Catholic News
Strasbourg, France, Jan 28, 2016 / 04:37 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Europe’s leading human rights body passed a resolution on Wednesday calling ISIS atrocities a “genocide,” a week before the European Parliament will vote on a similar resol... Read more
Strasbourg, France, Jan 28, 2016 / 04:37 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Europe’s leading human rights body passed a resolution on Wednesday calling ISIS atrocities a “genocide,” a week before the European Parliament will vote on a similar resol... Read more
Vatican City, Jan 28, 2016 / 10:32 am (CNA/EWTN News).- While the experience of illness can certainly test our faith, for Pope Francis it is an opportunity to entrust ourselves to the tenderness and mercy of Christ, which Mary, his mother, shows us how to do. “Illness, above all grave illness, always places human existence in crisis and brings with it questions that dig deep,” the Pope said in his message for the 24th World Day of the Sick, noting that our first reaction to illness is often “one of rebellion,” asking ourselves “Why has this happened to me?” “We can feel desperate, thinking that all is lost, that things no longer have meaning,” the Pope said, explaining that while one’s faith in God is tested in these moments, they also reveal the positive aspects of faith. This is not because faith makes illness, pain, or the questions that arise disappear, but “because it offers a key by which we can discover the deepest meaning of what we are experiencing; a key that helps us to see how illness can be the way to draw nearer to Jesus who walks at our side.” And this key, he said, “is given to us by Mary, our Mother, who has known this way at first hand.” Pope Francis’ reflection was part of his message for the 24th World Day of the Sick, which will be celebrated Feb. 11 in the Holy Land. The day also marks the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. The theme for the day, “Entrusting Oneself to the Merciful Jesus like Mary: ‘Do whatever he tells you,’” is especially fitting for the Jubilee of Mercy, the Pope said. In addition to the Mass on Feb. 11, celebrations will also include the praying of morning and evening prayer, as well as daily Masses held in different places marking the various mysteries of Jesus’ life, such as his birth in Bethlehem and his resurrection in Jerusalem at the Holy Sepulchre. The sacraments of Confession and of the Anointing of the Sick will also be offered throughout the week in different locations. Bishops from different Catholic rites will perform the Anointing of the Sick throughout Jerusalem, as well as in Bethlehem and Ramallah, so that Catholics in the north and south of Palestine can also receive the sacrament. Ash Wednesday, which will take place Jan. 10, is set to be celebrated in Gethsemane, where Christ prayed the night he was arrested. After the distribution of the ashes, attendees will then walk through the Holy Door in the city. Due to the fact that the main festivities will be held in the places that Christ lived and carried out his ministry, including many miracles, Francis said he decided to center his message for the day on the Gospel account of the wedding feast of Cana, where Christ performed his first miracle through the intervention of his mother. With Mary's attentiveness and personal involvement with the newlywed couple in mind, as well as her and docile attitude toward her son, the Pope asked what the scene can teach us about the World Day of the Sick. The wedding feast is above all an image of the Church, with Christ at the center, performing a miracle out of his mercy. He is surrounded by his disciples, and beside them all is Mary, “the provident and prayerful Mother.” “Mary partakes of the joy of ordinary people and helps it to increase; she intercedes with her Son on behalf of the spouses and all the invited guests. Nor does Jesus refuse the request of his Mother,” the Pope noted. He said the event serves as a sign of hope for everyone, because “we have a Mother with benevolent and watchful eyes, like her Son.” Mary, he said, has “a heart that is maternal and full of mercy, like him; hands that want to help, like the hands of Jesus who broke bread for those who were hungry, touched the sick and healed them.” “In Mary’s concern we see reflected the tenderness of God,” the Pope said, noting that this tenderness is also present in the lives of all those who care for the sick and are attentive to their needs, “even the most imperceptible ones, because they look upon them with eyes full of love.” When this love is animated by faith, it inspires us ask God for “something greater than physical health” for those who are sick: “we ask for peace, a serenity in life that comes from the heart and is God’s gift, the fruit of the Holy Spirit, a gift which the Father never denies to those who ask him for it with trust.” Francis urged the faithful to ask Mary to intercede in helping them to have her same readiness to serve those in need, particularly those who are ill. “We too can be hands, arms and hearts which help God to perform his miracles, so often hidden,” he said, explaining that while the experience of suffering “will always remain a mystery, Jesus helps us to reveal its meaning.” Pope Francis also expressed his hope that the celebrations in the Holy Land would be an occasion for increased dialogue among Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, who often bicker over rights and access to the holy sites in the area. He closed his message by praying that all who are sick and suffering would draw inspiration from Mary, entrusting to her their trials as well as their joys. “Let us beg her to turn her eyes of mercy towards us, especially in times of pain, and make us worthy of beholding, today and always, the merciful face of her Son Jesus!” Read more
