Vatican City, Sep 19, 2015 / 11:56 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The U.S. embargo on Cuba, education, care of the environment, war, and peace were all themes touched on by Pope Francis in a satellite television conference with youth from Havana and New York Thursday. Ten youth participated in the Sept. 17 event, five of whom were students from New York, and five students from different schools in the Cuban capital of Havana. In the question and answer session, youth from both countries spoke with each other and the Pope, asking him questions such as how to care for the environment, how to be a good leader, and the right of children to play. Francis also told the youth he will do what he can to build bridges between the two countries, but stressed that policies can take a while, and friendships are the first thing they should foster. Hosted by Scholas Occurrentes, the television conference was organized in anticipation of Pope Francis’  Sept. 19-27 visit to  Cuba and the United States. It was transmitted via satellite and held in collaboration with The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Filming was done by CNN in New York, and by Vatican Radio and the Vatican Television Center on the part of the Pope. The conference was broadcast on CNN the evening of Sept. 18. Please find below CNA’s full translation of the encounter:The first question from a youth in New York, had to do with the responsibility of safeguarding the environment.Pope Francis: It's one of those things that has to start from youth: putting yourself in charge of caring for the environment. The environment, right now, is part of the excluded. It's screaming for us to pay attention, for us to take care of it. So, how can a youth put themselves in charge of the environment? First of all, seeing the problems that happen in your neighborhood, in your city, in your nation: Which environmental problems exist? Or, when you read the news, for example: the Polar bear in Alaska that had to go higher. Why? Because of the dissolution of the glaciers. So, making yourself realize that there are serious problems, but there are also small problems. In the encyclical (Laudato Si’) there are many things that we can do. Indications. For example, to always use biodegradable material. You know that one plastic bag which is not biodegradable, it stays for millennia and does damage to the environment. Use biodegradables for everything. If you work in the field, in the orchard, realize that monoculture hurts the earth. The crop needs to go by varying, according to the year, so that the land is restored, is regrown. Or, look for concrete things you can do. Paper waste is impressive. The waste of electricity. This forces the power plants to use ways of manufacturing electricity that poison the environment. Care for the common home. The environment is the common home. Speaking with a person who knows this, some time ago, I told them: 'Yes, we have to make decisions for future generations, for our children,' and they replied: 'Yes, if things continue like this, I wonder, will there be new generations? The problem is serious. Become aware, become aware. In the Pacific Ocean, for example. The islands of the Pacific Ocean, including the independent States, if things continue as they are, in twenty years they won't exist. So, what can I do from my place? The little bit that I do, but it's a little more, a little more, a little more. To add to the volume of saving our common home.The second question from a youth in Havana, about the leadership of the Holy Father.Pope Francis: Look, I will tell you only one thing: a leader is a good leader if they are able to bring our other leaders from the youth. If a leader wants to be a leader by himself, he's a tyrant. That is, a true leader is fertile and each one of you, each one of you, has the seed of leadership inside. Make it grow. Be leaders in what touches you to be leaders. Leaders of thought, leaders of action, leaders of joy, leaders of hope, leaders of the building of a better world. This is the path for you, but you have the seed. Solitary leaders are here today, but tomorrow they're not. If they don't plant leadership in others, if they don't serve, they are dictators. I have no desire to be a dictator. Because of this, I like to plant, not to sow.At this point a youth from New York showed a photograph of a dry tree, which supported a little bird on a branch.Pope Francis: Yes, in the photo, the tree is dead, the bird is alive. That bird needs, in a few months, to make a nest to lay eggs and have little birds, but if the tree is dead, how is it going to build it's nest? This is what it's like when we don't care for the environment. A death brings another death. A death brings another death and, then, instead of sowing hope, we sow death. The path is reversed: to care for life. And one life brings another. The image, the