Vatican City, Sep 11, 2014 / 03:27 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- As the bicentenary of the birth of St. John Bosco approaches, a Salesian who is rector of the Pontifical Lateran University has said that Pope Francis is close to the saint, as both view education not as a job but as a way life. Bishop Enrico dal Covolo, S.D.B., told CNA Sept. 9 that a phrase of Pope Francis' “very close to my heart is this: 'educating is not a job; it is an approach, a way of living,” and said this is very close to the teaching of St. John Bosco, founder of the Salesian order, to which be belongs. Bishop dal Covolo has been rector of the Lateran university, considered “the Pope's university”, since 2010, and he was confirmed in his post for another four years by Pope Francis on June 30. The Pontifical Lateran University is linked to the Diocese of Rome, and the vicar general of the diocese is the school's grand chancellor. “Don Bosco has always been a lived model, a real example of life,” Bishop dal Covolo said. “Paul VI used to say that men of today – but I would say young people of today – listen to doctors or professors only if they give a witness.” “Don Bosco was not a theoretician of education; he rather was a pragmatic man, who educated many, many young people, from the Pampas of Argentina to Italy.” Bishop dal Covolo described St. John Bosco's educational method as one “based on reason and love, that is Don Bosco's preventive method to achieve the goal of nurturing honest citizens and good Christians.” “It is what Pope Francis calls the revolution of tenderness,” the university rector said. Regarding his confirmation as rector of the Lateran university, he said that it will be “challenging, since today's society is not so well tailored for young people.” “Young people risk being poorer than the poor,” he explained, “since they have no values, no ideals, no job, no family. The first goal of a good educator today must be that of rebuilding in young people the right gradation of values in a mystifying society.” The Pontifical Lateran University will mark the anniversary of St. John Bosco's 1815 birth with “a wide-open reflection on university teaching, since we are aware that the way of learning has changed, and we would like to find a new way to teach, according to the current situation.” “Don Bosco is significant to us since he encourages us not to cultivate the myth of an abstract science, which feeds our mind and leaves the heart dry. Don Bosco teaches us that education is a holistic process,” Bishop dal Covolo concluded.   Read more

Vatican City, Sep 11, 2014 / 10:12 am (CNA/EWTN News).- During his homily at daily Mass on Thursday Pope Francis focused on authentic Christian love, stressing that it’s not selfish, but freely and mercifully gives itself to others. The Pope drew from the day's Gospel reading from Luke chapter six, where Jesus tells his disciples to love their enemies and “do good” to those who hate them. “Be merciful as your Father is merciful. Only with a merciful heart can we do all that, which the Lord counsels us to do – all the way,” Pope Francis said at Saint Martha's residence on Sept. 11. “The Christian life is not a navel-gazing one. It is a life in which one gets out of oneself in order to give oneself to others. It is a gift, it is love – and love does not turn in on itself, it is not selfish, but self-giving.” On Jesus' call for Christians to be merciful, the Pope revisited a common theme of urging the faithful to be vigilant against gossiping and to refrain from making judgments of people. “It seems that we have been named judges of others: engaging in gossip, talking behind people’s backs, we judge everyone.” But God urges us not to condemn, “and you will not be condemned” yourself, Pope Francis said, noting that forgiveness is what we should strive for instead. “We say it every day in the Our Father,” he continued, “forgive us as we forgive others – and if I do not forgive, how can I ask the Father to forgive me?” Pope Francis then went on to describe how the way in which the Lord teaches us is the way of generosity, magnanimity and of giving of oneself without counting the cost. “It was for this that Jesus came into the world,” he noted. He came not to deal out judgment or participate in idle gossip, not to pass judgments on anyone, but to give and forgive. Pointing to how “Being Christian isn’t easy,” the Pope explained that we are only capable of become Christians through the grace of God, rather than our own strength. “Here then arises the problem that we all must face daily: ‘Lord, give me the grace to become a good Christian, because I cannot do it on my own.’” This, the pontiff observed, “is something quite frightening at first glance – quite frightening, indeed.” Pope Francis concluded his reflections by encouraging attendees to “take the Gospel” and “read the 6th chapter of St. Luke – and reread it and reread it and reread it.” “And let us do so,” he said, “and let us ask the Lord for the grace to understand what it is to be a Christian, to understand the grace He gives to us Christians, as well, because we cannot do it on our own.” Read more

