(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has told the Bishops of France to help the people of their country to “strengthen their hope” and to “contribute to the search for the common good” in the context of nation still “marked by the attacks which have ravaged your country,” which is also facing “important” elections.
The message were conveyed by the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, as the Bishops begin their Plenary Assembly.
The theme of the meeting is on “ having the courage to reach the peripheries in need of the Gospel ” (Evangelii Gaudium, n. 20); including in a rural world facing change, “which will, in no doubt, be an opportunity for a new start for the mission of the Church in France.”
“A few days before the closing of the Jubilee of Mercy, the Pope asks the Lord to help you open new paths so ‘the years to come will be steeped in mercy, so that we can go out to every man and woman, bringing the goodness and tenderness of God’ (Misericordiae Vultus, n. 5)” – the Message continues – “Entrusting the bishops of France to the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes, St. Bernadette, St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, and St. Salomon Le Clercq, the Holy Father sends you his Apostolic Blessing with affection.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Did you know the Vatican Apostolic Library uses a system developed for radio astronomy to help preserve its vast collection?
The system is called ‘FITS’ [flexible image transport system format], and it was developed by NASA and the European Space Agency [ESA] in the 1970’s.
The Vatican Library hosted an event on Friday to announce the continuation of a five year collaboration with the ESA to use the FITS system to preserve, manage, and exploit the archived information.
The system not only helps preserve original documents, it also has a special text header with instructions on how to easily decode the data. In the likelihood current technology becomes obsolete in the future, newer computers will still be able to access the information.
“Our collaboration is based on the common intention by our two institutions to promote the long-term preservation of images in electronic format,” – said Monsignor Cesare Pasini, Prefect of the Vatican Apostolic Library on the ESA website – “Thanks to our cooperation with ESA, the Vatican Library has found the courage to make an innovative choice to use the FITS format for long-term storage.”
“The Vatican Apostolic Library and ESA are two examples that attest to the approach of collaboration for global benefit,” said Josef Aschbacher, Director of Earth Observation Programmes at ESA.
“While ESA provides global information about the state of our planet through satellite observations, the Vatican Apostolic Library offers a unique source of wisdom that has contributed to the development of our society and culture,” Aschbacher continued.
More information can be found here at the ESA’s website.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis’ prayer intention for November is for Countries Receiving Refugees : That the countries which take in a great number of displaced persons and refugees may find support for their efforts which show solidarity.
The Apostleship of Prayer has produced the Pope’s Video on this prayer intention.
The full text of the Pope’s Video is below:
Can one country alone manage the problems of forced migration?
We must move away from indifference and the fear of accepting the other. [1]
Because that other could be you. Or me…
Join me in this prayer request:
That the countries which take in a great number of displaced persons and refugees may find support for their efforts which show solidarity. [2]
[1] Message of his Holiness Pope Francis for the 101st World Day of Migrants and Refugees (2015). Church Without Frontiers, Mother To All.
[2] Universal Prayer Intention of the Holy Father entrusted to the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer). November 2016.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) At the Altar of the Chair in St Peter’s Basilica on Friday, Pope Francis offered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in suffrage for the souls of Cardinals and Bishops who have died in the course of the past year.
“These our Brothers,” Pope Francis said, “have reached the goal, after having served the Church and loved the Lord Jesus.”
The Holy Father reminded those present that for each of us, the journey “to the house of the Father” begins in the first moment of our existence; and, through Baptism, the first moment when we receive sanctifying grace. An important stage of that journey, for priests, is the moment they receive priestly ordination. “From that moment,” he said, “we are united in a special way to Christ, associated with His priestly ministry.” The Cardinals and Bishops we remember today, he continued, “throughout their lives, especially after having consecrated themselves to God, dedicated themselves to witnessing and to giving to others the love of Christ.”
They were “pastors of the flock of Christ,” and, in imitation of Him, they spent their lives in working for the salvation of those entrusted to their care. Now, he said, “we are here to pray for them, to offer the divine Sacrifice in suffrage for their souls, and to ask the Lord to make them shine forever in His kingdom of light.”
In fact, he said, their death is “the entrance into the fullness of life.” Precisely in the light of faith, “we feel even closer to our deceased Brothers”; although we seem separated by death, “the power of Christ and of His Spirit unites us in an even more profound way.”
Pope Francis concluded his homily by reminding us that “nourished by the Bread of Life, we too, together with all those who have gone before us, wait with firm hope the day of the face-to-face encounter with the luminous and merciful countenance of the Father.”
(from Vatican Radio)…