(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday morning addressed the winners of the 2016 Ratzinger Prize , Msgr Inos Biffi and Ioannis Kourempeles, in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall.
Listen to Ann Schneible’s report:
Awarded by the Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation, the Ratzinger Prize is given as a sign of the Church’s gratitude to scholars and professors who have stood out for their scientific research in the theological field.
Msgr Biffi, a professor, and internationally renowned theologian and liturgist, was awarded the prize for his Opera Omnia, a collection of his writings, most of which are on theology and medieval philosophy.
The other winner, Prof Kourempeles is a member of the Orthodox Church, is associate professor in the Department of Theology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.
In his address to the winners, Pope Francis began by expressing “great affection” and “gratitude” for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, as he “continues to accompany us even now in his prayer.”
“The depth of Joseph Ratzinger’s thought, firmly founded upon Scripture and the [Church] Fathers, and always nourished by faith and prayer, helps us to remain open to the horizons of eternity, thus giving meaning even to our hopes and our human responsibilities,” the Holy Father said.
The Pope spoke of Benedict XVI’s richness in “thought and magisterium, which knew how to center on the essential reference points of our Christian life, the person of Jesus Christ, charity, hope, faith. And the whole Church will be forever grateful.”
Pope Francis went on to congratulate the winners of the 2016 Ratzinger Prize; Msgr Biffi who received the award in recognition of his career as a “great theologian”, and Prof Kourempeles for his work in exploring the “richness of the encounter between Ratzinger’s thought and Orthodox theology”.
He concluded by praying that the Lord might always bless them and their “service to his kingdom.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) The Vatican announced on Friday that the newly established commission for the study of the female diaconate was holding its first meeting at the offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
The two day meeting brings together the 12 members of the commission, under the presidency of Jesuit Archbishop Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer, who also serves as Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
During the morning and afternoon sessions, members will study the situation of women deacons in the early centuries of Church history.
Pope Francis announced the setting up of the new commission on August 2nd this year, following a May 12th meeting with participants at a plenary assembly of female religious superiors, who asked him about the possibility of restoring the permanent diaconate for women.
The commission includes six men and six women from eight different countries, with a wide variety of theological perspectives. Five of the members teach at pontifical universities in Rome, while four are members of the International Theological Commission.
The full list of commission members includes:
Sr. Nuria Calduch-Benages, M.H.S.F.N., Member of the Pontifical Biblical Commission;
Prof. Francesca Cocchini, Professor at the University “La Sapienza” and at the Patristic Institute “Augustinianum,” Rome;
Rev.do Msgr. Piero Coda, Dean of the University Institute “Sophia,” Loppiano, and Member of the International Theological Commission;
Rev.do P. Robert Dodaro, O.S.A., Dean Patristic Institute “Augustinianum,” Rome
Rev.do P. Santiago Madrigal Terrazas, S.J., professor of ecclesiology at the Pontifical University “Comillas,” Madrid;
Sr. Mary Melone, S.F.A., rector of the Pontifical University “Antonianum,” Rome;
Rev.do Karl-Heinz Menke, Emeritus Professor of Dogmatic Theology at the University of Bonn and member of the International Theological Commission;
Rev.do Aimable Musoni, S.D.B., professor of ecclesiology at the Pontifical Salesian University, Rome;
Rev.do P. Bernard Pottier, S.J., Professor at the ”Institut d’Etudes théologiques,” Brussels, and member of the International Theological Commission;
Prof. Marianne Schlosser, Professor of Spiritual Theology at the University of Vienna and a member of the International Theological Commission;
Prof. Michelina Tenace, Professor of Fundamental Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome.
Prof. Phyllis Zagano, Professor at Hofstra University, New York.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis said eternal damnation is not a torture chamber but distance from God and warned Christians never to converse with the devil, calling him a seducer who ruins lives. His words came during his Mass celebrated on Friday morning in the chapel of the Santa Marta residence.
Listen to this report by Susy Hodges (with clips of the Pope’s voice):
Continuing his reflections on the end of the world, the Pope’s homily focused on the day’s reading from the Book of Revelation that describes how the angel seizes the serpent, chains it up and throws it into the abyss which is then locked and sealed. He said the serpent or devil is thrown into the abyss “so that it would no longer lead the nations astray” because it is the seducer.
