Vatican City, Sep 14, 2014 / 09:33 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, Pope Francis used basic questions about the necessity of salvation to draw listeners deeper into Christ’s saving mystery. Addressing the crowds gathered in Saint Peter's Square before leading them in praying the Angelus, the Pontiff explained that the cross which Christians “exalt” is not just any cross: it is the Cross of Jesus Christ, in which “is revealed the greatest love of God for humanity.” “The Father 'gave' the Son to save us, and this has entailed the death of Jesus, and the death on the cross.” This cross, moreover, is necessary “because of the gravity of evil which enslaved us. It conveys all of the negative strength of evil,” as well as “all of the omnipotent gentleness of God's mercy.” While it may seem that the cross is a sign of Jesus' failure, it in fact is a sign of his victory over sin and death. Recalling those who mockingly told Jesus to come down if he is indeed the Son of God, (Mt. 27,40), Pope Francis said that it was precisely because he was the Son of God that he remained on the cross, “faithful until the end to the design of Love of the Father. And it is precisely for this reason God has 'exalted' Jesus, conferring on him a universal kingship.” As we look upon the crucifix, the Holy Father continued, “we contemplate the sign of God's infinite love for every one of us, and the cause of our salvation.” “From this cross flows the mercy of the father which embraces the entire world”: evil is defeated, death is overcome, and “we are given life,” and hope is restored. “The Cross of Christ,” he said, “is our only true hope.” It is for this reason, Pope Francis said, that the Church exalts the Holy Cross, and why we, as Christians, bless ourselves with the Sign of the Cross.” In contemplating and celebrating the Cross, Pope Francis continued, we also think about “our many brothers and sisters who are persecuted and killed because of their faith in Christ,” especially in regions where “religious freedom is not guaranteed or fully realized.” However, such persecution occurs also in countries which protect “freedom and human rights” in principle, but where believers, “especially Christians, encounter restrictions and discrimination.” Before commencing the Angelus prayer, Pope Frrancis recalled how the Virgin Mary was at the foot of the Cross, and that the Virgin of Sorrows is celebrated on Monday. Christ entrusted to her the “present and future of the Church, that we may all always discover and welcome the message of love and the salvation of the Cross of Jesus.” The Pope concluded by also entrusting the married couples whose marriages he presided over earlier in the day in Saint Peter's Basilica. Following the recitation of the Angelus, Pope Francis noted how the United Nations Security Council would begin efforts to promote peace in the Central African Republic, which continues to be ravaged by ongoing violence. He “assured the commitment and prayer of the Catholic Church,” and encourage the international community to help bring an end to the crisis. “May violence give way to dialogue, opposing factions leave aside particular interests and strive to ensure that every citizen, regardless of ethnicity or religion, can collaborate to build up the common good.” Pope Francis then spoke about his visit on Sept. 13 to the Redipuglia region where he visited the Austrian-Hungarian cemetery and the Military Shrine and prayed for those who died during the First World War. The “shocking” numbers of deaths – 8 million soldiers and 7 million civilians,” he said, leads us to “understand that war is madness, and humanity has yet to learn the lessons from this madness!” Recalling the wars which have followed WWI over the past century, and which continue today, the Pope asked: “But when will we learn? When will we learn this lesson?” Pope Francis concluded by inviting everyone “to look at the Crucified Christ to understand that hate and evil are defeated by forgiveness and goodness, to understand that the response of war only increases evil and death!” Read more

Vatican City, Sep 14, 2014 / 07:59 am (CNA/EWTN News).- “Marriage is a symbol of life... the Sacrament of love of Christ and the Church, a love which finds its proof and guarantee in the Cross.” This was the central theme of Pope Francis' homily for the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, delivered moments before presiding over the marriages of 20 couples from the Diocese of Rome. The weddings, which took place in Saint Peter's Basilica on Sunday morning in the presence of family and loved ones, come just weeks before the Synod on the Family is set to begin in the Vatican. “The love of Christ, which has blessed and sanctified the union of husband and wife,” the Pope said in his homily, “is able to sustain their love and to renew it when, humanly speaking, it becomes lost, wounded or worn out. The love of Christ can restore to spouses the joy of journeying together.” Marriage, he continued, is about  “man and woman walking together, wherein the husband helps his wife to become ever more a woman, and wherein the woman has the task of helping her husband to become ever more a man. “Here we see the reciprocity of differences,” he said. The path is not always smooth for married couples, the Pope continued, nor is it “free of disagreements.” If it were, “it would not be human.” Rather, “it is a demanding journey, at times difficult, and at times turbulent, but such is life!” Turning to the first reading taken from the book of Genesis, the Holy Father reflected on those who followed Moses through the desert, in the same way the Church “makes her way across the desert of the contemporary world, the People of God composed, for the most part, of families.” “It is impossible to quantify the strength and depth of humanity contained in a family,” he said, as demonstrated through the “mutual help, educational support, relationships developing as family members mature, the sharing of joys and difficulties.” “Families are the first place in which we are formed as persons and, at the same time, the 'bricks' for the building up of society.” The Holy Father recalled how the people in the desert were tempted to turn back, having become impatient amid the