Vatican City, 25 March 2015 (VIS) – On Sunday 21 June the Pope will visit Turin. Francis will arrive in the Italian city at 8 a.m. and, half an hour later, will meet with representatives of the world of work in the Piazzetta Reale. From there, he will move on to the Cathedral where he will pray before the Holy Shroud and before the altar of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. At 10.45 a.m. he will celebrate the Eucharist in Piazza Vittorio and will recite the Sunday Angelus prayer. Following Mass, the Pope will proceed to the Archbishop’s residence to lunch with young detainees from the “Ferrante Aporti” penitentiary for minors, several immigrants and homeless people, and a Rom family. At 2.40 p.m. he will visit the Sanctuary of the Consolata, where he will withdraw for a few minutes in private prayer. At 3 p.m., in the Basilica of Our Lady Help of Christians, where he will meet with Salesians and the Daughters of Our Lady Help of Christians. An hour later, in the Church of Cottolengo, he will meet with the sick and disabled. Back in Piazza Vittorio, at 6 p.m., he will meet with young people of the city, after which he will retire to the archbishop’s residence. On Monday 22, at 9 a.m., he will visit the Valdese Temple. Upon returning to the archbishop’s residence, where he will meet privately with some of his relatives. He will celebrate a Holy Mass with them in the Chapel and will lunch with them. Before his departure from “Torino Caselle” airport, he will pay a short visit to the members of the Committee of the Shroud, the organisers and supporters of his visit….
A special “pause in prayer” for the family and for life: this was the
heart of the General Audience on Wednesday, 25 March, the Solemnity of the
Annunciation. The Pope asked the faithful present in St Peter’s Square to pray
a Hail Mary and the prayer to the Holy Family composed for the Synod of
Bishops, recalling that the Church “like a mother, never never abandons the family, even when it is
miserable, wounded and humiliated in so many ways. Nor when it falls into sin,
or moves away from the Church; she will always do anything to try to take care
of it and heal it, to call it to conversion and to reconcile it to the Lord.”
The following is a translation of the Pope’s catechesis, which was give in
Italian. Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning! In our
series of catecheses on the family, today’s is a special step: it will be a
pause in prayer. Indeed,
on 25 March in the Church we solemnly celebrate the Annunciation, the mystery
of the Incarnation begins. The Archangel Gabriel visits a humble girl in
Nazareth and proclaims to her that she will conceive and bear the Son of God.
With this Annunciation the Lord illumines and strengthens Mary’s faith, as he
will also do for her spouse Joseph, so that Jesus might be born into a human family . This is very beautiful: it shows
us how deeply the mystery of the Incarnation, as God desired, comprehends not
only the conception in the mother’s womb, but also acceptance in a real family.
Today I would like to contemplate with you on the beauty of this bond, the
beauty of condescension of God; and we can do this by reciting the Hail Mary together, of which the first
part takes up the words of the Angel,
those he addressed to the Virgin. I invite you to pray together: “Hail
Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with you.
Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners
Now and at the hour of our death. Amen.” And now a second aspect: on 25
March, the Solemnity of the Annunciation, in many Countries the Day for Life is celebrated. That is why,
20 years ago, St John Paul II on this
day signed the Encyclical Evangelium
Vitae . In order to remember this
anniversary present in the Square today are many followers of the Pro-Life
Movement. In Evangelium Vitae, the family occupies a central plac e, as
it is the womb of human life. The word of my venerable Predecessor reminds us
that a human couple was blessed from the
beginning to form a community of love and life, entrusted with the mission to
generate life . Christian spouses, celebrating the Sacrament of Marriage,
make themselves open to honour this blessing, with the grace of Christ, for
their whole lives. The Church, for her part, is solemnly committed to care for the family that is
born, as a gift of God for her life, in good times and in bad: the bond between the Church and the family
is sacred and inviolable . The Church, like a mother, never abandons the
family, even when it is downhearted, wounded and humiliated in so many ways.
