Vatican City, 9 April 2015 (VIS) – This morning Pope Francis received in audience twenty bishops of the Synod of the Armenian Catholic Church, who will attend next Sunday’s Holy Mass to be celebrated for faithful of Armenian rite in St. Peter’s Basilica, during which St. Gregory of Narek will be proclaimed a Doctor of the Church. In the discourse he addressed to the bishops, the Holy Father remarked that on Sunday they will “raise a prayer of Christian intercession for the sons and daughters of your beloved people, who were made victims a hundred years ago”, and invoked Divine Mercy “so that it might help all, in the love for truth and justice, to heal every wound and to expedite concrete gestures of reconciliation and peace between the nations that still have not managed to reach a reasonable consensus on the interpretation of these sad events”. Francis greeted all the clergy and lay faithful of the Armenian Catholic Church, many of whom have accompanied the bishops to Rome in these days, as well as “those who live in the countries of the diaspora, such as the United States, Latin America, Europe, Russia, Ukraine, up to the Motherland”. He added, “I think with particular sadness of those areas, such as that of Aleppo, that a hundred years ago were a safe haven for the few survivors. In such regions the stability of Christians, not only Armenians, has latterly been placed in danger”. “Your people, whom tradition recognises as the first to convert to Christianity in 301, has a two thousand-year history and preserves an admirable patrimony of spirituality and culture, united with a capacity for recovery amid the many persecutions and trials to which it has been subjected. I invite you always to cultivate a sentiment of acknowledgement of the Lord, for having been capable of maintaining fidelity to Him even during the most difficult periods. It is important, furthermore, to ask of God the gift of wisdom of the heart: the commemoration of the victims of a hundred years ago indeed places us before the darkness of the mysterium iniquitatis”. “As the Gospel tells us, from the depths of the human heart there may emerge the darkest powers, capable of planning the systematic annihilation of one’s brother, of considering him an enemy, an adversary, or even without the same human dignity”, he observed. “But for believers the issue of the evil committed by man also introduces the mystery of participation in the redemptive Passion: a number of sons and daughters of the Armenian nation were capable of pronouncing Christ’s name to the point of shedding their blood or of death by starvation during the interminable exodus they were forced to undertake”. “The painful pages in the history of your people continue, in a certain sense, the Passion of Christ, but in each one of these there is also the germ of the Resurrection. There is no lack of commitment among you, Pastors, to the education of the lay faithful to enable them to interpret reality with new eyes, in order to be able to say every day: my people consists not only of those who suffer for Christ, but above all of those who are risen in Him. Therefore it is important to remember the past, in order to draw from it the new lymph needed to nurture the present with the glorious announcement of the Gospel and with the witness of charity. I encourage you to support the path of continuing formation of priests and consecrated persons. They are your first collaborators; the communion between them and you will be strengthened by the exemplary fraternity they may observe in the Synod and with the Patriarch”. The Pope expressed his gratitude to those who made efforts to alleviate the sufferings of their ancestors, making special reference to Pope Benedict XV “who intervened before the Sultan Mehmet V to bring an end to the massacre of the Armenians”, and who was “a great friend of the Christian Orient: he established the Congregation for the Oriental Churches and the Pontifical Oriental Institute, and in 1920 he inscribed St. Ephrem the Syrian among the Doctors of the Universal Church”. Francis continued, “I am pleased that our meeting takes place on the eve of the same gesture I will have the pleasure of performing on Sunday regarding the great figure of St. Gregory of Narek”. “To his intercession, I entrust in particular the ecumenical dialogue between the Catholic Armenian Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church, aware of the fact that the ‘ecumenism of blood’ has already been achieved through the martyrdom and persecution that took place one hundred years ago”, he concluded. “I now invoke the Lord’s blessing upon you and your faithful, and I ask you not to forget to pray for me”….
(Vatican Radio) An international Congress for instructors for Consecrated Life kicked off Wednesday in Rome following a prayer vigil Tuesday for the success of the initiative. The April 7-11 Congress has as its theme “To live in Christ according to the Form of Life of the Gospel – Formed to consecrated life in the heart of the Church and of the world.”
Listen to Tracey McClure’s report:
In remarks at the opening of the Congress, the Prefect for the Congregation for Consecrated Life, Cardinal João Braz de Aviz recalled that over the next few days, religious – including hermits, monks, brothers and sisters – of institutes of consecrated life would be reflecting on the basic identity of their calling in the Church and the world, and on formational needs to meet today’s challenges.
He recalled Pope Francis’ invitation “to look to the past with gratitude” and to “look at the signs of the times through the eyes of faith and to respond creatively to the needs of the Church.” He noted new geographical and cultural challenges which can disorient one today but invited those present to “live the present with passion,” putting the Gospel message into action in their daily lives.
Living the present with passion means becoming “experts in communion, witnesses and artisans” of communion, he said.
In a conflict-torn society where different cultures struggle to find balance amidst inequalities and injustices, Cardinal de Aviz said we are called to offer “a concrete model” of fraternal community where the dignity and gifts inherent in each person are recognized and appreciated.
