(Vatican Radio) Religious liberty and the importance of the family were among the themes touched on by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn during his mission as papal envoy to Belarus to mark the 25 th anniversary of the establishment of the Minsk-Mohilev archdiocese.
The July 1-2 celebrations were held in the Marian shrine of Budslav.
The cardinal, who represented Pope Francis for the event, met with political representatives, and visited the memorial monument for the victims of national socialism in Trostents, near Minsk. During meetings with religious and state representatives, Cardinal Schönborn emphasized the importance of religious liberty, and the need to have good relations between Church and State.
In his homily for Mass at the Budslav shrine, which was attended by some thirty thousand people, the archbishop of Vienna also spoke on the importance of the family, and how totalitarian regimes – along with other ideologies – want to destroy it.
“We, however, believe in the strength of the family,” Cardinal Schönborn said.
The following Sunday, 3 July, the Cardinal consecrated a new Catholic Church in Minsk.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis encouraged everyone to visit the Blessed Sacrament every day, if possible, in a message for of the upcoming Eucharistic Congress in Geneva, Italy.
“On this happy occasion which is offered to us, I encourage all the Faithful to always honor the most blessed Eucharist,” the Pope said in the message, which was addressed to the president of the Italian Bishop’s Conference, Cardinal Agnelo Bagnasco.
Citing the Second Vatican Council document Sacrosantum Concilium , the Pope referred to the Eucharist as “a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity,” and he called the faithful to be nourished by it “in order to be fraternally united among themselves, and cooperate in the building of the Church and the good of the world.”
“Moreover, I want to encourage everyone to visit – if possible, every day – especially amid life’s difficulties, the Blessed Sacrament of the infinite love of Christ and His mercy, preserved in our churches, and often abandoned, to speak filially with Him, to listen to Him in silence, and to peacefully entrust yourself to Him.
The Eucharistic Congress will take place 15-18 September in the northern Italian city of Geneva.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met on Wednesday with a large group of French pilgrims, including very poor and homeless people supported by the Sappel community. The group of 200 pilgrims from the Lyon region of France is marking the upcoming one hundredth anniversary of the birth of Fr Joseph Wresinski who founded the ATD Fourth World international movement working for the eradication of chronic poverty across the globe.
Listen to Philippa Hitchen’s report:
In his words to the group, the Pope stressed the important witness that this pilgrimage provides of walking together and supporting each other. He told his guests how welcome they were in the Vatican and reminded them that Jesus came to share in their condition of poverty and rejection by the people of his day.
Quoting the words of Fr Wresinski, Pope Francis said ‘You are in the heart of the Church’ because Jesus always gave priority to the poor and suffering. You help us to encounter Jesus, he said, not through words, but through the witness of your lives and by reminding us that we are all children of God the Father.
Keep hope alive
The Pope urged his listeners to always be courageous and to keep alive the joy of hope, because we believe, he said, in a God who repairs injustice, who comforts the suffering and who rewards those who maintain their faith in him.
Pray for those responsible for poverty
He also asked them to pray for a conversion of hearts of those responsible for poverty in the world: the rich, the hypocrites, those who ignore the cry of the hungry at their doors. Pray too for the priests and Levites, the Pope said, all those who see people in pain and need, but who lack compassion and who pass by on the other side of the road.
Finally the Pope thanked those accompanying the group and carrying on the work of Fr Wresinski, noting that it is through sharing life with the poor that we are transformed and converted.
Rediscover solidarity with the poor
Born in France to very poor immigrant parents, Joseph Wresinski founded the (ATD) Fourth World movement in 1957 to end the exclusion and injustice of poverty and to bring the voices of the excluded into the public square. During this year of Mercy, Pope Francis said, it is time to rediscover and to live out this dimension of solidarity, fraternity and mutual support.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Wednesday morning met with the parents of an American student who was killed in Rome.
Beau Solomon, a 19-year-old student taking part in a summer study abroad program, was reported missing Friday evening. His body was found in the Tiber River on Monday following an extensive search. A homeless man was arrested in connection with Solomon’s death, with police saying the man was “seriously suspected of aggravated homicide.”