Vatican City, Jan 28, 2016 / 09:24 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Thursday Pope Francis met briefly with actor and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio, who recently won an award for his efforts environmental protection at the World Economic Forum. The meeting between the two lasted just 15 minutes, but was enough time for DiCaprio to hand the Pope a book of art from Dutch Renaissance painter Hieronymus Bosch, according to Vatican Radio. Francis' gift to the actor was likely a copy of his encyclical “Laudato Si” and a medal – lately he's been giving one to presidents and heads of state who have come to the Vatican that bears the image of St. Martin cutting his cloak in two for a poor man. In some of the pictures of the encounter, DiCaprio can be seen holding the small box usually containing papal medals, as well as two red books. What the two discussed is unknown, however it’s likely that issues surrounding the environment formed the bulk of the dialogue. DiCaprio – who is a candidate for Best Actor at the Feb. 28 Oscar Awards ceremony for his lead role in the drama “The Revenant” – describes himself on twitter as an “actor and environmentalist.” He recently participated in the World Economic Forum where received their Crystal Award for his leading role in fighting climate change. In his speech for the event, DiCaprio said that “we simply cannot afford to allow the corporate greed of the coal, oil and gas industries to determine the future of humanity.” “Those entities with a financial interest in preserving this destructive system have denied, and even covered up the evidence of our changing climate… Enough is enough. You know better. The world knows better. History will place the blame for this devastation squarely at their feet.” According to the actor, “our planet cannot be saved unless we leave fossil fuels in the ground where they belong.” He said that with today’s technologies, we have the means to end our “addiction” to them. DiCaprio also announced that his foundation, The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, will be donating donating $15 million to support environmental protection projects. Pope Francis himself sent a message to the forum participants, in which he said that while advanced technologies are good, they should promote environmental protection and shouldn’t replace the jobs currently held by people. Global dependence on coal and fossil fuels is something Francis also condemned in his encyclical “Laudato Si,” published June 18, 2015. As usual, the Pope did not shy away from controversial issues in the document, making bold statements on global warming, pollution, species extinction and global inequality’s impact on natural resources. He cited studies supporting the theory of global warming and stated that human activity is the primary driving force behind the phenomenon, as well as the main cause of species extinction. He also spoke of developed nations’ obligations involving renewable resources and the development of poorer countries. In addition to defending life from conception to natural death, Francis also issued a condemnation of gender ideology and advocated for a limited use of non-renewable resources. While the two men might not have much in common apart of DiCaprio’s Catholic roots – he was raised Catholic, but currently has no specific religion – their mutual interest in safeguarding the environment is enough to bring them together for the brief encounter. Read more
Denver, Colo., Sep 7, 2016 / 11:06 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Julia Greeley was a familiar sight on the streets of Denver in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Wearing a floppy hat, oversized shoes, and dabbing her bad eye with a handkerchief, Greeley was often seen pulling her red wagon of goods to deliver to the poor and homeless of the city. She had a particularly special devotion to the Sacred Heart, and would deliver images and information about the icon to firefighters throughout Denver every month. Her charitable work earned her the title of a "one-person St. Vincent de Paul Society" from one writer, and has made her the local model of mercy for the Jubilee Year of Mercy. Born a slave in Hannibal, Missouri sometime between 1833 and 1848, Greeley endured some horrific treatment – once, a whip caught her right eye and destroyed it as a slave master beat Greeley’s mother. One of many slaves freed by Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, Greeley’s work with the family of William Gilpin, Colorado’s first territorial governor, brought her to Denver in 1878. After leaving the Gilpins' service, Greeley found