Vatican City, 4 February 2015 (VIS) – This morning in the Holy See Press Office Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family and postulator of the cause for the beatification of Oscar Arnulfo Romero, presented the figure of the Salvadoran archbishop assassinated in 1980 while celebrating Mass and whose martyrdom was acknowledged yesterday with the signing of the necessary decree by Pope Francis. Historian Roberto Morozzo della Rocca, professor of modern history at the University of Rome III and author of a biography of Oscar Romero, also participated in the conference. Extensive extracts of Archbishop Paglia’s presentation are published below. “It is an extraordinary gift for all of the Church at the beginning of this millennium to see rise to the altar a pastor who gave his life for his people; and this is true for all Christians. This can be seen in the attention of the Anglican Church, which has placed a statue of Romero in the facade of Westminster Abbey alongside those of Martin Luther King and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and for all of society that regards him as a defender of the poor and of peace. Gratitude is also due to Benedict XVI, who followed the cause from the very beginning and on 20 December 2012 – just over a month before his resignation – decided to unblock the process to enable it to follow the regular itinerary”. “The work of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, with Cardinal Angelo Amato, S.D.B., has been careful and attentive. The unanimity of both the commission of cardinals and the commission of theologians confirmed his martyrdom in odium fidei. … The martyrdom of Romero has given meaning and strength to many Salvadoran families who lost relatives and friends during the civil war. His memory immediately became the memory of other victims, perhaps less illustrious, of the violence”. “Following a lengthy procedure that encountered many difficulties, on account of opposition due to both the archbishop’s thought and pastoral action, and the situation of conflict that developed in relation to him, the itinerary finally reached its conclusion. Romero becomes, as it were, the first of a long line of contemporary New Martyrs. 24 March – the day of his death – became, by decision of the Italian Episcopal Conference, the “Day for Prayer for Missionary Martyrs”. The United Nations have proclaimed that day “International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims”. The world has changed greatly since 1980, but that pastor from a small Central American country speaks powerfully. It is not without significance that his beatification will take place precisely when there is for the first time in history a Latin American Pope who wants a ‘poor Church, for the poor’. It is a providential coincidence”. Romero the pastor “Romero believed in his role as a bishop and primate of his country, and he considered himself responsible for the population, especially the poorest. Therefore, he took upon himself the bloodshed, pain and violence, denouncing their causes in his charismatic Sunday preaching that was listened to on the radio by the entire nation. We might say that it was a ‘pastoral conversion’, with the assumption by Romero of a strength that was indispensable in the crisis that beset the country. He transformed himself into a defensor civitatis following the tradition of the ancient Fathers of the Church, defending the persecuted clergy, protecting the poor, and affirming human rights”. “The climate of persecution was palpable. However, Romero clearly became the defender of the poor in the face of cruel repression. After two years as archbishop of San Salvador, Romero counted thirty lost priests – killed, expelled or forced to flee from death. The death squads killed scores of catechists from the base communities, and many faithful disappeared from these communities. The Church was the main target of accusation and therefore the hardest hit. Romero resisted and accepted giving his life to defend his people”. Assassinated at the altar during Mass “He was killed at the altar. Killing him was intended to strike at the Church that flowed from Vatican Council II. His death – as the detailed documentary examination clearly showed – was not only politically motivated, but due also to hatred for a faith that, combined with charity, would not stay silent when faced with the injustices that implacably and cruelly afflicted the poor and their defenders. His assassination at the altar – without doubt a more uncertain death as it meant shooting from a distance of thirty metres rather than an attempt from a shorter range – had a symbolic nature that resounded as as terrible warning for whoever wished to follow the same route. John Paul II himself – who was well aware of the other two saints killed at the altar, St. Stanislaus of Krakow and St. Thomas Becket of Canterbury – noted effectively, ‘they killed him precisely at the most sacred moment, during the highest and most divine act. … A bishop of God’s Church was assassinated while he exercised his sanctifying mission, offering the Eucharist’. On a number of occasions he repeated forcefully, ‘Romero is ours, Romero is of the Church!’”. Romero and the poor “Romero had always loved the poor. As a very young priest in San Miguel he was accused of communism because he asked the rich to give a fair salary to the peasant coffee cultivators. He told them that not only did they act against justice, but also that they themselves opened the doors to communism”. “Romero understood increasingly clearly that being a pastor to all meant starting with the poor. Placing the poor at the centre of the pastoral concerns of the Church and therefore of all Christians, including the rich, was the new pastoral way. His preferential love for the poor not only did not attenuate his love for his country, but on the contrary supported it. In this sense, Romero was not partisan, although to some he appeared that way; rather, he was a pastor who sought the common good of all, starting however with the poor. He never ceased to seek out the way for the pacification of the country. Romero, man of God and of the Church Romero was a man of God, a man of prayer, of obedience and love for the people. He prayed a lot … and he was harsh on himself, a severity linked to an old-fashioned spirituality made up of sacrifices. He had a ‘linear’ spiritual life, in spite of having a character that was not always easy – rigorous with himself, intransigent, tormented. But in prayer he found rest, peace and strength. When he had to make complicated or difficult decisions, he withdrew in prayer”. “He was a bishop faithful to the magisterium. From his papers there clearly emerges his familiarity with the documents of Vatican Council II, Medellin, Puebla, the social doctrine of the Church and other pontifical texts in general. … It has often been said that Romero was suborned by liberation theology. Once, a journalist asked him, ‘Do you agree with liberation theology?’. He answered, ‘Yes, of course. But there are two forms of liberation theology. There is the one that sees liberation solely as material liberation. The other is that of Paul VI. I am with Paul VI’”….