most beautiful photo would be a living tree and a living bird. This is how we are right now. Part of humanity is dying, but dying alone and making others die, does not allow others to live. The picture you chose is very significant.A youth from Havana asked the Holy Father for his intervention in ending the embargo on Cuba.Pope Francis: Alleluia. I’m going to do what’s possible, everything, not to forget. Building bridges or unblocking so that there is communication, so that communication leads to friendship. One of the most beautiful things is social friendship. This is I would like for you to achieve: social friendship.On social friendship, a youth from New York voiced concern about the lack of education in different countries of the world.Pope Francis: Yes. Education is one of the human rights. A child has the right to be loved. A child has the right - the human right - to play. A child has the right to learn and to smile. A child has the right to education. And here, we can continue listing rights. I think that we are in a time of crisis in the world of education. Do you think of the amount of children, in the countries at war right now, who don't have an education? Thousands and thousands of children. Think about thousands and thousands of children excluded from the possibility of education. It's a challenge. It's a challenge that we have to face. And we have to start with ourselves. Educating among ourselves. The service of educating ourselves. Don't wait until the governments reach an agreement. Many years will pass, because it's difficult. The educational pact is broken. To educate among ourselves. How many children your age, how many boys and girls go on weekends, holidays, to educate, to give classes to others, to teach them. Education is a human right. A people that isn't educated, due to war or all the reasons there are for not being able to have an education, is a people that decays, decays, decays, and can even fall to the level of instincts. So you, if you want to do something, organize yourselves to help governments, the States, to educate children that don't have access to the right of education. A child has the right to play. And part of education is to teach children how to play, because one learns how to be social in games, one learns the joy of life. Committing oneself to the education of children. Education is a human right.Speaking about the right of children to play, to live in peace, the Holy Father took out of his pocket a bullet that was given to him that morning by a young person from a country at war.Pope Francis: The right to play. The right to joy. The right to smile. I'll share just one thing with you: this morning I received a group of youth. One was from a country at war and they gave me this. This is a bullet from the many that continually fall on their city and on their children, (and) to survive, they have to be closed inside their house, they don't have the right to play. There are other places where a child doesn't have a right to play simply because they live the anguish of hunger, of loneliness, of the street. Do you know how many children live on the street? We have lost the notion of the amount of children who don't have the joy of playing, either because of war, poverty or because they live on the street. And these children who don't know how to communicate with the joy of the game, are prey to traffickers. They use them for juvenile delinquency, to steal, for drugs, for prostitution, for many other things. Perhaps the best way to educate children is to give them the opportunity to play. Remember this little project. Hundreds of kids hiding, unable to play, so as not to be dead.Concluding the encounter, the bullet shown by the Pope was symbolically buried under the olive tree of peace.Pope Francis: It was a pleasure to spend this time with you. Continue forward. Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. Fear paralyzes. You move. There are so many things to do. The future is in your hands. It's there. Carry it forward. May God bless you, and each one, whatever your religious affiliation, I ask you to pray for me. Thank you, thank you.   Read more

Vatican City, Sep 19, 2015 / 06:03 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican announced Friday that Pope Francis has appointed Fr. David Tencer, O.F.M. Cap., as bishop of Reykjavik, Iceland. Born in Nova Bana, Slovakia in 1963, Bishop-elect Fr. Tencer was ordained a priest in 1986 and transferred to Iceland in 2004, where he served as the vicar of Stella Maris in Reykjavik, and is currently pastor of the parish of St. Þórlákur (Thorlak) in Reyðarfjörður. He succeeds Bishop Peter Burcher, whose resignation from the same diocese was accepted by the Holy Father. The small, northern island country’s official state religion is Lutheranism, though before the 16th century it was Roman Catholicism. Today, 11,454 of the country’s 