VOLUME 1, ISSUE 39  •  SEPTEMBER 26, 2015

Table of Contents

Copyright Notice

VATICAN NEWS

Pope Francis cites the core of evangelization: A heart on fire for God

Education and play are key to childhood, Pope tells Cuba, U.S. youth

Restoration of ties with U.S. a sign of hope, Pope says in Cuba

Pope deeply moved by plight of Vatican-housed refugee family

Surprise of heading Vatican Observatory reminds astronomer of God’s providence

Pope in Cuba: Christians serve people, not ideology

Colombian peace talks must not fail, Pope says during Cuba trip

Pope Francis gifts Fidel Castro with copy of ‘Laudato Si’

Let poverty be your mother, Pope Francis tells religious in Cuba

Pope Francis unplugged: The Holy Father speaks from the heart to young Cubans

Pope Francis: Do you believe that Christ can transform you?

Nine things you missed from Pope Francis’ time in Havana

Pope asks Cubans to imitate Mary’s ‘revolution of tenderness’

Pope blesses unborn children around the world while meeting with Cuban families

Previewing the Pope at the United Nations: A call to abandon no one

Full transcript of Pope’s in-flight interview from Cuba to U.S.

En route to U.S., Pope Francis rejects ‘left-leaning’ accusations

Pope Francis to Obama: Religious freedom is beyond price

Immigrants enrich America and the Church, Pope affirms

Pope Francis: Imitate Saint Junipero Serra, be trailblazers for Christ

Possible papal detour: A visit to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial?

Pope Francis made surprise stop at Little Sisters of the Poor to show support

Read the full text of Pope Francis’ address to U.S. Congress

Marriage and family are being threatened, Pope tells U.S. Congress

Read the full text: Papal visit to St. Patrick’s Church and Homeless Shelter

Jesus came into the world as a homeless person, Pope Francis says

Full Text: Vespers with Pope Francis in New York City

Pope in New York: I’m with you in recovering from the abuse scandal

Full Text: Pope Francis’ address to the United Nations General Assembly

Leave ideology behind and care for the human person, Pope tells U.N.

Full Text: Pope Francis’ speech at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum

Destruction is always personal, Pope Francis reflects at Ground Zero

Read the full text of Pope Francis’ visit to a school in Harlem

Read the full text of Pope Francis’ homily during Mass at Madison Square Garden

Never lose sight of your dreams, Pope tells Harlem schoolkids

Pope Francis to New York City: Jesus still walks our streets. Tell everyone!

How the Pope used the environment to preach to the U.N.

WORLD NEWS

Iceland’s new bishop inherits a turbulent, fascinating Catholic history

Pope Francis’ gift to Castro: A challenging message from Cuban leader’s old teacher

Pope Francis prays for new Assyrian Christian leader amid Middle East tragedy

Cuban youth who exchanged zucchettos with the Pope felt the ‘tenderness of God’

For Pope’s visit, United Nations will unfurl Holy See flag

Iraqi Christians who fled Islamic State share their story

Cardinal Sarah: Efforts to ‘soften’ Christ’s teaching ignore the Good News of mercy

U.S. NEWS

Here’s what Pope Francis is likely to tell the U.S. Congress

Move over Donald Trump – Pope Francis’ approval ratings are much higher

Why Pope Francis is here, according to Bishop Robert Barron

New York City prepares for ‘The Francis’

Care for environment is a moral duty, not a political football, bishop tells Americans

Watch this little girl defy security guards and get a hug from the Pope

Our brother, the Pope – Bishop Conley on the papal visit thus far

This nine year-old wants to meet Francis – and be pope someday, too

Can a giant Pope Francis mural move the hearts of New Yorkers?

Performing for the Pope in Philly: A chat with some of the talent

FEATURES

Pope Francis: Missionary of Mercy and Peace

Our Missionary Pope Named Francis and Political Piracy

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Sunday • September 27, 2015

Monday • September 28, 2015

Tuesday • September 29, 2015

Wednesday • September 30, 2015

Thursday • October 1, 2015

Friday • October 2, 2015

Saturday • October 3, 2015

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The Free Weekly Newsmagazine for the Church of the 21st Century

Volume 1, Issue 39 • September 26, 2015

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VATICAN NEWS

Pope Francis cites the core of evangelization: A heart on fire for God

by CNA/EWTN News • September 19, 2015

Pope Francis speaks to a participant in the International Conference for Young Consecrated, Sept. 17, 2015. (L’Osservatore Romano)

Vatican City — 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.

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VATICAN NEWS

Education and play are key to childhood, Pope tells Cuba, U.S. youth

by Elise Harris (CNA/EWTN News) • September 19, 2015

Television conference with Pope Francis and youth from Havana and New York. (YouTube)

Vatican City — 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.

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VATICAN NEWS

Restoration of ties with U.S. a sign of hope, Pope says in Cuba

by CNA/EWTN News • September 19, 2015

Pope Francis arrives in Havana, Cuba on Sept. 19, 2015. (L’Osservatore Romano)

Havana, Cuba — Pope Francis landed in Havana on Saturday, the first of his 9-day visit to Cuba and the United States, telling officials that the recent normalization of relations between the two countries is a sign of hope and victory.

“For some months now, we have witnessed an event which fills us with hope: the process of normalizing relations between two peoples following years of estrangement,” the Pope said Sept. 19, after landing in the Cuban capital of Havana.

Quoting Cuban hero and tireless fighter for the country’s independence, José Martí, Francis said the restoration of ties “is a sign of the victory of the culture of encounter and dialogue, ‘the system of universal growth’ over ‘the forever-dead system of groups and dynasties.’”

He urged political leaders continue down this path and to “develop all its potentialities” as a sign of the service they are called to on behalf of the “peace and well-being of their peoples, of all America, and as an example of reconciliation for the entire world.”

Pope Francis landed in Havana’s International José Marti airport at 4p.m. local time, where he was greeted in an official welcoming ceremony by Cuban president Raul Castro and Cardinal Jaime Ortega y Alamino of Havana, among others.

Pope Francis will spend three days on the island before heading to the United States the afternoon of Sept. 22, where he will address the United Nations, U.S. Congress, and participate in the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.

While in Cuba, Pope Francis will meet with the country’s bishops, families, and youth, and will pay a special visit to Santiago’s shrine of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, patroness of Cuba.

In addition to meeting with Cuban president Raul Castro and the country’s authorities, Francis will likely also meet with former president and elder brother to Raul, Fidel Castro, the leader of Cuba’s communist revolution.

Francis offered a special greeting to Fidel when he landed, telling Raul in his speech to “convey my sentiments of particular respect and consideration to your brother Fidel.”

Pope Francis said that as an archipelago facing all directions, Cuba has “an extraordinary value as a key between north and south, east and west.”

The country’s natural vocation, then, “is to be a point of encounter for all peoples to join in friendship.”

He noted that 2015 marks the 80th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the Republic of Cuba and the Holy See, and said that providence has allowed him to follow in the footsteps of both St. John Paul II in 1998 and Benedict XVI in 2012, in visiting the nation.

“Today we renew those bonds of cooperation and friendship, so that the Church can continue to support and encourage the Cuban people in its hopes and concerns, with the freedom, the means and the space needed to bring the proclamation of the Kingdom to the existential peripheries of society,” he said.

Pope Francis also observed how his trip coincides with the centenary of Benedict XV’s declaration of our Lady of Charity of El Cobre as Patroness of Cuba.

It was the veterans of the Cuban War of Independence who, “moved by sentiments of faith and patriotism,” wrote a letter to Benedict XV officially asking him to declare her patroness of the country.

Growing devotion to the Virgin of Cobre “is a visible testimony of her presence in the soul of the Cuban people,” he said, explaining that he will visit her shrine as “a son and pilgrim,” in order to pray for Cuba and all its people, “that it may travel the paths of justice, peace, liberty and reconciliation.”

Pope Francis concluded his address by entrusting his visit to Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, as well as Blessed Olallo Valdés, Blessed José López Pietreira and Venerable Félix Varela, all of whom are Cubans on the path to sainthood.

Francis has played a key role in normalizing relations between the Cuba and the United States, who on Dec. 17, 2014 announced a prisoner exchange as well as a historic shift in their relationship, which for decades has been marked by an embargo and lack of formal diplomatic relations.

Official ties between the two countries were severed in 1961, shortly after the communist revolution, a diplomatic gulf widened by an embargo on travel and trade.

However, the Obama administration had made small changes to existing policy starting in 2009, including Cuban-Americans having a limited freedom to travel between the countries and send money to Cuba.

In 2013, secret talks between diplomats began to open up relations, aided by the support of the Vatican. Pope Francis made a personal to both U.S. president Barack Obama and Cuban president Raul Castro to come to a deal, particularly regarding diplomacy and long-held prisoners.

Full diplomatic relations were officially restored as of midnight July 20, and embassies were re-opened and flags raised later in the day as an outward sign of the diplomatic thaw.

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VATICAN NEWS

Pope deeply moved by plight of Vatican-housed refugee family

by Alan Holdren (CNA/EWTN News) • September 19, 2015

Pope Francis prays with journalists on the papal flight en route to South Korea on Aug. 14, 2014. (Alan Holdren/CNA)

Aboard the papal plane — As he began his 10-day trip to Cuba and the United States, Pope Francis was seen off by a Syrian refugee family the Vatican is now housing through one of its parishes. The Pope described himself shortly after as “very moved.”

“You could see the pain in their faces,” Pope Francis told journalists aboard the flight with him en route to Havana, Cuba on Sept. 19. They bade him farewell as he left the Vatican through St. Anne’s gate.

He told journalists on the flight the word “peace” was on his mind during the quick greeting 40 minutes into the flight.

“I think that today the world is thirsting for peace,” said Pope Francis. “There are wars, migrants who are fleeing, this wave of migration that comes from wars, fleeing death and seeking life.”

Just a day ago, the Vatican’s almsgiving office released basic information about two refugee families now being provided for by the two Vatican parishes.

One family – mother, father and two children – recently fled from the Syrian capital of Damascus. They are now living in a Vatican-owned apartment just outside the Vatican walls.

They cannot work in Italy for six months while their request for asylum is processed, so the Pontifical Parish of St. Anne is providing for their needs.

The alms office could not yet release any information on the second family being cared for by St. Peter’s Parish.

The Pope said it was the family being taken care of by St. Anne’s that met him on his way out.

During an address in St. Peter’s Square on Sept. 6, Pope Francis asked all European parishes, religious communities, monasteries and shrines to house one refugee family. He pledged the Vatican’s two parishes would be doing the same.

The Vatican’s almsgiving office said the Syrian family arrived in Italy that very same Sunday. In the same statement, the office urged journalists not to seek out either family for comment to “protect” them as they seek official “refugee”status from international authorities.

Today, Pope Francis thanked journalists for being builders of “small bridges of peace … because each bridge, each little bridge, one after the other, makes a big bridge of peace.”

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VATICAN NEWS

Surprise of heading Vatican Observatory reminds astronomer of God’s providence

by Elise Harris (CNA/EWTN News) • September 19, 2015

Galaxy M74. (NASA/ESA/Hubble Collaboration)

Vatican City — Brother Guy Consolmagno, S.J. has spent more than 20 years – the majority of his life as a Jesuit – as an astronomer and planetary scientist at the Vatican Observatory. Now he’s taking the helm as its director.

“I honestly did not expect the job, I completely didn’t, and I was surprised that most of the people in the observatory were telling me they were supporting me to be the new director,” Br. Consolmagno told CNA Sept. 18.

He added that he’s also humbled to take on the position, “because there have been so many fabulous scientists and of course Jesuits who have had the post ahead of me.”

But the surprise, he said, is a reminder that these things are always in God’s hands.

Br. Consolmagno is an American research astronomer and planetary scientist at the Vatican Observatory, an astronomical research and educational institution supported by the Holy See, which is located near the Italian town of Castel Gandolfo.

Having received a master’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in planetary science at the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, the religious brother entered the Society of Jesus in 1989.

He served as the Vatican Meteorite collection before his appointment as director of the observatory, and will be replacing the former director, Fr. José Gabriel Funes, S.J.

The Vatican announced Br. Consolmagno’s appointment in a Sept. 18 communique. It coincided with the close of a 4-day Observatory seminar, and which culminated in a private audience between Pope Francis and the nearly 30 seminar participants.

In addition to his long tenure at the observatory, Br. Consolmagno also co-authored a book earlier this year with Fr. Paul Mueller, who also works at the observatory, titled “Would you Baptize and Extraterrestrial?”

He said that after spending the majority of his life after formation working at the observatory, “it’s the one place I know really well, and it means I have a great knowledge of it and a great love of it, and I want to do everything I can to make it continue in all of the good things that it’s been doing.”

Given his background as an active scientist before entering the Jesuits, the religious brother said that since starting his work in the Vatican, numerous doors have opened to him due to the fact that he represents the Church.

“There was a tremendous fascination and love of the Church in places you might not expect it,” he said.

Br. Consolmagno explained that he already has several ideas for future projects, and is eager to see which will actually pan out.

Many previous collaborations the observatory has been famous for will continue, he said, specifically the meetings “that use the good name of the Vatican as a way of drawing attention to important and exciting science that teaches us about the glory of God’s creation.”

He also plans to collaborate closely with major institutions throughout the world, and will lean on his background as an MIT graduate and former director of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society to try to get his colleagues involved.

Turning to the observatory seminar that just concluded, the religious brother noted that a key theme that came out of discussions was the interaction between science and the people who do it.

“Science is a very human activity,” he said, explaining that scientists operate out of love for knowledge and truth, something no machine or technology can do.

He also expressed an eagerness to implement Pope Francis’ words to members of the observatory during their Friday audience.

In his speech, the Pope said “the universe is more than a scientific problem to solve, it’s a joyful mystery we contemplate in gladness and praise.”

Francis also spoke about the dialogue between science and religion, saying scientific research of the universe is a point where both believers and non-believers can unite, which leads to a better religious understanding of creation.

Br. Consolmagno said Pope Francis’ words go to the heart of the observatory’s mission, which is first of all “to do good science,” and then show that science to the world.

“I think what is important in both the message of science and the Church is the human aspect of science. That it’s not just done by a bunch of computer nerds, but that it’s done by a bunch of human beings, that may have a love of computers,” he said.

Once people get past common clichés that pit science against religion and philosophy, “the beauty that science really is” becomes obvious.

“You recognize that it’s a very human activity that speaks to the same instincts that draws to the search for God.”

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VATICAN NEWS

Pope in Cuba: Christians serve people, not ideology

by Ann Schneible (CNA/EWTN News) • September 20, 2015

Pope Francis gives his homily during Mass in Havana’s Revolutionary Square on Sept. 20, 2015. (L’Osservatore Romano)

Havana, Cuba — In his first Mass during apostolic trip to Cuba, Pope Francis centered his homily on the Christian call to service, which he said is never ideological, but involves putting our own interests aside for the sake of others.

“Being a Christian entails promoting the dignity of our brothers and sisters, fighting for it, living for it,” the Pope said Sept. 20, addressing the tens of thousands of people gathered for Mass in Havana’s Plaza de la Revolución – or Revolution Square.

“That is why Christians are constantly called to set aside their own wishes and desires, their pursuit of power, and to look instead to those who are most vulnerable.”

The pontiff warned against the temptation to serve only our own people, which is self-serving and gives rise to exclusion.

Instead, service involves putting others at the center, and a closeness with our brothers and sisters to the point of sometimes suffering in order to help them.

“Service is never ideological, for we do not serve ideas, we serve people,” he said.

Sunday’s Mass in Havana, Cuba is the first major event of Pope Francis’ visit to the island nation, which runs from Sept. 19-22. He is the third Roman pontiff to visit the country, having been preceded by St. John Paul II in 1998 and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in 2012.

The Pope’s homily was centered on the day’s Gospel reading in which the disciples are arguing about who was the greatest among them. According to Mark’s account of the scene, Jesus asks the disciples what they have been arguing about, and they remain silent.

“We too can be caught up in these same arguments,” the Pope said: “who is the most important?”

He explained that while Jesus does not force the disciples to reveal the nature of their discussion, “the question lingers, not only in the minds of the disciples, but also in their hearts.”

This question of who is most important is also on our hearts, and human history has been marked by our answer to it, he said.

However, Jesus, not afraid of our questions or our humanity, the Pope said, but “knows the ‘twists and turns’ of the human heart, and, as a good teacher, he is always ready to encourage and support us.”

Pope Francis observed that Jesus presents us with a “logic of love” which is meant for everyone, not just a privileged few.

“Far from any kind of elitism, the horizon to which Jesus points us is not for those few privileged souls capable of attaining the heights of knowledge or different levels of spirituality,” he said.

Rather it is “something which can season our daily lives with eternity.”

Jesus says that those who wish to be first must desire to serve, and not be served, the Pope observed.

He “upsets their ‘logic’, their mindset, simply by telling them that life is lived authentically in a concrete commitment to our neighbor.”

Pope Francis said we must be attentive to this call to serve others in their vulnerability, be they in our families, society, or people.

“Theirs are the suffering, fragile and downcast faces which Jesus tells us specifically to look at and which he asks us to love,” he said.

“People of flesh and blood, people with individual lives and stories, and with all their frailty: these are those whom Jesus asks us to protect, to care for, to serve.”

Pope Francis then addressed the Cuban people directly, noting their tendency toward festivities, friendship, and beautiful things.

“It is a people which marches with songs of praise,” he said. Although wounded like many others, the Cuban people know “how to stand up with open arms, to keep walking in hope, because it has a vocation of grandeur.”

“Do not neglect them for plans which can be seductive, but are unconcerned about the face of the person beside you.”

Pope Francis concluded: “Let us not forget the Good News we have heard today: the importance of a people, a nation, and the importance of individuals, which is always based on how they seek to serve their vulnerable brothers and sisters. Here we encounter one of the fruits of a true humanity.”

“Whoever does not live to serve, does not ‘serve’ to live.”

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Colombian peace talks must not fail, Pope says during Cuba trip

by CNA/EWTN News • September 20, 2015

Pope Francis greets pilgrims in Havana’s Revolutionary Square before Mass, Sept. 20, 2015. (L’Osservatore Romano)

Havana, Cuba — Pope Francis prayed for the ongoing negotiations between FARC rebels and the Colombian government happening in Cuba right now saying that “another failure” is not an option.

“Please, we do not have the right to allow ourselves yet another failure on this path of peace and reconciliation,” he said following the Sept. 20 Sunday Angelus in Revolution Square.

Since 1964, more than 200,000 people have been killed in Colombia’s civil war. For the past three years, Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels and the Colombian government have been engaged in peace talks in Cuba, but an outcome has not yet been reached.

“At this time I feel bound to direct my thoughts to the beloved land of Colombia,” he said, “conscious of the crucial importance of the present moment when, with renewed effort and inspired by hope, its sons and daughters are seeking to build a peaceful society.”

Although much innocent blood has been shed in the decades of armed conflict, he hopes that their sacrifice, united with Christ’s, may “sustain all the efforts being made, including those on this beautiful island, to achieve definitive reconciliation.”

“Thus may the long night of pain and violence can, with the support of all Colombians, become an unending day of concord, justice, fraternity and love, in respect for institutions and for national and international law, so that there may be lasting peace,” the Holy Father said.

Turning his attention to the example of the Blessed Mother, the pontiff urged those present to “place all our concerns and hopes before the heart of Christ.”

“We pray to her in a special way for those who have lost hope and find no reasons to keep fighting, and for those who suffer from injustice, abandonment and loneliness,” he said.

Like Mary, we must learn to “keep our hearts awake and attentive to the needs of others” and the “little details of life” so that no one will lack “the joy which Jesus brings us.”

Pope Francis then prayed for all those experiencing difficulty, especially the Cubans whom he called the “sons and daughters” of Mary.

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Pope Francis gifts Fidel Castro with copy of ‘Laudato Si’

by CNA/EWTN News • September 20, 2015

Pope Francis and Fidel Castro in a private meeting on Sept. 20, 2015. (Alex Castro)

Havana, Cuba — The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Francis and former Cuban president Fidel Castro held a brief meeting after Sunday Mass and the Angelus today.

Pope Francis, accompanied by a few other Vatican representatives including Apostolic Nuncio to Cuba, Archbishop Giorgio Lingua, traveled to Fidel Castro’s home where the two talked about the environment and “the great problems of the contemporary world.”

“Naturally, the themes of the conversation were about the dramatic themes of today and about the environment,” Vatican Press secretary, Fr. Federico Lombardi told journalists in Havana Sept. 20.

The two exchanged a few books, since during his 2012 visit, Pope Benedict XVI told Castro that he would “send him some interesting books to read.”

Pope Francis gave a copy of his works, “Laudato Si” and “Evangelii Gaudium” as well as a book on happiness and the spiritual life by Italian priest Fr. Alexandro Pronzato.

Most notable, however, was the collection of writings and homilies by Spanish-born Jesuit priest Fr. Amando Llorente that Pope Francis gave him. A former tutor to Castro in his youth, the priest was later exiled from Cuba in 1961 under Castro’s regime.

In turn, Castro gave the Holy Father a copy of his book, “Fidel and Religion” – a synopsis of the former president’s meeting with Pope-emeritus Benedict. In the front cover he wrote, “For Pope Francis, on the occasion of your fraternal visit to Cuba, with the admiration and respect of the Cuban people. Fidel.”

“It’s interesting, he reflects a lot on the great questions of today and tomorrow and he was interested in speaking to the Pope about this,” Fr. Lombardi said of Castro. “In this sense, Laudato Si’ is very important evidently because it contains the Pope’s thoughts on these great themes.”

Their 30 to 40 minute meeting had a casual atmosphere, Fr. Lombardi said, with Castro’s wife, children and nieces and nephews in attendance.

Out of respect for the informality of the meeting, the Vatican press office said that no pictures were taken.

Alan Holdren contributed to this report.

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Let poverty be your mother, Pope Francis tells religious in Cuba

by CNA/EWTN News) • September 20, 2015

Pope Francis at Vespers with priests, religious and seminarians in Havana’s cathedral on Sept. 20, 2015. (Alan Holdren/CNA)

Havana, Cuba — Pope Francis on Sunday spoke from the heart about the importance of spiritual poverty, the danger of worldly wealth, and the universal need for mercy. He made his impromptu remarks to Cuban priests, consecrated religious and seminarians at Havana’s cathedral.

“The spirit of the world does not love the way of the Son of God, who emptied himself and became poor. He became nothing - he humiliated himself in order to be one of us,” the Pope said, adding that every individual is called to this same poverty.

Pope Francis talked about the “things of the heart” and the Christian duty to welcome poverty and not hide from it. He had set aside his prepared homily for evening prayer at the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception Sept. 20.

Many generous souls fall away from the faith because they are enraptured by the mundane, by the worldly, and by the mediocre, he continued. He warned those gathered to stay away from the temptation of worldly riches.

“Richness impoverishes you in a bad way — it takes the best we have and makes us poor,” the Pope asserted. He contrasted this with spiritual wealth, saying that “to be rich is to trust in God.”

The Pope encouraged all consecrated religious to “love poverty as a mother.” He advised them to look interiorly at themselves and ask: “How is my spirit of poverty? How is my interior detachment?”

He also drew on his background with the Society of Jesus and its founder, St. Ignatius of Loyola.

“I think it can be helpful to you to hear what St. Ignatius told us - and this is not an advertisement!” he joked about his Jesuit past.

“Poverty is the wall and the mother of consecrated life. It is the mother because it engendered trust in God, and it is the wall because it protected it from any mundane affections,” the Pope explained.

He went on to talk about how to treat the “littlest ones” in the world, because this is the standard by which Christians will be judged.

“Who is the least one? Where do I find him?” the Pope asked.

He explained that the “least of my brothers” are the forsaken and the last in the world, the ones whom the world despises and hides away. From them, “the smile of a person who is paralyzed,” or even a “drooling kiss” can show the tenderness and mercy of God, he stated.

Turning to priests, the Pope noted a privileged place where the clergy can find and meet the forsaken and the least of the world: the confessional.

The confessional is “where the least one appears, where that man or woman shows their misery to you.”

Pope Francis asked priests everywhere not to chastise or punish those who go to confession; rather, Pope Francis encouraged clergy to show them the mercy of God.

“Do not grow tired of forgiving. Be forgivers. When the penitent come to you, do not drive them away from the confessional. Jesus embraced them. Jesus loved them,” he continued.

“Do not be afraid of the mercy of God. Let it flow through your hands and through your forgiving embrace, because that man or woman is the least, and therefore, they are Jesus,” Pope Francis urged.

The Holy Father ended his off-the-cuff remarks with a prayer that asked God for the gift to be poor in spirit and to be merciful: “May the Lord give us these graces: poverty and mercy, because there, we find Jesus.”

Before the Pope spoke, Cardinal Jaime Ortega of Havana asked the Pope to bless the Church in Cuba. A religious sister spoke to the Pope and reflected on her experience when she found out her community assigned her to care for people with disabilities. She said she thought it would be the most demanding of her assignments.

But the greatest demand was to follow Christ, she said.

“You learn to be the mother of the poor,” she said. “We trust in the guidance of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, and Mary, our Mother.”

Pope Francis has spent a full day in Cuba. He celebrated Mass outside in Havana for an estimated 200,000 people and briefly met with the former president, Fidel Castro. The pontiff’s trip to Cuba will last until Tuesday, after which he will travel to the United States.

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Pope Francis unplugged: The Holy Father speaks from the heart to young Cubans

by CNA/EWTN News • September 20, 2015

Pope Francis greets participants in a youth meeting in Havana on Sept. 20, 2015. (Eduardo Berdejo/CNA)

Havana, Cuba — Pope Francis set aside his prepared remarks to respond to the dreams and hopes of young people who spoke to him in Cuba on Sunday evening.

“I took notes,” he told a Sept. 20 youth meeting at the Father Felix Varela Cultural Center near Havana’s Cathedral.

“The word that hit me hard: dream,” Pope Francis said. “A Latin American writer used to say: ‘People have two eyes, one made of flesh and one made of glass. With the eye of flesh, we see what we look at. For the eye made of glass, we see what we dream of.’ That’s nice, isn’t it?”

“We have to allow for the ability to dream. The young person who is not capable of dreaming is closed in on himself,” he said.

The Pope also responded to the young people’s concerns about the need to learn how to work with others who think differently than themselves in Cuba, a one-party communist country.

“Let us not close in on the culture of ideologies,” Pope Francis said. “When I have my ideology, my way of thinking, and you have yours, I close in on the ideology.”

“Open hearts, open minds!” the Pope continued. “If you think differently than I do, why shouldn’t we talk? Why do we throw stones over that which separates us, that which makes us different? Why don’t we shake hands over that which we have in common?”

This ability to talk and find common ground, which the Pope called “social friendship” is a safeguard against enmity, which he said always brings destruction and death.

“The greatest enmity is war — the world today is being destroyed by war because we are unable to sit down and because we are unable to talk.”

“When there is division, there is death. Death in the soul. We’re killing social friendship, and so I ask you, be able to create social friendship.”

Pope Francis also spoke about hope, drawing from the event’s opening remarks from two young people.

“The young people are the hope of a country. We hear that all over the place,” the Pope said.

However, hope is not to be confused for naive optimism. Rather, it is the ability to work and suffer in order to achieve something greater.

“Hope is hard at work,” he said.

For Pope Francis, one of the biggest obstacles to hope for youth throughout the world is unemployment. He said this is a symptom of the “throwaway” culture in today’s world.

“This throwaway culture is hurting us all, is depriving us of hope,” he said.

“Children are thrown away, because they are not liked, they are killed before they are born. The elderly are thrown away … because they aren’t productive. Some countries have enacted euthanasia, and how many others have a ‘hidden euthanasia’?” he asked.

“Young people are thrown away because they don’t find work,” the Pope said, warning that this phenomena leads to despair and even suicide.

He urged young people to not give in to despair and defeatism, but rather to travel along the path of hope in a culture of encounter with others.

“An African proverb says: ‘If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go with others,’” the Pope said.

“Cuban youth, even though you may think differently, have different points of view, I wish that you go together, seeking hope, seeking the future.”

“Please, let us go together in a culture of encounter, even though we think differently, there is something greater than ourselves, which is the greatness of our people, our fatherland, the beauty, that sweet hope of the fatherland that we have to reach and realize,” he continued.

The Pope concluded his address by assuring the young people of his prayers and asking for theirs.

“I wish the best for you, I will pray for you, and I ask you to pray for me,” he said, “and if any one of you is a nonbeliever and cannot pray, at least wish me good things.”

Pope Francis is visiting Cuba from Sept. 19-22. He will then travel to the United States until Sept. 27.

