october 2013 - abbey

1. The new Vatican media in Pope Francis' time
“More than 9,300,000 followers and, thanks to re-tweets, at least 60,000 million people on their smartphones and tablets are reached by the Holy Father’s tweets”; as well as the “10,260,000 people every month who visit our pages in the various languages through the portal www.news.va via Facebook”, said Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications. These are Pope Francis’ record statistics on social networks of the first six months of his pontificate; a media success of which “few other global leaders can boast”, added the Archbishop. Archbishop Celli revealed these statistics in an interview with Vatican’s newspaper L’Osservatore Romano on Wednesday, September 19, on the eve of the Pontifical Council’s Plenary Assembly.
The annual plenary assembly on Thursday morning focused on the priorities of Church communicating the Gospel through social networks. Members and consulters from around the world took part in the three day meeting which concluded with a meeting with Pope Francis on Saturday morning.
When asked about what innovations has Pope Francis’ style introduced in the world of the Vatican media, Archbishop Celli said that the major innovation consists in Pope’s ability to make himself understood by people of every origin. This is the main lesson we have sought to apply to our way of functioning.
The Archbishop said that Bergoglio’s style of communication can be summed up in four clearly defined characteristics. First, he uses a simple, direct, colloquial language, a language that people today understand perfectly. Second, he has a content that poses questions to people’s consciences and hearts, responding to human suffering and the human yearning for inner seeking, for the Pope knows what man’s human heart contains. This also explains his success with non-believers, with the people from other religions and with very many distant Christians. The third element is the way he gestures. Pope Francis does not only say certain things, he makes gestures that are able to convey this human richness, bound coactively to a profound spirituality. Lastly he also knows how to spark the human imagination and sensitivity through recourse to figurative language. Such as, for example, when he uses colourful expressions which communicate more than the words actually say, using simple sentences to express even difficult concepts. Who could forget his appeal to priests and bishops to acquire the “smell of their sheep”?

(Source: L’Osservatore Romano)


2. Pope Francis writes letter to President Putin of Russia ahead of G20 summit

Pope Francis wrote a letter to President Vladimir Putin of Russia as he prepared to host this year's G20 summit in St. Petersburg. Below is the full text of the Pope's letter to President Putin.

To His Excellency
Mr Vladimir Putin
President of the Russian Federation

"In the course of this year, you have the honour and the responsibility of presiding over the Group of the twenty largest economies in the world. I am aware that the Russian Federation has participated in this group from the moment of its inception and has always had a positive role to play in the promotion of good governance of the world’s finances, which have been deeply affected by the crisis of 2008.
In today’s highly interdependent context, a global financial framework with its own just and clear rules is required in order to achieve a more equitable and fraternal world, in which it is possible to overcome hunger, ensure decent employment and housing for all, as well as essential healthcare. Your presidency of the G20 this year has committed itself to consolidating the reform of the international financial organizations and to achieving a consensus on financial standards suited to today’s circumstances. However, the world economy will only develop if it allows a dignified way of life for all human beings, from the eldest to the unborn child, not just for citizens of the G20 member states but for every inhabitant of the earth, even those in extreme social situations or in the remotest places.

From this standpoint, it is clear that, for the world’s peoples, armed conflicts are always a deliberate negation of international harmony, and create profound divisions and deep wounds which require many years to heal. Wars are a concrete refusal to pursue the great economic and social goals that the international community has set itself, as seen, for example, in the Millennium Development Goals. Unfortunately, the many armed conflicts which continue to afflict the world today present us daily with dramatic images of misery, hunger, illness and death. Without peace, there can be no form of economic development. Violence never begets peace, the necessary condition for development.

