(Holy See Press Office) On Sunday afternoon Pope Francis received in a private
audience Mrs. Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, President of the Republic of
Argentina. The very cordial meeting lasted for over an hour and 30 minutes in
the Pope’s Study in the Paul VI Audience Hall. The President wished to show the Pope once again the affection and
closeness of the Argentine people and ask him for his blessing for his
co-nationals.
At the end of the meeting, the Pope and President went to
the adjacent hall where the Pope greeted the large delegation that accompanied
the President on her trip that will continue tomorrow with participation at an FAO
Conference, meetings with Italian authorities and a visit to the Expo of Milan.
Mrs. Fernández de Kirchner honored the Pope with various significant gifts,
most especially a large framed painting of Blessed Bishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero,
a work by Argentine artist Eugenio Cuttica; a book by a much appreciated author
of Pope Francis, Alberto Methol-Ferré: “Los estados continentales y el
Mercosur”; an edition of the famous national poem “Martin Fierro”, often cited
by Pope in his talks; two artistic reliefs for the
vision-impaired with titles in
braille, that represent the Virgin of Lujan and a painting of the Pope; a
basket of typical Argentine food products and an important volume on the architectural
patrimony of Argentina published on the occasion of the bicentenary.
For his part, the Pope gave the President a very
beautiful eleventh century Russian icon of “Our Lady of Tenderness.” This marked the fifth time – including the
visit for the inauguration of the Petrine Ministry of Pope Francis on March 19,
2013 and the meeting during World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro – that the
Argentine president has met Pope Francis….
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis spoke with reporters on the return flight from Sarajevo to Rome on Saturday. In response to the journalists’ questions, the Holy Father touched on a number of topics ranging from global peace and security to the need for prudence in choosing what television programmes to watch and how much time to spend on-line.
“There are two different elements here: method and content. Regarding the method or way of doing things, there is one that is bad for the soul and that is being too attached to the computer,” said Pope Francis. “Secondly, the content,” he continued. “[T]here is a lot of filth that ranges from pornography to semi-pornographic content, to programmes that are empty, devoid of values; relativism and consumerism foment all this,” said the Holy Father, “and we know that consumerism is a cancer of society, relativism is a cancer of society.”
The Holy Father also mentioned the process of evaluation of the claims of miraculous apparitions at Medjugorje (ongoing, and nearing completion), and confirmed that his new encyclical will be out before the end of this month.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Speaking to pilgrims and tourists gathered in St. Peter’s Square, beneath the window of the Papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace, for the Angelus prayer on Sunday, Pope Francis focused his remarks ahead of the traditional Marian devotion on the Gospel reading of the day, which was in Italy and many countries around the world, that of the Feast of Corpus Domini or Corpus Christi – the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ – the great Eucharistic feast instituted in the 13 th century for the entire Latin Church.
“[The solemnity of Corpus Domini] evokes this message of solidarity and encourages us to embrace the intimate call to conversion to service, to love, and to forgiveness,” said Pope Francis. “It encourages us to become in our life, imitators of what we celebrate in the liturgy,” he explained. “Christ, who nourishes us under the consecrated species of bread and wine, is the same Christ, whom we meet during the course of everyday life: He is in the poor person who holds out his hand [in supplication]; He is the suffering person who implores [our] help; He is in the brother or sister who asks us to be there and awaits our welcome; He is in the child who knows nothing about Jesus, about salvation, who does not have the faith; He is in every human being, even the smallest and most defenseless.”
Indeed, following the Angelus , the rights of children to life, to education, to safe environments for play, were the subject of Pope Francis’ expressions of support for the World Day against Child Labor, to be marked this coming Friday. “Many children in the world do not have the freedom to play, to go to school, and end up being exploited as cheap labor,” he said, adding, “I hope the international community will remain attentively and steadfastly committed to the active promotion and effective recognition of children’s rights.”
