During the Passion, Jesus is denied “every form of justice” and experiences indifference
“in his own flesh”. Thus Pope Francis sees reflected in the image of Christ that of “the many people, so many
outcasts, so many asylum seekers, so many refugees, all of those for whose fate
no one wishes to take responsibility”. He shared this thought during the
celebration he presided on Palm Sunday, 20 March, in St Peter’s Square. There
was an immense crowd in attendance, including countless young people, whose
attention he called to the upcoming world meeting scheduled for 26 to 31 July
in Krakow. Near the obelisk the Pope blessed palm and olive branches
and, at the end of the procession that ended at the parvis of the Vatican
Basilica, he celebrated Mass. In his homily the Pontiff commented on the
narrative of the Lord’s Passion according to Luke, and recommended that in
these days of Holy Week, we gaze often upon the Crucifix, which is the “‘royal
seat of God’, to learn about the humble love which saves and gives life, so
that we may give up all selfishness, and the seeking of power and fame”. After the Rite Francis led the recitation of the Angelus,
entrusting to St John Paul the final months of preparation for World Youth Day
(WYD), which will be
held in Poland. In the context of the Holy Year of Mercy, WYD will constitute the “Jubilee of young people at
the level of the universal Church”….
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has expressed his sadness for the tragic deaths of 13 international university students in a bus accident in northeastern Spain this past weekend and has assured the families of his “heartfelt” prayers. All of the victims were young women students on the Erasmus university exchange program. They included seven from Italy, two Germans, an Austrian, a French woman, a Romanian and an Uzbekistani and ranged between
19 and 25 years old.
The bus carrying 57 university students crashed Sunday near Freginals, halfway between the eastern coastal cities of Barcelona and Valencia. They were returning from a firework festival in Valencia.
In a telegram to Bishop Benavent Enrique Vidal of Tortosa on behalf of the Holy Father, Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said the Pope hopes that the injured will recover swiftly.
Pope Francis, the message reads, wishes to express his closeness to the families who have suffered “irreparable loss” and invokes the Lord’s blessing for their spiritual serenity and Christian hope in this time of grief.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, on Sunday celebrated Mass to consecrate the ‘Dormition of the Mother of God’ Cathedral of the Bulgarian Catholic Apostolic Exarchate of Sofia.
Cardinal Parolin is on an official state visit to the Republic of Bulgaria, and his trip also included a three-day stopover in Macedonia.
At the conclusion of the Mass, Cardinal Parolin exhorted the Bulgarian Church to awareness of the universality of the Church. “We find ourselves in a church, intended as a structure in which the faithful gather together to pray and celebrate the liturgy. The community gathered here is not isolated but connected to all the other Christian communities in the world. We are therefore called to turn our eyes to the Church in its catholicity, that is, in its universality. When we are united in church, dear brothers and sisters, we can sense our belonging to this great Christian family which lives, works, and prays in the entire world.”
Later, after a lunch at the Apostolic Nunciature, the Secretary of State visited the Monastery of the Eucharistine Sisters dedicated to Pope St. John XXIII, also speaking to the Catholic clergy of the Bulgarian Catholic Church gathered in St. Joseph’s Cathedral.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) In a telegramme sent on Sunday, Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin said Pope Francis “was saddened to learn of the tragic air accident in Rostov-on-Don and he sends his sincere condolences to the relatives and friends of the victims.”
The telegramme, addressed to the competent authorities of the Russian Federation, continued, “His Holiness commends the souls of the dead to the mercy of Almighty God and implores the divine gifts of consolation, strength and hope upon all who mourn their loss.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has expressed his “prayerful solidarity” with victims of Saturday’s bomb attack in Istanbul.
In a telegramme addressed to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said Pope Francis “[grieved] to learn of the casualties caused by the bombing in Istanbul yesterday morning, and he expresses his prayerful solidarity with all touched by this tragedy.”
Below, please find the full text of the telegramme:
His Excellency Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
President of the Republic of Turkey
Ankara
His Holiness Pope Francis grieves to learn of the casualties caused by the bombing in Istanbul yesterday morning, and he expresses his prayerful solidarity with all touched by this tragedy. His Holiness asks you to convey his spiritual closeness to them, as well as to the personnel assisting the injured. Commending the souls of those who have died to the mercy of the Almighty, Pope Francis invokes divine strength and peace upon those who mourn, and upon the entire nation.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin
Secretary of State
(from Vatican Radio)…