Tag Archives: catholic church

Pope Francis Angelus message for Aug. 4

August 4, 2013 – 7:54 am

2013-08-04 Vatican Radio
(Vatican Radio) Below, please find Vatican Radio’s translation of Pope Francis’ remarks at the recitation of the Angelus for Sunday, 4 August 2013:
Dear brothers and sisters,
Good day!
Last Sunday found me in Rio de Janeiro. It was the Holy Mass for conclusion of World Youth Day. I think all of us together should thank the Lord for the great gift of this event, for Brazil, for Latin America, and for the whole world. It was a new stage in the pilgrimage of young people across the continents with the Cross of Christ. We must never forget that the World Youth days are not “fireworks”, moments of enthusiasm that end with themselves; they are stages of a long journey, begun in 1985 through the initiative of Pope John Paul II. He entrusted the Cross to young people, saying, “Go, and I will come with you.” And so it was; and this pilgrimage of young people continued with Pope Benedict, and thanks to God I too have been able to live this wonderful stage in Brazil. Let us always remember: the youth are not following the Pope, they are following Jesus Christ, bearing His Cross. And the Pope guides them and accompanies them in this journey of faith and hope. And so I thank all the young people that have participated, even by making sacrifices. And I thank the Lord also for the other encounters I had with the Pastors and the people of the great Country that is Brazil, and also with the authorities and the volunteers. May the Lord reward all those that worked for this great festival of faith.
I also want to emphasize my gratitude, my deep gratitude, to the Brazilian people. A great people, the people of Brazil, a people of great heart. I won’t forget their warm welcome, their greeting, their affectionate gaze, so much joy! They are a generous people. I ask the Lord to bless them greatly.
I want to ask you to pray with me, that the young people that participated in World Youth Day will be able to translate this experience into their daily journey, in their everyday conduct; and that they will be able to translate it in the most important choices of their life, responding to the personal call of the Lord. Today in the liturgy the provocative words of Qoheleth resonate: “Vanity of vanities . . . all things are vanity” (Ecc. 1, 2). Young people are particularly sensitive to the emptiness of meaning and values that surrounds them. And they, unfortunately, pay the consequences. On the other hand, the encounter with the living Jesus, in the great family that is the Church, fills the heart with joy, because it fills it with true life, a profound goodness that does not pass away or decay: we have seen this in the faces of the youths in Rio. But this experience must face the daily vanity, the poison of emptiness that insinuates itself into our society based on profit and having [things], that deludes young people with consumerism. The Gospel of this Sunday reminds us of the absurdity of basing their happiness on ‘having’. “The rich man says to himself: ‘My soul, you have many good things stored up . . . rest, eat, drink, be merry!’ But God says to him: ‘You fool, this very night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’” (cf. Lk 12, 19-20). Dear brothers and sisters, true wealth is the love of God, shared with the brothers. That love that comes from God and makes us share among ourselves, and makes us help one another. He who experiences this does not fear death, and receives peace of heart. Let us entrust this intention, the intention of receiving the love of God and sharing it with our brothers, to the Virgin Mary.
After the Angelus:
Dear brothers and sisters,
I greet all of you, and thank you for your presence despite the heat.
I am happy to greet in particular several groups of young people: The Carmelite Youth of Croatia; the young people of Sandon and Fossò, from the diocese of Verona; those of Mozzanica, from the diocese of Cremona; those of Moncalieri, who came part of the way on foot; and those of Bergamo, who came by bicycle. Thank you, all of you!
But there are so many young people in the Piazza today! It seems like Rio de Janeiro . . .
I want to assure you of my special regard for pastors and for all the priests of the world, because today we remember their patron saint, Saint John Mary Vianney. Dear brothers, let us be united in prayer and pastoral charity.
Tomorrow, we Romans remember our Mother, “Salus populi Romani” [English: Protectress of the Roman People]. Let us ask that she might protect us. Let us, all of us together, greet our Mother with a ‘Hail Mary’ . . . All together: “Hail Mary. . . ” A greeting for our Mother, all together, a greeting for our Mother [applause together with the people].
I am also pleased to remember the liturgical feast of the Transfiguration, which takes place the day after tomorrow, with a thought of profound gratitude for the Venerable Pope Paul VI, who departed this world on the evening of 6 August 35 years ago.
Dear friends, I wish you a good Sunday and a good August . . . and a good lunch! Arrivederci!

