Vatican City, 26 May 2015 (VIS) – The Ordinary Council of the Synod of Bishops today completed its two-day meeting to prepare for the 14th Ordinary General Assembly on the theme “The vocation and the mission of the family in the Church and in the contemporary world”, to be held from 4 to 25 October in the Vatican. The Council was chaired by the Holy Father, who met with Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri and Bishop Fabio Fabene (respectively secretary general and under-secretary of the Synod of Bishops) last week, and whose presence underlined the importance he attributes to the current Synod path.
Yesterday, 25 May, and this morning, the Council closely examined the plan for the Instrumentum laboris resulting from the Relatio Synodi of the Extraordinary Assembly, integrated with numerous contributions provided by the answers to the questions included in the Lineamenta sent by the Episcopal Conferences and other competent entities, as well as the many contributions received by the Secretariat General from various ecclesial bodies and individual faithful. An extensive and detailed study of the text has generated proposals and contributions for its integration and improvement. The text, thus revised and shared by the members of the Council, has been entrusted to the Secretariat General for its final redaction, translation in various languages and publication, which will take place in a few weeks’ time.
Following the examination of the Instrumentum laboris, proposals from the Secretariat General for updating the working method for the upcoming Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops were presented….
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a Message to the Procurator-General of the Congregation of the Oratory, Fr. Mario Alberto Avilés, C.O., to mark the fifth centenary of the birth of the founder of the “Oratorians”, St. Philip Neri. The Message was sent to coincide with the liturgical memory of St. Philip Neri on May 26 th , though the Saint’s 500 th birthday is later this year: on July 15 th .
St. Philip Neri was a priest of Rome, and a renowned pastor and confessor in his own time, who had special care for the poor children of the city, founding for them a school and later a college. H e also instituted the Visit to the Seven Churches – a pilgrimage that took people from all walks of life on long treks to visit the ancient basilicas in the Roman countryside.
Click below to hear our report
In his Message, Pope Francis writes, “Thanks also to the apostolate of St. Philip, commitment to the salvation of souls returned to be a priority for the Church; once again, the Church recovered its understanding that pastors have to be with their people to guide and support their faith.” The Pope goes on to say, “St. Philip Neri remains a luminous model of the permanent mission of the Church in the world.”
The Congregation of the Oratory, which St. Philip Neri founded, is the first example of secular priests living a communal life: The idea of the Oratory soon spread through Italy and Europe, and today, Oratories can be found in many nations throughout the world.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) The IOR, the Institute for Works of Religion, released its Annual Report for 2014 on Monday, showing a net profit of 69.3 million Euros, a substantial increase from the 2.9 million reported in 2013.
IOR media officer Max Hehnberg told Vatican Radio that 2014 was a positive year financially, but “within the norm” for what is widely known as the Vatican bank. The net gains, the Institute said, are the result of a reorganization of the accounts and “mainly due to an increase in the Net Trading Income from securities and a decline in extraordinary operating expenses.”
“The main focus is on fundamentally improving our overall client service standards and further professionalizing our asset management services”, said Jean-Baptiste de Franssu in a statement. “Next to providing seamless and reliable payment solutions this is at the core of our plan within the new regulatory framework introduced in the Vatican and given the recently signed tax agreement between the Holy See and Italy”.
The statement said further strengthening of IOR compliance culture and resources is a priority coupled with the establishment of new internal audit and risk management functions. In particular, the systematic efforts towards implementation of anti-money laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures under supervision of Vatican regulator AIF have continued and procedures are regularly monitored and further developed where necessary.
The Vatican Bank serves some 15,000 customers who maintain 6 billion euro in assets entrusted to the IOR. From May 2013 to 31 December 2014 the IOR closed 4,614 relationships with its customers, of which 2,600 were “dormant” or inactive or small balance accounts. 554 accounts were closed which did not fit in the categories of authorized client accounts and a further 1,460 were terminated for natural attrition. Another 274 accounts are in the process of termination.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis says that being with people does him good.
