(Vatican Radio) The Italian association Solidarity Medicine has thanked Pope Francis for the new facility in the colonnade of St. Peter’s Square which provides medical care to people who are homeless and in need. The director of the association, Lucia Ercoli said “we are grateful to Pope Francis for wanting to, once again, give a concrete sign of mercy in St. Peter’s Square to the homeless or distressed. Our doctors along with those of FAS and the Policlinico Tor Vergata have accepted with great passion this new challenge that ideally combines the work done in recent years in the suburbs with the heart of Christianity. ” The director said, “there still much work to be done especially in the suburbs of our city, but I think this new clinic in St Peter’s is a sign of great hope ” . (from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Speaking before the recitation of the Marian prayer and drawing inspiration from Sunday’s Gospel, the Pope said that “even today, in the face of certain misfortunes and tragic events, we can be tempted to ‘discharge’ the responsibility on the victims, or even God himself. But the Gospel, he said, invites us to reflect on what is our idea of God? “Do we believe that God is that way, or is it our own projection, a god made ‘in our image and likeness’?”
The Holy Father stressed, that Jesus calls upon us to draw from painful events a warning that concerns everyone, because we are all sinners. He says to those who asked him, ‘if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did”.
Jesus, Pope Francis explained, calls us to change our heart, and make a radical change in the our journey of life, by abandoning compromises with evil and by being less hypocritical because he noted, nearly everyone has “a little piece of hypocrisy.”
“Unfortunately”, said Pope Francis, “each of us looks a lot like a tree that has shown to be sterile for many years. Fortunately for us, Jesus is like the peasant who, with limitless patience, gets again an extension for the barren fig tree…”
Concluding his address he urged people has to take advantage of “A ‘year’ of grace, this Year of Mercy which is offered to us as an opportunity for repentance and salvation, a time for the Jubilee Year of Mercy.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday prayed for refugees fleeing wars and what he called “other inhuman situations.” In particular, he drew attention to the migrant crisis in Greece and in other countries that are on the front line in offering aid to those in need which he added, required the cooperation of all nations.
The Holy Father said that a united response was most effective in order to distribute the burden evenly, continuing that, “ for this we need to focus firmly and unreservedly on negotiations.”
The Pope made the comments following the Angelus prayer in St Peter’s Square where he also welcomed the news about the cessation of hostilities in Syria. He invited everyone to pray so that this window of opportunity would give relief to the suffering people, and open the way to dialogue and much desired peace.
Pope Francis also expressed his closeness to the people of the Fiji Islands, hit hard by a devastating cyclone adding that he was praying for the victims and for those engaged in relief operations.
(from Vatican Radio)…
The Archdiocese of Seoul has opened three Holy Doors in as many shrines dedicated to the early martyrs of the Korean Catholic Church to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the brutal anti-Christian persecution known as Byeong-in.
The decision is part of the year dedicated to memory of the martyrs proclaimed by the capital’s archbishop, Card Andrew Yeom Soo-jung. “Compared to the Catholics of 150 years ago, our faith today seems weaker,” said the prelate in his homily on Tuesday, the first day of the special year. “May the Lord help us follow the example of the martyrs.”
The great Byeong-in persecution began on 23 February 1866 when, alarmed by the Christian message, which preaches equality among men and contradicts Confucian teachings, Korea’s rulers ordered a nationwide crackdown on Catholics. About 9,000 people, roughly half of the Catholic community at the time, died a violent death by order of the king.
On the same day, 150 years later, the Holy Doors in the three Archdiocesan shrines dedicated to the memory of the martyrs were opened: the Jeoldusan mausoleum (pictured), Saenamteo shrine, and the Catholic church of Yakhyeon. According to the Archdiocese’s Communications Office, about 2,000 faithful took part in the opening ceremony at each site.
For his part, Archbishop Yeom opened the year dedicated to the martyrs’ memory at Myeongdong Cathedral, in the heart of the capital. “Compared to the Catholics of 150 years ago,” he said, “our faith today seems weaker despite all the religious freedom we have. This is why we must remember our ancestors of faith, who kept their beliefs even in the worst and most painful situations.”
For the prelate, “We cannot keep moving forward without reflecting on our past. May the Lord help us follow the example of the martyrs, and live a life of service to others.”
(Source:AsiaNews)
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Long-time Vatican official Msgr. Paul Tighe was consecrated a bishop on Saturday afternoon in a ceremony presided over by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, in St. Peter’s Basilica.
The new bishop was in December named the Adjunct Secretary for the Pontifical Council of Culture. He had previously served as Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications since 2007.
Among those concelebrating the Mass was the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin.
Archbishop Martin said Bishop Tighe, who served as Director of the Communications Office of Dublin Diocese from 2004-2007, “was a person of kindness and integrity, whose contribution to life of the Universal Church, particularly in social communications, was widely respected.”
Archbishop Eamon Martin, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, sent congratulations to Rome on behalf of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
“Bishop Tighe possesses many gifts including a strong pastoral outlook, a fine theological mind and is a communicator par excellence ,” the Armagh Archbishop said. “I am confident that he will do excellent work in his new role as Adjunct Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Culture. I wish Bishop Tighe every blessing in the years to come and assure him of my prayerful support.”
Bishop Tighe was given the titular see of Drivastrum .
(from Vatican Radio)…