(Vatican Radio) During his Angelus address in St Peter’s Square on Sunday, Pope Francis renewed his spiritual closeness to the populations of South Asia, which are still suffering the consequences of devastating floods.
This summer over 1,000 people died in floods across South Asia and the United Nations says at least 41 million people in Nepal, India and Bangladesh have been affected by landslides and exceptional rainfall.
The Holy Father also had words of comfort for the residents of Texas and Louisiana in the US suffering as a result of Hurricane Harvey which has caused material damage and displaced thousands of people.
The Pope asked Mary the Most Holy, consoler of the afflicted, to obtain “from the Lord the grace of comfort for the whole Texan community in these painful circumstances.”
The Holy Father will travel to Columbia on Wednesday on a 5 day Apostolic journey and taking his leave on Sunday, he thanked all those for their good wishes ahead of the visit.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday met with the Korean Council of Religious Leaders in the Vatican stressing the importance of interreligious dialogue directed towards a future of peace and hope.
Listen to our report:
In his prepared remarks to the Korean Council of Religious Leaders, the Pope highlighted the importance and often, as he put it, challenging path of interreligious dialogue. This dialogue between religions, noted the Pope, “consists of contacts, encounters and cooperation, a challenge directed towards the common good and peace.”
He went on to say that, “such dialogue must always be both open and respectful if it is to be fruitful.”
Pope Francis told those present, “the world is looking to us; it asks us to work together and with all men and women of good will.”
The world, continued the Pope, “looks to us for answers and a shared commitment” on a range of issues, such as, the sacred dignity of the human person, the hunger and poverty which still afflict too many peoples, the rejection of violence, and, not least of all, the crisis of hope.
“We have, therefore, a long journey ahead of us, observed the Holy Father, one he said, that must be undertaken with humility and perseverance, not just by raising our voices but by rolling up our sleeves, to sow a future of hope.”
Below please find the English translation of the Pope’s address to the Korean Council of Religious Leaders
Address of His Holiness Pope Francis
to the Korean Council of Religious Leaders
2 September 2017
Dear friends from the Korean Council of Religious Leaders, I am pleased to welcome you for this meeting. You have travelled a long way to come to Rome on your interreligious pilgrimage, and I thank you for your presence here. I am grateful to Archbishop Kim Hee-jong for proposing this visit and for his kind words. As I said in Seoul: “Life is a journey, a long journey, but a journey which we cannot make by ourselves. We need to walk together with our brothers and sisters in the presence of God” (Meeting with Religious Leaders, 18 August 2014). Here we are today taking another step on this journey together!
As you know, particularly since the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church has tirelessly embarked upon the often challenging path of dialogue. The Church, in a special way, has encouraged dialogue with followers of other religions. Today too she “urges her sons and daughters… with prudence and charity… to acknowledge, preserve and encourage the spiritual and moral values found among them, together with their social life and culture” (Nostra Aetate, 2). Because interreligious dialogue consists of contacts, encounters and cooperation, it is an endeavour that is precious and pleasing to God, a challenge directed towards the common good and peace.
Such dialogue must always be both open and respectful if it is to be fruitful. Open, that is to say warm and sincere, carried forward by persons willing to walk together with esteem and honesty. Respectful, because mutual respect is at once the condition and the goal of interreligious dialogue: indeed it is in respecting the right to life, physical integrity and fundamental freedoms, such as those of conscience, religion, thought and expression, that the foundations are laid for building peace, for which each of us is called to pray and work.
The world is looking to us; it asks us to work together and with all men and women of good will. It looks to us for answers and a shared commitment to various issues: the sacred dignity of the human person, the hunger and poverty which still afflict too many peoples, the rejection of violence, in particular that violence which profanes the name of God and desecrates religion, the corruption that gives rise to injustice, moral decay, and the crisis of the family, of the economy and, not least of all, the crisis of hope.
We have, therefore, a long journey ahead of us, which must be undertaken with humility and perseverance, not just by raising our voices but by rolling up our sleeves, to sow the hope of a future in which humanity becomes more human, a future which heeds the cry of so many who reject war and implore greater harmony between individuals and communities, between peoples and states. Religious leaders are thus called upon to initiate, promote and accompany processes for the welfare and reconciliation of all people: we are called to be heralds of peace, proclaiming and embodying a nonviolent style, a style of peace, with words clearly different from the narrative of fear, and with gestures opposed to the rhetoric of hatred.
Dear friends, may this meeting strengthen us on our journey. Seeing you here as pilgrims reminds me of my pilgrimage to the beautiful land of Korea, for which I remain grateful to God and to the beloved Korean people. I constantly pray that God will bestow upon them the gifts of peace and fraternal reconciliation. May our mindfulness of the friendship and the good things we have received from one another grant us the strength to move forward together, with the help of God. Thank you.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a telegramme of condolence to the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols on the passing of Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Archbishop Emeritus of Westminster.
