COLLABORATION BETWEEN PARAGUAY AND THE HOLY SEE

Vatican City, 25 November 2013 (VIS) – This morning Pope Francis received in audience Horacio Manuel Cartes Jara, president of the Republic of Paraguay, who subsequently went on to meet with Archbishop Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, accompanied by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Secretary for Relations with States.

During the colloquial discussions, which emphasized the good existing bilateral relations between the Holy See and Paraguay, the Parties considered themes of common interest relevant to the situation of the Country and the Region, such as the fight against poverty and corruption, the promotion of the full development of the human person and respect for human rights. The role and contribution of the Church in society was also discussed, along with the collaboration of Paraguay with the Holy See at international level.

ST. JOSAPHAT, EXAMPLE OF BROTHERLY LOVE AND UNITY IN THE CHURCH

Vatican City, 25 November 2013 (VIS) – “St. Thomas Aquinas teaches us that each person will love his neighbour as he loves himself, and will therefore enjoy his neighbour's goods as if they were his own. Thus, the joy of one will increase inasmuch as the joy of others increases”. With these words, this morning Pope Francis received three thousand Greek Catholic pilgrims from Ukraine and Belarus, in Rome to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the translation of the relics of St. Josaphat to the Vatican Basilica. In the morning Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, celebrated the Divine Liturgy along with the major archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk.

At midday, the Holy Father went to the Basilica to greet the pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square, and said that “the best way to commemorate St. Josaphat is to love each other and to love and serve the unity of the Church. We are supported in this by the courageous witness of the many more recent martyrs, who constitute a great richness and great comfort for your Church”. Francis expressed his hope that “the intense communion that you wish to deepen every day within the Catholic Church may help you also to build bridges of fraternity with other Churches and ecclesial communities in Ukraine and in other countries where your communities are present”.

TRUE FAITH IS SEEN IN MOMENTS OF DIFFICULTY

Vatican City, 24 November 2013 (VIS) – This morning the Holy Father received in audience the Year of Faith volunteers in the Sala Clementina of the Vatican Apostolic Palace. “In this time of grace”, he said, “we have been able to rediscover the essential nature of the Christian path, in which faith, along with charity, occupies the primary position”.

“Indeed, faith is fundamental to Christian experience”, he continued, “as it motivates the decisions and acts of our daily life. It is the boundless source of all our actions, within the family, at work, in the parish, with our friends, and in various social contexts. And this firm, genuine faith is seen especially in moments of difficulty or trial; Christians then allow God to take them in His arms and to hold them close, sure of entrusting themselves to a love as strong as an indestructible rock. In situations of suffering, if we abandon ourselves humbly to God, we are able to give good witness”.

Pope Francis explained to those present that “there is a need for Christian communities, committed to a courageous apostolate, who reach people in their own environments, even those which are most difficult”. Finally, he mentioned that “there are many people in need of a human gesture, of a smile, a true word, and of testimony through which they are able to perceive the presence of Jesus Christ”, and encouraged the volunteers to continue their work so that “no one lacks this sign of love and tenderness, born of faith”.

POPE FRANCIS AT THE END OF THE YEAR OF FAITH

Vatican City, 24 November 2013 (VIS) – This morning, solemnity of Christ King of the Universe, the Holy Father Francis presided the Mass in St. Peter's Square on the occasion of the closing of the Year of Faith, inaugurated by Pope Benedict XVI on 11 October 2012, the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of Vatican Council II. The cardinals, patriarchs and major archbishops of the Oriental Catholic Churches, the archbishops and bishops concelebrated with the Holy Father.

The relics of the apostle Peter were displayed alongside the altar, contained in a bronze casket bearing the inscription “Ex ossibus quae in Arcibasilicae Vaticane Hypogeo inventa Beati Petri Apostoli esse putantur” (“Remains found in the Hypogeum of the Vatican Basilica and believed to be of the Blessed Apostle Peter”).

Before the Mass a collection was made in aid of the people of the Philippines, recently afflicted by the typhoon Haiyan. At the end of the celebration, the Holy Father consigned his Apostolic Exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium” to thirty-six representatives of the People of God, from eighteen countries: a bishop, a priest and a deacon elected from among the youngest to have been ordained; consecrated persons, various representatives for each Year of Faith event, newly confirmed young people, a seminarian and a novice, a family, catechists, one blind person (who received from the Pope a copy of the document in CR-ROM format, to be able to listen to it), young people, representatives of confraternities, movements, two artists, and two representatives from the world of media and communications.

We publish below the full text of Pope Francis' homily, pronounced following the proclamation of the Gospel:

“Today’s solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, the crowning of the liturgical year, also marks the conclusion of the Year of Faith opened by Pope Benedict XVI, to whom our thoughts now turn with affection and gratitude for this gift which he has given us. By this providential initiative, he gave us an opportunity to rediscover the beauty of the journey of faith begun on the day of our Baptism, which made us children of God and brothers and sisters in the Church. A journey which has as its ultimate end our full encounter with God, and throughout which the Holy Spirit purifies us, lifts us up and sanctifies us, so that we may enter into the happiness for which our hearts long.