Pope Francis also looked forward to the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, which will be celebrated this coming Friday as well. “[On] the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, let us think of the love of Jesus, of how He has loved us,” said the Holy Father.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday called his brief, but intense visit to the city of Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, one he made as, “a pilgrim of peace and reconciliation,” and he renewed his thanks to the civil and religious authorities of the city, as well as his encouragement to people of every ethnic group and religious tradition and confession in the country to continue on the path of reconciliation. The Holy Father was speaking to pilgrims and tourists gathered in St. Peter’s Square, beneath the window of the Papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace, just after the Angelus prayer on Sunday. “I renew my gratitude to the authorities and all the citizens for the warm welcome,” said Pope Francis. “In particular,” he continued, “I thank the dear Catholic community, to which I desired to bring the love of the universal Church.” The Holy Father went on to say, “I appreciate the commitment to collaboration and solidarity among people of different religions, urging everyone to continue the work of spiritual and moral reconstruction of society: they work together as true brothers and sisters.” “The Lord bless Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina,” he concluded. (from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday urged the young people of Bosnia-Herzegovina to be protagonists in the building of a more just, dignified and peaceful society in their country. During the final event of his one-day visit to the capital, Sarajevo, the Pope listened to several young Catholic and Orthodox men and women describe the difficulties they face in challenging prejudices and promoting a culture of dialogue and respect in the ethnically divided nation. As he did earlier in the afternoon with priests and religious in Sarajevo Cathedral, the Pope set aside his prepared text and responded to questions posed by the young people about how they should try and live their faith in contemporary society. He urged them, as the first post-war generation in Bosnia-Herzegovina, to act with honesty and integrity, building bridges between people and helping to promote a culture of peace. In his prepared text, which was delivered as read, the Pope said he hoped the young generations may be offered “real prospects for a dignified future” in Bosnia-Herzegovina, thus avoiding what he termed “the sad phenomenon of mass migration”. Local institutions, he said, are called upon to put in place timely and courageous plans that will help young men and women to realize their legitimate aspirations for the future. The local Church, Pope Francis said, can also contribute to this ideal through pastoral projects, focused on educating the civic and moral conscience of the youth. The Church’s commitment can already be seen, he said, especially through the work of Catholic schools, which are rightly open, not only to Catholics, but to students of other Christian communities and other religions too. Alongside the economic difficulties and high unemployment rates in the country, the Pope also spoke of “a crisis of moral values and a diminished sense of the purpose of life” facing people in Bosnia-Herzegovina today. Some young people, he said, may give in to the temptation to flee, or become self-absorbed, taking refuge in alcohol, drugs, or ideologies which preach hatred and violence. These are realities which I know well, he added, because they were “unfortunately also present in Buenos Aires, where I come from”. But the Pope encouraged his young audience to let the strength of their Christian faith “flourish without fear”, enabling them to “sow seeds of a more just, fraternal, welcoming and peaceful society”. Praising them for their ecumenical and interreligious efforts, Pope Francis said if they are open to Christ, they can overcome pessimism, becoming instead prophets and witnesses to hope. (Philippa Hitchen) Please find below the full text of Pope Francis’ prepared speech to the young people at the John Paul II Youth Centre in Sarajevo Dear Young Friends, I have greatly wished to have this meeting with you, young men and women of Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. I offer to each one of you a warm greeting. Being here in this Centre dedicated to Saint John Paul II, I cannot forget how much he did for young people, meeting them and encouraging them all around the world. To his intercession I entrust each of you, as well as every initiative which the Catholic Church has undertaken in your land to express her closeness to young people and indeed her confidence in them. We are on this journey together! I know the doubts and the hopes that you have in your hearts. Some of these have been expressed by Bishop Marko Semren and your representatives, Darko and Nadežda. In a special way, I join you in hoping that new generations may be offered real prospects for a dignified future in your country, thus avoiding the sad phenomenon of mass migration. In this regard, institutions are being called upon to put in place timely and courageous plans that will help young men and women to realize their legitimate aspirations; they will thus be able to contribute energetically to the upbuilding and