Vatican City, Jun 29, 2016 / 04:30 am (CNA/EWTN News).- During his Sunday Angelus address Pope Francis offered prayers for the victims of Tuesday’s deadly attack on an Istanbul airport, asking that God would convert the hearts of those who choose... Read more

Vatican City, Jun 29, 2016 / 04:30 am (CNA/EWTN News).- During his Sunday Angelus address Pope Francis offered prayers for the victims of Tuesday’s deadly attack on an Istanbul airport, asking that God would convert the hearts of those who choose... Read more

Vatican City, Jun 29, 2016 / 03:15 am (CNA/Europa Press).- On Wednesday Pope Francis gave 25 new archbishops the pallium, encouraging them to remain strong in prayer, which he said helps in staying open to God’s surprises, rather than closing in ... Read more

Vatican City, Jun 28, 2016 / 11:46 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Catholic and Orthodox Churches find unity in God's mercy and in the responsibility to spread the Gospel, Pope Francis said Tuesday to a delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. “Acknowledging that the experience of God's mercy is the bond uniting us means that we must increasingly make mercy the criterion and measure of our relationship,” the pontiff said during the June 28 audience at the Vatican. “If, as Catholics and Orthodox, we wish to proclaim together the marvels of God’s mercy to the whole world, we cannot continue to harbor sentiments and attitudes of rivalry, mistrust and rancor.” “For divine mercy frees us of the burden of past conflicts and lets us be open to the future to which the Spirit is guiding us.” Francis received the delegates of Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, during their visit to Rome for the celebration of the June 29 solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. The two Apostles were martyred in the city during the 1st century, and are the principal patrons of the Church of Rome. It is a tradition for the Orthodox patriarch to send a delegation to the Vatican at the end of June for the occasion of the solemnity. In his June 28 discourse to the delegation, Francis observed how this year's audience takes place in the context of the Jubilee Year of Mercy. “I desired to proclaim the Jubilee as a favorable time for contemplating the mystery of the Father’s infinite love revealed in Christ, and for strengthening and rendering more effective our witness to this mystery,” he said. Referring to Wednesday's feast, St. Peter and St. Paul had experienced both sin and “the power of God's mercy,” and thus became witnesses of the Gospel, the Pope said. “As a result of this experience, Peter, who had denied his Master, and Paul, who persecuted the nascent Church, became tireless evangelizers and fearless witnesses to the salvation offered by God in Christ to every man and woman.” Reflecting on the example of saints Peter and Paul, the Pope said “the Church, made up of sinners redeemed through Baptism, has continued in every age to proclaim that same message of divine mercy.” Wednesday's solemnity calls to mind “the experience of forgiveness and grace uniting all those who believe in Christ,” Francis said. Although there are “many differences” in liturgical and ecclesiastical spheres between the Church of Rome and the Church of Constantinople, there is a shared experience of God's love and the call to witness to the Gospel, he added. “Beyond the concrete shapes that our Churches have taken on over time, there has always been the same experience of God’s infinite love for our smallness and frailty, and the same calling to bear witness to this love before the world.” Pope Francis went on to laud the theological dialogue which has contributed to helping recover their unity before the Great Schism of A.D. 1054. Addressing Metropolitan Methodius, who heads the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston and led Tuesday's delegation, the Pope expressed his appreciation for his work as co-president of the North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation. Instituted in 1965, “this Consultation has proposed significant reflections on central theological issues for our Churches, thus fostering the development of excellent relations between Catholics and Orthodox on that continent,” he said. The pontiff also looked ahead to September's Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. “The task of this Commission is indeed precious; let us pray the Lord for the fruitfulness of its work.” Francis went on to recall meeting Bartholomew I and Athens archbishop Beatitude Ieronymos II during his April visit to Lesbos, where they met with some of the thousands of migrants and refugees who had landed on island. “Seeing the despair on the faces of men, women and children uncertain of their future, listening helplessly as they related their experiences, and praying on the shore of the sea that has claimed the lives of so many innocent persons, was a tremendously moving experience,” he said. “It made clear how much still needs to be done to ensure dignity and justice for so many of our brothers and sisters.” The Pope said it was a “great consolation” to share the “sad experience” with the patriarch and archbishop. “Led by the Holy Spirit, we are coming to realize ever more clearly that we, Catholics and Orthodox, have a shared responsibility towards those in need, based on our obedience to the one Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord.” “Taking up this task together is a duty linked to the very credibility of our Christian identity. Consequently, I encourage every form of cooperation between Catholics and Orthodox in concrete undertakings in service to suffering humanity.” Acknowledging the Pan-Orthodox Council which recently concluded at Crete, Francis concluded: “May the Holy Spirit bring forth from this event abundant fruits for the good of the Church.” In a letter addressed to Pope Francis to mark the solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Patriarch Bartholomew lauded the efforts which have been made toward unity between the Churches. “Our endeavors are nurtured by this endless source for the advancement of the journey toward the desired unity of our Churches,” he writes in the letter. “The dialogue that continues between the Orthodox Church and the most holy Church of Rome is a domain that produces theological knowledge, ecumenical experience and mutual enrichment.” The ecumenical patriarch also addressed the role of the Church in honoring “honors humankind created in the image and likeness of God.” “This is why the word of the Church is and shall remain to the ages an intervention for the sake of humanity and its divinely-granted freedom.” “Life in the Church incorporates, along with the Holy Eucharist, the splendid worship and life of prayer, the ascetic and internal struggle against the passions, as well as the resistance against social evil and the struggle for the prevailing of justice and peace.” Bartholomew also addressed the unified commitment in addressing the challenges of today, citing for instance the ongoing refugee crisis. “We are convinced that our common efforts and initiatives with regard to the global challenges of our time will continue because they constitute a good witness for the Church of Christ, serving humankind and the world,” he said. At the same time, these efforts manifest and strengthen “our spiritual responsibility before the challenges of our time for the benefit of the Christian world and humanity as a whole.” Read more