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Pope Francis: Do you believe that Christ can transform you?

by Ann Schneible (CNA/EWTN News) • September 21, 2015

Pope Francis arrives in Holguin Revolution Square, Havana to celebrate Mass on Sept. 21, 2015. (Alan Holdren/CNA)

Havana, Cuba — Pope Francis Monday celebrated his second public Mass during his papal visit to Cuba, reflecting that an encounter with Christ has the power to transform even the most rejected sinners into missionaries.

“The gaze of Jesus gives rise to missionary activity, service, self-giving,” the Pope said, drawing his inspiration from the conversion of St. Matthew, whose feast is celebrated Sept. 21.

“Jesus’ love heals our short-sightedness and pushes us to look beyond, not to be satisfied with appearances or with what is politically correct.”

Reminding the faithful that they too are sinners, the pontiff called them to take a moment and “recall with gratitude and happiness those situations, that moment, when the merciful gaze of God was felt in our lives.”

“He sees beyond this, to our dignity as sons and daughters, a dignity at times sullied by sin, but one which endures in the depth of our soul,” the Pope Francis said. “He came precisely to seek out all those who feel unworthy of God, unworthy of others.”

Tens of thousands were in attendance at the papal Mass in Cuba’s southeast city of Holguín, in the central Revolution Square, marking the second full day of Pope Francis’ visit to the island nation, which runs from Sept. 19-22. He is the third Roman pontiff to visit the country, having been preceded by St. John Paul II in 1998 and Benedict XVI in 2012.

Pope Francis spoke on the conversion of St. Matthew, an apostle and evangelist, whose Gospel account tells “us what it was like, this encounter (with Jesus) which changed his life.”

“How strong was the love in that look of Jesus, which moved Matthew to do what he did!” the Pope said. “What power must have been in his eyes to make Matthew get up from his table!”

At the time of this call, Matthew had been working as a tax-collector. Also known as a publican, it was a reviled profession which involved the collection taxes from the Jews to give to the Romans. Those who engaged in this work were considered traitors.

“Publicans were looked down upon and considered sinners; as such, they lived apart and were despised by others,” the pontiff said. “One could hardly eat, speak or pray with the likes of these.”

“Jesus, on the other hand, stopped; he did not quickly take his distance. He looked at Matthew calmly, peacefully. He looked at him with eyes of mercy; he looked at him as no one had ever looked at him before.”

Just as when Jesus called Zacchaeus, Bartimaeus, Mary Magdalen, and Peter, the pontiff said, his look “look unlocked Matthew’s heart; it set him free, it healed him, it gave him hope, a new life.”

Pope Francis reflected on how Matthew encountered the “joy of service” in Jesus’ gaze, and left behind his live as a tax-collector to follow Christ’s mission.

Jesus, moreover, challenges us in our belief: “Do you believe it is possible that a traitor can become a friend? Do you believe is possible that the son of a carpenter can be the Son of God?”

“His gaze transforms our way of seeing things, his heart transforms our hearts. God is a Father who seeks the salvation of each of his sons and daughters.”

The Pope then called the faithful to look upon the Lord in the Sacraments of the Eucharist and Confession.

He also invited them to extend their gaze to those who “feel excluded and abandoned,” like the sick, those in prison, the elderly, and families experiencing difficulties.

“Again and again we are called to learn from Jesus, who always sees what is most authentic in every person, which is the image of his Father.”

The Pope acknowledge the work and challenge of the Catholic Church in Cuba to spread the Gospel, including the “most remote areas,” especially “mission houses.”

In light of the shortage of Churches and priests, these mission houses “provide for many people a place for prayer, for listening to the word of God, for catechesis and community life,” the Pope said.

“They are small signs of God’s presence in our neighborhoods and a daily aid in our effort to respond to the plea of the apostle Paul: ‘I beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all lowliness and meekness, forbearing one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace’ (cf. Eph 4:1-3).”

Pope Francis concluded his homily by appealing to Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, the patroness of Cuba.

“May her ‘eyes of mercy’ ever keep watch over each of you, your homes, your families, and all those who feel that they have no place. In her love, may she protect us all as she once cared for Jesus.”

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Nine things you missed from Pope Francis’ time in Havana

by María Ximena Rondón (CNA/EWTN News) • September 21, 2015

Pope Francis arrives to say Mass in Havana, Cuba on Sept. 20, 2015. (L’Osservatore Romano)

Havana, Cuba — In an intense Sunday, Pope Francis on Sept. 20 said a Mass attended by 200,000 people in Havana’s Revolution Square, visited Fidel Castro, improvised two speeches, and was welcomed with affection by the Cuban people. Here are some details you might have missed while he was in “the Rome of the Caribbean.”

First Communion

Five children from parishes in Havana received First Communion from Pope Francis at the Mass in Revolution Square: Melanie de la Caridad Lugo Rodríguez, Sadhiel Mollinedo Estrada, Gabriela Rodríguez Perdigón, Yelani González Pérez, and Jonathan Michel Torres Cruz. This is the first Pope Francis has administered this sacrament on an apostolic journey.

Communion on the tongue

During the Mass, many priests did everything possible to distribute Communion directly on the tongue to the thousands of faithful in attendance, even though it was permissible to receive in the hand. The pictures speak for themselves.

Sun and Rain

During the Mass celebrated in Revolution Square the temperature hit 104 degrees. Despite the heat, 200,000 Cubans participated in the Eucharist in a spirit of reverence, arriving before dawn. In the afternoon a light rain began to fall but this did not discourage the thousands of young people who listened to the Pope outside Havana’s cathedral.

An Emmy for the Pope

On the flight to Cuba, Pope Francis received a singular gift. Rogelio Mora Tagle, a journalist with Telemundo, gave him the Emmy Award that the TV channel won last year for its coverage of the 2013 conclave in whiche he was elected Bishop of Rome.

“What is greater than an award, Holy Father, is the work of all of us who work for Telemundo and all of those who work in Hispanic television in the United States for all the people that live there and are going through difficult times,” the journalist said.

Under the patronage of Our Lady of Charity

Enthroned on the altar at the Mass said in Revolution Square was a beautiful replica statue of Our Lady of Charity of Cobre, who was named the Patroness of Cuba just 100 years ago by Benedict XV. A statue of the Risen Christ from the Havana cathedral was also brought to the square.

University student orchestra

The Symphonic Orchestra of the University of Fine Arts accompanied the choir during the Mass in Revolution Square, showcasing Cuban music. “Many of us are from this school or graduated from it. It’s a great honor that they chose us for this. We’re really happy. We have worked a lot these last days,” Anabela Eschevez Acosta, a 24 year old from Camagüey, told CNA.

The flying zuchetto

It happened again. When Pope Francis was stepping down from the airplane at José Martí Airport in Havana, the wind played a trick on him again and lifted off his zucchetto. But this time he was able to retrieve it with the help of a member of the papal entourage.

Popemobile a la Cubana

The Cuban popemobile is a Peugeot Hoggar made in Brazil but assembled as papal vehicle in Cuba. The Cuban mechanics decided that the style should be austere and open on the sides so that Pope Francis could greet the people.

Popular chants

During the last event of the day, among the thousands of youth who joined Pope Francis on the grounds outside the Havana cathedral, a new and catchy chorus was introduced which they chanted in unison “1, 2 y 3, qué Papa más chévere, qué Papa más chévere, el que nos vino a ver,” or “1, 2, 3, what a really cool Pope, what a really cool Pope, who’s come to see us”.

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Pope asks Cubans to imitate Mary’s ‘revolution of tenderness’

by CNA/EWTN News • September 22, 2015

Pope Francis preaches during Mass at the basilica shrine of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre in Santiago de Cuba, Sept. 22, 2015. (L’Osservatore Romano)

Santiago de Cuba — During Mass on Tuesday Pope Francis praised the rich devotion to Our Lady of Charity seeded in the hearts of Cubans, and told them to be like her in making haste to meet the needs of others in tenderness and charity.

“Generation after generation, day after day, we are asked to renew our faith. We are asked to live the revolution of tenderness as Mary, our Mother of Charity, did,” the Pope said Sept. 22.

“Our revolution comes about through tenderness, through the joy which always becomes closeness and compassion, and leads us to get involved in, and to serve, the life of others.”

Pope Francis spoke to the thousands gathered at the basilica of Our Lady of Charity of Cobre in Santiago de Cuba for Mass on his final day on the island before heading to the United States.

In his homily, the Pope noted how since gaining independence from Spain in 1898, Cuba’s birth as a free nation and continued growth have been “warmed by devotion to Our Lady of Charity.”

Quoting the country’s bishops, he said that “In a special and unique way she has molded the Cuban soul, inspiring the highest ideals of love of God, the family and the nation in the heart of the Cuban people.”

Found by two indigenous laborers and a slave boy around the year 1600, the small wooden statue of the Virgin Mary appeared after a storm that hit while the three were out at sea in an old boat looking for salt.

What first appeared to be a bird floating on the water turned out to be an image of the Virgin Mary carrying the Child Jesus on her right arm, while holding a gold cross in her left hand.

The statue had been fastened to a board with the inscription: “I am the Virgin of Charity,” and, despite being found in the water after a storm, the white material the statue was clothed in was completely dry.

Devotion to the Virgin of Charity has since grown to a global level, and 100 years ago she was officially named Patroness of Cuba by Benedict XV, at the request of war veterans.

In his homily, Pope Francis turned to the image of Mary in the day’s Gospel reading from Luke, which recounted Mary’s visitation to her cousin Elizabeth.

The images offered in the Gospel passage are something to be contemplated over and over again, he said, explaining that “God’s presence in our lives never leaves us tranquil: it always pushes to do something.”

Far from “thinking it was all about her” or that everyone ought to come and wait on her and foot, Mary immediately left her house and “went out to serve,” Francis observed.

She went to her cousin at a slow and steady pace, not too fast or too slow, neither anxious nor distracted, he said, explaining this is the path that Mary always took from that moment on.

Like Elizabeth, Mary has also visited and accompanied many of our peoples “in the drama of their birth; she has watched over the struggles of those who fought to defend the rights of their children,” he said.

Pope Francis noted the struggles which led to Cuba’s independence from Spain in 1898, concluding the third and final war leading to its liberation.

The soul of the Cuban people, he said, “was forged amid suffering and privation which could not suppress the faith, that faith which was kept alive thanks to all those grandmothers who fostered, in the daily life of their homes, the living presence of God.”

Just as Mary did in the Gospel, we too are being invited to leave our homes and open our eyes and hearts to others, sharing in both their joys and sorrows, Francis said.

“Like Mary, Mother of Charity, we want to be a Church which goes forth to build bridges, to break down walls, to sow seeds of reconciliation.”

Pope Francis concluded his homily saying that the greatest treasure and the most potent legacy that can be given is to learn to be like Mary setting out on the path of the visitation, and to pray with her out of remembrance and gratitude.

This prayer, he said, “is the living reminder that God passes through our midst; the perennial memory that God has looked upon the lowliness of his people, he has come to the aid of his servant, even as promised to our forebears and their children forever.”

Archbishop Dionisio García lbáñez of Santiago de Cuba greeted Pope Francis at the conclusion of the Mass, saying the Cuban people experience God’s mercy in Our Lady of Charity, who is a source of inspiration.

He said all Cubans near or far carry her in their hearts, because “she is a mother without distinction. Believers and non-believers consider her an obvious sign of being Cuban because in her we see reflected the best yearnings and aspirations of our people.”

Calling the Virgin of Charity “the first evangelizer in Cuba,” Archbishop García asked the Pope that he formally open the Marian Jubilee Year, held in honor of the centenary of her proclamation as patroness of Cuba.

The Marian Jubilee was inaugurated during the Mass, and will conclude Sept. 24, 2016.

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Pope blesses unborn children around the world while meeting with Cuban families

by CNA/EWTN News • September 22, 2015

Pope Francis greets a family at Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral, Santiago de Cuba, Sept. 22, 2015. (L’Osservatore Romano)

Santiago de Cuba — Pope Francis met with families on Tuesday at Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral in Santiago de Cuba, thanking those gathered for their warm witness and inclusive nature, reflecting that it is at home, in the family, that Christ shows the love of God.

Going off script from his prepared remarks Sept. 22, the Pope recalled that at the General Audiences held each Wednesday in St. Peter’s Square, “I pass by so many people, so many women, who show me they’re pregnant, and they ask my blessing.”

“I will propose something to you, to those women who are ‘pregnant with hope’, because a child is hope, a source of hope: at this moment, touch your womb. Not just those here, (but) those listening on television or radio – to each one, each of these children, boys or girls in the womb, I bless them! I bless the children in the womb, in the name of Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

“I hope they may be holy, they may grow. Be tender to the child whom you are expecting.”

In his prepared remarks, Pope Francis said, “I remember in my former diocese, how many families told me that almost the only time they came together was at dinner, in the evening after work, when the children had finished their homework,” adding that these times around the table are “special times in the life of the family.”

“These were also times when someone might come home tired, or when arguments or bickering might break out,” the Holy Father continued, saying, “Jesus chooses all those times to show us the love of God.”

At home, Pope Francis noted that children and families learn how to receive, to appreciate the blessings of life, and to learn interdependence.

“That is why the Christian community calls families ‘domestic churches.’ It is the warmth of the home that faith fills every corner, lights up every space, builds community,” the Holy Father noted.

“It is at home that we experience forgiveness, that we are continually asked to forgive and grow,” he continued, saying that in family life, everyone is called to do their best for the other, to grow in solidarity and fraternity.

Pope Francis also noted that Christ himself made many of his own appearances of public life at meals and dinners, eating with different people and showing up in various homes.

“He chose a specific moment of family life as the ‘place’ of his presence among us. A moment which we have all experienced, a moment which we all understand: a meal,” Pope Francis stated, noting the importance of the Eucharist as the “Bread of Life for our families.”

In addition to meals, Christ made appearances at weddings and in people’s homes, adding a special meaning to those ordinary, daily moments in people’s lives because Christ chose to be part of them, the Pope said.

Christ began his public ministry at a wedding – at a family party – where “he enters into that history of sowing and reaping, of dreams and quests, of efforts and commitments.”

Weddings are important occasions in family life, the Pope continued, saying they are times when grandparents and parents can “reap the fruits of what they have sown.”

“Our hearts rejoice when we see children grow up and make a home of their own. For a moment, we see that everything we worked for was worth the effort,” Pope Francis said.

However, the Holy Father warned against those cultures in which the space for the family is shrinking – where families are disappearing and home life is becoming more and more separated.

“Without a family, without the warmth of home, life grows empty, there is a weakening of the networks which sustain us in adversity, nurture us in daily living, and motivate us to build a better future,” Pope Francis noted.

“When we do not live a family life … when one forgets how to say mother, father, son, daughter, grandmother, grandfather – they are the foundation of our name, of who we are. We need to live as a family – (though) selfishness always exists. Those personalities, ‘I, me, myself’, they are totally centered on themselves, they do not know solidarity, or fraternity, working together, or love … even arguments among brothers, they don’t know about that.”

Families, he stressed, “are a blessing. When you begin to see the family as a problem, you are paralyzed; you don’t walk, because you are centered on yourself.”

The Pope continued, saying families are the antidote to two modern-day problems: fragmentation and uniformity. Only families, he stated, can break the bonds of isolation and division that is too often found in society.

Reminding those gathered that families are a “school of humanity,” he asked them to never forget that “families are not a problem, they are first and foremost an opportunity.”

Looking ahead toward the future, Pope Francis spoke about the kind of world parents and families should leave behind for future generations.

“I believe that one possible answer lies in looking at yourselves: let us leave behind a world of families,” he urged, saying that now is the time to care for the family, the true center of freedom and humanity.

The Pope’s comments on the family come on the final day of his apostolic journey to Cuba, whence he will make his way to the United States for the World Meeting of Families, visiting Washington D.C., New York City, and Philadelphia.

Pope Francis also noted his gratitude to Archbishop Dionisio García lbáñez of Santiago de Cuba for his warm welcome, and thanked the married couples who shared their dreams and struggles along their journey of making their homes a domestic church.

“In a few days I will join families from across the globe in the World Meeting of Families and, in less than a month, in the Synod of Bishops devoted to the family,” Pope Francis stated, asking the Cuban families to pray for these events so that the Church may find ways to build and nourish the family.

“To conclude my visit with this family gathering is a reason to thank God for the ‘warmth’ spread by people who know how to welcome and accept someone, to make him feel at home. Thank you!” the Pope stated, saying this meeting with Cuban families was the “cherry on the cake.”

“I rely on your prayers. Thank you very much.”

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Previewing the Pope at the United Nations: A call to abandon no one

by Andrea Gagliarducci (CNA/EWTN News) • September 22, 2015

Pope Francis greets a United Nations peacekeeper from Argentina at the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, Aug. 5, 2015. (L’Osservatore Romano)

New York City, N.Y. — In his much anticipated speech at the United Nations headquarters to be delivered Friday, Pope Francis will likely call on the countries of the world not to abandon those who are, in any sense, in the peripheries.

A source familiar with the United Nations has told CNA the Pope intends to speak on behalf of the marginalized, but also the elderly and – indirectly – the children at risk of being aborted.

The Sept. 25 speech falls during the week of celebration of the 70th anniversary of the United Nations. The occasion will be the largest gathering of heads of state in the history of the U.N., with representatives of 170 countries present.

For this reason, CNA’s source does not anticipate that the Pope will tackle the issue of abortion in harsh terms. Rather, he will allude to it by speaking of the idea that “no one must be left alone.”

This choice is part of the Holy See’s longstanding diplomatic effort to counter the introduction of the right to abortion in the charters and declarations of the United Nations.

The source said “a direct mention could exacerbate tempers in the ongoing discussion,” while an allusion “might achieve the goal without generating any opposition to the teaching of the Church.”

However, Pope Francis’ speech will be complex and will deal with a variety of issues.

According to CNA’s source, Pope Francis will begin with praise for the United Nations’ work during the past 70 years and will deliver his congratulations for the institution’s anniversary, reminding the United Nations of its first goal of achieving peace and security.

Among the issues the Pope will likely address is nuclear non-proliferation. The Holy See is a founding member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and historically the Holy See has worked to foster the peaceful use of the nuclear energy, but has always opposed the production of nuclear weapons.

Recently, the Holy See has pushed an agreement among nations that focuses on the use of nuclear energy for positive social development.

Pope Francis’ U.N. speech will likely also address environmental issues, following up on his 2015 encyclical Laudato si.

Another source at the United Nations told CNA that the encyclical has had “an enormous impact.”

“I see people who cite the encyclical, and not just the first lines, but the more profound lines, carefully chosen,” the source added.

The Pope will urge the nations to find an agreement at the upcoming 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, which will include the 21st Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.

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Full transcript of Pope’s in-flight interview from Cuba to U.S.

by CNA/EWTN News • September 22, 2015

Pope Francis aboard the papal flight from Cuba to Washington, D.C., Sept. 22, 2015. (Alan Holdren/CNA)

Aboard the papal plane — Speaking to journalists aboard Tuesday’s flight from Cuba to Joint Base Andrews, outside Washington, D.C., Pope Francis discussed his time in Cuba; the Church’s social teaching, and personal freedoms in Cuba, as well as Cuba-United States relations.

Below is a full transcript of the discussion between Pope Francis and journalists during the Sept. 22 flight:

Rosa Miriam: Your Holiness, it’s been a true honor and pleasure to accompany you on this trip. (What are) your thoughts on the U.S. embargo of Cuba, and are you going to speak about it before the U.S. Congress?

Pope Francis: The question of the embargo is part of the negotiations. This is public, right? Both presidents have referred to that. So it’s a public thing that is on the path, on the path of good relations, for which they are searching, no? And my wish is that we reach a good conclusion in this, that there might be an agreement that satisfies both sides. An agreement, yes? With respect to the position of the Holy See regarding embargoes: previous Popes have spoken about this. Not just this one. There are other cases of embargoes. There is the social doctrine of the Church on embargoes. I’m speaking about that. It’s very precise, very just. And, about the Congress of the United States, the speech is finished so I can’t say; or better put, I’m thinking well about what I might say about it. Specifically on that theme, the theme of bilateral or multi-national agreements as signs of progress in co-existence. That’s the sense. But that issue concretely … I’m remembering … because I don’t want to say something wrong. But this theme concretely isn’t mentioned. I’m sure it’s not. Ok?

Rosa Flores, CNN: Good afternoon, Holy Father. I am Rosa Flores of CNN. We understand that more than 50 dissidents were arrested outside the nunciature [in Cuba] as they were trying to have a meeting with you. First, would you like to have a meeting with the dissidents, and if you had that meeting, what would you say?

Pope Francis: Look, I don’t have any news that that has happened. I don’t have any news. Some yes, yes, no, I don’t know. I don’t know, directly. The two questions are about reading the future. Would I like this to happen? … I like to meet with all people. I consider that all people are children of God and the law. And secondly, a relationship with another person always enriches. Even though it was soothsaying, that’s my reply. I would like to meet with everyone. If you want me to speak more about the dissidents, you can ask me something more concrete. For the nunciature, first, it was very clear that I was not going to give audiences because not only the dissidents asked for audiences, but also audiences (were requested) from other sectors, including from the chief of state. And, no, I am on a visit to a nation, and just that. I know that I hadn’t planned any audience with the dissidents or the others. And secondly from the nunciature, some people made some calls to some people who are in these groups of dissidents, where the responsibility was given to the nuncio to call them and tell them that I would greet them with pleasure outside the catedral for the meeting with the consecrated (religious). I would greet them when I was there, no? That did exist. Now, as no one identified themselves in their greetings, I don’t know if they were there. I said hello to the sick who were in wheelchairs. … Oops, I’m speaking Spanish. I greeted those who were in wheelchairs, but no one identified themselves as dissidents; but from the nunciature calls were made by some for a quick greeting.

(Follow up from Flores on what he would tell them if he met with them.)

Pope Francis: Oh, my daughter, I don’t know what I would say. (laughs) I would wish everyone well, but what one says comes in that moment and … You’ve got the Nobel Prize for being a reader of the future, eh? (laughs)

Silvia Poggioli, NPR: I would like to ask you, in the decades of the power of the state of Fidel Castro, the Church in Cuba has suffered much. In your meeting with Fidel, did you get the impression that [he] may be a bit regretful?

Pope Francis: Regret is a very intimate thing, and it’s a thing of conscience. I, in the meeting with Fidel, I spoke of the stories of known Jesuits, because in the meeting I brought a gift of a book, from Fr. Llorente, also a good friend of his, who is also a Jesuit. And also a CD with the conferences of Fr. Llorente and I also gave him two books from Fr. Pronzato [sic] which I’m sure he’ll also appreciate. And we talked about these things. We spoke a lot about the encyclical, Laudato si. He’s very interested in the issue of ecology. It was a not-so-formal, rather spontaneous meeting. Also his family was present there. Also those who accompanied me, my driver, were present there. But, we were a bit separated from his wife. They couldn’t hear, but they were in the same place. But we spoke a lot on the encyclical because he is very concerned about this. About the past, we didn’t speak.

(inaudible question from Poggioli)

Pope Francis: Yes! About the past, the Jesuit college. And how the Jesuits were and how they made him work. All of that, yes.

Gian Guido Vecchi, Corriere della Sera: Holiness, your reflections, also your denouncements of the inequity of the world economic system, the risk of self-destruction of the planet are also very uncomfortable, in the sense that they touch the powerful interests of arms trafficking, etc. Before this trip, there were some bizarre manifestations that came out. Also, very important world media picked them up and and sectors of North American society were even asking themselves if the Pope was Catholic. There have already been discussions about a communist Pope, now there are event those who speak of a Pope who isn’t Catholic. In the face of these considerations, what do you think?

Pope Francis: A cardinal friend of mine told me that a very concerned woman, very Catholic, went to him. A bit rigid, but Catholic. And she asked him if it was true that in the Bible, they spoke of an antichrist, and she explained it to him. And also in the Apocalypse, no? And, then, if it was true that an anti-pope, who is the antichrist, the anti-Pope. But why is she asking me this question, this cardinal asked me? “Because I’m sure that Pope Francis is the anti-pope,” she said. And why does she ask this, why does she have this idea? “It’s because he doesn’t wear red shoes.” The reason for thinking if one is communist or isn’t communist. I’m sure that I haven’t said anything more than what’s written in the social doctrine of the Church. On another flight, a colleague asked me if I had reached out a hand to the popular movements and asked me, “But is the Church going to follow you?” I told him, “I’m the one following the Church.” And in this it seems that I’m not wrong. I believe that I never said a thing that wasn’t the social doctrine of the Church. Things can be explained, possibly an explanation gave an impression of being a little “to the left”, but it would be an error of explanation. No, my doctrine on this, in Laudato si, on economic imperialism, all of this, is the social doctrine of the Church. And it if necessary, I’ll recite the creed. I am available to do that, eh.

Jean Louis de la Vaissiere, AFP: In the last trip to Latin America, you harshly criticized the capitalist liberal system. In Cuba, it appears that your critiques of the communist system weren’t very strong, but “soft.” Why these differences?

Pope Francis: In the speeches that I made in Cuba, I always put the accent on the social doctrine of the Church. But the things that must be corrected I said clearly, not “perfumed,” or soft. But, also the first part of your question, more than what I have written – and harshly – in the encyclical, also in Evangelii gaudium, about wild, liberal capitalism – I didn’t say it. All that is written there. I don’t remember having said anything more than that. If you remember, let me know. I’ve said what I’ve written, which is enough, enough.

Nelson Castro, Radio Continental: The question has to do with the dissidents, in two aspects. Why did you decide not to receive them? After having a prisoner come up to you, who was arrested. The question is, is there going to be a place for the Catholic Church in search an opening for political liberties, seeing the role that it played in the re-establishment of relations between Cuba and the United States? This theme of liberties is a problem for those who think differently in Cuba. Will this be a role that the Holy See is thinking of for the Catholic Church in Cuba?

Pope Francis: First the “them.” Not receiving “them.” No, I didn’t receive any private audience. That is for everyone, and there was a head of state; I told them “no.” And that I didn’t have anything to do with the dissidents. The contact with the dissidents was what I explained. The Church here, the Church in Cuba, made a list of (prisoners) for the pardon; more than three thousand were given the pardon, the president of the bishops’ conference told me.

Fr. Federico Lombardi: There were more than 3,000 …

Pope Francis: There were more than 3,000 and other cases are being studied. The Church here in Cuba is commited to this work of the pardons. And, for example, someone said to me, “It would be really good if there could be an end to life imprisonment. Speaking clearly, life imprisonment is a hidden death penalty, it is like being there dying every day, without the hope of liberation. But that is just one hypothesis: another hypothesis that they grant a general pardon of one or two years, but the Church is working, and has worked. I do not say that all those 3,000 who were released were taken from the lists of the Church. No. The Church made lists, I don’t know how many, and it continues to do so.

Rogelio Mora-Tagle, Telemundo: [Explains that Popes have visited Cuba often in a short period of time.] Is Cuba suffering from something, Holy Father? Is it sick?

Pope Francis: No, no. First, John Paul II went on his historic visit, which was normal. He visited so many countries, including nations that were aggressive against the Church, but that wouldn’t be it. The second was that of Pope Benedict, as well. That would be within the norm. And mine was a bit by chance, because I thought of going to the US by way of Mexico in the beginning – that was the first idea. Ciudad Juarez, the border, no? But going through Mexico without going to Our Lady of Guadalupe would have been a slap (in the face). But this happened, it’s something that happened. So, it went ahead and this is what came out. And last December 17, it was announced that everything was more or less organized, a process of almost a year, and then I said, ‘No, I’m going to the United States by way of Cuba’. And, I chose it for this reason; not because it has a particular sickness that other nations don’t have. I wouldn’t interpret the three visits, more so if there are some countries which the previous Popes have visited, including myself. Brazil, for example, and others have been visited more. John Paul II visited Brazil three or four times: it wasn’t particularly sick. I am happy for having met the Cuban people, the Cuban Christian communities. Today, the meeting with families was very nice, very beautiful. I am sorry if it came to me in Spanish. I hope that you have understood. Thank you very much.

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En route to U.S., Pope Francis rejects ‘left-leaning’ accusations

by Mary Rezac (CNA/EWTN News) • September 22, 2015

Pope Francis greets pilgrims during the Wednesday general audience in St. Peter’s Square on September 3, 2014. (Daniel Ibanez/CNA)

Washington, D.C. — On the papal flight from Cuba to Washington, D.C., where Pope Francis held the customary press conference with journalists on board, an Italian reporter posed a particularly tough question.

What was the Holy Father’s response to the rampant rumors in the media just ahead of his U.S. visit that he is left-leaning, maybe even a “communist Pope” or even “not a Catholic”?