Nor when it falls into sin, or moves away from the Church; she will always do
everything to try to care for and heal it, to call it to conversion and to
reconcile it to the Lord. If this then is the task, it is
clear how much prayer the Church needs
in order to be able, in every age, to carry out
this mission! A prayer full of love for the family and for life. A
prayer that can rejoice with the rejoicing and suffer with the suffering. Here then is what I, together with
my co-workers, have thought to offer today: renewal
of prayer for the Synod of Bishops on the Family . We relaunch this
commitment until this coming October, when the Ordinary Synodal Assembly dedicated to the family will take place. I
would like that this prayer, as the whole journey of the Synod, be animated by
the compassion of the Good Shepherd for his flock, especially for people and
families that, for different reasons, are “harassed and helpless, like sheep
without a shepherd” (Mt 9:36). Thus, sustained and animated by the grace of
God, the Church can be ever more committed, and every more united, in the
witness of the truth of the love of God and of his mercy for the world’s
families, none excluded, both within the fold and without it. I ask you please do not fail to
pray. Everyone – Pope, cardinals, bishops, priests, men and women religious,
lay faithful – we are all called to pray for the Synod. This is
what is needed, not gossip! I
call to prayer also those who feel far
or who are no longer used to doing it. This prayer
for the Synod on the family is for the good of everyone. I know that this
morning you were given a holy card, which you are holding in your hands. I
invite you to keep it and carry it with you, so that in the coming months you
can recite it often, with holy persistence, as Jesus asked us to. Now let us
recite it together: Jesus,
Mary and Joseph in you
we contemplate the
splendour of true love, to you
in trust we turn. Holy
Family of Nazareth, make of
our families too places
of communion and cenacles of prayer, authentic
schools of the Gospel and
domestic Churches. Holy
Family of Nazareth, never
more let families face the experience of
violence, closure and division: whoever
has been wounded or scandalized let them
know immediate consolation and healing. Holy
Family of Nazareth, let the coming Synod of Bishops reawaken
in all awareness of the
sacred and inviolable character of the family, its
beauty in God’s plan. Jesus,
Mary and Joseph, hear,
answer our prayer, Amen. Special greetings I greet the
English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, including those from England, the Channel
Islands, Denmark, Germany, Malta, Qatar, Indonesia, Australia and the United
States of America. I greet in particular
the representatives of the Hindu Community of Kerala. Upon all of you, and your families, I invoke
an abundance of joy and peace in the Lord.
God bless you all! I greet with special affection workers
from the Province of Vibo Valentia, who are living in a grave economic
situation. I would like to join the interventions of their Bishop, Luigi Renso,
in expressing my concern and closeness to those facing these problems. I
address a heartfelt appeal that the logic of profit not prevail, but rather
that of solidarity and justice. At the centre of every situation, especially
work-related, should be the person and his or her dignity: that is why having
work is a matter of justice, and it is an injustice not to have work! When
people do not earn their bread, they
lose their dignity! And this is the drama of our times, especially for young
people, who, without work, have no prospects in their future and can so easily
become prey to criminal organizations. Please, let us fight for this: the
justice of work….
(Vatican Radio) At a rain-soaked General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis called for renewed prayers for the upcoming Synod of Bishops in the Family.
After meeting briefly with a group of sick people gathered in the Paul VI Hall, Pope Francis greeted pilgrims in Saint Peter’s Square. The Pope began his reflection by noting that March 25th, the Solemnity of the Annunciation, marks a special stage in the journey of catechesis on the family, a moment to pause for prayer. The Annunciation, the “beginning of the mystery of the Incarnation” shows that God willed for His Only-begotten Son to not only be conceived in the womb of a mother, but to be welcomed into a true family. Pope Francis led his audience in the recitation of the Hail Mary as a means of contemplating the beauty of this relationship between God and mankind.
The Holy Father then noted that March 25th is celebrated in many countries as the Day of Life; it is also the twentieth anniversary of the encyclical Evangelium vitae by St John Paul II. Pope Francis noted that the family occupies a central place in the encyclical. “The words of my venerable Predecessor remind us that the human couple was blessed by God from the beginning to form a community of love and life, to which He entrusted the mission of procreation,” the Pope said, and Christian spouses open themselves to the blessing of children.
