2016-03-15T09:57:00+00:00

Vatican City, Mar 15, 2016 / 03:57 am (CNA/EWTN News).- After months of anticipation, the date of Mother Teresa’s canonization has finally been announced. It falls on Sept. 4, which this year will also mark a special jubilee for workers and volunteers of mercy. Though it's been rumored for months that Mother Teresa’s canonization will take place Sept. 4, the Vatican made the date official during a March 15 consistory of cardinals. Mother Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu Aug. 26, 1910, in Skopje, Macedonia. After joining the Sisters of Loretto at age 17, she was sent to Calcutta, where she later contracted tuberculosis, and was sent to rest in Darjeeling. On the way, she felt what she called “an order” from God to leave the convent and live among the poor. After she left her convent, Mother Teresa began working in the slums, teaching poor children, and treating the sick in their homes. A year later, some of her former students joined her, and together they took in men, women and children who were dying in the gutters along the streets. In 1950, the Missionaries of Charity were born as a congregation of the Diocese of Calcutta. In 1952, the government granted them a house from which to continue their mission of serving Calcutta's poor and forgotten. She died Sept. 5, 1997, and was beatified just six years later by St. John Paul II Oct. 19, 2003. In addition to Mother Teresa, the consistory also decided on the canonization dates of four other blesseds: Bl. Maria Elisabetta Hesselblad, Bl. Jose Sanchez del Rio, Bl. Stanislaus of Jesus Mary and Bl. Jose Gabriel del Rosario Brochero. The canonization of Bl. Jose Sanchez del Rio is also noteworthy. He will be made a saint Oct. 16, alongside Bl. Jose Gabriel del Rosario Brochero. Blessed José Luis Sánchez del Río was brutally tortured and killed when he was 14 years old during the 1924-1928 religious persecution by Mexican President Plutarco Elías Calles. José Luis had enlisted in the ranks of the Cristeros, under the command of General Prudencio Mendoza. He was martyred by the Federal Army Feb. 10, 1928. According to the story, the soldiers cut off the soles of his feet and forced him to walk barefoot to his grave. Moments before he was killed, the boy shouted, “Viva Cristo Rey!” or “Long live Christ the King!” His character was one of the main protagonists in the 2013 film “For Greater Glory.” Blessed Jose Gabriel del Rosario Brochero, frequently referred to as the “gaucho priest,” will be Argentina's first saint. Born March 16, 1840, the priest suffered from leprosy throughout his life, and is known for his service to the sick and the dying. He died in 1914 and was beatified by Pope Francis Sept. 14, 2013. Sweden will also receive a new saint in Bl. Maria Elizabeth Hesselblad, who will be canonized June 5 alongside Polish Blessed Stanislaus of Jesus and Mary Papczynski. Born in the small village of Faglavik, in Sweden’s western coast province of Alvsborg June 4, 1870, Bl. Maria Elisabeth was a nurse and a convert to Catholicism. After her conversion, she went on to found a new order of Bridgettines, called the Most Holy Savior of Saint Bridget. She died in Rome April 24, 1957, and was beatified April 9, 2000, by St. John Paul II. Blessed Stanislaus of Jesus and Mary Papczynski is a Polish priest born in 1631 and beatified by Benedict XVI in 2007. Often referred to as the “Father Founder,” Bl. Stanislaus is known for his writings and constant encouragement to contemplate God’s mercy and to turn to Mary Immaculate for guidance and protection. In addition to founding the Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, the priest also experienced visions of Holy Souls in Purgatory, and urged penance and prayers on their behalf. Read more

2016-03-15T09:12:00+00:00

Washington D.C., Mar 15, 2016 / 03:12 am (CNA).- March 15 marks five years since civil war broke out in Syria. The conflict has had devastating consequences for the people of the country, many of whom have been forced to flee. Since 2011, Catholic Rel... Read more

