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NEW YORK (AP) -- After years of stamping out soda tax proposals with well-financed campaigns, Big Soda is suddenly finding itself up against bigger adversaries....
LONDON (AP) -- WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was being questioned by prosecutors Monday at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London about possible sexual misconduct committed in Sweden six years ago....
MARRAKECH, Morocco (AP) -- Global temperatures are soaring toward a record high this year, the U.N. weather agency said Monday, while another report showed emissions of a key global warming gas have flattened out in the past three years....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President-elect Donald Trump is considering a woman and an openly gay man to fill major positions in his new leadership team, history-making moves that would inject diversity into a Trump administration already facing questions about its ties to white nationalists....
(Vatican Radio) A new book on Pope Francis, shortly to be published by Random House, aims to challenge and inspire the reader and explore how Francis’ ministry has struck a chord in the heart of millions – both Catholic and non – across the world.Written by Mark Kennedy Shriver, President of Save the Children Action Network, the book is entitled ‘Pilgrimage: My Search for the Real Pope Francis’.Due to be put on sale on November 29, the book has already received praise from critics and others who have had the chance to preview it. Like Cardinal Sean O’Malley who highly recommends it and suggests it can make a difference in the life of the reader.Speaking to Vatican Radio’s Alessandro Gisotti, the author said his interest in Pope Francis – and in the man, Jorge Mario Bergoglio – was sparked as soon as the newly elected Pope stepped out onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Square on March 13, 2013 and asked the c...
(Vatican Radio) A new book on Pope Francis, shortly to be published by Random House, aims to challenge and inspire the reader and explore how Francis’ ministry has struck a chord in the heart of millions – both Catholic and non – across the world.
Written by Mark Kennedy Shriver, President of Save the Children Action Network, the book is entitled ‘Pilgrimage: My Search for the Real Pope Francis’.
Due to be put on sale on November 29, the book has already received praise from critics and others who have had the chance to preview it. Like Cardinal Sean O’Malley who highly recommends it and suggests it can make a difference in the life of the reader.
Speaking to Vatican Radio’s Alessandro Gisotti, the author said his interest in Pope Francis – and in the man, Jorge Mario Bergoglio – was sparked as soon as the newly elected Pope stepped out onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Square on March 13, 2013 and asked the crowd to bless him…
Listen to the interview:
“I have long admired Pope Francis, really from the moment he became Pope when he asked the people to bless him instead of him blessing the people right off, when he was on the balcony at St. Peter’s” he says.
Mark K. Shriver goes on to mention the significance of a series of gestures of the newly elected Pope Francis such as paying his own hotel bill, choosing to visit suffering migrants on the island of Lampedusa, washing the feet of the young kids at a juvenile facility.
“I’ve worked with juvenile delinquents in Baltimore city and that is really tough. To wash their feet is something that I would never have the courage to do. So he caught my attention from the beginning of his papacy and his humility, his mercy and his commitment to the poor all struck me” he says.
Shriver explains he really wanted to go further and find out exactly who Jorge Mario Bergoglio was: “And that is why I wrote the book”.
He says he was given a huge opportunity to spend two and a half years reading his homilies his talks, and talking to his friends in Argentina, Rome, and America.
“It was just a fantastic journey to learn more about the man and to gain better insight into his relationship with God and it really inspired me” he says.
The title of the book refers to a pilgrimage and Shriver points out that it is like a journey during which there are various discoveries to be made by the reader:
“I think that there are a couple of very interesting pieces in the book. I think first of all I was stunned when I went and saw his room in Buenos Aires and the room that he lived in, in Cordoba for two years. He is so austere…a twin sized bed in a very small room with one bureau with just a couple of drawers for his clothes. He doesn’t own a lot, he is very frugal and he is completely committed to Jesus” he says.
Shriver says one of the questions he struggled with was, ‘who is this man?’: “The answer to me is whose is this man and who does he belong to? He belongs to Jesus, he is really committed and he has committed his entire life to the calling and message of Christ”.
The author also talks about Francis’ capacity to make one question one’s own beliefs right down to the core because of the way he lives, of what he says and of the way he acts.
“The way he acts and what he says is so completely consistent that is forces me, as an American and as a human being, to look at the way I live, the way I act, and the way I treat people. So I hope the reader will first of all realize that this guy is a great teacher and he challenges us to look at the way we think and the way we behave, what we say and help us to be a better human being” he says.
Asked what is new in this book on Pope Francis, Shriver points to the focus on the Pope’s commitment to those to whom a voice is never, or rarely given.
He refers specifically to the speeches Francis have given to a group that he has met three times receiving almost no publicity:
“The representatives of the Popular Movement - he was with them just a few days ago, on Saturday November 5th - and I think the way he interacts with those people from all around the world together with his commitment to seek change from ‘the bottom up’ is really profound”.
Shriver says he first heard about these meetings from a man named Sergio Sanchez who collects cardboard and trash in Buenos Aires.