Pope Francis did not seem surprised by the questions, but denied that his teachings on the economy and environment ever strayed from Church teaching.

“I’m sure that I haven’t said anything more than what’s written in the social doctrine of the Church,” he said.

On a different flight, the Pope recalled, someone else asked him whether or not he had reached out a hand to the “popular movements”, and whether or not the Church would follow him.

“I told him, ‘I’m the one following the Church,’” Pope Francis said.

“No, my doctrine on this, in Laudato si’, on economic imperialism, all of this, is the social doctrine of the Church. And if it is necessary, I’ll recite the creed. I am available to do that, eh,” he quipped.

Having just wrapped up his papal visit to Cuba, Pope Francis was asked by another journalist whether or not he would speak about the U.S. embargo on Cuba during his address to Congress Thursday.

“And my wish is that we reach a good conclusion in this, that there might be an agreement that satisfies both sides. An agreement, yes?” the Holy Father said.

But whether he would specifically address the Cuba embargo, or the topics of embargo, with the United States Congress, the Pope was unsure, since “the speech is finished so I can’t say; or better put, I’m thinking well about what I might say about it.”

While in Cuba, 50 dissidents were arrested outside of the Cuban nunciature, where they were trying to score a meeting with the Pope.

There have also been concerns about controversial guests at the White House welcoming ceremony for Pope Francis, which include LGBT activists and others.

Asked whether he would have liked to meet with the Cuban dissidents, the Pope had two things to say.

“I like to meet with all people. I consider that all people are children of God and the law. And secondly, a relationship with another person always enriches. Even though it was soothsaying, that’s my reply. I would like to meet with everyone,” he said.

But, he added, he was unable to meet with the dissidents at the nunciature because he was on a state visit, and needed to respect the schedule of the country he was visiting.

“For the nunciature, first, it was very clear that I was not going to give audiences because not only the dissidents asked for audiences, but also audiences (were requested) from other sectors, including from the chief of state. And, no, I am on a visit to a nation, and just that. I know that I hadn’t planned any audience with the dissidents or the others.”

Pope Francis’ U.S. visit spans Sept. 22-27. During his stay, the pontiff will canonize Blessed Junipero Serra, visit an inner-city school, address a joint session of Congress, meet with President Barack Obama, visit the United Nations, and close with a Mass for the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.

He comes to the U.S. after a three-day trip to Cuba, where he met with Fidel Castro and celebrated Mass in Havana’s Revolution Square.

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Pope Francis to Obama: Religious freedom is beyond price

by Ann Schneible (CNA/EWTN News) • September 23, 2015

Pope Francis greeted by President Obama on Sept. 22, 2015. (Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Washington, D.C. — Pope Francis Wednesday reminded U.S. president Barack Obama that religious freedom is one of America’s most “precious possessions,” while lauding the nation’s Catholics their work toward a society marked by tolerance and inclusivity.

“With countless other people of good will, (American Catholics) are likewise concerned that efforts to build a just and wisely ordered society respect their deepest concerns and their right to religious liberty,” the Pope said Wednesday, addressing the U.S. commander-in-chief at the White House in Washington, D.C.

“That freedom remains one of America’s most precious possessions.”

Echoing the appeals by the U.S. bishops on the issue of religious freedom, the pontiff told President Obama: “All are called to be vigilant, precisely as good citizens, to preserve and defend that freedom from everything that would threaten or compromise it.”

Pope Francis also stressed the role American Catholics have played in building a tolerant and inclusive society in the nation, one which safeguards of individuals and communities, while “rejecting every form of unjust discrimination.”

In his remarks prior to the pontiff’s, President Obama noted how the 20,000 people gathered on the White House lawn served as only a small reflection of the “deep devotion of some 70 million American Catholics.”

The Pope’s meeting at the White House, marking the first major event of his visit to the U.S. Capital, comes at a time of uncertainty with regard to religious of freedom in the country.

Affecting many Catholic as well as other religious institutions, the Obama administration’s 2012 HHS mandate requires institutions to provide contraceptive services, often failing to offer exemptions to those who oppose the bill on religious grounds.

There are also concerns regarding the religious rights of those who oppose same-sex marriage after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled earlier this year to legalize marriage between gay couples across all fifty States.

Pope Francis’ Sept. 23 speech to President Obama also addressed the issue of climate change, and acknowledged US’s commitment to seeking solutions to air pollution.

“Accepting the urgency, it seems clear to me also that climate change is a problem which can no longer be left to a future generation,” the Pope said.

He said this is a “critical moment in history” with regard to caring for our “common home.”

Citing his encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si, Pope Francis stressed the need for continued changes in the areas of “sustainable and integral development.”

“Such change demands on our part a serious and responsible recognition not only of the kind of world we may be leaving to our children, but also to the millions of people living under a system which has overlooked them.”

“Our common home has been part of this group of the excluded which cries out to heaven and which today powerfully strikes our homes, our cities and our societies.”

The Pope cited Martin Luther King, saying “we have defaulted on a promissory note and now is the time to honor it.”

Inspired by the certainty that the Creator does not abandon his creatures, the Pope said, we as Christians “wish to commit ourselves to the conscious and responsible care of our common home.”

“The efforts which were recently made to mend broken relationships and to open new doors to cooperation within our human family represent positive steps along the path of reconciliation, justice and freedom,” the Pope said.

“I would like all men and women of good will in this great nation to support the efforts of the international community to protect the vulnerable in our world and to stimulate integral and inclusive models of development, so that our brothers and sisters everywhere may know the blessings of peace and prosperity which God wills for all his children.”

Pope Francis also expressed his appreciation to Obama for the welcome he had received in the U.S., while lightly alluding to the question of immigration. He recalled that America is a country largely built on immigrant families, like his own Italian family who settled in Argentina.

Concluding his White House address, the Pope said: “Mr. President, once again I thank you for your welcome, and I look forward to these days in your country. God bless America!”

The Sept. 22-28 apostolic journey to the U.S. marks Pope Francis’ first on America soil.

In addition to the meeting with President Obama at the White House, the agenda for the Pope’s visit to the U.S. capital includes the canonization of Blessed Junipero Serra at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and a visit to the US Congress.

The Pope’s visit will also include an address at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, and will culminate with his presence in Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families.

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Immigrants enrich America and the Church, Pope affirms

by CNA/EWTN News • September 23, 2015

Pope Francis addresses the bishops of the United States in St. Matthew’s Cathedral, Washington, D.C. on Sept. 23, 2015. (Alan Holdren/CNA)

Washington, D.C. — In the longest speech of his trip so far, Pope Francis on Wednesday praised U.S. bishops for their commitment to defending life, their handling of the clerical abuse crisis, and their welcome of immigrants, while urging them not to be afraid to do more.

In his Sept. 23 address to the bishops of the United States, Pope Francis asked to be excused “if in some way I am pleading my own case,” and brought up immigration as a key challenge of current times.

Right now the United States is “facing this stream of Latin immigration which affects many of your dioceses,” he said, and thanking the bishops for what they have already done to welcome migrants “who continue to look to America, like so many others before them, in the hope of enjoying its blessings of freedom and prosperity.”

“The Church in the United States knows like few others the hopes present in the hearts of these ‘pilgrims’.”

“From the beginning you have learned their languages, promoted their cause, made their contributions your own, defended their rights, helped them to prosper, and kept alive the flame of their faith,” he said.

However, he also noted the challenges presented by such a large influx of diverse peoples, and recognized that it’s not always easy to look beyond differences into the soul of the person.

“But know that they also possess resources meant to be shared. So do not be afraid to welcome them. Offer them the warmth of the love of Christ and you will unlock the mystery of their heart. I am certain that, as so often in the past, these people will enrich America and its Church.”

Pope Francis made his comments to the more than 400 U.S. bishops gathered in St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington, D.C. on his first full day in the United States, following the celebration of Daytime Prayer.

Following the liturgical celebration he was greeted by Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington and by Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, who said that “as a nation founded by immigrants seeking religious freedom and economic opportunity, we have a special responsibility to ensure the promise of one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all remains an American dream accessible to everyone.”

Archbishop Kurtz, who is also president of the US bishops’ conference, added that “true to to our heritage, we seek to spread the Good News so that each human life is cherished and given an opportunity to flourish.”

The Pope delivered his speech in Italian, and began it by greeting the Jewish community in the United States, noting that today marks the observance of Yom Kippur, the Day of a Atonement and the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

In his speech the Pope stressed his closeness to the pastors of the United States, and praised “the unfailing commitment of the Church in America to the cause of life and that of the family, which is the primary reason for my present visit.”

He also gave a shout-out to the Church in the United States for her commitment to integrating immigrants into American society, as well as her emphasis on education and charity.

Francis also acknowledged the courage with which the Church in the U.S. has faced the difficulties arising from the clerical sex abuse crisis “without fear of self-criticism and at the cost of mortification and great sacrifice.”

“Nor have you been afraid to divest whatever is unessential in order to regain the authority and trust which is demanded of ministers of Christ and rightly expected by the faithful.”

With the pain and heaviness of the crisis in mind, the Pope offered his support for the Church’s “generous commitment to bring healing to victims – in the knowledge that in healing we too are healed – and to work to ensure that such crimes will never be repeated.”

Pope Francis offered the bishops his own reflections on being a pastor, saying, “I speak to you as the Bishop of Rome, called by God in old age, and from a land which is also American, to watch over the unity of the universal Church and to encourage in charity the journey of all the particular Churches toward ever greater knowledge, faith and love of Christ.”

He said his intention is not to offer a specific strategy, or to judge or to lecture, but to speak to them “as a brother among brothers.” He added, “would turn once again to the demanding task – ancient yet never new – of seeking out the paths we need to take and the spirit with which we need to work. Without claiming to be exhaustive, I would share with you some reflections which I consider helpful for our mission.”

He emphasized the need to remember the joy of being shepherds, as well as that of a personal encounter with Christ in prayer.

“It is not about preaching complicated doctrines, but joyfully proclaiming Christ who died and rose for our sake,” he said, explaining that the style of one’s preaching should always reach listeners on a personal level.

Francis urged the bishops to remember to be “shepherds who do not lower our gaze, concerned only with our concerns, but raise it constantly toward the horizons which God opens before us and which surpass all that we ourselves can foresee or plan.”

While affirming that “it is helpful for a bishop to have the farsightedness of a leader and the shrewdness of an administrator,” he added that “we fall into hopeless decline whenever we confuse the power of strength with the strength of that powerlessness with which God has redeemed us. Bishops need to be lucidly aware of the battle between light and darkness being fought in this world. Woe to us, however, if we make of the cross a banner of worldly struggles and fail to realize that the price of lasting victory is allowing ourselves to be wounded and consumed.”

Pope Francis also pointed to the importance of dialogue, saying it needs to happen at all levels, including among themselves, and with their priests, and with lay persons, families, and society.

“I know … that there is always the temptation to give in to fear, to lick one’s wounds, to think back on bygone times and to devise harsh responses to fierce opposition. And yet we are promoters of the culture of encounter. We are living sacraments of the embrace between God’s riches and our poverty. We are witnesses of the abasement and the condescension of God who anticipates in love our every response. Dialogue is our method, not as a shrewd strategy but out of fidelity to the One who never wearies of visiting the marketplace, even at the eleventh hour, to propose his offer of love.”

The Pope said, “I cannot ever tire of encouraging you to dialogue fearlessly. The richer the heritage which you are called to share with parrhesia, the more eloquent should be the humility with which you should offer it. Do not be afraid to set out on that exodus which is necessary for all authentic dialogue.”

“Otherwise, we fail to understand the thinking of others or to realize deep down that the brother or sister we wish to reach and redeem … counts more than their positions.”

Language was also touched on by the Pope, who stressed that “harsh and divisive” words don’t befit a true pastor, and have “no place in his heart; although it may momentarily seem to win the day, only the enduring allure of goodness and love remains truly convincing.”

He also spoke on the importance of being humble and of fostering collegiality among themselves. In a divided and broken world, the Church can’t allow herself to be “to be rent, broken or fought over.”

“Our mission as bishops is first and foremost to solidify unity, a unity whose content is defined by the Word of God and the one Bread of Heaven,” he reminded them. “With these two realities each of the Churches entrusted to us remains Catholic, because open to, and in communion with, all the particular Churches and with the Church of Rome which ‘presides in charity‘.”

He added that it is therefore imperative “to watch over that unity, to safeguard it, to promote it and to bear witness to it as a sign and instrument which, beyond every barrier, unites nations, races, classes and generations.”

Their service to unity is particularly important for the United States, he said, because its “vast material and spiritual, cultural and political, historical and human, scientific and technological resources impose significant moral responsibilities in a world which is seeking, confusedly and laboriously, new balances of peace, prosperity and integration.”

Pope Francis then encouraged the bishops to face the current challenges of our time with courage.

“The innocent victim of abortion, children who die of hunger or from bombings, immigrants who

drown in the search for a better tomorrow, the elderly or the sick who are considered a burden, the victims of terrorism, wars, violence and drug trafficking, the environment devastated by man’s predatory relationship with nature – at stake in all of this is the gift of God, of which we are noble stewards,” he said.

“It is wrong, then, to look the other way or to remain silent. No less important is the Gospel of the Family, which in the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia I will emphatically proclaim together with you and the entire Church.”

He reminded the bishops that “these essential aspects of the Church’s mission belong to the core of what we have received from the Lord. It is our duty to preserve and communicate them, even when the tenor of the times becomes resistant and even hostile to that message. I urge you to offer this witness, with the means and creativity born of love, and with the humility of truth. It needs to be preached and proclaimed to those without, but also to find room in people’s hearts and in the conscience of society.”

In light of the loneliness, neglect, fear and despair which are manifested in various methods of escapism, even amid material wealth, “only a Church which can gather around the family fire remains able to attract others,” Francis observed.

Pope Francis concluded by giving two final recommendations to the bishops: to welcome immigrants and to always be pastors who are close to their people, especially to their priests.

Support them, but do not let them “be content with half-measures … Find ways to encourage their spiritual growth, lest they yield to the temptation to become notaries and bureaucrats” instead of reflecting the motherhood of the Church.

“May God bless you and Our Lady watch over you!”

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VATICAN NEWS

Pope Francis: Imitate Saint Junipero Serra, be trailblazers for Christ

by Mary Rezac (CNA/EWTN News) • September 23, 2015

Pope Francis says Mass for the canonization of Saint Junipero Serra at Washington D.C.’s Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Sept. 23, 2015. (Alan Holdren/CNA)

Washington, D.C. — Pope Francis made history Wednesday by performing the first-ever canonization on U.S. soil, of St. Junipero Serra.

St. Serra, a Franciscan missionary from Spain, founded nine Catholic missions in California, most of which would go on to become the centers of major cities in the state.

The trail-blazing life of this priest, Pope Francis said in his homily at the Sept. 23 Mass of Canonization said at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., should be a call to all Christians to never grow complacent, and to always go out to proclaim the Gospel with joy.

“He was the embodiment of ‘a Church which goes forth’, a Church which sets out to bring everywhere the reconciling tenderness of God,” the Pope said.

Saint Junipero Serra was born in 1713 on the Spanish island of Majorca in the Mediterranean. He left his position as a university professor to become a missionary to the New World, helping to convert to Christianity many of the indigenous community, and teaching them new technologies.

The priest’s mission work often took place despite a painful ulcerated leg which is said to have been caused either by cancer or a spider bite soon after his arrival in Mexico. He died in 1784 at Mission San Carlos Borroméo del Carmelo in what is now the state of California. St. John Paul II beatified Father Serra in 1988.

“Junípero Serra left his native land and its way of life,” Pope Francis reflected. “He was excited about blazing trails, going forth to meet many people, learning and valuing their particular customs and ways of life. He learned how to bring to birth and nurture God’s life in the faces of everyone he met; he made them his brothers and sisters.”

Although some have raised concerns about St. Junipero Serra’s work with Native Americans, Pope Francis joined many others who insist that Serra worked tirelessly to protect the rights and dignity of the people whom he served.

“Junípero sought to defend the dignity of the native community, to protect it from those who had mistreated and abused it. Mistreatment and wrongs which today still trouble us, especially because of the hurt which they cause in the lives of many people,” Pope Francis said.

The saint also had a motto which inspired his life and work: “Keep moving forward!”

“Something deep within us invites us to rejoice and tells us not to settle for placebos which simply keep us comfortable,” the Holy Father said, reflecting on the words of St. Paul.

“At the same time, though, we all know the struggles of everyday life. So much seems to stand in the way of this invitation to rejoice.”

“Jesus gives the answer. He said to his disciples then and he says it to us now: Go forth! Proclaim! The joy of the Gospel is something to be experienced, something to be known and lived only through giving it away, through giving ourselves away.”

St. Junipero Serra was the kind of person who knew this and lived it on a daily basis, Pope Francis said. He was constantly being shaken out of complacency by embracing the joy of proclaiming the Gospel to all people.

“For him, this was the way to continue experiencing the joy of the Gospel, to keep his heart from growing numb, from being anesthetized. He kept moving forward, because the Lord was waiting,” he said.

“He kept going, because his brothers and sisters were waiting. He kept going forward to the end of his life. Today, like him, may we be able to say: Forward! Let’s keep moving forward!”

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VATICAN NEWS

Possible papal detour: A visit to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial?

by Andrea Gagliarducci (CNA/EWTN News) • September 23, 2015

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C. (InSapphoWeTrust via Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0)

Washington, D.C. — A previously unscheduled visit to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C. might be added to the papal schedule for Thursday morning, according to a source familiar with the White House.

“Pope Francis might stop by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Sept. 24, right before going to hold his speech before the two houses of Congress,” the source told CNA.

The source also added that “at the moment, it is just an idea, and the organization is looking as if things might work out, as everything must be carefully organized in terms of traffic and security.”

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial is almost on the banks of the Potomac River, near the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial; it was dedicated in 2011. The memorial is made up of a granite statue of King, and a wall inscribed with excerpts from his sermons and speeches.

According to the White House source, Pope Francis would spend some time in silent prayer before the statue, while en route from the apostolic nunciature on Massacchussetts Avenue, where he is staying, to Capitol Hill.

Pope Francis is expected to pass by Constitutional Avenue, already decorated with Vatican, American and D.C. flags.

The change of route, to accommodate the visit to the memorial, would take some 20 additional minutes, which means Pope Francis would leave the nunciature a little in advance, in order to be at the Capitol at 9.20 am sharp, as is already scheduled.

“This is just an opportunity, still under study,” said the source. The main concern is obviously security, which has been tripled in D.C. for the Pope’s arrival.

A visit to the MLK memorial would also have a political impact, with the Pope would underlining in this way the importance of civil rights.

A source familiar with Vatican diplomacy told CNA, “It would be a diplomatic move that would allude to the need for a civil uprise on themes like freedom (and especially religious freedom), without the Pope having to clearly mention the issue in his speech before the House of Representatives and the Senate.”

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VATICAN NEWS

Pope Francis made surprise stop at Little Sisters of the Poor to show support

by Matt Hadro (CNA/EWTN News) • September 23, 2015

Pope Francis greets Sister Marie Mathilde, 102 years old, at the Jeanne Jugan Residence in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 23, 2015. (Little Sisters of the Poor)

Washington, D.C. — Pope Francis paid a short visit to the Little Sisters of the Poor community in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday to support them in their court case over the contraception mandate, the Vatican’s spokesman revealed.

It was a “short visit that was not in the program,” Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See Press Office, said at an evening press conference during the papal visit to the nation’s capital.

“This is a sign, obviously, of support for them” in their court case, he affirmed.

The sisters have filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration for its 2012 mandate that employers provide insurance coverage for birth control, sterilizations, and drugs that can cause abortions in employee health plans. The sisters have maintained that to provide this coverage would violate their religious beliefs.

Even after the Obama administration modified the rules as an “accommodation” for objecting organizations, the sisters held that the revised rules would force them to violate their consciences.

The majority of a three-judge panel for the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in July that the Little Sisters of the Poor did not establish that the mandate was a “substantial burden” on their free exercise of religion, and thus ruled they still had to abide by the mandate.

The papal visit was not on the official schedule for Pope Francis’ Washington, D.C. visit, which included Wednesday visits to the White House, a midday prayer service with the U.S. bishops at St. Matthew’s Cathedral, and the canonization mass for St. Junipero Serra at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

It was a “little addition to the program, but I think it has an important meaning,” Fr. Lombardi said.

He added that the visit “is connected” to “the words that the Pope has said in support of the position of the bishops of the United States in the speech to President Obama and also in the speech to the bishops.”

Pope Francis, with President Obama at the White House, called religious freedom “one of America’s most precious possessions” and had hearkened to the U.S. bishops’ defense of religious freedom. “All are called to be vigilant, precisely as good citizens, to preserve and defend that freedom from everything that would threaten or compromise it,” he had said.

In response to the news of the visit with the sisters, Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, president of the U.S. Bishops Conference, said that he was “so pleased” to hear of the visit.

“As you know the last thing the Little Sisters of the Poor want to do is sue somebody. They don’t want to sue in court,” he insisted. “They simply want to serve people who are poor and elderly, and they want to do it in a way that doesn’t conflict with their beliefs.”

The archbishop had previously warned against a “interpreting freedom of religion in a very narrow way” in the press conference, and emphasized that religion is not something practiced just for an hour on Sunday but something lived out. To prove his point, he used the Little Sisters as an example.

“We need to make room within our nation for people who have deeply held religious beliefs not to be forced to do that,” he added.

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VATICAN NEWS

Read the full text of Pope Francis’ address to U.S. Congress

by CNA/EWTN News • September 24, 2015

Pope Francis in Washington, D.C. (CNA)

Washington, D.C. — Please find below the full text of Pope Francis’ Sept. 24 address to members of the United States Congress:

Mr. Vice-President, Mr. Speaker, Honorable Members of Congress, Dear Friends,

I am most grateful for your invitation to address this Joint Session of Congress in “the land of the free and the home of the brave”. I would like to think that the reason for this is that I too am a son of this great continent, from which we have all received so much and toward which we share a common responsibility.

Each son or daughter of a given country has a mission, a personal and social responsibility. Your own responsibility as members of Congress is to enable this country, by your legislative activity, to grow as a nation. You are the face of its people, their representatives. You are called to defend and preserve the dignity of your fellow citizens in the tireless and demanding pursuit of the common good, for this is the chief aim of all politics. A political society endures when it seeks, as a vocation, to satisfy common needs by stimulating the growth of all its members, especially those in situations of greater vulnerability or risk. Legislative activity is always based on care for the people. To this you have been invited, called and convened by those who elected you.

Yours is a work which makes me reflect in two ways on the figure of Moses. On the one hand, the patriarch and lawgiver of the people of Israel symbolizes the need of peoples to keep alive their sense of unity by means of just legislation. On the other, the figure of Moses leads us directly to God and thus to the transcendent dignity of the human being. Moses provides us with a good synthesis of your work: you are asked to protect, by means of the law, the image and likeness fashioned by God on every human face.

Today I would like not only to address you, but through you the entire people of the United States. Here, together with their representatives, I would like to take this opportunity to dialogue with the many thousands of men and women who strive each day to do an honest day’s work, to bring home their daily bread, to save money and – one step at a time – to build a better life for their families. These are men and women who are not concerned simply with paying their taxes, but in their own quiet way sustain the life of society. They generate solidarity by their actions, and they create organizations which offer a helping hand to those most in need.

I would also like to enter into dialogue with the many elderly persons who are a storehouse of wisdom forged by experience, and who seek in many ways, especially through volunteer work, to share their stories and their insights. I know that many of them are retired, but still active; they keep working to build up this land. I also want to dialogue with all those young people who are working to realize their great and noble aspirations, who are not led astray by facile proposals, and who face difficult situations, often as a result of immaturity on the part of many adults. I wish to dialogue with all of you, and I would like to do so through the historical memory of your people.

My visit takes place at a time when men and women of good will are marking the anniversaries of several great Americans. The complexities of history and the reality of human weakness notwithstanding, these men and women, for all their many differences and limitations, were able by hard work and self- sacrifice – some at the cost of their lives – to build a better future. They shaped fundamental values which will endure forever in the spirit of the American people. A people with this spirit can live through many crises, tensions and conflicts, while always finding the resources to move forward, and to do so with dignity. These men and women offer us a way of seeing and interpreting reality. In honoring their memory, we are inspired, even amid conflicts, and in the here and now of each day, to draw upon our deepest cultural reserves.

I would like to mention four of these Americans: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton.

This year marks the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, the guardian of liberty, who labored tirelessly that “this nation, under God, [might] have a new birth of freedom”. Building a future of freedom requires love of the common good and cooperation in a spirit of subsidiarity and solidarity.

All of us are quite aware of, and deeply worried by, the disturbing social and political situation of the world today. Our world is increasingly a place of violent conflict, hatred and brutal atrocities, committed even in the name of God and of religion. We know that no religion is immune from forms of individual delusion or ideological extremism. This means that we must be especially attentive to every type of fundamentalism, whether religious or of any other kind. A delicate balance is required to combat violence perpetrated in the name of a religion, an ideology or an economic system, while also safeguarding religious freedom, intellectual freedom and individual freedoms. But there is another temptation which we must especially guard against: the simplistic reductionism which sees only good or evil; or, if you will, the righteous and sinners. The contemporary world, with its open wounds which affect so many of our brothers and sisters, demands that we confront every form of polarization which would divide it into these two camps. We know that in the attempt to be freed of the enemy without, we can be tempted to feed the enemy within. To imitate the hatred and violence of tyrants and murderers is the best way to take their place. That is something which you, as a people, reject.

Our response must instead be one of hope and healing, of peace and justice. We are asked to summon the courage and the intelligence to resolve today’s many geopolitical and economic crises. Even in the developed world, the effects of unjust structures and actions are all too apparent. Our efforts must aim at restoring hope, righting wrongs, maintaining commitments, and thus promoting the well-being of individuals and of peoples. We must move forward together, as one, in a renewed spirit of fraternity and solidarity, cooperating generously for the common good.

The challenges facing us today call for a renewal of that spirit of cooperation, which has accomplished so much good throughout the history of the United States. The complexity, the gravity and the urgency of these challenges demand that we pool our resources and talents, and resolve to support one another, with respect for our differences and our convictions of conscience.

In this land, the various religious denominations have greatly contributed to building and strengthening society. It is important that today, as in the past, the voice of faith continue to be heard, for it is a voice of fraternity and love, which tries to bring out the best in each person and in each society. Such cooperation is a powerful resource in the battle to eliminate new global forms of slavery, born of grave injustices which can be overcome only through new policies and new forms of social consensus.

Here I think of the political history of the United States, where democracy is deeply rooted in the mind of the American people. All political activity must serve and promote the good of the human person and be based on respect for his or her dignity. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” (Declaration of Independence, 4 July 1776). If politics must truly be at the service of the human person, it follows that it cannot be a slave to the economy and finance. Politics is, instead, an expression of our compelling need to live as one, in order to build as one the greatest common good: that of a community which sacrifices particular interests in order to share, in justice and peace, its goods, its interests, its social life. I do not underestimate the difficulty that this involves, but I encourage you in this effort.

Here too I think of the march which Martin Luther King led from Selma to Montgomery fifty years ago as part of the campaign to fulfill his “dream” of full civil and political rights for African Americans. That dream continues to inspire us all. I am happy that America continues to be, for many, a land of “dreams”. Dreams which lead to action, to participation, to commitment. Dreams which awaken what is deepest and truest in the life of a people.

In recent centuries, millions of people came to this land to pursue their dream of building a future in freedom. We, the people of this continent, are not fearful of foreigners, because most of us were once foreigners. I say this to you as the son of immigrants, knowing that so many of you are also descended from immigrants. Tragically, the rights of those who were here long before us were not always respected. For those peoples and their nations, from the heart of American democracy, I wish to reaffirm my highest esteem and appreciation. Those first contacts were often turbulent and violent, but it is difficult to judge the past by the criteria of the present. Nonetheless, when the stranger in our midst appeals to us, we must not repeat the sins and the errors of the past. We must resolve now to live as nobly and as justly as possible, as we educate new generations not to turn their back on our “neighbors” and everything around us. Building a nation calls us to recognize that we must constantly relate to others, rejecting a mindset of hostility in order to adopt one of reciprocal subsidiarity, in a constant effort to do our best. I am confident that we can do this.

Our world is facing a refugee crisis of a magnitude not seen since the Second World War. This presents us with great challenges and many hard decisions. On this continent, too, thousands of persons are led to travel north in search of a better life for themselves and for their loved ones, in search of greater opportunities. Is this not what we want for our own children? We must not be taken aback by their numbers, but rather view them as persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories, trying to respond as best we can to their situation. To respond in a way which is always humane, just and fraternal. We need to avoid a common temptation nowadays: to discard whatever proves troublesome. Let us remember the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Mt 7:12).