325,671 people are Roman Catholic, with just 15 priests and 37 religious serving Iceland’s single, consolidated diocese of Reykjavik. It is the most sparsely populated country in Europe, with less than three people per square kilometer. Most of the country’s priests come from elsewhere, including Poland, Slovakia, Ireland, France, Argentina, Britain and Germany. The orders of sisters with a presence in the country include The Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará, The Mexican sisters from Guadalajara, The Missionaries of Charity, and two Carmelite orders. The country is divided into six parishes, and the single diocese of Reykjavik that is directly under the authority of the Holy See, with no responsible archdiocese. West Iceland Church. Credit: mariusz kluzniak via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)Rugged land and resilient people The harsh and unpredictable environment in Iceland is marked by volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, floods, and harsh winters, forming a resilient people. As T.V. host Magnús Magnússon once famously said in 2001: “When you live in a country which moves alarmingly under your feet every five years or so with an earthquake or a volcanic eruption, you face, like the saga heroes of old, a choice of two courses of action, neither of them good: Either to flee the country and all its hazards, or to stay and brave them out. For more than 1100 years the people of Iceland have chosen to stay and brave them out.” Perhaps this is why, despite a turbulent history, the Catholic Church has found a way to survive in the remote country. Búðir, the black church, Iceland. Credit: Andrés Nieto Porras via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)The beginnings of Catholicism in Iceland It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly when Catholicism reached 65 degrees north latitude, though it seems to have gained the most traction starting around the 9th century. At that time, the first Norsemen travelled across the Norwegian sea to Iceland, where they encountered some Gaelic monks. While the Irish monks disappeared soon after, they were replaced by missionaries from Norway and northern Germany, who began baptizing a significant portion of the population. In the late 10th and early 11th century, the number of Christians became so great that the government worried about the peace and unity of the country, whose official religion was Norse paganism. In the year 1,000, the country’s Parliament assembled to discuss the issue. The law speaker at the time, Þorgeir Þorkelsson Ljósvetningagoði (in English, Thorgeir Thorkelsson), was himself a pagan chieftain and had a tough decision before him. According to legend, Ljósvetningagoði spent a day and a night discerning his decision under a fur blanket, and the next day declared Christianity (the reformation hadn’t happened yet) as the state religion. After his decision, Ljósvetningagoði personally converted to Christianity, and allegedly threw his pagan idols into a waterfall, which since that time became known as Goðafoss, the "waterfall of the gods" located in north-central Iceland. Northern Lights over Reykjanes Peninsula Sea Stacks, Iceland. Credit: Diana Robinson via Flickr (CC BY-ND 2.0)St. Thorlak Catholicism flourished in Iceland throughout the 10th, 11th and 12th centuries. Several monasteries and convents, largely Benedictine or Augustinian in rule, sprang up throughout the country, establishing schools and heavily influencing the culture at the time. Around 1200, the country’s population was about 80,000, with 220 churches and 290 priests. One of the most influential bishops at the time was Þorlákur Þórhallsson (or Thorlak Thorhallsson). Born in 1133 to poor farmers, Thorlak displayed talents early on in life, urging his parents to send him for extensive religious education under a local priest. Remarkably, Thorlak was ordained a deacon before the age of 15, and a priest before the age of 18. As a priest, he left Iceland briefly to study theology in France and England, where he became attracted to living the monastic rule of St. Augustine. He became known for maintaining the rule of clerical celibacy, even at a time when it was being ignored in Iceland. He also founded an Augustinian monastery, and was eventually asked to become bishop of the diocese of Skalholt. Although he was deeply attached to his monastic way of life, Thorlak recognized the pressing need for reform and guidance among the clergy. Thorlak also sought to improve public morality, and dared to confront even the most popular and powerful chieftain in Iceland, who was said to have had an extramarital affair with the bishop's own sister. Thorlak often longed to put aside these kinds of burdens and return to the monastic life. Before he could do so, he died on December 23, 1193. He had become such a popular figure at the time that he was