september 2013 - abbey

1. Pope appoints Archbishop Pietro Parolin as new Vatican Secretary of State

In the most significant appointment of his 5-month old pontificate yet, Pope Francis on Saturday August 31, named a new Vatican Secretary of State. The Pontiff, who was elected on March 13, nominated Italian Archbishop Pietro Parolin (Pictured left) to the post equivalent to prime minister and traditionally the most important figure in the Vatican after the Pope himself. The Vatican announced that 58-year-old Archbishop Parolin will take over from Cardinal Tarciscio Bertone, (Pictured below right) who is stepping down, having reached the retirement age of 75 three years ago. However, Cardinal Bertone, who has been in the job since Sept. 15, 2006, will remain in charge until Oct 15 when the new Secretary of State will take over. On that occasion the Pope will receive the heads and officials of the Secretariat of State to publicly thank Cardinal Bertone for his faithful and generous service to the Holy See, and to present them the new Secretary of State.
Archbishop Parolin was born on Jun. 17, 1955 in Schiavon, Italy, and was ordained priest for Vicenza Diocese on Apr. 27, 1980. With a degree in Canon Law, he entered the Holy See’s diplomatic mission in July, 1986, and served in Nigeria, Mexico and in the Section for Relations with States of the Vatican Secretariat of State, where he was appointed Undersecretary on Nov. 30, 2002. On Aug. 17, 2009, he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Venezuela as well as archbishop. Pope Benedict XVI consecrated him bishop on Sept. 12, 2009. Archbishop Pietro Parolin speaks French, English and Spanish besides his native Italian.

Although the pope is the head of Vatican City State, the Secretary of State generally functions as the Vatican’s head of government, both for internal church affairs and for diplomatic relations, making him, effectively, the prime minister. Along with the appointment of Archbishop Pietro Parolin, Pope Francis has confirmed several others at the Secretariat of State in their respective posts. They are Archbishop Giovanni Angelo Becciu, the Substitute for General Affairs; Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Secretary for Relations with States; Archbishop Georg Gänswein, the Prefect of the Pontifical Household, Msgr. Peter Wells, the Assessor for General Affairs; and Msgr. Antoine Camilleri, Under-secretary for Relations with States.

2. Pope Francis at Angelus: Sept 7 day of prayer for peace

Pope Francis on Sunday September 1, invited people of all faiths to join him and the world's Catholics in a day of prayer and fasting on Sept. 7 to end the conflict in Syria. Addressing tens of thousands of people in Rome’s St. Peter's Square, prior to the midday ‘Angelus’ prayer, he issued a long, impassioned appeal for peace in Syria and across the Middle East, saying God and history would be the judge of those who promote violence or prevent peace. “Today, I would like to voice the cry which rises up with increasing anguish from every part of the world, from every people, from the heart of each person, from the one great family which is humanity,” the Pope said. “It is the cry for peace! It is a cry which declares with force: we want a peaceful world, we want to be men and women of peace, and we want in our society, torn apart by divisions and conflict, that peace break out!” “War never again! Never again war! Peace is a precious gift, which must be promoted and protected,” the Pope urged. He also vehemently condemned the use of chemical weapons on civilians in Damascus. The United States and France are pressing for military action against the regime of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in response to the chemical attack but Francis urged the international community to make every effort to bring about peace based on "dialogue and negotiations". "Violence never leads to peace, war leads to war, violence leads to violence," he said. Pope Francis invited Catholics, other Christians, those of other faiths and non-believers who are `'men of good will'' to join him Saturday evening, 7 pm until midnight, in St. Peter's Square to invoke the `'gift'' of peace for Syria, the rest of the Middle East and worldwide where there is conflict. ``The world needs to see gestures of peace and hear words of hope and of peace,'' the Pope said. The Holy Father followed up his Sunday appeal with a tweet on Monday on the same theme: “We want a peaceful world, we want to be men and women of peace.”