The meeting of the Heads of State and Government of the twenty most powerful economies, with two-thirds of the world’s population and ninety per cent of global GDP, does not have international security as its principal purpose. Nevertheless, the meeting will surely not forget the situation in the Middle East and particularly in Syria. It is regrettable that, from the very beginning of the conflict in Syria, one-sided interests have prevailed and in fact hindered the search for a solution that would have avoided the senseless massacre now unfolding. The leaders of the G20 cannot remain indifferent to the dramatic situation of the beloved Syrian people which has lasted far too long, and even risks bringing greater suffering to a region bitterly tested by strife and needful of peace. To the leaders present, to each and every one, I make a heartfelt appeal for them to help find ways to overcome the conflicting positions and to lay aside the futile pursuit of a military solution. Rather, let there be a renewed commitment to seek, with courage and determination, a peaceful solution through dialogue and negotiation of the parties, unanimously supported by the international community. Moreover, all governments have the moral duty to do everything possible to ensure humanitarian assistance to those suffering because of the conflict, both within and beyond the country’s borders.
Mr President, in the hope that these thoughts may be a valid spiritual contribution to your meeting, I pray for the successful outcome of the G20’s work on this occasion. I invoke an abundance of blessings upon the Summit in Saint Petersburg, upon the participants and the citizens of the member states, and upon the work and efforts of the 2013 Russian Presidency of the G20.
While requesting your prayers, I take this opportunity to assure you, Mr President, of my highest consideration."

From the Vatican, 4 September 2013
(Signed)
Francis

3. Pope visits refugee soup kitchen, calls society to examination of conscience

Pope Francis on Tuesday, Sept 10, called diversity a ‘gift’ and differences among people of diverse race, origin or religion a ‘richness to welcome, not fear.’ During a private visit to a Rome soup kitchen and shelter run by the Jesuit Refugee Services, the Centro Astalli, Pope Francis thanked the staff and volunteers for their generosity and time in helping the some 21,000 refugees who pass through their doors each year, and for “recognizing them as people,” and working “to find concrete answers to their needs.”

In Rome, JRS runs three shelters, an Italian language school, and a health facility which provides special attention for victims of torture, and legal counseling services. The Pope said Rome, “our city” is often the second stop for many refugees who first make their way to the island of Lampedusa at Italy’s southern most tip. The Pope described their passage from North Africa as “difficult and exhausting” and said he thinks “above all about the women, the mothers who endure these hardships in order to ensure a future for their children… and a different life for themselves and their families.”
“How many times,” he wondered, “have many people with '(under) international protection’ written on their sojourn permits - here and in other places - been forced to live in impoverished conditions, at times degrading, without the possibility of beginning a dignified life, to think about a new future!”
Reflecting on the components of Jesuit mission, Pope Francis said to “Serve” means “welcoming the person who arrives, with care; it means "bending over” those in need and "offering a hand” without “calculations,” or fear, but with tenderness and understanding.
Another part of mission, “Solidarity,” he said, is a word that generates “fear (in) the developed world.” A word that people are loathe to say, as if it were ‘a bad word. But it is our word,’ he emphasized.

Then, the Pope asked that his visit reach out to all the people living in the Rome diocese and he asked them to reflect on how they have responded to Christ’s call to serve others in need: do you look into the eyes of those who seek justice or do you turn away?
“Accompaniment,” the third part of mission, the Pope said, means not simply providing charity, like giving a sandwich to a poor man. Rather, it means helping him get back on his feet.
Real mercy, Francis said, demands justice and demands that “the Church, the city of Rome and institutions ensure that no one ever has to go to a soup kitchen, shelter or seek legal assistance to recognize his right to live and work and fully be a person.” Integration in society, he stressed, is “also a right.” He underscored that defense of the dignity and rights of the underprivileged is an essential part of the Church’s mission.

He also called on religious sisters whose convents are “empty” to “generously” and “courageously” open them to refugees, observing that the Church does not need “empty convents to be transformed into hotels (to) earn money.”

4. Pope hears officials' input on reforming Vatican bureaucracy

Pope Francis met with Vatican officials on Tuesday, September10, to hear their questions and suggestions about his ongoing reform of the Vatican bureaucracy. Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, said the meeting lasted nearly three hours and, except for a brief greeting by the pope, was devoted to remarks by the other participants.
About 30 people attended, almost all of them heads of the major Vatican offices, joined by Cardinal Giuseppe Bertello, president of the commission governing Vatican City State, and Cardinal Agostino Vallini, vicar general of Rome. Also present was Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, secretary of the College of Cardinals. Father Lombardi declined to comment on the content of the discussions but described the meeting as an opportunity for the pope to hear the "considerations and advice" of his closest collaborators in Rome, as part of the reform process recommended by the cardinals who elected Pope Francis. That reform process "will soon have another important moment with the reunion of the Group of Eight cardinals" Oct. 1-3, Father Lombardi noted.

