Vatican City, Dec 10, 2014 / 10:44 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In a message to an international gathering on the impact of nuclear weapons, Pope Francis called on victims to be “prophetic voices” against the potential for destruction of persons and the planet. These victims, he said, “warn us not to commit the same irreparable mistakes which have devastated populations and creation.” The Pope's letter was addressed to Sebastian Kurz, Austrian foreign minister and leader of a two-day conference on the “Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons.” Among those present at the gathering were victims – known as the Hibakusha – of the atomic bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by U.S. forces during World War II. Pope Francis encouraged these and other victims represented at the conference, “to be prophetic voices, calling the human family to a deeper appreciation of beauty, love, cooperation and fraternity, while reminding the world of the risks of nuclear weapons which have the potential to destroy us and civilization.” The conference, held in Vienna from Dec. 8-9, was attended by high-ranking officials from 158 countries and civil society organizations. In his message, dated Dec. 7, Pope Francis cited nuclear weapons as a “global problem,” impacting “future generations” as well as the planet. “A global ethic is needed if we are to reduce the nuclear threat and work towards nuclear disarmament,” he said. People need to be encouraged “to work together for a more secure world, and a future that is increasingly rooted in moral values and responsibility on a global scale.” In addition to recognize their “potential for mass-killing,” the Holy Father called for greater attention to the “unnecessary suffering” which results from the use of nuclear weapons. “Nuclear deterrence and the threat of mutually assured destruction,” he said, “cannot be the basis for an ethics of fraternity and peaceful coexistence among peoples and states.” Young people, now and in the future, “deserve a peaceful world order based on the unity of the human family, grounded on respect, cooperation, solidarity and compassion.” The Holy Father stressed that “the logic of fear” must be countered with “the ethic of responsibility,” thereby fostering “a climate of trust and sincere dialogue.” Pope Francis condemned squandering “the wealth of nations” on nuclear weapons, stressing that  spending should instead be directed toward “integral human development, education, health and the fight against extreme poverty.” “When these resources are squandered, the poor and the weak living on the margins of society pay the price,” he said. “The desire for peace, security and stability is one of the deepest longings of the human heart,” he said, “rooted in the Creator who makes all people members of the one human family.”  Neither military means alone, nor “the possession of nuclear weapons” can satisfy this desire. Rather, “peace must be built on justice, socio-economic development, freedom, respect for fundamental human rights, the participation of all in public affairs and the building of trust between peoples.” Pope Francis encourage participants in the conference toward “sincere and open dialogue between parties internal to each nuclear state, between various nuclear states, and between nuclear states and non-nuclear states.” “This dialogue must be inclusive, involving international organizations, religious communities and civil society, and oriented towards the common good and not the protection of vested interests.” “I am convinced that the desire for peace and fraternity planted deep in the human heart will bear fruit in concrete ways to ensure that nuclear weapons are banned once and for all, to the benefit of our common home,” he added. “The security of our own future depends on guaranteeing the peaceful security of others, for if peace, security and stability are not established globally, they will not be enjoyed at all. Pope Francis concluded his message by stressing the individual and collective responsibility to care “for the present and future well-being of our brothers and sisters.” “It is my great hope that this responsibility will inform our efforts in favor of nuclear disarmament, for a world without nuclear weapons is truly possible.” Read more

Vatican City, Dec 10, 2014 / 08:26 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In his weekly general audience Pope Francis started a new catechesis on the family, and explained that discussion surrounding the topic in the synod of bishops is rooted in the fundamental truths ... Read more