Below is the full text of the Pope’s peace appeal during Sunday’s ‘Angelus’ prayer:

Hello! Today, dear brothers and sisters,
I wish to make add my voice to the cry which rises up with increasing anguish from every part of the world, from every people, from the heart of each person, from the one great family which is humanity: it is the cry for peace! It is a cry which declares with force: we want a peaceful world, we want to be men and women of peace, and we want in our society, torn apart by divisions and conflict, that peace break out! War never again! Never again war! Peace is a precious gift, which must be promoted and protected.

There are so many conflicts in this world which cause me great suffering and worry, but in these days my heart is deeply wounded in particular by what is happening in Syria and anguished by the dramatic developments which are looming. I appeal strongly for peace, an appeal which arises from the deep within me. How much suffering, how much devastation, how much pain has the use of arms carried in its wake in that martyred country, especially among civilians and the unarmed! I think of many children will not see the light of the future! With utmost firmness I condemn the use of chemical weapons: I tell you that those terrible images from recent days are burned into my mind and heart. There is a judgment of God and of history upon our actions which are inescapable! Never has the use of violence brought peace in its wake. War begets war, violence begets violence.

With all my strength, I ask each party in this conflict to listen to the voice of their own conscience, not to close themselves in solely on their own interests, but rather to look at each other as brothers and decisively and courageously to follow the path of encounter and negotiation, and so overcome blind conflict. With similar vigour I exhort the international community to make every effort to promote clear proposals for peace in that country without further delay, a peace based on dialogue and negotiation, for the good of the entire Syrian people. May no effort be spared in guaranteeing humanitarian assistance to those wounded by this terrible conflict, in particular those forced to flee and the many refugees in nearby countries. May humanitarian workers, charged with the task of alleviating the sufferings of these people, be granted access so as to provide the necessary aid.

What can we do to make peace in the world? As Pope John said, it pertains to each individual to establish new relationships in human society under the mastery and guidance of justice and love (cf. John XXIII, Pacem in Terris, [11 April 1963]: AAS 55, [1963], 301-302). All men and women of good will are bound by the task of pursuing peace. I make a forceful and urgent call to the entire Catholic Church, and also to every Christian of other confessions, as well as to followers of every religion and to those brothers and sisters who do not believe: peace is a good which overcomes every barrier, because it belongs all of humanity!

I repeat forcefully: it is neither a culture of confrontation nor a culture of conflict which builds harmony within and between peoples, but rather a culture of encounter and a culture of dialogue; this is the only way to peace. May the plea for peace rise up and touch the heart of everyone so that they may lay down their weapons and be let themselves be led by the desire for peace.

To this end, brothers and sisters, I have decided to proclaim for the whole Church on 7 September next, the vigil of the birth of Mary, Queen of Peace, a day of fasting and prayer for peace in Syria, the Middle East, and throughout the world, and I also invite each person, including our fellow Christians, followers of other religions and all men of good will, to participate, in whatever way they can, in this initiative. On 7 September, in Saint Peter’s Square, here, from 19:00 until 24:00, we will gather in prayer and in a spirit of penance, invoking God’s great gift of peace upon the beloved nation of Syria and upon each situation of conflict and violence around the world. Humanity needs to see these gestures of peace and to hear words of hope and peace! I ask all the local churches, in addition to fasting, that they gather to pray for this intention.
Let us ask Mary to help us to respond to violence, to conflict and to war, with the power of dialogue, reconciliation and love. She is our mother: may she help us to find peace; all of us are her children! Help us, Mary, to overcome this most difficult moment and to dedicate ourselves each day to building in every situation an authentic culture of encounter and peace. Mat, Queen of Peace, pray for us!