Vatican City, Jun 28, 2016 / 11:46 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Catholic and Orthodox Churches find unity in God's mercy and in the responsibility to spread the Gospel, Pope Francis said Tuesday to a delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. “Acknowledging that the experience of God's mercy is the bond uniting us means that we must increasingly make mercy the criterion and measure of our relationship,” the pontiff said during the June 28 audience at the Vatican. “If, as Catholics and Orthodox, we wish to proclaim together the marvels of God’s mercy to the whole world, we cannot continue to harbor sentiments and attitudes of rivalry, mistrust and rancor.” “For divine mercy frees us of the burden of past conflicts and lets us be open to the future to which the Spirit is guiding us.” Francis received the delegates of Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, during their visit to Rome for the celebration of the June 29 solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. The two Apostles were martyred in the city during the 1st century, and are the principal patrons of the Church of Rome. It is a tradition for the Orthodox patriarch to send a delegation to the Vatican at the end of June for the occasion of the solemnity. In his June 28 discourse to the delegation, Francis observed how this year's audience takes place in the context of the Jubilee Year of Mercy. “I desired to proclaim the Jubilee as a favorable time for contemplating the mystery of the Father’s infinite love revealed in Christ, and for strengthening and rendering more effective our witness to this mystery,” he said. Referring to Wednesday's feast, St. Peter and St. Paul had experienced both sin and “the power of God's mercy,” and thus became witnesses of the Gospel, the Pope said. “As a result of this experience, Peter, who had denied his Master, and Paul, who persecuted the nascent Church, became tireless evangelizers and fearless witnesses to the salvation offered by God in Christ to every man and woman.” Reflecting on the example of saints Peter and Paul, the Pope said “the Church, made up of sinners redeemed through Baptism, has continued in every age to proclaim that same message of divine mercy.” Wednesday's solemnity calls to mind “the experience of forgiveness and grace uniting all those who believe in Christ,” Francis said. Although there are “many differences” in liturgical and ecclesiastical spheres between the Church of Rome and the Church of Constantinople, there is a shared experience of God's love and the call to witness to the Gospel, he added. “Beyond the concrete shapes that our Churches have taken on over time, there has always been the same experience of God’s infinite love for our smallness and frailty, and the same calling to bear witness to this love before the world.” Pope Francis went on to laud the theological dialogue which has contributed to helping recover their unity before the Great Schism of A.D. 1054. Addressing Metropolitan Methodius, who heads the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston and led Tuesday's delegation, the Pope expressed his appreciation for his work as co-president of the North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation. Instituted in 1965, “this Consultation has proposed significant reflections on central theological issues for our Churches, thus fostering the development of excellent relations between Catholics and Orthodox on that continent,” he said. The pontiff also looked ahead to September's Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. “The task of this Commission is indeed precious; let us pray the Lord for the fruitfulness of its work.” Francis went on to recall meeting Bartholomew I and Athens archbishop Beatitude Ieronymos II during his April visit to Lesbos, where they met with some of the thousands of migrants and refugees who had landed on island. “Seeing the despair on the faces of men, women and children uncertain of their future, listening helplessly as they related their experiences, and praying on the shore of the sea that has claimed the lives of so many innocent persons, was a tremendously moving experience,” he said. “It made clear how much still needs to be done to ensure dignity and justice for so many of our brothers and sisters.” The Pope said it was a “great consolation” to share the “sad experience” with the patriarch and archbishop. “Led by the Holy Spirit, we are coming to realize ever more clearly that we, Catholics and Orthodox, have a shared responsibility towards those in need, based on our obedience to the one Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord.” “Taking up this task together is a duty linked to the very credibility of our Christian identity. Consequently, I encourage every form of cooperation between Catholics and Orthodox in concrete undertakings in service to suffering humanity.” Acknowledging the Pan-Orthodox Council which recently concluded at Crete, Francis concluded: “May the Holy Spirit bring forth from this event abundant fruits for the good of the Church.” In a letter addressed to Pope Francis to mark the solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Patriarch Bartholomew lauded the efforts which have been made toward unity between the Churches. “Our endeavors are nurtured by this endless source for the advancement of the journey toward the desired unity of our Churches,” he writes in the letter. “The dialogue that continues between the Orthodox Church and the most holy Church of Rome is a domain that produces theological knowledge, ecumenical experience and mutual enrichment.” The ecumenical patriarch also addressed the role of the Church in honoring “honors humankind created in the image and likeness of God.” “This is why the word of the Church is and shall remain to the ages an intervention for the sake of humanity and its divinely-granted freedom.” “Life in the Church incorporates, along with the Holy Eucharist, the splendid worship and life of prayer, the ascetic and internal struggle against the passions, as well as the resistance against social evil and the struggle for the prevailing of justice and peace.” Bartholomew also addressed the unified commitment in addressing the challenges of today, citing for instance the ongoing refugee crisis. “We are convinced that our common efforts and initiatives with regard to the global challenges of our time will continue because they constitute a good witness for the Church of Christ, serving humankind and the world,” he said. At the same time, these efforts manifest and strengthen “our spiritual responsibility before the challenges of our time for the benefit of the Christian world and humanity as a whole.” Read more