odd jobs around the city, and came upon the Sacred Heart Parish of Denver, where she would convert to Catholicism in 1880. She was an enthusiastic parishioner, a daily communicant, and became an active member of the Secular Franciscan Order starting in 1901. The Jesuit priests at her parish recognized her as the most fervent promoter of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Despite her own poverty, Greeley spent much of her time collecting food, clothing and other goods for the poor. She would often do her work at night, so as to avoid embarrassing the people she was assisting. “She stood out because of how extraordinary she was,” David Uebbing, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Denver, told the Denver Catholic. “Even though she was only earning $10 to $12 a month cleaning and cooking, she was using it to help other people who were poor,” he said. “That spoke volumes about the charitable heart she had. In addition, she had great devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and was known for walking (monthly) to 20 different firehouses to give (felt) badges of the Sacred Heart and tracts to firemen. That brings to life the corporal and spiritual works of mercy this holy year is dedicated to.” Julia Greeley died on June 7, 1918 - the Feast of the Sacred Heart. Although her death came unexpectedly, she was able to receive last rites. It is estimated that she was around 80 years old, though because she was born into slavery, her exact age was never known. After her death, her body lay in state in a Catholic parish for five hours, during which a constant stream of people came to pay their last respects to the well-known, well-loved woman. A documentary about Greeley, based on the book In Secret Service of the Sacred Heart: The Life and Virtues of Julia Greeley, has been produced by the Archdiocese of Denver for the year of Mercy. Mary Leisring, president of the Julia Greeley Guild, told Denver Catholic that she was happy about the recognition Greeley was receiving during the Year of Mercy. “We had a saint walking the streets of Denver, yet very few people know about her.”This article was originally published Jan. 28, 2016. Read more
Rome, Italy, Jan 28, 2016 / 12:06 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Bishop Santo Loku Pio Doggale joined his brother prelates from South Sudan and Sudan for a time of rest and prayer in Rome last week, during which they were able to discuss key issues the two countries face, including decades of internal conflict and war. South Sudan – which won its independence from Sudan in 2011 – has endured its own civil war for more than two years, since a power struggle erupted between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar, who was accused by the president of attempting a coup. The only solution to ongoing conflicts in the area is to “put an end to this violence by stopping the war,” Bishop Santo, auxiliary of the Archdiocese of Juba, told CNA in an interview. “The bishops are asking for true support for the suffering people in Sudan and in South Sudan.” He said pressure must be applied to the governments of both Sudan and South Sudan, that they might put their peoples’ interests over political agendas. “The people should be put first, and that’s the only way that this pressure should go on, so that we achieve peace in both countries,” the bishop said, explaining that to make peace only in South Sudan without doing so in their northern neighbor “will not be a viable peace.” This week South Sudan missed a deadline to create a transitional government, which was part of a peace deal made in August 2015. Both sides accuse each other of violating the deal. Two months after the peace agreement was made, Kiir decreed that the country's 10 states were to be replaced with 28 states, a move by opposition leaders and international players. The bishops of Sudan and South Sudan were invited to Rome for a time of rest and prayer by Cardinal Fernando Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. The Jan. 11-21 spiritual retreat included a private audience with Pope Francis, and provided an opportunity for the bishops to discuss the various challenges both countries face, which range from war and poverty to catechetical and clerical formation. Sudan has been the scene of nearly continuous civil war since it gained independence in 1956. Many of the initial problems were caused by corruption in the government, which led to the political, economic, and religious marginalization of the country’s peripheries. The Second Sudanese Civil War ended in 2005, and eventually resulted in the secession of South Sudan in 2011. However, tensions between the two countries remain, primarily surrounding border issues and oil. The conflict has led to serious human rights violations, crimes against humanity, and a severe humanitarian crisis in Sudan’s southern regions of Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile, which are among the hardest-hit by fighting. Although South Sudan is now independent from Sudan, the two countries share an episcopal conference, the operation of which was also touched on in the discussions between the South Sudanese and Sudanese bishops and the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. In