OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 28 April 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father has accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary of the archdiocese of Dhaka, Bangladesh, presented by Bishop Theotonius Gomes C.S.C., upon reaching the age limit.

JOHN XXIII AND JOHN PAUL II INSCRIBED IN THE BOOK OF SAINTS

Vatican City, 27 April 2014 (VIS) – Half a million people attended the ceremony held this morning in St. Peter's Square for the canonisation of the “two Pope saints”: John XXIII and John Paul II. Since it was opened to the public at 5 a.m., the square and its environs were filled with faithful from all over the world; Polish pilgrims, however, constituted one of the largest groups. The event was also attended by delegations from over a hundred countries, more than twenty Heads of State and many figures from the world of politics and culture, including the King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain, King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium, Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, the ex-president of the Republic of Poland Lech Walesa, the president of the Argentine parliament Julian Dominguez and the presidents of the European Union, Herman Van Rompuy, and the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso. The celebration was also attended by Floribeth Mora Diaz and Sister Adele Labianca, the carer of Caterina Capitani – the two women who experienced the miracles attributed to John Paul II.

Banners with portraits of the two saints – the same ones used for their respective beatifications – were displayed on the facade of the Basilica. In the square, adorned with more than 30,000 roses from Ecuador, and in Via della Conciliazione, hundreds of thousands of faithful prepared for the celebration by reciting the chaplet of Divine Mercy, intercalated with texts from the magisterium of both pontiffs and preceded by the Hymn to Blessed John XXIII, “Good Shepherd of Christ's flock”. The prayer ended with the Hymn to Blessed John Paul II, “Open the doors to Christ”.

Under intermittent rain, and during litanies invoking the protection of the saints, there began the procession of concelebrating cardinals and bishops who, before taking their places, greeted Pope emeritus Benedict XVI, who also concelebrated alongside the Holy Father. A few minutes after 10 a.m., Pope Francis entered the square and, before proceeding with the rite for the proclamation of the new saints, greeted and embraced the Pope emeritus.

Moments later Cardinal Angelo Amato S.D.B:, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, accompanied by the postulators, asked Pope Francis to inscribe the names of the two Blessed Popes in the Book of Saints, and the Holy Father pronounced the formula for canonisation:

“For the honour of the Blessed Trinity, the exaltation of the Catholic faith and the increase of the Christian life, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and own own, after due deliberation and frequent prayer for divine assistance, and having sought the counsel of many of our brother Bishops, we declare and define Blessed

John XXIII

John Paul II

be Saints and we enrol them among the Saints, decreeing that they are to be venerated as such by the whole Church.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen”.

This was followed by the presentation to the Pope of the relics of the two saints, which were displayed on the altar throughout the ceremony; these were a phial of the blood of John Paul II, which had been displayed on 1 May 2011, and a piece of skin removed from the body of John XXIII when it was exhumed for his beatification on 3 September 2000.

Following the Gospel reading, the Holy Father pronounced a homily in which he defined St. John XXIII as “the Pope of openness to the Holy Spirit”, and St. John Paul II as “the Pope of the Family”, recalling that “at the heart of this Sunday, which concludes the Octave of Easter and which John Paul II wished to dedicate to Divine Mercy, are the glorious wounds of the risen Jesus”.

“He had already shown those wounds when he first appeared to the Apostles on the very evening of that day following the Sabbath, the day of the resurrection”, he continued. “But Thomas was not there that evening, and when the others told him that they had seen the Lord, he replied that unless he himself saw and touched those wounds, he would not believe. A week later, Jesus appeared once more to the disciples gathered in the Upper Room, and Thomas was present; Jesus turned to him and told him to touch his wounds. Whereupon that man, so straightforward and accustomed to testing everything personally, knelt before Jesus with the words: 'My Lord and my God!'.

“The wounds of Jesus are a scandal, a stumbling block for faith, yet they are also the test of faith. That is why on the body of the risen Christ the wounds never pass away: they remain, for those wounds are the enduring sign of God’s love for us. They are essential for believing in God. Not for believing that God exists, but for believing that God is love, mercy and faithfulness. Saint Peter, quoting Isaiah, writes to Christians: 'by his wounds you have been healed'.

“John XXIII and John Paul II were not afraid to look upon the wounds of Jesus, to touch his torn hands and his pierced side”, exclaimed Pope Francis. “They were not ashamed of the flesh of Christ, they were not scandalised by him, by his cross; they did not despise the flesh of their brother, because they saw Jesus in every person who suffers and struggles. These were two men of courage, filled with the parrhesia of the Holy Spirit, and they bore witness before the Church and the world to God’s goodness and mercy.

