(Vatican Radio) Migration and drug trafficking, the reform of the Curia, the challenges of the Synod for the Family and the need to make the Church a safe home for all children and vulnerable adults. In a wide-ranging interview with Valentina Alazraki, from the Mexican broadcaster Televisa, Pope Francis has marked the second year of…
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(Vatican Radio) As Pope Francis marks the second anniversary of his election, Cardinal Rodriquez Maradiaga, President of Caritas Internationalis, looks at one of the main hallmarks of his papacy, his desire “for a poor Church, for the poor.” It was only 3 days after his election on March 13th 2013 that Pope Francis spoke that much-quoted phrase during an audience with journalists and since then the Pope’s words and deeds have helped to reinforce that message in many different ways. Cardinal Mariadiaga, who’s a member of the C-9 group of cardinals tasked with helping the Pope to reform the Roman Curia, spoke to Susy Hodges.
Listen to the full interview with Cardinal Maradiaga, President of Caritas Internationalis:
Cardinal Maradiaga it was obvious “right from the very beginning” when the newly-elected Pope chose the name of Francis after the great Italian saint from Assisi who renounced his wealth and devoted his life to the poor that reaching out to the poor and marginalized would be a key hallmark of his papacy. Calling it a “great message”, the Honduran Cardinal said Pope Francis is trying “to change attitudes” and fight “the indifference” of so many in today’s society to this moral imperative to help the poor and marginalised.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) As Pope Francis marks the second anniversary of his election, Cardinal Rodriquez Maradiaga, President of Caritas Internationalis, looks at one of the main hallmarks of his papacy, his desire “for a poor Church, for the poor.” It was only 3 days after his election on March 13th 2013 that Pope Francis spoke that…
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(Vatican Radio) Friday 13th March marks two years since the election of Pope Francis to the See of Peter. To mark this occasion Veronica Scarisbrick finds out more about how the figure of Pope Francis is perceived across the ocean in the United States. To do this she turns to David Gibson, a New York based award-winning journalist, author and filmmaker who’s also national reporter for ‘Religion News Service’.
Listen to David Gibson in an interview with Veronica Scarisbrick :
David Gibson says Pope Francis has captured the imagination of both Catholics and non- Catholics in the United States as well as media attention. People are drawn to him, he remarks, and he’s been featured everywhere on every magazine cover.
This development, says Gibson, marks a landmark shift in the narrative of the Catholic Church in the United States which for the past ten of fifteen years has been focused on the clerical sexual abuse crisis.
People are suddenly saying things like: ‘hey you’ve got a really cool Pope’, this Catholicism thing is kind of interesting tell me about it’.
In a special way, the images and gestures Pope Francis projects through the media are strong and they’re right there with us. Despite the distance between Rome and the United States there’s a real sense of nearness. Not just because of the immediacy of modern day communications but because of the kind of person, pastor and Pope he is. His gestures are not just words or concepts, he really connects with people and there’s a way this is kind of amplified by the time it crosses the ocean.
A popularity which means that his forthcoming September visit to the United States which takes him to the East coast, a major media hub, has raised both interest and expectations. Especially as on this occasion he’ll become the first Roman Pontiff to address a joint meeting of Congress.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Friday 13th March marks two years since the election of Pope Francis to the See of Peter. To mark this occasion Veronica Scarisbrick finds out more about how the figure of Pope Francis is perceived across the ocean in the United States. To do this she turns to David Gibson, a New York based…
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