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

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

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

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

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

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