Vatican City, Oct 27, 2015 / 02:59 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis has clarified that while the Roman Curia is in the process of being reconstructed, it doesn’t mean there is an absence of law or regulations – the existing rules are still in place, for now. In a letter (dated Oct. 14 and released Oct. 27) addressed to the Vatican’s Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Pope Francis noted that since the institution of the Council of Cardinals in 2013, “certain problems have emerged,” which he intends to take “prompt action” in addressing. The first point he made is that “the current period of transition is not a time of vacatio legis (absence of law),” and confirmed that St. John Paul II’s 1988 apostolic constitution Pastor bonus and its subsequent amendments “remain in full force, along with the General Regulations of the Roman Curia.” Pope Francis' public reminder that Pastor bonus remains in force follows upon his announcement last week that three existing bodies in the Roman Curia are to be consolidated into one dicastery. Pope Francis formally established the Council of Cardinals – also referred to as the “Council of 9” – on Sept. 28, 2013, in order to advise him in matters of Church governance and reform. The structure of the Roman Curia has followed criteria laid out in Pastor bonus, which regulates and defines responsibilities, duties and the composition of the offices of the Roman Curia. Under Pastor bonus the Roman Curia is broken up into a number of dicasteries (called either congregations or pontifical councils); three tribunals; and the Secretariat of State. While congregations have executive power, pontifical councils do not, and remain in the background of their own spheres of influence. When the Council of Cardinals first started meeting, the question as to whether Pastor bonus would be modified was one of the first things to be asked. Although there was an initial rumor that no changes would be made to the document, members of the council stressed that they would be discussing the matter at length, and would unite their efforts to find the best method to execute the reform. It has since become clear that the intention of Pope Francis' reform is to replace Pastor bonus with a new document which will describe and govern a reformed Roman Curia. Pope Francis’ latest reform move came during the synod of bishops, when, during the afternoon session Oct. 22, he announced his decision to establish a new office in the Roman Curia that will deal with issues of laity, family, and life. The new office merges the pontifical councils for the family and the laity, as well as the Pontifical Academy for Life. The move was significant because it streamlines three offices into one, and is also meant to give greater attention to issues relating to the laity in the Church. The Pope's program of curial reform has already established both a Secretariat for the Economy and a Secretariat for Communications. In his letter to Cardinal Parolin, the Pope also ordered that “to ensure equitable treatment of employees and collaborators, also in economic terms,” the rules of Pastor bonus as well as the regulations for laity and their recruitment in the Vatican and the Holy See “be scrupulously observed.” Francis made a point to reiterate that the hiring or transfer of employees in the Roman Curia and all other organizations within the Vatican and the Holy See ought to be carried out according to current staff limits. He noted that both the hiring and transfer of employees requires the authorization of the Secretary of State, and recalled that their salaries must also respect current parameters set within the Vatican City State. The Pope closed his letter asking that Cardinal Parolin inform the Governorate and the heads of all departments, offices and organizations in the Roman Curia on the letter’s contents, “highlighting in particular the aspects requiring special attention, and that supervision of compliance be exercised.” Read more

Vatican City, Oct 27, 2015 / 09:42 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Milan’s archbishop, Cardinal Angelo Scola, made an informal announcement Tuesday that Pope Francis will visit the archdiocese May 7, marking the first papal visit there since 2012. &ldquo... Read more

Vatican City, Oct 27, 2015 / 06:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis met with Rome's Romani, or Gypsies, on Monday, asking them to take a new direction and embolden their efforts towards a life of inclusion, dignity, and responsibility. "Time has come to uproot secular prejudice, preconceived ideas and the reciprocal diffidence that are often at the base of discrimination, racism and xenophobia," Pope Francis stated Oct. 26. The Pope addressed thousands of Romani in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall, saying the nomadic ethnic group should "turn the page" and begin to build bridges of "peaceful co-habitation" with other peoples and cultures. The Holy Father spoke these words on the 50th anniversary of Blessed Paul VI's meeting with Romani in a camp near Rome. The Romani people originated in northwestern India, and emigrated to Europe by the twelfth century. Their itinerant lifestyle meant they traditionally lived in wagons, and they have long been persecuted in Europe, and pressured to assimilate to the wider culture. Pope Francis told the community that “no one must feel isolated, no one is entitled to trample on the dignity and the rights of others," saying this attitude of respect also applies to the education of Romani children. "Your children have the right to go to school, do not stop them from doing so!" he urged, calling children the "most precious treasure." The Romani people have a responsibility to provide education for their children, the Pope continued, saying their youth must be given the proper tools to become fully integrated within society. The Romani are often not fully formed in education, holding them back from careers within the local economy. In addition, Pope Francis also encouraged local civil institutions to welcome these children so that they may be incorporated into the social and economic life of the country, giving them an opportunity to partake of education, healthcare, and dignified work. "We do not want to have to witness any more family tragedies in which children die from cold or are burnt in fires," the Holy Father noted, saying that youth depravity, drugs, and human trafficking must also come to an end. The Roman Pontiff encouraged the Romani toward an attitude of openness, ready for dialogue and integration with the people around them. He said they must responsibly hold themselves accountable for their present and future, and urged them to be examples of fraternity rather than individualism. "You can do this if you are good Christians, avoiding all that is not worthy of this name: lies, frauds, swindles, altercations," Pope Francis stated, saying they should ward off any occasions for the media to speak poorly about the Romani people. The Pope also pointed to Blessed Ceferino Giménez Malla, a Spaniard who is regarded at the patron saint of the Romani. He was born into a Catholic Romani family in the 1860s, and was a catechist. During the Spanish Civil War he was arrested together with a priest by Republican forces, who executed him Aug. 8, 1936. Blessed Giménez should be a role model for the Romani, Pope Francis said, believing that his example of faith and virtue could inspire the group to a life of inclusion, fraternity, and faith.   Read more

