(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent his condolences to the Bishop of Bergamo, Italy for the death of Cardinal Loris Francesco Capovilla, the former private secretary of Pope John XXIII. Upon hearing of the Cardinal’s passing 26 May 2016 at the age of 100, Pope Francis wrote in a telegram to Bishop Francesco Beschi, in whose diocese Cardinal Capovilla lived the last years of his life: “I think with affection of this dear brother who in his long and fruitful existence gave witness to the Gospel with joy and obediently served the Church, first in the diocese of Venice, then with attentive affection at the side of Pope John XXIII, of whose memory he was the zealous custodian and expert interpreter. In his episcopal ministry, especially in Chieti-Vasto and Loreto (Italy), he was always a pastor totally dedicated to the wellbeing of all priests and the faithful …with a solid fidelity to the teachings of the Second Vatican Council.”
Pope Francis concluded his telegram with a prayer, “with the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of Saint Mark the Evangelist,” so that the Lord will receive his soul “nel Gaudio” and “in eternal peace, ” and offered his apostolic blessing to all those who grieve his passing.
Cardinal Capovilla was born on 14 October 1915 in Pontelungo, northern Italy.
He was ordained a priest in Venice, Italy, in 1940; he was appointed and ordained Archbishop of Chieti, in 1967. From 1971 to 1988, he served as prelate of Loreto, Italy
On 22 February 2014, Pope Francis elevated him cardinal and, cardinal-priest of Santa Maria in Trastevere, Rome.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received the President of Costa Rica, Luis Guillermo Solís Rivera, who was accompanied by his wife and daughter, in the Vatican on Friday for a private audience.
A press release from the Holy See Press Office called the meeting ‘cordial’, saying the Holy Father and Mr. Solís spoke about the good relationship between the Holy See and Costa Rica.
Mr. Solís expressed his appreciation for the important contribution of the Catholic Church to Costa Rican society, especially in the areas of education, health care, the promotion of human and spiritual values, and charitable works. The two leaders also spoke about several themes of common interest, including the protection of human life, migration, and drug trafficking. Finally, mention was made of the regional situation and a number of international issues.
Following his audience with the Holy Father, Mr. Solís met with the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and the Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Gallagher.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday greeted members of the Congregation of Don Orione, the Sons of Divine Providence, on the occasion of their 14th General Chapter.
The Congregation takes its inspiration from its founder, St Luigi Orione, whose motto was: “Do good to all; harm no one.” St Luigi Orione is remembered for his commitment to social justice and the service of those in need, a service guided and inspired by the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Listen to Christopher Wells’ report:
In his address to the General Chapter, Pope Francis said, “The whole Church is called to journey with Jesus along the paths of the world, to encounter the humanity of today, which needs, as Don Orione wrote, ‘the bread of the body, and the divine balm of the Faith’.”
To put these words into practice today, the Pope said, the members of the Congregation must keep in mind their identity as “servants of Christ and of the poor.”
“You were called and consecrated by God,” he said, “to remain with Jesus and to serve Him in the poor and in those excluded from society.” He called them to vigilance, that their faith “might not become an ideology,” or their charity a mere “philanthropy.”
Pope Francis recalled that, even during the lifetime of Don Orione, the Orionine Fathers were known as “running priests” because they “seemed to be always on the go, in the midst of the people, with the rapid pace of those who care.”
He exhorted them, “with Don Orione, to to not remain enclosed within your particular environment, but to ‘go out’.”
At the same time, it is important to never “lose sight of the Church” or of their own religious community. Rather, he said, “your heart must be there in your ‘cenaculum’, but then needs to go out to bring the mercy of God to all, without distinction.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) In a tribute to Cardinal Loris Capovilla, personal secretary to Saint John XXIII,who passed away on the 26th of May, we bring you a Vatican Radio archive interview in which he explains how this twentieth century Pope rather than arouse in us feelings of nostalgia should encourage us to look towards the future.
Listen to a programme presented and produced by Veronica Scarisbrick:
As ked what he meant by that comment the cardinal replied that as Pope John once said we are not called to be custodians of a shrine, a reliquary or a museum but rather to be custodians of a garden where is sown the seed of the Word, of the Word Incarnate. In fact he went on to say, we are called to cultivate our garden, to foster the advent of a new Pentecost, a new Easter, a new Spring, not just for our personal joy but for the joy of all of humanity.
Cardinal Capovilla also shares the idea that he viewed the Pope as someone sent by God. ” I never felt”, he remarked in this interview, ” that I was collaborator or a secretary and still less an advisor, I would have perceived this as a scandalous assumption”.
What he did experience, he highlights, was the joy that came with being close to a man who was certainly guided by God and who set the seed for the future of the Church although it was difficult to grasp to the full what was in his soul: “… as I said he set the seed for the future”.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis celebrated Mass on the steps of Rome’s cathedral basilica of St. John Lateran Thursday evening, to mark the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.
In the homily he prepared for the occasion, Pope Francis focused on the Eucharist as the source of Christian strength. “From the outset,” he said, “it is the Eucharist which becomes the centre and pattern of the life of the Church: but we think also of all the saints – famous or anonymous – who have ‘broken’ themselves, their own life, in order to ‘give something to eat’ to their brothers and sisters.” The Holy Father went on to say, “How many mothers, how many fathers, together with the slices of bread they provide each day on the tables of their homes, have broken their hearts to let their children grow, and grow well; how many Christians, as responsible citizens, have broken their own lives to defend the dignity of all, especially the poorest, the marginalized and those discriminated; where do they find the strength to do this?” he asked. “It is in the Eucharist: in the power of the Risen Lord’s love, who today too breaks bread for us and repeats: ‘Do this in remembrance of me’.”
Click below to hear our report
The liturgy was followed by a torchlight Eucharistic procession from the Lateran Basilica to the nearby Basilica of St. Mary Major: an occasion for parish groups, sodalities and charitable and fraternal organisations of all kinds to give public witness to the central mystery of the faith: that Jesus Christ is really, truly, substantially present: body, blood, soul and divinity, under the species of bread and wine.
Ordinary citizens participated too, whether watching from the windows and balconies of the buildings that line the route from the Lateran basilica along the via Merulana to the Basilica of St Mary Major, or joining on foot in the procession itself.
All told, the Mass and procession rad roughly two and a half hours, and ended as the fullness of night fell on the city in late spring, with the Pope leading the faithful in Eucharistic adoration and offering solemn benediction.
(from Vatican Radio)…