This Rule points us in a clear direction. Let us treat others with the same passion and compassion with which we want to be treated. Let us seek for others the same possibilities which we seek for ourselves. Let us help others to grow, as we would like to be helped ourselves. In a word, if we want security, let us give security; if we want life, let us give life; if we want opportunities, let us provide opportunities. The yardstick we use for others will be the yardstick which time will use for us. The Golden Rule also reminds us of our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development.

This conviction has led me, from the beginning of my ministry, to advocate at different levels for the global abolition of the death penalty. I am convinced that this way is the best, since every life is sacred, every human person is endowed with an inalienable dignity, and society can only benefit from the rehabilitation of those convicted of crimes. Recently my brother bishops here in the United States renewed their call for the abolition of the death penalty. Not only do I support them, but I also offer encouragement to all those who are convinced that a just and necessary punishment must never exclude the dimension of hope and the goal of rehabilitation.

In these times when social concerns are so important, I cannot fail to mention the Servant of God Dorothy Day, who founded the Catholic Worker Movement. Her social activism, her passion for justice and for the cause of the oppressed, were inspired by the Gospel, her faith, and the example of the saints.

How much progress has been made in this area in so many parts of the world! How much has been done in these first years of the third millennium to raise people out of extreme poverty! I know that you share my conviction that much more still needs to be done, and that in times of crisis and economic hardship a spirit of global solidarity must not be lost. At the same time I would encourage you to keep in mind all those people around us who are trapped in a cycle of poverty. They too need to be given hope. The fight against poverty and hunger must be fought constantly and on many fronts, especially in its causes. I know that many Americans today, as in the past, are working to deal with this problem.

It goes without saying that part of this great effort is the creation and distribution of wealth. The right use of natural resources, the proper application of technology and the harnessing of the spirit of enterprise are essential elements of an economy which seeks to be modern, inclusive and sustainable. “Business is a noble vocation, directed to producing wealth and improving the world. It can be a fruitful source of prosperity for the area in which it operates, especially if it sees the creation of jobs as an essential part of its service to the common good” (Laudato Si, 129). This common good also includes the earth, a central theme of the encyclical which I recently wrote in order to “enter into dialogue with all people about our common home” (ibid., 3). “We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all” (ibid., 14).

In Laudato Si, I call for a courageous and responsible effort to “redirect our steps” (ibid., 61), and to avert the most serious effects of the environmental deterioration caused by human activity. I am convinced that we can make a difference and I have no doubt that the United States – and this Congress – have an important role to play. Now is the time for courageous actions and strategies, aimed at implementing a “culture of care” (ibid., 231) and “an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature” (ibid., 139). “We have the freedom needed to limit and direct technology” (ibid., 112); “to devise intelligent ways of … developing and limiting our power” (ibid., 78); and to put technology “at the service of another type of progress, one which is healthier, more human, more social, more integral” (ibid., 112). In this regard, I am confident that America’s outstanding academic and research institutions can make a vital contribution in the years ahead.

A century ago, at the beginning of the Great War, which Pope Benedict XV termed a “pointless slaughter”, another notable American was born: the Cistercian monk Thomas Merton. He remains a source of spiritual inspiration and a guide for many people. In his autobiography he wrote: “I came into the world. Free by nature, in the image of God, I was nevertheless the prisoner of my own violence and my own selfishness, in the image of the world into which I was born. That world was the picture of Hell, full of men like myself, loving God, and yet hating him; born to love him, living instead in fear of hopeless self-contradictory hungers”. Merton was above all a man of prayer, a thinker who challenged the certitudes of his time and opened new horizons for souls and for the Church. He was also a man of dialogue, a promoter of peace between peoples and religions.

From this perspective of dialogue, I would like to recognize the efforts made in recent months to help overcome historic differences linked to painful episodes of the past. It is my duty to build bridges and to help all men and women, in any way possible, to do the same. When countries which have been at odds resume the path of dialogue – a dialogue which may have been interrupted for the most legitimate of reasons – new opportunities open up for all. This has required, and requires, courage and daring, which is not the same as irresponsibility. A good political leader is one who, with the interests of all in mind, seizes the moment in a spirit of openness and pragmatism. A good political leader always opts to initiate processes rather than possessing spaces (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 222-223).

Being at the service of dialogue and peace also means being truly determined to minimize and, in the long term, to end the many armed conflicts throughout our world. Here we have to ask ourselves: Why are deadly weapons being sold to those who plan to inflict untold suffering on individuals and society? Sadly, the answer, as we all know, is simply for money: money that is drenched in blood, often innocent blood. In the face of this shameful and culpable silence, it is our duty to confront the problem and to stop the arms trade.

Three sons and a daughter of this land, four individuals and four dreams: Lincoln, liberty; Martin Luther King, liberty in plurality and non-exclusion; Dorothy Day, social justice and the rights of persons; and Thomas Merton, the capacity for dialogue and openness to God.

Four representatives of the American people.

I will end my visit to your country in Philadelphia, where I will take part in the World Meeting of Families. It is my wish that throughout my visit the family should be a recurrent theme. How essential the family has been to the building of this country! And how worthy it remains of our support and encouragement! Yet I cannot hide my concern for the family, which is threatened, perhaps as never before, from within and without. Fundamental relationships are being called into question, as is the very basis of marriage and the family. I can only reiterate the importance and, above all, the richness and the beauty of family life.

In particular, I would like to call attention to those family members who are the most vulnerable, the young. For many of them, a future filled with countless possibilities beckons, yet so many others seem disoriented and aimless, trapped in a hopeless maze of violence, abuse and despair. Their problems are our problems. We cannot avoid them. We need to face them together, to talk about them and to seek effective solutions rather than getting bogged down in discussions. At the risk of oversimplifying, we might say that we live in a culture which pressures young people not to start a family, because they lack possibilities for the future. Yet this same culture presents others with so many options that they too are dissuaded from starting a family.

A nation can be considered great when it defends liberty as Lincoln did, when it fosters a culture which enables people to “dream” of full rights for all their brothers and sisters, as Martin Luther King sought to do; when it strives for justice and the cause of the oppressed, as Dorothy Day did by her tireless work, the fruit of a faith which becomes dialogue and sows peace in the contemplative style of Thomas Merton.

In these remarks I have sought to present some of the richness of your cultural heritage, of the spirit of the American people. It is my desire that this spirit continue to develop and grow, so that as many young people as possible can inherit and dwell in a land which has inspired so many people to dream.

God bless America!

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VATICAN NEWS

Marriage and family are being threatened, Pope tells U.S. Congress

by CNA/EWTN News • September 24, 2015

Pope Francis addresses the United States Congress, Sept. 24, 2015. (L’Osservatore Romano)

Washington, D.C. — In his lengthy speech to the U.S. Congress on Thursday, Pope Francis said the family is being threatened today like never before, and praised American figures, including Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr., for their tireless efforts to defend freedom and values.

The Pope also boldly condemned the death penalty and the arms trade, calling for their global abolition.

“How essential the family has been to the building of this country! And how worthy it remains of our support and encouragement!” the Pope told Congress Sept. 24.

“Yet I cannot hide my concern for the family, which is threatened, perhaps as never before, from within and without.”

Fundamental relationships, he said, “are being called into question, as is the very basis of marriage and the family. I can only reiterate the importance and, above all, the richness and the beauty of family life.”

He called specific attention to members of the family who are the most vulnerable, particularly the youth. While many face futures filled with endless possibilities, too many are trapped inside “a hopeless maze of violence, abuse and despair.”

“Their problems are our problems. We cannot avoid them,” he said, explaining that concrete solutions must be the result of a joint effort, without “getting bogged down in discussions.”

Francis also noted the troubling trend of youth deciding not to get married, and said that “at the risk of oversimplifying, we might say that we live in a culture which pressures young people not to start a family, because they lack possibilities for the future.”

“Yet this same culture presents others with so many options that they too are dissuaded from starting a family,” he said, alluding to the growing fad of being ‘childless-by-choice’.

Pope Francis is the first Roman Pontiff ever to address a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress. His visit to the nation’s capitol took place on his third day in the U.S. Shortly before his address to Congress, he met privately with Rep. John Boehner, Speaker of the House of Representatives.

“Each son or daughter of a given country has a mission, a personal and social responsibility,” he reminded the legislators in his public speech, as a visibly moved Boehner looked on.

“Your own responsibility as members of Congress is to enable this country, by your legislative activity, to grow as a nation … you are called to defend and preserve the dignity of your fellow citizens in the tireless and demanding pursuit of the common good, for this is the chief aim of all politics.”

“A political society endures when it seeks, as a vocation, to satisfy common needs by stimulating the growth of all its members, especially those in situations of greater vulnerability or risk. Legislative activity is always based on care for the people.”

“You are asked to protect, by means of the law, the image and likeness fashioned by God on every human face,” he said, giving them Moses as an exemplar of this task.

He said that through them he is speaking to all Americans, particularly the men and women who work hard daily to save and to build a better life for their families.

Francis also gave a special mention to the youth working to fulfill their dreams and aspirations, as well as the elderly who continually seek to share their wisdom and insights, particularly through volunteer work. “I know that many of them are retired, but still active; they keep working to build up this land.”

The Pope pointed to four key figures in American history who “were able by hard work and self- sacrifice … to build a better future,” as an illustration of the message he wants to convey: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., Dorothy Day, and Thomas Merton.

“Four individuals and four dreams: Lincoln, liberty; Martin Luther King, liberty in plurality and non-exclusion; Dorothy Day, social justice and the rights of persons; and Thomas Merton, the capacity for dialogue and openness to God. Four representatives of the American people.”

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, “the guardian of liberty,” he noted, explaining that “building a future of freedom requires love of the common good and cooperation in a spirit of subsidiarity and solidarity.”

“All of us are quite aware of, and deeply worried by, the disturbing social and political situation of the world today,” the Pope said, noting how the world is increasingly a place of conflict, violence, hatred and atrocities, “committed even in the name of God and of religion.”

“No religion is immune from forms of individual delusion or ideological extremism. This means that we must be especially attentive to every type of fundamentalism, whether religious or of any other kind,” he said.

“A delicate balance is required to combat violence perpetrated in the name of a religion, an ideology or an economic system, while also safeguarding religious freedom, intellectual freedom and individual freedoms.”

The Pope also warned against a “simplistic reductionism” that only sees good and evil, the righteous and the sinners. “The contemporary world … demands that we confront every form of polarization which would divide it into these two camps.”

“We know that in the attempt to be freed of the enemy without, we can be tempted to feed the enemy within. To imitate the hatred and violence of tyrants and murderers is the best way to take their place,” he said, noting that this is something Americans “as a people, reject.”

Even in the developed world the effects of unjust structures and actions are obvious, he said, calling for cooperation in restoring hope and righting wrongs, with the well-being of peoples and individuals in mind: “We must move forward together, as one, in a renewed spirit of fraternity and solidarity, cooperating generously for the common good.”

“The complexity, the gravity and the urgency of these challenges demand that we pool our resources and talents, and resolve to support one another, with respect for our differences and our convictions of conscience,” he said.

Noting the role religious persons have played in the strengthening of society, he urged that “it is important that today, as in the past, the voice of faith continue to be heard, for it is a voice of fraternity and love.”

The Pope then noted how this year also marks the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s historic march from Selma to Montgomery in support of his dream of full civil and political rights for African Americans.

“That dream continues to inspire us all. I am happy that America continues to be, for many, a land of dreams,” he said, and noted that many migrants have come to America with the desire to build and achieve their dream of a future in freedom.

“We, the people of this continent, are not fearful of foreigners, because most of us were once foreigners. I say this to you as the son of immigrants, knowing that so many of you are also descended from immigrants.”

He lamented that “the rights of those who were here long before us were not always respected. For those peoples and their nations, from the heart of American democracy, I wish to reaffirm my highest esteem and appreciation.”

Although the first contacts with foreigners were often unstable and violent, Francis stressed that the past must not be repeated “when the stranger in our midst appeals to us” and that “building a nation calls us to recognize that we must constantly relate to others, rejecting a mindset of hostility in order to adopt one of reciprocal subsidiarity.”

In regards to the widespread refugee crisis, Pope Francis said that despite the tough decisions that come with refugees, we must “view them as persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories, trying to respond as best we can to their situation.”

“On this continent, too, thousands of persons are led to travel north in search of a better life for themselves and for their loved ones, in search of greater opportunities. Is this not what we want for our own children?”

He underlined the Golden Rule in treating others as they want to be treated, explaining that if we want opportunity and security, we must give these to others. “This Rule points us in a clear direction. Let us treat others with the same passion and compassion with which we want to be treated. Let us seek for others the same possibilities which we seek for ourselves.”

“The yardstick we use for others will be the yardstick which time will use for us,” he said.

“The Golden Rule also reminds us of our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development.”

Pope Francis then immediately condemned the death penalty, and advocated its global abolition. He said he’s convinced it’s what’s best, since “every human person is endowed with an inalienable dignity,” and societies can benefit from the rehabilitation of convicted criminals.

He then pointed to the potent example of the Servant of God Dorothy Day, a Catholic social activist of the 20th century, who founded the Catholic Worker Movement.

Day’s passion for justice and her commitment to the oppressed were rooted in her faith and in the Gospel, he said, noting that while much has already been done to eradicate poverty and hunger, there is still more to be done.

“It goes without saying that part of this great effort is the creation and distribution of wealth,” he said, explaining that this involves a just use of natural resources, the proper application of technology, and the harnessing “of the spirit of enterprise.”

This discussion also involves our care for creation, the Pope said, referring to his recent encyclical Laudato Si, in which he spoke of the need to combat environmental deterioration brought about by human activity.

“I am convinced that we can make a difference and I have no doubt that the United States – and this Congress – have an important role to play … I am confident that America’s outstanding academic and research institutions can make a vital contribution in the years ahead.”

Francis also noted that this year marks the centenary of the birth of Thomas Merton. A Cistercian monk, Merton was also a writer and a pacifist, and was actively involved in interreligious dialogue.

Merton, the Pope said, “remains a source of spiritual inspiration and a guide for many people … he was also a man of dialogue, a promoter of peace between peoples and religions.”

On the topic of dialogue, Pope Francis praised the recent restoration of diplomatic ties between the United States and Cuba. When countries at odds resume dialogue, he said, “new opportunities open up for all.”

Dialogue must also have a determination to minimize, and ultimately end, the armed conflicts throughout the world he maintained.

He then pointed to the global arms trade, a phenomenon he has spoken out against continually since the beginning of his pontificate.

“Why are deadly weapons being sold to those who plan to inflict untold suffering on individuals and society?” he asked, explaining that “Sadly, the answer, as we all know, is simply for money: money that is drenched in blood, often innocent blood.”

“In the face of this shameful and culpable silence, it is our duty to confront the problem and to stop the arms trade.”

Pope Francis closed his speech saying that a nation can only be considered great “when it defends liberty as Lincoln did, when it fosters a culture which enables people to ‘dream’ of full rights for all their brothers and sisters, as Martin Luther King sought to do; when it strives for justice and the cause of the oppressed, as Dorothy Day did by her tireless work, the fruit of a faith which becomes dialogue and sows peace in the contemplative style of Thomas Merton.”

The Pope expressed his hope that spirit of the American people continue to grow and develop, “so that as many young people as possible can inherit and dwell in a land which has inspired so many people to dream. God bless America!”

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VATICAN NEWS

Read the full text: Papal visit to St. Patrick’s Church and Homeless Shelter

by CNA/EWTN News • September 24, 2015

Pope Francis speaking at St. Patrick’s Church in Washington, D.C. (CNA)

Washington, D.C. — Read the full text of the Pope’s speech at St. Patrick Parish in Washington, D.C. here:

Dear Friends,

The first word I wish to say to you is “Thank you”. Thank you for welcoming me and for your efforts to make this meeting possible.

Here I think of a person whom I love, someone who is, and has been, very important throughout my life. He has been a support and an inspiration. He is the one I go to whenever I am “in a fix”. You make me think of Saint Joseph. Your faces remind me of his.

Joseph had to face some difficult situations in his life. One of them was the time when Mary was about to give birth, to have Jesus. The Bible tells us that, “while they were [in Bethlehem], the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn” (Lk 2:6-7).

The Bible is very clear about this: there was no room for them. I can imagine Joseph, with his wife about to have a child, with no shelter, no home, no place to stay. The Son of God came into this world as a homeless person. The Son of God knew what it was to start life without a roof over his head.

We can imagine what Joseph must have been thinking. How is it that the Son of God has no home? Why are we homeless, why don’t we have housing? These are questions which many of you may ask daily.

Like Saint Joseph, you may ask: Why are we homeless, without a place to live? These are questions which all of us might well ask. Why do these, our brothers and sisters, have no place to live? Why are these brothers and sisters of ours homeless?

Joseph’s questions are timely even today; they accompany all those who throughout history have been, and are, homeless.

Joseph was someone who asked questions. But first and foremost, he was a man of faith. Faith gave Joseph the power to find light just at the moment when everything seemed dark. Faith sustained him amid the troubles of life. Thanks to faith, Joseph was able to press forward when everything seemed to be holding him back.

In the face of unjust and painful situations, faith brings us the light which scatters the darkness.

As it did for Joseph, faith makes us open to the quiet presence of God at every moment of our lives, in every person and in every situation. God is present in every one of you, in each one of us.

We can find no social or moral justification, no justification whatsoever, for lack of housing.

There are many unjust situations, but we know that God is suffering with us, experiencing them at our side. He does not abandon us.

We know that Jesus wanted to show solidarity with every person. He wanted everyone to experience his companionship, his help, his love. He identified with all those who suffer, who weep, who suffer any kind of injustice. He tells us this clearly: “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Mt 25:35).

Faith makes us know that God is at our side, that God is in our midst and his presence spurs us to charity. Charity is born of the call of a God who continues to knock on our door, the door of all people, to invite us to love, to compassion, to service of one another.

Jesus keeps knocking on our doors, the doors of our lives. He doesn’t do this by magic, with special effects, with flashing lights and fireworks. Jesus keeps knocking on our door in the faces of our brothers and sisters, in the faces of our neighbors, in the faces of those at our side.

Dear friends, one of the most effective ways we have to help is that of prayer. Prayer unites us; it makes us brothers and sisters. It opens our hearts and reminds us of a beautiful truth which we sometimes forget. In prayer, we all learn to say “Father”, “Dad”. We learn to see one another as brothers and sisters.

In prayer, there are no rich and poor people, there are sons and daughters, sisters and brothers. In prayer, there is no first or second class, there is brotherhood.

It is in prayer that our hearts find the strength not to be cold and insensitive in the face of injustice.

In prayer, God keeps calling us, opening our hearts to charity.

How good it is for us to pray together. How good it is to encounter one another in this place where we see one another as brothers and sisters, where we realize that we need one another. Today I want to be one with you. I need your support, your closeness. I would like to invite you to pray together, for one another, with one another. That way we can keep helping one another to experience the joy of knowing that Jesus is in our midst. Are you ready?

Our Father, who art in heaven …

Before leaving you, I would like to give you God’s blessing: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace (Num 6:24-26).

And, please, don’t forget to pray for me.

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VATICAN NEWS

Jesus came into the world as a homeless person, Pope Francis says

by CNA/EWTN News • September 24, 2015

Pope Francis at the Vatican on April 3, 2014. (Daniel Ibáñez/CNA)

Washington, D.C. — There is no social or moral justification for homelessness, but we can find solace and meaning in the Incarnation, Pope Francis said Thursday during a visit to Catholic Charities in Washington D.C.

“The Son of God came into this world as a homeless person,” the Pope said. “The Son of God knew what it was to start life without a roof over his head.”

“We can find no social or moral justification, no justification whatsoever, for lack of housing. There are many unjust situations, but we know that God is suffering with us, experiencing them at our side. He does not abandon us.”

“We know that Jesus wanted to show solidarity with every person. He wanted everyone to experience his companionship, his help, his love. He identified with all those who suffer, who weep, who suffer any kind of injustice.”

Pope Francis visited St. Patrick’s Church, which is the oldest parish in Washington. The Church also serves as the headquarters of Catholic Charities in the city. The compound operates a homeless shelter and several food programs.

During his visit Thursday, the Pope also spoke to those who minister to the poor and homeless. He offered Saint Joseph as their patron and model because Saint Joseph grappled with injustice and suffering in his care for Mary and Jesus. The Pope reflected on the Holy Family’s arrival in Bethlehem, where they discovered there was no shelter for them.

“We can imagine what Joseph must have been thinking,” the Pope said. “How is it that the Son of God has no home? Why are we homeless, why don’t we have housing?”

Saint Joseph’s simple questions echo in the minds of those who serve the poor even today.

“Like Saint Joseph, you may ask: Why are we homeless, without a place to live? … Why do these, our brothers and sisters, have no place to live? Why are these brothers and sisters of ours homeless? These are questions which all of us might well ask,” the Pope said.

Saint Joseph never hesitated to ask questions in the face in injustice and suffering, the Pope said. But what set Saint Joseph apart was his faith in God, which gave him “the power to find light just at the moment when everything seemed dark.”

“Faith sustained him amid the troubles of life,” Francis reflected. “Thanks to faith, Joseph was able to press forward when everything seemed to be holding him back.”

In the same way, faith can sustain the poor and give meaning to suffering, the Pope said.

“In the face of unjust and painful situations, faith brings us the light which scatters the darkness. As it did for Joseph, faith makes us open to the quiet presence of God at every moment of our lives, in every person and in every situation. God is present in every one of you, in each one of us.”

“Faith makes us know that God is at our side, that God is in our midst and his presence spurs us to charity. Charity is born of the call of a God who continues to knock on our door, the door of all people, to invite us to love, to compassion, to service of one another.”

The Pope said prayer is the antidote to insensitivity or apathy toward the suffering of others.

“Prayer unites us; it makes us brothers and sisters,” he said. “It opens our hearts and reminds us of a beautiful truth which we sometimes forget. In prayer, we all learn to say “Father”, “Dad”. We learn to see one another as brothers and sisters.”

“In prayer, there are no rich and poor people, there are sons and daughters, sisters and brothers. In prayer, there is no first or second class, there is brotherhood.”

The Pope then led the crowd in praying the Our Father and offered his blessing before asking prayers for himself.

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VATICAN NEWS

Full Text: Vespers with Pope Francis in New York City

by CNA/EWTN News • September 24, 2015

St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York City. (Marina via Flickr CC BY-NC 2.0)

New York City, N.Y. — Here’s the full text of Pope Francis’s address during Vespers at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City:

“There is a cause for rejoicing here”, although “you may for a time have to suffer the distress of many trials” (1 Pet 1:6). These words of the Apostle remind us of something essential. Our vocation is to be lived in joy.

This beautiful Cathedral of Saint Patrick, built up over many years through the sacrifices of many men and women, can serve as a symbol of the work of generations of American priests and religious, and lay faithful who helped build up the Church in the United States. In the field of education alone, how many priests and religious in this country played a central role, assisting parents in handing on to their children the food that nourishes them for life! Many did so at the cost of extraordinary sacrifice and with heroic charity. I think for example of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, who founded the first free Catholic school for girls in America, or Saint John Neumann, the founder of the first system of Catholic education in the United States.

This evening, my brothers and sisters, I have come to join you in prayer that our vocations will continue to build up the great edifice of God’s Kingdom in this country. I know that, as a presbyterate in the midst of God’s people, you suffered greatly in the not distant past by having to bear the shame of some of your brothers who harmed and scandalized the Church in the most vulnerable of her members …

In the words of the Book of Revelation, I know well that you “have come forth from the great tribulation” (Rev 7:14). I accompany you at this time of pain and difficulty, and I thank God for your faithful service to his people. In the hope of helping you to persevere on the path of fidelity to Jesus Christ, I would like to offer two brief reflections.

The first concerns the spirit of gratitude. The joy of men and women who love God attracts others to him; priests and religious are called to find and radiate lasting satisfaction in their vocation. Joy springs from a grateful heart. Truly, we have received much, so many graces, so many blessings, and we rejoice in this. It will do us good to think back on our lives with the grace of remembrance.

Remembrance of when we were first called, remembrance of the road travelled, remembrance of graces received … and, above all, remembrance of our encounter with Jesus Christ so often along the way.

Remembrance of the amazement which our encounter with Jesus Christ awakens in our hearts. To seek the grace of remembrance so as to grow in the spirit of gratitude. Perhaps we need to ask ourselves: are we good at counting our blessings?

A second area is the spirit of hard work. A grateful heart is spontaneously impelled to serve the Lord and to find expression in a life of commitment to our work. Once we come to realize how much God has given us, a life of self-sacrifice, of working for him and for others, becomes a privileged way of responding to his great love.

Yet, if we are honest, we know how easily this spirit of generous self-sacrifice can be dampened.

There are a couple of ways that this can happen; both are examples of that “spiritual worldliness” which weakens our commitment to serve and diminishes the wonder of our first encounter with Christ.

We can get caught up measuring the value of our apostolic works by the standards of efficiency, good management and outward success which govern the business world. Not that these things are unimportant! We have been entrusted with a great responsibility, and God’s people rightly expect accountability from us. But the true worth of our apostolate is measured by the value it has in God’s eyes. To see and evaluate things from God’s perspective calls for constant conversion in the first days and years of our vocation and, need I say, great humility. The cross shows us a different way of measuring success. Ours is to plant the seeds: God sees to the fruits of our labors. And if at times our efforts and works seem to fail and produce no fruit, we need to remember that we are followers of Jesus … and his life, humanly speaking, ended in failure, the failure of the cross.

Another danger comes when we become jealous of our free time, when we think that surrounding ourselves with worldly comforts will help us serve better. The problem with this reasoning is that it can blunt the power of God’s daily call to conversion, to encounter with him. Slowly but surely, it diminishes our spirit of sacrifice, renunciation and hard work. It also alienates people who suffer material poverty and are forced to make greater sacrifices than ourselves. Rest is needed, as are moments of leisure and self-enrichment, but we need to learn how to rest in a way that deepens our desire to serve with generosity. Closeness to the poor, the refugee, the immigrant, the sick, the exploited, the elderly living alone, prisoners and all God’s other poor, will teach us a different way of resting, one which is more Christian and generous.

Gratitude and hard work: these are two pillars of the spiritual life which I have wanted to share with you this evening. I thank you for prayers and work, and the daily sacrifices you make in the various areas of your apostolate. Many of these are known only to God, but they bear rich fruit for the life of the Church. In a special way I would like to express my esteem and gratitude to the religious women of the United States. What would the Church be without you? Women of strength, fighters, with that spirit of courage which puts you in the front lines in the proclamation of the Gospel. To you, religious women, sisters and mothers of this people, I wish to say “thank you”, a big thank you … and to tell you that I love you very much.

I know that many of you are in the front lines in meeting the challenges of adapting to an evolving pastoral landscape. Whatever difficulties and trials you face, I ask you, like Saint Peter, to be at peace and to respond to them as Christ did: he thanked the Father, took up his cross and looked forward!

Dear brothers and sisters, in a few moments we will sing the Magnificat. Let us commend to Our Lady the work we have been entrusted to do; let us join her in thanking God for the great things he has done, and for the great things he will continue to do in us and in those whom we have the privilege to serve.

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VATICAN NEWS

Pope in New York: I’m with you in recovering from the abuse scandal

by CNA/EWTN News • September 24, 2015

Pope Francis at Vespers in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Sept. 24, 2015. (EWTN)

New York City, N.Y. — In his first address in New York, Pope Francis lamented the suffering caused by the sexual abuse scandal in the United States – not only for the trauma inflicted on the Church’s most vulnerable members, but also for the shame it has brought to priests and religious in general.

“I know that, as a presbyterate in the midst of God’s people, you suffered greatly in the not distant past by having to bear the shame of some of your brothers who harmed and scandalized the Church in the most vulnerable of her members,” he said addressing clergy and religious gathered for Evening Prayer at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City Sept. 24.

“I accompany you at this time of pain and difficulty, and I thank God for your faithful service to his people,” he said, adding they have “come forth from the great tribulation.”

Despite these difficulties, Pope Francis said, “Our vocation is to be lived in joy.”

New York is the second of three cities the Holy Father will stop in during his Sept. 22 to 27 visit to the United States. In his first leg of his trip, the Holy Father addressed a joint session of Congress and met briefly with President Obama in Washington, DC. While in New York City, Pope Francis will address the United Nations before heading to Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families.

During his remarks Thursday evening, the Pope also took a moment to express his “esteem and gratitude” for women religious in America, calling them the “front line” of evangelization.

