HOLY FATHER'S CALENDAR FOR JANUARY AND FEBRUARY 2014

Vatican City, 13 January 2014 (VIS) – 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 September to November:

JANUARY

Sunday, 19: Second Sunday in Ordinary Time. At 4 p.m., pastoral visit to the Roman parish of “Sacro Cuore di Gesu a Castro Pretorio.

Saturday, 25: Solemnity of the Conversion of St. Paul. At 5.30 p.m., celebration of Vespers at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls.

FEBRUARY

Sunday, 2: Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, 18th World Day of Consecrated Life. At 10 a.m., Holy Mass with the members of the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life.

Sunday, 16: 4 p.m., pastoral visit to the Roman parish of “San Tommaso Apostolo”.

Saturday, 22: 11 a.m., Ordinary Public Consistory for the creation of new cardinals.

Sunday, 23: Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time. 10 a.m., Holy Mass with the new cardinals in the Papal Chapel.

AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE HOLY SEE AND CAMEROON

Vatican City, 13 January 2014 (VIS) – Today, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cameroon and Yaounde, a framework Agreement was signed between the Holy See and the Republic of Cameroon on the legal status of the Catholic Church in Cameroon.

The Agreement was signed, on behalf of the Holy See, by Archbishop Piero Pioppo, apostolic nuncio to Cameroon, and for the Republic of Cameroon, by Pierre Moukoko Mbonjo, minister for External Relations.

The Agreement, which consists of nine articles, regulates the relationship between the Church and the State who, within a framework of the independence and autonomy of both parties, undertake to work together for the moral, spiritual and material wellbeing of the human person and for the promotion of the common good. It will come into effect upon signing, in accordance with article 9 of the same Agreement.

TO BE PART OF THE CHAIN OF FAITH IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL INHERITANCE A CHILD CAN RECEIVE

Vatican City, 12 January 2014 (VIS) – This morning at 9.30 in the Sistine Chapel, on the festivity of the Baptism of the Lord, the Holy Father presided for the first time in his pontificate over the Holy Mass of Baptism. During the celebration, Pope Francis baptised 32 babies: 18 girls and 14 boys. One of the children, Giulia, was the daughter of a couple married by civil rites only, who asked the Pope during an audience if he would baptise their child.

“These children are a link in a chain. You, as parents, have a son or a daughter to baptise, but a some years from now they too will have a child to baptise, then a grandchild... And this is the chain of faith! What does this mean? I want to say only this: you are those who will transmit the faith, you are the transmitters. You have the duty of transmitting faith to these children. It is the most beautiful inheritance you can offer them: faith! Only this. Today, take this thought home with you. We must be transmitters of faith. Think of these, think always about how you can transmit faith to your children”.

During his homily Pope Francis joked about the noise and the crying of the babies. “Today the choir is singing, but the most beautiful choir is that of children, who make noise... Some will cry, perhaps because they are uncomfortable or because they are hungry: if they are hungry, mothers, go ahead and feed them, because they are the centre of today's celebration”.

ANGELUS: WE NEED A SUPPLEMENT OF CHARITY IN OUR TIME

Vatican City, 12 January 2014 (VIS) – “I like to baptise children, I like it very much. … Every child who is born is a gift of joy and hope, and each child who is baptised is a prodigy of faith and a cause for celebration for the family of God”, said the Pope after appearing at the window of his study to pray the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square, shortly before baptising 32 children in the Sistine Chapel on the festivity of the Baptism of Jesus.

“Today's Gospel emphasises that when Jesus received baptism from John in the River Jordan, the heavens opened up for him”, explained Pope Francis. “The manifestation of the Son of God on earth marks the beginning of a great time of mercy, after sin closed the heavens, raising a barrier between human beings and their Creator. … In Christ, God gave us the guarantee of indestructible love. Since the Word was made flesh, it is possible to see the open heavens. It was possible for the shepherds of Bethlehem, for the Magi from the East, for the Baptist, for Jesus' Apostles, for St. Stephen, the first martyr... And it is also possible for each of us, if we allow ourselves to be filled with God's love, which is given to us the first time in Baptism, by means of the Holy Spirit”.

When Jesus received the baptism of penance from John the Baptist, expressing his solidarity with the penitent people – since He was without sin and therefore without the need for conversion – God the Father let His voice be heard from heaven. … Jesus received the approval of the celestial Father, Who sent Him precisely because He wished to share in our condition, in our poverty. Sharing is the true way to love. Jesus did not disassociate Himself from us, He considered us to be His brothers, and shared with us. And in this way He made us, along with Him, children of God the Father. This is the revelation and the source of true love”.

“Does it not seem to you that in our times there is the need for a supplement of fraternal sharing and love?” asked the Pope. “Does it not appear to you that we all need a supplement of charity? Not that which is limited to offering occasional help without involvement, without putting oneself on the line, but rather that charity which implies sharing, taking on the discomfort and suffering of one's brother”.

“We pray that the Holy Virgin sustain us by her intercession in our efforts to follow Christ on the way of faith and charity, the path we set out on by virtue of our Baptism”.

Following the Angelus, the Holy Father addressed parents who are preparing for the baptism of their children, joining with them in their joy, and inviting them to “rediscover the beauty of faith and return anew to the Sacraments and to the community”.

THE POPE APPOINTS NINETEEN NEW CARDINALS

Vatican City, 12 January 2014 (VIS) – Following today's Angelus prayer, Pope Francis announced that on 22 February, feast of the Chair of St. Peter, a consistory will be held during which 19 new cardinals will be appointed. They will comprise 16 electors and 3 archbishops emeritus, from twelve different countries from all over the world, and “represent the deep ecclesial relationship between the Church of Rome and the other Churches throughout the world”. The day after the consistory, the Holy Father will preside at a solemn concelebration with the new Cardinals, while on February 20 and 21 he will hold a consistory with all the cardinals to reflect on the theme of the family.

- Archbishop Pietro Parolin, secretary of State.

- Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops

- Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Muller, emeritus of Regensburg, Germany, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

– Archbishop Beniamino Stella, prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy.

– Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster, Great Britain.

– Archbishop Leopoldo Jose Brenes Solorzano of Managua, Nicaragua.

– Archbishop Gerald Cyprien Lacroix of Quebec, Canada.

– Archbishop Jean-Pierre Kutwa of Abidjan, Cote D'Ivoire.

– Archbishop Orani Joao Tempesta, O. Cist. of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

– Archbishop Gualtiero Bassetti of Perugia-Citta della Pieve, Italia.

– Archbishop Mario Aurelio Poli of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

– Archbishop Andrew Yeom Soo jung of Seoul, Korea.

– Archbishop Ricardo Ezzati Andrello, S.D.B. of Santiago del Chile, Chile.

– Archbishop Philippe Nakellentuba Ouedraogo of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

– Archbishop Orlando B. Quevedo, O.M.I. of Cotabato, Philippines.

– Archbishop Chibly Langlois of Les Cayes, Haiti.

The three archbishops emeritus are:

– Archbishop Loris Francesco Capovilla, ex prelate of the Shrine of Loreto and ex personal secretary of Blessed John XXIII.

– Archbishop Fernando Sebastian Aguilar, C.M.F. emeritus of Pamplona, Spain.

– Archbishop Kelvin Edward Felix, emeritus of Castries, Saint Lucia.