“I offer a cordial and fraternal greeting to the Patriarchs and Major Archbishops of the Eastern Catholic Churches present. The exchange of peace which I will share with them is above all a sign of the appreciation of the Bishop of Rome for these communities which have confessed the name of Christ with exemplary faithfulness, often at a high price.

“With this gesture, through them, I would like to reach all those Christians living in the Holy Land, in Syria and in the entire East, and obtain for them the gift of peace and concord.

“The Scripture readings proclaimed to us have as their common theme the centrality of Christ. Christ is at the centre, Christ is the centre. Christ is the centre of creation, Christ is the centre of his people and Christ is the centre of history.

“The apostle Paul, in the second reading, taken from the letter to the Colossians, offers us a profound vision of the centrality of Jesus. He presents Christ to us as the first-born of all creation: in him, through him and for him all things were created. He is the centre of all things, he is the beginning: Jesus Christ, the Lord. God has given him the fullness, the totality, so that in him all things might be reconciled. He is the Lord of creation, he is the Lord of reconciliation.

“This image enables to see that Jesus is the centre of creation; and so the attitude demanded of us as true believers is that of recognizing and accepting in our lives the centrality of Jesus Christ, in our thoughts, in our words and in our works. And so our thoughts will be Christian thoughts, thoughts of Christ. Our works will be Christian works, works of Christ; and our words will be Christian words, words of Christ. But when this centre is lost, when it is replaced by something else, only harm can result for everything around us and for ourselves.

“Besides being the centre of creation and the centre of reconciliation, Christ is the centre of the people of God. Today, he is here in our midst. He is here right now in his word, and he will be here on the altar, alive and present amid us, his people. We see this in the first reading which describes the time when the tribes of Israel came to look for David and anointed him king of Israel before the Lord. In searching for an ideal king, the people were seeking God himself: a God who would be close to them, who would accompany them on their journey, who would be a brother to them.

“Christ, the descendant of King David, is really the 'brother' around whom God’s people come together. It is he who cares for his people, for all of us, even at the price of his life. In him we are all one, one people, united with him and sharing a single journey, a single destiny. Only in him, in him as the centre, do we receive our identity as a people.

“Finally, Christ is the centre of the history of humanity and also the centre of the history of every individual. To him we can bring the joys and the hopes, the sorrows and troubles which are part of our lives. When Jesus is the centre, light shines even amid the darkest times of our lives; he gives us hope, as he does to the good thief in today’s Gospel.

“Whereas all the others treat Jesus with disdain – 'If you are the Christ, the Messiah King, save yourself by coming down from the cross!' – the thief who went astray in his life but now repents, clings to the crucified Jesus and begs him: 'Remember me, when you come into your kingdom'. Jesus promises him: 'Today you will be with me in paradise', in his kingdom. Jesus speaks only a word of forgiveness, not of condemnation; whenever anyone finds the courage to ask for this forgiveness, the Lord does not let such a petition go unheard. Today we can all think of our own history, our own journey. Each of us has his or her own history: we think of our mistakes, our sins, our good times and our bleak times. We would do well, each one of us, on this day, to think about our own personal history, to look at Jesus and to keep telling him, sincerely and quietly: 'Remember me, Lord, now that you are in your kingdom! Jesus, remember me, because I want to be good, but I just don’t have the strength: I am a sinner, I am a sinner. But remember me, Jesus! You can remember me because you are at the centre, you are truly in your kingdom!' How beautiful this is! Let us all do this today, each one of us in his or her own heart, again and again. 'Remember me, Lord, you who are at the centre, you who are in your kingdom'.

“Jesus’ promise to the good thief gives us great hope: it tells us that God’s grace is always greater than the prayer which sought it. The Lord always grants more, he is so generous, he always gives more than what he has been asked: you ask him to remember you, and he brings you into his kingdom! Let us go forward together on this road!”.

ANGELUS: FRANCIS REMEMBERS THE HOLODOMOR, THE GREAT UKRAINIAN FAMINE, AND THE GRACE OF THOSE WHO COLLABORATED IN THE YEAR OF FAITH

Vatican City, 24 November 2013 (VIS) – Following the closing Mass of the Year of Faith, Pope Francis prayed the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square.

“Before concluding this celebration”, he said, “I would like to greet all the pilgrims, families, parish groups, associations and movements who have come here from many countries. I greet the participants in the National Congress of Mercy and the Ukrainian community, which commemorates the eightieth anniversary of the Holodomor, the great famine provoked by the Soviet regime, which claimed millions of victims”.

“On this day we also give thanks to the missionaries who, throughout the centuries, have proclaimed the Gospel and sown the seed of faith in many parts of the world, and among them Blessed Junipero Serra, the Spanish Franciscan missionary, the third centenary of whose birth we celebrate today.

“I do not want to finish without sparing a thought for all those who have worked to bring about this Year of Faith. Msgr. Rino Fisichella, who has guided this path: I give heartfelt thanks to him and all those who have collaborated with him. Many thanks!”

After the Marian prayer, Pope Francis again thanked all those present at the concelebration and, as is his custom, wished them a good Sunday and a good lunch.