(Vatican Radio) Speaking at Vespers in Havana’s Cathedral on Sunday, Pope Francis put aside his prepared homily and spoke from the heart to priests, religious and seminarians, urging them to to be “a poor Church” and to “never tire of showing mercy” to others. The Pope’s words came in response to two opening addresses from the Cardinal Archbishop of Havana, Jaime Ortega, who spoke about the Church in Cuba as poor in resources but rich in solidarity and fraternity, and from a young sister, Yaileny Ponce Torres, who talked of her work at a government-run centre for 200 patients suffering from mental and physical traumas.
The Pope thanked all religious who care for the abandoned, the sick and those whom society would like to “throw away”, reminding them of Jesus words: Whatever you did for the least of my brothers, you did for me.
A full report on the Pope’s words at Vespers will follow – below please find an English translation of the Pope’s prepared homily at Vespers with priests, religious and seminarians on Sunday:
“We are gathered in this historic Cathedral of Havana to sing with psalms the faithfulness of God towards his people, with thanksgiving for his presence and his infinite mercy. A faithfulness and mercy not only commemorated by this building, but also by the living memory of some of the elderly among us, who know from experience that “his mercy endures forever and his faithfulness throughout the ages”. For this, brothers and sisters, let us together give thanks.
Let us give thanks for the Spirit’s presence in the rich and diverse charisms of all those missionaries who came to this land and became Cubans among Cubans, a sign that God’s mercy is eternal.
The Gospel presents Jesus in dialogue with his Father. It brings us to the heart of the prayerful intimacy between the Father and the Son. As his hour drew near, Jesus prayed for his disciples, for those with him and for those who were yet to come (cf. Jn 17:20). We do well to remember that, in that crucial moment, Jesus made the lives of his disciples, our lives, a part of his prayer. He asked his Father to keep them united and joyful. Jesus knew full well the hearts of his disciples, and he knows full well our own. And so he prays to the Father to save them from a spirit of isolation, of finding refuge in their own certainties and comfort zones, of indifference to others and division into “cliques” which disfigure the richly diverse face of the Church. These are situations which lead to a kind of isolation and ennui, a sadness that slowly gives rise to resentment, to constant complaint, to boredom; this “is not God’s will for us, nor is it the life in the Spirit” (Evangelii Gaudium, 2) to which he invited them, to which he has invited us. That is why Jesus prays that sadness and isolation will not prevail in our hearts. We want to do the same, we want to join in Jesus’ prayer, in his words, so that we can say together: “Father, keep them in your name… that they may be one, even as we are one” (Jn 17:11), “that your joy may be complete” (Jn 15:11).
Jesus prays and he invites us to pray, because he knows that some things can only be received as gifts; some things can only be experienced as gifts. Unity is a grace which can be bestowed upon us only by the Holy Spirit; we have to ask for this grace and do our best to be transformed by that gift.
Unity is often confused with uniformity; with actions, feelings and words which are all identical. This is not unity, it is conformity. It kills the life of the Spirit; it kills the charisms which God has bestowed for the good of his people. Unity is threatened whenever we try to turn others into our own image and likeness. Unity is a gift, not something to be imposed by force or by decree. I am delighted to see you here, men and women of different generations, backgrounds and experiences, all united by our common prayer. Let us ask God to increase our desire to be close to one another. To be neighbors, always there for one another, with all our many differences, interests and ways of seeing things. To speak straightforwardly, despite our disagreements and disputes, and not behind each other’s backs. May we be shepherds who are close to our people, open to their questions and problems. Conflicts and disagreements in the Church are to be expected and, I would even say, needed. They are a sign that the Church is alive and that the Spirit is still acting, still enlivening her. Woe to those communities without a “yes” and a “no”! They are like married couples who no longer argue, because they have lost interest, they have lost their love.