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has encouraged fathers to be a daily example of love and integrity for their children. Addressing the pilgrims gathered in the Paul VI Hall for the weekly General Audience, the Pope continued his catechesis on the family, reflecting in particular on the dignity and role of fathers. Referring to the Book of Proverbs which speaks of the joy and pride which fathers feel as they see their children mature in wisdom and rectitude , the Pope said these words sum up the demanding but indispensable role of fathers in the family and in society as a whole. Pointing out that a good father must discipline his own heart in order to deal patiently with his children in their growth to maturity, he said fathers teach their children by giving a daily example of love and integrity. And lamenting the fact that in our society father figures are often absent, Pope Francis said it is essential for fathers to be present and fully engaged in the life of the family. The Pope said that Jesus points to God our Father as the model of all fatherhood, and that like the father of the prodigal son, God waits patiently for his children to return home, and with mercy and forgiveness he is always there to welcome them back whenever they stray. Expressing gratitude and support to all Christian fathers, he encouraged them to strive, like Saint Joseph, to protect their children and to teach them wisdom, faith and integrity. (from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has encouraged fathers to be a daily example of love and integrity for their children. Addressing the pilgrims gathered in the Paul VI Hall for the weekly General Audience, the Pope continued his catechesis on the family, reflecting in particular on the dignity and role of fathers. Referring to the Book…
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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has decried the ‘fratricide’ conflict in Ukraine and issued an urgent appeal for dialogue, “the only possible path to peace”.
Speaking at the end of the weekly General Audience, the Pope said his thoughts go to the beloved Ukrainian people.
“Unfortunately the situation is worsening” as is the clash between the parties he said.
And asking for prayers for the victims, many of whom are civilians, and for the families, the Pope said “let us pray the Lord so that this horrible fratricide violence may cease as soon as possible”.
And Pope Francis renewed his heartfelt appeal “so that every possible effort – even at an international level – may be made for the resumption of dialogue, the only possible path for peace and harmony in that tormented land”.
And speaking off-the-cuff, Pope Francis said that when he hears the words ‘victory’ or ‘defeat’ he feels great pain, great sadness in his heart: “they are not the right words. The only right word is peace. This is the only right word” he said.
“I think of you, Ukrainian brothers and sisters, this is a war between Christians” he said.
And calling the conflict a scandal, he pointed out that all those involved in the conflict have the same baptism.
Pope Francis concluded his appeal urging all to pray, because – he said – “prayer is our protest before God in times of war”.
(from Vatican Radio)…
Pope Francis launched a new appeal
for peace in Ukraine at the General Audience on Wednesday, 4 February, in the
Paul VI Hall. He asked that every effort be made to resume dialogue. In his
Catechesis, the Pope spoke about the role of fatherhood in the family. The
following is a translation of the Pope’s catechesis, which was given in
Italian. Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! Today I
would like to develop the second part of my reflection on the figure of the father in the family.
Last time I spoke about the danger of “absent” fathers, today I would like to
look instead at the positive aspect. Even St Joseph was tempted to leave Mary,
when he discovered that she was pregnant; but the Angel of the Lord intervened
and revealed to him God’s plan and his mission as foster father; and Joseph, a
just man, “took his wife” (Mt 1:24) and became the father of the family of
Nazareth. Every
family needs a father. Today we shall reflect on the value of his role, and I
would like to begin with a few expressions that we find in the Book of
Proverbs, words that a father addresses to his own son, and it goes like this:
“My son, if your heart is wise, my heart too will be glad. My soul will rejoice
when your lips speak what is right” ( Pr
23:15-16). Nothing could better express the pride and emotion a father feels
when he understands that he has transmitted to his child what really matters in
life, that is, a wise heart. This father does not say: “I am proud of you
because you are the same as me, because you repeat the things I say and do”.