their meeting with Pope Francis last week, each bishop had the opportunity to explain the situation of their own local Church, Bishop Santo said. “Pope Francis was very delighted to receive us,” he said. “Of course he is the father of the Church, our father, so we felt at home; the meeting was warm.” One of the most serious problems both Sudan and South Sudan face is the humanitarian crisis brought about by their years of war and internal conflict. “Right now we have people suffering in South Sudan and war in South Sudan,” Bishop Santo said. “Displaced people move to Sudan, and then displaced people move from Sudan to South Sudan, so we have crossroads of displaced people in both countries suffering from the political elite who don’t take their people in heart.” The majority of issues the country faces are political problems “that have been created by the ruling elites in all Sudan,” making life difficult for both Christians and Muslims alike, he said. In the beginning, war “was created by this political elite, using fundamental ideologies in order to make life difficult,” the bishop said, explaining that while the situation has somewhat improved since South Sudan’s 2011 secession, “the political war is still in place.” The South Sudanese Civil War has been characterized as having both political and ethnic dimensions, and it is estimated that thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced from their homes since the violence began. This war “is what the bishops are praying should come to the end sooner or later because the suffering is too much,” Bishop Santo said. He offered thanks to the international organizations assisting in the humanitarian crisis on the ground in conflict areas. Many humanitarian workers “risk their lives, they leave their countries, they go down to help us,” but at the same time are blocked by the government from getting the aid to those who need it, the bishop said, noting that at times they are even harassed “in carrying out this noble humanitarian task.” He made an appeal to the governments of both Sudan and South Sudan to drop political interests and help with the crisis “so that aid can reach those in need.” “This is very urgent and it is needed now, because if the people are cut off, (if) they lack medicines, they lack water, they lack food, many of them will die.” With water points far and hard to get to as the hot season approaches, the need is becoming even more dire, the bishop said, adding that “if this conflict continues in the dry season it’s going to affect millions and millions of people.” “So we continue to appeal that the international community. Most urgently we would like to see that these people are safe. Once they are safe and protected then they will need the basic necessities of life.” Bishop Santo drew specific attention to the need for education for displaced children, who are particularly vulnerable and “who are not part of this war, but it is brought to them. So this is very, very urgent and very urgently needed now more than before in both countries.” According to a recent report from Unicef South Sudan has the highest proportion of children unable to attend school, at 51 percent. Many youth in Sudan and South Sudan have left and joined terrorist groups in neighboring countries such as Chad and the Central African Republic. Given the political situation and the war, it's “very difficult” for young people to find opportunities for education and a better life, the bishop said. “Therefore when the extremists came to Sudan, especially, they offered chances and these young people embraced these chances and began to go into this violence.” As the bishops return to their respective dioceses to face the looming challenges, Bishop Santo said he is grateful to have had the time to pray and to discuss the issues. He offered his thanks to the Pope and Cardinal Filoni for “such a cordial response” to the problems at hand in both Sudan and South Sudan: “We are taking back home a lot of memories and blessings.” “The Holy Mother Church stands with the suffering people of South Sudan … and therefore it is a great affection to each and every one of us,” he said. “So we will continue to carry our responsibilities and our duties in order to continue building the Church as God wants it throughout our times.” Read more
Washington D.C., Jan 27, 2016 / 05:53 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Planned Parenthood investigators indicted by a Houston grand jury on Monday were not breaking the law as they are undercover journalists, maintains the lawyer for the lead investigator, David Daleiden. Daleiden’s use of a false identification, linked to his undercover report on Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast in Houston, is “standard undercover technique” and is allowed under Texas law, Peter Breen of the Thomas More Society told CNA. Daleiden, the project lead for the “citizen journalist” team Center for Medical Progress, and his fellow worker Sandra Merritt, were indicted Jan. 25 by a grand jury for “tampering with a government record.” Additionally, Daleiden was indicted for the purchase or sale of human organs, a misdemeanor charge. Last summer, the Center for Medical Progress had released a series of videos of secretly-taped