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Cardinal Dolan: “What the Holy Father said…”

August 2, 2013 – 6:44 pm

In his blog, Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, gives his take on what Pope Francis said in his meeting with journalists on the papal plane as it flew back to Rome after World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro. Read the blog.

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Pope distinguishes between homosexual orientation, gay lobby

July 29, 2013 – 1:00 pm

Pope Francis has said that he does not judge homosexuals, including homosexual priests. “If they accept the Lord and have good will, who am I to judge them?” the Pope said.

The Pope added that a homosexual orientation “is not the problem.” He called for charitable treatment of homosexuals, saying that they should not be marginalized.

The Pope’s remarks– made during a long and candid exchange with reporters who accompanied him on his return flight to Rome after a visit to Brazil for World Youth Day—were widely interpreted by reporters as an acceptance of homosexuals in the Catholic priesthood. But in fact the Pope’s comments were addressed to different questions.

The Pope had been answering questions from reporters on two sensitive topics: the reported existence of a “gay lobby” at the Vatican, and reports that the newly appointed prelate of the Vatican bank, Msgr. Battista Ricca, had been involved in past homosexual scandals.

The Pope said that although there have been many reports about a “gay lobby,” there is no clearly identifiable group. He joked that he had “never seen it on a Vatican ID card.” In that context, the Pope said that it is important to distinguish between a homosexual orientation and active participation in a “lobby” within the Vatican. “The problem isn’t the orientation,” he said. “The problem is having a lobby.”

Regarding Msgr. Ricca, the Pope disclosed that he had conducted an investigation into charges of misconduct, and “there was nothing.” He went on to say that it is “dangerous” to probe into the past sins of others. People can sin, repent, and accept God’s forgiveness, the Pope said. “The Lord both forgives and forgets. We don’t have the right not to forget.”

Thus the Pope did not address the issue of whether homosexuals should be ordained to the priesthood. He did not contradict the existing Vatican policy, set forth in a 2005 instruction from the Congregation for Catholic Education, stipulating that men with homosexual tendencies should not be ordained.

Nor did the Pope dismiss concerns about a “gay lobby” at the Vatican. On the contrary Pope Francis acknowledged– as he has in the past– that the existence of a lobby is a problem to be addressed.

From catholicculture.org

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Reflections from Pope Francis for the Church in Brazil

July 29, 2013 – 8:09 am

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 28, 2013 (Zenit.org)

On Saturday in Rio, Pope Francis met with the bishops of Brazil, telling them that more than a formal address, he wanted to share with them some reflections.

Below are some of the highlights of those reflections:

— In the context of a consideration of the discovery of Our Lady of Aparecida, the Pope said this: “The fishermen do not dismiss the mystery encountered in the river, even if it is a mystery which seems incomplete. They do not throw away the pieces of the mystery. They await its completion. And this does not take long to come. There is a wisdom here that we need to learn. There are pieces of the mystery, like the stones of a mosaic, which we encounter, which we see. We are impatient, anxious to see the whole picture, but God lets us see things slowly, quietly. The Church also has to learn how to wait.”

— Reflecting on lessons from the disciples of Emmaus, he offered this: “Here we have to face the difficult mystery of those people who leave the Church, who, under the illusion of alternative ideas, now think that the Church – their Jerusalem – can no longer offer them anything meaningful and important. So they set off on the road alone, with their disappointment. Perhaps the Church appeared too weak, perhaps too distant from their needs, perhaps too poor to respond to their concerns, perhaps too cold, perhaps too caught up with itself, perhaps a prisoner of its own rigid formulas, perhaps the world seems to have made the Church a relic of the past, unfit for new questions; perhaps the Church could speak to people in their infancy but not to those come of age.4 It is a fact that nowadays there are many people like the two disciples of Emmaus; not only those looking for answers in the new religious groups that are sprouting up, but also those who already seem godless, both in theory and in practice.
Faced with this situation, what are we to do?

