(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met on Saturday with seminarians of the Pontifical Pius XI seminary of the Puglia region, along with a group of local bishops.
Listen to Ann Schneible‘s report of the Holy Father’s prepared remarks:
Pope Francis centred his address to the seminarians on the theme of “belonging”.
“Only if we feel ourselves to be a part of Christ, the Church, and the Kingdom, will we journey well through the Seminary Years,” the Holy Father said.
In this context, he warned against “narcissism”, and reminded the seminarians that their “vocational journey” will only be possible by if they remain vigilant against this temptation.
The Pope also spoke about the seminary as being a place to learn how to build relationships with others, as this skill will be necessary when they become priests.
Finally, “belonging” is understood in the context of “its opposite, which is exclusion,” the Holy Father said.
He reminded the seminarians of their call to bring Christ to everyone they meet so that they feel part of the community, beginning with those in the seminary who might be excluded or marginalized.
Pope Francis concluded by telling the those present that belonging is a responsibility, and to be attentive to the quality of the formative journey of the seminary.
(from Vatican Radio)…
Bulletin for 12/11/2016
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has told a Catholic association of farmers not to sacrifice the rhythms of agricultural life for monetary gains.
His address to the International Catholic Rural Association (ICRA) came on Saturday in the Vatican’s Consistory Hall.
Listen to Devin Watkins’ report:
The International Catholic Rural Association promotes the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of agriculture, as well as international food security.
In his remarks, Pope Francis praised the association’s “concern for rural life, grounded in the vision of the Church’s social doctrine”.
He said, “It is an eloquent expression of that imperative to ‘till and keep the garden of the world’ (Laudato Si’, 67) to which we have been called, if we wish to carry on God’s creative activity and to protect our common home.”
Despite the centrality of agriculture to human life, the Holy Father said it is paradoxical that “agriculture is no longer considered a primary sector of the economy, yet it clearly continues to be important for policies of development and for addressing disparities in food security and issues in the life of rural communities”.
He also warned against the dangers of an exclusively economic focus in agriculture.
The Pope said farmers cannot focus on “making money above all else, even at the expense of sacrificing the rhythms of agricultural life, with its times of work and leisure, its weekly rest and its concern for the family”.
Pope Francis said ICRA shows that: “It is possible to combine being Christians with acting as Christians in the concrete circumstances of agricultural life, where the importance of the human person, the family and community, and a sense of solidarity represent essential values, even in situations of significant underdevelopment and poverty.”
He said, “May we never find ourselves “silent witnesses to terrible injustices”, as can happen when “we think that we can obtain significant benefits by making the rest of humanity, present and future, pay the extremely high costs of environmental deterioration” (Laudato Si’, 36).”
In conclusion, Pope Francis said the members of ICRA “are called to propose a sober lifestyle and a culture of agricultural work that has its foundations as well as its goals in the centrality of the person, in openness to others and in gratuitousness.”
(from Vatican Radio)…