(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis addressed a delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, with whom he held a private audience on Tuesday in the Vatican, calling the mercy of God ‘the bond uniting us’.
The delegation came to Rome following the conclusion of the week-long Pan-Orthodox Council, which was held on the Greek island of Crete.
Listen to Devin Watkins’ report:
The mercy of God is the bond uniting the Churches, a fruit of the Holy Spirit which produces communion but never uniformity. That was at the heart of Pope Francis’ message to the delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in a private audience.
Recalling that June 29th marks the Feast of St. Peter and Paul, the Holy Father said that the Church in every age has proclaimed their same message of divine mercy.
“Saints Peter and Paul both experienced great sin and, subsequently, the power of God’s mercy. As a result of this experience, Peter, who had denied his Master, and Paul, who persecuted the nascent Church, became tireless evangelizers and fearless witnesses to the salvation offered by God in Christ to every man and woman.”
The Pope noted that from the earliest centuries there have been many differences between the Churches of Rome and Constantinople, including liturgical practices, ecclesiastical discipline, and “in the manner of formulating the one revealed truth”.
“Acknowledging that the experience of God’s mercy is the bond uniting us means that we must increasingly make mercy the criterion and measure of our relationship. If, as Catholics and Orthodox, we wish to proclaim together the marvels of God’s mercy to the whole world, we cannot continue to harbour sentiments and attitudes of rivalry, mistrust and rancour. For divine mercy frees us of the burden of past conflicts and lets us be open to the future to which the Spirit is guiding us.”
“One contribution to surmounting the obstacles to our recovery of the unity we shared in the first millennium – a unity that was never uniformity but always communion with respect for legitimate diversities – is provided by theological dialogue .”
Pope Francis went on to recall the “powerful spiritual and human closeness” he experienced on his recent visit to the Greek island of Lesbos in the accompaniment of Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, and Ieronymos II, Archbishop of Athens and All Greece.
“Seeing the despair on the faces of men, women and children uncertain of their future, listening helplessly as they related their experiences, and praying on the shore of the sea that has claimed the lives of so many innocent persons, was a tremendously moving experience. It made clear how much still needs to be done to ensure dignity and justice for so many of our brothers and sisters.”
The Holy Father concluded his remarks with assurances to the delegation of his prayers for the recently-concluded Pan-Orthodox Council.
“Together with many of our Catholic brothers and sisters and other Christians, I accompanied with my prayers the immediate preparation and the unfolding of the Council. […] May the Holy Spirit bring forth from this event abundant fruits for the good of the Church.”
Below, please find the official English translation of the Pope’s address:
28 June 2016
With joy and affection I offer you a heartfelt welcome on the occasion of the Solemnity of the Holy Patrons of the Church of Rome, the Apostles Peter and Paul. I thank you for your presence and I ask you to convey my deep gratitude to His Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and to the Holy Synod for sending a distinguished Delegation to share our joy on this Solemnity.
This year’s meeting takes place in the context of the Catholic Church’s celebration of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. I desired to proclaim the Jubilee as a favourable time for contemplating the mystery of the Father’s infinite love revealed in Christ, and for strengthening and rendering more effective our witness to this mystery (cf. Bull Misericordiae Vultus , 2-3). In their own lives and in rather different ways, Saints Peter and Paul both experienced great sin and, subsequently, the power of God’s mercy. As a result of this experience, Peter, who had denied his Master, and Paul, who persecuted the nascent Church, became tireless evangelizers and fearless witnesses to the salvation offered by God in Christ to every man and woman. Following the example of the Apostles Peter and Paul, and the other Apostles, the Church, made up of sinners redeemed through Baptism, has continued in every age to proclaim that same message of divine mercy.
