(Vatican Radio) “Beginning the pilgrimmage this year with the Eucharistic celebration in the Basilica of Saint Peter, presided at by His Eminence Cardinal Angelo Comastri, should be for all of you the occasion of desiring to respond ever more generously to the needs of the little ones, the sick, and those who have hearts broken by moral and physical illnesses.”
That was the message of Pope Francis in a letter sent to representatives of the Rome-Lazio section of UNITALSI (Unione Nazionale Italiana Trasporto Ammalati a Lourdes e Santuari Internazionali) on the occasion of the pilgrimage to Loretto of the whole UNITALSI family for the 80th anniversary of the first pilgrimage to the Marian sanctuary.
UNITALSI is an Italian organization that accompanies the sick and the disabled on pilgrimages to Lourdes and to other international Marian sanctuaries. In 2013, UNITALSI celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding.
Pope Francis noted that, in the 80 years since the UNITALSIs first pilgrimage to Loretto, the group has accompanied thousands of people entrusted to their care and their Christian testimony – which, the Pope said, must always base itself “on the model of the Holy Family of Nazareth, in reciprocal care and tenderness and mercy.”
The Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Father said to the group, “who, in the Sanctuary of Loretto has always welcomed everyone, but above all so many people who live with difficulties of every kind, helps you so that all can find in you companions by the way to accompany, discern, and integrate every weakness, and to restore confidence and hope, as a beacon of light at a port, or a torch borne in the midst of the people to illuminate those who have lost the path and found themselves in the midst of the tempest. Your service,” he continued, “in our own times, should always become more like a field hospital.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) On Saturday, the Holy Father Francis received in audience His Excellency Mr. Johann Schneider Ammann, president of the Swiss Confederation, who subsequently met with His Excellency Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary for Relations with States.
The cordial discussions offered the opportunity to affirm the good relations between the Holy See and Switzerland, with particular acknowledgement of the faithful and professional service rendered by the Pontifical Swiss Guard. Appreciation was expressed for the positive contribution the Church makes in different fields in the country, in an atmosphere of serene collaboration. Mention was made of the professional education of young people, which plays an effective role in access to the world of work.
Special attention was reserved to the theme of migration and policies of reception and integration, in the current European context. The parties then discussed the conflicts in the Middle East and the situation of sub-Saharan countries, revealing the need to strengthen efforts in favour of security and peace.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received officers and enlisted soldiers of the Pontifical Swiss Guard on Saturday, one day after new members of the corps took their oath of allegiance and were sworn into active service.
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The Swiss Guards hold their swearing-in ceremony each year on May 6 th , to mark the day in 1527 when 147 members of their corps gave their lives in a desperate rear-guard action that allowed Pope Clement VII to reach the safety of Castel Sant’Angelo while the soldiers of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V sacked the eternal city.
Pope Francis recalled the spirit of faithful service that animates the great legacy of sacrifice and heroism in his remarks to new recruits and their families on Saturday, saying, “Dear Guardsmen, my hope for you is that you shall live your days of service strong in the Faith and generous in charity toward the people you shall meet: may Mary, our mother, whom we honor especially in this month of May, help you to be ever more sensible each day that profound communion with God, which for us believers begins here on Earth and shall be complete in Heaven.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis addressed the participants in a major gathering of Doctors with Africa CUAMM – an acronym for the original Italian name of the organization which was the first NGO in the field of healthcare to be officially recognized in Italy : University College for Aspiring Missionary Doctors, founded in 1950 in the Diocese of Padua by Dr. Francesco Canova, a missionary physician in Jordan, and Bishop Girolamo Bortignon.
Under the leadership of don Luigi Mazzucato, who headed the organization for more than 50 years, CUAMM gained its current position as the leading Italian organization engaged in Sub-Saharan Africa, operating in 7 African countries ( Angola , Ethiopia , Mozambique , Sierra Leone , South Sudan , Tanzania , Uganda ) where it delivers medical aid and expertise with its international and local teams.
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In remarks to the CUAMM membership on Saturday, Pope Francis said, “In the wake of these great witnesses of missionary and evangelically fruitful closeness, you carry on your work with courage, giving expression to a Church that is not a clinic exclusively for super A-list VIPs, but rather a ‘field hospital’: a Church with a great heart, close to the many wounded and humiliated of history, to the poorest of the poor.”
The Holy Father concluded, saying, “I assure you of my closeness and my prayer: I bless all of you, your families, and your commitment to the present and the future of the African continent.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
Fort McMurray – The city of Fort McMurray in northern Alberta , is completely deserted, abandoned by its inhabitants because of a fire that has destroyed 1,600 buildings. The fire forced the evacuation of over 90,000 people. The numbers of the tragedy are staggering which is now considered the “most expensive natural disaster in Canadian history”. Since the fire started, on May 1, it has spread without stopping: the first day it affected an area of about 500 hectares while up to yesterday, May 6 at least 100,000 hectares have been affected by the fire. The dramatic situation of Fort McMurray has touched Pope Francis who, saddened by the situation, has asked for prayers for the population. Yesterday, in a letter, the Vatican Secretary of State, His Exc. Mgr. Pietro Parolin, said that “the Holy Father is saddened by the destruction and suffering caused by the fires raging in the Fort McMurray area”. “He prays for all the displaced people – especially children – who have lost their homes”, reads the letter sent to Fides. The city of Fort McMurray grew from 35,000 residents at the beginning of 1990 to over 125,000 in 2015. This is thanks to a single activity: the extraction of oil in an area of about 140,000 km2 of the so-called “bitunimous sands”. The production of crude oil, which has given fame, money and development in this area, has been criticized by environmentalists for the contamination required for production. The cause of forest fires is linked to climate change . The population has fled to the south to the nearest cities, which are about 600 km away. …