“To you, religious women, sisters and mothers of this people, I wish to say ‘thank you’, a big thank you and to tell you that I love you very much,” he said.

“What would the Church be without you? Women of strength, fighters, with that spirit of courage which puts you in the front lines in the proclamation of the Gospel,” he said.

Pope Francis also expressed his condolences in off-the-cuff comments for those killed in the Hajj stampede in Mecca this week, where more than 700 pilgrims were killed.

“I wish to unite myself with you all in prayer to almighty and all merciful God.”

He then turned his attention to all priests and religious, saying that he hopes vocations in the United States continue to grow, even in the aftermath of the sexual abuse scandal.

In order to “persevere on the path of fidelity to Jesus Christ”, he said, one must build up the “two pillars of the spiritual life”: gratitude and hard work.

Gratitude is the result of joy which comes forth from those who love God and in turn attracts others to him.

Religious and clergy are called to “find and radiate lasting satisfaction in their vocation” he said, encouraging them to recall the blessings God has given throughout their lives.

“Perhaps we need to ask ourselves: are we good at counting blessings?” he said.

The other pillar, hard work, is not simply the standards of efficiency and good management which “govern the business world” even though those aspects are important to those who have been given great responsibility.

Rather, success should be measured by the standard of the cross.

“The cross shows us a different way of measuring success,” he said, “and if at times our efforts and works seem to fail and produce no fruit, we need to remember that we are followers of Jesus and his life, humanly speaking, ended in failure, the failure of the cross.”

He warned clergy and religious against the danger of becoming selfish with their free time and surrounding themselves with comfort.

“Not only will it diminish their spirit of sacrifice, but it also “alienates people who suffer material poverty and are forced to make greater sacrifices than ourselves.”

“Closeness to the poor, the refugee, the immigrant, the sick, the exploited, the elderly living alone, prisoners and all God’s other poor, will teach us a different way of resting, one which is more Christian and generous,” he said.

He encouraged them in meeting the challenges of “an evolving pastoral landscape” saying that St. Peter, though he faced difficulties, “thanked the Father, took up his cross and looked forward.”

Asking for the Blessed Mother’s intercession, he encouraged them to ask for help with the work they’ve been given.

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VATICAN NEWS

Full Text: Pope Francis’ address to the United Nations General Assembly

by CNA/EWTN News • September 25, 2015

Pope Francis’ historic address to the U.N. in New York City on Sept. 25, 2015. (Alan Holdren/CNA)

New York City, N.Y. — Read the full text of Pope Francis’ address to the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 25, 2015, here:

Mr. President,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you for your kind words.

Once again, following a tradition by which I feel honored, the Secretary General of the United Nations has invited the Pope to address this distinguished assembly of nations. In my own name, and that of the entire Catholic community, I wish to express to you, Mr Ban Ki-moon, my heartfelt gratitude. I greet the Heads of State and Heads of Government present, as well as the ambassadors, diplomats and political and technical officials accompanying them, the personnel of the United Nations engaged in this 70th Session of the General Assembly, the personnel of the various programs and agencies of the United Nations family, and all those who, in one way or another, take part in this meeting. Through you, I also greet the citizens of all the nations represented in this hall. I thank you, each and all, for your efforts in the service of mankind.

This is the fifth time that a Pope has visited the United Nations. I follow in the footsteps of my predecessors Paul VI, in1965, John Paul II, in 1979 and 1995, and my most recent predecessor, now Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, in 2008. All of them expressed their great esteem for the Organization, which they considered the appropriate juridical and political response to this present moment of history, marked by our technical ability to overcome distances and frontiers and, apparently, to overcome all natural limits to the exercise of power. An essential response, inasmuch as technological power, in the hands of nationalistic or falsely universalist ideologies, is capable of perpetrating tremendous atrocities. I can only reiterate the appreciation expressed by my predecessors, in reaffirming the importance which the Catholic Church attaches to this Institution and the hope which she places in its activities.

The United Nations is presently celebrating its seventieth anniversary. The history of this organized community of states is one of important common achievements over a period of unusually fast-paced changes. Without claiming to be exhaustive, we can mention the codification and development of international law, the establishment of international norms regarding human rights, advances in humanitarian law, the resolution of numerous conflicts, operations of peace-keeping and reconciliation, and any number of other accomplishments in every area of international activity and endeavour. All these achievements are lights which help to dispel the darkness of the disorder caused by unrestrained ambitions and collective forms of selfishness. Certainly, many grave problems remain to be resolved, yet it is clear that, without all those interventions on the international level, mankind would not have been able to survive the unchecked use of its own possibilities. Every one of these political, juridical and technical advances is a path towards attaining the ideal of human fraternity and a means for its greater For this reason I pay homage to all those men and women whose loyalty and self-sacrifice have benefitted humanity as a whole in these past seventy years. In particular, I would recall today those who gave their lives for peace and reconciliation among peoples, from Dag Hammarskjöld to the many United Nations officials at every level who have been killed in the course of humanitarian missions, and missions of peace and reconciliation.

Beyond these achievements, the experience of the past seventy years has made it clear that reform nd adaptation to the times is always necessary in the pursuit of the ultimate goal of granting all countries, without exception, a share in, and a genuine and equitable influence on, decision-making processes. The need for greater equity is especially true in the case of those bodies with effective executive capability, such as the Security Council, the Financial Agencies and the groups or mechanisms specifically created to deal with economic crises. This will help limit every kind of abuse or usury, especially where developing countries are concerned. The International Financial Agencies are should care for the sustainable development of countries and should ensure that they are not subjected to oppressive lending systems which, far from promoting progress, subject people to mechanisms which generate greater poverty, exclusion and dependence.

The work of the United Nations, according to the principles set forth in the Preamble and the first Articles of its founding Charter, can be seen as the development and promotion of the rule of law, based on the realization that justice is an essential condition for achieving the ideal of universal fraternity. In this context, it is helpful to recall that the limitation of power is an idea implicit in the concept of law itself. To give to each his own, to cite the classic definition of justice, means that no human individual or group can consider itself absolute, permitted to bypass the dignity and the rights of other individuals or their social groupings. The effective distribution of power (political, economic, defense-related, technological, etc.) among a plurality of subjects, and the creation of a juridical system for regulating claims and interests, are one concrete way of limiting power. Yet today’s world presents us with many false rights and – at the same time – broad sectors which are vulnerable, victims of power badly exercised: for example, the natural environment and the vast ranks of the excluded. These sectors are closely interconnected and made increasingly fragile by dominant political and economic relationships.

That is why their rights must be forcefully affirmed, by working to protect the environment and by putting an end to exclusion.

First, it must be stated that a true “right of the environment” does exist, for two reasons. First, because we human beings are part of the environment. We live in communion with it, since the environment itself entails ethical limits which human activity must acknowledge and respect. Man, for all his remarkable gifts, which “are signs of a uniqueness which transcends the spheres of physics and biology” (Laudato Si’, 81), is at the same time a part of these spheres. He possesses a body shaped by physical, chemical and biological elements, and can only survive and develop if the ecological environment is favourable. Any harm done to the environment, therefore, is harm done to humanity.

Second, because every creature, particularly a living creature, has an intrinsic value, in its existence, its life, its beauty and its interdependence with other creatures. We Christians, together with the other monotheistic religions, believe that the universe is the fruit of a loving decision by the Creator, who permits man respectfully to use creation for the good of his fellow men and for the glory of the Creator; he is not authorized to abuse it, much less to destroy it. In all religions, the environment is a fundamental The misuse and destruction of the environment are also accompanied by a relentless process of exclusion. In effect, a selfish and boundless thirst for power and material prosperity leads both to the misuse of available natural resources and to the exclusion of the weak and disadvantaged, either because they are differently abled (handicapped), or because they lack adequate information and technical expertise, or are incapable of decisive political action. Economic and social exclusion is a complete denial of human fraternity and a grave offense against human rights and the environment. The poorest are those who suffer most from such offenses, for three serious reasons: they are cast off by society, forced to live off what is discarded and suffer unjustly from the abuse of the environment. They are part of today’s widespread and quietly growing “culture of waste”.

The dramatic reality this whole situation of exclusion and inequality, with its evident effects, has led me, in union with the entire Christian people and many others, to take stock of my grave responsibility in this regard and to speak out, together with all those who are seeking urgently-needed and effective solutions. The adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the World Summit, which opens today, is an important sign of hope. I am similarly confident that the Paris Conference on Climatic Change will secure fundamental and effective agreements.

Solemn commitments, however, are not enough, even though they are a necessary step toward solutions. The classic definition of justice which I mentioned earlier contains as one of its essential elements a constant and perpetual will: Iustitia est constans et perpetua voluntas ius sum cuique tribuendi. Our world demands of all government leaders a will which is effective, practical and constant, concrete steps and immediate measures for preserving and improving the natural environment and thus putting an end as quickly as possible to the phenomenon of social and economic exclusion, with its baneful consequences: human trafficking, the marketing of human organs and tissues, the sexual exploitation of boys and girls, slave labour, including prostitution, the drug and weapons trade, terrorism and international organized crime. Such is the magnitude of these situations and their toll in innocent lives, that we must avoid every temptation to fall into a declarationist nominalism which would assuage our consciences. We need to ensure that our institutions are truly effective in the struggle against all these The number and complexity of the problems require that we possess technical instruments of verification. But this involves two risks. We can rest content with the bureaucratic exercise of drawing up long lists of good proposals – goals, objectives and statistical indicators – or we can think that a single theoretical and aprioristic solution will provide an answer to all the challenges. It must never be forgotten that political and economic activity is only effective when it is understood as a prudential activity, guided by a perennial concept of justice and constantly conscious of the fact that, above and beyond our plans and programmes, we are dealing with real men and women who live, struggle and suffer, and are often forced to live in great poverty, deprived of all rights.

To enable these real men and women to escape from extreme poverty, we must allow them to be dignified agents of their own destiny. Integral human development and the full exercise of human dignity cannot be imposed. They must be built up and allowed to unfold for each individual, for every family, in communion with others, and in a right relationship with all those areas in which human social life develops – friends, communities, towns and cities, schools, businesses and unions, provinces, nations, etc.

This presupposes and requires the right to education – also for girls (excluded in certain places) – which is ensured first and foremost by respecting and reinforcing the primary right of the family to educate its children, as well as the right of churches and social groups to support and assist families in the education of their children. Education conceived in this way is the basis for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and for reclaiming the environment.

At the same time, government leaders must do everything possible to ensure that all can have the minimum spiritual and material means needed to live in dignity and to create and support a family, which is the primary cell of any social development. In practical terms, this absolute minimum has three names: lodging, labour, and land; and one spiritual name: spiritual freedom, which includes religious freedom, the right to education and other civil rights.

For all this, the simplest and best measure and indicator of the implementation of the new Agenda for development will be effective, practical and immediate access, on the part of all, to essential material and spiritual goods: housing, dignified and properly remunerated employment, adequate food and drinking water; religious freedom and, more generally, spiritual freedom and education. These pillars of integral human development have a common foundation, which is the right to life and, more generally, what we could call the right to existence of human nature itself.

The ecological crisis, and the large-scale destruction of biodiversity, can threaten the very existence of the human species. The baneful consequences of an irresponsible mismanagement of the global economy, guided only by ambition for wealth and power, must serve as a summons to a forthright reflection on man: “man is not only a freedom which he creates for himself. Man does not create himself.

He is spirit and will, but also nature” (BENEDICT XVI, Address to the Bundestag, 22 September 2011, cited in Laudato Si’, 6). Creation is compromised “where we ourselves have the final word … The misuse of creation begins when we no longer recognize any instance above ourselves, when we see nothing else but ourselves” (ID. Address to the Clergy of the Diocese of Bolzano-Bressanone, 6 August 2008, cited ibid.). Consequently, the defence of the environment and the fight against exclusion demand that we recognize a moral law written into human nature itself, one which includes the natural difference between man and woman (cf. Laudato Si’, 155), and absolute respect for life in all its stages and dimensions (cf.

Without the recognition of certain incontestable natural ethical limits and without the immediate implementation of those pillars of integral human development, the ideal of “saving succeeding generations from the scourge of war” (Charter of the United Nations, Preamble), and “promoting social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom” (ibid.), risks becoming an unattainable illusion, or, even worse, idle chatter which serves as a cover for all kinds of abuse and corruption, or for carrying out an ideological colonization by the imposition of anomalous models and lifestyles which are alien to people’s identity and, in the end, irresponsible.

War is the negation of all rights and a dramatic assault on the environment. If we want true integral human development for all, we must work tirelessly to avoid war between nations and between To this end, there is a need to ensure the uncontested rule of law and tireless recourse to negotiation, mediation and arbitration, as proposed by the Charter of the United Nations, which constitutes truly a fundamental juridical norm. The experience of these seventy years since the founding of the United Nations in general, and in particular the experience of these first fifteen years of the third millennium, reveal both the effectiveness of the full application of international norms and the ineffectiveness of their lack of enforcement. When the Charter of the United Nations is respected and applied with transparency and sincerity, and without ulterior motives, as an obligatory reference point of justice and not as a means of masking spurious intentions, peaceful results will be obtained. When, on the other hand, the norm is considered simply as an instrument to be used whenever it proves favourable, and to be avoided when it is not, a true Pandora’s box is opened, releasing uncontrollable forces which gravely harm defenseless populations, the cultural milieu and even the biological environment.

The Preamble and the first Article of the Charter of the United Nations set forth the foundations of the international juridical framework: peace, the pacific solution of disputes and the development of friendly relations between the nations. Strongly opposed to such statements, and in practice denying them, is the constant tendency to the proliferation of arms, especially weapons of mass distraction, such as nuclear weapons. An ethics and a law based on the threat of mutual destruction – and possibly the destruction of all mankind – are self-contradictory and an affront to the entire framework of the United Nations, which would end up as “nations united by fear and distrust”. There is urgent need to work for a world free of nuclear weapons, in full application of the non-proliferation Treaty, in letter and spirit, with the goal of a complete prohibition of these weapons.

The recent agreement reached on the nuclear question in a sensitive region of Asia and the Middle East is proof of the potential of political good will and of law, exercised with sincerity, patience and constancy. I express my hope that this agreement will be lasting and efficacious, and bring forth the desired fruits with the cooperation of all the parties involved.

In this sense, hard evidence is not lacking of the negative effects of military and political interventions which are not coordinated between members of the international community. For this reason, while regretting to have to do so, I must renew my repeated appeals regarding to the painful situation of the entire Middle East, North Africa and other African countries, where Christians, together with other cultural or ethnic groups, and even members of the majority religion who have no desire to be caught up in hatred and folly, have been forced to witness the destruction of their places of worship, their cultural and religious heritage, their houses and property, and have faced the alternative either of fleeing or of paying for their adhesion to good and to peace by their own lives, or by enslavement.

These realities should serve as a grave summons to an examination of conscience on the part of those charged with the conduct of international affairs. Not only in cases of religious or cultural persecution, but in every situation of conflict, as in Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, Libya, South Sudan and the Great Lakes region, real human beings take precedence over partisan interests, however legitimate the latter may be. In wars and conflicts there are individual persons, our brothers and sisters, men and women, young and old, boys and girls who weep, suffer and die. Human beings who are easily discarded when our only response is to draw up lists of problems, strategies and disagreements.

As I wrote in my letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations on 9 August 2014, “the most basic understanding of human dignity compels the international community, particularly through the norms and mechanisms of international law, to do all that it can to stop and to prevent further systematic violence against ethnic and religious minorities” and to protect innocent peoples.

Along the same lines I would mention another kind of conflict which is not always so open, yet is silently killing millions of people. Another kind of war experienced by many of our societies as a result of the narcotics trade. A war which is taken for granted and poorly fought. Drug trafficking is by its very nature accompanied by trafficking in persons, money laundering, the arms trade, child exploitation and other forms of corruption. A corruption which has penetrated to different levels of social, political, military, artistic and religious life, and, in many cases, has given rise to a parallel structure which threatens the credibility of our institutions.

I began this speech recalling the visits of my predecessors. I would hope that my words will be taken above all as a continuation of the final words of the address of Pope Paul VI; although spoken almost exactly fifty years ago, they remain ever timely. “The hour has come when a pause, a moment of recollection, reflection, even of prayer, is absolutely needed so that we may think back over our common origin, our history, our common destiny. The appeal to the moral conscience of man has never been as necessary as it is today … For the danger comes neither from progress nor from science; if these are used well, they can help to solve a great number of the serious problems besetting mankind (Address to the United Nations Organization, 4 October 1965). Among other things, human genius, well applied, will surely help to meet the grave challenges of ecological deterioration and of exclusion. As Paul VI said: “The real danger comes from man, who has at his disposal ever more powerful instruments that are as well fitted to bring about ruin as they are to achieve lofty conquests” (ibid.).

The common home of all men and women must continue to rise on the foundations of a right understanding of universal fraternity and respect for the sacredness of every human life, of every man and every woman, the poor, the elderly, children, the infirm, the unborn, the unemployed, the abandoned, those considered disposable because they are only considered as part of a statistic. This common home of all men and women must also be built on the understanding of a certain sacredness of created nature.

Such understanding and respect call for a higher degree of wisdom, one which accepts transcendence, rejects the creation of an all-powerful élite, and recognizes that the full meaning of individual and collective life is found in selfless service to others and in the sage and respectful use of creation for the common good. To repeat the words of Paul VI, “the edifice of modern civilization has to be built on spiritual principles, for they are the only ones capable not only of supporting it, but of shedding light on it” (ibid.).

El Gaucho Martín Fierro, a classic of literature in my native land, says: “Brothers should stand by each other, because this is the first law; keep a true bond between you always, at every time – because if you fight among yourselves, you’ll be devoured by those outside”.

The contemporary world, so apparently connected, is experiencing a growing and steady social fragmentation, which places at risk “the foundations of social life” and consequently leads to “battles over conflicting interests” (Laudato Si’, 229).

The present time invites us to give priority to actions which generate new processes in society, so as to bear fruit in significant and positive historical events (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 223). We cannot permit ourselves to postpone “certain agendas” for the future. The future demands of us critical and global decisions in the face of world-wide conflicts which increase the number of the excluded and those The praiseworthy international juridical framework of the United Nations Organization and of all its activities, like any other human endeavour, can be improved, yet it remains necessary; at the same time it can be the pledge of a secure and happy future for future generations. And so it will, if the representatives of the States can set aside partisan and ideological interests, and sincerely strive to serve the common good. I pray to Almighty God that this will be the case, and I assure you of my support and my prayers, and the support and prayers of all the faithful of the Catholic Church, that this Institution, all its member States, and each of its officials, will always render an effective service to mankind, a service respectful of diversity and capable of bringing out, for sake of the common good, the best in each people and in every individual.

Upon all of you, and the peoples you represent, I invoke the blessing of the Most High, and all peace and prosperity. Thank you.

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Leave ideology behind and care for the human person, Pope tells U.N.

by Elise Harris (CNA/EWTN News) • September 25, 2015

Pope Francis’ historic address to the U.N. in New York City on Sept. 25, 2015. (Alan Holdren/CNA)

New York City, N.Y. — On Friday Pope Francis told members of the United Nations that there is no room for “ideological colonization” in their agenda, and stressed the need to go beyond policies to concrete solutions in caring for the poor and vulnerable, as well as the environment.

In his Sept. 25 speech to a U.N. General Assembly Special Summit on Sustainable Development, Pope Francis pointed to the Preamble of the U.N. Charter, which highlights the need to promote “social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom.”

“Without the recognition of certain incontestable natural ethical limits and without the immediate implementation of those pillars of integral human development,” the idea of leaving a better world for future generations “risks becoming an unattainable illusion.”

Even worse, he said, is the danger of ”idle chatter which serves as a cover for all kinds of abuse and corruption, or for carrying out an ideological colonization by the imposition of anomalous models and lifestyles which are alien to people’s identity and, in the end, irresponsible.”

In the 70 years since the U.N.’s founding in 1945 until now, both the effectiveness of fully implementing their international norms as well as the ineffectiveness of their lack of enforcement can be seen.

“When the Charter of the United Nations is respected and applied with transparency and sincerity, and without ulterior motives, as an obligatory reference point of justice and not as a means of masking spurious intentions, peaceful results will be obtained,” the Pope said.

However, when the norms are merely used as ”an instrument to be used whenever it proves favorable, and to be avoided when it is not, a true Pandora’s box is opened, releasing uncontrollable forces which gravely harm defenseless populations, the cultural milieu and even the biological environment.”

Pope Francis’ visit to the U.N. headquarters in New York and his address to the U.N. General Assembly fell on his third full day of his visit to the states.

Enthusiasm for the Pope was palpable among the global leaders gathered for his address Friday morning, as claps frequently punctuated his his remarks.

His visit marks the fifth time a Pope has visited the U.N., following Bl. Pope Paul VI in 1965, John Paul II in 1979 and 1995, and retired pontiff Benedict XVI in 2008.

In addition to his strong comments against ideological colonization, Francis also voiced condemnation for global phenomena such as the arms trade, the use of nuclear arms and weapons of Mass destruction, drug trafficking, war, environmental deterioration and social exclusion.

He praised the U.N. for the work that has been done in the 70 years of its existence, and pointed to specific initiatives such as the codification and development of international law, the establishment of international norms regarding human rights, advances in humanitarian law, the resolution of conflicts and peacekeeping operations as “lights” dispelling the darkness of selfishness.

However, while much has already been done, there are still serious problems that need to be resolved, he said.

The Pope voiced concern that while our emphasis on communications and technology help surpass distances, they also being the temptation to “overcome all natural limits to the exercise of power.”

“To give to each his own, to cite the classic definition of justice, means that no human individual or group can consider itself absolute, permitted to bypass the dignity and the rights of other individuals or their social groupings.”

Francis then called for the proper distribution of political, economic and technological power, saying that today’s world often presents “many false rights and – at the same time – broad sectors which are vulnerable, victims of power badly exercised.”

“For example, the natural environment and the vast ranks of the excluded. These sectors are closely interconnected and made increasingly fragile by dominant political and economic relationships.”

He noted that “the right of the environment” does exist since human beings are part of the environment and since every living creature has an intrinsic value.

Creation itself “entails ethical limits which human activity must acknowledge and respect,” he said, adding that since man has “a body shaped by physical, chemical and biological elements, and can only survive and develop if the ecological environment is favorable,” any harm done to the environment, “therefore, is harm done to humanity.”

Destruction of the environment is always accompanied by exclusion, he said, explaining that the uncontrolled thirst for power leads to the misuse of natural resources and the exclusion of the weak and vulnerable.

“Economic and social exclusion is a complete denial of human fraternity and a grave offense against human rights and the environment. The poorest are those who suffer most from such offenses.”

The poor, he said, “are cast off by society, forced to live off what is discarded and suffer unjustly from the abuse of the environment. They are part of today’s widespread and quietly growing culture of waste.”

He said the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a “sign of hope” in this area, and voiced his confidence that the Paris Conference on Climatic Change will also yield effective agreements.

But while policies are good, Francis said they aren’t enough, and stressed that commitments must also be coupled with the will to carry them out.

“Our world demands of all government leaders a will which is effective, practical and constant, concrete steps and immediate measures for preserving and improving the natural environment,” he said.

Doing this will help put an end to various forms social and economic exclusion, along with their “baneful consequences” such as human and organ trafficking, the drug and weapons trade, terrorism and organized crime.

“Such is the magnitude of these situations and their toll in innocent lives, that we must avoid every temptation to fall into a declarationist nominalism which would assuage our consciences.”

Francis cautioned against the risk of both being content with the drafting of a list of good proposals and goals, as well as thinking that a single “theoretical and aprioristic solution” will answer all challenges.

He said that human development and dignity can’t be imposed, but must naturally be built up by each individual and family, leading to the development of other areas of life such as communities, towns, cities, schools and businesses.

Education, particularly for girls, which is excluded in some countries, is also a fundamental right which must be upheld, the Pope said. He drew special attention to the right of the family to education their own children, as well as the right of churches and social groups to support and help families.

Government leaders, he said, “must do everything possible to ensure that all can have the minimum spiritual and material means needed to live in dignity and to create and support a family, which is the primary cell of any social development.”

Echoing his speech to popular movements while in Bolivia July 9, Francis said that this minimum has three names: “lodging, labour and land,” and one spiritual name: “spiritual freedom, which includes religious freedom, the right to education and other civil rights.”

The best indication the implementation of the new development agenda will be effective, he said, will be if every person has access to the basic and fundamental material and spiritual goods, such as housing, work, food and water, religious and spiritual freedom, and education.

Pope Francis faulted “an irresponsible mismanagement of the global economy” fueled by an unbounded ambition for wealth and power for the current ecological crisis, as well as the wide destruction of biodiversity, which threatens “the very existence of the human species.”

When we ourselves have the final word and no longer recognize anything but ourselves, creation is compromised, he said.

Therefore, “defense of the environment and the fight against exclusion demand that we recognize a moral law written into human nature itself, one which includes the natural difference between man and woman and absolute respect for life in all its stages and dimensions.”

Francis then pointed to the global conflicts in the entire Middle East, North Africa and other African countries, saying that they serve as an obvious example of uncoordinated military and political interventions among the international community.

The atrocities carried out against religious minorities and innocent persons caught in the middle of conflict “should serve as a grave summons to an examination of conscience on the part of those charged with the conduct of international affairs,” the Pope said.

“Human beings take precedence over partisan interests, however legitimate the latter may be … Human beings who are easily discarded when our only response is to draw up lists of problems, strategies and disagreements.”

Pope Francis then turned to the topic of nuclear arms and weapons of mass destruction, saying their use and proliferation go directly against the U.N.’s preamble, which calls for the promotion of “peace, the pacific solution of disputes and the development of friendly relations between the nations.”

“An ethics and a law based on the threat of mutual destruction – and possibly the destruction of all mankind – are self-contradictory and an affront to the entire framework of the United Nations,” the Pope said, and urged them to work for a world free of nuclear weapons.

He then praised the recent nuclear deal struck between the U.S. and Iran, calling proof “of the potential of political good will and of law.”

“I express my hope that this agreement will be lasting and efficacious, and bring forth the desired fruits with the cooperation of all the parties involved.”

Finally, Francis turned to the silent but deadly phenomena off drug trafficking, which by its nature includes human trafficking, money laundering, the arms trade, child exploitation and widespread corruption.

Quoting Bl. Pope Paul VI, he said that “the appeal to the moral conscience of man has never been as necessary as it is today,” and stressed that if used well, progress and science, coupled with the proper application of “human genius,” can solve many problems.

Our common home, he said, must constantly rise on the foundations “of a right understanding of universal fraternity and respect for the sacredness of every human life, of every man and every woman, the poor, the elderly, children, the infirm, the unborn, the unemployed, the abandoned (and) those considered disposable because they are only considered as part of a statistic.”

Due to the growing fragmentation of the world, the Pope said that certain agendas can’t be postponed for the future. Rather, the future requires from each of us both “critical and global decisions” in the face of global conflicts and exclusion.

Although the U.N. has many opportunities for improvement, Francis said that it is necessary in order to create a secure and happy future for coming generations.

It can and will do this, he said, “if the representatives of the States can set aside partisan and ideological interests, and sincerely strive to serve the common good.”

Pope Francis closed by assuring those gathered of his support and prayer, as well as that of the entire Church.

He gave his blessing, and prayed that the U.N., as well as all of its member states and officials, will always render an effective service to mankind, a service respectful of diversity and capable of bringing out, for sake of the common good, the best in each people and in every individual.”

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Full Text: Pope Francis’ speech at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum

by CNA/EWTN News • September 25, 2015

Pope Francis participates in an interreligious prayer service at Ground Zero, Sept. 25, 2015. (EWTN)

New York City, N.Y. — Pope Francis visited “Ground Zero” at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York City on Sept. 25, 2015. He

Read the full text of the Holy Father’s speech here:

Dear Friends,

I feel many different emotions standing here at Ground Zero, where thousands of lives were taken in a senseless act of destruction. Here grief is palpable. The water we see flowing towards that empty pit reminds us of all those lives which fell prey to those who think that destruction, tearing down, is the only way to settle conflicts. It is the silent cry of those who were victims of a mindset which knows only violence, hatred and revenge. A mindset which can only cause pain, suffering, destruction and tears.

The flowing water is also a symbol of our tears. Tears at so much devastation and ruin, past and present. This is a place where we shed tears, we weep out of a sense of helplessness in the face of injustice, murder, and the failure to settle conflicts through dialogue. Here we mourn the wrongful and senseless loss of innocent lives because of the inability to find solutions which respect the common good.

This flowing water reminds us of yesterday’s tears, but also of all the tears still being shed today.

