(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday told the faithful not to remain trapped in the rubble of life, but to rise from the rubble and rebuild their lives with the help of God.
The Pope’s words came during the homily as he celebrated Mass for about 70 thousand people gathered in the central square of Italy’s northern town of Carpi.
His one-day visit to the Emilia Romagna region comes after a pair of deadly earthquakes five years ago and where extensive restoration efforts have been cited as exemplary.
Reaching out to those who lost loved ones and livelihoods during the 2012 quake, Pope Francis said God does not magically make bad things vanish, but He is close to those who suffer and faith has the power to transform that suffering.
Reflecting on the Gospel reading that tells of the resurrection of Lazarus, the Pope recalled that Jesus himself wept for the death of Lazarus, but “within the mystery of suffering in which rationality is shattered and crushed like flies against a glass pane” he said, “Jesus does not allow himself to be imprisoned by pessimism”.
Before that sepulcher, he said, on the one hand there is sorrow, delusion, precariousness; on the other there is hope “that conquers death and evil”. “Jesus, he continued, did not offer a remedy to lengthen life, but proclaimed: ‘I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live’”.
Pope Francis said that we are called to decide on what side to stand, and either close ourselves in sadness or be open to hope.
“There are those who remain buried in the rubble of life, and there are those, like you, who with the help of God rise from the rubble to rebuild” he said.
Francis invited the faithful to avoid the temptation to be imprisoned in hopelessness and self-commiseration, to not yield to the useless and inconclusive logic of fear and resignation.
“Jesus’ words to Lazarus are also meant for us: leave sadness and hopelessness behind; with Jesus hope is reborn and pain is transformed into peace. He is always there to help us rise” he said.
“Let us ask for the grace, the Pope concluded, to be witnesses of life and hope in a world that is thirsting for it.”
Before celebrating Mass the Pope visited the quake-damaged Duomo cathedral of Carpi, where he laid a bouquet of white flowers at the foot of a statue of the Madonna inside. After years of restoration, the cathedral reopened just last weekend.
During his daylong visit, Pope Francis is also scheduled to meet with families who lost loved ones in the quake, lunch with clergy and meet privately with priests, nuns and seminarians for an open discussion.
The Emilia Romagna model of rebuilding after the magnitude 6.1 and 5.8 quakes that killed 28 people in 2012 has often been cited as exemplary. It included bringing together politicians, entrepreneurs and bishops to decide common priorities.
The papal visit is seen as a sign of gratitude for the rebuilding and as a sign of hope that rebuilding is possible for the people of central Italy, who suffered an earthquake in 2016 that killed nearly 300 people, displaced tens of thousands and wreaked extensive damage to homes, businesses, Churches and infrastructure.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has expressed deep pain for the tragedy that has struck the city of Mocoa in Columbia where a gigantic landslide has killed over 250 people and left scores missing.
Colombia’s security forces are searching for over 200 missing people after heavy mudslides reportedly left at least 254 dead, and injured more than 400.
Torrential rain flooded the city of Mocoa in the country’s south-west with mud and rocks, burying whole neighbourhoods and forcing residents to flee their homes.
Speaking after the Angelus prayer which he recited during his visit to the northern Italian town of Carpi, the Pope said he is praying for the victims and he assured his closeness to those who are grieving the loss of their loved ones.
He also thanked all those who are working to assist the victims and provide rescue efforts.
Pope Francis then turned his thoughts to the situation of conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo ’s Kasai region where, he said, bloody armed clashes are killing and displacing people.
He appealed for prayers for peace in the nation, exhorting believers to pray so that “the hearts of those who are behind such crimes be freed from the slavery of hatred and violence, because hatred and violence are always destructive”.
The Pope noted that the violence in DRC is also affecting Church members, Churches and Church-run institutes like hospitals and schools.
Francis finally focused attention on the crises that are creating socio-political turmoil in Venezuela and in Paraguay .
“I pray for those populations who are very dear to me, he said, and invite all to tirelessly persevere in their search for political solutions, avoiding every kind of violence”.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received the students, faculty, and staff of the Pontifical Spanish College of St. Joseph on Saturday, in a special audience to mark the 125th anniversary of the founding of the institution.
In remarks prepared for the occasion and delivered on Saturday morning in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, the Holy Father shared a reflection on the three key terms in Jesus’ response to the Levite, who questioned him about the greatest commandment: to love the Lord with all one’s heart, all one’s soul, and all one’s strength.
Click below to hear our report
“To love with all your heart,” said Pope Francis, “means to do it without reserve and without ulterior motives, without spurious interests and without seeking personal success for oneself.”
“To love with all one’s soul,” he continued, “is to be willing to offer one’s life,” an attitude the Holy Father said must persist in time, and embrace our whole being.
“To love with all our strength,” Pope Francis went on to say, is a command that, “reminds us that where our treasure is, there is our heart,” and that it is, “in our little gestures – assurances and signs of affection – that we play out whether we shall say ‘yes’ to the Lord, or – like the rich young man – turn our back on Him.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has encouraged teachers, students and graduates of Peru’s Catholic University to be united and “walk together” giving value to its legacy in contemporary society and transmitting it to the new generations.