In celebrating the Solemnity of the Apostles, we recall to mind the experience of forgiveness and grace uniting all those who believe in Christ. From the earliest centuries, there have been many differences between the Church of Rome and the Church of Constantinople, in the liturgical sphere, in ecclesiastical discipline and also in the manner of formulating the one revealed truth. However, beyond the concrete shapes that our Churches have taken on over time, there has always been the same experience of God’s infinite love for our smallness and frailty, and the same calling to bear witness to this love before the world. Acknowledging that the experience of God’s mercy is the bond uniting us means that we must increasingly make mercy the criterion and measure of our relationship. If, as Catholics and Orthodox, we wish to proclaim together the marvels of God’s mercy to the whole world, we cannot continue to harbour sentiments and attitudes of rivalry, mistrust and rancour. For divine mercy frees us of the burden of past conflicts and lets us be open to the future to which the Spirit is guiding us.
One contribution to surmounting the obstacles to our recovery of the unity we shared in the first millennium – a unity that was never uniformity but always communion with respect for legitimate diversities – is provided by theological dialogue. Dear Metropolitan Methodius, I wish to express to you my appreciation for the fruitful work accomplished by the North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation of which Your Eminence is Co-President. Instituted more than fifty years ago, this Consultation has proposed significant reflections on central theological issues for our Churches, thus fostering the development of excellent relations between Catholics and Orthodox on that continent. In this regard, I rejoice that this coming September the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church will meet once again. The task of this Commission is indeed precious; let us pray the Lord for the fruitfulness of its work. I also offer a special remembrance in my prayers for you, dear Archbishop Job, appointed the Orthodox Co-President of the Commission, and I express my profound gratitude to Metropolitan Ioannis of Pergamum, who has long carried out this delicate task with dedication and competence.
I thank the Lord that this past April I was able to meet my beloved brother Bartholomew when, together with the Archbishop of Athens and of All Greece, His Beatitude Ieronymos II, we visited the Isle of Lesvos, to be with the refugees and migrants. Seeing the despair on the faces of men, women and children uncertain of their future, listening helplessly as they related their experiences, and praying on the shore of the sea that has claimed the lives of so many innocent persons, was a tremendously moving experience. It made clear how much still needs to be done to ensure dignity and justice for so many of our brothers and sisters. A great consolation in that sad experience was the powerful spiritual and human closeness that I shared with Patriarch Bartholomew and Archbishop Ieronymos. Led by the Holy Spirit, we are coming to realize ever more clearly that we, Catholics and Orthodox, have a shared responsibility towards those in need, based on our obedience to the one Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord. Taking up this task together is a duty linked to the very credibility of our Christian identity. Consequently, I encourage every form of cooperation between Catholics and Orthodox in concrete undertakings in service to suffering humanity.
Your Eminence, dear brothers, the celebration of the Pan-Orthodox Council has recently concluded at Crete. Together with many of our Catholic brothers and sisters, and other Christians, I accompanied with my prayers the immediate preparation and the unfolding of the Council. Cardinal Koch and Bishop Farrell, who participated in the historic event as fraternal observers of the Catholic Church, have just returned from Crete; they will be able to inform me about the Council and the resolutions it adopted. May the Holy Spirit bring forth from this event abundant fruits for the good of the Church.
At the conclusion of this meeting, I renew my heartfelt gratitude to you for your presence and I assure you of my fraternal love and respect for the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Let us entrust our prayers and intentions to the intercession of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, Saints Peter and Paul, and Saint Andrew, the brother of Peter. And I ask you, please, to pray for me and for my ministry.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) One year from the publication of the “Motu Proprio” with which Pope Francis established the new Vatican Secretariat for Communication charged with reforming Vatican media, the Prefect of the Secretariat, Msgr. Dario Eduardo Viganò, gives a run-down of the work accomplished in the past 12 months and looks ahead to a new vision.
Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni :
In an interview with Vatican Radio’s Alessandro Gisotti, Msgr. Viganò points out that clear indications in the Pope’s “Motu Proprio” place the current digital culture at the center of the reform and change the perspective into a “User first” one that challenges us to “stop navel-gazing in the assumption that others are listening and looking at us”.
The media reform regards all the Vatican media outlets including the daily newspaper “L’Osservatore Romano”, Vatican Radio, CTV, the LEV publishing house, the typography and the Vatican Press Office.