conversations with Planned Parenthood officials as part of its investigative report “Human Capital.” The report focused on Planned Parenthood’s role in its clinics offering fetal tissue of aborted babies to harvesters for compensation. Planned Parenthood, Daleiden charged, was illegally profiting from the sale of fetal tissue of aborted babies. Federal law generally prohibits the sale of human organs but does allow for the transfer of fetal tissue for medical research with compensation, provided the compensation is not “valuable consideration” but is “reasonable,” to cover expenses such as operating and shipping costs. Following the release of the videos, Planned Parenthood has been investigated on the state and federal level, but so far there have been no official conclusions of wrongdoing. To investigate Planned Parenthood, members of the Center for Medical Progress set up a false company Biomax and posed as company representatives seeking to partner with Planned Parenthood clinics to harvest fetal tissue. They discussed various amounts of compensation for the tissue. Daleiden and Merritt secretly taped their conversation with the research director at Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, Melissa Farrell, while posing as tissue harvesters. They would have had to use identification to gain access to the clinic, and allegedly used California drivers licenses with their false names. Texas law prohibits the use of a governmental record “with knowledge of its falsity” or any “false alteration” of a governmental record. It clarifies that it is a misdemeanor “unless the actor's intent is to defraud or harm another, in which event the offense is a state jail felony” and “a felony of the second degree.” Thus, by charging them with a second-degree felony, the Houston grand jury determined that Daleiden and Merritt operated with the intent “to defraud or harm” Planned Parenthood. However, this tampering statute was intended for serious crimes like identity theft, Breen maintained. It is not intended to prohibit the use of false identification for undercover journalism – which is what the two investigators were doing. An attorney for Planned Parenthood in Houston, Josh Schaffer, told the Washington Post that the Center for Medical Progress “edited the tapes to be taken out of context,” although the organization posted a full video of the report over five hours long. What is clear, Breen maintained, is that Daleiden and his fellow investigators “have rock-solid evidence” that Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast is changing its abortion procedures to better obtain fetal tissue, and is altering its accounting practices. The allegations relate to what Farrell at Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast told Daleiden and Merritt about the cost of obtaining and dissecting fetal tissue for harvesters. Farrell floated the possibility of altering the abortion procedure to increase the possibility of extracting “intact” fetal tissue. “If we alter our process, and we are able to obtain intact fetal cadavers, we can make it part of the budget that any dissections are this, and splitting the specimens into different shipments is this. It’s all just a matter of line items,” she said. Daleiden was also indicted for the purchase or sale of human organs. A person violates Texas law when “he or she knowingly or intentionally offers to buy, offers to sell, acquires, receives, sells, or otherwise transfers any human organ for valuable consideration.” Schaffer, Planned Parenthood’s attorney, also told the Washington Post that Daleiden made an offer via e-mail to purchase fetal tissue from Planned Parenthood for $1,600. However, Daleiden clearly did not have the intent to purchase fetal tissue because he did not have the resources to “buy, store, or process baby body parts,” Breen said. In contrast, Planned Parenthood clearly had the money and the means to violate that statute, he told CNA, and had built relationships “to sell baby body parts for profit.” Read more
Vatican City, Jan 27, 2016 / 01:32 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation on family life following last year's synod will be published in March, says Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for the Family. In an interview with the Portuguese Catholic agency Ecclesia, Archbishop Paglia said that the Pope will release the document in March 2016, and that it will “show that the Church is close to families in all stages of their lives.” “I am convinced that the Apostolic Exhortation will be a hymn to love, to a love that will care for the well-being of children, that is open to wounded families who need strength, that wants to be close to the elder, a love that the whole of humanity needs,” Paglia said. The Italian archbishop is leading a week-long conference for the Catholic clergy of Portugal's Southern ecclesiastic provinces under the title “Family: Centrality, Renewal and Continuity.” The apostolic exhortation will be the conclusion of a multi-year synod process. In 2014 the Vatican hosted an Extraordinary Synod which was in preparation for the October 2015 Ordinary Synod. An estimated 190 bishops from around the world participated in each gathering. The 2015 synod, which the Pope’s exhortation is expected to focus on, was themed “the vocation and mission of the family in the church and the modern world.” The synods were surrounded by controversy, with hot-button topics of ministry to homosexuals and the divorced-and-remarried dominating media coverage. Discussion in the synod hall also touched on such issues as marriage preparation, pornography, and domestic violence and abuse. The apostolic exhortation is expected to be based on the final report from the synod, which was released Oct. 24. That report reflected collegiality among the bishops, though two of the 94 paragraphs were included by only a slim margin. Read more