A few moments ago I met some of the families of the fallen first responders. Meeting them made me see once again how acts of destruction are never impersonal, abstract or merely material. They always have a face, a concrete story, names. In those family members, we see the face of pain, a pain which still touches us and cries out to heaven.

At the same time, those family members showed me the other face of this attack, the other face of their grief: the power of love and remembrance. A remembrance that does not leave us empty and withdrawn. The name of so many loved ones are written around the towers’ footprints. We can see them, we can touch them, and we can never forget them.

Here, amid pain and grief, we also have a palpable sense of the heroic goodness which people are capable of, those hidden reserves of strength from which we can draw. In the depths of pain and suffering, you also witnessed the heights of generosity and service. Hands reached out, lives were given.

In a metropolis which might seem impersonal, faceless, lonely, you demonstrated the powerful solidarity born of mutual support, love and self-sacrifice. No one thought about race, nationality, neighborhoods, religion or politics. It was all about solidarity, meeting immediate needs, brotherhood. It was about being brothers and sisters. New York City firemen walked into the crumbling towers, with no concern for their own wellbeing. Many succumbed; their sacrifice enabled great numbers to be saved.

This place of death became a place of life too, a place of saved lives, a hymn to the triumph of life over the prophets of destruction and death, to goodness over evil, to reconciliation and unity over hatred and division.

It is a source of great hope that in this place of sorrow and remembrance I can join with leaders representing the many religious traditions which enrich the life of this great city. I trust that our presence together will be a powerful sign of our shared desire to be a force for reconciliation, peace and justice in this community and throughout the world. For all our differences and disagreements, we can live in a world of peace. In opposing every attempt to create a rigid uniformity, we can and must build unity on the basis of our diversity of languages, cultures and religions, and lift our voices against everything which would stand in the way of such unity. Together we are called to say “no” to every attempt to impose uniformity and “yes” to a diversity accepted and reconciled.

This can only happen if we uproot from our hearts all feelings of hatred, vengeance and resentment. We know that that is only possible as a gift from heaven. Here, in this place of remembrance, I would ask everyone together, each in his or her own way, to spend a moment in silence and prayer. Let us implore from on high the gift of commitment to the cause of peace. Peace in our homes, our families, our schools and our communities. Peace in all those places where war never seems to end. Peace for those faces which have known nothing but pain. Peace throughout this world which God has given us as the home of all and a home for all. Simply PEACE.

In this way, the lives of our dear ones will not be lives which will one day be forgotten. Instead, they will be present whenever we strive to be prophets not of tearing down but of building up, prophets of reconciliation, prophets of peace.

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Destruction is always personal, Pope Francis reflects at Ground Zero

by CNA/EWTN News • September 25, 2015

Pope Francis participates in an interreligious prayer service at Ground Zero, Sept. 25, 2015. (EWTN)

New York City, N.Y. — After his Friday meeting with loved ones of fallen first responders to the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks, the Holy Father said he was reminded that violence can never be impersonal.

“In those family members, we see the face of pain, a pain which still touches us and cries out to heaven,” he said during an interreligious prayer event at Ground Zero Sept. 25.

He reflected that “acts of destruction are never impersonal, abstract or merely material.” Rather, “(t)hey always have a face, a concrete story, names.”

Even in the face of so much suffering, these same family members showed him “the power of love and remembrance.”

“The name of so many loved ones are written around the towers’ footprints. We can see them, we can touch them, and we can never forget them.”

At Ground Zero, the Roman Pontiff said there was also a “palpable sense of the heroic goodness”

“Hands reached out, lives were given. In a metropolis which might seem impersonal, faceless, lonely, you demonstrated the powerful solidarity born of mutual support, love and self-sacrifice,” he said. “No one thought about race, nationality, neighborhoods, religion or politics. It as all about solidarity, meeting immediate needs, brotherhood.”

“New York City firefighters walked into the crumbling towers, with no concern for their own wellbeing. Many succumbed; their sacrifice enabled great numbers to be saved.”

In this way, what was at one moment “a place of death” became “a place of saved lives, a hymn to the triumph of life over the prophets of destruction and death, to goodness over evil, to reconciliation and unity over hatred and division.”

Being able to represent Christianity along with other world religions at the site is “a source of great hope,” he said. “I trust that our presence together will be a powerful sign of our shared desire to be a force for reconciliation, peace and justice.”

“For all our differences and disagreements, we can live in a world of peace. In opposing every attempt to create a rigid uniformity, we can and must build unity on the basis of our diversity of languages, cultures and religions, and lift our voices against everything which would stand in the way of such unity.”

Such peace can come about if we reject “rigid uniformity” and embrace diversity.

“This can only happen if we uproot from our heart all feelings of hatred, vengeance and resentment,” the Holy Father said. “We know that this is only possible as a gift from heaven.”

He led those gathered in a moment of silent prayer, and then continued, saying that if we strive for peace, our deceased loved ones will never be forgotten.

“Instead, they will be present whenever we strive to be prophets not of tearing down but of building up, prophets of reconciliation, prophets of peace,” Pope Francis concluded.

Prominent religious leaders from around New York City were also present to mourn and make an appeal for peace.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York welcomed the Holy Father to the event saying, “We in New York are sinners; we have a lot of flaws and make a lot of mistakes.”

“But, one of the things we do well is sincere and fruitful inter-religious friendship! Our ancestors came here for religious freedom, and they found in New York City an atmosphere of respect and appreciation for religious diversity.”

NYU Muslim chaplain Khalid Latif said, “Intolerance and ignorance fueled those who attacked this place,” adding that “to God all life is sacred and precious. Where others fail, let us be the peaceful reminders of that notion to his creation.”

He and Elliot Cosgrove, rabbi of Park Avenue Synagogue, offered a joint reflection on peace, and prayed for the souls of those who were killed.

“In this place, where horrendous violence was committed falsely in the name of God, we, representatives of the world religions in this great city of New York, gather to offer words of comfort and prayer,” Cosgrove said.

By becoming, in the words of St. Francis of Assisi, instruments of peace, we honor those who were killed, he said.

Even as “the worst of humanity” attacked our country that day, “the best of humanity”— in the form of the first responders — sought to save life, Latif said.

The Holy Father then offered a “prayer of remembrance” for all those killed that day, along with a prayer for the survivors and those who are mourning the loss of their loved ones.

He asked God to “bring peace to our violent world,” especially to those “whose hearts and minds are consumed with hatred and who justify killing in the name of religion.”

“Comfort and console us, strengthen us in hope,” Pope Francis prayed, “and give us the wisdom and courage where true peace and love reign among nations and in the hearts of all.”

After that, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Christian, and Muslim reflections on peace were offered, followed by a bell toll after each.

The Holy Father was then led to the room at the 9/11 Memorial Museum that holds the piece of steel recovered from Ground Zero that was left in the shape of a cross, along with a Bible found at the site.

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VATICAN NEWS

Read the full text of Pope Francis’ visit to a school in Harlem

by CNA/EWTN News • September 25, 2015

Pope Francis greets pilgrims at the General Audience in St. Peter’s Square, Aug. 12, 2015. (Bohumil Petrik/CNA)

New York City, N.Y. — Pope Francis visited Our Lady, Queen of the Angels school in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City on Sept. 25. Most of the school’s students come from migrant families. Read the full text of his prepared remarks:

Dear Children,

I am very happy to be with you today, along with this big family which surrounds you. I see your teachers, your parents and your family members. Thank you for letting me come, and I ask pardon from your teachers for “stealing” a few minutes of their class time!

They tell me that one of the nice things about this school is that some of its students come from other places, even from other countries. That is nice! Even though I know that it is not easy to have to move and find a new home, new neighbors and new friends. It is not easy. At the beginning it can be hard, right? Often you have to learn a new language, adjust to a new culture, even a new climate. There is so much to learn! And not just at school.

The good thing is that we also make new friends, we meet people who open doors for us, who are kind to us. They offer us friendship and understanding, and they try to help us not to feel like strangers. To feel at home. How nice it is to feel that school is a second home. This is not only important for you, but also for your families. School then ends up being one big family. One where, together with our mothers and fathers, our grandparents, our teachers and friends, we learn to help one another, to share our good qualities, to give the best of ourselves, to work as a team and to pursue our dreams.

Very near here is a very important street named after a man who did a lot for other people. I want to talk a little bit about him. He was the Reverend Martin Luther King. One day he said, “I have a dream”. His dream was that many children, many people could have equal opportunities. His dream was that many children like you could get an education. It is beautiful to have dreams and to be able to fight for them.

Today we want to keep dreaming. We celebrate all the opportunities which enable you, and us adults, not to lose the hope of a better world with greater possibilities. I know that one of the dreams of your parents and teachers is that you can grow up and be happy. It is always good to see children smiling. Here I see you smiling. Keep smiling and help bring joy to everyone you meet.

Dear children, you have a right to dream and I am very happy that here in this school, in your friends and your teachers, you can find the support you need. Wherever there are dreams, there is joy, Jesus is always present. Because Jesus is joy, and he wants to help us to feel that joy every day of our lives.

Before going, I want to give you some homework. Can I? It is just a little request, but a very important one. Please don’t forget to pray for me, so that I can share with many people the joy of Jesus. And let us also pray so that many other people can share the joy like yours.

May God bless you today and Our Lady protect you.

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VATICAN NEWS

Read the full text of Pope Francis’ homily during Mass at Madison Square Garden

by CNA/EWTN News • September 25, 2015

Madison Square Garden prepares for the Papal Mass on Sept. 25, 2015. (Alan Holdren/CNA)

New York City, N.Y. — Pope Francis is saying Mass at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and has just delivered his homily. Please find below the full text of the Holy Father’s words:

We are in Madison Square Garden, a place synonymous with this city. This is the site of important athletic, artistic and musical events attracting people not only from this city, but from the whole world. In this place, which represents both the variety and the common interests of so many different people, we have listened to the words: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light” (Is 9:1).

The people who walked – caught up in their activities and routines, amid their successes and failures, their worries and expectations – have seen a great light. The people who walked – with all their joys and hopes, their disappointments and regrets – have seen a great light.

In every age, the People of God are called to contemplate this light. A light for the nations, as the elderly Simeon joyfully expressed it. A light meant to shine on every corner of this city, on our fellow citizens, on every part of our lives.

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light”. One special quality of God’s people is their ability to see, to contemplate, even in “moments of darkness”, the light which Christ brings. God’s faithful people can see, discern and contemplate his living presence in the midst of life, in the midst of the city. Together with the prophet Isaiah, we can say: The people who walk, breathe and live in the midst of smog, have seen a great light, have experienced a breath of fresh air.

Living in a big city is not always easy. A multicultural context presents many complex challenges. Yet big cities are a reminder of the hidden riches present in our world: in the diversity of its cultures, traditions and historical experiences. In the variety of its languages, costumes and cuisine. Big cities bring together all the different ways which we human beings have discovered to express the meaning of life, wherever we may be.

But big cities also conceal the faces of all those people who don’t appear to belong, or are second-class citizens. In big cities, beneath the roar of traffic, beneath “the rapid pace of change”, so many faces pass by unnoticed because they have no “right” to be there, no right to be part of the city. They are the foreigners, the children who go without schooling, those deprived of medical insurance, the homeless, the forgotten elderly. These people stand at the edges of our great avenues, in our streets, in deafening anonymity. They become part of an urban landscape which is more and more taken for granted, in our eyes, and especially in our hearts.

Knowing that Jesus still walks our streets, that he is part of the lives of his people, that he is involved with us in one vast history of salvation, fills us with hope. A hope which liberates us from the forces pushing us to isolation and lack of concern for the lives of others, for the life of our city. A hope which frees us from empty “connections”, from abstract analyses, or sensationalist routines. A hope which is unafraid of involvement, which acts as a leaven wherever we happen to live and work. A hope which makes us see, even in the midst of smog, the presence of God as he continues to walk the streets of our city.

What is it like, this light travelling through our streets? How do we encounter God, who lives with us amid the smog of our cities? How do we encounter Jesus, alive and at work in the daily life of our multicultural cities?

The prophet Isaiah can guide us in this process of “learning to see”. He presents Jesus to us as “Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace”. In this way, he introduces us to the life of the Son, so that his life can be our life.

Wonderful Counselor. The Gospels tell us how many people came up to Jesus to ask: “Master, what must we do?” The first thing that Jesus does in response is to propose, to encourage, to motivate. He keeps telling his disciples to go, to go out. He urges them to go out and meet others where they really

are, not where we think they should be. Go out, again and again, go out without fear, without hesitation. Go out and proclaim this joy which is for all the people.

The Mighty God. In Jesus, God himself became Emmanuel, God-with-us, the God who walks alongside us, who gets involved in our lives, in our homes, in the midst of our “pots and pans”, as Saint Teresa of Jesus liked to say.

The Everlasting Father. No one or anything can separate us from his Love. Go out and proclaim, go out and show that God is in your midst as a merciful Father who himself goes out, morning and evening, to see if his son has returned home and, as soon as he sees him coming, runs out to embrace him. An embrace which wants to take up, purify and elevate the dignity of his children. A Father who, in his embrace, is “glad tidings to the poor, healing to the afflicted, liberty to captives, comfort to those who mourn” (Is 61:1-2).

Prince of Peace. Go out to others and share the good news that God, our Father, walks at our side. He frees us from anonymity, from a life of emptiness and selfishness, and brings us to the school of encounter. He removes us from the fray of competition and self-absorption, and he opens before us the path of peace. That peace which is born of accepting others, that peace which fills our hearts whenever we look upon those in need as our brothers and sisters.

God is living in our cities. The Church is living in our cities, and she wants to be like yeast in the dough. She wants to relate to everyone, to stand at everyone’s side, as she proclaims the marvels of the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Eternal Father, the Prince of Peace.

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light”. And we ourselves are witnesses of that light.

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VATICAN NEWS

Never lose sight of your dreams, Pope tells Harlem schoolkids

by CNA/EWTN News • September 25, 2015

Pope Francis meets with schoolchildren at Our Lady, Queen of the Angels school in New York City, Sept. 25, 2015. (EWTN)

New York City, N.Y. — When Martin Luther King, Jr. uttered his famous line “I have a dream”, he was thinking of you. Those were the words of Pope Francis this afternoon during a brief but moving encounter with elementary students at Our Lady, Queen of the Angels School in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood.

“His dream was that many children, many people would have equal opportunities,” the Pope reflected, speaking in Spanish. “His dream was that many children like you could get an education.”

“It is beautiful to have dreams and to be able to fight for them. Today we want to keep dreaming.”

Pope Francis met Sept. 25 with some two dozen elementary students from four different Catholic schools. The majority of the students hailed from Our Lady, Queen of the Angels School, where 92 percent of the students are minorities and two-thirds are on scholarship.

During his visit to the school, he also met with migrants and refugees, employees of the local branch of Catholic Charities, and New York legislators.

Outside the school, additional students were there to greet the Pope, chanting, “Holy Father, we love you.”

Once Pope Francis, accompanied by Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, was in a classroom at the school, he was greeted by their singing the Prayer of St. Francis, alternating between English and Spanish. The children and teachers then got to introduce themselves to Francis, and to show him projects from their classes.

The Pope asked the schoolchildren to consider the dreams of their parents, most of whom are immigrants.

“I know that one of the dreams of your parents and teachers is that you can grow up and be happy,” he said. “It is always good to see children smiling. Here I see you smiling. Keep smiling and help bring joy to everyone you meet.”

“It’s not always easy,” he added. “Everyone has problems, difficult situations, sickness. But don’t stop dreaming, so that you can live with happiness.”

“Wherever there are dreams, there is joy, Jesus is always present. Because Jesus is joy, and he wants us to feel that joy every day of our lives.”

The Pope added that in contrast to Jesus, “the devil is always sowing unhapiness; he doesn’t want us happy, or dreaming.”

He then urged the children to fight for their right to dream and praised Our Lady, Queen of the Angels School for supporting the dreams of the children.

“How nice it is to feel that school is a second home,” he said. “This is not only important for you, but also for your families. School then ends up being one big family. One where, together with our mothers and fathers, our grandparents, our teachers and friends, we learn to help one another, to share our good qualities, to give the best of ourselves, to work as a team and to pursue our dreams.”

Pope Francis ended his comments by giving the kids a homework assignment.

“It is just a little request, but a very important one,” he said.

“Please don’t forget to pray for me, so that I can share with many people the joy of Jesus. And let us also pray that many other people can share the joy like yours.”

He concluded by reminding the children that they are assisted in all their problems, because “Jesus never abandons us.”

A couple of the immigrants then sang for the Pope, and he led the group in praying the Our Father.

Finally, he said, “Rezen por mi. [Pray for me.] Don’t forget the homework!”

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VATICAN NEWS

Pope Francis to New York City: Jesus still walks our streets. Tell everyone!

by CNA/EWTN News • September 25, 2015

Pope Francis celebrates Mass at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Sept. 25, 2015. (Alan Holdren/CNA)

New York City, N.Y. — Pope Francis on Friday had a brief, but urgent, reminder for the Catholics of New York City. They must proclaim the joy of God and remember to care for all those who go unnoticed in their metropolis, because they have seen the “great light” of Jesus Christ.

“Knowing that Jesus still walks our streets, that he is part of the lives of his people, that he is involved with us in one vast history of salvation, fills us with hope,” the Pope said during his homily at Mass at Madison Square Garden Sept. 25.

“God is living in our cities. The Church is living in our cities, and she wants to be like yeast in the dough. She wants to relate to everyone, to stand at everyone’s side, as she proclaims the marvels of the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Eternal Father, the Prince of Peace,” he added.

His homily, delivered in Spanish, drew from the prophet Isaiah’s declaration: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.”

“We ourselves are witnesses of that light,” the Pope continued. “God’s faithful people can see, discern and contemplate his living presence in the midst of life, in the midst of the city.”

The Pope reflected on the multicultural nature of large, modern cities, with such “hidden riches” as diverse cultures, traditions, languages, and cuisine.

“But big cities also conceal the faces of all those people who don’t appear to belong, or are second-class citizens,” he said. There are people who go unnoticed, like foreigners, children without education, those without health insurance, the homeless, and the forgotten elderly.

“These people stand at the edges of our great avenues, in our streets, in deafening anonymity. They become part of an urban landscape which is more and more taken for granted, in our eyes, and especially in our hearts,” he said.

Pope Francis said that when people in the Gospels asked Christ “what must we do?” the first thing he did was “to propose, to encourage, to motivate.”

“He keeps telling his disciples to go, to go out. He urges them to go out and meet others where they really are, not where we think they should be. Go out, again and again, go out without fear, without hesitation. Go out and proclaim this joy which is for all the people,” the Roman Pontiff encouraged the congregation of tens of thousands.

“Go out to others and share the good news that God, our Father, walks at our side. He frees us from anonymity, from a life of emptiness and selfishness, and brings us to the school of encounter. He removes us from the fray of competition and self-absorption, and he opens before us the path of peace.”

This peace, he said, is “born of accepting others,” and fills our hearts “whenever we look upon those in need as our brothers and sisters.”

The Pope also reflected on God as the Everlasting Father.

“No one or anything can separate us from his Love. Go out and proclaim, go out and show that God is in your midst as a merciful Father who himself goes out, morning and evening, to see if his son has returned home and, as soon as he sees him coming, runs out to embrace him.”

Pope Francis said the knowledge of Christ’s presence fills Christians with “a hope which liberates us from the forces pushing us to isolation and lack of concern for the lives of others, for the life of our city.”

This is “a hope which frees us from empty ‘connections,’ from abstract analyses, or sensationalist routines. A hope which is unafraid of involvement, which acts as a leaven wherever we happen to live and work. A hope which makes us see, even in the midst of smog, the presence of God as he continues to walk the streets of our city.”

The Pope will be in the United States until Sunday. On Saturday, he will travel to Philadelphia, where he will visit a correctional facility and take part in the World Meeting of Families.

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VATICAN NEWS

How the Pope used the environment to preach to the U.N.

by Matt Hadro (CNA/EWTN News) • September 25, 2015

Pope Francis speaks to the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, Sept. 25, 2015. (L’Osservatore Romano)

New York City, N.Y. — Pope Francis’ appeal to the United Nations General Assembly to care for both the environment and the human person was actually a deft move to introduce more Church teaching to the body, a U.N. expert explained.

“In an interesting fashion throughout this whole visit, so far [Pope Francis] hasn’t taken that tone of correcting people or criticizing people. His tone has been using what they already find familiar and agreeable, and trying to take them a few steps closer to the Christian faith,” said Fr. Chris Pollard, an attaché at the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations from 2009 until 2012, in an interview with CNA.

In talking about care for the environment, Pope Francis “knows that the U.N. is very concerned about the environment. That’s why he’s using this theme, to get in the points,” he said.

Some of these other “points” include care for the unborn and respect for the cultures of developing countries.

The Pope’s address to the United Nations General Assembly came at the beginning of their 70th anniversary term, just before the assembly’s special summit this weekend to adopt the finalized draft of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. The goals set in place a massive development agenda for the next 15 years.

Since he is the first Roman Pontiff to address the body at the beginning of its term, when all the heads of state were present, it was possibly “the largest gathering of heads of state to hear a Pope ever in human history,” Fr. Pollard noted.

Previous Popes have addressed the general assembly: Blessed Paul VI did so in 1965, St. John Paul II in 1979 and 1995, and Benedict XVI in 2008.

In his lengthy address, Pope Francis urged the assembly to adopt concrete solutions to address the problems of the day with climate change and pollution as well as human problems like poverty, religious persecution, and “economic and social exclusion.”

He warned them to avoid an “ideological colonization” of the third world that seeks development solutions which are really an unjust imposition of an “alien” culture on others.

“That is a reference to Christians and other religious minorities suffering not just violent persecution but suffering at the hands of aid organizations that want to impose same-sex marriage or contraception or abortion,” Fr. Pollard explained.

In a phrase sure to turn heads, Pope Francis recognized the “right of the environment” – which sounds like he’s attributing a sort of “disembodied right” to the natural world as its own “entity,” Fr. Pollard noted.

In reality, however, Francis is rooting environmental stewardship in human dignity and orienting it toward God, the Creator, as he did in his ecology encyclical Laudato Si.

“He makes very clear he’s using that phrase to ground the environment in, principally, the rights of human beings. The dignity of human beings,” Fr. Pollard said. “And the fact that creation was created by a Creator.”

The Pope emphasized this by using a capital “C” to refer to God as Creator in the draft of his address, he noted.

While caring for the environment, Francis ultimately cares about human action and what humans do to be stewards of God’s creation, Fr. Pollard explained..

“Obviously he does care about the environment and he cares about the world, but what he cares about primarily is human beings and how they live, and how they treat each other,” Fr. Pollard said.

“Do they live responsibly? Do they live with charity? Do they live with temperance? Do they live with justice? Do they live with virtue?”

“That’s really what it’s about, but he’s using the environment as a vehicle to get the attention of people who already care about it. And then he’s leading them closer.”

And naturally, other matters like care for the unborn and the poor flow from this care for the environment, and Pope Francis has already made this connection on his U.S. trip.

“To the joint session of Congress, [Pope Francis] made a reference to life needing to be protected at all stages, and at the end of that speech he talked about a culture where we discouraged people from having children – so he’s getting at contraception, and a false preoccupation with population,” Fr. Pollard pointed out.

The Holy Father also emphasized the importance of religious liberty as a necessary foundation for human flourishing, and appealed for the protection of religious minorities in the Middle East and North Africa:

“I must renew my repeated appeals regarding to the painful situation of the entire Middle East, North Africa and other African countries, where Christians, together with other cultural or ethnic groups, and even members of the majority religion who have no desire to be caught up in hatred and folly, have been forced to witness the destruction of their places of worship, their cultural and religious heritage, their houses and property, and have faced the alternative either of fleeing or of paying for their adhesion to good and to peace by their own lives, or by enslavement,” he said.

“That is the legal definition of genocide,” Professor Robert Destro of the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law told CNA. Pope Francis did not use the term “genocide,” but his words made it crystal clear that is what is taking place, he explained.

The Pope’s appeal to the U.N. is so important, Destro explained, because Christians and others who are persecuted are the “canaries in the world coal mine,” and Pope Francis is warning the West that religious freedom could deteriorate there if those persecuted in Asia and Africa are not protected.

“If they’re suffering, then we’re in a really deep problem. The worse their suffering, the worse the trouble we’re in,” Destro said.

The Pope’s overall point here was that “anything that will advance the welfare of minority religious communities will by definition create more peace,” he added.

He also noted the Pope’s use of the phrase “effective distribution of power” in describing a way to “limit power” through law so that no person or group can be “absolute” and “bypass the dignity and the rights of other individuals.”

This is critical for maintaining religious liberty abroad, Destro explained.

Without “effective distribution of power,” there is no due process, Destro noted, and persecution that is now taking place around the globe is allowed to fester.

In his address, Pope Francis also emphasized the role of the U.N. in fighting poverty and promoting education. “To enable these real men and women to escape from extreme poverty, we must allow them to be dignified agents of their own destiny,” he said.

One key aspect here is promoting education for all, Fr. Pollard explained, but with the primacy of the family in mind.

Many “poor people, and especially girls” are “deprived of education,” he explained, “sometimes as a matter of limited resources because of extreme poverty, sometimes because of, ironically, religious pressure or religious prejudice against educating women and educating girls.”

“So when we hear the Holy Father talk about this, or even when we see the phrase ‘gender equality,’ there actually is a robust Catholic way that we can understand this: that girls deserve a basic education even as much as boys,” he added.

Yet the Pope made clear that the family is still the primary educator. “The right to education,” he said, is secured “foremost by respecting and reinforcing the primary right of the family to educate its children, as well as the right of churches and social groups to support and assist families in the education of their children.”

“The family is the basic unit of society, he’s very clear,” Fr. Pollard maintained.

The Pope also implored the U.N. to fight poverty. Yet development must be understood in the Catholic sense of “integral human development,” Fr. Pollard explained.

This development is “not just giving money to people but actually improving their condition,” he said, and “has to have as its focus that human being who needs assistance.” He added that “their entire well-being has to be our concern, not just some material things.”

The best way to do this is “by improving the economy,” he added.

Pope Francis had quoted paragraph 129 of Laudato Si in his address to Congress, “which makes reference to the nobility of business to create wealth, to create jobs, to improve peoples’ situation,” Fr. Pollard explained. Thus development isn’t just about giving money to the poor, but about creating for them a means to make a living.

Adelaide Mena contributed to this report.

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WORLD NEWS

Iceland’s new bishop inherits a turbulent, fascinating Catholic history

by Mary Rezac (CNA/EWTN News) • September 19, 2015

A seaside church in Iceland. (Fougerouse Arnaud via Flicker CC BY-NC 2.0)

Vatican City — 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. _órlákur (Thorlak) in Rey_arfjör_ur.

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.

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.

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, _orgeir _orkelsson Ljósvetningago_i (in English, Thorgeir Thorkelsson), was himself a pagan chieftain and had a tough decision before him.

According to legend, Ljósvetningago_i 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, Ljósvetningago_i personally converted to Christianity, and allegedly threw his pagan idols into a waterfall, which since that time became known as Go_afoss, the “waterfall of the gods” located in north-central Iceland.

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 _orlákur _órhallsson (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.

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.

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WORLD NEWS

Pope Francis’ gift to Castro: A challenging message from Cuban leader’s old teacher

by CNA/EWTN News • September 20, 2015

Fidel Castro and Father Armando Llorente, S.J. (Public domain)

Havana, Cuba — Pope Francis met with Fidel Castro on Sunday and gave him a special gift: a book and two CDs with the homilies and songs of Father Armando Llorente, a Jesuit priest who was Castro’s school teacher. Before Father Llorente’s death, he publically asked for Castro’s conversion and repentance.

Father Llorente was Castro’s teacher and mentor at Belen Jesuit Preparatory School, where Castro studied until he was 16 years old.

In 2007, in an interview given from exile in Miami, Florida, the priest asked to meet Castro and said he was willing to immediately go to Cuba and hear his confession.

“The first thing that we would do would be to give each other a big hug, laugh and remember the adventures that we had together, which were many and very beautiful.” Then he would tell him: “Fidel, the moment of truth has arrived,” Llorent told the news agency Efe.

The Spanish-born priest emphasized that he maintained hope that he would be able to absolve Castro of his sins. He stressed the need for him to publically ask for forgiveness “because his sins were not only personal.”

Llorente was a 24-year-old Jesuit novice when he was sent to Cuba in 1942 to finish his formation. When he was a teacher at the preparatory school, Castro was his best student and had many very good friends.

In 1945, the priest wrote in the school yearbook: “Fidel Castro, has the makings of a hero, the history of his motherland will have to speak about him.”

