International vigil at St. Mary Major for the 20th anniversary of the encyclical Evangelium Vitae

Vatican City, 24 March 2015 (VIS) – The Pontifical Council for the Family has organised an international vigil to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the publication of St. John Paul II's encyclical “Evangelium Vitae”. According to a press release from the dicastery, the event is a form of thanksgiving for the fruits of the pastoral care of life, and will also serve to spread the benefits of prayer for life as well as to recall eternal life, the destiny of every human being.

The vigil will be divided into three stages: it will begin at 5 p.m. in the Roman basilica of St. Mary Major, with an explanation of various artistic elements of the basilica relating to the theme of life. At 6 p.m. an original rosary will be prayed, focusing on the contemplation of the Gospel passages linked to the theme of life, interspersed with experiences related by the faithful. This will be followed, at 7 p.m., by a Eucharistic celebration presided by Bishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, who comments that “the anniversary of the Encyclical and this vigil that commemorates it, on the eve of the Annunciation, is particularly meaningful as it makes manifest the intimate connection between the mystery of life and the experience of the family, made up of affection and social relationships. Defending life means participating in the alliance between God, man and woman”.

The international character of the vigil is accentuated by the participation of the shrines of Fatima, Lourdes and Guadalupe, where rosaries will be recited, dedicated to life, as part of the initiative “A rosary embraces the world”.

The Italian television channel Telepace will transmit live the events of the vigil from 5.15 p.m., while English-, French- and Italian-speaking viewers will be able to take part in the Holy Rosaries of Lourdes, according to the following schedule: at 2.30 p.m. (local time) the Rosary will be broadcast by the main American Catholic television channels; at 3.30 p.m. by the French Catholic channel KTO, and at 6 p.m. in Italy, by the broadcaster TV2000.

Pope's Second lottery for charity

Vatican City, 24 March 2015 (VIS) – The Holy Father has expressed his gratitude for the proceeds raised by the lottery in support of his works of charity, which took place in January. The entire sum has been consigned to Archbishop Konrad Krajewski, almoner of His Holiness. In view of the widespread participation and generosity of many people, Pope Francis has made more prizes available to enable the initiative to be repeated.

The second lottery draw will take place on the solemnity of the Saints Peter and Paul, patrons of Rome, and the lucky numbers draw (each ticket costs 10 euros) is scheduled for 30 July, in the presence of a commission to guarantee the correct procedures. Prizes can be claimed during the following thirty days in the Department of Events Coordination of the Governorate of Vatican City State. Also on this occasion, like the first lottery, the proceeds will go directly to the Pope.

Tickets will be available from the Vatican Pharmacy, the Post Office, the Vatican supermarket, the “Station” warehouse, the sales outlets of the Philatelic and Numismatic Office, and the Vatican Museums bookshop.

The Holy See: equality of access to education for girls

Vatican City, 24 March 2015 (VIS) – Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Holy See Permanent Observer at the United Nations in New York, spoke on 13 March at the 59th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, which analysed the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, with a view also to advancing women’s empowerment and equality in a post-2015 development agenda.

“There has been considerable progress for the cause of women in many countries, especially in the areas of education, political representation, and economic participation”, said the nuncio. “In spite of the admirable efforts and significant advances, however, still too many women continue to face discrimination and many forms of violence just for being women”.

“The goal of eradicating poverty, in particular extreme poverty, is at the heart of the Holy See’s concerns. The Catholic Church has nearly unparalleled experience of the needs of the poor through its bimillennial experience and through hundreds of thousands of programs and institutions serving poor women and men the world over”, he continued. “The promotion of inclusive and equitable economies has a profound impact in advancing the status of women. Indeed, women are experiencing unique economic distress linked to unfair employment policies, unequal pay for equal work, the denial of access to credit and property, and victimisation in situations of conflicts and migration. Notwithstanding the fact that women constitute the majority of the poor and are affected by the burden of poverty in very specific ways, they are nevertheless courageously at the forefront in the fight to eradicate extreme poverty. From this perspective, the fight for the advancement of women must also mean assuring them equal access to resources, capital and technology”.

The archbishop underlined that “studies have demonstrated that fragile family structures and the decline of marriage among the poor are very closely linked to poverty among women. Single mothers are left alone to raise children. Many mothers in situations of distress fail to send their children to school, thus entangling them in the vicious circle of poverty and marginalisation. … Numerous reports by the Secretary-General have highlighted the centrality of the family for poverty eradication and sustainable development”.

The Holy See takes note of the report by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the problems and attacks girls continue to suffer in accessing education. “My delegation is convinced that the fight for equal access to education for girls, especially quality education, is an indispensable component in the fight for the advancement of women … and reiterates Pope Francis' readiness of to work with all those who are seeking each day to build a world that concretely treats women as equals, in the diversity of gifts and strengths, toward the greater common good of all”.

Other Pontifical Acts

Vatican City, 24 March 2015 (VIS) – The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Bertram Victor Wick Enzler, auxiliary of Guayaquil, Ecuador, as bishop of Santo Domingo en Ecuador (area 8,500, population 801,000, Catholics 685,000, priests 82, permanent deacons 2, religious 135), Ecuador.

Be grains of wheat, offering the Gospel, the Cross and the witness of faith

Vatican City, 22 March 2015 (VIS) – At midday today the Pope appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace for the Sunday Angelus prayer with the thousands of faithful and pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square. Before the Marian prayer, Francis commented on the day's Gospel reading, in which the evangelist John narrates that some 'Greeks', Hebrews, had asked the apostle Philip if they could see Jesus. The Pope explained that this request goes far beyond this particular episode, instead expressing something universal; it “reveals a desire present in the ages and cultures, a desire present in the heart of so many people who have heard of Christ, but have not yet met him. Jesus responds with a prophecy that reveals His identity and shows the path to know Him truly: 'The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified'. … The hour of the Cross, the darkest in history, is also the source of salvation for those who believe in Him”.

Continuing in His prophecy, “Jesus uses a simple and suggestive image, that of the 'grain of wheat' that, once fallen in the earth, dies in order to produce fruit. In this image we find another aspect of Christ's Cross: fruitfulness. The death of Jesus, in fact, is an inexhaustible source of new life, because it carries within itself the regenerating strength of the love of God. Immersed in this love through Baptism, Christians can become 'grains of wheat' and produce much fruit if they, like Jesus, 'lose their own life' for the love of God and for their brothers and sisters”.

Francis emphasised that all those who want to see Jesus, who search for Him, those who have not yet encountered Jesus or who have lost their faith, we are able to offer three things: the Gospel, where we can encounter Jesus, listen to Him, know Him; the Cross, sign of the love of Jesus who gave Himself for us; and our witness of faith, poor but sincere. “A faith that is translated into simple gestures of fraternal charity. But mainly, in the coherence of our life, between what we say and what we do, coherence between our faith and our life, between our words and our actions”.