“He is a friend of the Pope’s and he told me he had spent three days at the Vatican with Cardinal Turkson and with Pope Francis and I thought, ‘Wow that’s crazy!’ I couldn’t even believe it was true and it received no coverage in the New York Times or the Washington Post or any of the big news paper and media outlets here in the United States, and then I found it online in an article about that meeting” he says.
He points out that the Pope met two more times with representatives of the Popular Movement and comments on the fact that Francis’ commitment to those people “who aren’t big shots, who aren’t rich, who aren’t necessarily influential, really, I think speak to who he is in his very essence”.
“He believes that the church should be a field hospital, should be out on the frontier interacting with the poor, helping the poor, but learning from the poor and listening to the poor. He has done that throughout his life and he is doing it now and just recently in the Vatican as well and that I think is profoundly insightful as to who the man is and what he wants for the Catholic Church to be” he says.
In the book the author writes that Pope Francis is an inspirational figure, like Shriver’s own uncle, President John F. Kennedy was, and he speaks about what it is in the vision of Jorge Bergoglio that strikes him the most:
“I think that the most challenging part of his vision is that he really is challenging us to go out and ‘to get our shoes muddy’, as he says. ‘To smell like the sheep’ and that means to be out working with people, listening to people that are poor. I think when he says poor he doesn’t mean people who are just financially poor but those that are suffering physical, emotional, or spiritual poverty. And that really means is all of us. Because we are all suffering to some degree. We are all sinners. He is challenging us to have mercy for each other, to spend time with each other and to get out of our comfort zones. I think great leaders challenge us to get out of our comfort zones. They challenge us to be better human beings to reach out, to create more of a community. That is a message we can all benefit from here in the United States and around the world. Get out of our comfort zones reach out to our neighbors but also the stranger on the street and really help them and learn from them. It is not a one way relationship. People that have resources aren’t just helping the poor; the poor are helping us as well to learn how to be more merciful, to learn how be more human to each other. That is what a great leader does. They challenge us to be better human beings. I think that is what President Kennedy did” he says.
I think, Shriver concludes: “that is what Pope Francis is doing today. He is a prophet and prophets challenge you to be a better human being”.
(Vatican Radio) “The Year of Mercy has touched people very deeply with their hearts and I’m not only talking about Catholics, I’m talking about other Christian denominations and even people of other faiths.” That’s according to Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town, South Africa whose Archdiocese has been promoting a number of events to celebrate the Holy Year of Mercy.Listen to Lydia O'Kane's interview with Archbishop Stephen Brislin Ecumenism and MercyHe says, “It’s quite amazing that when I attend ecumenical meetings, so many speakers whether protestant or whether Muslim or Hindu often refer to the Year of Mercy and many of them quote Pope Francis…”Archbishop Brislin says that in his Archdiocese they have put their emphasis on getting parishes to get involved in doing acts of mercy in various different ways. This year in particular, he adds, the focus has been on “giving space to people who are involved in p...
(Vatican Radio) “The Year of Mercy has touched people very deeply with their hearts and I’m not only talking about Catholics, I’m talking about other Christian denominations and even people of other faiths.” That’s according to Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town, South Africa whose Archdiocese has been promoting a number of events to celebrate the Holy Year of Mercy.
Listen to Lydia O'Kane's interview with Archbishop Stephen Brislin
Ecumenism and Mercy
He says, “It’s quite amazing that when I attend ecumenical meetings, so many speakers whether protestant or whether Muslim or Hindu often refer to the Year of Mercy and many of them quote Pope Francis…”
Archbishop Brislin says that in his Archdiocese they have put their emphasis on getting parishes to get involved in doing acts of mercy in various different ways. This year in particular, he adds, the focus has been on “giving space to people who are involved in prison ministry and the work that they do…”
Racism and Dialogue
For many years people in South Africa suffered under the system of Apartheid and although racial discrimination has been taken off the statute book, the country continues to battle with racism. Asked if the Year of Mercy and the Church has been able to help with this problem, the Archbishop says that a number of organizations and the Bishops’ conference has taken up the issue adding, “we’re looking at different programmes that can be practically implemented in parishes to try and get people together to talk and to share their stories; their experiences if you like in the non-threatening environment, in a safe environment.”
As this Jubilee year draws to a close, Archbishop Brislin stresses that “the Year of Mercy shouldn’t just be about certain actions that we do, then we forget about them in the future, but it should really try to transform our communities into being close knit communities where people really take responsibility to reach out to those who are suffering in whatever way.”
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday morning greeted members of the German national football team in the Vatican. Germany beat San Marino 8-0 on Friday evening in the qualifying stages of their defense of the World Cup.“I have often heard it said that your victories are team victories,” Pope Francis said, noting the official nickname of the German squad is Die Mannschaft (The Team).“Truly, competitive sport not only requires a great deal of discipline and personal sacrifice, but also respect for others and team spirit,” – the Pope continued – “This carries you to success as ‘Die Mannschaft ‘ and at the same time causes you to recognize your responsibility on the football pitch, especially to the young people who often see you as role models. It also causes you to make a mutual commitment to work together to support some important social causes.”In particular, Pope Francis thanked the team for their support f...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday morning greeted members of the German national football team in the Vatican. Germany beat San Marino 8-0 on Friday evening in the qualifying stages of their defense of the World Cup.
