HOW POPE FRANCIS URGES: LET‘S ALL SAY ‘ENOUGH!’ STOP THE WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST," TO CHILDREN: CHANGING WORLD. (1026 hits)
For Immediate Release From Vatican News!
(A Ten-Minute Read)
Pope Francis issues a heartfelt appeal for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, so that the Israeli hostages may be freed and the Palestinian population may receive urgently needed aid. By Linda Bordoni and Nathan Morley
"Every day, in my heart, I carry the pain and suffering of the populations in Palestine and Israel due to the ongoing hostilities,” said Pope Francis on Sunday in yet another heartfelt appeal for a ceasefire in Gaza.
“I carry the pain and suffering of Palestinians and Israelis in my heart.”
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Speaking during the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square he asked: "Do we really think we are building a better world in this way?”
“Enough, please. Let us all say: Enough, please!" he repeated: "Stop the war.”
“Let us all say: "Enough", please!”
Immediate Ceasefire
The Pope continued with an appeal to continue negotiations for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and throughout the region, “so that the hostages may be freed and return to their anxiously awaiting loved ones, and so that the civilian population may have safe access to necessary and urgent humanitarian aid."
“I encourage the continuation of negotiations for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and throughout the region.”
A Palestinian couple mourn the death of their twin babies in an Israeli strike on Rafah
A Palestinian couple mourn the death of their twin babies in an Israeli strike on Rafah
And please, he concluded: “Don’t forget tormented Ukraine, where many people die every day. It is a place of great sorrow.”
“Don’t forget tormented Ukraine, where many people die every day. It is a place of great sorrow”
War Since 7 October
Pope Francis' appeal on the Third Sunday of Lent is just the latest in many he has issued since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas on 7 October 2023.
There are still 130 Israeli hostages in the hands of Hamas, with over 30 of them feared dead.
The death toll of Palestinians killed by Israeli strikes on the Gaza strip has surpassed 30,000 with thousands more missing. At the same time, over 1.3 million people have been displaced and are facing a catastrophic humanitarian situation. Two-thirds of them are women and children.
Fears Of Famine In Northern Gaza
The head of the Norwegian Refugee Council who has just returned from Gaza has said he believes there is now a famine in the north of the territory.
Yan Egerlund told the BBC that he had been prepared for a nightmare, but what he saw was much worse. He said that was because Israel was not opening nearby border crossings to let aid in. He also condemned the United States, Germany and the UK for selling weapons to Israel.
Pope Opens Vatican Judicial Year: Doing justice Requires The Virtue Of Courage
Addressing officials of the Tribunal of Vatican City State at the inauguration of its 95th judicial year, Pope Francis reminds them that the administration of justice requires the virtue of courage and humility in pursuing the truth and even in facing criticism. By Lisa Zengarini
In his address delivered on Saturday to mark the inauguration of the 95th Judicial Year in the Vatican City State, Pope Francis focused on the virtue of courage needed to administer justice.
A “healthy audacity” that does not aim at self-promotion
He started by recalling that for Christians this virtue is not only a particular quality of heroic individuals but rather, “a trait that is given and enhanced in encountering Christ, as a fruit of the action of the Holy Spirit that anyone can receive if we invoke Him.” It is expressed particularly in “the ability to act with patience and perseverance, rejecting internal and external pressures that hinder the accomplishment of good.”
Without this “healthy audacity”, that “does not aim at self-promotion, but at solidarity” with the weaker in society, he noted, there is a risk of “neglecting many small and large injustices.”
Justice Is Always An Act Of Charity
As we admire the courage of all those men and women who suffer war or human rights violations in the world, including many persecuted Christians , the Pope remarked that we are all called "to commit ourselves to the future of our children, to safeguard the common home, to take on our professional responsibilities.” This is particularly true for the administration of justice: In fact, along with the prudence, charity, temperance, “the task of judging requires the virtues of fortitude and courage, without which wisdom risks remaining sterile.”
Courage In Pursuing The Truth
Pope Francis went on to recall recalled that in the jurisdictional function, courage is needed, in the first place, to thoroughly ascertain the truth, “remembering that doing justice is always an act of charity, an opportunity for fraternal correction aimed at helping the other recognize his mistake.” This – he stressed - is all the more true when particularly serious and scandalous behaviours emerge and must be sanctioned, “especially when they occur within the Christian community.”
Courage To Ensure Due Process
The same courage, the Pope continued , is needed “while striving to ensure the proper conduct of proceedings and “Discernment is done "on one's knees," imploring the gift of the Holy Spirit, so that decisions can be made that are in the direction of the good
Pope To Children: Changing The World Starts With ‘Please’ And ‘Thank You’
Pope Francis sends a message to all the children of the world ahead of the first “World Children’s Day” to encourage them to be united and listen to advice from grown-ups because, he says, their “pleases" and “thank yous" are the first step towards a better world. By Francesca Merlo
Pope Francis has sent a message to all the children of the world, ahead of the very first World Day dedicated to them. World Children's Day, which will be held in Rome on 25-26 May this year "is fast approaching” he tells them.
