(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has encouraged missionaries in Argentina to continue communicating the joy of the Gospel and building the Church.
The Pope sent his greetings and feelings of participation to some 2.200 participants in the Fourth National Missionary Congress, which concludes on Monday in the city of Santiago del Estero in Argentina.
The theme of the encounter this year is “Mission, a style of life”.
In his message Pope Francis urged the missionaries to always remember that “we cannot show others what we ourselves have not seen or heard”.
Therefore, he said, before being able to announce the Good News, you must walk with Jesus in your daily lives offering solidarity and offering help to those in difficulty.
He reminded his brothers never to forget their call, their first encounter with Jesus, the joy with which they received their vocations.
And he urged them to always pray for one another, to support each other and to be like Jesus whom “through you, despite your weaknesses, brings love to people”.
“Let us look at Jesus, but also learn to look like Jesus. A look of tenderness, understanding and compassion that leads us to touch the wounds of the Lord in the flesh of our brothers in need” he said.
Pope Francis concluded his message with words of encouragement to continue building a church that reaches outward with solidarity and the joy of the Gospel: “this joy that God has placed in our hearts”.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has urged participants at an international Climate Change Conference to be guided by the “principles of a fair and integral ecology” that takes people into account.
In a message signed on his behalf by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Pope expressed his encouragement for the initiative and sent greetings to the organizers and participants of the Second World Conference on Climate Change taking place in the Bolivian city of Tiquipaya.
The 3-day conference ends on Monday, October 12.
It was convened by Bolivian President Evo Morales to collect the contributions of social movements on the issue of climate change, and it will make known its findings at the XXI World Summit of the United Nations on Climate Change (cop21), to be held in Paris in December.
The World Conference sees the participation of some 6,000 people from 5 continents. United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, was present to deliver one of the key addresses.
(from Vatican Radio)…
Vatican City, 12 October 2015 (VIS) – Pope Francis has sent a message to the participants in the Fourth National Meeting of Missionary Groups, which took place in Santiago del Estero, Argentina from 10 to 12 October, examining the theme “Mission, a way of life”. The Holy Father, who spiritually joins with the missionaries, writes: “Let us always remember that we cannot show to others what we ourselves have not seen or heard. Therefore, to be a missionary, before announcing and communicating, it is necessary to see. To see that Jesus, who made Himself small to experience our weakness, who assumed our mortal flesh, to clothe it in His immortality and Who comes forward to meet us every day, to walk with us and to offer us His hand of friendship when we are in difficulty”. “Never forget the call, your first encounter with Jesus, the joy with which you heard that first proclamation, perhaps from your parents, your grandparents, your catechists or teachers”, said the Holy Father. “And do not neglect to pray, to pray for each other, to support each other with prayer, so that Jesus, through you, and in spite of your weakness, may work wonders before all peoples”. “Neither must you forget that the mission, as well as being a passion for Jesus, is a passion for His people. Let us look to Jesus, but let us also learn how to look as Jesus does. A look of tenderness, understanding and mercy that leads us to touch the wounds of the Lord in the flesh of our brothers in need. To see Jesus in others purifies the heart, freeing it from selfishness, from any underhand intention, any worldly desire”. “I hope that these brief reflections will encourage you to continue building an outgoing Church, a fraternal group that works to communicate this joy that the Lord has placed in our hearts”, concluded the bishop of Rome….
