POPE FRANCIS' AUDIENCE WITH QUEEN ELIZABETH II OF THE UNITED KINGDOM

Vatican City, 4 April 2014 (VIS) – Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, accompanied by His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, arrived in the Vatican yesterday, following their visit to the Quirinal Palace, at around 3.20 p.m.

They were greeted in Piazzetta John Paul II (between the Paul VI Hall and the Palazzo della Canonica) by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States and Msgr. Antoine Camilleri, under secretary for Relations with States. They were awaited inside the room by Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor, archbishop emeritus of Westminster.

The Holy Father received Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in his study next to the Paul VI Hall for a private meeting, which lasted around twenty minutes. This was followed by greetings with the entourage and an exchange of gifts in the adjacent room. The gift offered to the Pope by Her Majesty was a large basket of food products (jams, drinks etc) produced on the various royal estates. The Pope gave Her Majesty a facsimile of a valuable document conserved in the Vatican, by which the cult of St. Edward the Confessor, an ancestor of the British royal family and founder of Westminster Abbey, where he is buried) was extended to the universal Church in 1679, by Pope Innocent XI. The Pope also gave an ornament composed of a lapis lazuli sphere topped with a silver cross of St. Edward, for the Queen's great-grandson, Prince George of Cambridge. He gave a triptych of pontifical medals to the Duke of Edinburgh.

The royal entourage left the Vatican shortly before 4 p.m.

FRANCIS CONGRATULATES THE NEW SYRIAN ORTHODOX PATRIARCH OF ANTIOCH AND ALL THE EAST

Vatican City, 4 April 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father has sent a message to Ignatius Aphrem II, the new Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, congratulating him on his election. Pope Francis expresses his joy at receiving this news and prays that His Holiness “may be a spiritual father for your people and an untiring builder of peace and justice, serving the common good and the good of the entire Middle East in today's difficult circumstances”.

“It is important for all Christians to bear witness to the love and fellowship that binds us together, mindful of the prayer offered by our Lord at the Last Supper: that all may be one, so that the world may believe”. The Pope gives thanks to the Lord “for the bonds of fraternity between the Catholic Church and the Syrian Orthodox Church”, and prays “that our continuing friendship and dialogue may be further developed and deepened. May our heavenly Father fill Your Holiness with peace and strength for the noble task that awaits you”.

THE POPE TO OFFER THE FAITHFUL A POCKET GOSPEL TO THE FAITHFUL AT THE NEXT SUNDAY ANGELUS

Vatican City, 4 April 2014 (VIS) – During the Sunday Angelus, and on various other occasions, Pope Francis has urged the faithful to carry a pocket-sized book of the Gospels and to read it often to meditate on Jesus' words and deeds, especially those referred to in the day's liturgy, on which Pope Francis himself has commented.

To help put this suggestion into practice, and communicating a clear message, next Sunday during the Angelus in St. Peter's Square, several thousand pocket-sized copies of the Gospel will be distributed free as a gift to the faithful at the behest of the Pope.

The initiative, similar to the distribution of the “Misericordinas” some months ago, will be implemented by the Almoner of His Holiness, with the collaboration of a number of volunteers: 150 scouts, seminarians from the Roman Seminary, the Sisters of Mother Teresa and other religious, and individuals. Indeed, it is the role of the Almoner to distribute charity, not only material but also spiritual, on behalf of the Pope.

The book, printed by the Vatican Typography (in a special edition for this occasion, which will not be available for sale), contains the four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles, and begins with the Pope's words from the Apostolic Exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium”: “The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus”. On the inner cover leaf there are instructions on how to recite the “chaplet of Mercy” and it ends, on the inner back cover, with Blessed Cardinal John H. Newman's prayer: “Dear Jesus...”, that Mother Teresa advised her nuns to recite every day.

WORKING FOR THE INCLUSION OF GYPSIES

Vatican City, 4 April 2014 (VIS) – Published below are extracts from the message sent by Cardinal Antonio Maria Veglio, president of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples to the members of the International Catholic Committee for Gypsies (CCIT), who will meet in Cavallino-Treporti, Italy from 4 to 6 April.

In our globalised world, in fact, walls continue to be built that divide the peoples of the same continent, people from the same country or the same city”, he writes. “Also among the European countries, some are still negatively influenced in their political choices regarding the Roma to whom you are close in your respective pastoral commitments. … The challenge you face with evangelical courage in your pastoral activities demonstrates that to tear down walls, one must begin in the heart, the first space where another is included, and as long as hearts are not open, it will not be easy to achieve an inclusive society. So this moment of reflection offers you the opportunity to put your energies together to create a social dynamic in which the different cultures can live together”.

“The Gypsies need the humanity of the society in which they live in order to feel like members of the human family and benefit from the rights enjoyed by the other members of the community in respect for their dignity and identity. … There is a need for tenacious, patient work on everyone's part. The Church can be of inspiration and make the efforts converge into a common commitment in order to face the dilemmas at the basis of the Roma's human difficulties. … The document 'Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Gypsies' continues to be a fundamental reference for you and you should use it as well as possible for your service in the midst of this People because it offers important guidelines that are the fruit of common work”.

“The Roma have the right to be recognised at least as ethnic minorities in the countries where they live since they are the largest minority in the European Union”. He concludes, “The Church has the task to bring Jesus' Gospel in their midst but also to support their dream of integration which passes through education, health, work and housing, and all of this in collaboration with people of good will”.

POLICE AND CHURCH UNITE TO COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Vatican City, 4 April 2014 (VIS) – The second international conference on “Combating Human Trafficking: Church and law enforcement in partnership” will take place on 9 and 10 April in the Academy of Sciences in the Vatican.

The event is being organised by the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales and is chaired by Cardinal Vincent Nichols, archbishop of Westminster. There will be an audience with Pope Francis at the close of the conference, where the Holy Father will meet with victims and police chiefs.

From listening to the voices of the victims, who will also be represented at the conference and able to tell their stories to all delegates from both law enforcement agencies and the Church, the Conference aims to bring police chiefs together so they can build an effective network to combat trafficking and work collaboratively with the Church. Closer collaboration will also enable joint investigations between law enforcement agencies, enabling a more co-ordinated international approach to rid the world of the scourge of its second most profitable crime.