unofficially, locally canonized just five years after his death. It became official in 1984 when Pope John Paul II canonized him as the patron saint of Iceland. St. Thorlak’s feast is celebrated as the final day of preparation before Christmas, on which Icelandic Catholics have maintained the custom of gathering to eat cured fish. Vik, Iceland. Credit: Chris Goldberg via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)The effects of the Reformation By the 16th century, Iceland was under the rule of the king of Denmark, Christian III, who seized the opportunity to abolish the once-thriving Catholicism in the land. Monks, priests and Catholics who protested the new Protestantism in Iceland were either silenced, exiled or killed. Monasteries were destroyed, all ties to Rome were cut, and it became illegal to practice the Catholic faith. Within a few years, Lutheranism became the established state religion. The first missionaries to come back to Iceland after the reformation were two French priests, who started by ministering to French fishermen in the area and eventually settled in Landakot in Reykjavik, where the Cathedral is located today. After the French priests’ arrival, two priests arrived from Denmark, as well as a handful of St. Joseph sisters, who began teaching a small number of children. In 1923, the Christ the King Cathedral in Reykjavík was dedicated in Reykjavik, and Fr. Martin Meulenberg became the first bishop in many years. By 1968, Iceland was declared as its own diocese under the direct authority of Rome. Catholicism grew slowly throughout the 20th century, with today’s Catholics comprising about three percent of the population; many of them are Polish immigrants. Iceland. Credit: Moyan Brenn via Flickr (CC BY 2.0) Read more

Vatican City, Sep 19, 2015 / 06:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis exhorted consecrated religious on Thursday to take part in an evangelization which “burns in the heart,” cautioning against gossip and narcissism as prominent dangers of consecrated life. The Pope explained: “to evangelize is not only to convince, it's to give witness that Jesus Christ is alive. And how do I give you this witness? With your flesh, with your life.” While it is good to study and give courses in evangelization, the Pope said, “the ability of warming hearts doesn't come from books, it comes from the heart!” “If your heart is burning from love for Jesus Christ, you are a good evangelizer,” he said. The Pope’s remarks came Sept. 17 in response to questions from consecrated men and women who took part in the World Meeting of Young Consecrated Men and Women. He reflected on the consecrated sister as “the icon of the Mother Church and Mother Mary.” He says she has the “maternity of the Church” and an ability to be close to others. He recounted the story of Korean sisters who ministered at a Buenos Aires hospital without knowing Spanish. They ministered with a caress and a smile. “It was the witness of a heart on fire,” the Pope said. He also warned that consecrated life can be sterile when it is “not quite prophetic” and “not allowed to dream.” Pope Francis acknowledged that consecrated life has moments of instability and temptations, especially the temptation to not forgive. He specifically warned that gossip impedes forgiveness and destroys others’ reputations. “But never, never drop the bomb of gossip. Never, never! It's the plague of community life!” he told his audience. The consecrated religious who gossip “drop a bomb on their community and the community is destroyed.” He said narcissism is one of the worst attitudes of a consecrated religious. “No to narcissism, to looking at oneself. And on the contrary, what strips everything of narcissism, is adoration.” While everyone prays, thanks God, and asks for favors, the Pope asked “do we adore the Lord?” “Do you, religious men and women, have the capacity to adore the Lord?” he asked. “The prayer of silent adoration is the opposite of reflecting oneself in one's own narcissism,” he said, advising the religious to be “men and women of adoration” The Pope also reflected on a special day in his own life: Sept. 21, 1953. “I know that by chance, I entered a Church, I saw a confessional and I left different, I left in a different way. My life changed there. And what fascinated me about Jesus and the Gospel? I don't know.” The Pope said he felt God’s closeness that day. The Lord never left him alone in dark and difficult moments and even in sin. “I also have to say this: we are all sinners,” the Pope added. “And we say it in theory, but not in practice! I remember mine and I'm ashamed. Also in those moments, the Lord has never left me alone. And not just me, everyone. The Lord never leaves anyone.” The Pope also recorded a video message for a meeting of consecrated religious in Hungary, which was shown Sept. 18. “I encourage you to rejoice with those who