Msgr. Viganò points out that some 85% of the population use mobile devices to connect to media. The Pope’s “Motu Proprio”, he says, is “an invitation to leave behind the arrogance of a unidirectional mode of communication” and to realize that we are called to bring the message of the Gospel to men and women of today who are immersed in new media.
Speaking of the past year of work, Msgr. Viganò says it has been an intense but “fascinating” time that has seen some 400 people involved in over 140 meetings in an effort to understand the existing potential and to draw up new projects. Some of these, he says, have resulted in investing in professional training and some staff members have been given the opportunity to “grow” by doing master degrees in business administration and communications.
Msgr. Viganò says the Pope himself and the C9 Council of Cardinals were extremely interested in their last meeting at the beginning of June to be updated on how the reform is proceeding. He says numbers were specifically spoken about because “the Cardinals will have to take responsibility for some of the decisions” to be made.
Regarding the technical aspects of the reform and the presentation of the new multi-media internet portal, Msgr. Viganò points out that “it’s all very well to have a new portal with better software, more options, etc., but the real reform takes place behind the scenes”. He describes the portal as the tip of an iceberg of a system in which everything will be produced by a concerted team effort: “we must learn to put our personal experience aside and put ourselves humbly in the position of learning because humility is the necessary way to approach the reform”.
And regarding the new portal itself, Msgr. Viganò explains it will feature videos, podcasts, images, print articles and live radio. He says the advantages for those who listen/watch/read us is that they will no longer be confused or “cannibalized” by turning to us.
Claiming that “we have been inexistent for the public”, he says that when Francis was elected Pope most people consulted Wikipedia to discover who Jorge Mario Bergoglio was and says there is much work to be done regarding web reputation and positioning.
“We must become ‘the source’ for Vatican and Papal news – not the official source (that’s the Press Office) but an important source’, he says.
Following an in depth analysis of the organizations that make up Vatican media, Msgr. Viganò says the Secretariat has come to the conclusion that it is the work of the people which is ultimately penalized: “it’s like a motor that has everything and yet does not work efficiently; instead of producing energy it produces only heat and ends up overheating and stalling. Here we have a motor; we want it to function properly so that it can go fast, so that it can put on the breaks, so that it can overtake when needed”.
Regarding the unification of Vatican Radio and CTV, Msgr. Viganò says a ‘repositioning’ and an ‘empowerment’ of the Radio’s “105 Live” local radio broadcasts will soon be a reality because, he says, it is important for the radio dimension to remain and people will be able to continue to listen to Vatican Radio in Italian. However he says it will possibly feature news broadcasts in other languages as well.
“As Fr Lombardi mentioned on the occasion of the Radio’s 80th anniversary, Vatican Radio is no longer a radio station” he said.
The different language programmes, Msgr. Viganò explains, will be the ‘beating heart’, the protagonists of the ‘hub content’ of the new portal with a slew of multi-linguistic and multi-cultural programmes with text content and audio that will be offered via podcasts.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis flew back to Italy Sunday evening after his Apostolic Voyage to Armenia. It was the fourteenth international journey of Pope Francis’ pontificate.
The Pope’s plane landed at Rome’s Ciampino Airport a little after 8:30 Sunday evening, after just under four hours of flight time.
Before returning to the Vatican, Pope Francis, as has become customary, paid a brief visit to the Basilica of St Mary Major, where he prayed before the icon of Mary, Salus Populi Romani (Protectress of the Roman People), in thanksgiving for the happy outcome of the Apostolic Voyage.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis spoke on the Armenian genocide, the relation of the Church to homosexuals, and Britain’s vote last week to leave the European Union, as well as a host of other topics in a wide-ranging press conference on his flight back to Rome following his Apostolic Voyage to Armenia.
Sunday’s in-flight press conference began with questions about the Apostolic Voyage to Armenia that Pope Francis had just concluded. Asked about his message for Armenia for the future, the Holy Father spoke about his hopes and prayers for justice and peace, and his encouragement that leaders are working to that end. In particular, he talked of the work of reconciliation with Turkey and with Azerbaijan. The Pope will be travelling to Azerbaijani later this year.