“I have often heard it said that your victories are team victories,” Pope Francis said, noting the official nickname of the German squad is Die Mannschaft (The Team).
“Truly, competitive sport not only requires a great deal of discipline and personal sacrifice, but also respect for others and team spirit,” – the Pope continued – “This carries you to success as ‘Die Mannschaft ‘ and at the same time causes you to recognize your responsibility on the football pitch, especially to the young people who often see you as role models. It also causes you to make a mutual commitment to work together to support some important social causes.”
In particular, Pope Francis thanked the team for their support for the Sternsinger (‘Star Singer’) collection at Epiphany, where children from over 10,000 Catholic parishes all over Germany go door-to-door singing carols and collecting money, which is used to help children in poor countries around the world. The initiative was begun in 1959, and is now the world’s largest fundraiser by children, for children.
“This initiative shows how together we can overcome barriers that seem insurmountable, and which penalize needy and marginalized people,” – the Holy Father said – “In this way you contribute to building a more just and united society.”
(Vatican Radio) Sunday 13 November saw the celebration of special Masses in churches and basilicas across the world – as well as in Rome’s Papal Basilicas – which included the solemn rite of the closing of the Holy Doors. That’s with the exception of the Holy Door leading into St. Peter’s Basilica which will be shut by Pope Francis himself on the feast of Christ the King, on Sunday 20 November, as indicated by the Pope himself in the bull announcing the jubilee.Representing the Pope in the Basilicas of St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul Outside the Walls were the archpriests of the Basilicas, respectively: Cardinal Agostino Vallini, Cardinal Santos Abril y Castelló and Cardinal James Michael Harvey.According to Archbishop Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, it is estimated that 20.4 million people attended Year of Mercy events at the Vatican over the course of...
(Vatican Radio) Sunday 13 November saw the celebration of special Masses in churches and basilicas across the world – as well as in Rome’s Papal Basilicas – which included the solemn rite of the closing of the Holy Doors.
That’s with the exception of the Holy Door leading into St. Peter’s Basilica which will be shut by Pope Francis himself on the feast of Christ the King, on Sunday 20 November, as indicated by the Pope himself in the bull announcing the jubilee.
Representing the Pope in the Basilicas of St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul Outside the Walls were the archpriests of the Basilicas, respectively: Cardinal Agostino Vallini, Cardinal Santos Abril y Castelló and Cardinal James Michael Harvey.
According to Archbishop Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, it is estimated that 20.4 million people attended Year of Mercy events at the Vatican over the course of this year, many of them crossing the thresholds of the Holy Doors.
The opening of the door symbolically illustrates the concept that pilgrims are offered an “extraordinary path” toward salvation during the time of Jubilee, and walking through the Holy Door they were able to receive a plenary indulgence.
During his homily for the Mass at St. John Lateran, Cardinal Agostino Vallini spoke about how the Holy Door, just closed, was a visible sign of the Jubilee of Mercy, a year in which we learned “once again” that the fate of the world is not in the hands of men, “but in the mercy of God.”
He said that meditating on God’s mercy this year we have learnt that mercy is not a sign of weakness or surrender, but the “strong, magnanimous,” radiation of the loving omnipotence of the Father, who “heals our weaknesses, raises us from our falls and urges us to do good.”
Cardinal Abril y Castelló pointed out that although the Holy Door is being closed, “God’s door of mercy is always open” and he urged the faithful to be strong in this certainty and become credible witnesses of mercy in the world.
And in his homily, Cardinal Harvey also referred to the solemn closing of the Basilica’s Holy Door saying that “at the same time, we open an inner door to the next stage of our journey of faith, hope and charity”.
During his Angelus address on Sunday Pope Francis also pointed out that Holy Doors were being closed across the world, signaling the end of the Jubilee of Mercy.
“On the one hand, he said, the Holy Year has urged us to keep our eyes fixed on the ultimate fulfillment of God's Kingdom, and on the other, to build a future on earth, working to evangelize the present, so as to make it a time of salvation for all.”
Ordinary jubilees occur every 25 or 50 years, and extraordinary jubilees are called for some particular occasions. Two extraordinary jubilees were called in the 20th century: in 1933, to mark the 1900th anniversary of Christ’s redemption in 33 A.D., and 1983, its 1950th anniversary.
St. Pope John Paul II also held a ‘Great Jubilee’ in the year 2000, marking the 2000th anniversary of Jesus’ birth and the start of the new millennium.
MARRAKECH, Morocco (AP) -- The U.N. weather agency says 2016 is set to break the record for the hottest year since measurements began in the 19th century....
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) -- New Zealand is planning to send in military helicopters and a navy ship to rescue about 1,000 tourists and hundreds of residents who remain stranded in the coastal town of Kaikoura after a powerful earthquake on Monday cut off train and vehicle access....