2016-03-15T06:08:00+00:00

Vatican City, Mar 15, 2016 / 12:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A Palestinian school teacher on Sunday became the recipient of a US$1m international award for her work with children – and it was Pope Francis who announced the winner. “A population that is not well educated because of wars, or by other reasons that exist in order not to get any education, is a population that decays,” the Pope said in a pre-recorded video message announcing Hanan Al Hroub as the winner of the Global Teacher Prize, awarded by the Varkey Foundation. “That is why I would like to highlight the noble profession of a teacher.” A teacher in the West Bank, Hroub was awarded the Global Teacher Prize for her specialization in working with children exposed to violence at a ceremony held in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates' largest city. Detailed in her book We Play and Learn, Hroub's methods at the Samiha Khalil Secondary School have led to a decrease in violent behavior among children living in the volatile region, according to the Global Teacher Prize website. “A child has the right to play,” the Pope said in the video message. “Part of education is to teach children how to play, because you learn how to be social through games, and you learn the joy of life.” "I would like to congratulate the teacher Hanan Al Hroub for winning this prestigious prize due to the importance she gives to the role of play in a child’s education,” he said. Having grown up in a Bethlehem refugee camp where she regularly witnessed violence, Hroub  now teaches at a school in the town of al-Bireh, about 14 miles north  of Jerusalem. She was partly inspired to work in this field after her own children were traumatized after witnessing a shooting. Hroub told the Associated Press: "I feel amazing and I still can't believe that the Pope said my name." "For an Arab, Palestinian teacher to talk to the world today and to reach the highest peak in teaching could be an example for teachers around the world." The primary school teacher told the agency she intends to use the money to create scholarships for students who excel. Read more

2016-03-15T01:44:00+00:00

Washington D.C., Mar 14, 2016 / 07:44 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The U.S. House of Representative voted Monday to declare that what is happening to Christians and other ethnic and religious minorities in the Middle East is genocide.  H. Con. Res. 75, introduced by Reps. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) and Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) in September, expresses “the sense of Congress” that perpetrators of “atrocities” against Christians, Yezidis, Turkmens, Kurds, and other minorities in the Middle East for their religion or ethnicity are guilty of genocide, and that any supporters of the perpetrators are guilty as well.  Over 200 members of Congress from both parties had co-sponsored the resolution, and it passed out of the House Foreign Affairs Committee by a unanimous bipartisan vote earlier in March.  It passed Monday by a vote of 393-0, just days before the State Department’s March 17 deadline for announcing if it will issue an official declaration of genocide, as required in the recent Omnibus spending bill.  Speaking on the House Floor Monday afternoon before the vote, Rep. Fortenberry appealed to the “essential nature” of the resolution as the reason why so many members of both parties supported it.  “Not only is there a grave injustice happening in the Middle East, to the Christians, Yezidis, and other religious minorities who have as much a right to be in their ancient homeland as anybody else, but this is a threat against civilization itself,” he said. “When a group of people, ISIS, eighth-century barbarians with 21st century weaponry, can systematically try to exterminate another group of people simply because of their faith tradition, violating the sacred space of individuality, conscience, and religious liberty, you undermine the entire system for international order, building out of rule of law, proper social interaction, civilization itself,” he continued.  The head of the U.S. bishops’ conference, Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, called Catholics on Monday to sign a petition recognizing the genocide of Middle Eastern Christians and asking the State Department to recognize the same.  “Today, the people of God must speak up for our brothers and sisters facing genocide in the Middle East. I urge every Catholic to sign the petition at www.stopthechristiangenocide.org,” the archbishop said.  “The very future of the ancient Christian presence in the Middle East is at stake,” he added. “With each passing day, the roll of modern martyrs grows. While we rejoice in their ultimate victory over death through the power of Jesus' love, we must also help our fellow Christians carry the Cross of persecution and, as much as possible, help relieve their suffering.” Despite the looming March 17 deadline for the State Department to announce its decision on whether to declare a genocide, the announcement may end up being delayed, according to the Associated Press, because it is still in the middle of a legal review of the situation.  A 300-page report detailing the atrocities committed against Christians in Iraq and Syria was sent to the State Department last week by the Knights of Columbus and the group In Defense of Christians. It contained first-hand testimonies from victims of violence and displacement by the Islamic State, or from family members of these victims. It also listed acts of murder, theft, sexual slavery, and threats against Christians by the Islamic State.  The term “genocide” is significant because, although it may not be legally binding to the countries or authorities who use it, it carries a moral significance and could compel countries, and ultimately the United Nations Security Council, to act.  According to the 1948 United Nations Convention on Genocide, the definition of genocide is “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.” These acts can include murder and torture but also mass displacement and any conditions intentionally brought about to end the ethnic or religious group.  Advocates have insisted that, along with countless stories of beheadings, crucifixion and torture of Christians, the mass displacement of Christians by the Islamic State in Northern Iraq where militants robbed them of their remaining possessions as they fled the city of Mosul also constitutes genocide, according to the UN definition.  Experts insist that the word carries with it significant meaning that other terms like “ethnic cleansing” lack.  Dr. Gregory Stanton, former president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, testified before Congress in December that in previous cases where genocide was ultimately declared – Rwanda, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Darfur -- no significant international action was taken to stop the atrocities until the term “genocide” was used publicly to describe them. The genocide resolution “raises the international consciousness and it compels the responsible communities of the world to act,” Rep. Fortenberry stated on Monday.  “And secondly, it creates the potential preconditions for when there is a security settlement in the Middle East that will allow these ancient faith traditions to reintegrate back into their own homelands and continue to contribute to the once-rich tapestry that made up the Middle East.” Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), speaking on the House floor on Monday, called the resolution a “solemn and extremely serious step, not to be taken lightly.” It is “appeal to the conscience of the world,” he added. “It evokes the moral gravity and the imperative of ‘Never Again’. The United States must not wait any longer to find its voice and call these bloody purges for what they are, genocide.”  The U.S. could take a number of actions to respond to genocide, including expediting the refugee resettlement process for victims and providing greater humanitarian aid.  Also, a declaration of genocide by the U.S., following the declaration from the European Union Parliament in early February, would put greater pressure on the United Nations Security Council to issue a genocide declaration and refer the matter to the International Criminal Court where the perpetrators could be tried under international law.  “It will be the right word to say the truth,” Fr. Douglas al-Bazi, an Iraqi priest who ministers to the Mar Elia Refugee Camp in Erbil, Iraq, told CNA of the U.S. using the term “genocide.” “This will not be the solution. This will be the beginning, the start of solution,” he continued. The U.S. using the word could help protect displaced Christian minorities, and could begin the process of “reconciliation” between Christians and their enemies. “That means we can use the genocide not to revenge, but to show forgiveness,” he said. “As a Christian in Iraq, believe me,” he added, “we do love Muslims.” “We cannot play that game, eye for an eye,” he said. “We do love you, we do forgive you, and we actually do feel sorry about you. And the message to you, it is please, put the weapon down and let’s open a new page, a page with forgiveness.”  Photo credit: Simon Kadula via www.shutterstock.com Read more

