(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has told a group of employees of the Italian branch of the TV platform “Sky” that it is a “very grave sin” to fire employees “as a result of economic operations and unclear negotiations”.
He made the remarks at the end of his weekly General Audience .
“Work gives dignity,” the Pope said, “and managers are obliged to do all possible so that every man and woman can work and so carry their heads high and look others in the eye with dignity.”
He added: “He who shuts factories and closes companies as a result of economic operations and unclear negotiations, depriving men and women from work, commits a very grave sin” he said.
Sky Italy is currently undergoing downsizing and has announced plans to move 300 employees and their families from Rome to Milan.
The Holy Father expressed his hope for a rapid solution that “takes into account the respect for the rights of all, especially for families”.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a message of encouragement and thanks to members of the International Association for Charity (AIC) as it celebrates the 400th anniversary of the foundation of the first Confraternity of Charity by Saint Vincent de Paul in Châtillon, France.
This very first group has grown into today’s AIC, an international network for fighting against poverty, which now has over 150,000 volunteers in 53 countries.
In his message the Pope notes that true promotion of human dignity cannot take place without the proclamation of the Gospel.
“It is with joy, he writes, that I am spiritually united to you to celebrate this anniversary and I hope that your beautiful work continues its mission of bringing an authentic testimony of God’s mercy to the poorest”.
Pope Francis points out that the Charities were born of the tenderness and compassion of Monsieur Vincent for the poorest and the marginalized.
“His work with them wanted to reflect the goodness of God towards his creatures. He saw the poor as the representatives of Jesus Christ, as the members of His suffering body. He understood that the poor too were called to build up the Church and to convert us”.
The Pope says that in the wake of Vincent de Paul, who had entrusted the care of these poor people to lay people, and especially to women, AIC aims to promote the development of the most disadvantaged and to alleviate their material, physical, moral and spiritual pain.
“It is in the Providence of God that the foundation of this commitment is to be found” he says.
For “what is Providence but the love of God who acts in the world and asks for our cooperation?” the Pope continues, encouraging AIC members to continue to accompany the person in full and to pay particular attention to the precarious living conditions of many women and children.
He says it is faith that allows us to perceive the reality of the person, his or her incomparable dignity which is not limited to material goods, to social, economic and political problems, but as a person created in the image and likeness of God, a brother, a sister, a neighbor for whom we are responsible.
This is why, Pope Francis continues, human promotion, the authentic liberation of man, does not exist without the proclamation of the Gospel “for the most sublime aspect of human dignity lies in this vocation of man to communicate with God”.
Pope Francis recalls that in the Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy he expressed the hope that “the year 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” and he invites all to pursue this path as the credibility of the Church goes through the path of merciful love and compassion that open to hope.
“This credibility, he concludes, passes also through your personal testimony: it is not only a question of meeting Christ in the poor, but that the poor perceive Christ in you and in your action. By being rooted in Christ’s personal experience you can contribute to a “culture of mercy” that deeply renews hearts and opens up to a new reality”.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Wednesday continued his catechesis on Christian hope , focusing on charity, which he said, “is a grace, the fruit of our saving encounter with God’s own love”.
The Pope was addressing the faithful during his weekly General Audience .
To the over 12.000 pilgrims gathered in a sunny St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis said that he who loves has the joy of hope because one day he will be united with the source of all love: the Lord.
Reflecting on readings from Matthew and from Saint Paul, the Pope focused on what he described as our vocation for love and charity.
He warned against the risk of hypocrisy and of a “hypocritical love” which he said, can be tainted by self-interest and urged the faithful to not be tempted to carry out works of charity driven by the desire to put ourselves on show as we seek visibility and approval.
It is important, he said, to remember that love – charity – is a grace; it is a gift that God is happy to give us if we ask for it; it is the fruit of our saving encounter with God’s own love.
The Pope said that Saint Paul reminds us that the Lord’s grace forgives our sins, heals our hearts and enables us to become channels of his own unconditional love.
We can become instruments of God’s love, he explained, when we allow ourselves to be healed and renewed by the Resurrected Christ, but it is up to us as well:
“The Resurrected Lord who lives with us heals our heart if we ask him to” he said.
He allows us, the Pope continued, to experience the compassion of the Father and to celebrate the wonder of his love: “Thus it is clear that all we can do for our brothers and sisters is in response to what God has done and continues to do for us.”
So, conscious of our human weakness, he urged the faithful to ask our Lord daily to renew the gift of his love within us and to enable us to be witnesses of that love to others, especially those in greatest need.
As always after the catechesis, Pope Francis had greetings for the many groups of people present in the Square.
As he blessed the crowds he had a special thought and prayer for those from Syria, Lebanon and the Middle East.
The Pope also turned to a group of employees of the Italian branch of the TV platform “Sky” which is undergoing change and downsizing, and expressed his hope for a rapid solution that “takes into account the respect for the rights of all, especially for families”.
“Work gives dignity. He who shuts factories and closes companies as a result of economic operations and unclear negotiations, depriving men and women from work, commits a very grave sin” he said.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Wednesday continued his catechesis on Christian hope, focusing on charity, which he said, “is a grace, the fruit of our saving encounter with God’s own love”.
The Pope was addressing the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the weekly General Audience .
Please find below the English synopsis of his catechesis:
Dear Brothers and Sisters: In our continuing catechesis on Christian hope, today we consider the joy that hope brings to our daily exercise of charity. We know how difficult it is to love as our Lord commands us, and how often our love can be tainted by self-interest. It is important to remember that love – charity – is a grace, the fruit of our saving encounter with God’s own love. Saint Paul reminds us that the Lord’s grace forgives our sins, heals our hearts and enables us to become channels of his own unconditional love. Our efforts to love our brothers and sisters with a pure and disinterested love are really our response to the love we have been shown in Christ. Conscious of our human weakness, let us ask our Lord daily to renew the gift of his love within us and to enable us to be witnesses of that love to others, especially those in greatest need. In this way, we will fulfil the Apostle’s command to “rejoice in hope” (Rom 12:12), as we strive to grow in the life of charity and to draw others to the merciful love of the Father.
(from Vatican Radio)…