Vatican City, Jun 28, 2016 / 06:22 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Tuesday Benedict XVI gave his first public speech since his final day as Pope, expressing gratitude for a lengthy priesthood and for Pope Francis' “goodness,” which he said moves him deeply. Speaking to Pope Francis and the College of Cardinals gathered inside the Vatican’s small Clementine Hall for the 65th anniversary of his priestly ordination, Benedict said the Greek word “Efkaristomen (let us give thanks),” expresses “all that there is to say” for the occasion.   “Thank you, thank you everyone! Thank you Holy Father – your goodness, from the first day of your election, every day of my life here moves me interiorly, brings me inwardly more than the Vatican Gardens.” “Your goodness is a place in which I feel protected,” he said, and voiced his hope that Francis would be able to “move forward with all of us on this path of Divine Mercy, showing Jesus’ path to God.” Since his resignation from the papacy in 2013, Benedict XVI has made only a handful of public appearances, none of which he spoke at. The celebration inside the Vatican Palace, then, marks not only another rare public appearance, but also the first time he has spoken in public since his resignation Feb. 28, 2013.  #BenedictXVI prays for transubstantiation of world to be a world not of death but of life, where love conquers death pic.twitter.com/UNde4vp0ej — Mary Shovlain (@maryshovlain) June 28, 2016   The June 28 celebration was held for Benedict in honor of the 65th anniversary of his ordination as a priest, which took place June 29, 1951 – the feast of Saints Peter and Paul – in the cathedral of Freising. His older brother Georg, who is still living today and was present for the ceremony, was ordained with him. After the choir singing sacred polyphony had finished, Benedict listened to brief speeches made by Pope Francis; Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Dean of the College of Cardinals, and Cardinal Gerhard Muller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Cardinal Muller gifted Benedict several copies of a book containing his homilies on the priesthood created specifically for the occasion of his anniversary. Benedict in turn gave one to Pope Francis. In his brief, off-the-cuff speech, Benedict thanked both Cardinal Sodano and Cardinal Muller for their speeches, and for the book. He told Cardinal Sodano that his address, which quoted scripture from the day of Benedict’s ordination and speech during his visit to Freising in 2006, “truly touched my heart.” Benedict then returned to the word “Efkaristomen (let us give thanks),” which he recalled a fellow priest ordained on the same day had written on the memorial card for his first Mass. This word, he said, hints not only at “the dimensions of human thanksgiving,” but also “the deepest word that is hidden,” and which appears in both the liturgy and Scripture in the expression “gratias agens benedixit fregit deditque,” meaning “having given thanks, he broke it and gave it.” “Efkaristomen sends us again to that reality of thanksgiving, to that new dimension that Christ has given,” Benedict said, explaining that Jesus has transformed into thanksgiving “the cross, suffering and all of the evil in the world.” In doing so, Jesus “fundamentally transubstantiated” life and the world, he said, adding that the Lord both has given and continues to give us daily “the bread of true life, which overcomes the world thanks to the strength of his love.” Benedict closed his address by expressing his hope that all would, with the help of God, help in the “transubstantiation of the world: that it be a world not of death, but of life; a world in which love has overcome death.” In his brief speech, Pope Francis told Benedict that “you continue to serve the Church, you do not cease to really contribute with vigor and wisdom to her growth.” By contributing to the Church and her mission from the small monastery of Mater Ecclesiae inside the Vatican, Benedict represents “anything but these forgotten corners in which today’s culture of waste tents to relegate people when, with age, their strength becomes less,” Francis said. He prayed that the retired Pope would continue to feel the hand of “the merciful God who supports you,” that he would continue to both experience and bear witness to the love of God, and that alongside Peter and Paul, he would “continue to exult with great joy while walking toward the goal of our faith.”   Pope Francis greets Pope Emeritus #BenedictXVI at celebration for 65th anniv of Benedict's priestly ordination pic.twitter.com/IykxWX92zn — Mary Shovlain (@maryshovlain) June 28, 2016   Read more