2016-03-14T23:37:00+00:00

Vatican City, Mar 14, 2016 / 05:37 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- During a Vatican City trial on Monday over a case in which five individuals are accused of leaking and disseminating confidential financial documents, a former Vatican official said he relayed documents only under duress. “Yes, I passed documents,” Msgr. Lucio Angel Vallejo Balda, a former secretary of the Prefecture for Economic Affairs, told Vatican prosecutors March 14. “I was convinced I was in a situation without exit.” Msgr. Vallejo claimed he felt trapped by “the powerful world behind” Francesca Chaouqui – another of the defendants in the trial. Chaouqui, a public relations expert, was a member of a committee formed by Pope Francis in 2013 to help reform Vatican finances. The committee, COSEA, has since been dissolved. The three other defendants are Nicola Maio, Msgr. Vallejo's secretary, and the journalists Gianluigi Nuzzi and Emiliano Fittipaldi. Msgr. Vallejo, Chaouqui, and Maio have been accused of working together to form “an organized criminal association” with the intention of “disclosing information and documents concerning the fundamental interests of the Holy See and the (Vatican City) State.” Chaouqui and Msgr. Vallejo were arrested in connection with the leaks in November, and are believed to have passed the documents on to Nuzzi and Fittipaldi, who published separate books on the information. Nuzzi and Fittipaldi have been charged with illegally procuring and subsequently releasing the private information and documents. Msgr. Vallejo admitted to giving Nuzzi a list of some 87 passwords enabling him to access COSEA's emails, while saying he did so when he believed his email account had already been compromised and that Nuzzi already had the documents. The priest claimed that Chaouqui claimed to work for Italy's secret service, and that she manipulated him into leaking the information. He said that at times “I felt as if my physical safety was in danger.” The questioning of Msgr. Vallejo will continue on Tuesday. Read more