hardships of the journey. Like those depicted in the reading, the Pope said that married couples may also “become impatient on the way,” as the “hardship of the journey causes them to experience interior weariness; they lose the flavor of matrimony and they cease to draw water from the well of the Sacrament. Daily life becomes burdensome, even 'nauseating'.” Pope Francis recalled how many of those in the desert, “during such moments of disorientation,” died after being bitten by poisonous serpents, leading the people to repent. Rather than destroying the serpents, however, God provided an “antidote”: “by means of the bronze serpent fashioned by Moses,” he said, “God transmits his healing strength, his mercy, which is more potent than the Tempter’s poison.” In the Gospel reading, the Pope said, “Jesus identifies himself with this symbol” of the bronze serpent. It was through the Father's “immense love,” he said, that the Son became man, “to become a servant and to die for us upon a cross. Out of such love, the Father raises up his son, giving him dominion over the entire universe.” “Whoever entrusts himself to Jesus crucified receives the mercy of God and finds healing from the deadly poison of sin,” he said. This cure applies in a particular way to spouses, like the followers of Moses, they “have become impatient on the way,” succumbing to temptation to “discouragement, infidelity, weakness, abandonment.” If married couples entrust themselves to Jesus, who has come not to condemn but to save them, he “will bring them healing by the merciful love which pours forth from the Cross, with the strength of his grace that renews and sets married couples and families once again on the right path.” Read more

Vatican City, Sep 14, 2014 / 06:41 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In his ad limina address to the bishops of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pope Francis assured them of the necessity of contributing to political life, without replacing political institutions. “Dear Brothers in the episcopacy, I invite you to work tirelessly for the establishment of a just and lasting peace through a pastoral effort of dialogue and reconciliation among the various sectors of society, supporting the process of disarmament, and promoting effective collaboration with other religious confessions,” he said Sept. 12 at the Vatican's Consistory Hall. “Whereas your country will undergo political events important for its future, it is necessary for the Church to make her contribution, while avoiding the risk of becoming a substitute for political institutions and temporal realities that must retain their autonomy.” Particularly, he said, “pastors must be on guard not to take on roles that rightfully belong to the lay faithful, whose mission is justly that of bearing witness to Christ and the Gospel in politics and in all other areas of their activities.” Mindful of that role of the laity, he said it is essential that they be educated well, and exhorted the bishops to “continue to work to educate the public authorities in view of finalizing negotiations for the signing of an Accord with the Holy See.” Pope Francis began his address giving thanks for the blessings given to the Church in the DRC, and reminded the bishops that their “proximity and stability” are reassuring to their priests, seminarians, and faithful. Noting with pleasure that the Church is growing in the country – where already half the population is Catholic – the Pope also reminded the bishops that what is most essential for the Church is not “a question of numbers but a total and unconditioned adhesion to the God revealed in Jesus Christ.” “The quality of faith in Christ, died and risen, intimate communion with him, is the basis of the Church's strength.” Therefore, he noted, “it is of vital importance to evangelize profoundly.” “The Church in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where some dioceses have celebrated recently their centenary of evangelization, is a young Church. But she is also a Church of the young. Children and adolescents, in particular, need God's strength to help them resist the many temptations of a precarious life, in which they are unable to study or find work,” he emphasized. The Pope particularly referred to those youth who have been conscripted into militias in the country's civil wars, which began in 1996 and did not end until less than a year ago, on Nov. 7, 2013. “I encourage you, therefore, to pursue the pastoral care of youth. By providing the greatest assistance possible, especially through the creation of spaces for human, spiritual, and professional formation, you can help them discover their deepest vocation, which predisposes them to encounter the Lord.” The best way of opposing violence, inequality, and ethnic divisions, he advised, is to “equip the young with a critical mind and to offer them the opportunity to mature an understanding of Gospel values. It is also necessary to strengthen pastoral care in universities and in Catholic and public schools, combining education with the clear proclamation of the Gospel.” “Dear Brothers in the Episcopate, I invite you to be in your dioceses apostles to the young.” Faithfulness to the Gospel, Pope Francis reminded the bishops, means that the Church will participate in the building up of civic society. “One of the most valuable contributions that the local Church can offer your country, is to help people rediscover the pertinence of faith to daily life and the need to promote the common good.” “Similarly, leading figures in the nation, informed by pastors, and with respect to their competencies, can also be supported in integrating Christian teachings into their personal lives and in the exercise of their duties in the service of the state and of society.” Bishops are expected, Pope Francis said, to “provide guidance and solutions for the promotion of a society based on respect for the dignity of the human person,” such that they should constantly review their dioceses' care for the poor, needy, elderly, sick, and disabled. “Indeed, the Church is called to be concerned with the wellbeing of these people and to bring the attention of society and public authorities to their situation,” he exhorted, adding also his concern for the internally displaced and refugees. Concluding his address, the Pope reiterated his affection and encouragement to his brother bishops, telling them to persevere in their generous dedication in service of the Gospel. “Be men of hope for your people! May the luminous witness of Blessed Marie-Clémentine Anuarite Nengapeta and Blessed Isidore Bakanuja keep you inspired!” Read more