The Pope’s words came in a letter addressed to Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi, Grand Chancellor of the Catholic University of Peru, on the occasion of the first centenary of the institution.
Please find below an English translation of Pope Francis’ letter:
Dear brother,
I am pleased to greet you and through you, to those who compose the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, on the occasion of the first centenary of this institution. I join you in giving thanks to the Lord for all the benefits received from His infinite goodness during these years dedicated to the service of the Church and the society of this beloved country.
This pleasing anniversary gives us the opportunity to reflect on the nature and purpose of the University. In its Statutes it is defined as a “community of teachers, students and graduates dedicated to the essential purposes of a Catholic university institution” (Article 1). This formulates the summary of a whole project, not only educational but also of life.
It is primarily a community, which means recognizing members of the same family who share a common history based on the same principles that gave rise to and motivated them. The community is formed and consolidated when it walks together, united, valuing the legacy it has received and that it must safeguard, making it live in the contemporary world and transmitting it to the new generations. It is undeniable that the founders of this educational centre launched a courageous initiative in the service of Peruvian society and the Church. It is a call to openness to other cultures and realities; if one is locked in oneself, contemplating only one’s own knowledge and achievements, one is doomed to failure. However, knowledge of other thoughts and customs enriches us, and stimulates us to reflect within ourselves more deeply in order to engage in a serious and fruitful dialogue with our surrounding environment.
The community is made up of teachers, students and graduates. Their roles are different but they all need each other to exercise them authentically. The Master is one, our Lord (Mt 23:8; Jn 13:13); And he who is called to teach must do so in imitation of Jesus, the good teacher, Who went out to sow every day with His Word, and was patient with those who followed Him and humble in his dealings with them. If we look at his example, we realize that in order to teach one has first to learn and to be a disciple. The latter is the one who follows the example of his teacher and is attentive to his teachings in order to be able to excel and be better. This inner tension helps us to recognize ourselves as humble and in need of divine grace in order to bring the received talents to fruition. Teaching and learning are slow and meticulous processes, which necessitate attention and constant love, because they involve collaborating with the Creator to give shape to the work of His hands. Performing this “sacred” task fosters the knowledge and fruitfulness of the perfection and goodness in every creature that loved by God and is a reflection of God’s infinite wisdom and goodness (cf. Laudato Si’ , 69). In this task, everyone – teachers, students and graduates – is necessary. Each one contributes the competence of his knowledge and his specific vocation and life, so that this centre of studies shines not only in its academic excellence, but also as a school of humanity.
Finally, this community has the challenge of seeking and striving towards the essential purpose of a Catholic university institution; that is, to be evangelized so as to evangelize. Every Christian has been conquered by the Lord and that encounter is transformed into witness. The acquisition of knowledge is not enough, it is necessary to bring it to life, like leaven in the mass. We are missionary disciples and are called to become a living gospel for the world. Through the example of our life and our good works we will bear witness to Christ, so that the heart of man can change and become a new creature. This institution, with all its members, must face the challenge of meeting the man and woman of today, bearing an authentic and sure word. To achieve this end, the truth must be ardently and rigorously pursued, as well as its adequate transmission, thus contributing to the promotion of the human person and to the construction of society (cf. John Paul II, Apostolic Constitution Ex corde Ecclesiae , 2). This University, which in accordance with its origin, history and mission, has a special link with the Successor of Peter and, in communion with him, with the Universal Church, will have achieved its objectives if it can bring to the social fabric those doses of professionalism and humanity proper to the Christian able to seek with passion that synthesis of faith and reason.
I commend to Our Mother the Virgin Mary, Throne of Wisdom, the projects and challenges of this Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, and I pray to the Lord for all those who make up this educational community, as well as their families and their loved ones. I ask you not to forget to pray for me, and impart an Apostolic Blessing.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis issued an Apostolic Letter motu proprio on Saturday, in which he transfers general responsibility for the creation, discipline and administration of Catholic shrines and sanctuaries throughout the world, to the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization.
The new arrangement leaves in place the special laws granting other authorities specific competence over certain shrines and sanctuaries – and the pilgrims and pilgrimages associated with them.
The Council for New Evangelization will now be directly responsible the establishment of international Sanctuaries and the approval of their respective statutes, as well as for the study and implementation of measures to promote the evangelizing role of the sacred places in the life of the Church and of the faithful, to promote an organic pastoral care plan for shrines and to promote both national and international gatherings aimed at fostering renewal of pilgrimages to places of worship and works of popular piety more generally.
In addition, the Council for New Evangelization will be responsible for promoting training for shrine operators and support for pilgrims, as well as cultural and artistic enhancement of sanctuaries, “according to the via pulchritudinis as one of the Church’s particular modes of evangelization.
(from Vatican Radio)…