2016-03-14T17:51:00+00:00

Vatican City, Mar 14, 2016 / 11:51 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Speaking days after the death of a homeless man on the streets of Rome, Pope Francis during Mass on Monday reflected on the challenge of trusting in God in a world where the innocent suffer. “Three days ago a homeless person died here, on the street,” the Pope said, according to Vatican Radio's translation: “he died of cold.” Observing how the man had the opportunity to receive the necessary care, he asked: “Why, Lord?  Not even a caress ... But I entrust myself to you because you never let me down.” Pope Francis' March 14 homily at the chapel of the Vatican's Santa Marta residence touched on other recent tragedies as well, including the recent murder of four Missionaries of Charity in Yemen. He spoke about those suffering in Italy's Campania region, where high cancer rates have been linked to the illegal burning of toxic waste. The Pope also cited the number of refugees who are denied shelter. “Even when we do not understand,” – for instance, in the case of a sick child – “let us put ourselves in the hands of the Lord who never abandons his people” he said. He also said we should think of those who die without being caressed one last time. The Pope centered his reflection on the day's reading from the Book of Daniel, in which Susanna is “soiled” by the “evil desires” of two judges who try to seduce her. He recalled that Susanna trusted in God rather than succumbing to their advances. Likewise, we must trust in God when we find ourselves in a “valley of darkness,” the Roman Pontiff said. Whether they are sufferings we cannot control or are the result of something we have done, there is the tendency to ask: “Lord, where are you?” The Pope considered the "the many dark valleys,” and “misfortunes,” and “the fact there are so many people dying of hunger, there is war, there are so many children with disabilities” – some of whom are suffering from a “rare disease.” “When you look at all this you ask: ‘where is the Lord’, ‘where are you?’ ‘Are you walking with me?’” “Look at those four slain [Missionaries of Charity]: they were serving with love; they ended up murdered in hatred!” he said. Similarly, with refugees: “When you see that doors are being closed to refugees who are left out in the cold… you say: ‘Lord, where are You?’ " Pope Francis acknowledged the difficulty in understanding why these tragedies occur. “How can I entrust myself to God when I see all these things? And when things happen to me, each of us may say: how can I entrust myself to You?” “Why does a child suffer? I do not know: it is a mystery to me,” he said. Pope Francis turned to Christ's agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, and his last words on the cross: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” “To trust in God who walks with me, walks with his people, walks with the Church: this is an act of faith,” the Pope said: “To entrust myself. I cannot explain it, but I place myself in your hands. You know why.”     “He who entrusts himself to the Lord our Shepherd, shall lack nothing.” The Roman Pontiff explained that when he finds himself going through a “valley of darkness,” he knows God is with him. We must ask for the grace to trust in God during these difficult times, he added. “Lord, teach me to place myself in your hands, to trust in your guidance, even in bad times, in the darkest moments, in the moment of death.” “We would do well, today, to think about our lives, about the problems we have, and ask for the grace to place ourselves into the hands of the Lord.” “Lord,” Pope Francis concluded, “I do not understand you. This is a beautiful prayer. Without understanding, I place myself in your hands.” Read more

2016-03-14T16:01:00+00:00

Vatican City, Mar 14, 2016 / 10:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis sent his condolences to the president of Turkey where a terrorist attack Sunday left dozens dead. “Deeply saddened to learn of the injury and tragic loss of life caused by the bombing in Ankara, His Holiness Pope Francis assures the Turkish people of his spiritual closeness and solidarity,” reads the telegram, addressed to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and signed by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. “He prays for the eternal rest of those who have died and for all who mourn their loss, as well as for the recovery of those affected by this heinous act of violence.” At least 36 people were killed March 13 after a bomb was detonated in the capital city of Ankara. The female bomber, who was killed in the blast, was a member of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (known as the PKK), the BBC reports. The PKK is a militant organization based in Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan. Turkish media reports that four people are being held in connection with the bombing. Sunday's bombing was the latest in a series of attacks in recent months, including attacks in Ankara, says the BBC. Officials have imposed curfews on three towns in south-east Turkey. “Mindful of the generous service being rendered by security and emergency personnel,” the telegram reads, “His Holiness invokes the divine blessings of peace, healing and strength upon the nation.”   Read more