The Holy Father said he was deeply saddened to learn of his death.
In the telegramme the Pope recalled “with immense gratitude the late Cardinal’s distinguished service to the Church in England and Wales, his unwavering devotion to the preaching of the Gospel and the care of the poor.
He also remembered his far-sighted commitment to the advancement of ecumenical and interreligious understanding.
Below find Pope Francis’ telegramme to Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster:
Deeply saddened to learn of the death of Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Archbishop Emeritus of Westminster, I hasten to offer my heartfelt condolences to you and to the clergy and faithful of the Archdiocese. Recalling with immense gratitude the late Cardinal’s distinguished service to the Church in England and Wales, his unwavering devotion to the preaching of the Gospel and the care of the poor, and his far-sighted commitment to the advancement of ecumenical and interreligious understanding, I willingly join you in commending his noble soul to the infinite mercies of God our heavenly Father. To all who mourn his passing in the sure hope of the Resurrection I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of consolation and strength in the Lord.
FRANCISCUS PP.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a message to mark the National Day of the Holy See at Expo 2017 which is taking place in Astana, Kazakhstan and is devoted to the theme “Future Energy”.
Listen to our report:
The Holy See has designed its pavilion at the Astana Expo on the theme: “Energy for the Common Good: Caring for our Common Home” and in his message to mark the National Day of the Holy See at this event the Holy Father stresses that “serious and responsible reflection is demanded on how mankind can, in coming years, draw on innovative technologies to make wise use of the energy resources that are our common legacy.”
He adds, that action must be taken now “to ensure that energy is used to improve our lives and to cause our human family to flourish, for by nature we are called to fruitful interaction, solidarity and love.”
Proper use of Energy resources
In the message the Pope underlines that energy resources must not be allowed to fall prey to unscrupulous financial speculation or to become a source of conflict and encourages a cooperation between religions and broad-ranging and frank dialogue on all levels and among different sectors of society.
In conclusion, the Holy Father says that “the way we use energy resources is a sign of how well “we are carrying out the task that, according to many religious traditions, has been entrusted to us by God, namely to care for the world around us and for our fellow human beings…”.
“If our generation and use of energy are sustainable and grounded in solidarity, continues the Pope, we are doing our job well. Otherwise, we are not. At stake is our very dignity; at stake too are justice and peace.”
The National Day of the Holy See at Expo 2017 is being celebrated on September 2nd.
Below find the English translation of the Pope’s Message
Your Eminence,
My Brother Bishops,
Esteemed Authorities,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I offer a warm greeting to all those taking part in the National Day of the Holy See at Expo 2017 in Astana. My greeting also goes to all who have helped in various ways with the planning and realization of this event, and to the many visitors in attendance.
I am pleased that Kazakhstan is hosting this International Exhibition devoted to the theme: “Future Energy”. Serious and responsible reflection is demanded on how mankind can, in coming years, draw on innovative technologies to make wise use of the energy resources that are our common legacy. We are all conscious of the fact that our use of those resources is critical for the health of our world and the welfare of our societies, a welfare that needs to be viewed in integral terms, and not simply as economic prosperity or greater capacity for consumption. We must act now to ensure that energy is used to improve our lives and to cause our human family to flourish, for by nature we are called to fruitful interaction, solidarity and love.
For this reason, energy resources must not be allowed to fall prey to unscrupulous financial speculation or to become a source of conflict. This calls for broad-ranging and frank dialogue on all levels and among different sectors of our societies. “Future energy” does not have to do with researchers, technicians and investors alone; it also represents a challenge to the worlds of culture, politics, education and religion. I gladly recall the growth of dialogue and cooperation between religions that has taken place in Kazakhstan, a land characterized by rich ethnic, cultural and spiritual traditions. It is my hope that the different religions will take part in this dialogue, for their writings contain insights that “prove meaningful in every age; they have an enduring power to open new horizons… The ethical principles capable of being apprehended by reason can always reappear in different guise and find expression in a variety of languages, including religious language” (Laudato Si’, 199). It is important for all of us to discover in our own religious traditions the inspiration and criteria that foster a courageous commitment to perseverance in bettering our relations and in living together as brothers and sisters.
The way we use energy resources is a sign of how well we are carrying out the task that, according to many religious traditions, has been entrusted to us by God, namely to care for the world around us and for our fellow human beings of every time and place. If our generation and use of energy are sustainable and grounded in solidarity, we are doing our job well. Otherwise, we are not. At stake is our very dignity; at stake too are justice and peace. It is to promote an awareness of this that the Holy See has designed its pavilion at the Astana Expo on the theme: “Energy for the Common Good: Caring for our Common Home”.
May Almighty God, the Creator, grant that Expo 2017 provide timely lessons and lasting inspiration, and may he bless our common efforts to bring them to fruition.
From the Vatican, 2 September 2017 FRANCIS
(from Vatican Radio)…
Bulletin for 09/03/2017