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Saturday, June 6, 2015

The Pope arrives in Sarajevo: heal the wounds of the past and look to the future with hope


Vatican City, 6 June 2015 (VIS) – Pope Francis arrived shortly after 9 a.m. in Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the destination of his eighth apostolic trip. The central theme of the Holy See's concern for Bosnia-Herzegovina – visited twice by St. John Paul II – is peace, and this is perpetuated in the theme chosen for Pope Francis' visit: “Peace be with you”.

The Pontiff, who left Rome at 7.30 a.m., was received at the international airport of Sarajevo by President Dragan Crovic, the Croat member of the tripartite (Serb, Croat and Bosnian) Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina, by the president of the Episcopal Conference and cardinal archbishop of Sarajevo, Vinko Puljic, and by Archbishop Luigi Pezzuto, apostolic nuncio. From their he transferred by car to the presidential palace for the welcome ceremony and courtesy visit to the members of the Presidency: acting president Mladen Ivanic, the Croatian member Dragan Covic and the Bosnian member Bakir Izetbegovic.

Following the courtesy visit, Francis entered the presidential drawing room where he pronounced his first discourse in Sarajevo, before the civil authorities, the diplomatic corps, the bishops and various other religious leaders.

“I am pleased to be in this city which, although it has suffered so much in the bloody conflicts of the past century, has once again become a place of dialogue and peaceful coexistence”, said the Pope. “Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina have a special significance for Europe and for the whole world. Bosnia and Herzegovina has advanced from a culture of conflict and war to a culture of encounter.

“For centuries in these lands, communities were present who professed different religions, who belonged to distinct ethnic and cultural groups, each endowed with its own rich characteristics; each fostered its own traditions, without these differences having impeded for any length of time the establishment of mutually fraternal and cordial relationships”, he continued. “The very architecture and layout of Sarajevo reveal visible and substantial characteristics of these different communities, each a short distance from the other – synagogues, churches and mosques – so much so that Sarajevo has been called the 'Jerusalem of Europe'. Indeed it represents a crossroads of cultures, nations and religions, a status which requires the building of new bridges, while maintaining and restoring older ones, thus ensuring avenues of communication that are efficient, sure and fraternal.

“We need to communicate with each other, to discover the gifts of each person, to promote that which unites us, and to regard our differences as an opportunity to grow in mutual respect”, he remarked. “Patience and trust are called for in such dialogue, permitting individuals, families and communities to hand on the values of their own culture and welcome the good which comes from others’ experiences. In so doing, even the deep wounds of the recent past will be set aside, so that the future may be looked to with hope, facing the daily problems that all communities experience with hearts and minds free of fear and resentment.

“I have come here as a pilgrim of peace and dialogue, eighteen years after St. John Paul II’s historic visit, which took place less than two years after the signing of the Dayton Peace Accord. I am happy to see the progress which has been made, for which we must thank the Lord and so many men and women of good will. However, we should not become complacent with what has been achieved so far, but rather seek to make further efforts towards reinforcing trust and creating opportunities for growth in mutual knowledge and respect. In order to favour this path, the solidarity and collaboration of the International Community is fundamental, in particular that of the European Union and of all Countries and Organisations operating in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bosnia and Herzegovina is indeed an integral part of Europe, the successes and tragic experiences of the former are integrated fully into the latter’s history of successes and tragedies. They constitute, too, a clear call to pursue every avenue of peace, in order that processes already underway can be yet more resilient and binding.

“In this land, peace and harmony among Croats, Serbs and Bosnians, and the initiatives taken to extend these even further, as well as the cordial and fraternal relations among Muslims, Hebrews and Christians, and other religious minorities, take on an importance that goes beyond its boundaries. These initiatives offer a witness to the entire world that such cooperation among varying ethnic groups and religions in view of the common good is possible; that a plurality of cultures and traditions can coexist and give rise to original and effective solutions to problems; that even the deepest wounds can be healed by purifying memories and firmly anchoring hopes in the future. I saw at my arrival this morning in the Muslim, Orthodox, Jewish, Catholic and children of other religions whom I met at the airport – together and joyful! This is a sign of hope! May we stake our future on this.