Calling for the consecrated to “embrace the future with hope,” Cardinal de Aviz acknowledged the difficulties surrounding various forms of consecrated life, including aging and fewer vocations, economic problems, the challenges of globalization, the “insidiousness of relativism, marginalization and social irrelevance.” Despite these, the Cardinal encouraged those present to look with hope to the Lord for whom “nothing is impossible” so that they can continue to contribute in great ways to the Church’s mission.
(from Vatican Radio)…
Profound sorrow for the
death of Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte, Archbishop emeritus of Montréal, was
expressed by the Pope in a telegram sent to the cardinal’s successor,
Archbishop Christian Lépine. “As we are celebrating the Resurrection of the
Lord”, the Pope writes, “I implore [Him] to welcome into the light of eternal
life this faithful Pastor who served the Church with dedication”. He served
“not only in his diocese but also on a national level as President of the
Episcopal Conference of Canada, and at the same time he was a member of various
dicasteries in Rome. A zealous pastor, attentive to the challenges of the
contemporary Church, he actively participated in the Synod of Bishops in 1994
on ‘Consecrated Life and its mission in the Church and in the world’ and was
one of the leaders at the Synod in 1997 on America”. Cardinal Jean-Claude
Turcotte, who had been seriously ill for some time, was a patient in Hôpital
Marie-Clarac in Montréal, where he died on Wednesday, 8 April. Turcotte was
born in Montréal on 26 June 1936 and was
ordained a priest on 24 May 1959. He was appointed to the titular see of Suas on 14 April 1982. He was appointed
Auxiliary Bishop of Montréal and received his episcopal ordination on 29 June
1982. On 17 March 1990 he was appointed Archbishop of Montréal. John Paul II
created him a cardinal at the Consistory of 26 November 1994 with the Title of
Nostra Signora del Santissimo Sacramento e dei Santi martiri Canadesi. On 20
March 2012 he resigned as Archbishop of
Montréal….
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis held his weekly General Audience on Wednesday, during which he continued his catechetical series on the family, concluding his reflections on the role of children in family life. Below, please find the English summary of the Holy Father’s prepared remarks.
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Dear Brothers and Sisters: Today we continue our reflection on children, the greatest blessing which God has bestowed on man and woman. I wish to focus our attention on the suffering which many children are experiencing. From the first moments of their lives, some are rejected, abandoned, and robbed of their infancy and future. There are those who say it is a mistake to bring these children into the world, due to their fragility, and the hunger and poverty they suffer. But children are never a mistake, and their sufferings are only reasons for us to love them even more.
Every child who begs on the streets, who is denied an education or medical care, is a cry to God. Too often, these children become prey to criminals, who exploit them for commerce or violence. Even in wealthy countries, they suffer due to family crises and living conditions which are at times inhumane. In every case, their childhood is violated in body and soul. How did Jesus respond to the children and their parents who brought them to him: “Let the children come to me… for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven” ( Mt 19:14). How beautiful the trust of these parents, and the response of Jesus! And there are many extraordinary parents who daily make sacrifices for their children.
The Church offers her maternal care to all children and their families, and she brings them the blessing of Jesus. May we always care for our children, not counting the cost, so that they may never believe themselves to be mistakes, but always know their infinite worth.
Greetings :
I offer an affectionate greeting to all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at today’s Audience, including those from England, Ireland, Sweden, Nigeria, Japan, Thailand, Canada and the United States. May the Risen Lord confirm you in faith and make you witnesses of his love and mercy to all people. May God bless you!
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Cardinal Péter Erdo, President of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE) and the Anglican Bishop Christopher Hill, President of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) have released a joint message marking International Roma Day (8 April 2015)
Please find below the full text of the message in English:
Every human being is created in the image of God, whatever their language and culture may be. This conviction is shared by Christians and churches. Jesus Christ has called us to proclaim the good news to everyone, but especially to the poor and marginalised. We appeal to our communities to become more and more open toward the Roma people, who are often excluded and live in poverty at the margins of society.
Despite hardships throughout their history, Roma minorities have maintained a rich culture that includes values such as family life, love of children, faith in God, respect toward the dead, and enjoyment of music and dance. We regard this culture as a gift of the Creator, deserving respect and support.
The present situation of too many Roma people throughout Europe is deplorable. Major problems include racism against the Roma in speech and action across Europe, high unemployment, lack of professional training and, consequently, utter poverty.
At the same time some positive trends can be observed in European societies. More Roma youth study in high schools and universities. Awareness about and sensitivity towards the Roma population is growing.
Christian churches, priests, pastors and lay people have tried to help their Roma brothers and sisters in many ways for centuries. Our conviction is, that beside education and employment, the human heart is a third and important pillar in the development of relations with Roma people.
Our churches in many places help Roma communities improve their social integration—not to be misunderstood as assimilation—while preserving Roma culture. We do this with after-school teaching, medical services, food, juridical and other counselling, and so on. We summon our communities to stand by these initiatives, to become real brothers and sisters to the needy.
To move forward in justice is to work for reconciliation with this past. We must build new just relationships with Roma people and commit ourselves to the difficult and worthy task of healing and reconciliation.
Jesus told the scribes at the end of the parable of the Good Samaritan: ‘Go, and do the same thing!’ Let us take up this Gospel challenge and become true brothers and sisters of the poor!
(from Vatican Radio)…