THE POPE RECEIVES THE PRIMATE OF THE ANGLICAN CHURCH: GREAT SAINTS, TEACHERS AND COMMUNITIES DEMONSTRATE OUR COMMON ROOTS

Vatican City, 16 June 2014 (VIS) – The awareness that the objective of unity may seem distant, but is always the aim of the path of ecumenism and common concern for the ills of humanity, especially human trafficking, were some of the key themes in the Holy Father's encounter with His Grace Justin Welby, archbishop of Canterbury, in the Vatican this morning.

“The Lord’s question – 'What were you arguing about on the way?' – might also apply to us. When Jesus put this question to his disciples they were silent; they were ashamed, for they had been arguing about who was the greatest among them. We too feel ashamed when we ponder the distance between the Lord’s call and our meagre response. Beneath his merciful gaze, we cannot claim that our division is anything less than a scandal and an obstacle to our proclaiming the Gospel of salvation to the world. Our vision is often blurred by the cumulative burden of our divisions and our will is not always free of that human ambition which can accompany even our desire to preach the Gospel as the Lord commanded”.

Despite these difficulties, “The Holy Spirit gives us the strength not to grow disheartened and invites us to trust fully in the power of His works. As disciples who strive to follow the Lord, we realise that the faith has come to us through many witnesses. We are indebted to great saints, teachers and communities; they have handed down the faith over the ages and they bear witness to our common roots”.

The bishop of Rome went on to remark that yesterday, on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, the archbishop of Canterbury celebrated Vespers in the Church of San Gregorio al Celio, “from which Pope Gregory the Great sent forth Augustine and his monastic companions to evangelise the peoples of England, thus inaugurating a history of faith and holiness which in turn enriched many other European peoples. This glorious history has profoundly shaped institutions and ecclesial traditions which we share and which serve as a solid basis for our fraternal relations”.

“On this basis, then, let us look with confidence to the future. The Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission and the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission represent especially significant forums for examining, in a constructive spirit, older and newer challenges to our ecumenical engagement. He also emphasised their shared “horror in the face of the scourge of human trafficking and forms of modern-day slavery” and thanked Archbishop Welby “for the leadership you have shown in opposing these intolerable crimes against human dignity”.

“In attempting to respond to this urgent need, notable collaborative efforts have been initiated on the ecumenical level and in cooperation with civil authorities and international organisations. Many charitable initiatives have been undertaken by our communities, and they are operating with generosity and courage in various parts of the world. I think in particular of the action network against the trafficking in women set up by a number of women’s religious institutes”. He concluded, “Let us persevere in our commitment to combat new forms of enslavement, in the hope that we can help provide relief to victims and oppose this deplorable trade. I thank God that, as disciples sent to heal a wounded world, we stand together, with perseverance and determination, in opposing this grave evil”.

IMPACT INVESTING FOR THE POOR: “IT IS INTOLERABLE THAT FINANCIAL MARKETS SHAPE THE DESTINY OF PEOPLES”

Vatican City, 16 June 2014 (VIS) – A congress to identify current and practicable forms of investment for greater social equality, entitled “Impact Investing for the Poor”, has been organised by the Pontifical Council “Justice and Peace”, is being held in Rome this week. The participants, including representatives of the Roman Curia, were received in audience by Pope Francis this morning.

Impact Investing is a form of investment that “can benefit local communities and the environment, as well as providing a reasonable return”. Investors who follow this practice, the Pontiff explained, “are conscious of the existence of serious unjust situations, instances of profound social inequality and unacceptable conditions of poverty affecting communities and entire peoples. These investors turn to financial institutes which will use their resources to promote the economic and social development of these groups through investment funds aimed at satisfying basic needs associated with agriculture, access to water, adequate housing and reasonable prices, as well as with primary health care and educational services”.

Investments of this type are intended to have positive social repercussions on local communities, such as job creation, access to energy, training and increased agricultural productivity. The financial return for investors tends to be more moderate than in other types of investment. Pope Francis emphasised that “the logic underlying these innovative forms of intervention is one which acknowledges the ultimate connection between profit and solidarity, the virtuous circle existing between profit and gift … Christians are called to rediscover, experience and proclaim to all this precious and primordial unity between profit and solidarity”.

“It is important that ethics once again play its due part in the world of finance and that markets serve the interests of peoples and the common good of humanity”. He exclaimed, “It is increasingly intolerable that financial markets are shaping the destiny of peoples rather than serving their needs, or that the few derive immense wealth from financial speculation while the many are deeply burdened by the consequences. Advances in technology have increased the speed of financial transactions, but in the long run this is significant only to the extent that it better serves the common good. In this regard, speculation on food prices is a scandal which seriously compromises access to food on the part of the poorest members of our human family. It is urgent that governments throughout the world commit themselves to developing an international framework capable of promoting a market of high impact investments, and thus to combating an economy which excludes and discards”.

Francis mentioned that today the Church celebrates the memorial of Saints Quiricus and Giulitta, a son and mother who, persecuted under Diocletian, left all their possessions to the poor and accepted martyrdom. He concluded, “I join you in asking the Lord to help us never to forget the transience of earthly goods and to renew our commitment to serve the common good with love and with preference for the most poor and vulnerable of our brothers and sisters”.