Vatican City, Jan 27, 2016 / 05:40 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Wednesday Pope Francis renewed his appeal for faithful to put the works of mercy into practice during the jubilee, urging them to open their hearts to others, and to show God’s tenderness to those who suffer. In his Jan. 27 general audience, the Pope recounted how “divine mercy had saved” the biblical figure of Moses from death in the waters of the Nile as a newborn infant. Later, Moses himself becomes “a mediator of that same mercy, allowing the people to be born to freedom” through their passage between the waters of the Red Sea. “Also we, in this year of mercy, we can be mediators of mercy with the works of mercy,” Francis said. “To grow close, to give relief, to create unity. It's possible to do many good things.” Pope Francis spoke to pilgrims present in St. Peter’s Square for his general audience. It was his second set of reflections on a new series of catechesis dedicated to mercy according to the bible, which he launched last week in honor of the Jubilee of Mercy. The Pope’s emphasis on performing both spiritual and corporal works of mercy also formed the heart of his Lenten message for 2016, published Jan. 26. Francis’ main point in the message is that if we receive God’s mercy, we will be able to give it to others. In his general audience, Francis noted how in the bible, God has been merciful with the people Israel from the beginning, specifically in accompanying the patriarchs, such as Jacob and Abraham, and blessing them with children, despite their infertility. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A pilgrim's perspective of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PopeFrancis?src=hash">#PopeFrancis</a> at this morning's general audience <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rome?src=hash">#Rome</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/AlanHoldren">@AlanHoldren</a> <a href="https://t.co/bTImvXRNV9">pic.twitter.com/bTImvXRNV9</a></p>— Catholic News Agency (@cnalive) <a href="https://twitter.com/cnalive/status/692272871717093376">January 27, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> He pointed to the story of Joseph and his brothers, the sons of Jacob, and lamented that like them, many families today also have problems, including relatives who are distant and don’t speak to one another. The Holy Year of Mercy, he said, “is a good occasion to come back, to embrace and forgive one another, and to forget the bad things.” On the other hand, the Pope noted that even though God had been generous with the people of Israel, life in Egypt “was difficult” for them. But it was precisely when the Israelites were ready to give in “that the Lord intervened and brought salvation.” “When the Israelites were suffering, they cried out to God. God heard their cry, God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,” the Pope recalled. “Mercy cannot remain indifferent in front of the suffering of the oppressed, the cry of those who are subjected to violence, reduced to slavery, condemned to death,” he continued. Francis then noted that these painful realities effect every age, including ours, and can make one feel powerless. The temptation can also arise to harden one’s heart to suffering and to “think about something else” instead, he said. But God, on the other hand, “is not indifferent, he never takes his eyes off of human pain. The God of mercy responds and takes care of the poor, of those who cry out in their desperation.” “God listens and intervenes in order to save, arousing men who are capable of hearing the groan of suffering and to work in favor of the oppressed,” the Pope said, recalling the figure of Moses. Just as with Moses, who was God’s instrument in liberating the people of Israel, “the mercy of God always acts to save,” Pope Francis said, adding that this divine mercy “reaches everyone.” The Lord offers each individual a special relationship of “personal, exclusive and privileged love,” he said, explaining that humanity is like a special treasure for God, his “personal reserve of gold and silver.” “The mercy of the Lord renders man precious, like a personal wealth that belongs to him, that he cares for and in which he is welcomed,” he said. We become this treasure, Francis observed, to the extent that we uphold his covenant with us, which has been “consummated” in the blood of Jesus, and to which we allow ourselves to be saved by him. Since we are children of God, also we, like Moses, have the opportunity to receive the inheritance “of goodness and mercy toward others,” the Pope observed. “We (can) do acts of mercy, opening our hearts to reach everyone with the works of mercy, which are the merciful inheritance that God the Father has had with us.” Read more
