“The Eucharist, source
of love for the life of the Church, is the school of charity and solidarity”.
Pope Francis said this at the Angelus on Sunday, 7 June, in St Peter’s Square,
recalling the celebration of the Solemnity of Corpus Domini. This celebration,
the Pope said, pushes us to welcome the invitation to conversion and service,
to love and to forgiveness. “It urges us to become, with our life, imitators of
that which we celebrate in the Liturgy. The Christ, who nourishes us under the
consecrated species of bread and wine, is the same One who comes to us in the
everyday happenings; He is in the poor one who extends a hand, is in the
suffering one who begs for help, is in the brother or sister who asks for our
availability and awaits our welcome. He is in the child who knows nothing about
Jesus, about salvation, who does not have faith. He is in every human being,
even the smallest and the defenceless”. The Holy Father also
spoke about his visit in Sarajevo and recalled that this Friday is the
Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus as well as World Day Against Child
Labour. “Many children in the world,” he said, do not have the freedom to play,
to go to school, and end up being exploited as labourers. I hope for the
international community’s earnest and constant commitment to the promotion of
the active recognition of the rights of the child”. The Pope’s words in Italian at the Angelus …
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday afternoon met with the President of Argentina, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.
The two met for over 90 minutes in the Studio of the Paul VI Audience Hall. During the meeting, President Fernández de Kirchner expressed the affection felt for the Pope by the people of Argentina, and asked for the Pope’s blessings on his countrymen.
After his meeting with the President, Pope Francis met with the delegation accompanying the president on her trip to Italy. The president will attend the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Conference, as well as meet Italian officials, before travelling to the Expo Milan.
The president brought several gifts for the Pope, including a portrait of Blessed Oscar Romero by Argentine artist Eugenio Cuttica; a book by Alberto Methol-Ferré, a favorite author of Francis Pope (“Los Continentales estados y el Mercosur”); an edition of the national poem “Martin Fierro”, which has been cited by Pope Francis; two bas-reliefs for the blind, with their titles written in Braille, which represent the Virgin of Lujan, and a portrait of the Pope; a basket with typical Argentine food and an important volume on the architectural heritage of Argentina published for the nation’s bicentennial.
For his part, Pope Francis gave the president a reproduction of a Russian icon of the eleventh century, depicting the “Virgin of Tenderness”.
The encounter was the fifth meeting between Pope Francis and President Fernández de Kirchner since his election to the Papacy.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday afternoon met with the President of Argentina, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. The two met for over 90 minutes in the Studio of the Paul VI Audience Hall. During the meeting, President Fernández de Kirchner expressed the affection felt for the Pope by the people of Argentina, and asked for…
Read more
(Holy See Press Office) On Sunday afternoon Pope Francis received in a private audience Mrs. Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, President of the Republic of Argentina. The very cordial meeting lasted for over an hour and 30 minutes in the Pope’s Study in the Paul VI Audience Hall. The President wished to show the Pope once…
Read more
(Holy See Press Office) On Sunday afternoon Pope Francis received in a private
audience Mrs. Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, President of the Republic of
Argentina. The very cordial meeting lasted for over an hour and 30 minutes in
the Pope’s Study in the Paul VI Audience Hall. The President wished to show the Pope once again the affection and
closeness of the Argentine people and ask him for his blessing for his
co-nationals.
At the end of the meeting, the Pope and President went to
the adjacent hall where the Pope greeted the large delegation that accompanied
the President on her trip that will continue tomorrow with participation at an FAO
Conference, meetings with Italian authorities and a visit to the Expo of Milan.
Mrs. Fernández de Kirchner honored the Pope with various significant gifts,
most especially a large framed painting of Blessed Bishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero,
a work by Argentine artist Eugenio Cuttica; a book by a much appreciated author
of Pope Francis, Alberto Methol-Ferré: “Los estados continentales y el
Mercosur”; an edition of the famous national poem “Martin Fierro”, often cited
by Pope in his talks; two artistic reliefs for the
vision-impaired with titles in
braille, that represent the Virgin of Lujan and a painting of the Pope; a
basket of typical Argentine food products and an important volume on the architectural
patrimony of Argentina published on the occasion of the bicentenary.
For his part, the Pope gave the President a very
beautiful eleventh century Russian icon of “Our Lady of Tenderness.” This marked the fifth time – including the
visit for the inauguration of the Petrine Ministry of Pope Francis on March 19,
2013 and the meeting during World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro – that the
Argentine president has met Pope Francis….