A message To Each And All
In his message, Pope Francis writes that he wants to speak to “each” of them because each individual is precious. At the same time, he continues, the message is addressed to “all” of them, because all children, everywhere, “are a sign of every person’s desire to grow and flourish”.
The Holy Father goes on to remind the children they are a source of joy for their parents and families “but also for our human family and for the Church” in which we are all connected. For this reason, the Pope encourages the children to pay attention to the stories grown-ups tell them.
Be Close To The Children Who Suffer
The next encouragement is never to forget all the children who are suffering or going through a difficult time. Amongst these are people battling illnesses, at the hospital or at home, and some are being “cruelly robbed of their childhood”. Pope Francis explains that he is referring to children who are "victims of war and violence, those experiencing hunger and thirst, those living on the streets, those forced to be soldiers or to flee as refugees, separated from their parents, those prevented from going to school, and those who fall prey to criminal gangs, drugs or other forms of slavery and abuse”.
We must listen to their voices, stresses the Pope.
Unity Above All
However, the Pope continues, if we want our world to flourish, being close to each other is not enough. “We need, above all else, to be united with Jesus”, he says, explaining that with Jesus we can dream of the renewal of our human family and work for a more fraternal society that cares for our common home.
Pope Francis explains that creating a caring and fraternal society starts with little things “like saying hello to others, asking permission, begging pardon, and saying thank you”. If we are not ashamed to take small steps, one at a time, our world will change, he says.
Then, the Pope highlights the importance of friendship. Everything is always better “when we are together!” stresses the Pope, inviting the children to share their joys. “Gifts are nice” he says, “but only if they help us to be together”.
The Secret Of Prayer
Pope Francis then discloses what he describes as a “secret” to the children: the secret of prayer. He says that “prayer fills our hearts with light and warmth” and invites the
Pope Makes Minor Changes to Proper Law Of Apostolic Signatura
Pope Francis makes some technical-lexical changes to the rules governing the Holy See's Supreme Tribunal. The changes are aimed at conforming the rules to the Pope's 2022 reform of the Roman Curia.
Pope Francis has published a motu proprio entitled 'Munus Tribunalis', harmonising the proper law of the Apostolic Signatura with his 2022 reform of the Curia, "Praedicate Evangelium".
The Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, housed in Rome's Palazzo della Cancelleria, is the highest judicial authority in the Catholic Church beside the Pope himself.
The proper law of the Apostolic Signatura, to which a few minor lexical changes have been made, was promulgated by Pope Benedict XVI in June 2008.
The changes concern the replacement of the word “clerics” with “presbyters” in Art. 1 of the Proper Law; the replacement of the word “Dicastery” with the word “Tribunal” in Art. 3 and with the word “Apostolic Signatura” in Art. 32; the replacement of the expression “issued by the Dicasteries of the Roman Curia” with the expression “issued by the Curial Institutions” in Art. 34; the replacement of the expression “to promote and approve the establishment of interdiocesan tribunals” with the expression “to approve the erection of tribunals of all kinds established by the bishops of several dioceses” in Article 35; the replacement of the word “Dicastery” with “Curial Institutions” in Articles 79, 80, 81, 92 and 105.
Epilogue: Made In God’s Image And Called To Proclaim Christ
Religious life as we know it today, both contemplative and active, has evolved over two millennia. In this final of four articles, Christine Schenk provides an analysis regarding what may have led early Christian women to be active contributors to the building of the church. By Christine Schenk CSJ
As three previous articles in this series attest, evidence from tomb iconography and inscriptions about early Christian women, as well as contemporaneous writings about the “mothers of the church,” reveal that women exercised governance, serving as enrolled widows, deacons, heads of house churches and monasteries, evangelists, teachers, missionaries, and prophets. In most instances, women governed other women, although there are significant exceptions, such as the deaconess Marthana in Seleucia (Turkey), who governed a double monastery on the site of the martyrium of Saint Thecla. These early Christian women freely witnessed and preached despite significant opposition from early Christian men.
How Women Overcame Opposition
One could reasonably ask from whence came the strength and inner authority that impelled women of the early church to disregard attempts to suppress their voices. I suggest that what led women to speak rather than to remain silent was their faith in the risen Christ.
Let us examine one sarcophagus that suggests what at least one Christian woman (we will call her “Junia” as her actual name is unknown) understood to be the source of her inner authority (Figure 1).
In the center of Figure 1, Junia holds a codex in her left hand while her right hand is shown with a speech gesture. Arrayed on either side are Biblical scenes including (left to right): God the Father with Cain and Abel, Christ with Adam and Eve, healing of the paralytic, healing of the blind man, miracle at Cana, and the raising of Lazarus. Several years before she died, Junia, or her family, commissioned this uniquely sculpted sarcophagus to memorialize her and the values that shaped her identity.