Pope Francis established the so-called G-8, which includes Boston Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley and Sydney Cardinal George Pell, in April, giving it a mandate to advise him in the "government of the universal church" and his reform of the Roman Curia, the church's central administration at the Vatican.
Pope Francis has said that the cardinals who elected him called for the pope to consult more with other bishops on matters of governance, including reform of Vatican finances. The pope has also acknowledged the indications of corruption and mismanagement documented in the "VatiLeaks" of confidential correspondence in 2012.

5. Liturgical Schedule of Pope Francis: October - November

The Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff has published the following calendar of liturgical celebrations over which the Holy Father will preside from October to November:
OCTOBER
Friday 4: Pastoral visit to Assisi.
Saturday 12: 5 p.m., Marian prayer in St. Peter's Square.
Sunday 13: Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time. At 10.30 a.m., Holy Mass in St. Peter's Square, on the occasion of the Marian Day.
Sunday 27: Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time. At 10.30 a.m., Holy Mass in St. Peter's Square, on the occasion of the Family Day.
NOVEMBER
Friday 1: Solemnity of All Saints. At 4 p.m. Holy Mass at the Cemetery of Verano.
Saturday 2: All Souls Day. At 6 p.m. in the Vatican Grottoes, a moment of prayer for deceased Supreme Pontiffs.
Monday 4: At 11.30 a.m. in the altar of the Cathedra in the Papal Chapel of the Vatican Basilica, Mass for the souls of cardinals and bishops who died during the year.
Sunday 24: Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe; at 10.30 a.m., in the Papal Chapel, St. Peter's Square, closing of the Year of Faith.

6. Pope Francis to Rome priests: "never settle for simple administration"

Even now that I am Pope, I feel a priest, said Pope Francis on Monday September 16, when he met for over two hours with priests from the Diocese of Rome. After the Vicar General of Rome, Cardinal Agostino Vallini welcomed him to the private meeting that took place in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, the Pope addressed the clergy and answered the many questions they put to him.
Speaking off the cuff to bishops, vicars, priests and deacons, Pope Francis said the Church needs “shepherds of the people, not clerics of the State”. Recalling a letter he had written to his priests when he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2008, the Pope said “a priest belongs to the people of God” and he reminded priests never to lose their identity which is in communion with the Holy Spirit, because without the Holy Spirit – he said - “we are in danger of losing our way in the understanding of faith”, and run the risk of ending up disoriented and self-centered.
Pope Francis told his fellow bishops that they ‘must always be close to their priests’, and to support them in times of difficulty and fatigue, eliciting thunderous applause from the priests. He invited them to be both pastors and zealous missionaries who live in constant yearning to go in search of the lost, never settling for simple administration. He called on his fellow priests never to be too lax or too severe, but to be merciful, taking care of the sinner and accompanying him on the journey of reconciliation.
Answering the first question, the Pope said that one should not "confuse creativity with doing something new." Creativity, he said, is "getting back on track because the Gospel is proclaimed," and this "is not easy." Creativity, he reiterated, "is not just to change things." It comes from the Spirit. The Pope then shared with them stories of priests who fostered creativity in pastoral care. He also severely criticized those who are more concerned with money for a certificate in the parish. He spoke of a priest who never asked money not even for Mass intentions, but kept a box there and received double the amount making him confess that the people are generous.
He acknowledged that there are some scandals in the Church but also a lot more of holiness adding that "holiness every day," hidden, "the holiness of so many mothers and many women, and men who work all day for the family." "I dare say that the Church has never been so good as today. The Church does not collapse I'm sure!"
Pope Francis concluded focusing his attention on family - in particular on the sensitive issue of nullity of marriages and second marriages. He acknowledged that it is a serious problem and "the responsibility of the Church towards families who live in this situation." He said it will be discussed in the next Synod of Bishops.
Finally, in an atmosphere of great cordiality, Francis Pope recalled that on September 21st he marks the 60th anniversary of his vocation to the priesthood.