2016-03-13T22:02:00+00:00

Rome, Italy, Mar 13, 2016 / 04:02 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Reports that the valuable treasure of St. Januarius will be placed in the hands of the Vatican rather than the city of Naples are inaccurate, says a monsignor who oversees the assets. “The information given by newspapers is completely misleading. The decree of the Italian Ministry for Internal Affairs is intended to heal a legal problem that has not been fixed until now,” Msgr. Vincenzo De Gregorio, Abbot prelate of the Chapel of the Treasury of San Gennaro told CNA. “I would like to stress at first that the chapel of the treasure of St. Januarius is completely owned by the City of Naples, and it is completely autonomous: this is fully acknowledged by the Ministry,” he added. “The chapel of the Treasury of St. January is considered of 'lay property' with a statute issued by Pius XI in 1927.” Earlier this week, about 3,000 people in Naples, Italy stood in front of the San Gennaro (the Italian pronunciation of the saint's name) museum and chapel Saturday, waving white handkerchiefs and shouting “Hands off San Gennaro.” They were protesting a recent decree by Italy’s Interior Minister Angelino Alfano, who reclassified the treasure of  St. Januarius as religious, rather than secular property. Several sources reported that the move could put the Saint’s collection of jewels back in the hands of the Vatican rather than the city, which has managed the treasure through a lay council since the 16th century. The treasure, thought to be worth more than the British crown jewels, is a collection that was donated by kings and nobleman in honor of St. Januarius. These claims misunderstand the purpose of the decree in the first place, Msgr. De Gregorio said, which was to solve an existing legal problem with the lay council of the treasure, which for years had refused to update its statutes to fit with the latest Italian Constitution of 1948. The recent decree, then, was a legal intervention that reclassified the lay council as a “Fabric” (in Italian: fabriceria), which requires that four members of such councils be appointed by the Church. The property of the treasure will not be affected, and the four Church-appointed members will still be in the minority on the 12-person council. “…even the old statute stated that the Council had to subject every year the balance sheet to the bishop of Naples,” Msgr. De Gregorio said.      “With the new statutes, there are four members representing the Church because in fact the Chapel is a place of worship: it was born for the St. Januarius (devotion) and exists because of St. Januarius (devotion).” The real problem was that for years the Council had only been appointing members from the nobility of Naples, so rather than belonging to the whole city, the Chapel had “de facto become the property of some families of Naples,” Msgr. De Gregorio said. “The council was composed by 12 members: ten represent the nobility and two represent the common people. The non-noble (members) have been chosen until now by the same members of the Council.” Critics also blamed Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe (Archbishop of Naples) for pressuring Alfano to make the decree, in order to extend his influence over the treasure and the popular devotion of St. Januarius, whose relic of blood miraculously liquefies three times a year, and sometimes on other special occasions. These claims are also “complete nonsense,” Msgr. De Gregorio said. There is a 1646 document, signed by a notary, in which the Archbishop of Naples at the time gave the council possession of the St. Januarius jewels and silver, but the bust of St. Januarius, as well as the cruet with his blood, have always remained in the possession of the Church.Photo credit: www.shutterstock.com. Read more

2016-03-13T13:35:00+00:00

Vatican City, Mar 13, 2016 / 07:35 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A group of elderly persons and the “grandparents of Rome” distributed copies of Luke’s Gospel at the Vatican on Sunday after Pope Francis delivered his Angelus address, which touched on the human dignity of the sinner. “How deserving grandfathers and grandmothers who transmit the faith to their grandchildren!”, the Pope said as he introduced the elderly men and women, who were assisted by volunteers of the Vatican’s Santa Marta pediatric dispensary. Delivering his remarks to crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square on the fifth Sunday of Lent, the pontiff encouraged those present to read the Gospel daily in order that “the mercy of the Father may dwell in your heart, and you may bring it to everyone you meet.” “I invite you to take this Gospel, because the mercy of the Father is done works in you,” he said. In addition to containing the entire Gospel of Luke, the booklets include the seven corporal and spiritual works of mercy. “It would be nice that you learned by heart,” to make it easier to follow them, the Pope added. It has become a custom of Pope Francis to call on volunteers from a particular group to distribute copies of the Gospel during Lent. On March 22, 2015, also the fifth Sunday of Lent, a group of homeless persons helped to distribute the Gospels. Pope Francis centered his pre-Angelus address on Sunday’s Gospel account of Jesus forgiving the woman caught in adultery. He recounted the scene from John’s Gospel, in which the woman is brought to Jesus by the Scribes and Pharisees. They attempt to trap him by asking whether they should stone her according to the law, or show her mercy: if Jesus follows the law, he loses his reputation, whereas if he shows her clemency, he goes against the law. The Scribes and Pharisees “seemed to have had a thirst for blood,” the Pope observed. However, Jesus disarmed them of their intentions, and said: whoever is without sin, cast the first stone. This prompted them to walk away in shame. In off-the-cuff remarks, the Pope observed how effectively this scene helps us to be aware of our own sinfulness. How good it is to “have the courage to drop the stones we have for throwing at others, and to think a little about our sins,” he said. After the Scribes and Pharisees leave the scene, Jesus turns to the woman with “eyes full of mercy and full of love” and asks her where her accusers have gone.   Observing that Jesus treated her with dignity “perhaps for the first time,” the Pope said: “she is not her sin; she has the dignity of a person.” Such treatment “can change lives,” and help a person leave behind slavery and take “a new path.” The scene highlights “the theme of the mercy of God, who never wants the death of the sinner, but that she be converted and live.” The woman caught in adultery “represents all of us,” Pope Francis said: “that we are sinners, adulterers before God, traitors of his loyalty.” “Her experience is God's will for each of us: not our condemnation, but our salvation through Jesus. He is the grace that saves us from sin and death.” “God does not nail down our sin,” nor does he “identify us with the wrongs we have done. We have a name, and God does not identify this name with the sin we have committed.” “He wants that our freedom is converted from evil to good, and this is possible - you can! - With his grace.” Read more

