Vatican City, May 28, 2015 / 09:55 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In a move intended to reach out to Arab pilgrims who make their way to the Eternal City, the Vatican has for the first time published a guidebook entirely in the Arabic language. At the May 20 presentation of the book, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri said that “We cannot forget the sufferings and the challenges which Christians and more generally the populations of the Middle East are facing.” He expressed his confidence that the new book will “help to keep hope alive” for Arab pilgrims who come to Rome, particularly during the upcoming Jubilee for Mercy declared by Pope Francis in March. The cardinal, prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches, was present alongside the book’s author Edmond Farhat, who is the current archbishop of Byblos, Lebanon. Held at the Patristic Augustinian Institute in Rome, the event also gathered Lebanon’s Ambassador to the Holy See, Georges El-Khoury; Egypt’s Ambassador to the Holy See, Wafaa Bassim and professor of Oriental Rights Onorato Bucci, who teaches at the Pontifical Lateran University and the University of Molise. Titled “The Vatican, its meaning and its monuments,” the guidebook was released by the Vatican Publishing House, which is directed by Fr. Giuseppe Costa. Fr. Costa gave the welcoming address for the event. Designed to serve as a guide for the thousands of Arab tourists who visit Vatican City, the book elaborates on the art and monuments within St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums. In addition to giving background on areas of the Vatican ranging from the gardens to the catacombs, a historical context of the city-state is also provided, as well as descriptions of the Vatican’s various departments and offices, in order to explain its history and significance through the ages to the public. Apart from heading the diocese of Bylos, Archbishop Farhat has also served as the Vatican’s nuncio to Austria, Turkmenistan, Slovenia, Turkey and Macedonia. His diplomatic service also took him to Libya, Tunisia and Algeria. Cardinal Sandri said that given the archbishop’s ethnic and diplomatic background, his book is “ready to grasp a challenge of the ecclesial world and contemporary society” at a time when Christian life in Arab countries is threatened. He noted that the Vatican’s attention to the Arab world has increased in recent years. He pointed out how after Benedict XVI greeted Arab pilgrims in his first general audience after returning from Lebanon in 2012, there has been a summary of the catechesis in the Arabic language every week since. Other initiatives include the launching of the Pope’s twitter account, @Pontifex, in Arabic as well as the establishment of the Vatican’s Arabic website, which celebrated one year of inauguration May 24.  The cardinal said that the new guidebook is both “beautiful and important” since it is written by someone who knows “the contradictions of today's world (and) never tires of publicly declaring the persecution and the martyrdom of so many of our brothers.” “Even today the Lord has to be born with the fall of the gods, with the pain and martyrdom of witnesses against the (false) divinities of today” which include “anonymous capital which enslaves men (and) violence perpetuated in the name of God,” he said, quoting Benedict XVI’s speech on the first day of the October 2010 Synod for the Middle East. However, Cardinal Sandri stressed that it is the faith of simple people which constitutes the true foundation, wisdom and strength of the Church. The new book, which has been “written with faith,” will serve as a great support for the faith of the simple ones who come to the heart of the Church, he said. Read more

Vatican City, May 28, 2015 / 12:03 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican Bank’s net profits in 2014 jumped to $75.5 million from only $3.2 million the previous year, reflecting a change in its financial management and investments.   The Institute for Religious Works (IOR), known informally as the 'Vatican bank', released its third annual report on May 25. The report registered a massive increase in net profits. This increase may be attributed both to a sharp rise in the bank’s net trading income and to a decline of its extraordinary operating expenses, like the costs of hiring external consultants to monitor and screen the IOR accounts.   The increase in net profit is also a result of the financial policy now underway that is aimed at generating more profits. According to the IOR, there will be “a shift by the IOR’s clients away from term deposits and toward asset management solutions, confirming a long-term trend.”   Jean-Baptiste de Franssu, president of the IOR’s Board of Superintendents, said that “the main focus is fundamentally improving our overall client service standards and further professionalizing our asset management services.”   The IOR “has mostly worked with term deposits, which generate a low, but safe, profit,” an inside source who has observed the works of the IOR told CNA May 25.   