Francis recalls his recent trip to Latin America

Vatican City, 19 July 2015 (VIS) – Pope Francis, in today's Sunday Angelus, commended the fruits of his recent apostolic trip in Latin America to the Virgin Mary, venerated in those lands as Our Lady of Guadalupe, and thanked the people of Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay for their warm and affectionate welcome, and for their enthusiasm.

He also offered thanks to the authorities of the three countries for their collaboration, and for all the clergy, from the bishops to men and women religious, who accompanied him during his stay. “With these brothers and sisters, I praised the Lord for the wonders that He has worked in the People of God on their path in those lands, and for the faith that has inspired and continues to inspire their life and culture. And we have also praised Him for the natural beauty with which He enriched these lands. The Latin American continent has great human and spiritual potential, and safeguards deeply rooted Christian values, but also experiences serious social and economic problems. To contribute to their solution, the Church is committed to mobilising the spiritual and moral forces of her communities, collaborating with all members of society. Faced with the great challenges that announcing the Gospel entails, I invited them to draw from Christ the Lord the grace that saves and gives strength to the effort of Christian witness, and to further spread of the Word of God, so that the strong religiosity of the people may always bear faithful witness to the Gospel”.

The Pope had previously commented on the day's Gospel reading in which Jesus takes the apostles to a secluded place to rest, but seeing that the multitudes follow them, feels compassion for them and begins to impart His teachings. Francis focused on the verbs that the evangelist uses: to see, to have compassion, and to teach.

“We can call them the verbs of the Pastor”, he observed. “To see, to have compassion, to teach. The first and the second, to see and to have compassion, are always linked to Jesus' attitude: indeed, His outlook is not that of a sociologist or a photojournalist, since He always sees with 'the eyes of the heart'. These two verbs, to see and to have compassion, configure Jesus as the Good Shepherd. But His compassion is not merely a human sentiment: it is the emotion of the Messiah in whom God's tenderness is made flesh. And from this compassion there emerges Jesus' desire to nourish the crowd with the bread of His Word, that is, to teach the Word of God to the people. Jesus sees, Jesus has compassion, and Jesus teaches”.

“And I asked the Lord that the Spirit of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, this Spirit, might guide me during the apostolic trip I made in Latin America over the last few days”, added the Pope.

Other Pontifical Acts

Vatican City, 20 July 2015 (VIS) – The Holy Father has appointed Dr. Salvatore Vecchio, formerly director of Human Resources at the Bambino Gesu Paedatric Hospital, Rome, as director of the Labour Office of the Apostolic See.

On Saturday 18 July, the Holy Father:

- appointed Msgr. Claudio Cipolla as bishop of Padua (area 3,297, population 1,068,498, Catholics 1,004,088, priests 990, permanent deacons 49, religious 1976), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Goito, Italy in 1955 and was ordained a priest in 1980. He has served in a number of roles in the diocese of Mantua, including parish vicar and director of diocesan Caritas. He is currently parish priest, episcopal vicar for the pastoral sector, and member of the college of consultors, the diocesan pastoral council and the commission for the continuing formation of the clergy. He is a “ratione officii” member of the episcopal council and the presbyteral council, and was named Chaplain of His Holiness in 2011. He succeeds bishop Antonio Mattiazzo, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father.

- appointed Fr. Basil Bhuriya, S.V.D., as bishop of Jhabua (area 21,366, population 5,812,071, Catholics 38,726, priests 68, religious 236), India. The bishop-elect was born in Panchjui, India in 1956, gave his solemn vows in 1985, and was ordained a priest in 1986. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Indore, India, and has served in an number of roles, including parish vicar in a number of parishes in the dioceses of Baroda, Indore and Jhabua and rector of the St. Thomas Seminary in Indore. He is currently parish priest and member of the Provincial Council of the Verbite Fathers in the Central Indian Province.

- appointed Fr. Corrado Melis as bishop of Ozieri (area 2,288, population 54,600, Catholics 54,200, priests 48, religious 54), Italy. The bishop elect was born in Sardara, Italy in 1963 and was ordained a priest in 1988. He holds a licentiate in theology from the Pontifical Theological Faculty of Sardinia in Cagliari, and has served in a number of pastoral roles in the diocese of Ales-Terralba, including parish vicar, vice rector of the diocesan seminary in Villacidro, director of the diocesan catechistic office, chaplain, parish administrator, and parish priest. He is currently parish priest of Santa Barbara in Villacidro, episcopal vicar for evangelisation and education, director of the diocesan office for family pastoral ministry, and director of the pastoral ministry of ecumenism. He is also a member of the college of consultors and the diocesan council for economic affairs.

- elevated Fr. Natale Paganelli, S.X., apostolic administrator of Makeni, Sierra Leone, to the dignity of bishop. The bishop-elect was born in Grignano di Brembate, Italy in 1956, gave his religious vows in 1979, and was ordained a priest in 1980.

- appointed Bishop Henry Akuna of Makeni, Sierra Leone, as auxiliary of the diocese of Kenema, (area 15,710, population 1,481,000, Catholics 87,000, priests 19, religious 32), Sierra Leone.