Vatican City, Sep 11, 2014 / 02:05 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis has expressed his condolences following the brutal murder of three Italian nuns in Burundi over the weekend, assuring the community of his closeness. “The Holy Father begs the Lord to welcome into his kingdom of peace and light these three faithful and devout nuns,” reads Sept. 8 a telegram addressed to Archbishop Evariste Ngoyagoye of Bujumbura, Burundi, where the sisters were serving in the parish of Saint Guido Maria Conforti. Signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State to the Holy See, the telegram continues: “In these tragic circumstances, (Pope Francis) expresses his closeness to their religious community, to the families of the victims, and the entire diocesan community.” Sr. Lucia Pulici, 75, and Sr. Olga Raschietti, 82, were found raped and brutally murdered in their dormitory on Sunday. The remains of 79-year-old Sr. Bernadetta Boggian, who had discovered the bodies of her fellow sisters, was found the following day. All three were members of the Xaverian Missionaries. Father Mario Pulcini, superior of the Xaverian Missionaries in Burundi, told the missionary news service MINSA that he had gone to the residence on Sept. 7 after he and Sr. Bernadetta were unable to reach Sr. Lucia and Sr. Olga. “I was in front of the main door with the idea of forcing it open when it opened and I saw Bernadetta there very upset. She had found a side service entrance open and, once she entered, found the lifeless bodies of Sisters Olga and Lucia.” The sisters chose to stay the following night in the residence, but were disturbed once more by an intruder. Soon after, Sr. Bernadetta was found dead. The Pope also sent a telegram to Sister Ines Frizza, Superior General of the Xaverian Missionary Sisters of Mary, the order to which the sisters belonged, in which he assured them of “his heartfelt participation in the profound suffering of the Congregation for the loss of such dedicated sisters.” He expressed his hope “that the blood they have shed may become the seed of hope to build true fraternity between peoples,” and prayed “for the eternal repose of their souls and for their generous witness of the Gospel.” In both telegrams, the Holy Father imparted his apostolic blessing to all those affected by the tragedy. Burundi police have arrested a man in connection with the murders. A police spokesmen said that Christian Butoyi, 33, confessed to the crime, alleging that the parish had been built on property owned by his parents. A Mass was held for the sisters on Wednesday in Bunjubura. Their remains were then interred in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where they had served for many years before coming to Burundi. During the Mass, Xaverian priest Fr. Rubén Macias explained that there are “mixed feelings why they were assassinated with violence, with unimaginable cruelty...they were sisters full of love!” “In this ceremony,” he said, “we wanted to proclaim just this: love that conquers despite all. The arrest of that man who was stopped yesterday gave a little comfort to our hearts, but that violence cannot conquer the love of these sisters who have given their life, more than 40 years, for Africa.” The president of the Bishops Conference for the African country, Banshimiyubusa Gervais, has called for an independent commission to be established that will further investigate the reasons behind the attack. Speaking of the reason given by Butoyi as why he killed the sisters, Fr. Macias explained that “This is a lie! The sisters didn't have property. They lived on the property of the parish which belongs to the diocese. It’s a lie as big as planet Earth!” The true motivations behind their murder have yet to be found, he said, “Because it's an incomprehensible thing; he knew the movements of the sisters, he surely knew the house...nothing can explain such violence. It's not human!” Other members of the Xaverian Missionaries spoke during the Mass on what it means to give their life for their mission, saying that “every missionary who comes in the land of missions knows that they can find this risk.” “We are missionaries, we are not politicians or other people who need total security. Our security is Christ and the Gospel that we proclaim: the rest is nothing.” Going on, the missionaries affirmed that “the Cross of Christ is not a cross that we should fear. We should carry it because we know that there is the resurrection.” The brutal martyrdom of their sisters “does not lead us to leave, but rather encourages us to stay,” they said, because “it means that we still have the need to proclaim the Gospel in this land, because the Gospel still has not reached the heart of many Burundi’s. Read more

Vatican City, Sep 11, 2014 / 12:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The newly created Italian cardinals lunched Tuesday with Matteo Renzi, prime minister of Italy, discussing with him and his associates persecuted Christians, immigration, and employment challenges. The Sept. 9 lunch also set the basis for an official meeting between Renzi and Pope Francis. Renzi, who assumed office Feb. 22, has yet to pay the Pope an official state visit, though he and his family did meet with him in private, for under an hour, at Domus Sanctae Marthae April 4. During their lunch with Cardinal Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, Renzi's delegation reportedly scheduled a state visit to the Vatican. By tradition, after each consistory, the newly created Italian cardinals are invited to lunch at the Italian embassy to the Holy See, an occasion that permits them to be introduced to the members of the Italian government and to informally discuss topics of mutual concern. The Vatican delegation was composed of Cardinals Pietro Parolin; Lorenzo Baldisseri, general secretary of the Synod of Bishops; Beniamino Stella, prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy; and Gualtiero Bassetti, Archbishop of Perugia. Together with them were Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, Archbishop of Genoa; Archbishop Giovanni Becciu, substitute of the Secretariat of State; and Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Vatican Secretary for Relations with States. The Italian delegation was composed, in addition to Renzi, by Federica Mogherini, minister for foreign affairs; Angelino Alfano, minister for internal affairs; Maurizio Lupi, minister for