The Vatican on Tuesday released the schedule of Pope Francis’ apostolic visit to Myanmar and Bangladesh. The two-nation papal visit was announced earlier by the Vatican on August 28. After visiting Myanmar, Nov 27 to 30 , he will proceed to neighbouring Bangladesh, Nov. 30 to Dec. 2 .
He is scheduled to land in Yangon , Myanmar in the afternoon on Nov. 27, where he will be given an official welcome. The following afternoon (Nov. 28) he will fly to the capital Nay Pyi Taw , where after meeting the president, government officials and the diplomatic corps, he will fly back to Yangon at night.
On Nov. 29 the Holy Father will celebrate his first public Mass, meet the Buddhist supreme council and Myanmar’s bishops. Pope Francis will wrap up his Myanmar with a Mass for young people on Nov. 30 and fly to neighbouring Bangladesh in the afternoon.
After a welcome ceremony at Dhaka airport, the Pope will pay homage to Bangadesh’s martyrs and father of the nation. He will then pay courtesy visit to the president and address the diplomatic corps. On Dec. 1, the Pope will celebrate a public Mass with priestly ordination, meet the prime minister, the country’s bishops and representatives of various religions and Christian Churches. On the last day, Dec. 2, the Pope will visit a home run by the Missionaries of Charity of Mother Teresa, address priests, religious seminarians and novices. Before flying back to Rome in the evening, he will meet the young people.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received President Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany in a private audience in the Vatican on Monday. The Holy See’s Press office issued a statement saying Steinmeier later met Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin along with Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher .
During the “cordial talks”, the Press Office said, the two sides expressed satisfaction over the good relations and fruitful relations between the Holy See and Germany, and between Church and the institutions in the country. They also expressed appreciation for the positive inter-religious and ecumenical dialogue, especially between Catholics and Protestants during the 5th centenary of the Lutheran Reformation.
Monday’s talks also touched upon some issues of common interest, such as the economic and religious situation in Europe and in the world, with special reference to the phenomenon of migration and the promotion of the culture of welcome and solidarity.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday urged Christians to emulate the figure of the Good Samaritan and help those in need to get up, like Christ who “continues to pay” for us. Delivering a homily at the morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta residence in the Vatican, he reflected on the attitude of the various actors in the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke’s Gospel, which, he said, was an answer to the doctor of the Law on who his neighbour was.
Actors in the parable
Commenting on the robbers , the priest who is “a man of God”, and the Levite who is “close to the law”, all of whom passed by the wounded and half-dead man, the Pope said this is a very common habit among us. We see an ugly calamity and pass by and later read about it, painted with a bit of “scandal and sensation’, in the newspapers. Instead the Samaritan, a pagan and sinner “saw and did not pass by”, the Pope said, drawing attention to the words of Luke – “he had compassion.” Making the wounded man his neighbour, the Samaritan approached him, bandaged his wounds pouring in oil and wine. Neither did he leave him there and go his way. He carried him on his animal to the innkeeper, whom he paid to look after him and promised to pay the extra expenses on his return.
Mystery of Christ
“This,” the Pope said “is the mystery of Christ who became a servant, humbled and annihilated himself and died for us .” Jesus, the Pope said, is the Good Samaritan who invited the doctor of the law to do the same. The mystery of Jesus Christ is not a children’s tale, the Pope pointed out adding, the parable reveals the depth and breadth of the mystery of Jesus Christ. The doctor of the law did not understand the mystery of Christ but he surely understood the human principle behind it – that every man who looks from above at another man down below , does so only to help him get up . One who does this, the Pope stressed, is on the right path to Jesus.
Self examination
Pope Francis said the innkeeper understood nothing of this, bewildered at meeting someone who did things he never heard before. This, the Pope said is what happens when one meets Jesus. The Holy Father urged Christians to re-read this parable and examine themselves on their attitude – a robber, a cheater, a corrupt man, a priest, a Catholic manager, or a sinner. “Do I approach and make myself a neighbour and servant to those in need like Jesus,” the Pope asked, concluding his homily.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis during his Angelus address on Sunday told pilgrims in St Peter’s Square that the great novelty of Christianity is a God who, though disappointed by our sins, is merciful.
Listen to our report:
“God continues to put in place the “new wine” of his vineyard, that is, mercy. There is only one impediment to the tenacious and tender will of God: our arrogance and our presumption, which sometimes can becomes violence.”
Those were Pope Francis’ words to pilgrims in St Peter’s Square during his Angelus address , as he reflected on this Sunday’s liturgy, the parable of the vine-growers.
The Pope recounted the story of the vine growers who are put in charge of the vineyard by their Master, but abuse their position to the point of killing the owner’s son.
The Holy Father described this Gospel passage as a love story which had both positive and negative moments.
A God who does not avenge
Pope Francis said that in order to understand how God the Father responds to those opposed to his love, the Gospel passage proposes the question, “when will the master of the vineyard arrive and what will he do to those growers?” This question, the Pope noted, “stresses that the disappointment of God for the wicked behaviour of men is not the last word. Here is the great novelty of Christianity : a God who, though disappointed by our mistakes and our sins, does not fail in his word, does not stop and above all it does not avenge”.
The Holy Father went on to say that, faced with these attitudes and where no fruit is produced, the Word of God warns that, “the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will bear fruit”.
The urgency of responding with good fruits to the call of the Lord, who calls us to become his vineyard, explained Pope Francis, “helps us to understand what is new and original in Christianity. It is an invitation to enter this love story, becoming a lively and open vine, rich in fruit and hope for everyone.”
At the end of the Angelus, the Pope recalled the Beatification on Saturday in Milan of Father Arsenio da Trigolo, a priest of the Capuchin Friars Minor saying, “we praise the Lord for this humble disciple, who even in adversity and trials never lost hope.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
Bulletin for 10/08/2017