“In order to successfully oppose the barbarity of those who would make of every difference the occasion and pretext for further unspeakable violence, we need to recognise the fundamental values of human communities, values in the name of which we can and must cooperate, build and dialogue, pardon and grow; this will allow different voices to unite in creating a melody of sublime nobility and beauty, instead of the fanatical cries of hatred.

“Responsible politicians are called to the important task of being the first servants of their communities, taking actions which safeguard above all the fundamental rights of the human person, among which the right to religious freedom stands out. In this way it will be possible to build, with concrete measures, a more peaceful and just society, working step-by-step together to solve the many problems which people experience daily. In order for this to come about, it is vital that all citizens be equal both before the law and its implementation, whatever their ethnic, religious or geographical affiliation. All alike will then feel truly involved in public life. Enjoying the same rights, they will be able to make their specific contribution to the common good.

“The Catholic Church, by means of the prayer and the works of her faithful and her institutions, is taking an part in the process of material and moral reconstruction of Bosnia and Herzegovina, sharing the country’s joys and concerns. The Church is committed to offering her particular solicitude and closeness to the poor and to those most in need, inspired by the teaching and example of her Divine Master, Jesus. The Holy See praises the work carried out in these recent years, and is determined to continue promoting cooperation, dialogue and solidarity, in the sure knowledge that peace and mutual listening in an ordered and civil society are indispensable conditions for authentic and lasting development. Through the contribution of all, and leaving behind completely the dark clouds of storms gone by, the Holy See fervently hopes that Bosnia and Herzegovina may continue along the journey embarked upon, so that after the winter chill, springtime may come to blossom. And already we see spring blooming here!” exclaimed the Pope.

“With these thoughts I implore the Almighty for peace and prosperity in Sarajevo and all of Bosnia and Herzegovina”, he concluded.

Mass in Kosevo stadium: “Be artisans of peace”


Vatican City, 6 June 2015 (VIS) – Following his address to the authorities of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Pope Francis travelled by car to the Kosevo stadium, where he was awaited by more than sixty thousand people to participate in the Holy Mass. The readings were dedicated to peace and justice, and the ceremony took place in the Croatian language. In his homily (which he pronounced in Italian, with translations in Croatian), the Holy Father emphasised that peace is God's plan for humanity, and again denounced those who seek confrontation between cultures and civilizations; citing the prophet Isaiah, he reiterated that if the work of justice is peace, then that peace is built by hand, day by day. The following is the full text of his homily.

“The word peace echoes several times through the Scripture readings which we have just heard. It is a powerful, prophetic word! Peace is God’s dream, his plan for humanity, for history, for all creation. And it is a plan which always meets opposition from men and from the evil one. Even in our time, the desire for peace and the commitment to build peace collide with the reality of many armed conflicts presently affecting our world. They are a kind of third world war being fought piecemeal and, in the context of global communications, we sense an atmosphere of war.

“Some wish to incite and foment this atmosphere deliberately, mainly those who want conflict between different cultures and societies, and those who speculate on wars for the purpose of selling arms. But war means children, women and the elderly in refugee camps; it means forced displacement of peoples; it means destroyed houses, streets and factories; it means, above all, countless shattered lives. You know this well, having experienced it here: how much suffering, how much destruction, how much pain! Today, dear brothers and sisters, the cry of God’s people goes up once again from this city, the cry of all men and women of good will: no more war!

“Within this atmosphere of war, like a ray of sunshine piercing the clouds, resound the words of Jesus in the Gospel: 'Blessed are the peacemakers'. This appeal is always applicable, in every generation. He does not say: 'Blessed are the preachers of peace', since all are capable of proclaiming peace, even in a hypocritical, or indeed duplicitous, manner. No. He says: 'Blessed are the peacemakers', that is, those who make peace. Crafting peace is a skilled work: it requires passion, patience, experience and tenacity. Blessed are those who sow peace by their daily actions, their attitudes and acts of kindness, of fraternity, of dialogue, of mercy... These, indeed, 'shall be called children of God', for God sows peace, always, everywhere; in the fullness of time, he sowed in the world his Son, that we might have peace! Peacemaking is a work to be carried forward each day, step by step, without ever growing tired.