growth of the country. The local Church, for her part, can contribute by means of suitable pastoral projects, focusing on educating the civic and moral conscience of the youth, and so help them to be protagonists in society. The Church’s commitment can already be seen, especially through the precious work of her Catholic schools, which are rightly open not only to Catholic students but to students of other Christian communities and other religions. However, the Church must always dare to hope for more, starting from the Gospel and driven by the Holy Spirit who transforms persons, society, and the Church herself. Young friends, you also have a decisive role to play in confronting the challenges of our times: certainly material challenges, but more so those which concern the vision of the human person. In fact, along with economic problems, difficulty in finding work and the consequent uncertainty regarding the future, there is a crisis of moral values and a diminished sense of the purpose of life. Faced with this critical situation, some may give in to the temptation to flee, to avoid the problems, becoming self-absorbed, taking refuge in alcohol, drugs, or ideologies which preach hatred and violence. These are realities which I know well because they were unfortunately also present in Buenos Aires, where I come from. Thus I encourage you not to let yourselves be overcome by the difficulties, but to let the strength that comes from your being human and Christian flourish without fear; you will be then be able to sow seeds of a more just, fraternal, welcoming and peaceful society. Together with Christ, you young men and women are the vitality of the Church and society. If you let Christ form you, if you are open to dialogue with him in prayer, by reading and meditating upon the Gospel, you will become prophets and witnesses to hope! You are called to this mission: to reclaim the hope in your present circumstances of being open to the wonders of living; the hope which you have to overcome the way things are; hope to prepare for the future marked by a more dignified social and human environment; hope to live in a more fraternal world which is more just and peaceful, more genuine, worthier of the measure of mankind. My hope is that you will be always more aware that you are sons and daughters of this earth which has given life to you. This earth asks you to love her and to help her rebuild, to grow spiritually and socially, also with the help of your ideas and your work. To overcome every trace of pessimism, you will need the courage to offer yourselves joyfully and with dedication to the building of a welcoming society, a society which is respectful of all differences and oriented towards a civilization of love. An great example of this way of living is seen in Blessed Ivan Mert. Saint John Paul II Beatified him in Banja Luka. May he always be an example for you and be your protector. The Christian faith teaches us that we are called to an eternal destiny, to be sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters in Christ (cf. 1 Jn 3:1), who create fraternity for the love of Christ. I am so pleased by the ecumenical and interreligious works taken up by you, young Catholics and Orthodox, with the involvement of Muslim young people as well. The John Paul II Youth Centre plays a central role in this important work, with initiatives that deepen mutual understanding and solidarity, allowing the various ethnic and religious groups to coexist peacefully together. I encourage you to continue this work, dedicating yourselves to common projects with real gestures that show your closeness and support to the poorest and most needy. Dear young people, your joyful presence, your thirst for truth and high ideals are signs of hope! Being young does not mean being passive, but rather means being tenacious in your efforts to achieve important goals, even if this comes at a price. Being young does not mean closing your eyes to difficulties: instead, it requires a refusal to compromise or be mediocre. It does not mean escaping or fleeing, but engaging rather in solidarity with everyone, especially the weakest. The Church counts on you and will continue to count on you who are generous and capable of great energy and noble sacrifices. For this reason, together with your pastors I ask you: do not isolate yourselves, but rather be ever more united among yourselves so that you may enjoy the beauty of fraternity and be always more fruitful in your actions. Everyone will see that you are Christians by how you, young Christians of Bosnia and Herzegovina, love one another and how committed you are to service. Be not afraid; do not flee from reality; be open to Christ and to your brothers and sisters. You are a vital part of that great people who make up the Church: a universal people, a people in whom all nations and cultures can receive God’s blessing and can discover the path to peace. With this people, each of you is called to follow Christ and to give your life to God and to your brothers and sisters, in the way that the Lord will reveal to you, or perhaps is revealing to you now! Will you respond? Do not be afraid. We are not alone. We are always in the presence of God our heavenly Father, with Jesus our Brother and Lord, in the Holy Spirit; and we have the Church and Mary our Mother. May she protect you and always give you the joy and courage to witness to the Gospel. I bless each of you, and I ask you please to pray for me. (from Vatican Radio)…