7. Pope to new Bishops: Tend the flock of God

Pope Francis received new Bishops from around the world in audience September 19, in Rome. The audience marked the end of the annual Conference for New Bishops, which provides formation and orientation for men who have been elevated to the episcopate each year.

Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and Cardinal Leonardi Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches were also in attendance at the Conference, along with Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the Archbishop of Manila.

In his address to the new Bishops, Pope Francis said the worldwide episcopate forms a “unique body” that gives direction to the Bishops in their daily work and presses them to ask themselves “how to live the spirit of collegiality and collaboration in the Episcopate? how to be builders of communion an unity in the Church the Lord has entrusted” to them. He reminded them that “the Bishop is a man of communion and unity, the ‘visible principle and foundation of unity’ (Lumen gentium, 27).”
The Holy Father offered some reflections on a passage from the first Letter of Saint Peter: “Tend the flock of God in your midst, [overseeing] not by constraint but willingly, as God would have it, not for shameful profit but eagerly. Do not lord it over those assigned to you, but be examples to the flock (1 Pt 5,2-3).” These words, he said, “are carved on the heart! They call you and establish you as Pastors not from yourselves, but from the Lord; and not to serve yourselves, but to serve the flock entrusted to you, to serve it even to the point of giving your life, like Christ, the Good Shepherd.”
But, he asked, what does it mean to tend the flock, to have “habitual and daily care of the flock” (Lumen gentium, 27)?” To tend the flock, Pope Francis said, means: to welcome with magnanimity, to journey with the flock, to remain with the flock.

1. To welcome with magnanimity: “When someone knocks at the door of your house,” the Pope asked, “what do they find?” If the door is open, he continued, “they will experience the paternity of God and understand how the Church is a good mother that always loves and welcomes them.”

2. To journey with the flock: Pope Francis explained that Bishops must be welcoming to everyone in order to journey with everyone. The Bishop, he said, journeys with and among his flock. He focused especially on three points with regard to this journey.

First, the Pope said, a bishop must have affection for their priests. Priests are the people closest to the Bishop. “Time spent with your priests is never lost!” he said. “Receive them when they call on you, do not let a phone call go unanswered, always be close to them, in continual contact with them.” In off-the-cuff remarks he insisted that if a priest calls his Bishop, the Bishop should respond the same day, or at most the next day, and that the Bishop should always find a way to make time for priests who want to see him.
The second point is presence in the diocese. Reminding the Bishops of his call that Pastors must have “the odour of the sheep,” the Pope told the Bishops their presence among their people “is not secondary, it is indispensable!” He called on them, to “go down into the midst of your faithful, even to the edges of your dioceses and into all those ‘existential peripheries’ where there is suffering, solitude, loss of human dignity.”

His third point referred to the “style” of service. He called for Bishops to serve with humility, which he described as a certain austerity and a focus on what is essential. We Pastors, he said, must not have "the psychology of Princes." He complained of "ambitious men, men that are married to this Church, but hoping for a more beautiful or a richer [Church]. This is a scandal!" he said, describing the desire for a bigger or better diocese as a kind of "spiritual adultery." He warned the Bishops not to fall into the "spirit of careerism," which he called "a cancer."
Pope Francis spoke finally about a third element of tending the flock: remaining with the flock. “I refer to stability,” he said, “which has two precise aspects – ‘to remain’ in the diocese, and ‘to remain’ in this diocese, without seeking change or promotion.” In an age when travelling has become very easy, the Holy Father said “the ancient law of residence hasn’t passed out of fashion.” Residence in the diocese is not only functional, he insisted, but has deep theological roots. “Avoid the scandal of being ‘airport bishops!’” he said.

"Be welcoming Pastors," he concluded, "journeying with your people, with affection, with mercy, with sweetness of expression and paternal firmness, with humility and discretion, being able to see your own limitations, and with a good sense of humor . . . and remain with your flock!”
As he concluded his address, Pope Francis asked the Bishops to greet their communities on his behalf, “especially the priests, men and women religious, the seminarians, all the faithful, and those most in need of the nearness of the Lord.” With two Syrian Bishops in attendance, the Holy Father once more prayed for the gift of peace: “Peace for Syria, peace for the Middle East, peace for the world!”
At the end of his talk, the Pope asked the assembled Bishops “Remember to pray for me, as I do for you.” He concluded by invoking the Apostolic Blessing “from the heart” upon each of the new Bishops and upon their communities.