Redipuglia, Italy, Sep 13, 2014 / 08:26 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis warned against the destructive indifference towards our brothers and sisters that arises from ideologies of war during a Mass celebrated on Saturday, Sept. 13 for the victims of all wars. “Whereas God carries forward the work of creation and we men and women are called to participate in his work, war destroys. It also ruins the most beautiful work of his hands: human beings. War ruins everything, even the bonds between brothers,” the Holy Father said. “War is irrational; its only plan is to bring destruction: it seeks to grow by destroying.” These words came during the Pontiff's visit to Redipuglia to mark the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War I. Located in the northeast of Italy’s Province of Friuli Venezia Giulia; it was the site of heavy fighting between Italian forces and the Central Powers during that war. The region holds particular significance for Pope Francis, in that his own grandfather fought in Italy's 1915 to 1917 offensive against the Austro-Hungarian empire, the battlefields of which are commemorated at the Redipuglia memorial. The Pope began the day with a visit to Austro-Hungarian Cemetery of Fogliano di Redipuglia, the site where some 14,000 soldiers are buried, and offered a silent prayer. He then moved to the nearby Italian Military Memorial of Redipuglia, the final resting place of 100,187 fallen soldiers in WWI, where he celebrated Mass for the victims of all wars. In his homily, Pope Francis reflected on the entrance of the cemetery, where “hangs in the air those ironic words of war, 'What does it matter to me?' Each one of the dead buried here had their own plans, their own dreams… but their lives were cut short. Humanity said, 'What does it matter to me?'” “Greed, intolerance, the lust for power…. These motives underlie the decision to go to war, and they are too often justified by an ideology; but first there is a distorted passion or impulse. Ideology is presented as a justification and when there is no ideology, there is the response of Cain: 'What does it matter to me? Am I my brother’s keeper?'” “After experiencing the beauty of traveling throughout this region,” he continued, “where men and women work and raise their families, where children play and the elderly dream… I now find myself here, in this place, able to say only one thing: War is madness.” He added that the prevailing attitude of indifference – “Am I my brother's keeper?” – is in complete contradiction to the Gospel message, which teaches that Jesus is in the least of our brothers. We are therefore called to care for all those who hunger, thirst, are strangers, sick, or in prison. “The one who cares for his brother or sister enters into the joy of the Lord; the one who does not do so, however, who by his omissions says, 'What does it matter to me?', remains excluded.” Reflecting on the wars that continue to rage throughout the world, the Pope said that “perhaps one can speak of a third war, one fought piecemeal, with crimes, massacres, destruction.” Pope Francis said these wars are driven by “interests, geopolitical strategies, lust for money and power, and there is the manufacture and sale of arms.” “The merchants of war perhaps have made a great deal of money,” he said, “but their corrupted hearts” engraved with the words “What does it matter to me?” – “have lost the capacity to cry.” “It is the task of the wise to recognize errors, to feel pain, to repent, to beg for pardon and to cry,” he said. Referring again to the question posed in Genesis, “Am I my brother's keeper?”, the Pope reflected on the “shadow of Cain” which “hangs over us today in this cemetery.” This shadow “is seen here. It is seen from 1914 right up to our own time. It is seen even in the present.” Pope Francis concluded his homily by appealing for “a conversion of heart,” one which changes from the apathetic attitude represented by the words “What does it matter to me?” to tears “for each one of the fallen of this 'senseless massacre', for all the victims of the mindless wars, in every age.” “Humanity needs to weep,” he said, “and this is the time to weep.” Read more

Vatican City, Sep 12, 2014 / 04:34 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Congregation for Divine Worship on Thursday added Saints John XXIII and John Paul II to the universal calendar of the modern Roman rite, with both their feasts observed during October. According to the Sept. 11 issue of the Vatican weekly L'Osservatore Romano, the decree naming the saints’ new feast days was issued by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments following requests to do so from around the world. While the feasts of both late Popes had already been available to some dioceses since they had been beatified, every diocese throughout the world is now free to commemorate these Popes liturgically. Both are given the rank of optional memorial, meaning they may be celebrated, but they do not have to be. The optional memorial of St. John XXIII is observed on Oct. 11, the day he opened the Second Vatican Council. The second reading at the Office of Readings for his feast, published in the decree, is taken from “Gaudet Mater Ecclesia,” as his speech on that occasion is known. St. John Paul II's optional memorial is observed on Oct. 22, the day of his Inaugural Mass as Bishop of Rome. The two late Popes were canonized together on April 27. St. John XXIII was born in Sotto il Monte in Italy on Nov. 25, 1881, as fourth of 13 children. He was elected Roman Pontiff Oct. 28, 1958. Known as “Good Pope John,” he is best remembered for his encyclical “Pacem in Terris” and for his calling of the Second Vatican Council. St. John Paul II, who was from Poland, is remembered for his charismatic nature, love of youth, world travels, and role in the fall of communism in Europe during his 27-year papacy. Read more