The Lord prays also that we may be filled with his own “complete joy” (cf. Jn 17:13). The joy of Christians, and especially of consecrated men and women, is a very clear sign of Christ’s presence in their lives. When we see sad faces, it is a warning that something is wrong. Significantly, this is the request which Jesus makes of the Father just before he goes out to the Garden to renew his own “fiat”. I am certain that all of you have had to bear many sacrifices and, for some of you, for several decades now, these sacrifices have proved difficult. Jesus prays, at the moment of his own sacrifice, that we will never lose the joy of knowing that he overcomes the world. This certainty is what inspires us, morning after morning, to renew our faith. “With a tenderness which never disappoints, but is always capable of restoring our joy” – by his prayer, and in the faces of our people – Christ “makes it possible for us to lift up our heads and to start anew” (Evangelii Gaudium, 3).
How important, how valuable for the life of the Cuban people, is this witness which always and everywhere radiates such joy, despite our weariness, our misgivings and even our despair, that dangerous temptation which eats away at our soul!
Dear brothers and sisters, Jesus prays that all of us may be one, and that his joy may abide within us. May we do likewise, as we unite ourselves to one another in prayer.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday met with former Cuban president Fidel Castro, shortly after celebrating Mass in Havana’s Plaza de la Revolución. The 30-40 minute meeting took place in Fidel Castro’s home, with his wife, children, and grandchildren also present at the encounter. Pope Francis gave Castro several books, including one by Italian priest Alessandro Pronzato and another by Spanish Jesuit Segundo Llorentea. The Holy Father also gave him a book and two CDs of his homilies, as well as his two encyclical letters, Lumen Fidei and Laudato si’. In return, Castro gave Pope Francis an interview book entitled, “Fidel and Religion,” written in 1985 by Brazilian priest Frei Betto. The dedication reads: “For Pope Francis, on occasion of his visit to Cuba, with the admiration and respect of the Cuban people.” The head of the Vatican Press Office, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, said the meeting was “familiar and informal,” and the two men spoke about “protecting the environment and the great problems of the contemporary world.” Father Lombardi compared the private encounter to that which took place with Pope Benedict XVI in 2012, saying Fidel Castro asked Pope Benedict many questions, while Sunday’s meeting with Pope Francis was “more of a conversation.” (from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) On the morning of the 20th of September, the first full day of the 10th Apostolic journey to Cuba, the United States and the United Nations of Pope Francis he presided over Holy Mass in Havana’s iconic ‘Plaza de la Revoluciòn highlighting the importance of service for Catholics. The head of Vatican Radio’s English programme Sean Patrick Lovett attended this event and shared with us his impressions.
Listen to Sean Patrick Lovett’s report:
I suppose I should be grateful (and, believe me, I am). Not everyone gets the chance to see Plaza de la Revolución, in the heart of Havana, at 6 o’clock in the morning. To stand beneath the haughty gaze of Che Guevara on the very spot where both John Paul II and Benedict XVI celebrated Mass (in 1998 and 2012 respectively).
Fortunately I was not alone. Thousands of people had gathered during the night to catch a glimpse of the man they believe can really make a difference to their lives. In effect, by facilitating the thaw between their island nation and the United States, he already has.
So when his open pope-mobile arrived to make the traditional ride-through of the crowd, they cheered and sang to the rhythm of a cha-cha and there was much of the usual hand-clapping, flag-agitating and familiar chanting that normally accompanies such outpourings of popular devotion and excitement.
Except for one thing: no one among the throng of faithful was taking selfies. Very few, in fact, were taking pictures at all. Conspicuous by their absence were the ubiquitous smartphones and tablets we’ve become accustomed to see rising above the ocean of faces reflected in their vitreous screens. No one was trying to immortalize this moment in a digital image or to crystalize their own presence here for all posterity. On the contrary, shocking as it may seem, people were actually looking at Pope Francis, making eye contact with him, reaching out and trying to touch him. It was like being back in the 20th century. But when I was told that the average salary here is around $40 a month and that a decent mobile phone costs five time that figure, I understood why.
I also understood why, as I was standing there in Plaza de la Revolución during the Papal Mass, I kept getting an eerie sensation that I was not only witnessing history in the making – I was witnessing history in the un-making. As I look around me here in Havana, I can’t help feeling that the days of those ageless Cuban icons (colourful 1950’s Chevrolets, colonial bodegas and hand-rolled cigars) are numbered. Doubtless some of them will survive, but only as picturesque touristic curiosities to be photographed.