We need a Church unafraid of going forth into their night. We need a Church capable of meeting them on their way. We need a Church capable of entering into their conversation. We need a Church able to dialogue with those disciples who, having left Jerusalem behind, are wandering aimlessly, alone, with their own disappointment, disillusioned by a Christianity now considered barren, fruitless soil, incapable of generating meaning.”

— “I would like all of us to ask ourselves today: are we still a Church capable of warming hearts? A Church capable of leading people back to Jerusalem? Of bringing them home? Jerusalem is where our roots are: Scripture, catechesis, sacraments, community, friendship with the Lord, Mary and the apostles… Are we still able to speak of these roots in a way that will revive a sense of wonder at their beauty?
Many people have left because they were promised something more lofty, more powerful, and faster.
But what is more lofty than the love revealed in Jerusalem? Nothing is more lofty than the abasement of the Cross, since there we truly approach the height of love! Are we still capable of demonstrating this truth to those who think that the apex of life is to be found elsewhere?”

— Regarding challenges facing the Church in Brazil, he made these comments: “Formation as a priority: Bishops, priests, religious, laity

Dear brothers, unless we train ministers capable of warming people’s hearts, of walking with them in the night, of dialoguing with their hopes and disappointments, of mending their brokenness, what hope can we have for our present and future journey? It isn’t true that God’s presence has been dimmed in them. Let us learn to look at things more deeply. What is missing is someone to warm their heart, as was the case with the disciples of Emmaus”

— “What is needed is a solid human, cultural, effective, spiritual and doctrinal formation.6 Dear brother Bishops, courage is needed to undertake a profound review of the structures in place for the formation and preparation of the clergy and the laity of the Church in Brazil. It is not enough that formation be considered a vague priority, either in documents or at meetings. What is needed is the practical wisdom to set up lasting educational structures on the local, regional and national levels and to take them to heart as Bishops, without sparing energy, concern and personal interest. The present situation calls for quality formation at every level. Bishops may not delegate this task. You cannot delegate this task, but must embrace it as something fundamental for the journey of your Churches.”

— “Concerning mission, we need to remember that its urgency derives from its inner motivation; in other words, it is about handing on a legacy. As for method, it is essential to realize that a legacy is about witness, it is like the baton in a relay race: you don’t throw it up in the air for whoever is able to catch it, so that anyone who doesn’t catch it has to manage without. In order to transmit a legacy, one needs to hand it over personally, to touch the one to whom one wants to give, to relay, this inheritance.”

— “Concerning pastoral conversion, I would like to recall that ‘pastoral care’ is nothing other than the exercise of the Church’s motherhood. She gives birth, suckles, gives growth, corrects, nourishes and leads by the hand … So we need a Church capable of rediscovering the maternal womb of mercy. Without mercy we have little chance nowadays of becoming part of a world of ‘wounded’ persons in need of understanding, forgiveness, love.”

— Regarding the Church in society, Francis said: “In the context of society, there is only one thing which the Church quite clearly demands: the freedom to proclaim

From zenith.org

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Pope safely home in Rome, stops to visit St. Mary Major Basilica

July 29, 2013 – 7:56 am

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis landed at Rome’s Ciampino airport this morning, marking his return from World Youth Day 2013.
The 12-hour flight from Rio de Janeiro marks the end of Pope Francis’ first overseas Apostolic Voyage.
The weeklong youth event ended Sunday with Mass on Rio’s famous Copacabana beach, an liturgy attended by approximately three million people.
After his arrival at Ciampino airport, the Holy Father chose to stop at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major to offer a brief prayer to the Blessed Virgin for World Youth Day.
Seeing the Pope as he entered the Basilica, a group of young people approached him and offered him a T-shirt and a ball. Pope Francis later offered the gifts to the Madonna.

Vatican Radio

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World Youth Day opens at Copacabana

July 24, 2013 – 7:58 am

(Vatican Radio) Copacabana beach was the place to be on Tuesday evening as thousands of people flocked to the famed spot to be part of the Mass celebrating the opening of World Youth Day. Our correspondent Seàn Patrick Lovett was there and sends this report.

The Concho Padre

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Pope Francis establishes special Pontifical Commission on the economic structures of the Church

July 19, 2013 – 8:09 am

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday established the Pontifical Commission for Reference on the Organisation of the economic-administrative structure of the Holy See, a special commission to reform its economic and administrative departments. The Holy Father has already established a separate commission overseeing the Institute for the Works of Religion, commonly called the Vatican Bank.