Pope Francis also spoke about his use of the word ‘genocide,’ acknowledging the legal import of the expression, but explaining that this was the term commonly in use in Argentina for the massacre of Armenians during the first World War.
During the press conference, Pope Francis also addressed a number of religious and ecumenical issues. Speaking about the controversy that arose from remarks by the Prefect of the Pontifical Household, Archbishop Georg Ganswein, who in a speech earlier this month had spoken of a shared “Petrine ministry,” Pope Francis insisted there was only one Pope, while praising the pope emeritus as a “great man of God.”
About the Pan-Orthodox Council, which concluded Sunday in Crete, the Pope said, “A step was made forward . . . I think the result was positive.” In response to a question about upcoming commemorations of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant “Reformation,” Pope Francis said, “I think perhaps this is also the right moment for us not only to remember the wounds on both sides, but also to recognize the gifts of the Reformation.” He also had words of praise for Martin Luther. The Pope praying and working together are important for fostering unity.
Pope Francis also answered a question about women deacons, and his decision to form a commission to study the issue. He said he was surprised and annoyed to hear that his remarks were interpreted to mean that the Church had opened the door to deaconesses. “This is not telling the truth of things,” he said. But, he continued, “women’s thought is important,” because they approach questions differently from men. “One cannot make a good decision without listening to women.
Reporters also questioned the Pope about recent events, including the recent “Brexit” vote in Britain. He said he had not had time to study the reasons for the British vote to leave the European Union, but noted that the vote showed “divisions,” which could also be seen in other countries. “Fraternity is better, and bridges are better than walls,” he said, but he acknowledged that there are “different ways of unity.” Creativity and fruitfulness are two key words for the European Union as it faces new challenges.
The secular press, meanwhile, latched onto remarks Pope Francis made concerning the Church’s relationship to homosexuals. Insisting once again that homosexuals must not be discriminated against, the Pope said that the Church should apologize to homosexuals and ask forgiveness for offending them – but he added, the Church should also ask forgiveness of any groups of persons who had been hurt by Christians who do not live up to the Gospel. There will always be good and bad Christians in the Church, he said, citing Christ’s parable of the wheat and the weeds. “All of us are saints, because all of us have the Holy Spirit. But we are all sinners, [and] I [am] the first.”
Finally, answering a question from Father Federico Lombardi, SJ, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Pope Francis reflected on his visit to the Memorial at Tzitzernakaberd, and his upcoming journey to Poland, which will include a visit to Auschwitz. The Pope said that in such places, he likes to reflect silently, “alone,” praying that the Lord might grant him “the grace of crying.”
At the conclusion of the press conference, Pope Francis thanked the reporters for their hard work and goodness.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) The Director of the Vatican Press Office has strongly dismissed Turkish accusations that Pope Francis adopted a “Crusades” mentality when he used the word “genocide” to describe the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians a century ago.
Fr. Federico Lombardi SJ was answering questions by journalists reporting on the papal journey in Armenia.
Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni :
The questions pertained to an angry statement late Saturday by Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli following the Pope’s use of the word “genocide” when referring to the Ottoman-era slaughter of Armenians.
Turkey in fact rejects the term genocide, saying the 1.5 million deaths cited by historians is an inflated figure and that people died on both sides as the Ottoman Empire collapsed amid World War I.
Nurettin Canikli called the Pope’s comments “greatly unfortunate” and said they bore the hallmarks of the “mentality of the Crusades.”
But responding to Canikli’s comments, Fr Lombardi said that nothing in Francis’ texts or actions had suggested a Crusades-like mentality or spirit.
“His is a spirit of dialogue”- Lombardi said – “of building peace, of building bridges and not walls.”
“The Pope – he added – is not doing Crusades”, “he has said no words against the Turkish people”.’
And Lombardi underlined the fact that Francis’ three-day visit to the Orthodox nation was one of peace and reconciliation with repeated calls for unity with Armenia’s Oriental Orthodox Church, a visit to the nation’s closed western border with Turkey and a joint declaration with the Apostolic Church leader.
(from Vatican Radio)…