“They were priests, bishops and popes of the twentieth century. They lived through the tragic events of that century, but they were not overwhelmed by them. For them, God was more powerful; faith was more powerful – faith in Jesus Christ the Redeemer of man and the Lord of history; the mercy of God, shown by those five wounds, was more powerful; and more powerful too was the closeness of Mary our Mother.

“In these two men, who looked upon the wounds of Christ and bore witness to his mercy, there dwelt a living hope and an indescribable and glorious joy. The hope and the joy which the risen Christ bestows on his disciples, the hope and the joy which nothing and no one can take from them. The hope and joy of Easter, forged in the crucible of self-denial, self-emptying, utter identification with sinners, even to the point of disgust at the bitterness of that chalice. Such were the hope and the joy which these two holy popes had received as a gift from the risen Lord and which they in turn bestowed in abundance upon the People of God, meriting our eternal gratitude.

“This hope and this joy were palpable in the earliest community of believers, in Jerusalem, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles. It was a community which lived the heart of the Gospel, love and mercy, in simplicity and fraternity.

“This is also the image of the Church which the Second Vatican Council set before us. John XXIII and John Paul II cooperated with the Holy Spirit in renewing and updating the Church in keeping with her pristine features, those features which the saints have given her throughout the centuries. Let us not forget that it is the saints who give direction and growth to the Church. In convening the Council, John XXIII showed an exquisite openness to the Holy Spirit. He let himself be led and he was for the Church a pastor, a servant-leader. This was his great service to the Church; he was the pope of openness to the Spirit.

“In his own service to the People of God, John Paul II was the pope of the family. He himself once said that he wanted to be remembered as the pope of the family. I am particularly happy to point this out as we are in the process of journeying with families towards the Synod on the family. It is surely a journey which, from his place in heaven, he guides and sustains”.

The Holy Father concluded. “May these two new saints and shepherds of God’s people intercede for the Church, so that during this two-year journey toward the Synod she may be open to the Holy Spirit in pastoral service to the family. May both of them teach us not to be scandalised by the wounds of Christ and to enter ever more deeply into the mystery of divine mercy, which always hopes and always forgives, because it always loves”.

St. Peter's Basilica will remain open today from 2 to 10 p.m., to enable pilgrims to venerate the bodies of the two canonised Popes displayed in glass cases, to which the word “Saint” has been added.

HONOUR THE MEMORY OF THE TWO SAINTS BY CONTINUING THEIR TEACHING

Vatican City, 27 April 2014 (VIS) – Following the Mass celebrated in St. Peter's Basilica for the canonisation of the two Blessed Pontiffs, John XXIII and John Paul II, and before reciting the Regina Coeli, the Holy Father greeted the faithful and pilgrims in St. Peter's Square and in the adjacent streets. He thanked the cardinals, bishops, priests, official delegations from the various countries, and the Italian authorities “who have come to pay homage to the two Pontiffs who have made an indelible contribution to the cause of the development of peoples and of peace”.

The Pope affectionately greeted pilgrims from the dioceses of Bergamo and Krakow, and encouraged them to honour the memory of the saints, continuing with their teachings. Likewise, he thanked the diocese of Rome, Cardinal Vallini, the municipal authorities, the mayor and the forces of order, as well as the different organisations and volunteers “who with great generosity have prepared these memorable days”. He also thanked the media for making it possible for so many people to participate, and mentioned the elderly and the sick, commenting that the two new saints were very close to them.

Pope Francis then prayed to the Virgin Mary, “whom St. John XXIII and St. John Paul II loved like true sons”. After welcoming the official delegations, and for the first time in a canonisation or beatification ceremony, Pope Francis toured St. Peter's Square and Via della Conciliazione in the Popemobile to bless and greet the pilgrims who participated in this historic event.

THE POPE RECEIVES THE PRIME MINISTER OF UKRAINE:ALL MUST COLLABORATE FOR POLITICAL AND SOCIAL STABILITY

Vatican City, 26 April 2014 (VIS) – Today, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, was received in audience by the Holy Father Francis. He subsequently went on to meet with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by the secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti.

