THE JOY OF THE GOSPEL, A MISSIONARY JOY: WORLD CONGRESS OF ECCLESIAL MOVEMENTS AND NEW COMMUNITIES

Vatican City, 22 July 2014 (VIS) – The Pontifical Council for the Laity will hold its third world congress of ecclesial movements and new communities from 20 to 22 November 2014, entitled “The joy of the Gospel: a missionary joy”, based on Pope Francis' Apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium. The event, to take place at the Pontifical International College Maria Mater Ecclesiae in Rome, Italy, will be attended by delegates from international associations with the most widespread presence all over the world, already recognised as international associations of the faithful or in constant dialogue with the aforementioned dicastery.

Before the Angelus prayer on 19 May 2013, the Sunday of Pentecost during the Year of Faith, the Holy Father addressed the new movements and new ecclesial communities, encouraging them to continue in their work: “You are a gift and wealth for the Church! Always carry forth the strength of the Gospel! Do not be afraid! Always keep alive your joy and passion for the communion of the Church!”. After this encounter, the Pope presented the Apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, “a true vademecum for ecclesial movements and new communities” that has as its main objective the need for a renewed evangelical phase in the life of the Church in our times.

Starting from this assumption, the Pontifical Council for the Laity has consulted with the movements and new ecclesial communities regarding the organisation, logistics and main themes to be considered in the Congress. The registration of delegates at the Congress is formally open and so far members have enrolled from ecclesial movements and new communities from all continents and from more than eighty international associative entities, which will be accompanied by various bishops from the diocese and organs of the Roman Curia.

In addition, more than fifty-five founders and general heads of various communities from around the world have already enrolled. The superiors of the dicastery dedicated their annual meeting of 27 June 2014 to ecclesial movements and new communities, in preparation for this important event, and to hearing the participants in the meeting from over thirty international associations of the faithful.

AUDIENCES

Vatican City, 22 July 2014 (VIS) – Yesterday afternoon, 21 July, the Holy Father received in audience Bishop Nunzio Galantino of Cassano dell'Jonio, secretary general of the Italian Episcopal Conference.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 22 July 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father has:

- appointed the following members of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity: Archbishop Carlos Jose Nanez of Cordoba, Argentina; Bishop Rodolfo Valenzuela Nunez of Vera Paz and president of the Episcopal Conference of Guatemala; and Bishop Gerhard Feige of Magdeburg, Federal Republic of Germany.

- appointed the following as consultors of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity: Cristiano Bettega, director of the National Office for Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue of the Italian Episcopal Conference; Hector Sherri, president of the Theological Commission of Malta and the Diocesan Ecumenical Commission, Malta; Michael Joeng-Hun Shin, official for ecumenism of the Korean Episcopal Conference; Fernando Rodriguez Garrapucho, director of the John XXIII Centre for Oriental and Ecumenical Studies at the Pontifical University of Salamanca, Spain; Br. Enzo Bianchi, prior of the Monastery of Bose, Italy; Fr. Franck Lemaitre, O.P., director of the National Service for Christian Unity of the Bishops' Conference of France; John Crossins, O.S.F.S., executive director of the secretariat for ecumenical and interreligious matters of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; Fr. Jorge A. Scampini, O.P., professor of ecumenism at the faculty of theology of the Pontifical Catholic University of Buenos Aires, Argentina; Fr. Milan Zust, S.J., Slovenia, lecturer at the faculty of missiology of the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome; Sister Maria Ha Fong Ko, F.M.A., Macau, lecturer in New Testament exegesis at the Pontifical Faculty of Education Sciences (Auxilium), Rome and at the Holy Spirit Seminary of Hong Kong.

PROGRAMME OF THE POPE'S PASTORAL VISIT TO CASERTA

Vatican City, 21 July 2014 (VIS) – The programme of the Holy Father's pastoral visit to Caserta, Italy, scheduled for Saturday 26 July, was published today.

The Pope will leave the Vatican by helicopter at 3 p.m. and will land 45 minutes later at the heliport of the Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare) School in the Reggia or Royal Palace of Caserta. At 4 p.m. he will meet the priests of the diocese at the Air Force Officer's Club and at 6 p.m. he will celebrate Mass in the square adjacent to the Royal Palace. At 7.30 p.m. he will depart for the Vatican where he is expected to arrive at 8.15 p.m.

IMITATE GOD'S PATIENCE AND AWAIT THE HARVEST WITH HOPE

Vatican City, 20 July 2014 (VIS) – “In a field where the master sows the grain, one night an enemy sowed tares among them, a plant whose name in Hebrew has the same root as 'Satan' and refers to the concept of division. The following morning the servants wanted to remove the weed, but the master stopped them, 'Lest while you gather up the tares, you root up also the wheat with them'”. The Holy Father commented on this parable on Sunday morning, as he appeared at the window of his study to pray the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square. “The parable of the good seed and the tares takes on the problem of evil in the world”, explained the Pope, “and highlights God's patience”.

“The teaching of the parable is twofold. First, it says that the evil in the world does not come from God, but from His enemy, the devil. This enemy is astute; he has sown evil amidst the good, so that it is impossible for man to clearly separate the two; but God, in the end, will do so”. The Holy Father went on to consider the second theme: “the constrast between the impatience of the servants and the patient waiting of the master of the field, who represents God”. He remarked that often we are hasty to judge, classify and sort the good from the bad, and emphasised that God, on the other hand, knows how to wait. “He looks at the 'field' of each person's life with patience and mercy. He sees, far better than we do, the dirt and the evil, but He also sees the seeds of good and waits confidently for them to mature. God is patient, He knows how to wait”.

“The attitude of the master is that of hope, based on the certainty that evil has neither the first nor the last word. And, thanks to God's patient hope, that same weed may in time become good grain. But beware: evangelical patience is not indifference to evil; one must not confuse good and evil! Faced with the weeds in the world, the Lord's disciple is called to imitate God's patience, to nurture hope with the support of an unshakeable faith in the final victory of good, of God. In the end, we will all be judged by the same yardstick with which we ourselves have judged: the mercy we have shown to others will be used also with us. Let us ask Our Lady, our Mother, to help us to grow in patience, hope and mercy”.