The Church too, he said, “is solemnly committed to the care of the family that results from it, as a gift of God for her own life, in good fortune and in bad: the bond between the Church and the family is sacred and inviolable.” The Church never abandons families, even when they are weak and wounded, but always seeks to heal them.
To complete this mission, the Pope continued, there is great need for prayer, prayer which is full of love for the family and for life. For that reason, Pope Francis asked for a great renewal of our prayers for the upcoming Synod of Bishops on the Family, set for next October. “I would like for this prayer, and the whole Synod journey, to be animated by the compassion of the Good Shepherd for His flock, especially for persons and families that, for different reasons, are ‘troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd’.” Everyone, from the Pope to the lay faithful, are called to pray for the Synod. There is great need for prayer, he repeated, and not for gossip or chatter.
To renew this prayer, Pope Francis offered a special prayer for the upcoming Synod, in which he led the crowd. The full text of the prayer, in an unofficial translation, can be found at the end of the full text of Pope Francis’ remarks for the General Audience:
Dear brothers and sisters, good day!
But good day… but it’s not a pretty day, eh? Today the Audience is in two different places, as we do when it rains: you here in the Square, and many sick people in the Paul VI Hall, who are following the audience on the big screens. Now, as a gesture of brotherly courtesy, let us greet them with a round of applause. [Those in the Square applaud.] It’s not easy to applaud with an umbrella in hand, eh?
In our journey of catechesis on the family, today is a somewhat special stage: It will be a break for prayer.
In the Church on March 25th, we solemnly celebrate the Annunciation, the beginning of the mystery of the Incarnation. The Archangel Gabriel visits the humble girl of Nazareth, and announces that she will conceive and bear the Son of God. With this Announcement, the Lord illumines and strengthens the faith of Mary, as He will later do for her husband, Joseph, so that Jesus could be born in a human family. This is very beautiful: it shows us how profoundly the mystery of the Incarnation, just as God wanted, comprises not only the conception in the womb of the mother, but also being welcomed into a true family. Today I want to contemplate with you the beauty of this bond, the beauty of this condescension of God; and we can do so by reciting together the Hail Mary, which in the first part resumes the very words that the Angel addressed to the Virgin. I invite you to pray together :
[In Italian] Hail Mary, full of grace…
And now a second aspect: On March 25, the Solemnity of the Annunciation, the Day of Life is celebrated in many countries. For this reason, twenty years ago, Saint John Paul II on this date signed the Encyclical Evangelium vitae. To celebrate this anniversary, many members of the Movement for Life are in the Square today. In Evangelium vitae the family occupies a central place, insofar as it is the womb of human life. The words of my venerable Predecessor remind us that the human couple was blessed by God from the beginning to form a community of love and life, to which He entrusted the mission of procreation. Christian spouses, celebrating the Sacrament of Matrimony, open themselves to honour this benediction, with the grace of God, for all of life. The Church, for her part, is solemnly committed to the care of the family that results from it, as a gift of God for her own life, in good fortune and in bad: the bond between the Church and the family is sacred and inviolable. The Church, as a mother, never abandons the family, even when it is disheartened, wounded, and mortified in so many ways; it will always do everything to seek to cure and heal it, to invite it to conversion and to reconcile it with the Lord.
So then, if this is the task, it appears clear how much prayer the Church needs in order to be up to fulfilling this mission at all times! A prayer full of love for the family and for life. A prayer that knows how to rejoice with those who rejoice, and to suffer with those who suffer.
So here is what I, with my collaborators, have thought to propose today: to renew the prayer for the Synod of the Bishops on the family. We are taking up this commitment again next October, when the ordinary Assembly of the Synod, dedicated to the family, will take place. I would like for this prayer, and the whole Synod journey, to be animated by the compassion of the Good Shepherd for His flock, especially for persons and families that, for different reasons, are “troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd” (Mt 9:36). So, sustained and animated by the grace of God, the Church can be ever more committed, and ever more united, in the witness of the truth of the love of God and of His mercy for the families of the world, excluding none, whether within or outside the flock. I ask you, please, to not neglect your prayer. All of us – the Pope, Cardinals, Bishops, priests, religious, lay faithful – we are all called to pray for the Synod. There is need of this, not of chatter! I also invite those who feel far away, or who are not accustomed to do so, to pray. This prayer for the Synod on the Family is for the good of everyone. I know that this morning you were given a little prayer card, which you have in your hands. It might be a little wet. I invite you to hold on to it and keep it with you, so that in the coming months you can recite it often, with holy insistence, as Jesus has asked us. Now, let us say it together:
Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
In you we contemplate
The splendour of true love,
We turn to you with confidence.
