(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met privately with the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize winners on Saturday, calling them “architects of peace.”
The 2015 Prize went to Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet, for what the Nobel Committee called “its decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution of 2011.”
Pope Francis met for 15 minutes with Mohamed Fadhel Mahfoudh, Abdessatar Ben Moussa, Wided Bouchamaoui, and Houcine Abbassi on Saturday morning.
The four represented the Tunisian General Labour Union; the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts; the Tunisian Human Rights League, and the Tunisian Order of Lawyers. The four organizations helped to establish a new constitution and presidential elections last year after a series of political assassinations in 2013.
During the meeting, Pope Francis said they accomplished their work “with their hands and their hearts,” and praised the methodology they used for dialogue and bringing stability to Tunisia.
The Nobel Laureates, for their part, thanked Pope Francis for receiving them, and called him a “true man of peace.” The gave the Pope a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday greeted employees of Italian National Social Security Institute in St Peter’s Square, where he stressed the importance of supporting the dignity of work and workers.
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In his prepared remarks to the estimated 23 thousand employees and executives of the Italian National Social Security Institute or INPS, gathered in St Peter’s Square on Saturday, Pope Francis told them that they had an important role in society in that they have been entrusted with, what the Holy Father defined at the right to rest.
The Pope was referring not only to benefits of which every employee is entitled but also to spiritual rest such as on a Sunday, the rest God wanted on the seventh day.
The Holy Father noted the challenges that those at the Institute have to face in today’s society, especially with regards to insufficient employment and often the precarious nature of work.
Pope Francis went on to stress that it was important to remember those who were especially in need of their attention, such as, unemployed workers and their families, working mothers, pensioners, and those who have the right to retire, and those who have suffered work related injuries
Work, underlined the Pope, cannot be a mere cog in a mechanism that grinds resources to earn more and more profits while sacrificing values and principles. He also said, it was imperative to support the dignity of work, to work for those who work and for those who are not able to. Support the weakest, the Pope concluded “so that everyone has the chance to have the freedom to live a truly human life.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio/VIS) Pope Francis on Friday morning received in audience the governor general of Grenada, Cecile Ellen Fleurette La Grenade in the Vatican Apostolic Palace.
La Grenade subsequently met with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States.
During the cordial discussions, emphasis was placed on the good bilateral relations between the Holy See and Grenada, as well as the important contribution of the Catholic Church to the development of the country, especially with reference to social challenges and the education of the young.
Finally, the encounter was concluded with an overview of the situation of the Caribbean region, with particular reference to economic problems and environmental issues linked to climate changes.
Listen to Devin Watkins’ report:
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis urged pro-life supporters on Friday (6th November) to continue their important work of defending human life at all stages whilst also taking into account the difficult situations that many of our brothers and sisters have to face or endure. He was speaking to participants at a national conference organized by the Italian Pro-Life Movement.
The Pope said in the existential dynamics, everything is interrelated and we need to nurture personal and social sensitivity, both about welcoming a new life and about those situations of poverty and exploitation that affect the weakest and most disadvantaged people.
Quoting from his encyclical Laudato Si, Pope Francis asked how can we genuinely teach the importance of concern for other vulnerable human beings, if we fail to protect a human embryo? As disciples of Christ, helping a wounded human life means reaching out to all people in need, putting ourselves by their side and sharing their fragility and their pain. How many families and old and young people, he said, are vulnerable because of poverty, sickness, the lack of a job or a home.
Comparing the pro-life supporters to good Samaritans, the Pope noted that when faced with the various threats to human life they have stayed close to their most fragile neighbours to ensure that none of the many people living in precarious situations are excluded or discarded by society. He urged them to continue their work protecting the unborn but also the many people who are seeking a healthier and more dignified existence.
In conclusion, Pope Francis reminded his listeners that we need to promote and defend the family, above all when it concerns the gift of children and affirming the dignity of women. He said he was pleased to note that the Pro-Life Movement’s Help Centres are open to everybody, regardless of their religion or nationality and pointed to the significant number of immigrant women who seek help there.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) In his homily during Mass on Friday morning, Pope Francis said the Church is called to serve, not to be concerned solely with business affairs; and that Bishops and priests must overcome the temptation to live a “double life.” He warned, too, about “climbers,” those who are attached to money. Pope Francis developed his homily based on two images of servants presented in the readings from the day’s liturgy. First, he presented the figure of Saint Paul “who gave himself completely to service, always” such that he ended up in Rome betrayed by those who were close to him, and “condemned.” Where did this greatness of the Apostles come from? the Pope asked. It came from Jesus Christ, and Saint Paul “boasts of serving Him, of being chosen, of having the strength of the Holy Spirit.” The Christian is called to serve, not to be served He was the servant who served, the Pope said, “he ministered, laying the foundation, that is, announcing Jesus Christ” and “he never stopped to take advantage of his position, of his authority, of being served. He was a minister, a servant in order to serve, not to be served.” “I tell you how much joy I have,” Pope Francis said, “what moves me, when in this Mass some priests come up and greet me: ‘O Father, I have come here to find my own people, because for forty years I have been a missionary in the Amazon.’ Or a sister who says, ‘No, I have worked for thirty years in a hospital in Africa.’ Or when I find a little sister who for thirty, forty years is working in the department of the hospital with the disabled, always smiling. This is called ‘serving,’ this is the joy of the Church: going out to others, always; going out to others and giving life. This is what Paul did: serving.” “No to climbers, attached to money, in the Church” In the Gospel, the Pope said, the Lord shows us the image of another servant, “who instead of serving others is served by them.” He continued, “We have read what this servant did, how he acted with shrewdness, in order to remain in his position.” “In the Church, too, there are these kinds of people, who instead of serving, of thinking of others, of laying the foundations, are served by the Church: ‘climbers,’ those who are attached to money. And how many priests and Bishops like this have we seen? It’s sad to speak of it, isn’t it? The radical character of the Gospel, of the call of Jesus Christ: to serve, to be at the service [of others], of not stopping for oneself, going out to others always, being forgetful of oneself. And the comfort of the state: I have reached a certain state and I live comfortably, without integrity, like those Pharisees Jesus spoke about, who go out into the public square to be seen by others.” A Church that does not serves becomes a business-like Church The Pope described “two images of Christians, two images of priests, two images of sisters.” And Jesus, he said, “makes us see this model in Paul, this Church that never stops” that “always goes forward and shows us the path.” “Instead, when the Church is tepid, closed in on itself, businesslike, it cannot be said to be a Church that serves, that is at the service [of others], but rather [it must be said] that it is using others. May the Lord give us the grace He gave to Paul, that point of pride of always going forward, always, renouncing, time and again, its own comfort; and may He save us from temptations, from those temptations which at their base are temptations to a double life: I see myself as a minister, that is, as one who serves, but at the base I am served by others.” (from Vatican Radio)…