No, he does not say anything so simple to him. He says something much more important,
which we can understand in this way: “I will be happy every time I see you act with wisdom, and I will be
moved every time that I hear you speak with rectitude. This is what I wanted to leave to you, that this one
thing become yours: the attitude to feel and act, to speak and judge with
wisdom and rectitude. And that you might be like this, I taught you the things you didn’t know, I
corrected the errors you didn’t see. I made you feel a profound and at the same time discrete
affection, which maybe you did not fully recognize when you were young and
unsure. I gave you a testimony of rigour
and steadfastness that perhaps you didn’t understand, when you would have liked
only complicity and protection. I had
first to test myself in the wisdom of my heart, be vigilant of my
excesses of sentiment and resentment, in order to carry the weight of the
inevitable misunderstandings, to find the right words to make myself
understood.” Now, continues the father, “I see that you strive to be this way
with your own children, and with everyone, and it moves me. I am happy to be
your father”. This is what a wise father, a mature father, says.A father knows all too well what it
costs to hand down this heritage: how close, how gentle and how firm to be. But
what consolation and what recompense he
receives when the children honour this legacy! It is a joy that rewards all the
toil, that overcomes every misunderstanding and heals every wound. The first
need, then, is precisely this: that a father be present in the family.
That he be close to his wife, to share everything, joy and sorrow, hope and hardship. And that he be close to his
children as they grow: when they play and when they strive, when they are
carefree and when they are distressed, when they are talkative and when they
are silent, when they are daring and when they are afraid, when they take a
wrong step and when they find their path again; a father who is always present. To say
“present” is not to say “controlling”! Fathers who are too controlling cancel
out their children, they don’t let them develop. The
Gospel speaks to us about the exemplarity of the Father who is in Heaven – who
alone, Jesus says, can be truly called the “good Father” (cf. Mk 10:18).
Everyone knows that extraordinary parable of the “prodigal son”, or better yet
of the “merciful father”, which we find
in the Gospel of Luke in chapter 15 (cf. 15:11-32). What dignity and what tenderness there is in
that father’s expectation, who stands at the door of the house waiting for his
son to return! Fathers must be patient. Often there is nothing else to do but
wait; pray and wait with patience, gentleness, magnanimity and mercy. A good
father knows how to wait and knows how to forgive from the depths of his
heart. Certainly, he also knows how to correct with firmness: he is not a weak
father, submissive and sentimental. The father who knows how to correct without
humiliating is the one who knows how to protect without sparing himself. Once I
heard in meeting on marriage a father say: “Sometimes I have to strike the
children lightly… but never in the face so as not to humiliate them”. How
beautiful! He has a sense of dignity. He must punish, but he does is in a just
way, and moves on. If, then,
there is someone who can fully explain the prayer of the “Our Father”, taught
by Jesus, that is the one who lives out paternity in the first person. Without
the grace that comes from the Father who is in Heaven, fathers loose courage,
and abandon camp. But children need to find a father waiting for them when they
come home after failing. They will do everything not to admit it, not to show
it, but they need it; and not to find it opens wounds in them that are
difficult to heal. The
Church, our mother, is committed to supporting with all our strength the good
and generous presence of fathers in families, for they are the irreplaceable
guardians and mediators of faith in
goodness, of faith in justice and God’s protection, like St Joseph. Appeal: Once again my thoughts go to the
beloved people of Ukraine. Unfortunately the situation is deteriorating and the
polarity between the parties is growing worse. Let us pray first and foremost
for the victims, among whom are so many civilians, and for their families, and
let us ask the Lord that this horrible fratricidal violence cease as quickly as possible. I renew the
heartfelt appeal in order that all effort
– on an international level as well – be made for the reopening of dialogue, the only possible
way to restore peace and harmony in that tortured land. Brothers and sisters,
when I hear the words “victory” or “defeat” I feel great sorrow, great sadness
in my heart. They are not just words; the only just word is “peace”. This is
the only just word. I am thinking of you, Ukrainian brothers and sisters ….
Think this is a war among Christians! You all have the same baptism! You are
fighting with Christians. Think about this scandal. And let us all pray, for
prayer is our protest before God in times of war. I greet the English-speaking
pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, including those from
England, Wales, Finland, Sri Lanka and the United States of America. Upon you and your families I cordially invoke
joy and peace in the Lord Jesus. God
bless you all! I address a special thought to the
young people , the sick , and newlyweds . Tomorrow we
celebrate the memorial of St Agatha, virgin and martyr. May her youthful
presence enable you, dear young people, to
comprehend the value of a life lived for God; may her unshakable faith help you,
dear sick people, to trust in the Lord in moments of discouragement; and may
her strength in martyrdom show you, dear newlyweds, the values that are truly
important for family life. Thank you. …