Holy Family of Nazareth,
Make our families, also,
Places of communion and cenacles of prayer,
Authentic schools of the Gospel,
And little domestic Churches.
Holy Family of Nazareth
May our families never more experience
Violence, isolation, and division:
May anyone who was wounded or scandalized
Rapidly experience consolation and healing.
Holy Family of Nazareth,
May the upcoming Synod of Bishops
Re-awaken in all an awareness
Of the sacred character and inviolability of the family,
Its beauty in the project of God.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
Hear and answer our prayer. Amen.
(Unofficial translation)
(from Vatican Radio)…
SIGNIS Services Rome (SSR) has introduced a new Reporter Kit which offers multi-media solutions for journalists in the field. The kit is ideal for Catholic radio and television in Africa. With this kit, freelance and media journalists will find user-friendly tools that enable them produce content, ready to go online or for broadcast at their convenience. It is as it were a mini mobile studio.
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The SIGNIS Reporters Kit comes in three models: First is the entry kit for audio productions, then there is the medium range kit for multi-media productions as well as the top of the range kit for professional audio and video.
SIGNIS is the World Catholic Association for Communications. It headquarters is in Brussels, Belgium but it also has a branch in Rome, Italy that offers specialised services such as the provision of equipment and training. SIGNIS has members from over 140 countries. The aim of SIGNIS is to bring together Catholic radio, television, cinema, video, media education, Internet, and new technology professionals. Its very diversified programmes cover fields such as the promotion of films or television programmes (juries at important festivals: Cannes, Berlin, Monte Carlo, Venice, Ouagadougou and Zanizibar…), the creation of radio, video, and television studios, production and distribution of programmes, supplying specialised equipment and training professionals.
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e-mail: engafrica@vatiradio.va
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has expressed his closeness to the families of the victims of a plane crash in the French Alps.
In a telegram released on Tuesday, the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin writes that the Holy Father “joins in the grief of the families” of the victims, which include many children. Pope Francis is also praying for those who died “entrusting them to the mercy of God” and he has expressed his sympathy for all those affected by the tragedy, including rescue workers who are carrying out their duties in difficult conditions.
The German A320 Airbus carrying 150 people came down in a remote, snow-covered mountainous region in the French Alps. There were no survivors. The cause of the crash is not yet known, however, the first black box flight recorder has been located. Weather at the time of the crash was calm, but it later deteriorated and there are forecasts of snow Wednesday further hampering search efforts.
The Germanwings flight was travelling non-stop from Barcelona in Spain to Duesseldorf in Germany. Germanwings spokesman Thomas Winklemann said the descent lasted for eight minutes.
16 of those aboard the plane were pupils from Joseph-Koenig school in the German town of Haltern, returning from an exchange trip. A memorial mass was held Tuesday for the victims and the local church remained opened all night for those wishing to mourn.
The leaders of Germany, France and Spain are due to visit the crash site.
Below, please find the full text of the telegram for the air crash in France:
Having learned of the tragic plane crash in the region of Digne, which caused many casualties, including many children, His Holiness Pope Francis joins in the grief of the families, expressing his closeness to them in sorrow. He prays for peace for the deceased, entrusting them to the mercy of God that He might welcome them into His dwelling place of peace and light. He expresses his deep sympathy for all those touched by this tragedy, as well as for the rescue workers working in difficult conditions. The Holy Father asks the Lord to give strength and consolation to all, and, as a comfort, he invokes upon them the abundance of divine Blessings.
(from Vatican Radio)…