Vatican City, Dec 10, 2014 / 02:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Synod of Bishops announced Tuesday it had released its prepatory document for the 2015 Synod on the Family, asking that bishops avoid formulating pastoral care merely in terms based on doctrine. The Dec. 9 document, known as a “lineamenta”, is composed of the concluding report from the 2014 synod, as well as a series of 46 questions to be delivered to bishops conferences, Eastern Catholic synods, religious superiors, and dicasteries, as well as academic institutions and ecclesial movements. “The questions posed here, which refer to first part of the synod's final report,” the introduction to the first part of the questionnaire says, “are intended to assist the bishops' conferences in their reflection and to avoid, in their responses, a formulation of pastoral care based simply on an application of doctrine.” This, the synod secretariat suggested, “would not respect the conclusions of the Extraordinary Synodal Assembly and would lead their reflection far from the path already indicated.” The lineamenta is currently in Italian, but will soon be translated into other languages. Responses to the questions must be returned to the synod's secretariat by April 15, 2015, so that the working guideline for the autumn synod, set for Oct. 4-25, can be published in a timely manner. The questionnaire is divided into three parts: “Listening: the context and challenges of family”; “The gaze set on Christ: the Gospel of the family”; and “The Confrontation: pastoral perspectives.” The first, introductory, and comprehensive question is: “Does the description of the reality of family presented by the Synod’s final report corresponds to what is experienced in the Church and in today’s society? Are there missing aspects, and how can they eventually be implemented in the report?” The questions, and the introductions to each part of the questionnaire, reveal that for the secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, pastoral care is the primary goal. The introduction of the third part of the questionnaire states that “it is important to be driven by the pastoral approach that the Extraordinary Synod began, which is grounded in the Second Vatican Council and in Pope Francis' Magisterium.” Bishops conferences “are entrusted with continuing to examine” the pastoral approach, “involving, in the most opportune way, all levels of the local Church, thus providing concrete instances in their specific contexts.” The lineamenta adds that “efforts should be made not to start again from zero, but to continue the path taken by the extraordinary synod as a starting point.” The questions also deal with some of the most controversial discussions that took place during the 2014 synod, including pastoral care for homosexual persons and for the divorced and remarried. The document stressed mercy for injured and fragile families, and underscored that the synod fathers “courageously and openly” addressed the issue of the Church’s approach toward “Catholics who are bound by an only civil bound; who still cohabitate; and who, after a valid marriage, have divorced and civilly remarried.” One of its questions asks, “How to help to understand that no one is excluded by the God’s mercy and how to express this truth in the Church’s pastoral action toward families, in particular the injured and fragile ones?” And what are “the criteria for a correct pastoral discerning of each situation,” which “must be considered in light of the Church’s teaching, that marriage is characterized by unity, indissolubility, and openness to children?” It also asks what “possible steps” there are regarding “pastoral and sacramental care” for the divorced and remarried. “What suggestions are there for eliminating types of impediments that aren't warranted or necessary?” Regarding care for homosexuals, “How can the Christian community direct its pastoral attention to families with persons with a homosexual tendency? Avoiding any unjust discrimination, how can it take care of people in these situations in the light of the Gospel? How can  the demands of God's will in their situation be proposed?” On the basis of the responses to these questions, the general secretariat of the Synod of the Bishops will issue a working document. Starting from this latter, the synod fathers will open their discussion at the 2015 ordinary synod. Read more

Vatican City, Dec 10, 2014 / 12:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Cardinal Jorge Maria Mejìa, a former prefect of the Vatican Apostolic Library and a longtime friend of Pope Francis, died on Tuesday Dec. 9. The Pope had been visiting the cardinal since... Read more

Vatican City, Dec 9, 2014 / 03:29 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Like a shepherd finding lost sheep, the Church is a joyful mother who goes out and seeks her lost children, inviting them to consolation of the tenderness of Jesus, said Pope Francis in his daily h... Read more

Vatican City, Dec 9, 2014 / 01:08 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Rather than being called by his papal name “Benedict XVI,” the retired pontiff revealed that since his retirement he has wanted to return to his original priestly title and be called simply “Father Benedict.” Father Benedict made his comments in a private conversation with journalist Jorg Bremer, who published bits of them in a Dec. 7 article for German newspaper F.A.Z. According to the journalist, Benedict explained that when he initially stepped down he wanted to be called “Father Benedict” rather than Pope Emeritus or Benedict XVI, but “I was too weak at that point to enforce it.” At least part of the reason for wanting his new title to simply be “Father” rather than Pope Emeritus or Benedict XVI is to put more space between him and the role of the pope, so that there is no confusion as to who the “true Pope” is, Bremer reported. The retired pontiff encouraged the journalist to write about his desire, saying “Yes, do that; that would help.” In their conversation Benedict also spoke of his current relationship with Pope Francis, saying that “we maintain good contact (with each other).” “Francis has a strong presence. Much stronger that I could ever have with my physical and mental weaknesses,” he observed. “To remain in my office would not have been honest.” In his comments the former pontiff also touched on a new volume of his collected works that was released in German with an updated version of a 1972 essay, which no longer suggests that the divorced and remarried can receive Communion, as it once did. He referred to how some have suggested that by publishing the revisions now he was seeking to take an active role in debate surrounding the topic after this year’s extraordinary synod of bishops on the family. It is “utter nonsense” that his revisions to the essay were made in order to seek a platform in the post-synod conversation, Benedict explained. Rather than being outspoken, Benedict said that “I try to be as quiet as I can” about these things. Benedict XVI noted how he had originally made the revisions in August, two months before the synod began, and that there is “nothing new” it what was recently published. He also clarified that he has “always taken the position” that it is “impossible” for those who are divorced and remarried to receive the Eucharist. “As prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith I've written even more drastically,” he noted. Divorced and remarried Catholics, he said, need to “feel love of the Church” and should “not be burdened with more than they already have to deal with.” Read more