“He is a liar and what’s more is the father of lies, he generates lies and is a trickster. He makes you believe that if you eat this apple you will be like a God. He sells it to you like this and you buy it and in the end he tricks you, deceives you and ruins your life. ‘But father, what can we do to avoid being deceived by the devil?’ Jesus teaches us: never converse with the devil. One does not converse with him. What did Jesus do with the devil? He chased him away, he asked his name but did not hold a dialogue with him.”
Pope Francis went on to explain how when Jesus was in the wilderness he defended himself when replying to the devil by using the Word of God and the Word of the Bible. Therefore, he said, we must never converse with this liar and trickster who seeks our ruin and who for this reason will be thrown into the abyss.
The Pope noted that the reading from Revelation describes how the Lord will judge the great and the lowly “according to their deeds” with the damned being thrown into the pool of fire and he said this is the “second death.”
“Eternal damnation is not a torture chamber. That’s a description of this second death: it is a death. And those who will not be received in the Kingdom of God, it’s because they have not drawn close to the Lord. These are the people who journeyed along their own path, distancing themselves from the Lord and passing in front of the Lord but then choosing to walk away from Him. Eternal damnation is continually distancing oneself from God. It is the worst pain, an unsatisfied heart, a heart that was created to find God but which, out of arrogance and self-confidence, distances itself from God.”
Pope Francis said distancing oneself from God who gives happiness and who loves us so much is the “fire” and the road to eternal damnation. Noting how the final image in the reading from Revelation ends with a vision of hope the Pope concluded his homily by saying if we open up our hearts with humility we too will have joy and salvation and will be forgiven by Jesus.
“Hope is what opens our hearts to the encounter with Jesus. This is what awaits us: the encounter with Jesus. It’s beautiful, very beautiful. And He asks us only to be humble and say ‘Lord.’ It’s enough to say that word and He will do the rest.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a letter on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of St John Paul II’s words to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Alice Springs, Australia on 29 November 1986.
The letter was sent to the Chairperson of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council (NATSICC), John Lochowiak, by the Apostolic Nuncio to Canberra Archbishop Adolfo Tito Yllana.
The Holy Father writes that, “this anniversary affords me the happy opportunity to express my deep esteem for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and for your ancient cultural heritage”.
He also draws from the words of Pope John II which stress, “your culture, which shows the lasting genius and dignity of your race, must not be allowed to disappear. Do not think that your gifts are worth so little that you should no longer bother to maintain them. Share them with each other and teach them to your children. Your songs, your stories, your paintings, your dances, your languages, must never be lost.”
In July the Pope’s prayer intention was for Respect for Indigenous Peoples.
(from Vatican Radio)…
Drug dependency is a ‘new form of slavery’ and a ‘wound in our society’ which should be combatted with education and rehabilitation.
That was Pope Francis’ message to a Vatican conference called ‘Narcotics: Problems and Solutions of this Global Issue’, which was hosted by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences on 23-24 November.
Listen to Devin Watkins’ report:
Pope Francis told the two-day conference on Narcotics that those who fall into the snares of drugs are victims who have “lost their freedom” in return for “a new form of slavery”.
Reflecting on the causes of drug dependency, the Holy Father said it results from a variety of factors: “the absence of a family, social pressure, propaganda from traffickers, the desire to live new experiences”.
However, he said, “every dependent person brings with them a distinct personal history, which should be listened to, understood, loved, and, where possible, cured and purified. We cannot fall into the injustice of classifying them as if they were objects or broken junk; rather, every person should be valued and appreciated in their dignity in order to be cured. They continue to have, more than ever, dignity as persons and children of God.”
He said it is no surprise that so many people fall into drug dependency since “mundanity offers us a wide spectrum of possibilities to find a fleeting happiness”.
The Pope went on to approach the problem of narcotics from both the supply and demands sides of the equation.
The supply of drugs, he said, is an “important part of organized crime”, and its supply chain must be rooted out and destroyed.
Demand for narcotics, he said, needs to be halted through education, social programmes, and family support.
He said, “Integral human formation is the priority. It gives people the possibility to possess the instruments of discernment, with which they are able to discern various options and help others. This formation is principally oriented to the most vulnerable of a society, such as children and young people, but which is also usefully extended to families and those who suffer any type of marginalization.” Prevention and rehabilitation, he repeated, are both important aspects of the problem of drug dependency.
In conclusion, Pope Francis said, “The most needy of our brothers and sisters, who seemingly have nothing to give, offer us a treasure – the face of God, which speaks to us and challenges us.”
(from Vatican Radio)…