In a long and very personal interview with Juan Beretta, a reporter from the Argentinean newspaper “La Voz Del Pueblo”, the Pope speaks of his feelings of when he was elected Pope, of how he misses walking the streets, using public transport and sitting down for a pizza, of how he feels moved and sad when he meets sick children, prison inmates and people who’ve had no opportunities in life, of how he would like to be remembered “as someone who did some good”.
The interview, conducted in the privacy of his residence at Casa Santa Marta, offers some insights into the everyday life of Francis who says that never would he have expected to be elected as the Successor of Peter, but of how the life of a religious, “a Jesuit, undergoes change according to necessity”.
Did not expect to be elected Pope
To the question whether he had ever “dreamt” of becoming Pope, Francis says: “Never! Nor, for that matter, of becoming a President or an Army General – as some children do! I never did. ”
He speaks of the years in which his life, as a Jesuit, changed according to the situations. And he says that when he travelled to Rome to vote in the last Conclave, he had a return ticket in his pocket and an unfinished homily on his desk at home. “For British bookmakers the odds of me becoming Pontiff were given at 46 to 1!” he laughs.
Asked how he felt when he was elected Pope on March 13, 2013, Francis said he felt “great peace”. During the casting of the last ballots he was left alone to pray the rosary and was given words of encouragement by his friend Cardinal Claudio Hummes who told him not to worry because “the Holy Spirit was taking care of everything”.
Afterwards, he says, he was led into the Sacristy where he changed his cassock, and stepping out on the balcony, the words he pronounced just came to him: “I felt so much peace and the words came from my heart”.
Being with people makes me feel good
Regarding his exceptional relationship with people, Pope Francis says that “being with people does me good”. He says that people understand him and comprehend what he wants to say. “Psychologically I can’t be far from people”.
And speaking of everyday life in the Casa Santa Marta he explains it is an ordinary guest house for some 40 people who work for the Holy See and for visiting bishops, priests and lay people. He says they all share their meals in the dining room and attend Mass together four mornings a week.
I miss going out for a “pizza,” but I do not like “protocol”
Talking about what he misses most today, the Pope says: “walking”. Going out into the streets and sitting down for pizza: “Ordering one in the Vatican is not the same thing.” He reveals that he has always been a big walker and back in Argentina he used to catch the subway and really “live the city”. He tells of the time when he forgot to roll up the window in the vehicle he was being driven in “and chaos erupted” when the people in the street realized it was the Pope in the car and they crowded around in excitement “and the car couldn’t get passed”. He says he known for “lacking in discipline” and confesses that although he finds protocol cold, today he says that in official occasions he “keeps to it totally”.
Wakeup at 4am after a good night’s sleep
Notwithstanding the grave responsibilities tied to his role, Pope Francis says he sleeps deeply for six hours in a row. He awakes (no need for an alarm clock!) at 4am and recharges thanks to a 40” siesta during the day.
Before falling asleep in the evening Francis reads a little; he reveals he is currently reading a book about the great spiritual teacher Saint Silouan the Athonite.
Does the Pope cry?
In his homilies Pope Francis often refers to the importance of “being able to cry” and feel “tenderness”. He speaks in the interview of the times he himself has been moved to tears when confronted with “human dramas” – in particular, he speaks of the drama of the “Rohinga people” and more generally of his sadness when he meets sick children: When I see them – he says – I ask the Lord ‘why them and not me?’
The Pope also speaks of being deeply moved when visiting people who are in prison because “no one can be sure he will never commit a crime and end up in prison”. And speaking of inmates Francis says he asks himself why is it that they have never had the same opportunities in life that he has?.
The Pope says he does not cry publically, but it has happened that he has just managed to keep back his tears, such as when recently he was talking about “the persecutions of Christians in Iraq and the fate of the children there”.