In the 2007 interview, Father Llorente said that Castro’s school years were the best of his life because up until then “he didn’t feel loved by anyone.” He had many “traumas and issues” knowing that he was the conceived in an extramarital affair of his father, Angel Castro, and Lina Ruz, who worked as a servant in his house.

During the Cuban Revolution in December 1958, Father Llorente, under the guise of a rancher, was able to reach Castro and speak to him.

“He confessed to me that he had lost the faith, and I responded to him: ‘Fidel, one thing is to lose your faith and another thing is to lose your dignity’.”

Castro would expel the Society of Jesus from Cuba.

In 1961, Father Llorente was forced into exile in Miami where he established a branch of the Agrupacion Catolica Universitaria, a Marian Congregation whose spirituality is based upon Jesuit formation principles with a strong Marian reflection.

Fr. Llorente lived in Miami until his death on April 28, 2010 at the age of 91.

After the priest’s death, Cardinal Sean O’Malley wrote that Father Llorente “gave more retreats in one year than the majority of Jesuits give in their lifetime. He had a great gift to inspire the youth to be more active in the Church.”

Cardinal O’Malley described the priest as “an eloquent teacher of Ignatian spirituality and the gospel life.”

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Pope Francis prays for new Assyrian Christian leader amid Middle East tragedy

by CNA/EWTN News • September 21, 2015

Displaced Assyrian families in the Assyrian cathedral of Al-Hasakah, Syria on March 2015. (The Assyrian Church of Beirut)

Erbil, Iraq — Amid the sufferings of Christians in the Middle East, Pope Francis on Monday sent his prayers to the new head of the Assyrian Church of the East, Catholicos-elect Gewargis III.

The Assyrian Church of the East is a Church historically centered in northern Mesopotamia. It was historically associated with Nestorianism, having been separated from the Catholic and Orthodox Churches by the Council of Ephesus in 431.

“I join your Holiness in prayer and solidarity with all who suffer because of the tragic situation in the Middle East, especially our Christian brothers and sisters and other religious minorities in Iraq and Syria,” the Pope’s Sept. 21 message to the patriarch said. “With you, I ask the Lord to grant them strength so that they may persevere in their Christian witness.”

The synod of the Assyrian Church of the East on Sept. 18 elected Metropolitan Gewargis Silwa of Iraq and Russia as its next patriarch. He will be installed as Catholicos Gewargis III in Erbil, Iraq on Sept. 27.

The Pope extended “good wishes and prayerful solidarity” to the patriarch. He prayed that the new patriarch may inspire his flock and may be “an untiring builder of peace and harmony, serving the common good and the good of the entire Middle East.”

The Bishop of Rome’s message referred to the ongoing ecumenical discussions between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East.

“In expressing gratitude to Almighty God for the bonds of fraternity between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East, I hope and pray that our continuing friendship and dialogue may be further developed and deepened,” he said.

Dinkha IV, the predecessor of Catholicos Gewargis, died in Minnesota on March 26 at the age of 79. With St. John Paul II, Catholicos Dinkha had signed the “Common Christological Declaration between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church” in November 1994.

In a March message of condolence, Pope Francis praised Dinkha IV as “a courageous and wise pastor who faithfully served his community in extremely challenging times.”

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Cuban youth who exchanged zucchettos with the Pope felt the ‘tenderness of God’

by María Ximena Rondón (CNA/EWTN News) • September 22, 2015

Manuel Alejandro Rodríguez Yong. (YouTube)

Holguin, Cuba — When he learned that a Pope would visit his city for the first time, Manuel Alejandro Rodríguez Yong dreamed of getting a white zucchetto to exchange with Pope Francis.

Yong not only achieved that dream but was also able to experience the “tenderness of God” in the embrace the Pope gave him, he said.

Yong, 25, is a photographer for the Diocese of Holguín, and he studies film at the International School of Film and Television in San Antonio de los Baños, some 20 miles southwest of Havana.

On the morning of Sept. 21, when Pope Francis arrived at Revolution Square in Holguín to say Mass, Yong knew his moment had arrived. With a great deal of effort he managed to have the Pope see the zucchetto, which he had gotten through a friend, he held in his hand.

“Ever since I found out about the arrival of Pope Francis I wanted to have the opportunity of having a zucchetto in order to follow in this tradition of being able to exchange it with the Pope. Thank God a friend could give me one, and since the Pope was close, I could exchange it and also give him a hug,” he told CNA.

Yong got close to the popemobile to exchange zucchettos with the Pope, and asked if he could hug him. As a response, the Pope opened his arms and told him: “of course!”

“To hug him was like a caress from God. Like the hug of the pastor who is open to welcoming each of his children, no matter where they come from or who they are. I think that Francis’ hug made me feel the tenderness of God this morning. It’s really a huge blessing for which I’m totally grateful,” he said.

Yong won’t keep the zucchetto for himself but will talk to Bishop Emilio Aranguren Echeverría of Holguín “to see what we will do with it, because I think it would be very selfish of me to keep it.”

“For now it will be with me, but I hope that there is a place in the diocese where it can be visible as a sign of the presence and passage of Francis in this land.”

Yong said that for Cubans, the Pope’s visit is “above all to confirm us in the faith.” He added that the people of Holguín are “very proud of their city and that he (the Pope) made this visit, and we are proud to live in this land.”

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For Pope’s visit, United Nations will unfurl Holy See flag

by CNA/EWTN News • September 22, 2015

Vatican City papal flag in Sarajevo’s Kosevo Stadium in Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 6, 2015. (Andreas Duren/CNA)

New York City, N.Y. — For the first time, the Holy See’s distinct white and yellow flag will fly alongside the flags of United Nation’s countries in honor of Pope Francis’ arrival to U.N. headquarters in New York City.

U.N. officials, after consulting with the Holy See, decided to raise the flag on the morning of Sept. 25 so that it will be flying when Pope Francis is scheduled to arrive at 8:30 a.m.

The Pope will then address a special summit to define the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals.

Both the Holy See and the U.N. Secretariats have agreed there will be no ceremony to accompany the flag raising, but it will be raised by U.N. personnel at the same time as the other flags that day.

The Holy See’s flag has two vertical bands of white and gold. The white side displays a pair of traversed keys, one gold and one silver, tied together with a red cord and topped by a triple-crowned miter with a cross sitting on its very top.

The image of the two keys holds a special significance in the Catholic Church, as they are linked to Jesus’ declaration to Peter in Matthew 16:19: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed.”

The keys are a traditional symbol of the papacy along with the miter. The keys are associated with Peter’s authority as head of the Church and vicar of Jesus Christ. The keys also signify St. Peter’s successors from the time of Peter’s death down to Pope Francis.

Although the Holy See is not an official member of the United Nations, it is one of two sovereign states that have observer status. Palestine is the other country with an observer mission.

In July 2004, the Holy See received all the rights of full membership except the right to vote. Interventions from the head of its permanent observer mission, Archbishop Bernard Auza, are frequent.

Pope Francis will address the U.N. special summit on the third day of his five-day visit to the U.S.

A small gathering greeted the Pope on his landing at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, D.C. the evening of Sept. 22. He will meet with President Obama the next morning, and will canonize Bl. Junipero Serra at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception later that afternoon.

On Thursday Francis will be the first Pope in history to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress. The next day he will visit the U.N., after which he will hold a major interreligious encounter at Ground Zero, the site of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

The Pope’s visit will culminate with his visit to Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families’ Sept. 27 concluding Mass. He will arrive back in Rome the morning of Sept. 28.

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Iraqi Christians who fled Islamic State share their story

by Tom Uebbing (CNA/EWTN News) • September 23, 2015

Christian refugees in Mar Elia parish centre in the Ankawa, Erbil, Iraq. (Aid to the Church in Need)

Denver, CO — The plight of Christians in the Middle East was the focus of an educational and fundraising event in Denver on Friday, in which two Christian refugees from a city near Mosul told of their escape from Islamic State militants.

The Sept. 18 Assembly of Hope and Mercy was hosted by Regis University.

A young Iraqi woman recounted her Aug. 14, 2014 escape from Bakhdida, 20 miles southeast of Mosul, when Kurdish troops defending the town from Islamic State attack abruptly withdrew.

Fearing a massacre, the Christians fled on foot; many, like her father, without money or identification. As they walked all the next day to Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan, more than 40 miles away, the temperature hit 115 degrees.

“It was the road of death, face to face with death,” she said. An ambulance approached those in flight, a welcomed sight, but it contained Islamic State militants who opened fire.

When the refugees did arrive in Erbil they had to sleep out in the open, on streets and in public places.

The young woman pleaded “You, the people of freedom, save my friends, especially the little girls and those who are sex slaves” to the Islamic State.

She said girls used to dream of getting an education.

“Now, they dream of any man who will present himself for marriage and has a passport, so they can get out … and make it to the land of safety … I ask you, save us.”

Another Iraqi refugee from Bakhdida, a married woman with children, said, “Here in America, I’m in a country that can save me; it’s a secure country that can protect me and protect my children … in Iraq there’s no more place (for Christians), we can’t survive, we can’t live. My wish and my only request that I can bring my husband and two children who are in the camp in Beirut … because I hope my daughter (who wears leg braces) can receive treatment in the United States.”

According to the refugee, when the Islamic State overtook Bakhdida, the forces were not only foreigners, but included Sunni inhabitants of the city. She maintained that this imperils the future of Christianity in Iraq.

The educational event was sponsored by Save Christians in the Middle East, a group of religious, business, and community partners whose goal is to provide immediate support to these endangered Christians.

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Cardinal Sarah: Efforts to ‘soften’ Christ’s teaching ignore the Good News of mercy

by CNA/EWTN News • September 23, 2015

Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship. (Bohumil Petrik/CNA)

Philadelphia, PA — Efforts to ‘soften’ Christian teaching on the family are not a solution for those wounded by sin, Cardinal Robert Sarah, a native of the west African country of Guinea, told the World Meeting of Families on Wednesday.

Rather, everyone can find healing through repentance and the heroic witness of families who welcome God’s mercy, the prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship said.

“Even members of the Church can be tempted to soften Christ’s teaching on marriage and the family,” Cardinal Sarah said Sept. 23. “To varying degrees, the idea would consist in placing the Magisterium in a pretty box and separating it from pastoral practice, which could evolve according to such circumstances, fashions and emphases.”

He characterized this as “a form of heresy” and “a dangerous, schizophrenic pathology.”

But the cardinal had more to say.

“And this is precisely why we need Christ. Each of us needs him. Every person on earth needs him. Everyone is capable of sin, but they also may receive the mercy of God.”

“This is why repentance is good news,” he said. “The acceptance of the roots of sin within our hearts is wisdom.”

Cardinal Sarah’s comments came in his keynote address at the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.

His remarks follow several years of controversy ahead of the 2015 Synod on the Family. Several prominent bishops, including Cardinal Walter Kasper, a German, have been pushing to change Catholic practice on several points, including giving Holy Communion to the divorced-and-remarried.

For Cardinal Sarah, however, it is “the healing of the human family” that “makes us ready to receive the Good News, to welcome the mercy of God.”

He especially encouraged Christians to welcome those who need healing.

“We pass from death to life, through the power of the Holy Spirit,” he said. “This is not moralism. God’s grace comes before one’s duty. We reply to a divine initiative: all those wounded by personal sin, and the sin of others, the divorced and separated, those who have cohabited, who live closed in on themselves, or in all kinds of self-seeking unions, can and must find in the Church a place for regeneration, without any finger being pointed at them.”

Cardinal Sarah said the Christian family is called to testify that “love to the end is possible.”

“The world today needs saints with heroic witness to defend and nurture the family. By opening ourselves to God’s grace and his Holy Spirit living in us, our homes and families can allow goodness to enter the world.”

Citing Pope Francis, he said the family is “the wellspring of faith.” The family is “meant to spread its love to the world around it”

“Faith needs a place where it is gestated, transmitted, where it can grow, where it can become a lived experience. From the start of creation, God chose the family as this place,” the cardinal said.

“In the family the promises of God become real. The family is the living memory of the fidelity of God. The family is the wellspring of hope.”

Cardinal Sarah reflected on such consequences of original sin as breakdowns in relationships, personal strife, and moral problems such as addiction, abortion, religious persecution, and terrorism.

“If we do not go to the source, which is sin, nothing changes,” he said.

This is the root of the breakdown in the God-given understanding of the family at the beginning of creation and of “the darkness that has entered, contrary to his plan of the love and unity found in the Trinity,” he said.

He noted phenomena such as same-sex unions, cohabitation, a lack of openness to life, abortion, divorce, and unwillingness to care for weaker family members like the sick or old.

“Laws are passed that fuel this breakdown, from those killing the innocent form of life in the womb, to new form of unions, to euthanasia and assisted suicide,” the cardinal lamented.

At the same time, the cardinal encouraged the family as “a relationship of self-giving love” that is open to life and defends the dignity of life, while caring for the weak and the elderly.

“The family becomes the place where solitude, selfishness, egoism, find healing,” he said.

The cardinal recounted the example of Frank and Jean Palombo, the parents of ten children. Early in their marriage, Jean did not want any children and had left the faith. However, she returned to the faith after witnessing the Christian love of a missionary couple who were raising four children.

Frank, a New York City firefighter, died in the response to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City. Jean forgave the terrorists and took consolation in the words of her children.

Jean herself died several years later of cancer. Their youngest child was raised by her many siblings, while their oldest son is about to be ordained a priest.

Cardinal Sarah said that despite the challenges of married life and family life, Frank and Jean Palombo were “granted the grace to love selflessly to the end … first by repenting, then by receiving and believing in the kerygma, the Good News.”

“The faith with which they lived, and their children still live, instills hope in us, that we too can bring the light of the Gospel into our words.”

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U.S. NEWS

Here’s what Pope Francis is likely to tell the U.S. Congress

by Andrea Gagliarducci (CNA/EWTN News) • September 21, 2015

The United States Capitol building. (Phil Roeder via Flickr CC BY 2.0)

Washington, D.C. — On Thursday Pope Francis will become the first Bishop of Rome to address a joint session of the US Senate and House of Representatives. During his speech he will tackle the misinterpretation of his words on economics and politics.

That expectation is according to a source who saw the first drafts of the speech, and who spoke with CNA Sept. 18.

“Pope Francis will likely use the speech to Congress to clarify his position on economics and politics, thus indirectly responding to the misinterpretation of his words,” the source maintained.

According to the source, the speech will also include a mention of the market: “Pope Francis will clarify that he never said he wants to abolish the market, but that he said the market needs a purification.”

The American audience made much of Pope Francis’ criticism of capitalist systems which he made during his South American trip this summer.

During a July 9 address at the World Meeting of Popular Movements in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, he said that “the stench of what Basil of Caesarea – one of the first theologians of the Church – called ‘the dung of the devil’” lies behind global capitalism’s indifference to the poor and the planet.”

“An unfettered pursuit of money rules,” the Pope continued. “This is the ‘dung of the devil’ … Once capital becomes an idol and guides people’s decisions, once greed for money presides over the entire socioeconomic system, it ruins society, it condemns and enslaves men and women, it destroys human fraternity, it sets people against one another and, as we clearly see, it even puts at risk our common home, sister and mother earth.”

Pope Francis added that “in this subtle dictatorship” capital has become and idol, and called for a “real change, structural change” to solve the situation.

However, his speech to Congress will be addressed particularly to the American audience – and it will not be linked to his speech the following day to the United Nations in New York, the source maintained.

Migration will also likely be a core issue in the papal speech, with the Pope would praising the United States for their multicultural composition, while also calling for a wider welcoming of immigrants.

“Pope Francis has already given a sign of what he would like the US to do in terms of immigration. When he took part to the ABC show 20/20, he directly addressed Sr. Norma Pimentel, the director of Catholic Charities in Rio Grande, who manages a welcoming center for immigrants who are left at the border. That’s the kind of welcoming he thinks about,” the source maintained.

Unfortunately, not every congressman will hear the Pope’s message.

Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) – who is himself Catholic – announced on Friday that he would boycott Pope Francis’ speech, in protest of the Roman Pontiff’s views on climate change.

Gosar claimed that he would be joined in his protest by at least one other legislator, while declining to name that person.

Other lawmakers are more open to lending an ear to the Pope.

Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.), said, “I’m sure I’ll disagree with something the Pope says,” according to The Hill. “But I still embrace my religion. It’s literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sit here and listen to the Holy Father.”

And Marco Rubio, a Florida Senator of Cuban descent who is running for the Republican nomination for United States President, wrote in an opinion piece at CNN that he hopes the Pope’s visit to Cuba “will remind all the Cuban citizens that they possess dignity and fundamental rights that come from God and that the Castro regime has no claim on changing what is 100% God-given.”

Rubio had contrasted the state of freedoms – religious and otherwise – enjoyed by citizens of the United State and of Cuba.

“I pray the Pope can use his moral authority to inspire true religious freedom, and bring us closer to the day when freedom can finally take root on the island country; because only then will the people of Cuba prosper and have the opportunity to live out God’s plan,” he wrote.

“Please join me in welcoming Pope Francis to the United States, and helping him to spread peace and prosperity to people around the world.”

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Move over Donald Trump – Pope Francis’ approval ratings are much higher

by Mary Rezac (CNA/EWTN News) • September 21, 2015

Pope Francis with members of the Italian group Parish Cells of Evangelization in Paul VI Hall on Sept 5, 2015. (L’Osservatore Romano)

Washington, D.C. — Pope Francis can look forward to a warm welcome in the United States this week, from both Catholic and non-Catholic Americans.

A new Rasmussen Reports poll of 1,000 Americans has the Holy Father’s total approval rating at 60 percent, half of which viewed him “Very Favorably.” The news comes just one day before his scheduled arrival in Washington, D.C.

The rating is even higher among American Catholics, who gave him a 78 percent approval rating, 48 percent of which reporting a “Very Favorable” view. Sixty-five percent of U.S. Catholics said the Pope has been good for the Church, compared to just 15 percent who believe he’s had a negative impact.

The impressive rating makes him the envy of the less favorably viewed, including Obama, Donald Trump, and, well, most other political figures at this time. Or most times.

Just 23 percent view Pope Francis unfavorably, though this number has doubled since December 2013, when the newly-elected Francis enjoyed a disapproval rating of only 12 percent. Only eight percent of the overall 23 percent reported a “Very Unfavorable” opinion. Some Americans – 17 percent – remained undecided.

The two questions asked by Rasmussen were: “Do you have a very favorable, somewhat favorable, somewhat unfavorable or very unfavorable opinion of Pope Francis?” and “Have Pope Francis’ words and actions been good or bad for the Catholic Church? Or have they have had no impact on the church?”

According to Rasmussen, women view Pope Francis more favorably than men. Older voters were the most likely to report a Very Favorable opinion of the pope.

The Pope is also more popular among Democrats than Republicans, with 58 percent of Democrats reporting their belief that Pope Francis’ words and actions have been good for the Church. This view is shared by 46 percent of Republicans and 42 percent of the politically unaffiliated.

When Time Magazine announced Pope Francis as its Person of the Year in 2013, 23 percent of Americans agreed.

Rasmussen Reports also found that 71 percent of all Americans say their religious faith is important in their daily life, 49 percent of whom consider it Very Important.

Two-out-of-three Americans still believe the central tenets of Christianity, that Jesus Christ was the son of God who was resurrected on Easter Day.

Pope Francis is schedule to arrive in the United States tomorrow, September 22 in Washington D.C.

During his visit, he will be the first Pope to ever address Congress. He is also scheduled to visit New York City, where he will address the United Nations, as well as Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families.

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Why Pope Francis is here, according to Bishop Robert Barron

by CNA/EWTN News • September 23, 2015

Bishop Robert Barron. (CNA)

Washington D.C. — Chatter over politics – and whether or not Pope Francis is a communist – has taken center stage since he landed in the U.S., but for Bishop Robert Barron, the Pope’s visit is about much more.

“I’m expecting the Pope to evangelize, he’s come as a preacher of the Gospel,” Bishop Barron told CNA Sept. 23 outside the White House.

The Pope, he said, will “speak across the denominational lines and across even to the secular world about basic human values.”

“It’s wonderful” to have Francis in the U.S., the bishop commented, adding that as both a Catholic and an American to have the Pope there as “a symbol of our government and democracy” is exciting.

Known for his online videos which tackle everything from the saints, to the “new atheism,” to the latest blockbuster film, Bishop Barron was appointed as one of three new auxiliary bishops for Los Angeles in July.

He is the founder of the online initiative Word On Fire Catholic Ministries, and is the producer of the popular documentary series Catholicism. His latest series, Pivotal Players, is currently in production.

Also a contributor to NBC News, the prominent internet evangelist was ordained a bishop just two weeks ago on Sept. 8 inside L.A.’s Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.

Having just finished a spot with the Today Show, Bishop Barron said that after the day’s events – which include a meeting between Pope Francis and U.S. bishops – he will head to New York, where he’ll be on NBC’s Nightly News program following the canonization of Bl. Junipero Serra.

The bishop said that he never expected to be in Washington participating in the Pope’s visit as a bishop, “so that’s part of the novelty of this.”

He said the first weeks in his new role have been “interesting, exciting, a little confusing. A lot of things new being thrown at me, but it’s all good.”

Bishop Barron spoke to CNA early Wednesday morning as journalists were waiting to enter the South Lawn of the White House for Pope Francis’ official welcoming ceremony.

After sharing a private meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama, the Pope met with some 400 American bishops in St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington, D.C.

Later Francis will celebrate Mass in the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, where he will carry out the much-anticipated canonization of “the evangelizer of the west,” Bl. Junipero Serra.

Alan Holdren contributed to this report.

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U.S. NEWS

New York City prepares for ‘The Francis’

by Adelaide Mena (CNA/EWTN News) • September 23, 2015

New York City skyline. (Rawpixel via shutterstock.com)

New York City, N.Y. — Everyone and everything from singers and priests to the cathedral itself in the New York archdiocese are making final preparations for the Pope’s next stop during his first papal trip to the U.S.

“I’m ecstatic,” Msgr. Robert T. Ritchie, rector of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, told CNA.

“He generates so much charism, his way of talking with people, his way of approaching the world and the various problems we deal with is very engaging.”

Msgr. Ritchie said that the Pope’s first stop in New York City will be an evening prayer service at the cathedral – in some ways a very average service for a busy and unique city.

“The Pope is doing something that is not extraordinary, but quite ordinary, but it will be done in an extraordinary way,” he said. “What we’re going to be doing Thursday night is the evening prayer of the Church, which is basically the same anywhere in the world.”

The evening prayer, also called “Vespers” is an integral part of the Church’s liturgical life. “Vespers is prayed by all of the priests, all deacons, many religious orders, some sisters, some brothers,” Msgr. Ritchie explained.

“It is prayed as a pious activity by many laypeople, who join their personal prayer with that of the Church. It is a liturgical act, even if it’s done just by the priest in private, because it is a part of the liturgy of the Church.”

The service, he said, consists of psalms, readings of the scriptures. The papal vespers on Thursday will also feature a homily given by Pope Francis.

“What we will be doing is a part of the daily life of the Church and sharing that with other people.”

The vespers service will also contain musical settings for the psalms, and hymns, sung by the Cathedral’s Choir and orchestral players.

“We’ve been planning this actually since February of this year,” Dr. Jennifer Pascual, Director of Music at St. Patrick’s Cathedral told CNA.

“We’re starting off with a prelude concert of entirely sacred music,” she said, adding that the music for the prelude and vespers services will include “a whole repertoire from Palestrina of the Classical Baroque through the Romantic through living composers of today.”

The Cathedral’s choir and other choirs from New York City will also provide the music for the Pope’s Mass at Madison Square Garden on Friday Sept. 25. Mass parts for the Eucharistic prayer will all be said in Latin, at the request of the Vatican.

The choir will also sing “Pescador de hombres,” “which I understand is the Pope’s favorite hymn,” at the Mass, added Dr. Pascual, with a full orchestral arrangement.

Liturgies and music are not the only things being prepared for Pope Francis’ visit: the 136-year-old building of St. Patrick’s Cathedral itself is also receiving its own final touches before Thursday’s Vespers.

The renovation process started the nine years ago when parts of the facade of the historic St. Patrick’s Cathedral began to fall down. Reconstruction “began in earnest,” Msgr. Ritchie said, in 2012.

“We were ready to finish in December of this year, then all of a sudden we began to hear rumors that the Pope might be coming to New York.” Msgr. Ritchie and other members of the Cathedral staff sat down with builders and architects, he said, “and we looked at schedules and said it is possible” to finish the renovations by the Pope’s visit.

“We put in some more effort and we worked some weekends and people bent over backwards to make sure the work is done.”

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Care for environment is a moral duty, not a political football, bishop tells Americans

by Matt Hadro (CNA/EWTN News) • September 23, 2015

The welcoming ceremony for Pope Francis at the White House, Sept. 23, 2015. (Alan Holdren/CNA)

Washington, D.C. — After Pope Francis insisted at the White House that the present moment is “critical” for addressing the threat of climate change, one bishop implored Americans to recognize environmental stewardship as a moral imperative.

“It has been a very politicized topic,” Bishop Oscar Cantú of Las Cruces admitted to CNA Sept. 23 about the issues of environmental stewardship and climate change in the U.S.

Bishop Cantu chairs the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace.

“I hope that Americans, by listening to the Holy Father, will realize that it’s not simply a political topic, it’s a moral one and a deeply moral one. This is creation that God has given to us to keep and to till,” he continued.

Bishop Cantú spoke with CNA shortly before Pope Francis celebrated Midday Prayer with the U.S. bishops at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. Over 300 bishops, along with priests, seminarians, and other guests, prayed with Pope Francis and received an address from the Roman Pontiff encouraging them in their defense of human life and exhorting them to continue welcoming immigrants.

Earlier in the morning, Pope Francis had met with President Obama at the White House and the two addressed an estimated crowd of 20,000 gathered on the South Lawn. Pope Francis reminded Americans of the urgency to care for the environment.

“Accepting the urgency, it seems clear to me also that climate change is a problem which can no longer be left to a future generation,” the Pope said, citing his ecology encyclical Laudato Si published earlier this summer.

He also quoted Martin Luther King, Jr., saying about care for the environment, “we have defaulted on a promissory note and now is the time to honor it.”

Bishop Cantú acknowledged that some Americans might be reticent to talk about climate change, instead considering it a political issue. However, he insisted that the problem is a moral one and needs addressing right away.

“This is the only creation, the only planet that we have to hand on to our children and grandchildren, to future generations. And so what do we leave to them? That is deeply a moral question.”

“So if we can make the turn from a political to a moral issue, then we’ve done quite a bit.”

Earlier this week, the bishop joined Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami in welcoming a resolution introduced by 11 Republican congressmen calling for greater environmental stewardship.

The resolution came ahead of Pope Francis’ address to a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress on Thursday where the Pope is expected to mention, among other issues, the environment.

In the resolution, the representatives declared a duty to conserve the environment and warned of “a marked increase in extreme weather events” due to the changing climate.

This, combined with adverse effects of pollution upon local ecologies, such as asthma, mercury in fish, and “rising sea levels,” means action must be taken to study these changes and explore options that can be taken to mitigate their effect, the resolution added.

Bishop Cantú called it “a positive example for government leaders, heeding Pope Francis’ call in his encyclical Laudato Si to engage in positive dialogue to address what Pope Francis has called ‘one of the principal challenges facing humanity in our day,’ climate change.”

“It is our hope that this modest first step opens the door to joining Democrat members of Congress who have been active in seeking conversation and solutions for the country and the world,” he added.

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Watch this little girl defy security guards and get a hug from the Pope

by CNA/EWTN News • September 24, 2015

Sophie Cruz of Los Angeles, who met Pope Francis during his parade through Washington, D.C. (CNA)

Washington, D.C. — Sophie Cruz traveled from Los Angeles, across the United States, with her father and two uncles to try to hand a letter Pope Francis this week. Her dream came true on Wednesday when the popemobile stopped for the child, and she was given the most tender embrace of the day.

While Pope Francis paraded on his popemobile toward the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Sept. 23, Cruz, 5, jumped a security barrier and was soon stopped by security agents.

But Pope Francis saw her and motioned for the agents to bring her to him. She was carried over to the Roman Pontiff, who gave her a hug, a kiss, and a blessing.

Cruz in turn gave Francis a letter she wrote, as well as the yellow T-shirt worn by the immigration reform advocacy group to which her father and uncles belong. She also included a drawing of Pope Francis joining hands with herself and other children, with a message in Spanish that reads: “My friends and I love each other no matter the color of our skin.”

Cruz later recited the letter’s contents, which she had memorized in English and Spanish, for reporters from The Guardian.

“I want to tell you that my heart is sad,” Cruz began. “I would like to ask you to speak with the president and the Congress in legalizing my parents, because every day I am scared that one day they will take them away from me.”