rejoice and cry with those who cry; to ask God for a heart capable of compassion, to bend down to the wounds of the body and spirit and bring many people the consolation of God,” he told them. Pope Francis praised those who live with the “simplicity of daily life” in the style of the Good Samaritan and lauded those who “draw close to the flesh and tears” of others. “This charity full of mercy - we know it well - comes from the heart of Christ, and is drawn from prayer, especially adoration, and approaching Confession and the Eucharist with faith. Mary our Mother helps us to always be men and women of prayer.” The Church is observing the Year of Consecrated Life, which Pope Francis intended to examine consecrated life as a unique form of Christian discipleship. Read more

Vatican City, Sep 18, 2015 / 11:57 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A family of four has been welcomed by the community of the Vatican's St. Anne parish after Pope Francis' made an appeal earlier this month for every church in Europe open their doors to refugees. Papal Almoner Bishop Konrad Krajewski issued a Sept. 18 statement that the family – a father, mother and two children – have already been received. Syrian Christians of Catholic Greek-Melkite rite, the family fled their war-torn city of Damascus, and arrived to the Vatican Sept. 6, the day that Pope Francis, during his Sunday Angelus, made his appeal for every parish, religious community, monastery and shrine in Europe to take in a family. “Faced with the tragedy of tens of thousands of refugees fleeing death on account of war and hunger, and who are traveling toward a hope for life, the Gospel calls us to be 'neighbors' to the smallest and abandoned, (and) to give them a concrete hope,” the Pope said that day. “Therefore, in the imminence of the Year of Mercy, I make an appeal to the parishes, to religious communities, to monasteries, and sanctuaries of all Europe to express the concreteness of the Gospel, and to welcome a family of refugees.” According to the papal almoner's statement on Friday, the family will stay in an apartment inside the Vatican near St. Peter's Basilica. All necessary procedures requesting international protection for the family were started immediately. Since current legislation doesn't allow asylum applicants to apply for paid work for the first six months after the request, the family will be assisted by the St. Anne parish community during that time. The almoner stressed that no further information can be given about the family until Italy makes the decision as to whether the family's status as refugees will be granted. It was also asked that the family's privacy be respected during this time, particularly with regard to media attention and interviews. Bishop Krajewski said he could provide no further information regarding the accommodation status of a second family for St. Peter’s parish in the Vatican at the present time. However, in a in a Sept. 8 interview with Vatican journalist Aura Miguel of Portugal-based Radio Renascença (Renaissance), the Pope affirmed that families have already been found for both parishes – St. Anne’s and St. Peter's – thanks to both Bishop Krajewski and Cardinal Angelo Comastri, Vicar General for the Vatican. In the interview, published Sept. 14, Francis said he specifically asked for parishes and communities to take in a family rather than a person because “a family gives more safety,” and the risk of “infiltrations” is lower. He clarified that when he asked for refugees to be welcomed, he’s not necessarily asking that they be welcomed into the parish or community house, but that the parish or community finds “a place, a corner of a school to make a ‘small apartment.” “Or, in the worst case, rent a modest apartment for the family, but that they have a ceiling, to be welcomed, and that they are integrated into the community.” The Vatican communique also underlined the fact that for many years Popes, via their Almoner, have offered assistance to refugees for the payment of taxes for the issue of stay permits through the Jesuit-run Centro Astalli. It was also noted that the papal almoner, on behalf of the Pope,  offers daily assistance to  numerous individuals and families of refugees in addition to meeting various needs, including healthcare, at reception centers throughout Rome. Also noted was the fact that a mobile clinic given to the Pope a few years ago, and which has so far been used only during events that the Pope participates in, has now been made available several times a week in order to help refugees in reception centers, irregular ones included, on the outskirts of Rome. The volunteers at the clinic, all of whom are doctors, nurses and Swiss Guards, are employed by Vatican City State institutions, the University of Rome at Tor Vergata, and are also members of the Association of the “Medicina Solidale Onlus” Institute. Read more