(Vatican Radio) Don’t envy the rich and powerful or conspire against your neighbour, but instead nurture the light of faith in your lives. That was Pope Francis’s message in his homily at the Santa Marta Mass on Monday morning, as Philippa Hitchen reports:
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Reflecting on the reading from St Luke’s Gospel the Pope talked about the many ways in which we hide the light of faith, through jealousy and arguments, by plotting evil against our neighbours or simply by putting off until tomorrow the good that we should do today.
The light of faith, he said, is a gift that each one of us receives from God on the day of our Baptism. He recalled that Baptism was called ‘Illumination’ in the first centuries of Christianity, a term that is still used in some of the Eastern Churches today.
But just as Jesus warned the crowds not to conceal the light, so the Pope said if we hide that light we become lukewarm Christians. He talked about the many ways in which we risk putting out that light, starting with delaying the help that we’re called to give to our neighbours in need. Never put off doing good until tomorrow, the Pope said, because it’s a form of injustice and you can’t put ‘good’ in the fridge.
Pope Francis went on to warn about those who plot evil against their neighbours instead of responding to the trust placed in them. Anyone who conspires againsta neighbour and takes advantage of that trust is a “Mafioso”, he insisted and the darkness of every mafia puts out the light of faith.
The Pope also spoke about the temptation to argue, even with those who haven’t done us any wrong. Arguments wear us out, he said, so it’s better to pardon and to let these things go.
Finally, Pope Francis said we should not envy those who are powerful, successful or violent because God spurns them and calls the righteous to be His friends. To be jealous of power and wealth is another way of hiding the light, he said, yet the same worms who devour our corpses will eat the bodies of the rich and powerful too.
The Pope reiterated Jesus’ words, urging his listeners to be ‘children of light’ and to take care of the light, rather than hiding it under a bed. May the Holy Spirit which we received at Baptism, he concluded, help us to avoid these bad habits which hide the light and let us instead nurture the light of friendship and humility, the light of faith and hope, the light of patience and goodness.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis will travel to Assisi on Tuesday, to participate in the concluding day of the World Day of Prayer for Peace event, organised by the Sant’Egidio Community. The theme for this year is “Thirst for Peace. Religions and Cultures in Dialogue.”
The President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran spoke to Vatican Radio’s Oliver Bonnel about the Pope’s visit and the impact of the spirit of Assisi.
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The Cardinal says that a message of “fraternity and peace will be at the heart of the visit”, and goes on to say that dialogue is the unique means in which to promote justice and peace.
Asked about how the the spirit of Assisi can have an impact on political leaders today, Cardinal Tauran answers by saying, “I think what is important is to improve that religions are not a danger but that it’s a richness for society because unfortunately now when you speak about religions you think of war of persecution.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis and Papal Representatives from across the globe have issued a pressing appeal to world leaders to work harder for peace.
The appeal addressed to the International Community and to government leaders came in a statement following a meeting between Pope Francis and his diplomatic representatives on the heels of a three day gathering in the Vatican convened for the Holy Year of Mercy.
The Pope, his Apostolic Nuncios and the Vatican’s Permanent Observers to International Bodies urge world powers to “work harder and more effectively to stop the violence and find peaceful solutions to conflicts in various parts of the world”.
The signatories of the appeal also expressed solidarity for all innocent victims and for those who suffer discrimination and persecution because of their religious faith, and they pray God the Father for mercy.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday thanked the Vatican security force for their tireless service and warned against crimes that are connected to exploitation and corruption.
The Pope’s words came as he celebrated Holy Mass for the Gendarmerie on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the Corps of the Vatican Gendarmes.
In his homily the Pope reflected on the reading of the day from the prophet Amos regarding three different types of people: the exploiter, the crook and the faithful man.
“Crooks love the scam and hate honesty. Crooks love bribes, agreements done in the dark. This is worse than anything, because he believes he’s being honest” he said.
And he pointed out that crooks “trample on the poor” with no concern or thought for the consequences of their actions.
The Pope also spoke of the many people in the world today who have “large, large industries of slave labor” and said that “in the world today slave labor is a style of management.”
Pope Francis also reflected on the figure of the faithful man saying he is the one who follows Jesus and is “a man of prayer, in the double sense that he prays for others and trusts in the prayer of others for him.”
He told those present that their responsibility is to serve by fighting against “scams, against crooks, against exploiters”.
And observing that the responsibility of the gendarmes is to defend honesty,” he said: “I thank you for these two centuries of service, and I wish for all of you that the society of Vatican City, that the Holy See, from the lowest to the highest, recognize your service.”
The Vatican Gendarmerie is the Corps that offers constant watch over Vatican City and the extraterritorial areas belonging to the Holy See. The Corps ensures the security of these places, maintains public order, and works to prevent and stop crime, in addition to carrying out duties as judicial and border police. Pope Pius VII established the force in 1816 after the Congress of Vienna led to the restoration of the Papal States.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) The United Nations is hosting a summit of world leaders on Monday to tackle global issues around refugees and migrants, with the aim of bringing countries together behind a more humane and coordinated approach.
The one day meeting at the UN headquarters in New York marks the first time the General Assembly has called for a summit on this issue. Organisers hope it will point the way towards a more responsible and predictable system for responding to large movements of refugees and migrants.
Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, is heading the Holy See delegation at the summit and he’s also speaking at a high-level side event on the role of faith based organisations in supporting all people on the move. The event is sponsored by the Vatican’s Permanent Observer mission to the UN, together with Caritas Internationalis and the Geneva based International Catholic Migration Commission.
Philippa Hitchen spoke to Mgr Robert Vitillo, secretary general of the ICMC to find out more ….
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Mgr Vitillo says some 120 heads of state and other experts will be attending the summit so the Holy See is taking this opportunity to organize an event that will be focused on ‘Responsibility and Solution Sharing’. The Church and other faith groups, he notes, are often in the forefront of responding to the needs of migrants and refugees, both in the emergency phases, as well as in the search for long term solutions for those who cannot return to their homes.
Mgr Vitillo, who is part of the Holy See delegation, points out that Pope Francis has taken a vital global leadership role on this issue, in words but also in deeds, by sponsoring refugee families in Vatican City and challenging every Catholic parish and religious order to do the same.
The message of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’, he adds, is that all major global problems today cannot be solved by governments alone, but require a “solidarity approach” with governments working together alongside civil society and faith based structures.
Mgr Vitillo underlines the summit’s recognition that this is global issue. While media attention has largely been focused on Europe, he says, this meeting will show that it’s only a small part of problem, with developing countries continuing to shoulder the greatest burden of taking in refugees. He also hopes the summit will look at migrants and refugees, not just as a problem, but as a necessity for many high income countries and a source of cultural enrichment for all.
UN documents, Mgr Vitillo comments, are often seen as the lowest common denominator in order to achieve consensus and many civil society organisations are already disappointed with the document that’s due to be approved by heads of state on Monday. Rather than being seen as an end it itself, he says it should be seen as the beginning of a process to get states to implement what they’ve signed up to, working with civil society to monitor and evaluate solutions.
Another positive development he points to is the fact that refugees fleeing from persecution were previously considered separately from migrants, but this document talks about both, recognizing that other factors like climate change, abject poverty, or long term displacement force people to leave their homes. By looking at this as a holistic problem, he concludes, “I hope some holistic solutions can flow from it”.
(from Vatican Radio)…