The source said that since 2008, “the need to generate more revenues has caused a shift in the Institute’s investment plan, following a path that the Vatican economic reform accelerated.” The IOR assets under management have grown from $2.5 billion to $3.5 billion, while client deposits have decreased from about $3.5 billion to under $2.3 billion. Combined with assets under custody, the Vatican Bank was overseeing $6.5 billion in assets at the close of 2014. In July 2014 Cardinal George Pell, prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, announced a major reform of the Vatican economy. He said that the reform needs to be effective and able “to generate revenues.” According to the goals of this reform, the management of Vatican assets are to be transferred to a new body, the Vatican Asset Management, which has yet to be established.   In the meantime, the IOR has carried forward its commitment to reform. De Franssu stressed that “the long-term, strategic plan of the Institute revolves around two key objectives: putting the interests of the clients first by offering appropriate and improved services and by (lessening the risk) of the activities of the Institute.”   De Franssu added that "all this is done within the strong regulatory framework now in place in the Vatican and in close cooperation with the Authority for Financial Information, the Holy See regulator."   The 2014 profit will allow the bank to turn over almost $60 million to the Holy See for charitable purposes at the discretion of the Pope, pending the approval of the IOR cardinals’ commission. In 2013, despite its small profit, the Vatican Bank turned over to the Holy See almost $59 million, drawing from its reserves. The Vatican bank says it has progressed in screening its accounts. According to its report, the IOR ended relationships with more than 3,100 of almost 20,000 clients since May 2013. Most of these were dormant accounts. In 550 of these cases, client relationships were ended because the IOR did not find an acceptable client profile.   According to the IOR statement, Pope Francis asked the Vatican bank “to continue to serve with prudence and to provide specialized financial services to the Catholic Church worldwide, thereby assisting him in his mission as universal pastor. “To that extent the IOR’s management had been tasked to finalize a plan for the future of the Institute accordingly, which has subsequently been developed in 2014,” the IOR said.   The IOR has also worked to adhere to Vatican regulatory standards including those of the Authority for Financial Information, the Vatican financial watchdog, whose regulation on supervision of Vatican entities carrying out professional financial activities took force on Jan. 13, 2015. These regulatory efforts are an outcome of a years-long commitment. In July 2012 the Council of Europe’s anti-money-laundering committee Moneyval found the Vatican “compliant” or “largely compliant” on nine of its 16 key areas for combating terrorist financing and money laundering.   The Moneyval report indicated that the Vatican bank's security standards surpass those required by Vatican law and that Vatican legislation on secrecy is compliant with international standards. The report also praised the high level of Vatican engagement in international cooperation.   “The Holy See has come a long way in a very short period of time,” the Moneyval report said, adding that “many of the building blocks” of rules to counter money laundering and terrorism financing are now formally in place. Read more

Vatican City, May 27, 2015 / 04:02 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Massive crowds attended Saturday's beatification of early twentieth-century Italian missionary, Sister Irene Stefani, who was known as “mother of mercy” to the Kenyan people she cared for. Pope Francis remembered the new blessed during his Regina Caeli address on Sunday in Rome, recalling how the member of the Consolata Missionaries had served the Kenyan people “with joy, mercy, and tender compassion.” Speaking also about Archbishop Oscar Romero, who was also beatified Saturday in San Salvador, the Pope said: “The heroic example of these Blesseds sustain in each one of us the lively desire to give witness to the Gospel with courage and self-sacrifice.” Sr. Irene Stefani (1891-1930) was beatified May 23 at the Dedan Kimathi University in Nyeri, Kenya in a ceremony attended by as many as 100,000 people, according to the country’s Daily Nation newspaper. It was the first time a beatification has been held in Kenya. The process is the final step in the cause for sainthood before a person can be canonized. One of the requirements is the presence of at least one miracle officially attributed to the person the person. The Daily Nation reports that the miracle attributed to Sr. Stefani occurred in 1989 during Mozambique's civil war. According to the report, 270 people had become trapped in the parish church of Nipepe amid the conflict. After praying for her intercession, the contents of a small Holy Water font was miraculously increased, providing enough drinking water for four days until help could arrive. Born 1891, Sr. Stefani joined the Consolata Missionaries in 1911. She arrived in Kenya January 1915, where she served as a nurse. From the people she cared for, she received the nickname “Nyaatha” – which translates as “mother of mercy.” She died at the age of 39 after contracting a disease from one of her patients. Read more