Apparently, church bells tolled in Havana when the government announced the recent policy change with the United States of America and, certainly, the first fruits of a freer market economy can already be tasted: Cubans are now allowed to buy and sell property and hundreds of contracts are ready to be signed with some of the world’s biggest multinational companies.
Cuba could be a brave new world in the making, but I wonder what Pope Francis makes of it all? One line, in particular, in his homily at the Mass on Sunday morning, made me stop and think. He was speaking of the importance of service and of caring for what he called “the frailty of our brothers and sisters”. Then he said this: “Do not neglect them for plans which can be seductive but are unconcerned about the face of the person beside you”…
Perhaps, like me, he hopes that, when the time comes, Cubans will still see “the face of the person beside them” – even through their new smartphone.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday sent a video message to the people of Philadelphia, a week ahead of his arrival there on Saturday, 26 September.
In the video, the Holy Father invites people to attend the events, saying “I look forward to greeting the pilgrims and the people of Philadelphia when I come for the World Meeting of Families.”
Pope Francis’ 10-day Apostolic Journey to Cuba, the United States, and the United Nations in New York is organized to focus on the Pope’s address to the 8th World Meeting of Families taking place in Philadelphia, 22-25 September.
The Pope ends by saying “I will be there because you will be there! See you in Philadelphia!”
The video was released by the World Meeting of Families.
Listen to the audio of the Pope’s message:
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis appealed on Sunday (20th September) for a successful outcome to the ongoing peace talks between the Colombian government and representatives of the FARC rebels that are taking place in the Cuban capital. The Pope’s appeal came in his Angelus address following Mass on the first full day of his pastoral visit to Cuba. He spoke of the “crucial importance of this present moment” and prayed it may lead to a “definite reconciliation, saying we do not have the right to allow ourselves “yet another failure” on this path towards peace and reconciliation.
Please find below the English translation of the Pope’s Angelus Message delivered from Havana’s Revolution Square:
“I thank Cardinal Jaime Ortega y Alamino, Archbishop of Havana, for his kind words, and I greet all my brother bishops, priests, religious and lay faithful. I also greet the President and all the authorities present.
We have heard in the Gospel how the disciples were afraid to question Jesus when he spoke to them about his passion and death. He frightened them, and they could not grasp the idea of seeing Jesus suffer on the cross. We too are tempted to flee from our own crosses and those of others, to withdraw from those who suffer. In concluding this Holy Mass, in which Jesus has once more given himself to us in his body and blood, let us now lift our gaze to the Virgin Mary, our Mother. We ask her to teach us to stand beside the cross of our brothers and sisters who suffer. To learn to see Jesus in every person bent low on the path of life, in all our brothers and sisters who hunger or thirst, who are naked or in prison or sick. With Mary our Mother, on the cross we can see who is truly “the greatest” and what it means to stand beside the Lord and to share in his glory.
Let us learn from Mary to keep our hearts awake and attentive to the needs of others. As the wedding feast of Cana teaches us, let us be concerned for the little details of life, and let us not tire of praying for one another, so that no one will lack the new wine of love, the joy which Jesus brings us.
At this time I feel bound to direct my thoughts to the beloved land of Colombia, “conscious of the crucial importance of the present moment when, with renewed effort and inspired by hope, its sons and daughters are seeking to build a peaceful society”. May the blood shed by thousands of innocent people during long decades of armed conflict, united to that of the Lord Jesus Christ crucified, sustain all the efforts being made, including those on this beautiful island, to achieve definitive reconciliation. Thus may the long night of pain and violence can, with the support of all Colombians, become an unending day of concord, justice, fraternity and love, in respect for institutions and for national and international law, so that there may be lasting peace. Please, we do not have the right to allow ourselves yet another failure on this path of peace and reconciliation.
I ask you now to join with me in praying to Mary, that we may place all our concerns and hopes before the heart of Christ. We pray to her in a special way for those who have lost hope and find no reasons to keep fighting, and for those who suffer from injustice, abandonment and loneliness. We pray for the elderly, the infirm, children and young people, for all families experiencing difficulty, that Mary may dry their tears, comfort them with a mother’s love, and restore their hope and joy. Holy Mother, I commend to you these your sons and daughters in Cuba. May you never abandon them!”
(from Vatican Radio)…