(Vatican Radio) The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors has completed its second plenary assembly, focusing on formation of candidate for priesthood and religious life, the use of forensic assessments for people accused of sex abuse crimes and the use of liturgical support materials for the pastoral care of survivors. The Commission met in Rome from October 9th to 11th, beginning their plenary with a Mass celebrated by Pope Francis in his Santa Marta residence. Members then focused their sessions on listening to and discussing progress reports presented by the Working Groups formed in the February 2015 Plenary. Please find below the full press statement from the Commission: The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors gathered in Plenary Assembly, October 9-11, 2015 in Rome. It is the second time that the full Commission has gathered together. The Plenary Assembly began with Mass with the Holy Father, Pope Francis, in Santa Marta. Members then focused their sessions on listening to and discussing progress reports presented by the Working Groups formed in the February 2015 Plenary. These Working Groups cover key areas of the mission that has been entrusted to the Commission by the Holy Father, namely to advise him, his collaborators and the local church on the protection of minors. The Working Groups are: • Guidelines for the safeguarding and protection of minors; • Healing and care for victims, survivors and their families; • Formation of candidates to the priesthood and religious life and the education of Church leadership; • Education of families and communities; • Theology and spirituality; • Canonical and civil norms. Particular areas of focus of these working groups include research into the assessment and ongoing formation of candidates to the priesthood and religious life; the use of forensic assessments with people accused of a crime; the provision of liturgical support materials for the pastoral care of victims, survivors and communities. The Commission does not address individual cases, it does not exercise oversight, and is not a decision-making body. Since its establishment, the Commission for the Protection of Minors has been invited by Church leaders to place the inter-disciplinary expertise of its members at the service of Church in various parts of the world. Commission members have taken part in workshops, conferences and seminars on the protection of minors in Ireland, the UK, France, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and recently in the Philippines, where 76 bishops attended. Next month, Commission members will also address all of the bishops of Central America. Very positive feedback has been received from our participation in these initiatives. The Commission’s contribution has been seen as a resource for the local Church worldwide as Bishops’ Conferences continue to develop sound and culturally effective guidelines that reflect the local reality. The Commission plans to hold its next Plenary Assembly in February, 2016. Commission members in attendance: Cardinal Seán O’MALLEY, OFM Cap. (United States), President; Mons. Robert OLIVER (United States), Secretary; Rev. Luis Manuel ALI HERRERA (Colombia); Catherine BONNET (France); Marie COLLINS (Ireland); Gabriel DY-LIACCO (Philippines); Sheila BARONESS HOLLINS (United Kingdom); Bill KILGALLON (New Zealand); Sr. Kayula LESA, RSC (Zambia); Sr. Hermenegild MAKORO, CPS (South Africa); Kathleen McCORMACK (Australia); Claudio PAPALE (Italy); Peter SAUNDERS (United Kingdom); Hanna SUCHOCKA (Poland); Krysten WINTER-GREEN (United States); Rev. Humberto Miguel YÁÑEZ, SJ (Argentina) and Rev. Hans ZOLLNER, SJ (Germany). (from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Before the recitation of the Marian Prayer, Pope Francis focused his attention on Sunday’s Gospel reading from Mark, which recounts Jesus’ encounter with the “rich young man”.
The Holy Father explained that this text was built around the “three gazes of Jesus.”
Listen to Lydia O’Kane’s report
The first is his “intense gaze full of tenderness and affection,” when the young man expressed that “for him observance of the precepts is not enough, since it does not meet with his desire for wholeness. ”
The Pope noted that Jesus understood the man’s weak point, and made a concrete proposal: give all his possessions to the poor and follow him. But the young man’s heart, Pope Francis continued, was torn between two masters: God and money, and he went away sad. This, the Holy Father underlined, shows that one cannot live the faith and be attached to wealth.
Pope Francis said Jesus’ “second gaze” was “the thoughtful gaze, and one of warning, denoting the Gospel phrase, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God”.
The third gaze of Jesus, is the look of encouragement, said the Pope; it is the one which says, “if we free ourselves from the slavery of things we gain the freedom to serve for love.”
“The young man,” the Holy Father stressed, “did not allow himself to be won over by Jesus’ loving gaze, and therefore could not change. He said that only by accepting with humble gratitude the love of the Lord do we free ourselves from the seduction of idols and the blindness of our illusions.
Then speaking off the cuff to the young people present in St Peter’s Square, the Pope asked, “have you felt Jesus’ gaze on you? What do you say to that? Do you prefer to leave this square with the joy that Jesus gives us or the sadness caused by worldliness?”
Following the Angelus prayer Pope Francis recalled that Tuesday, 13 October, is International Day for Disaster Reduction.
“We must unfortunately recognise,” he said, “that the effects of such calamities are often compounded by man’s lack of care of the environment.”
The Pope went on to say that, he joined with those who “with foresight are committed to the protection of our common home, to the promotion of a global and local culture of disaster reduction and to greater resilience against them, through harmonising new and traditional knowledge, with particular attention for the most vulnerable populations.”
(from Vatican Radio)…