3. Pope’s condolence on death of Zambia’s first cardinal

Pope Francis expressed deep sadness on Friday August 30, on hearing about the death of Zambia first Cardinal, Medardo Joseph Mazombwe. The 81-year old retired Archbishop of Lusaka died on Thursday evening at Lusaka’s University Teaching Hospital. In a condolence message to Archbishop Telesphore George Mpundu of Lusaka, the Pope wrote, “With gratitude to Almighty God, I recall his unfailing commitment to the spread of the Gospel in Africa and his tireless efforts on behalf of the poor.” The Holy Father said he was joining all those mourning the late cardinal “in praying that God the Father of mercies may grant him the reward of his labours and welcome his noble soul into the peace and joy of heaven.”
Cardinal Mazombwe was formerly a member of the Vatican Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and of the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum”. Cardinal Mazombwe was born on 24 Sep 1931 at Katete in the Eastern Province of Zambia. He was ordained a priest on 4 September 1960 and became Bishop of Chipata on 7 Feb 1971. Since 1996 he had been the Archbishop of Lusaka until his retirement in 2006. When Pope Benedict XVI made him a cardinal in the consistory of November 30, 2010, Cardinal Mazombwe became Zambia’s first indigenous cardinal. With his death the number of cardinals in the world now stands at 201, of whom 112 are below the age of 80 and hence are eligible to vote for a new pope in case of a conclave.

4. Pope delegates cardinal to centenary of Tokyo’s Sophia University

Pope Francis on Saturday August 31, appointed Italian Cardinal Raffaele Farina as his special representative to the 100 years’ celebration of Japan’s eminent Sophia University in Tokyo, run by the Society of Jesus or Jesuits. The celebration is scheduled for November 1. Preparations for the actual foundation of the university began in 1908, when three Jesuit priests arrived in Japan in response to a request from Pope Pius X. Five years later, in 1913, they opened the first Catholic university in Japan on the site called Kioi, where Sophia still stands. With Fr. Hermann Hoffmann as its first president, the new university included departments of philosophy, German literature, and commerce. The ultimate origin of Sophia University can be traced back to the plans of the Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier, who came to Japan in 1549 to spread Christianity.



5. Pope sends blessing to “Month of Martyrs” in Seoul

Pope Francis has sent his blessings to the month-long commemoration of Korean martyrs, that the Catholics of the Archdiocese of Seoul, South Korea, will be observing during September.
In a message sent on the Pope’s behalf to Archbishop Andrew Yeom Soo-jung of Seoul, Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone wrote saying the Holy Father hopes that “the commemoration will rekindle the faith of Christians and commit themselves more fully to the urgent task of evangelization.” The “Month of Martyrs”, centred around the feast of Korean martyrs on Sept. 20, is part of the celebration of the current Year of Faith by churches around the world. “His Holiness trusts that all who participate in pilgrimages during this month, aided by the prayers and example of the martyrs, will deepen their communion with the Lord Jesus Christ who laid down his life that we might share in the inestimable gift of eternal life,”

Cardinal Bertone wrote. “He prays that this occasion may be an opportunity for pilgrims to rekindle the faith in their hearts and so commit themselves more fully to the urgent task of evangelization,” the cardinal wrote. The Korean Martyrs were the victims of religious persecution during the 18th and 19th centuries in Korea, mostly lay people. At least 8,000 Catholics were killed for their faith in the persecutions, 103 of whom were canonized by Pope John Paul II, May 6, 1984, in Seoul.
Seoul's ‘Month of Martyrs’ was inaugurated on Monday, Sept. 2, at Myeongdong Cathedral. The archdiocese has prepared the so-called “martyrs routes”, which are pilgrimage routes linking the holy sites of the Korean Church with churches erected in memory of the martyrs of Seoul. Archbishop Andrew has proclaimed September as the “Month of Martyrs” to help educate the faithful about their forebears who gave their lives for their faith in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The prelate noted that many historical sites are unknown to the people of the city. “Sadly but true,” he said, “there is nothing but a monument in the largest shrine dedicated to our martyrs.” “However, through the ‘Month of Martyrs’ and the pilgrimage, we want Koreans to learn the stories of those who sacrificed their life for their faith,” he added.