The cordial discussions, which took place within the context of good bilateral relations between the Holy See and Ukraine, focused on the current situation; the hope was expressed that all the parties involved will collaborate constructively to re-establish political and social stability throughout the country, in accordance with international law, and to promote understanding between peoples in the region. Attention then turned to the specific role that Churches and religious organisations, as well as all believers, are called upon to fulfil in fostering mutual respect and harmony among all components of society.

Finally, mention was made of possible further initiatives by the international community in this regard.

ROME PREPARES FOR THE CANONISATION OF THE TWO POPES

Vatican City, 26 April 2014 (VIS) – The city of Rome is preparing to receive hundreds of thousands of faithful for the canonisation of John XXIII and John Paul II in St. Peter's Square tomorrow, which will be attended by delegations from more than 100 countries and at least 24 Heads of State.

Already during this past week the Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi (ORP) has installed 19 maxi-screens to enable faithful and pilgrims to see the ceremony for the canonisation of the two Popes in both Rome and Milan. Three will be located in the central Via dei Fori Imperiali, one at Rome's Fiumicino airport and another in Piazza del Duomo, Milan. However, the majority of these new screens will be set up in the streets adjacent to St. Peter's Square: Via della Conciliazione, Piazza Pio XII, and in the pedestrian zone and gardens of Castel Sant'Angelo. There are screens in Piazza Navona and Piazza Farnese for Polish- and French-speaking pilgrims respectively, and another at the Basilica of St. Mary Major. News and films relating to the two Popes, as well as public service information, will be broadcast in six languages until Monday 28 April.

Bishop Liberio Andreatta, commenting on this unprecedented event, remarks: “Never in the history of Rome or in the history of the world has this occurred: two Pope Saints and two living Popes who knew them”. There is, therefore, a rich and varied agenda of activities preceding the event. Yesterday, French pilgrims began their “Path of Holiness” which will conclude on 27 April; it consists of an itinerary of art and faith taking in the five churches of the French community in Rome. Similarly, university students planning to attend the canonisation took part in Mass in the chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”. Today, at 6 p.m., pilgrims from Bergamo, the province where John XXIII was born, will gather in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, while at 7 p.m. a prayer vigil will begin at the church of Santa Maria in Montesanto, “the artists' church”, in Piazza del Popolo.

At 9 p.m. the “white night” of prayer will begin. Churches in the centre of Rome will remain open for prayer vigils or confession, and liturgical celebrations will take place in various languages in the churches of Sant' Agnese in Agone, San Marco al Campidoglio, Sant'Anastasia, Santissimo Nome di Gesu, Santa Maria in Vallicella, San Giovanni dei Fiorentini, Sant'Andrea della Valle, San Bartolomeo all'Isola Tiberina, Sant'Ignazio di Loyola in Campo Marzio, the Holy Stigmata of St. Francis, the Twelve Apostles, and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The young people of Catholic Action will meet in the parish of Santa Maria delle Grazie al Trionfale from 10.30 p.m. until 5 a.m on 27 April.

Tomorrow, 100 members of the ORP and 550 volunteers from Catholic associations will be available to assist those present in Via della Conciliazione, providing all types of information. From 5 a.m. eight buses will transport to St. Peter's Square 200 priests and deacons for the distribution of the Eucharist, as well as 5000 Roman priests and 200 seminarians from the capital and from Bergamo, who will attend the ceremony. Bishop Andreatta emphasises that entry to St. Peter's Square is free and there are no tickets. The Prefecture of the Papal Household has also issued a reminder to the public to be vigilant regarding ticket touting and requests for money from agencies and tour operators for the purposes of obtaining tickets, reiterating that participation in celebrations presided by the Holy Father is entirely free.

The municipality of Rome has made special transport provisions for this period. The metro lines will be open around the clock from 26 to 28 April, the number of buses in service will increase, policing will be reinforced and there will be fourteen mobile medical units, as well as 2,630 civil protection volunteers in active service.

The internet will also play a role during these special days. The Office of the Postulation of the Vicariate of Rome has created a free App, “Santo Subito”, available in four languages and providing news, maps, itineraries and an order of service for the canonisation ceremony, along with an agenda of all the events planned from 25 to 28 April.

The Vatican Museums are celebrating the canonisation with a photographic exhibition entitled “The humility and courage that changed history”, which presents 120 photographs of the two Pope saints. This photographic anthology, which will remain open to the public until 19 July, is divided into two sections: the first, entirely in black and white, narrates the pontificate of John XXIII, whereas the second, in colour, presents that of John Paul II, the longest of the twentieth century.