8. Pope comforts pregnant single woman

In his instinctive outreach to the peripheries of society, Pope Francis continues to make occasional surprise calls to anguished Catholics around the world comforting them as they grapple with life’s intractable problems. Lately in one such case, the Pope was moved to hear the story of Anna Romano, who had written to him expressing her despair after falling pregnant by a boyfriend who abandoned her. Answering the call on her mobile phone on September 3, the 35-year old sales assistant in a jewellery shop in the central Italian town of Arezzo said she was "speechless" to know it was Pope Francis greeting her.
"At the beginning I thought it was a joke, but then he referred to the letter, which only my best friend and my parents knew about," she told Italy's Corriere della Sera daily. In her letter, addressed simply to "His Holiness Francis, Vatican City", Romano wrote that her boyfriend had revealed he was married when she told him she was pregnant. "He left me, telling me he had no intention of taking care of the baby," she said. The man also told her to have an abortion, advice she was determined to ignore. Forgetting about the letter, she departed for a holiday with her family, only to receive the call. “The call of a few minutes from Pope Francis has changed my life,” Romano said, adding, "The Pope told me I was very brave and strong to decide to keep my baby." Explaining to the Pope that she feared no priest would baptise her illegitimate child, the Pope told her that if she had any trouble he would personally baptize the child.

9. Pope appoints Indian priest to Congregation for the Causes of Saints

Pope Francis on Monday September 16, appointed Indian priest Msgr. Paul Pallath as a Relator in the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints, that handles sainthood causes of candidates. The 54-year old priest from the Diocese of Palai, Kerala, has been working in the Vatican since 1995. Since 2011 he has been head of office at the Tribunal of the Roman Rota that deals with the cases of ratified and non-consummated marriage and the declaration of nullity of priestly Ordination.
Msgr. Pallath, who has a doctorate in Eastern Canon Law from the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome, where he later taught, and in Western Canon Law from the Pontifical Lateran University, has worked at the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and the Roman Rota, the ordinary court of appeal for marriage annulment cases referred to the Holy See. At the Congregation for the Causes of Saints Msgr. Pallath was earlier assistant to a postulator or promoter for the causes of St. Alphonsa and Blessed Augustine Thevaparampil, both from Kerala, India. Later, as postulator he dealt with the cases of Blessed Thevarparampil, Bishop Thomas Kurialacherry, Fr. Mathew Kadalikkattil, Fr. John Ukken and Sr. Varghese Payapilly. In his new post as Relator, Msgr. Pallath will work with the theological commission established by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in helping the postulator prepare the so-called ‘Positio’ that summarizes the life and virtues of the Servant of God being considered for sainthood.


10. Free app for using Catechism of the Catholic Church for tablets and  smartphones
Events related to the "Day of Catechists" held September 28 to 29, were presented during a Press conference in the Vatican on Thursday September 19. The day of Catechists, part of the Year of Faith, was preceded by a 3-day International Congress of Catechesis from 26 to 28 September. Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization, Archbishop José Octavio Ruiz Arenas, Secretary, Bishop Graham Bell, Under-Secretary of same Pontifical Council were present at the Press conference.
A new app on the Catechism of the Catholic Church for tablets and smartphones was also presented during the press meet. Archbishop Rino Fisichella, while speaking about the year of faith (and the days dedicated to Catechists), said that it is on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the beginning of Vatican II , as well as the 20th anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Churc. He said that the competence of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization, now has also jurisdiction over the whole catechesis.
The Archbishop said that in the weeks to follow, Free App will be available for using "Catechism of the Catholic Church" for tablets and smartphones. The tool comes in handy to those who wish to learn more about the faith that is handed down over the centuries and the heritage of doctrine and spirituality condensed in those pages.
Episcopal Commissions for evangelization and catechesis of the Episcopal Conferences, representatives of the national centers of catechesis and the representatives of the diocesan offices, were invited to the Conference. 1600 participants, from 104 delegations and representatives from 50 different countries, had participated. The world was truly represented: from Africa to Oceania, from North America to the South America, Europe and Asia.