that sanction respect for human beings, are not enough on their own to fully achieve the wellbeing of the human person. Instead, he said, it’s the virtues of those who work to promote human life that provide the ultimate guarantee that good will be truly respected.
Nowadays, Pope Francis noted, there is no lack of scientific knowledge and technical expertise that can offer support to human life in those situations where it is weak. However, “sometimes humanity is lacking in these situations.” Doing good, the Pope stressed, “is not the correct application of ethical knowledge but instead “presupposes a real concern for the fragile human being.” In this context, he warned that “doctors and all health workers must never abandon a blending of science, technical expertise and humanity” in their work.
In conclusion, Pope Francis reminded his listeners that when it comes to defending and promoting human life, this can be done more effectively only if we are aware of and show the beauty of that life. “By displaying a genuine compassion and the other virtues, you will be precious witnesses of the mercy of the God of life,” he said.
Listen to this report by Susy Hodges:
(from Vatican Radio)…
Pope Francis has told participants of the Pontifical Academy for Life that Virtue is the best that the heart of man offers.
“Virtue is not just a habit, but it is the constantly renewable ability to choose good. Virtue is not an emotion, is not a skill that is acquired through a refresher course, let alone a biochemical mechanism, it is the highest expression of human freedom. Virtue is the best that the heart of man offers,” the Holy Father speaking in Italian told participants who went to see him at the Sala Clementina (Clementine Hall) of the Apostolic Palace.
In Africa, Burkina Faso, Egypt and the Democratic Republic of Congo are members of the Pontifical Academy for Life.
The Academy is holding its general assembly in the Vatican from 3 to 5 March under the theme, “Virtues in the Ethics of Life.”
Established in 1994, the Pontifical Academy studies issues connected with the promotion and the defense of human life from an interdisciplinary perspective. Among other activities, the Academy aims at fostering a culture of life.
The academy categories Pro-life as applying to those members whose principal activity is pastoral or social assistance, or who are active in Pro-life organisations nationally or internationally.
In general, members of the academy have expertise in different fields of biomedical sciences and related disciplines.
(Email: engafrica@vatiradio.va)
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday received Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (East Timor), His Excellency Rui Maria de Araújo, who subsequently met with the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who was accompanied by the under-secretary for Relations with States, Msgr. Antoine Camilleri.
A press statement from the Holy See Press Office called the discussions cordial, and said “the good relations between the Holy See and Timor-Leste were evoked, as well as the historical contribution of the Church to building up the nation and collaboration with the civil Authorities in various social areas, such as education, health and the fight against poverty.”
At the end of the meeting with the Secretary of State, in the Hall of Treaties in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, there took place the exchange of instruments for the ratification of the Accord between the Holy See and the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, signed in Dili on 14 August 2015.
The exchange signifies ratification of the agreement which contains 26 articles that recognizes the Church as having juridical rights.
Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin addressed those gathered. He noted that the agreement is the result of many years of negotiations backed by a common spirit of dialogue and cooperation, recognizing the important role the Catholic Church plays in the life of the Timorese people. Commitments have been made in the area of education, health and the fight against poverty.
The legal framework, the Cardinal noted, does not mean special privileges for the Church but simply allows the Church to contribute freely to building a more harmonious society, animated by justice and peace.
The Cardinal concluded by entrusting the people of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste to the maternal protection of the Mary, Mother of God.
(from Vatican Radio)…
Acknowledging that we are sinners and being
able to ask for forgiveness is the first step in a decisive response to the
question that Jesus asks each of us directly: “are you with me or against me?”.