infrastructure; and Maria Elena Boschi, minister for relations with parliament. The host of the meeting was Francesco Maria Greco, Italy's ambassador to the Holy See. No official releases were delivered after the informal lunch. Cardinal Bassetti told journalists afterwards that the cardinals and members of the government spoke “about employment and school system,” but also about “foreign policy,” with a wide-open discussion about the situations in the Middle East, Ukraine, and north Africa, with a particular stress on the persecuted Christians. Immigration was also one of the topics at stake – Italy faces roughly 1,000 immigrant arrivals per day. Pope Francis is very concerned about the issue: his first trip as Pope was to the island of Lampedusa, at the extreme southern border of Italy, where many ships full of immigrants have sank. The Italian navy is now conducting a massive interdiction and rescue operation in central Mediterranean, at a cost of more than $12 million a month. Pope Francis thanked the Italian navy effort for its efforts immigrants at the end of the Sept. 10 General Audience. During the Communion and Liberation encounter in Rimini, Admiral De Giorgi, Head of State Major of the Italian Navy, proposed Aug. 25  the institution of a European interforce group under Italian guidance in order to counter illegal immigration in the Mediterranean. De Giorgi's proposal was among the ideas discussed during the Sept. 10 lunch. The meeting with new Italian cardinals is an institutional tradition, which consists in a lunch with the President of the Republic and a lunch with the Prime Minister and members of government. Italian president Giorgio Napolitano invited the four newly created for lunch March 18. The last lunch between members of government and new cardinals was held March 21, 2012, after the penultimate consistory of Benedict XVI.   Read more

Vatican City, Sep 10, 2014 / 08:04 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican Secretariat of State established June 28 a Comittee of Presidency for the Pediatric Hospital “Bambino Gesù,” owned by the Holy See, thereby strengthening its control over the institution. The committee is composed of five members, including the president of the Board of Directors, and is entrusted with some of the Board of Administration’s tasks. Its members directly respond to the Secretary of State, who has the authority of changing or reshuffling members whenever he deems it opportune. The Bambino Gesù is known as the “Pope’s hospital,” and is among most important pediatric hospitals in the world. Founded in 1869 by the Duchess Arabella Salviati, the hospital was donated to Pius XI in 1924, with the aim of giving it a more stable future. While each subsequent Pope has supported the  Bambino Gesù, it has faced difficulties since World War II. The management of the Bambino Gesù had been composed of the Secretary of State, the Board of Directors, the President of the Board of Directors, and the Statutory Auditors Committee. The Holy See, represented by the Secretary of State, appoints the president, the members of the Board of Directors, as well as the three members of the Statutory Auditors Committee and establishes the duration of the term, which typically is three years. With the recent decision, the Secretariat of State established a new body on the side of the president of the Board of Directors, thus adding another ring in the chain commands and de facto limiting the president’s powers. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, communicated the decision to the president of Bambino Gesù, Giuseppe Profiti, in a letter dated June 28.   The letter was accompanied by a “rescriptu ex audientia,” i.e. a document drafted after a papal audience, which established the Committee of Presidency and provided a regulation of the new body of the Bambino Gesù. Beyond the president Profiti, the members of the Committee are: Msgr. Luigi Mistò, secretary of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See; Mariella Enoc; the banker Carlo Salvatori; and Duchess Maria Grazia Salviati, the descendant of the family who established Bambino Gesù and who is still a benefactor of the hospital. Each of these are already part of the Board of Directors, which is the general administrative body of the hospital, and whose decisions are submitted to the Secretariat of State. The regulation of the committee presents it as “a modality of organization through which the Board of Directors increases the effectiveness of its actions.” The committee will be in charge as long as the board of directors is, and every member of the Committee can be dismissed by the Secretary of State “in case of relevant and grave” matters. The committee can access all the Bambino Gesù's documents, can use all the structures of the hospital, and can also hire external consultants when needed. It meets monthly, and at least a week prior to any meeting of the Board of Directors, in order to “determine a close connection between the Committee and the Board.” The regulation also established that the committee helps the president in the choices about the attribution of competences and responsibilities to top managers of doctors, and also with regard to “extraordinary operations of relevant strategic operation which may have an impact on the value and/or on the patrimony of the Institution.” This way, the president of Bambino Gesù will not be able to back any financial operation without the “ok” of the committe of presidence. In January, the Vatican announced the hiring of the international firm Price Waterhouse for a due diligence check on Bambino Gesù. After that, the president Profiti was confirmed at his post in March. Then, in June, Cardinal Parolin decided to strengthen the state secretariat's control over the Bambino Gesù. Read more