Vatican City, Oct 27, 2015 / 12:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Negotiators of a global agreement on climate change must take effective action to protect creation, leading bishops from around the world said on Monday. “This agreement must put the common good ahead of national interests. It is essential too that the negotiations result in an enforceable agreement that protects our common home and all its inhabitants,” said the bishops’ Oct. 26 appeal. The bishops’ appeal addressed negotiators at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, which will take place in Paris in Nov. 30 – Dec. 11. The bishops said negotiators must secure an agreement that is “fair, legally binding and truly transformational,” Vatican Radio reports. “The building and maintenance of a sustainable common home requires courageous and imaginative political leadership,” the bishops continued, calling for legal frameworks which “clearly establish boundaries” and ensure protection for the ecosystem. Signers of the declaration include Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, president of the United States bishops' conference, and Bishop David Crosby of Hamilton, president of the Canadian bishops' conference. Other signers were the heads of the regional bishops’ conferences of Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Oceania: Cardinal Gracias of Bombay; Archbishop Mbilingi of Lubango; Cardinal Erd? of Esztergom-Budapest; Cardinal Marx of Munich and Freising; Archbishop Ribat of Port Moresby; Cardinal Salazar Gómez of Bogota; and Cardinal Rai, the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch. The bishops said scientific evidence indicates that accelerated climate change is due to “unrestrained human activity” and “excessive reliance on fossil fuels.” “The Pope and Catholic Bishops from five continents, sensitive to the damage caused, appeal for a drastic reduction in the emission of carbon dioxide and other toxic gases,” the bishops said. They called on the climate change conference to forge an international agreement to limit global temperature increases as suggested by the scientific community in order “to avoid catastrophic climatic impacts, especially on the poorest and most vulnerable communities.” “The need to work together in a common endeavor is imperative,” they said. The bishops advised that the global climate change agreement recognize “the need to live in harmony with nature” and the need to guarantee human rights for everyone, including indigenous peoples, women, youth and workers. The conference should “develop new models of development and lifestyles that are climate compatible, address inequality and bring people out of poverty.” “Central to this is to put an end to the fossil fuel era, phasing out fossil fuel emissions, including emissions from military, aviation and shipping, and providing affordable, reliable and safe renewable energy access for all,” the bishops said. The bishops asked the conference to “set a goal for complete de-carbonization by mid-century” to protect communities most threatened by climate change, such as Pacific islanders and coastal communities. The agreement should also ensure access to water and land, while enabling the participation of the poorest and most vulnerable in the discussions. The bishops said their policy proposals draw on “the concrete experiences of people across the continents.” The bishops linked climate change to “social injustice and the social exclusion of the poorest.” The bishops cited Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical on care for our common home, Laudato si', which said climate change is one of the principal challenges now facing humanity. The Pope stressed that the climate is a common good that is meant for everyone, with the natural environment being part of humanity’s patrimony. The Pope stressed the need to find a consensual solution that is universal in a solidarity that extends across generations. The bishops’ appeal to the climate change conference echoed these concerns. “We call for an integral ecological approach, we call for social justice to be placed center stage ‘so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor’,” the bishops said. The bishops’ statement included a prayer that God will “teach us to care for this world our common home.” They asked that God would inspire government leaders gathered in Paris “to listen to and heed the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor” and to “protect the beautiful earthly garden you have created for us.” The bishops wrote their appeal in collaboration with Caritas Internationalis and the network of Catholic development agencies, CIDSE. The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace sponsored the effort. Read more

Vatican City, Oct 26, 2015 / 11:32 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis Sunday evening paid a private visit to an elderly cardinal who is in hospital after having fallen and broken his leg in St. Peter's Basilica that morning. Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, 93, lost his balance and fell while the Pope was greeting prelates following Mass for the closing of the Synod, according to an Oct. 25 statement by the Vatican Press office. The Holy Father visited the French prelate at 7:30 p.m. for about a quarter of an hour at Rome's Gemelli hospital, and bestowed his blessing. The cardinal also wanted to thank Pope Francis for the Synod which officially concluded with Sunday's Mass. The Vatican statement said the prelate fractured his left femur in the fall. It added that while he is in generally good condition, he will require surgery to repair the fracture. This is not the first time Cardinal Etchegaray has been injured during a papal celebration in St. Peter's Basilica. In 2009, a mentally unstable woman jumped the barriers and attempted to tackle Pope Benedict during the procession for Christmas Eve Mass, knocking both the pontiff and the cardinal to the ground. Although the Pope was uninjured, the cardinal sustained a broken leg and hip in the incident. Raised to the cardinalate in 1979, the retired Cardinal Etchegaray in the past has served as President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the Pontifical Council Cor Unum. This year's Synod on the Family, which ran from Oct. 4-25, was the second and larger of two such gatherings to take place in the course of a year. Like its 2014 precursor, the focus of the 2015 Synod of Bishops was the family, this time with the theme: “The vocation and mission of the family in the Church and the modern world.”   Read more