Thus, during Mass at Santa Marta on Thursday, 3 March, the Pope invited us to
open ourselves unconditionally to God’s mercy. At
the beginning of the first reading, Francis noted, the prophet Jeremiah
(7:23-28), “reminds us of God’s pact with his people: ‘Listen to my voice; then
I will be your God and you shall be my people. Walk in all the ways that I
command you, so that you may prosper”. It is “a faithfulness pact”. Both
readings, he continued, “tell us another story: this pact failed and today the
Church makes us reflect on it; we can call it a history of failed
faithfulness”. In reality, “God always remains faithful, because he cannot deny
himself”. However the people amass infidelities, “one after another: they
become unfaithful, they are unfaithful!”. The
Book of Jeremiah recounts that the people do not hold true to the pact: ‘But
they obeyed not, nor did they pay heed’”. Scripture also tells us, Francis
explained, of the “many things that God did in order to attract the hearts of
his people: ‘From the day that your fathers left the land of Egypt even to this
day, I have sent you untiringly all my servants the prophets. Yet they have not
obeyed me nor paid heed; they have stiffened their necks and done worse than
their fathers’”. This passage of Jeremiah ends on a strong note: “Faithfulness
has disappeared”, it is “cut off from their lips”. The
“unfaithfulness of the People of God”, like our own unfaithfulness, “hardens
the heart: it closes the heart!”, and it keeps out “the voice of the Lord who,
as loving father, asks us to always open ourselves to his mercy and his love”.
In Psalm 95[94] “we prayed together: hear today the voice of the Lord: harden
not your hearts!”. It’s true, the Pontiff stated, “the Lord always speaks to us
this way”, and “with fatherly tenderness he tells us: return to me with all
your heart, for I am merciful and compassionate”. However,
“when your heart is hard you cannot understand this”, Francis explained. In
fact, “God’s mercy is understood only if you are able to open your heart, so it
can enter”. And this continues, it “goes on: the heart hardens, and we see the
same story” in the day’s passage from the Gospel of Luke (11:14-23). “There
were people, the doctors of the law, who had studied the Scriptures, who knew
theology, but were very, very closed-minded. The crowd was amazed:
astonishment! Because the crowd was following Jesus. Someone might say: ‘But
they followed him in order to be healed, this is why they were following him’”. The
reality, Francis pointed out, was that the people “trusted Jesus! Their hearts
were open: imperfect, sinful, but their hearts were open”. On the other hand,
“the theologians had a closed-minded attitude” and “were always looking for an
explanation so as not to understand Jesus’ message”. Thus, in this specific
case, as Luke writes, they said: “No, this man casts out demons in the name of
the prince of demons”. They were always seeking other pretexts, the Gospel
continues, “to put him to the test: they asked him for a sign from heaven”. The
underlying problem, the Pope remarked, was that they were “always closed”.
Therefore, “it was Jesus who had to justify what he did”. “This
is the story, the history of failed faithfulness”, Francis said, “the history
of closed hearts, of hearts that would not let God’s mercy enter, which had
forgotten the word ‘forgiveness’ — ‘Forgive me, Lord!’ — simply because they
did not feel they were sinners: they felt they were the judges of others”. And
this history goes on for centuries. “Jesus explains this failed faithfulness
with two clear words in order to end the discussion with these hypocrites:
“Whoever is not with me is against me”. In the language Jesus used, the Pope
said, it is clear: “either you are faithful, with your heart open to God who is
faithful to you, or you are against him: ‘Whoever is not with me is against
me’”. Someone may think that there is perhaps “a middle ground for
negotiations”, to escape the clarity of Jesus’ words, “either you are faithful
or you are opposed”. In essence, Francis replied, “there is a way out: confess,
sinner!”. Because “if you say, ‘I am a sinner’, your heart opens, God’s mercy
enters, and you begin to be faithful”. Before
continuing the celebration, the Pontiff advised that we ask “the Lord for the
grace of faithfulness”, knowing that “the first step” on the “path of
faithfulness is feeling we are sinners”. Indeed, “if you do not feel you are a
sinner, you have started off wrong”. Therefore, Francis concluded, “let us ask
for the grace that our hearts not harden, that they be open to God’s mercy”,
and ask for “the grace of faithfulness”. Let us also ask for the “grace to ask
forgiveness” when we find we are unfaithful….