Read more.

The Concho Padre

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Bishops have serious concerns over revised HHS contraception mandate

July 9, 2013 – 4:42 pm

Washington D.C., Jul 8, 2013 — After an initial analysis of the finalized HHS mandate, the U.S. bishops are warning that despite changes, the regulation still threatens the Church’s ability “to carry out the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ.”

“Although the Conference has not completed its analysis of the final rule, some basic elements of the final rule have already come into focus,” said Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

In a July 3 statement, he explained that so far, the conference “has not discovered any new change that eliminates the need to continue defending our rights in Congress and the courts.”

The statement came in response to the release of the final rules regulating the federal HHS mandate, which requires employers to offer health insurance plans that cover contraception, sterilization and some drugs that can cause early abortions.

Issued under the Affordable Care Act, the mandate has become the subject of lawsuits from more than 200 plaintiffs who claim that it forces them to violate their deeply-held religious convictions.

Amid protests around the nation, the Obama administration has engaged in a multi-step process to modify the mandate in order to allow for religious freedom. The release of the final rule on June 28 completed that process.

The final rule allows some religious employers to have a full exemption from the mandate. To qualify, they must meet criteria laid out in February, which align with Internal Revenue Code, Section 6033(a)(3)(A)(i) or (iii), which “refers to churches, their integrated auxiliaries, and conventions or associations of churches, as well as to the exclusively religious activities of any religious order.”

The administration has stated that this will cover primarily “churches, other houses of worship, and their affiliated organizations.”

Faith-based groups that are not affiliated with a specific house of worship, such as many religious hospitals, schools and charities, are not covered by the exemption. To address these groups, the administration is offering an “accommodation” instead.

The finalized accommodation will require insurance issuers to “provide payments for contraceptive services” directly to women working for religious employers who object to providing them. If a religious employer is self-insured, a third-party administrator will act in the place of an insurer to arrange the provision of employee’s contraceptives.

Earlier proposals for the accommodation had suggested that the objectionable services would be covered under a separate insurance plan. The change to direct payments ensures that insurance providers will bear the burden for funding the contraceptives.

Cardinal Dolan observed that this change “seems intended to strengthen the claim that objectionable items will not ultimately be paid for by the employer’s premium dollars,” but said that it remains “unclear whether the proposal succeeds in identifying a source of funds that is genuinely separate from the objecting employer, and if so, whether it is workable to draw from that separate source.”

The finalized mandate requires that the insurance issuer “must ensure that it does not use any premiums” from objecting organizations to fund the contraception and related products. The Obama administration has maintained that such products are “cost neutral” and can be paid for by insurance companies with no reimbursement because of the decreased pregnancy and birth costs and the other “health benefits” that contraception brings.

However, in a 2012 nationwide survey, pharmacy directors rejected the notion that contraceptives could be issued at no cost to insurance companies.

Another major concern raised by Cardinal Dolan is the administration’s attempt to create different categories of religious freedom, distinguishing among those employers that receive a full exemption, those that receive only an accommodation and those that are running for-profit businesses and receive no protection at all.

The administration has claimed that religious freedom does not extend to decisions made about the governance of for-profit companies. However, Cardinal Dolan explained that the bishops “are concerned as pastors with the freedom of the Church as a whole – not just for the full range of its institutional forms, but also for the faithful in their daily lives – to carry out the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ.”

Another possible area of concern is the unwilling facilitation of contraception under the accommodation, as the “objectionable items will still be paid for by virtue of the fact that an employee belongs to the Catholic employer’s plan,” he said.

Out of three possibilities proposed for self-insured groups, the cardinal added, the final mandate utilizes the one that the bishops had identified as “the most objectionable,” as it “treats the employer’s very act of objecting to coverage of sterilization, contraception, and abortifacients as the legal authorization for a third-party administrator to secure the objectionable coverage.”

Noting that many of the bishops’ original critiques remain unaddressed in the final mandate, Cardinal Dolan affirmed that the U.S. bishops will “continue to examine” the changes in the 110-page document and will have more to say on the mandate after determining whether it will undermine “the effective proclamation” of Church teaching by religious groups.

From EWTN News

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