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Vatican City, Dec 13, 2016 / 09:42 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On hearing of the Dec. 12 death of Bishop Javier Echevarría Rodríguez, the Prelate of Opus Dei, Pope Francis sent a telegram Tuesday expressing his deep sympathy to the members of the organization and to Msgr. Fernando Ocáriz Braña, auxiliary vicar.

“I wish to make known to you and to all members of this prelature my deepest condolences,” the Pope wrote Dec. 13, “at the same time that I unite to your action of giving thanks to God for his paternal and generous witness of his priestly and episcopal life.”

Bishop Echevarría died in Rome Dec. 12 in the evening at the age of 84, several days after being hospitalized with pneumonia.

According to a Dec. 12 statement from the personal prelature, Bishop Echevarría was given the final sacraments that afternoon by his auxiliary, Msgr. Fernando Ocáriz.

“Bishop Echevarría was receiving an antibiotic to fight a lung infection,” the statement added. “The clinical situation was complicated in the final hours provoking respiratory insufficiency, which resulted in his death.”

In his letter to Msgr. Ocáriz, Francis praised the bishop, saying that, “In the example of St. Josemaria Escriva and of Blessed Alvaro del Portillo…he lived his life in constant service of love for the Church and for souls.”

Raising to the Lord “a fervent prayer for this servant” that God will “receive him in his eternal joy,” the Pope also entrusted the bishop to the protection of Our Lady of Guadalupe, “on whose feast he entrusted his soul to God.”

“With these sentiments, and as a sign of faith and hope in the Risen Christ, I bestow on all the comforting Apostolic blessing,” the telegram concluded.

Bishop Echevarría was born in Madrid in 1932, where he met St. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei, an organization dedicated to spiritual growth and discipleship among the laity which teaches its members to use their work and their ordinary activities as a way to encounter God.

He was St. Josemaria’s secretary from 1953 to 1975, and was ordained a priest of the prelature in 1955, at the age of 23.

He was later named secretary general of Opus Dei, and was elected prelate in 1994. He was consecrated a bishop the following year.

Opus Dei stated that the prelature’s ordinary government now falls to Msgr. Ocáriz. He is to convoke a congress of the community within three months to nominate a successor to Bishop Echevarría, who must be confirmed by the Pope.

 

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IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring

By Cindy Wooden

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- As Christmas approached, St. Peter's Square was filled with balloons, singing and an incredible variety of Baby Jesus figurines -- everything from plastic figures that would fit in a walnut shell to those that were larger-than-life sized.

For Pope Francis, the most important ingredient in the mix was joy.

Reciting the Angelus Dec. 11 and blessing the Baby Jesus statues children brought for their home or school Nativity scenes, the pope insisted that the true meaning of Christmas should bring Christians a deep and abiding sense of joy.

Unlike "superficial happiness" or even the giddiness shopping can bring, he said, "it is a joy that touches the depths of our being while we await Jesus, who already has come to bring salvation to the world, the promised Messiah, born in Bethlehem of the Virgin Mary."

"God entered history to free us from slavery to sin; he pitched his tent among us to share our existence, heal our wounds, bandage our injuries and give us new life," the pope said. "Joy is the fruit of this intervention of salvation and God's love."

The Christmas decorations and lights and the Nativity scenes being set up in homes all over the world are signs of that joy, Pope Francis said. They are a call "to welcome the Lord who always knocks at our door, the doors of our hearts, to draw near to us" and "to recognize his footsteps in those of our brothers and sisters passing by, especially the weakest and neediest."

Pope Francis asked the children to pray in front of their Nativity scenes with their parents. "Ask Baby Jesus to help us all love God and our neighbors."

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IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring

By Cindy Wooden

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis urged Syrian President Bashar Assad to do everything possible to end the war in his country, to protect civilians and to ensure humanitarian agencies can deliver emergency aid to the people.

Syria's SANA news agency reported Assad met Dec. 12 with new Cardinal Mario Zenari, the papal nuncio to Syria, and that the cardinal delivered a letter from the pope.

The Vatican confirmed the news a few hours later, saying in a statement that "in naming Archbishop Mario Zenari to the College of Cardinals, the Holy Father sought to show a particular sign of affection for the beloved Syrian people, so sorely tried in recent years."

"In a letter sent through the new cardinal," the Vatican statement said, "Pope Francis expressed again his appeal to President Bashar al-Assad and to the international community for an end to the to the violence" and for a "peaceful resolution of hostilities, condemning all forms of extremism and terrorism from whatever quarter they may come."

The pope also asked Assad "to ensure that international humanitarian law is fully respected with regard to the protection of the civilians and access to humanitarian aid."

After reciting the Angelus prayer Dec. 11 with people in St. Peter's Square, the pope said that he is close in prayer to the people of the besieged city of Aleppo, Syria.

"We must not forget that Aleppo is a city and that there are people there: families, children, elderly, sick," he said. "Unfortunately, we have become used to the war and destruction, but we must not forget that Syria is a country full of history, culture and faith. We cannot allow this to be negated by war, which is a pile of abuse and falsity."

Maronite Archbishop Joseph Tobji of Aleppo told Catholic News Service by phone Dec. 13 that the Syrian army had liberated most of the city from ISIS the previous day. He said the Syrian army called for the terrorists to surrender and come forward without their weapons.

"Unfortunately, there was no surrendering," Archbishop Tobji said, adding that Aleppo is still 1 percent or 2 percent under control of the Islamic State.

Yet, because the city is nearly completely under Syrian army control, "the people are celebrating," the archbishop said.

Like a parade, "there were car convoys, people marching everywhere, expressing their joy," he said.

As for the future for Aleppo, Archbishop Tobji said the international community was "always against the wishes of the Syrian people."

"Now that we're looking toward the future, we're hoping that the wishes of the Syrian people will be taken into consideration," he said.

Archbishop Tobji noted that "there is a lot to rebuild" and it will be a "huge challenge" to put the economy on the right track "after all this destruction."

He commended Pope Francis' Dec. 12 letter to Assad, noting that the letter would impact people's lives, "encouraging them in their daily tasks."

"It gives the people hope," the archbishop added. "It's always a plus for the people to hear from the church's highest authority such words of encouragement and support."

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Contributing to this story was Doreen Abi Raad in Beirut.

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By Carol Glatz

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Even though Pope Francis was planning a "normal" workday for his birthday, well-wishers can help brighten it up with special tweets and emails.

Turning 80 Dec. 17, Pope Francis was going to start the day with Mass together with cardinals living in Rome, according to the Vatican press office. The Vatican made the announcement Dec. 13 -- the anniversary of the pope's ordination to the priesthood in 1969.

"The rest of the day will be 'normal,' loaded with appointments," it said.

People can tweet messages using the hashtag #Pontifex80 or send an email according to their preferred language, including Latin.

-- PopeFrancis80@vatican.va (English)

-- PapaFrancisco80@vatican.va (Spanish/Portuguese)

-- PapeFrancois80@vatican.va (French)

-- PapiezFranciszek80@vatican.va (Polish)

-- PapstFranziskus80@vatican.va (German)

-- PapaFrancesco80@vatican.va (Italian)

-- Papafranciscus80@vatican.va (Latin)

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Copyright © 2016 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. www.catholicnews.com. All rights reserved. Republishing or redistributing of CNS content, including by framing or similar means without prior permission, is prohibited. You may link to stories on our public site. This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To request permission for republishing or redistributing of CNS content, please contact permissions at cns@catholicnews.com.

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