(Vatican Radio) On Saturday, the Holy Father Francis received in audience His Excellency Mr. Johann Schneider Ammann, president of the Swiss Confederation, who subsequently met with His Excellency Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary for Relations with States.
The cordial discussions offered the opportunity to affirm the good relations between the Holy See and Switzerland, with particular acknowledgement of the faithful and professional service rendered by the Pontifical Swiss Guard. Appreciation was expressed for the positive contribution the Church makes in different fields in the country, in an atmosphere of serene collaboration. Mention was made of the professional education of young people, which plays an effective role in access to the world of work.
Special attention was reserved to the theme of migration and policies of reception and integration, in the current European context. The parties then discussed the conflicts in the Middle East and the situation of sub-Saharan countries, revealing the need to strengthen efforts in favour of security and peace.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received officers and enlisted soldiers of the Pontifical Swiss Guard on Saturday, one day after new members of the corps took their oath of allegiance and were sworn into active service.
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The Swiss Guards hold their swearing-in ceremony each year on May 6 th , to mark the day in 1527 when 147 members of their corps gave their lives in a desperate rear-guard action that allowed Pope Clement VII to reach the safety of Castel Sant’Angelo while the soldiers of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V sacked the eternal city.
Pope Francis recalled the spirit of faithful service that animates the great legacy of sacrifice and heroism in his remarks to new recruits and their families on Saturday, saying, “Dear Guardsmen, my hope for you is that you shall live your days of service strong in the Faith and generous in charity toward the people you shall meet: may Mary, our mother, whom we honor especially in this month of May, help you to be ever more sensible each day that profound communion with God, which for us believers begins here on Earth and shall be complete in Heaven.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis addressed the participants in a major gathering of Doctors with Africa CUAMM – an acronym for the original Italian name of the organization which was the first NGO in the field of healthcare to be officially recognized in Italy : University College for Aspiring Missionary Doctors, founded in 1950 in the Diocese of Padua by Dr. Francesco Canova, a missionary physician in Jordan, and Bishop Girolamo Bortignon.
Under the leadership of don Luigi Mazzucato, who headed the organization for more than 50 years, CUAMM gained its current position as the leading Italian organization engaged in Sub-Saharan Africa, operating in 7 African countries ( Angola , Ethiopia , Mozambique , Sierra Leone , South Sudan , Tanzania , Uganda ) where it delivers medical aid and expertise with its international and local teams.
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In remarks to the CUAMM membership on Saturday, Pope Francis said, “In the wake of these great witnesses of missionary and evangelically fruitful closeness, you carry on your work with courage, giving expression to a Church that is not a clinic exclusively for super A-list VIPs, but rather a ‘field hospital’: a Church with a great heart, close to the many wounded and humiliated of history, to the poorest of the poor.”
The Holy Father concluded, saying, “I assure you of my closeness and my prayer: I bless all of you, your families, and your commitment to the present and the future of the African continent.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
Fort McMurray – The city of Fort McMurray in northern Alberta , is completely deserted, abandoned by its inhabitants because of a fire that has destroyed 1,600 buildings. The fire forced the evacuation of over 90,000 people. The numbers of the tragedy are staggering which is now considered the “most expensive natural disaster in Canadian history”. Since the fire started, on May 1, it has spread without stopping: the first day it affected an area of about 500 hectares while up to yesterday, May 6 at least 100,000 hectares have been affected by the fire. The dramatic situation of Fort McMurray has touched Pope Francis who, saddened by the situation, has asked for prayers for the population. Yesterday, in a letter, the Vatican Secretary of State, His Exc. Mgr. Pietro Parolin, said that “the Holy Father is saddened by the destruction and suffering caused by the fires raging in the Fort McMurray area”. “He prays for all the displaced people – especially children – who have lost their homes”, reads the letter sent to Fides. The city of Fort McMurray grew from 35,000 residents at the beginning of 1990 to over 125,000 in 2015. This is thanks to a single activity: the extraction of oil in an area of about 140,000 km2 of the so-called “bitunimous sands”. The production of crude oil, which has given fame, money and development in this area, has been criticized by environmentalists for the contamination required for production. The cause of forest fires is linked to climate change . The population has fled to the south to the nearest cities, which are about 600 km away. …
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis this afternoon received the International Charlemagne Prize at an awards ceremony in the Vatican.
The prestigious award is conferred each year on an individual or institution for their service in favor of European unification, and is awarded annually by the German city of Aachen to someone who has contributed to the ideals upon which the Prize was founded.
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Pope Francis stressed that he would receive the award with an intention to offer it to Europe, adding, “Ours is not so much a celebration as a moment to express our shared hope for a new and courageous step forward for this beloved continent.”
After hearing speeches from the Lord Mayor of Aachen, Martin Philipp, President Shulz of the European Parliament said, “Europe is going through turbulent times, and faces what may be a decisive test of its unity.” Other speakers at the event included the President of the Council of Europe and the President of the European Commission.
In his Address, Pope Francis pleaded for a revitalized Europe, saying, “I am convinced that resignation and weariness do not belong to the soul of Europe, and that even our problems can become powerful forces for unity.”
Referring to his 2014 address to the European Parliament, he reflected on his comparison between Europe and an aging, weary grandmother. He challenged the people of Europe, asking, “What has happened to you, the Europe of humanism, the champion of human rights, democracy and freedom? What has happened to you, Europe, the home of poets, philosophers, artists, musicians, and men and women of letters? What has happened to you, Europe, the mother of peoples and nations, the mother of great men and women who upheld, and even sacrificed their lives for, the dignity of their brothers and sisters?”
He spoke of a Europe that can give birth to a new humanism based on three capacities: the capacity to integrate, the capacity for dialogue, and the capacity to generate. He noted that the roots of Europeans were consolidated down the centuries by a constant need to integrate a number of varied cultures. He added that a culture of dialogue “should be an integral part of the education imparted in our schools”, helping to give young people the necessary tools to settle conflicts in a new way.
The Pope stressed that all countries – the smallest and the greatest – have an active role to play in the creation of an integrated and reconciled society. Of special importance is the role of young people, who “are not the future of our peoples, they are the present.” He asked those in attendance, “How can we tell them that they are protagonists, when the levels of employment and underemployment of millions of young Europeans are continually rising? How can we avoid losing our young people, who end up going elsewhere in search of their dreams and a sense of belonging, because here, in their own countries, we don’t know how to offer them opportunities and values?”
To create dignified and well-paying jobs, especially for young people, Pope Francis emphasised the need to move away from a “liquid economy”, one directed at revenue and profiting from speculation, to a “social economy”, one that invests in people by creating jobs.
Pope Francis concluded by describing his own dream for Europe: a place still capable of being a mother who has life because she respects and offers hope for life; a place attentive to the infirm and elderly; a place where people “breathe the pure air of honesty.”
(from Vatican Radio)…