In a statement following the Pope’s meeting with Solomon’s parents, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Father Federico Lombardi, SJ, said Pope Francis expressed his “feelings of deep sympathy and compassion” and “his closeness in prayer to the Lord for the young man who died so tragically.”
Solomon’s parents arrived in Rome on Monday evening. On Tuesday, the U.S. Ambassador to Italy, John Phillips, released a statement saying, “I was saddened to learn of the tragic death of Beau Solomon. My heart goes out to his family and friends. The U.S. Embassy stands ready to provide support to Italian authorities investigating his disappearance and death.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis is urging governments to find a political solution to the war in Syria.
In a video message released on Tuesday in support of a new Caritas Internationalis campaign, “Syria: Peace is Possible” , the Pope reiterates his belief that “there is no military solution for Syria, only a political one”.
“The international community must therefore support peace talks towards the building of a national unity government” he says.
And, Pope Francis continues: “I invite you to ask those who are involved in peace talks to take these agreements seriously and to commit to facilitating access to humanitarian aid.”
“While the people suffer, an incredible amount of money is being spent on giving fighters weapons. Some of the countries providing these arms are also those talking of peace. How can one believe in those who caress you with the right hand while hitting you with the left?” the Pope says.
Caritas, the Catholic Church’s global network of humanitarian agencies, provides food, healthcare, basic needs, education, shelter, counselling, protection and livelihoods in Syria and to refugees in host countries.
National Caritas organisations reached 1.3 million people last year alone.
Dealing with the humanitarian consequences of the five year war in Syria it is the largest Caritas relief operation in the world.
Caritas Internationalis Secretary General, Michel Roy , told Vatican Radio’s Linda Bordoni that Caritas is launching a new website to support the campaign and it is urging people across the globe to take action:
Listen:
Michel Roy explains that Caritas Internationalis’ reinforced campaign for “Peace in Syria” is also a response to repeated pleas on the part of its colleagues in Syria and in the whole of the Middle East that more be done “to help them get out of that war that is imposed upon them”.
That’s why, he explains, Caritas has decided to move ahead with three requests:
“First, he says, to pray for an end to this war in Syria because we do believe that in the situation we are facing now prayer has a role to play”.
“Second: We challenge our respective governments – and this campaign is a world campaign because we believe that every government in the world has to engage in some way, they cannot remain indifferent to what is going on – we cannot leave it just to the main powers (the EU, Russia the US) – everyone has something to do. And so we are asking all our members to reach out to their MPs, to their Ministers of Foreign Affairs, to their Heads of State or of Government, to mobilise them so they will do something”.
What we want, Roy says, is that the ceasefire is maintained and extended to other areas in Syria, because first hand witnesses say that the ceasefire, when it is respected, does bring a lot of relief to the people.
And, he continues, we are asking for more engagement in political discussions.
“Whoever, in Syria, has to be at the table – has to be at the table – and the supporting powers just have to facilitate, ensure that all parties sit at the table and that a political solution is found” he says.
“The third request, he says, is to increase the humanitarian support that is needed because so many are trapped in Syria, or have been displaced”.
Roy says the international community is not coming up with enough money to respond to the demand, that’s why we all have to ask our respective governments to engage in more humanitarian support.
He speaks about Pope Francis’ support for the campaign pointing out that the video message is for Caritas members but also for all Christians and men and women of goodwill.
Roy points out that the Pope supports the Caritas initiative with all of its requests but he adds one point which is important which is “we cannot believe that there is not enough money to support the people who are suffering when so much more money is engaged in arms deals”.
“He is wondering if the countries that supply the arms can be believed in their efforts for peace because they are the ones talking about peace on one side, and they are selling arms on the other, so Pope Francis is questioning what their real motivation is” he says.
The new “Syria: Peace is Possible” Caritas website can be found at syria.caritas.org . It includes specially commissioned artwork from Syrian artist Tammam Azzam, an animated film on the war, an award winning photo series and testimony from Syrians living both inside the country and as refugees in bordering nations and beyond.
You can also follow the campaign on Twitter #peacepossible4syria @iamCaritas
(from Vatican Radio)…