2016-03-13T10:02:00+00:00

Rome, Italy, Mar 13, 2016 / 04:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go to confession with Pope Francis? One American studying in Rome recently got an answer to that question. And she the called the experience a genuine encounter with a spiritual father – that was also surprisingly normal. “Pope Francis practices what he preaches when he speaks of being a tender father in the confessional,” Leslie Knopf told CNA March 11. She said the Pope was very kind during the whole confession and was intentional in understanding her and where she was coming from. However, he also made sure to get to the heart of the matter being discussed. “It was the most private audience you could ever have with the Pope, because no one would interrupt us, it was just one-on-one to be able to receive the mercy of God in that moment,” she said. Knopf said she was “completely comfortable” being herself, and that she and the Pope even shared a few laughs over some Italian words she had difficulty pronouncing. The Pope, she said, “was fully present to the needs of my soul.” “It was a true experience of mercy, which is not merely saying that everything is okay, but truly a call to conversion.” Knopf, originally from Louisville, Ken., is currently earning her licentiate in Internal Church Communications at Rome’s Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. She also serves as Communications Director for Catholic Bytes, and director for a new initiative called Misericordia Media. She was one of several individuals who had the opportunity to go to confession with Pope Francis March 4 during his annual “24 Hours for the Lord” event, which takes place the fourth Friday and Saturday of Lent inside St. Peter’s Basilica. A worldwide initiative led by Pope Francis, the event points to confession as a primary way to experience God's merciful embrace. It was launched in 2014 under the auspices of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization. As part of the penitential service, Pope Francis went to confession himself before administering the sacrament himself to a number of individuals, one of whom was Knopf. She said that she had no idea she would be confessing with the Pope, and only found out the day before. “It was a total surprise,” she said, explaining that she was selected due to her involvement with Misericordia Media. An initiative of the Jubilee of Mercy, the Misericordia Media is a project of Catholic Bytes and offers an audio reflection for pilgrims walking through the Holy Door in St. Peter’s Basilica, as well as a brief, 10 minute video on the presence of the theme of mercy throughout the basilica. Knopf said that during the confession, Pope Francis gave her general advice which is applicable to all areas of her life. “He said that when discerning the will of God, it is really easy – you just have to ask and pray and he will let you know. So ask and pray to the Lord on every step of the way and he will let you know as it comes.” She said it was particularly meaningful to go to confession with the Pope during the Jubilee of Mercy, since he has placed such a strong emphasis on the sacrament during the Holy Year. “That was one of the main points of my experience that was so beautiful,” she said, adding that another significant part of the confession was that it was so “beautifully normal.” “It really put into perspective that I’m meeting Christ in the confessional,” Knopf said, noting that every time she goes to confession Christ is the one forgiving her sins, “and my preparation should reflect that regardless of who is acting as his representative in the confessional, whether that be a first year priest or the Vicar of Christ on earth.” For those who are afraid to go to confession or who haven’t been in years, Knopf told them not to be afraid, and to focus on what Pope Francis has often said during the Jubilee: that in the confessional, it is the “merciful face of Christ” that we encounter. “There is nothing you can take to the confessional that won’t be forgiven,” she said, adding that confession is above all “a sacrament of love,” so there is nothing to fear. Read more




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