“So how does one do this, how do we build peace? The prophet Isaiah reminds us succinctly: 'The effect of righteousness will be peace'. Opus justitiae pax ('the work of justice is peace'), from the Vulgate version of Scripture, has become a famous motto, even adopted prophetically by Pope Pius XII. Peace is a work of justice. Here too: not a justice proclaimed, imagined, planned ... but rather a justice put into practice, lived out. The Gospel teaches us that the ultimate fulfilment of justice is love: 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself'. When, by the grace of God, we truly follow this commandment, how things change! Because we ourselves change! Those whom I looked upon as my enemy really have the same face as I do, the same heart, the same soul. We have the same Father in heaven. True justice, then, is doing to others what I would want them to do to me, to my people.

“St. Paul, in the second reading, shows us the attitude needed to make peace: 'Put on then ... compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness and patience, forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive'. These are the attitudes necessary to become artisans of peace precisely where we live out our daily lives. But we should not fool ourselves into thinking that this all depends on us! We would fall into an illusive moralising. Peace is a gift from God, not in the magical sense, but because with his Spirit he can imprint these attitudes in our hearts and in our flesh, and can make us true instruments of his peace. And, going further, the Apostle says that peace is a gift of God because it is the fruit of his reconciliation with us. Only if we allow ourselves to be reconciled with God can human beings become artisans of peace.

“Dear Brothers and Sisters, today we ask the Lord together, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, for the grace to have a simple heart, the grace of patience, the grace to struggle and work for justice, to be merciful, to work for peace, to sow peace and not war and discord. This is the way which brings happiness, which leads to blessedness”.


Decrees for the Causes of Saints


Vatican City, 6 June 2015 (VIS) – Yesterday afternoon the Holy Father Francis received in private audience Cardinal Angelo Amato, S.D.B., prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, during which he authorised the Congregation to promulgate the following decrees:

MIRACLES

- attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God Francesco de Paola Victor, Brazilian diocesan priest (1827-1905);

- attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God Klara Ludwika Szczęsna, Polish co-founder of the Congregation of the Handmaids of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (1863-1916).

MARTYRDOM

- Servant of God Frederic de Berga (né Martí Tarrés Puigpelat) and 25 companions, Spanish priests and lay brothers of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, killed in hatred of the faith in 1936;

- Servant of God Joseph Thao Tiên, diocesan priest, and ten companions, professed priests of the Society of the Paris Foreign Missions and the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, and four lay companions, killed in hatred of the faith in Laos between 1954 and 1970.

HEROIC VIRTUES

- Servant of God Antonino Celona, Italian diocesan priest and founder of the Handmaids of Reparation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (1873-1952);

- Servant of God Ottorino Zanon, Italian priest and founder of the Congregation of the Pious Society of St. Cajetan (1915-1972);

- Servant of God Marcello Labor, Italian diocesan priest (1890-1954);

- Servant of God Maria Antonia of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (née Rachele Lalia), Italian founder of the Dominican Sisters of St. Sisto Vecchio (1839-1914).



Audiences


Vatican City, 6 June 2015 (VIS) – In the afternoon of Friday 5 June the Holy Father received in audience:

- Cardinal Angelo Amato, S.D.B., prefect of the Congregation of the Causes of Saints;

- Bishop Jorge Eduardo Lozano of Gualeguaychu, Argentina;

- Bishop Vicente Bokalic Iglic of Santiago del Estero, Argentina.

Other Pontifical Acts


Vatican City, 6 June 2015 (VIS) – The Holy Father has appointed Fr. Jose Alberto Gonzalez Juarez as bishop of Tuxtepec (area 6,000, population 781,000, Catholics 738,000, priests 50, permanent deacons 10, religious 34), Mexico. The bishop-elect was born in El Parral, Mexico in 1967 and was ordained a priest in 1995. He holds a licentiate in philosophy from the Pontifical University in Mexico, and has served in a number of pastoral roles in the archdiocese of Tuxtla Gutierrez, including parish vicar, parish priest, superior of the preparatory course and teacher in philosophy, and rector of the seminary. He is currently parish of the Church of the Immaculate Conception and episcopal vicar for consecrated life.
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