She mentioned the hard farm and factory work immigrants do, and concluded, “All immigrants just like my dad help feed this country. They deserve to live with dignity. They deserve to live with respect. They deserve an immigration reform.”

Cruz told reporters, “I feel blessed and very moved because this blessing isn’t just for our family, it’s for all the immigrant families, all the Latin American families.”

Cruz was born in the United States, to parents who immigrated illegally from Oaxaca, Mexico.

Raúl Cruz, Sophie’s father, told Telemundo, “We made a really long trip, a big sacrifice, we’re migrant parents. Thanks be to God, to the faith we have, and the dream that we had, we were able to give the Pope a letter so he would intercede for all the immigrants, not just Latinos or Mexicans, but from all the countries. We are all the children of God.”

The Cruz family were among a group of a dozen faithful who travelled from Our Lady, Queen of the Angels parish in Los Angeles to see the Pope in Washington, D.C.

As they hoped, Pope Francis has indeed advocated for immigrants while in the United States. The same day he met Sophie Cruz, he spoke to the country’s bishops, praising them for their welcome of immigrants, “who continue to look to America, like so many others before them, in the hope of enjoying its blessings of freedom and prosperity.”

And in his Sept. 24 address to Congress, he said, “I am happy that America continues to be, for many, a land of dreams,” noting that many migrants have come to America with the desire to build and achieve their dream of a future in freedom.

“On this continent, too, thousands of persons are led to travel north in search of a better life for themselves and for their loved ones, in search of greater opportunities. Is this not what we want for our own children?”

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Our brother, the Pope – Bishop Conley on the papal visit thus far

by CNA/EWTN News • September 24, 2015

Bishop James D. Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska at the Cathedral of St. Matthew in Washington D.C. on Sept. 23, 2014. (Alan Holdren/CNA)

Washington, D.C. — Bishop James Conley says that Pope Francis’ mandate to go beyond the narrow confines of own worlds is a challenge, but not one without encouragement from their brotherly shepherd.

Although the Pope has only been in the United States for two days, “he’s coming to encourage us,” the bishop of Lincoln, Neb. told CNA Sept. 24.

He said Pope Francis’ audience with U.S. bishops yesterday was particularly inspiring.

“It was challenging for us to, as his common theme is, to reach out beyond our own little world, to have a broader vision especially to those who suffer,” he said. “We can’t be a self-referential Church. We have to be a Church that goes out of ourselves and be permanently on mission.”

Bishop Conley spoke to CNA outside the U.S. Capitol building in Washington D.C. before Pope Francis’ address to a joint meeting of U.S. Congress.

He said he expects missionary discipleship and awareness of those who suffer will be a constant message of the Pope throughout the rest of the trip, as well as an emphasis on God’s mercy and the need to be “missionaries of God’s mercy.”

Pope Francis met yesterday with more than 400 U.S. bishops yesterday in Washington’s St. Matthew’s Cathedral following the celebration of Daytime Prayer.

In his speech to the bishops, Pope Francis praised U.S. bishops for their commitment to defending life, their handling of the clerical abuse crisis. He also commended their efforts to welcome immigrants, while urging them not to be afraid to do more.

The Pope also offered some reflections on being a pastor, stressing the importance of being humble, prayerful and unafraid to tackle challenges, as well as the need to be unified, to go outside of oneself and be open to others.

Bishop Conley said one thing that struck a lot of the bishops was “how brotherly” Francis was ”as a fellow bishop, and how he encouraged us.”

The thing that stood out most was “how fraternal he was to us and how he spoke really from the heart.”

Francis’ emphasis on unity in the episcopate was also a point that resonated, the bishop said. Although the bishops in the U.S. already have a strong sense of collegiality, it was good to hear the message confirmed.

The bishop said his hope for the trip is that Pope Francis “sees how strong the faith his here in the United States. How much we love him, and how much Catholics are filled with the Holy Spirit. That’s what I hope he sees more than anything.”

Pope Francis spoke to Congress Thursday morning before meeting with homeless in St. Patrick’s Church, which is the oldest parish in Washington. The Church also serves as the headquarters of Catholic Charities in the city and operates a homeless shelter and several food programs.

He will fly to New York this evening, where he is scheduled to pray Vespers with priests and religious in the city’s historic St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Tomorrow he will head to the United Nations headquarters in New York, where will address a U.N. special summit to finalize the 2015 sustainable development agenda.

Alan Holdren contributed to this report.

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This nine year-old wants to meet Francis – and be pope someday, too

by Mary Rezac (CNA/EWTN News) • September 25, 2015

Parker Langdon playing priest, with younger brother “Deacon Lincoln.” (The Langdon family)

Denver, CO — Ever since he started attending Catholic schools three years ago, nine year-old Parker Langdon has wanted to be a priest.

“He asked my mom to make him vestments, and he’d set up the altar, and get cups, and he wanted hosts, so he’s loved to do that with his cousins and for the neighbors,” said his mother, Jordan Langdon.

When he’s visiting his grandparents, Parker also likes to invite people over and “say Mass” and give homilies, she said.

Oh, and Lincoln, his three year-old brother?

“He’s ‘Deacon Lincoln,’” said his father, Josh Parker.

“It’s been quite a surprise to us and very touching, and something he’s maintained an interest in, so we want to support his interests as far as we can,” Jordan added.

So when the Langdon’s found out about Pope Francis’ trip to the United States, they shared the news with their son.

“My dad told me about how he was going to come, and he asked me if I wanted to go and I said yeah!” Parker recalled. “But then I found out I had to raise the money, which I thought it was going to be a little hard. But it was sort of hard and sort of easy.”

The Langdon family put their heads together and formed a committee to raise the money – more than $3,000 – that would be necessary to send Parker and an accompanying parent to the World Meeting of Families trip with the Archdiocese of Denver, which concludes with Pope Francis’ visit to Philadelphia.

Parker was the committee head, Dad was treasurer – “He’s good with charts”, said Parker, and Mom was secretary – “She helped to do stuff like write out things and all the stuff for us to get ready for the trip.”

“I had to write out an agenda, because we had our own little meetings to communicate with each other to see what was going to happen,” Parker said.

He also drafted a letter to send out to friends and family, asking for donations for his trip.

It was slow going at first. The letters didn’t come pouring back right away like Parker had expected.

“My first donation was from me, and so I had $57 at the time, so I put that toward the trip, so I didn’t know if I was going to make it,” he said. “But once I started getting money and getting letters, I thought ok we’re making progress here.”

At first, Josh and Jordan were nervous about what would happen if Parker couldn’t raise all the money. They started coming up with contingency plans for making up the difference.

But once the word spread, the campaign gained some serious traction. The whole project became a lesson in gratitude and generosity for the Langdon family, Josh said.

“I was having a network meeting with another business man who’d never met Parker,” Josh said. “We were at lunch just talking about (the trip), and towards the end of lunch he just slid $200 in cash across the table and said, ‘Tell Parker to have a great time.’”

Josh said the people of their parish, Our Lady of Loretto in Aurora, Colo., including Knights of Columbus Council 12336 and the Men of Faith group, have been overwhelmingly supportive and generous.

Handwritten thank-you notes were sent to each donor, as well as a promise of gifts from the trip.

Once the funds were raised and the trip was a clear “go”, the Langdons began preparing in other ways.

Nine days before the trip, they began praying the Divine Mercy novena, and getting their packing lists together.

“Parker’s thinking about snacks, of course,” said Jordan, “He’s packing a backpack full of beef jerky.”

And his binoculars, for prime papal viewing.

They’ve also been preparing to travel with a group that’s quite a bit older.

“There’s one other family that has a few kids going, and then everyone else is quite a bit older,” Jordan said. “So Parker and I have been talking about preparing ourselves mentally for what that means to go on a pilgrimage with people that are older, and that we might have some sacrifices to make and help them along the way.”

During the trip, Jordan said she’s looking forward to seeing Pope Francis in person and to watching Parker’s reaction to seeing the Pope.

Parker said, besides the plane rides, he’s most excited for the Papal Mass and seeing Pope Francis in action.

“I really want to be the Pope someday, I kind of want to be a priest, so I thought maybe I could see him, see what kind of things he does.”

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Can a giant Pope Francis mural move the hearts of New Yorkers?

by María Ximena Rondón (CNA/EWTN News) • September 25, 2015

A giant mural of Pope Francis in New York City. (Van Hecht-Nielsen)

New York City, N.Y. — In the heart of Manhattan, a giant mural of Pope Francis looks out over New York City, smiling and waving. Its painter, Van Hecht-Nilsen, hopes the spectacular image will help people find happiness in God.

“I think that Pope Francis has an authentic love that can counter this false love our society lives,” Hecht-Nilsen said.

The artist worried that American society “has put Christianity aside.”

“I hope that people come out of the darkness and a least see the light and consider that God is real. The world in which they live has a false happiness without God,” he told CNA Sept. 9.

The mural is on a building at the corner of Eighth Avenue near Penn Station and Madison Square Garden, where the Pope will celebrate his only Mass in New York Sept. 25.

Hecht-Nilsen and three other painters used about 80 gallons of paint for the image on New York City’s 34th Street. The painting’s canvas: a building wall 223 feet tall and 99 feet wide.

The painter said it was a “great blessing” to work on the mural. He also sees it as an opportunity to offer his work to God. He prayed the rosary while painting 10 hours a day for 10 days. He didn’t even rest for weekends.

The painter, who is 41, usually lives in Loveland, Colo. with his wife and seven children. When he was hired to paint the mural, he left for New York. Although he had already painted several advertisements, this was his first religious mural.

He was born into a Lutheran family. He learned to paint at age 22 as an apprentice to another teacher. Some friends introduced him to a Catholic priest and he began to read about theology.

“I began to pray and speak especially with the Virgin Mary. Communion became the foundation of everything for me since I converted 10 years ago,” Hecht-Nilsen said.

He had great hopes for his work.

“I hope and pray that many people convert when they see the mural. I hope the city goes out a bit from its intoxication, and puts a little attention on God,” he said. He hoped people “will turn and will see the face of God through the Pope painted in the mural instead of making jokes or laughing at him.”

The painting team faced some problems painting the mural, like a temperature around 95 degrees. This made the picture dry quickly, but the heat wore out the painters.

Hecht-Nilsen said it was a challenge to paint the Pope’s face because it’s easily recognized.

“I had to make sure the features came out equal. I concentrated on the face while the others painted the hands and the lower part.”

The mural will stay up for six weeks.

“For me it was a great project and a great decision to paint this mural for the coming of the Pope,” Hecht-Nilsen said. “It’s a huge honor because this is one of the most cultural places in the United States. A lot of advertisements start here and then go outside of the country.”

He also reflected on the benefits for his team of painters.

“All of us came from different backgrounds and I think this was a great experience for the two painters who weren’t Catholic,” he said.

The mural was designed by Israel Ochoa, a member of the DeSales Media Group based in the Diocese of Brooklyn. The design is based on a photo of Pope Francis taken by photographer Giulio Napolitano.

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Performing for the Pope in Philly: A chat with some of the talent

by Adelaide Mena (CNA/EWTN News) • September 25, 2015

(Anna Omelchenko via shutterstock.com)

Philadelphia, PA — Musicians, comedians, performers and artists from the around the world are eager to reinforce the message of the family and God’s love – as well as to perform for Pope Francis.

“We are not worthy to enter under @Pontifex’s roof but trusts he has the word for healing!” Jeannie Gaffigan, wife of Jim Gaffigan, mother of five, and and executive producer of the Jim Gaffigan Show, tweeted to CNA.

Jim Gaffigan will be performing his comedy act for Pope Francis on Saturday, Sept. 26 during the Festival of Families, before a prayer vigil at the World Meeting of Families. Joining Gaffigan and host Mark Wahlberg will be soul musician Arethra Franklin, popular American rock band “The Fray,” Colombian rock star Juanes, Italian opera singer Andrea Bochelli, contemporary Christian artist Matt Maher, the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, and over a dozen other performers.

Marie Miller, a popular folk artist as well as a Catholic explained that when she initially sought to attend the World Meeting of Families, she was trying to go as a pilgrim, not as a performer, she told CNA. After calling the archdiocese to ask about tickets, “They called me up and said ‘hey do you want to sing for Pope Francis?’ and I said ‘Sure!’”

“It really was a miracle. I was looking for confirmation that I was doing the right thing, and that definitely felt like one,” she added.

When she performs for Pope Francis, she will play some of her own songs as well as traditional bluegrass and gospel songs, in order to introduce him to “a taste of American music” not heard elsewhere in the world.

Miller said that as a Catholic, she views this and all of her performances as a chance for evangelization. Even when singing songs about friendship and love, she explained, “it reminds me that underlying that all the time, it reminds me that my call is to bring people closer to God through beauty.”

Joni Sledge, a member of the disco musical group Sister Sledge (composed of three sisters) told CNA that it is “an absolute honour to have been invited to perform for Pope Francis.”

“We have tremendous respect and admiration for Pope Francis’s bold and generous expression of God’s love for all people.

Some of the group’s hits, such as “We Are Family,” Sledge continued, as well as the fact that they are a family as well as a musical group, also reinforce the message of the World Meeting of Families.

“Moreover, through life experience we have come to realize that we are ‘all’ family,” Sledge added.

“Together we must stand in unity as sisters and brothers for the betterment of humankind. Every woman, man and child has the right to receive God’s love. We look forward to doing what we do best on the 26th September in the presence of Pope Francis uniting and rejoicing families the world over.”

Matthew Hadro contributed to this report.

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FEATURES

Pope Francis: Missionary of Mercy and Peace

by Sr. Joan L. Roccasalvo, C.S.J. • September 23, 2015

The warm familial approach of Pope Francis imitates the way Jesus was present to others. The early disciples followed Jesus because he spoke the truth with mercy, a message of compelling beauty. They followed Jesus because he went about performing deeds of mercy while offering a message of compelling beauty. His disciples were willing to die for him and his message.

This week Pope Francis will experience the eagerness of public figures who will jockey with others for a place near him, if only for a few minutes. They will see the greatest moral leader in the world today speak of this world gone mad, engulfed in violence, rancor, and bloodshed. He comes as a missionary of mercy and peace.

The Orchestral Conductor Compared to the Roman Pontiff

A symphony orchestra is made distinctive by its conductor, who, though part of the orchestra, acts primarily as its public face and official spokesperson. As the symbol of the orchestra’s structure and stability, conductors lead, direct, govern, and coordinate the orchestra. The conductor functions like a director of traffic and learns the entire map of the musical highway. The orchestra looks to the maestro for direction to make beautiful music.

In the final analysis, all breathe together as one with the maestro’s interpretation as the final word. The conductor leaves his imprint on the orchestra’s reputation thus separating his orchestra from all others.

Can a Symphony Orchestra Die?

The mission of the symphony orchestra is to uplift its audience and inspire it by the beauty of its musical expression. If a sluggish, off-key orchestra ceases to play beautifully, it dies because it has failed to fulfill its mission.

The Church’s Maestro

Like his predecessors, Pope Francis is to the Universal Church what a maestro is to a symphony orchestra. As the visible head of the Body of Christ, the Pope governs with his bishops.

Instead of speaking out about difficult social and doctrinal issues, Pope Francis prefers a pastoral emphasis that places compassion before judgment. Though he has a global reputation for speaking bluntly, there is neither edge nor rancor in his words. His emphasis is on yes instead of no, do rather than don’t, honey, not vinegar. His message for the whole world is simple: ‘God loves you. Love others by performing the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. God forgives you. Return home to God.’ This hopeful and attractive message has not escaped the satirist Jon Stewart who is quoted as saying: “I’m converting. I love this guy.”

According to reports in the Washington Post, while most Americans admire Pope Francis, the same cannot be said of the Church. Catholics note the stark difference in style between Francis and other clergymen. Scandals have given the Church bad press, so bad in fact that, to this day, they remain burning issues for the secular media.

The analogy of maestro to the Roman Pontiff is important. There are millions of former and disaffected Catholics across this country. “The Francis effect” will do much to restore the Church so that it uplifts, inspires, and attracts.

Can the Church Die?

Can the Church die from within or be destroyed from without? Jesus assured Peter, the rock on which he built the Church, that the powers of death would not prevail against it (Mt 16:18). Still, the human element can turn it into a lifeless and introverted entity.

Ours is a beautiful Church that assures eternal happiness. Catholicism that becomes deformed and disfigured can only risk more defections, weaken the Church from within, and invite ridicule. The Church’s mission then is to draw others by proclaiming its truth and goodness with mercy, active compassion — and to do so beautifully.

Sr. Joan L. Roccasalvo, a member of the Congregation of St. Joseph, Brentwood, NY, holds degrees in philosophy (Ph.L.), musicology (Ph.D.), theology (M.A.), and liturgical studies (Ph.D.). She has taught at all levels of Catholic education and writes with a particular focus on a theology of beauty and the sacred arts. Her e-mail address is jroccasalvo@optonline.net.

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FEATURES

Our Missionary Pope Named Francis and Political Piracy

by Deacon Keith Fournier • September 24, 2015

The word pirate calls to mind images from movies or books which often romanticized them. However, they were plunderers who robbed ships at sea for nefarious purposes. I suggest that an historic event is being plundered by some political pirates, the first address given by a Pope to a joint session of congress in the history of the United States.

The address was the last in a series of addresses and sermons given by this missionary pope in Washington, D.C. The real message could easily be lost if one listens to what I am calling the pirates - or some of the pundits who do their bidding. As Francis continues his apostolic mission, I recommend the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) and Catholic News Agency (CNA) to those who want an accurate presentation.

Washington, D.C. is captivated by partisan political “gotcha games” which are all too often played by those on both the political “left” and the political “right”. Coverage of this Pope from Argentina needs a context.

He has never been to the United States and his visit here was not for political purposes. He is the Bishop of Rome. In the eyes of faithful Catholic Christians, he is the successor of the Apostle Peter. The Church is a ship he is entrusted to serve, with Jesus Christ at the helm.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church with reference to St. Augustine, explains,

“To reunite all his children, scattered and led astray by sin, the Father willed to call the whole of humanity together into his Son’s Church. The Church is the place where humanity must rediscover its unity and salvation. The Church is “the world reconciled.” She is that bark which “in the full sail of the Lord’s cross, by the breath of the Holy Spirit, navigates safely in this world.” According to another image dear to the Church Fathers, she is prefigured by Noah’s ark, which alone saves from the flood.” (CCC #845)

In his message to the Catholic Bishops of the United States given on Wednesday, Francis referred to “the apostolic mission which has brought me to your country.” The message reminded me of St. Augustine’s addresses to his brother Bishops which we recently read in the Office of Readings for the Liturgy of the Hours.

It was a clear presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, replete with beautiful insights from the sacred scripture, pastoral encouragement and sobering cautions. Any Christian leader, of any Christian tradition faithful to the Gospel, would find it inspiring as an explanation of the call of Christian leadership. That was the proper forum for such a message.

The homily given at Catholic University at the first canonization of a saint in the United States, Fr. Junipero Serra, was stolen by some pirates who then used it as a platform for a contrived narrative of racial insensitivity toward Native Americans. In fact, now St. Serra, was a friend of the Native Americans and a tremendous hero to many precisely because of his conformity to Jesus Christ and bold willingness to preach the liberating Gospel message to all men and women.

In that powerful message, Francis called all Christians to engage in a new missionary age noting: “A Christian finds joy in mission: Go out to people of every nation! A Christian experiences joy in following a command: Go forth and proclaim the good news!” A Christian finds ever new joy in answering a call: Go forth and anoint! So let us go out, let us go forth to offer everyone the life of Jesus Christ.”

However, it is the message given to the joint session of Congress which is suffering the most at the hands of those who wish to use this Pope for their own political ends. Francis is not at ease in speaking English, so his halting delivery further detracted from the content. The speech in its entirety can be read here.

Using four Americans, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr, Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton, as a “lens” or “way of seeing or interpreting” reality, he spoke to politicians. He challenged them to understand their role in serving the real common good.

It was an expansive address. Francis called them to recognize the dignity of every human life at every stage of life; the threats to the fundamental relationships within the family; the obligations of solidarity as properly discharged through the principle of subsidiarity; environmental stewardship and the necessity of pursuing authentic peace.

As someone who has dedicated my entire adult life to ending the intrinsic evil of legalized abortion on demand, I would have hoped for more, especially on the heels of the extraordinary expose of the utter barbarism and evil of Planned Parenthood in selling baby body parts. In the hierarchy of values, the immediacy and urgency of this evil cries out!

However, the political pirates seized on the fact that Francis shared his sincere opposition to capital punishment. They immediately spun it as “left leaning”. There is nothing new in this opposition. However, it is important to note that the contemporary approach to opposing the death penalty is predicated upon a different moral ground than opposition to abortion.

In other times in his story, and in other circumstances, the Catholic Church did not oppose the death penalty. It was supported as within the purview of the jurisdiction of State. Arguably, with the rise of the evils of extremist jihadism in some nations, one could hypothetically foresee its use as once again necessitated in some places to protect the common good.

However, procured abortion is intrinsically evil, always and everywhere wrong, because it is the taking of innocent defenseless life. The contemporary approach of opposing the death penalty emphasizes it is no longer necessary and bloodless means of punishment are readily available. In fact, the Catechism was amended to emphasize that the use of “capital punishment” adds to the growth of what St. John Paul II labeled the “Culture of Death.”

The Catechism emphasizes, “If bloodless means are sufficient to defend human lives against an aggressor and to protect public order and the safety of persons, public authority should limit itself to such means, because they better correspond to the concrete conditions of the common good and are more in conformity with the dignity of the human person” (CCC, n. 2267).

Some of the disappointed responses to the messages Francis gave in Washington, D.C. are understandable concerns being raised by sincere men and women who wish he was much clearer in opposing the evil of abortion, defending marriage and the family, and respecting the contributions of a market economy.

However, I am suggesting that some of the opposition is a form of political piracy. It is coming from some within both the political left and right. Francis is neither left nor right - he is Catholic. The social teaching of the Catholic Church must be viewed as a whole. The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church compiles it in one place.

The dignity of every human life is not simply a political issue but the lens through which every political, economic, international and social issue is to be viewed. Every single person has human dignity precisely because they are created in the Image of God, whether they are still in the womb, a wheelchair, a soup kitchen, a hospice, or a prison cell. The reason we care about the poor, in all of their manifestations, is because of that human dignity.

Pope Francis told his brother Bishops in his Wednesday address, “I appreciate the unfailing commitment of the Church in America to the cause of life and that of the family, which is the primary reason for my present visit.” After New York City, he will travel to Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families. Stay tuned, there is more controversy to come and there will be other pirates seeking to plunder his messages on marriage and the family.

The truth about marriage as solely possible between one man and one woman, intended for life, and open to the gift of children is affirmed by the Catholic Church as objectively true. No-one can redefine this objective truth. It is revealed by the Natural moral law and serves the real common good. Pope Francis will stand up for this truth and against the growing assault on marriage and the family. If you think his messages have been controversial so far, I sense there is much more ahead.

Deacon Keith A. Fournier is Founder and Chairman of Common Good Foundation and Alliance. A member of the clergy, a Roman Catholic Deacon, he is also a constitutional/human rights lawyer and public policy advocate who served as the first and founding Executive Director of the American Center for Law and Justice in the nineteen nineties. He has long been active at the intersection of faith, values, and culture and currently serves as Special Counsel to Liberty Counsel. Deacon Fournier is also a Senior Contributing Writer for THE STREAM.

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SUNDAY • SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

First Reading (Nm 11:25-29; NRSVCE)

The Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again.

Two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the spirit rested on them; they were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, “My lord Moses, stop them!” But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!”

Second Reading (Jas 5:1-6; NRSVCE)

Come now, you rich people, weep and wail for the miseries that are coming to you. Your riches have rotted, and your clothes are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have rusted, and their rust will be evidence against you, and it will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure for the last days. Listen! The wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous one, who does not resist you.

Gospel Reading (Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48; NRSVCE)

John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.

“If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.”

MONDAY • SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

Monday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time

First Reading (Zec 8:1-8; NRSVCE)

The word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. Thus says the Lord: I will return to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts shall be called the holy mountain. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of their great age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Even though it seems impossible to the remnant of this people in these days, should it also seem impossible to me, says the Lord of hosts? Thus says the Lord of hosts: I will save my people from the east country and from the west country; and I will bring them to live in Jerusalem. They shall be my people and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.

Gospel Reading (Lk 9:46-50; NRSVCE)

An argument arose among the disciples as to which one of them was the greatest. But Jesus, aware of their inner thoughts, took a little child and put it by his side, and said to them, “Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me; for the least among all of you is the greatest.”

John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.” But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him; for whoever is not against you is for you.”

TUESDAY • SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael

First Reading (Rv 12:7-12ab; NRSVCE)

War broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world — he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, proclaiming,

“Now have come the salvation and the power

and the kingdom of our God

and the authority of his Messiah,

for the accuser of our comrades has been thrown down,

who accuses them day and night before our God.

But they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb

and by the word of their testimony,

for they did not cling to life even in the face of death.

Rejoice then, you heavens

and those who dwell in them!”

Gospel Reading (Jn 1:47-51; NRSVCE)

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

WEDNESDAY • SEPTEMBER 30, 2015

Memorial of Saint Jerome

First Reading (Neh 2:1-8; NRSVCE)

In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was served him, I carried the wine and gave it to the king. Now, I had never been sad in his presence before. So the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This can only be sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid. I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my ancestors’ graves, lies waste, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” Then the king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. Then I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor with you, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my ancestors’ graves, so that I may rebuild it.” The king said to me (the queen also was sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I set him a date. Then I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may grant me passage until I arrive in Judah; and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, directing him to give me timber to make beams for the gates of the temple fortress, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the gracious hand of my God was upon me.

Gospel Reading (Lk 9:57-62; NRSVCE)

As Jesus and his disciples were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

THURSDAY • OCTOBER 1, 2015

Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus

First Reading (Neh 8:1-4a, 5-6, 7b-12; NRSVCE)

All the people gathered together into the square before the Water Gate. They told the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had given to Israel. Accordingly, the priest Ezra brought the law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could hear with understanding. This was on the first day of the seventh month. He read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law. The scribe Ezra stood on a wooden platform that had been made for the purpose. He opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. Then they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. While the people remained in their places, they read from the book, from the law of God, with interpretation. They gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.

And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.

Gospel Reading (Lk 10:1-12; NRSVCE)

Jesus appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.”

FRIDAY • OCTOBER 2, 2015

Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels

First Reading (Bar 1:15-22; NRSVCE)

The exiles in Babylon shall say: The Lord our God is in the right, but there is open shame on us today, on the people of Judah, on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and on our kings, our rulers, our priests, our prophets, and our ancestors, because we have sinned before the Lord. We have disobeyed him, and have not heeded the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in the statutes of the Lord that he set before us. From the time when the Lord brought our ancestors out of the land of Egypt until today, we have been disobedient to the Lord our God, and we have been negligent, in not heeding his voice. So to this day there have clung to us the calamities and the curse that the Lord declared through his servant Moses at the time when he brought our ancestors out of the land of Egypt to give to us a land flowing with milk and honey. We did not listen to the voice of the Lord our God in all the words of the prophets whom he sent to us, but all of us followed the intent of our own wicked hearts by serving other gods and doing what is evil in the sight of the Lord our God.

Gospel Reading (Mt 18:1-5, 10; NRSVCE)

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

“Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven.”

SATURDAY • OCTOBER 3, 2015

Saturday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time

First Reading (Bar 4:5-12, 27-29; NRSVCE)

Take courage, my people,

who perpetuate Israel’s name!

It was not for destruction

that you were sold to the nations,

but you were handed over to your enemies

because you angered God.

For you provoked the one who made you

by sacrificing to demons and not to God.

You forgot the everlasting God, who brought you up,

and you grieved Jerusalem, who reared you.

For she saw the wrath that came upon you from God,

and she said:

Listen, you neighbors of Zion,

God has brought great sorrow upon me;

for I have seen the exile of my sons and daughters,

which the Everlasting brought upon them.

With joy I nurtured them,

but I sent them away with weeping and sorrow.

Let no one rejoice over me, a widow

and bereaved of many;

I was left desolate because of the sins of my children,

because they turned away from the law of God.

Take courage, my children, and cry to God,

for you will be remembered by the one who brought this upon you.

For just as you were disposed to go astray from God,

return with tenfold zeal to seek him.

For the one who brought these calamities upon you

will bring you everlasting joy with your salvation.

Gospel Reading (Lk 10:17-24; NRSVCE)

The seventy returned with joy, saying to Jesus, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

At that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

Then turning to the disciples, Jesus said to them privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”