TO THE SANT'EDIGIO COMMUNITY: CONTINUE ALONG THE PATH OF PRAYER FOR THE POOR AND FOR PEACE

Vatican City, 15 June 2014 (VIS) – On Sunday afternoon the Pope visited the Sant'Egidio Community in the Roman quarter of Trastevere. In his address, he commented that prayer “preserves the anonymous man of the city from the temptations that may also be ours: the 'protagonism' of those who think that the world revolves around them, indifference, victimism. Prayer is the first task of your Community, and consists of listening to the Word of God, the bread that gives us strength and enables us to go forth. … He who looks to the Lord, sees others. You too have learned to see others, in particular the poorest among you; and I hope that you will be able to live out what Professor Riccardi has described – that is, that among you, you forget who gives and who receives help. A care that slowly ceases to be 'care' and transforms into encounter and embrace. … Who is at the centre of this? Both, or rather, the embrace itself”.

The Holy Father rejoiced to see many elderly among those present, and commented on the importance of the alliance between the young and the elderly, in which everyone receives and gives. “A population who does not care for the elderly and does not care for the young is a population without future, a people without hope. Because the young – children, young people – and the elderly are those who carry history forth. The young with their natural strength, and the elderly, providing their memory. But when a society loses its memory, it is finished”. The Pope also spoke against the “throwaway culture”, which currently afflicts Europe - “a tired Europe that doesn't know what to do”. “We must rejuvenate her and help her to find her roots. It is true that she has disavowed her roots, but we must help her to rediscover them”. He affirmed that change in society starts with the poor and the elderly. “Nowadays, unfortunately, the speculative economy has made the poor ever poorer, depriving them of the essentials for life, such as a home and employment. This is unacceptable! Those who live in solidarity with others do not accept this and react. It seems that many people would prefer to remove this word 'solidarity' from the dictionary, as within a certain culture it can seem almost like a profanity. No! Solidarity is a Christian word!”.

The Pope encouraged all those who collaborate with the Community from other countries to be friends of God, of the poor, and of peace, “because those who live in this way find blessings in life and will be a blessing for others”. Before concluding, he emphasised again the need for prayer and dialogue, but always starting out from one's own identity. “Go forth along this road: prayer, the poor, and peace. In this way you will help compassion grow in the heart of society – which is the true revolution, that of compassion and tenderness – and help friendship to grown instead of enmity and indifference”.

ANGELUS: IT IS CONTRADICTORY TO IMAGINE CHRISTIANS WHO HATE EACH OTHER

Vatican City, 15 June 2014 (VIS) – At midday sharp today, as on every Sunday, the Pope appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace to pray the Angelus with the thousands of faithful and pilgrims who awaited him in St. Peter's Square. Before the prayer, Francis spoke briefly about the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, “profound communion and perfect love”, the origin and objective of all creation. He said, “in the Trinity we also recognise the model of the Church, in which we are called upon to love each other as Jesus loved us. Love is the concrete sign that manifests faith in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Love is the distinctive feature of the Christian, as Jesus told us: 'By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another'. It is a contradiction to think of Christians who hate each other. It is a contradiction! And the devil seeks precisely this: to make us hate each other, because he sows the discord of hate: he does not know love, the love that is God's!”.

He continued, “We are all called upon to bear witness to and to proclaim the message that 'God is love', that God is not distant from us or insensible to our human affairs. He is close to us, He is always by our side, He walks with us to share our joys and our pains, our hope and our strife. He loves us so much, to the point of making Himself man; He came into the world not to guide us but so that the world might be saved through Jesus. And this is God's love in Jesus, this love that is so difficult to understand but which we feel when we draw close to Jesus. And He always forgives us, He always awaits us, He loves us very much. And the love of Jesus that we feel is God's love”.

He added, “the Holy Spirit communicates the divine life to us and therefore allows us to enter into the dynamism of the Trinity, which is a dynamism of love, of communion, of mutual service, of sharing. A person who loves others for the very joy of loving is a reflection of the Trinity. A family in which the members love and help each other is a reflection of the Trinity. A parish in which the members care for each other and share their spiritual and material assets is a reflection of the Trinity. True love is without limits but knows how to limit itself, in order to move towards the other, to respect the freedom of the other. Every Sunday we go to Mass, we celebrate the Eucharist together and the Eucharist is like the 'burning bush' in which the Trinity humbly resides and communicates”. He explained that it is for this reason that the Church has placed the Feast of Corpus Domini after the Feast of the Trinity. Next Thursday, in accordance with a Roman tradition, Holy Mass will be celebrated at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, followed by a procession with the Holy Sacrament. The Pope invited Romans and pilgrims to participate to “express our wish to be a people united in the unity of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. I will see you all on Thursday, at 7 p.m., for the procession of Corpus Domini”.

FRANCIS PRAYS FOR PEACE AND RECONCILATION IN IRAQ

Vatican City, 15 June 2014 (VIS) – Following today's Marian Angelus prayer, the Holy Father expressed his concern at the dramatic events that are unfolding in Iraq, and conveyed his hope that the future will bring peace and reconciliation for the people of this country. “I invite you all to join with me in prayer for the beloved Iraqi nation, especially the victims and those who suffer most keenly the consequences of the escalation of violence, and in particular those, including many Christians, who have had to flee their homes. I wish security and peace upon all the population and hope for a future of reconciliation and justice, in which all Iraqis, regardless of their religious beliefs, will be able to build their homeland together, making it into a model of coexistence”.

The Pope also announced that on Sunday 21 September he will visit the Albanian city of Tirana. “With this brief trip I wish to confirm in the faith the Church in Albania, and offer my encouragement and love to a country that has suffered greatly as a result of the ideologies of the past”.

Before concluding, Pope Francis offered some words to domestic collaborators and carers for the elderly, “who come from all over the world and provide a valuable service to families, especially in their care for the elderly and for those who are not autonomous”. He remarked, “Very often we do not do justice to the great and good work they perform in families. Thank you very much!”.