Vatican City, May 27, 2015 / 04:02 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Massive crowds attended Saturday's beatification of early twentieth-century Italian missionary, Sister Irene Stefani, who was known as “mother of mercy” to the Kenyan people she cared for. Pope Francis remembered the new blessed during his Regina Caeli address on Sunday in Rome, recalling how the member of the Consolata Missionaries had served the Kenyan people “with joy, mercy, and tender compassion.” Speaking also about Archbishop Oscar Romero, who was also beatified Saturday in San Salvador, the Pope said: “The heroic example of these Blesseds sustain in each one of us the lively desire to give witness to the Gospel with courage and self-sacrifice.” Sr. Irene Stefani (1891-1930) was beatified May 23 at the Dedan Kimathi University in Nyeri, Kenya in a ceremony attended by as many as 100,000 people, according to the country’s Daily Nation newspaper. It was the first time a beatification has been held in Kenya. The process is the final step in the cause for sainthood before a person can be canonized. One of the requirements is the presence of at least one miracle officially attributed to the person the person. The Daily Nation reports that the miracle attributed to Sr. Stefani occurred in 1989 during Mozambique's civil war. According to the report, 270 people had become trapped in the parish church of Nipepe amid the conflict. After praying for her intercession, the contents of a small Holy Water font was miraculously increased, providing enough drinking water for four days until help could arrive. Born 1891, Sr. Stefani joined the Consolata Missionaries in 1911. She arrived in Kenya January 1915, where she served as a nurse. From the people she cared for, she received the nickname “Nyaatha” – which translates as “mother of mercy.” She died at the age of 39 after contracting a disease from one of her patients. Read more

Vatican City, May 27, 2015 / 12:04 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- In his weekly general audience, Pope Francis said the process of engagement is essential for any couple on their way to marriage since it not only allows love to mature, but helps future spouses deepen in knowledge of one another. “Marriage, as a vocation from God, is not just a relationship based on attraction and feelings, of a moment, of something short. It requires a journey,” the Pope told pilgrims present in St. Peter’s Square for his May 27 general audience. The journey of marriage “establishes a very strong and lasting partnership, which makes two lives one, a true miracle of human freedom and the grace of God,” he said, adding that such a partnership “is not improvised overnight.” An “express marriage” doesn’t exist, he said, explaining that “we have to work for love. We have to journey in the relationship of love between a man and a woman until it learns (and) until it grows.” Stages along this journey “should not be burned,” the Pope said, warning against the consumerist “throwaway” culture prevalent in society that wants “everything and immediately.” When seen through this lens, love is turned into an object of consumption, and is unable to form a solid foundation for such a “vital” commitment as marriage. Francis’ focus on engagement is part of his ongoing catechesis on the family, which he began last fall as part of the lead-up to the World Day of Families in September, as well as October’s Synod of Bishops on the Family. In his address, the Pope said that the process of engagement is a call for couples to lay the foundations for a “project of common love” that should be assumed by both parties with “full awareness” of what they are committing to. The word “engagement” itself points to a process of entrustment and commitment, he said, explaining that it is a unique time for couples to get to know each other more deeply while preparing for the “beautiful yet demanding enterprise of marriage.” Pope Francis said that it is necessary for couples to have this time to get to know one another “so that the responsible decision for something so big – something which can't be bought or sold – matures.” “Love itself demands this preparation, which makes possible a free, generous and sober decision to enter into a life-long covenant of love,” he said. The Church in her wisdom has always placed a heavy emphasis on preserving the distinction between engagement and marriage, Francis noted. This distinction protects “the depth of the sacrament.” He said that marriage preparation courses are a concrete example of the Church’s concern for the preparation of spouses. Marriage preparation is a gift, the Pope said, lamenting that frequently couples go through the courses “a little reluctantly,” saying “these priests make us do these courses. Why? We already know...’” However, Francis observed how many times couples who finish the courses are grateful for everything they have learned. “Today more than ever it's necessary to revalue engagement as an initiation to the surprise of the spiritual gifts with which God blesses and enriches the family,” he said. Couples are challenged during this time to reflect together on their love and their future, as well as the important role that faith and prayer will play in their coming life together, the Pope continued. He called on Christian married couples to help accompany young engaged couples on this path. Francis concluded by encouraging attendees to pray for all young people on their way to marriage, that they may “prepare for the wedding day not in a worldly or banal way, but with the wisdom, hope and joy born of their faith in Christ.”   Read more