Keeping on working at a fast pace
Francis describes himself as having quite a bold and daring character, therefore generally – he says – he is not afraid. As regards the possibility of being the target of an attack he says he is serene “and in the hands of God”, but he confesses to fear physical pain and suffering.
Regarding the pressure he feels as he carries out his Ministry, the Pope says the work is intense and sometimes he suffers from a sort of an “end-of-year” syndrome when one is faced with an intense workload and the fatigue of having to tackle exams.
In his work, he mentions specifically the peril of being taken out of context by the media, and he says he does not follow the political evolution of his homeland, Argentina, which he says is land of much potential and many wasted opportunities.
Does not watch TV, surf the internet or follow football
Helping him keep up to date with world affairs, Pope Francis leafs through the Italian daily newspaper “La Repubblica” in the morning for not more than ten minutes.
He says he has not watched television since 1990 when he made a promise to Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
And regarding his being a football fan who roots for Buenos Aires’ San Lorenzo team, Pope Francis says he does not watch games any more but there is a Swiss Guard in the Vatican who keeps him up to date with results.
The Pope of the poor
When asked whether he is happy to be called the Pope of the poor, Francis says that poverty is at the heart of the Gospel: “Jesus came to preach to the poor, it is impossible to take poverty away from the Gospel”.
The Pope says the worst evils in the world today are “poverty, corruption, human trafficking”.
Although many believe that the eradication of poverty is a utopia, the Pope says ideals are what move us forward. He says that it would be very sad if young people were not utopian and idealistic. He lists three things we should all keep in mind as we face the problems that arise: “memory, the capacity to see the present, a utopian vision for the future”.
In conclusion, when asked how he would like to be remembered, Francis’s answer is simple: “As a person who has done his best to do good. I have no other claim”.
(from Vatican Radio)…
Speaking on the occasion of Africa Liberation Day or Africa Freedom Day being celebrated by many African countries on 25 May 2015, the President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Peter Kodwo Appiah Cardinal Turkson has spoken passionately about the need for African governments to work towards nation building. Cardinal Turkson, who originates from Ghana, was speaking in Rome in an interview with Fr. Paul Samasumo of Radio Vatican’s English Service for Africa.
“A number of people in Africa value the sense of solidarity and belonging to tribal groups than to national groups,” he has said.
According to Cardinal Turkson, most African governments have not been able to achieve nation building and nationhood. The Cardinal says, “The historical creation of country boundaries in Africa was not done with a sense of dignity by colonial powers. The boundary making disregarded the question of who lives where and other crucial factors. Hence, this has contributed to challenges of nation building on the African continent,” the Cardinal Turkson said.
Christians in Africa, the Cardinal emphasised, should particularly be at the forefront and speak the language of Saint Paul who says, ‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). “This has not happened in several places in Africa – and Europe as well. If that happens, one would expect that at least in the Church our sense of communion would supersede that of our tribal belonging. The value of ‘Family of God’ should drive people to realise that in a family there is belonging and fairness; in a family, relationships are reconciled and built,” he said.
Asked about one of Africa’s present challenges, migration and the current tragedies of young people dying in the Mediterranean sea on their way to Europe, Cardinal Turkson said that he appreciates what the European Union and what all other concerned groups are trying to do. He however says, “We should first learn to turn off the tap and not limit ourselves to mopping the water. It is of paramount importance to investigate questions about where the migrants are coming from and what is making them flee,” he said.
The Cardinal says that migration is a challenging issue that heads of states and governments in Africa need to look at seriously. He says that African youth are the ones who are capable of carrying out development on the continent and if they are abandoning the continent it would be difficult to develop Africa. “The human person, human capital is one of the greatest assets we have for development in Africa hence the need to invest in the capabilities of these young people and making them contribute to nation building is the way forward for Africa,” he said.
The Cardinal further challenged Africa to invest in the education of its people and make resources available to them.
(By Rudolph Nyamudo and Fr. Paul Samasumo/Vatican Radio)
e-mail: engafrica@vatiradio.va
(from Vatican Radio)…