Bulletin for 11/27/2016
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has expressed his condolences for the death of the former President of the State Council and of the Government of the Republic of Cuba, Fidel Castro.
In a telegram sent to the current president, Raul Castro, the Holy Father also offered his prayers for the former leader, and entrusted the Cuban people to the intercession of Our Lady of Charity of Cobre, the patroness of Cuba.
Here is the full text of the telegram from Pope Francis:
On receiving the sad news of the death of your dear brother, His Excellency Mister Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz, former president of the State Council and of the Government of the Republic of Cuba, I express my sentiments of sorrow to Your Excellency and other family members of the deceased dignitary, as well as to the people of this beloved nation. At the same time, I offer prayers to the Lord for his rest and I entrust the whole Cuban people to the maternal intercession of our Lady of the Charity of El Cobre, patroness of that country.
Francisco, PP.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday morning addressed the winners of the 2016 Ratzinger Prize , Msgr Inos Biffi and Ioannis Kourempeles, in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall.
Listen to Ann Schneible’s report:
Awarded by the Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation, the Ratzinger Prize is given as a sign of the Church’s gratitude to scholars and professors who have stood out for their scientific research in the theological field.
Msgr Biffi, a professor, and internationally renowned theologian and liturgist, was awarded the prize for his Opera Omnia, a collection of his writings, most of which are on theology and medieval philosophy.
The other winner, Prof Kourempeles is a member of the Orthodox Church, is associate professor in the Department of Theology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.
In his address to the winners, Pope Francis began by expressing “great affection” and “gratitude” for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, as he “continues to accompany us even now in his prayer.”
“The depth of Joseph Ratzinger’s thought, firmly founded upon Scripture and the [Church] Fathers, and always nourished by faith and prayer, helps us to remain open to the horizons of eternity, thus giving meaning even to our hopes and our human responsibilities,” the Holy Father said.
The Pope spoke of Benedict XVI’s richness in “thought and magisterium, which knew how to center on the essential reference points of our Christian life, the person of Jesus Christ, charity, hope, faith. And the whole Church will be forever grateful.”
Pope Francis went on to congratulate the winners of the 2016 Ratzinger Prize; Msgr Biffi who received the award in recognition of his career as a “great theologian”, and Prof Kourempeles for his work in exploring the “richness of the encounter between Ratzinger’s thought and Orthodox theology”.
He concluded by praying that the Lord might always bless them and their “service to his kingdom.”
(from Vatican Radio)…