Vatican City, Jan 27, 2016 / 05:40 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Wednesday Pope Francis renewed his appeal for faithful to put the works of mercy into practice during the jubilee, urging them to open their hearts to others, and to show God’s tenderness to those who suffer. In his Jan. 27 general audience, the Pope recounted how “divine mercy had saved” the biblical figure of Moses from death in the waters of the Nile as a newborn infant. Later, Moses himself becomes “a mediator of that same mercy, allowing the people to be born to freedom” through their passage between the waters of the Red Sea. “Also we, in this year of mercy, we can be mediators of mercy with the works of mercy,” Francis said. “To grow close, to give relief, to create unity. It's possible to do many good things.” Pope Francis spoke to pilgrims present in St. Peter’s Square for his general audience. It was his second set of reflections on a new series of catechesis dedicated to mercy according to the bible, which he launched last week in honor of the Jubilee of Mercy. The Pope’s emphasis on performing both spiritual and corporal works of mercy also formed the heart of his Lenten message for 2016, published Jan. 26. Francis’ main point in the message is that if we receive God’s mercy, we will be able to give it to others. In his general audience, Francis noted how in the bible, God has been merciful with the people Israel from the beginning, specifically in accompanying the patriarchs, such as Jacob and Abraham, and blessing them with children, despite their infertility. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A pilgrim's perspective of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PopeFrancis?src=hash">#PopeFrancis</a> at this morning's general audience <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rome?src=hash">#Rome</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/AlanHoldren">@AlanHoldren</a> <a href="https://t.co/bTImvXRNV9">pic.twitter.com/bTImvXRNV9</a></p>— Catholic News Agency (@cnalive) <a href="https://twitter.com/cnalive/status/692272871717093376">January 27, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> He pointed to the story of Joseph and his brothers, the sons of Jacob, and lamented that like them, many families today also have problems, including relatives who are distant and don’t speak to one another. The Holy Year of Mercy, he said, “is a good occasion to come back, to embrace and forgive one another, and to forget the bad things.” On the other hand, the Pope noted that even though God had been generous with the people of Israel, life in Egypt “was difficult” for them. But it was precisely when the Israelites were ready to give in “that the Lord intervened and brought salvation.” “When the Israelites were suffering, they cried out to God. God heard their cry, God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,” the Pope recalled. “Mercy cannot remain indifferent in front of the suffering of the oppressed, the cry of those who are subjected to violence, reduced to slavery, condemned to death,” he continued. Francis then noted that these painful realities effect every age, including ours, and can make one feel powerless. The temptation can also arise to harden one’s heart to suffering and to “think about something else” instead, he said. But God, on the other hand, “is not indifferent, he never takes his eyes off of human pain. The God of mercy responds and takes care of the poor, of those who cry out in their desperation.” “God listens and intervenes in order to save, arousing men who are capable of hearing the groan of suffering and to work in favor of the oppressed,” the Pope said, recalling the figure of Moses. Just as with Moses, who was God’s instrument in liberating the people of Israel, “the mercy of God always acts to save,” Pope Francis said, adding that this divine mercy “reaches everyone.” The Lord offers each individual a special relationship of “personal, exclusive and privileged love,” he said, explaining that humanity is like a special treasure for God, his “personal reserve of gold and silver.” “The mercy of the Lord renders man precious, like a personal wealth that belongs to him, that he cares for and in which he is welcomed,” he said. We become this treasure, Francis observed, to the extent that we uphold his covenant with us, which has been “consummated” in the blood of Jesus, and to which we allow ourselves to be saved by him. Since we are children of God, also we, like Moses, have the opportunity to receive the inheritance “of goodness and mercy toward others,” the Pope observed. “We (can) do acts of mercy, opening our hearts to reach everyone with the works of mercy, which are the merciful inheritance that God the Father has had with us.” Read more
Vatican City, Jan 27, 2016 / 03:06 am (CNA/EWTN News).- As Pope Francis’ weeklong visit to Mexico draws near, anticipation is building not just for the presence of the Successor of Peter, but also for how he will respond to hot-button topics such... Read more
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