(Vatican Radio) Brazilian Cardinal Paulo Evaristo Arns died on Wednesday morning, aged 95, after a long struggle with lung and kidney problems.
The Archbishop Emeritus of Sao Paulo was the last living Cardinal to be appointed by Pope Paul VI in 1973.
Cardinal Arns served as Archbishop of Sao Paulo from 1970 to 1998. A pastor at heart, never far from his flock, Cardinal Arns was much beloved by the faithful.
He was also known for having challenged leaders of the brutal Brazilian military dictatorship of 1964-1985 and for his fight against torture in Latin America.
A commission created by Cardinal Arns at his Archdiocese documented many cases of torture and helped later governments pay damages to victims and shame perpetrators of violence.
“Let us praise God for the Franciscan life of Dom Paulo and for his courageous engagement in the defense of human dignity and inalienable rights of each person,” Sao Paulo Archbishop Odilo Scherer said in a statement.
Cardinal Arns will be buried in Sao Paulo’s Central Cathedral.
Following his death, the College of Cardinals is composed of 227 Cardinals, of whom 120 are Cardinal Electors, while 107 are Cardinal Non-Electors.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) The Council of 9 Cardinals met this week in the Vatican, from Monday, December 12 th , to Wednesday, December 14 th . The Director of the Press Office of the Holy See, Greg Burke, held a briefing on Wednesday to inform journalists of the work done during the sessions.
Two key issues emerged as guidelines for the reform of the Curial dicasteries: missionary thrust and synodality.
The Cardinals have concluded their study of other departments (Doctrine of the Faith, Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, the Causes of Saints and Promotion of Christian Unity) and delivered their final proposal to the Holy Father.
Considerable time was devoted to the projects of the two new dicasteries.
Cardinal Kevin Farrell spoke of the Congregation for Laity, Family and Life, of which he is Prefect. The discussion focused on the role of the laity, with an invitation to all to re-read the letter of Pope Francis to Card. Marc Ouellet, President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
Cardinal Peter Turkson presented the work plan for the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development, which combines four offices: Justice and Peace, Cor Unum , Health Care, and Migrants and Itinerant People. Card. Turkson was accompanied by Archbishop Silvano Maria Tomasi, who explained the new department as an implementation of the conciliar Constitution Gaudium et Spes .
Cardinal Sean O’Malley presented the most recent activities of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, while Cardinal George Pell reported on the latest developments related to the Secretariat for the Economy.
The afternoon of Wednesday, December 14 th , was to be devoted to a presentation by Msgr. Dario Edoardo Viganò, Prefect of the Secretariat for Communication, detailing the steps taken and those coming for the reform of the Holy See’s communications apparatus, with particular attention to personnel training.
The next Council meeting is scheduled for February 13 th – 15 th , 2017.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis offered thanks for the many well-wishes he has received ahead of his 80th birthday this coming Saturday.
Speaking to Italian pilgrims after the main catechetical portion of the weekly General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis departed from his prepared greetings to say, “I thank you all for your well-wishes for my upcoming birthday,” he said, adding again, “many thanks!” The Holy Father went on to tease the crowd, saying, “Those, who offer birthday congratulations ahead of time, are jinxes!”
The Holy Father in his greetings also offered thanks to the pilgrims representing participants in the “Oeration Safe Roads” initiative during the recently concluded Jubilee Year of Mercy, as well as a group of faithful from Petrignano d’Assisi, who brought the Pope a gift of an artistic Christmas crèche.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis continued his catechesis on the theme of ‘Christian hope’ at his Wednesday General Audience, saying the Kingdom brought by Jesus at his birth calls us to be joyful heralds in a world that “yearns for justice, truth, and peace”.
Pope Francis focused his reflection on the words of the prophet Isaiah: “How beautiful upon the mountains, are the feet of the one bringing good news” (Is 52:7,9-10).
He said these words help us prepare for the coming feast of Christmas by opening ourselves to the hope of salvation.
The prophet calls God’s people to rejoice, for the Lord is near, bringing freedom from exile and the promise of renewal and redemption for the faithful “remnant” who continued to hope in his word.
Pope Francis noted how the prophet speaks “not of the messenger but of the messenger’s feet”.
Comparing this to the spouse in the Song of Songs (Sg 2:8), he said, “So also the messenger of peace races to bring the proclamation of liberation, of salvation, and declaring that God reigns.”
The Pope said God’s kingdom means that “God has not abandoned His people and has not let them be overcome by evil, because He is faithful and His grace is greater than sin… And the fulfillment of so much love will be exactly the Kingdom established by Jesus, that Kingdom of pardon and peace, which we celebrate at Christmas and which is manifested conclusively in Easter.”
“These,” he said, “are the reasons for our hope. When all seems over, when in the face of so many negative realities faith grows weary and the temptation to say that all has lost meaning comes, rather, [look to] the good news brought by those quick feet: God is coming to make something new, to establish a kingdom of peace. God has ‘extended His arm’ and brings liberty and consolation.”
Pope Francis went on to say that, strengthened by this promise, we can face difficulties in the confident knowledge that God’s reign has begun, and that we ourselves are called to be its joyful heralds in a world that “yearns for justice, truth, and peace”.
This Christmas, he said, may we open our hearts to the message of salvation brought by the Christ Child, the Son of God who shows his great power by embracing smallness, weakness, and poverty.
“This,” he concluded, “is the surprise of a child God, of a poor God, of a weak God, of a God who abandons His greatness in order to draw near to each of us.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis continued his catechesis on the theme of ‘Christian hope’ at his Wednesday General Audience . His reflection centered on the words of the prophet Isaiah: “How beautiful upon the mountains, are the feet of the one bringing good news” (Is 52:7).
Here is the full text of the English summary of Pope Francis’ catechesis for the General Audience of 14 December 2016:
Dear Brothers and Sisters: The words we have heard this morning from the prophet Isaiah help us prepare for the coming feast of Christmas. The prophet calls God’s people to rejoice, for the Lord is near, bringing freedom from exile and the promise of renewal and redemption for the faithful “remnant” who continued to hope in his word. “How beautiful on the mountains”, he says, “are the feet of the messenger” who brings glad tidings of peace and salvation, proclaiming: “Your God reigns” (Is 52:7). This great prophecy was fulfilled in the kingdom brought by Jesus, that kingdom whose dawning we celebrate at Christmas. Strengthened by this promise, we can face difficulties in the confident knowledge that God’s reign has begun, and that we ourselves are called to be its joyful heralds in a world that yearns for justice, truth and peace. This Christmas, may we open our hearts to the message of salvation brought by the Christ Child, the Son of God who shows his great power by embracing smallness, weakness and poverty, in order to draw near to each of us.
(from Vatican Radio)…