(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has prayed for the victims of several terrorist attacks which had taken place in the hours before his Sunday Angelus.
In Egypt, a bomb outside St. Mark’s Coptic Cathedral in Cairo killed at least 25 people on Sunday morning; in Somalia, a suicide bomber killed over a dozen people in Mogadishu on Sunday morning; and in Turkey, at least 38 people were killed in twin bomb attacks outside a football stadium in Instanbul on Saturday evening.
“And we also pray for the victims of some horrible terrorist attacks which have hit various countries in the last few hours,” Pope Francis said after reciting the Angelus.
“There are several places, but unfortunately, unique is the violence that sows death and destruction. But the response is also unique: Faith in God and unity in human and civil values,” – Pope Francis said – “I would like to express a special closeness to my dear brother Pope Tawadros II [the head of the Coptic Church] and to his community, and I am praying for the dead and the wounded.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday appealed that the world not ignore the plight of the people in the Syrian city of Aleppo.
Russian-backed Syrian troops have been fighting to retake portions of the city which are still held by rebels. The conflict has killed hundreds of people in the past few weeks, many of them civilians.
“Every day I am close, especially in prayer, to the people of Aleppo,” Pope Francis said after his Angelus address.
“We must not forget that Aleppo is a city in which there are people: Families, children, the elderly, sick people … Unfortunately, we have become accustomed to war, to destruction; but we must not forget Syria is a country full of history , culture and faith,” – the Pope continued – “We cannot accept that this is negated by war, which is a pile of abuses and falsehoods. I make an appeal for the commitment of everyone, because we face a choice of civilization: No to destruction, Yes to peace, Yes to the people of Aleppo and Syria.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met on Saturday with seminarians of the Pontifical Pius XI seminary of the Puglia region, along with a group of local bishops.
Listen to Ann Schneible‘s report of the Holy Father’s prepared remarks:
Pope Francis centred his address to the seminarians on the theme of “belonging”.
“Only if we feel ourselves to be a part of Christ, the Church, and the Kingdom, will we journey well through the Seminary Years,” the Holy Father said.
In this context, he warned against “narcissism”, and reminded the seminarians that their “vocational journey” will only be possible by if they remain vigilant against this temptation.
The Pope also spoke about the seminary as being a place to learn how to build relationships with others, as this skill will be necessary when they become priests.
Finally, “belonging” is understood in the context of “its opposite, which is exclusion,” the Holy Father said.
He reminded the seminarians of their call to bring Christ to everyone they meet so that they feel part of the community, beginning with those in the seminary who might be excluded or marginalized.
Pope Francis concluded by telling the those present that belonging is a responsibility, and to be attentive to the quality of the formative journey of the seminary.
(from Vatican Radio)…
Bulletin for 12/11/2016
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has told a Catholic association of farmers not to sacrifice the rhythms of agricultural life for monetary gains.
His address to the International Catholic Rural Association (ICRA) came on Saturday in the Vatican’s Consistory Hall.
Listen to Devin Watkins’ report:
The International Catholic Rural Association promotes the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of agriculture, as well as international food security.
In his remarks, Pope Francis praised the association’s “concern for rural life, grounded in the vision of the Church’s social doctrine”.
He said, “It is an eloquent expression of that imperative to ‘till and keep the garden of the world’ (Laudato Si’, 67) to which we have been called, if we wish to carry on God’s creative activity and to protect our common home.”
Despite the centrality of agriculture to human life, the Holy Father said it is paradoxical that “agriculture is no longer considered a primary sector of the economy, yet it clearly continues to be important for policies of development and for addressing disparities in food security and issues in the life of rural communities”.
He also warned against the dangers of an exclusively economic focus in agriculture.
The Pope said farmers cannot focus on “making money above all else, even at the expense of sacrificing the rhythms of agricultural life, with its times of work and leisure, its weekly rest and its concern for the family”.
Pope Francis said ICRA shows that: “It is possible to combine being Christians with acting as Christians in the concrete circumstances of agricultural life, where the importance of the human person, the family and community, and a sense of solidarity represent essential values, even in situations of significant underdevelopment and poverty.”
He said, “May we never find ourselves “silent witnesses to terrible injustices”, as can happen when “we think that we can obtain significant benefits by making the rest of humanity, present and future, pay the extremely high costs of environmental deterioration” (Laudato Si’, 36).”
In conclusion, Pope Francis said the members of ICRA “are called to propose a sober lifestyle and a culture of agricultural work that has its foundations as well as its goals in the centrality of the person, in openness to others and in gratuitousness.”
(from Vatican Radio)…