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FLINT, Michigan (AP) -- Donald Trump on Wednesday handed over a one-page summary of his recent physical on a doctor's television show - but the campaign won't reveal what was disclosed....
(Vatican Radio) An agreement was signed on Wednesday between the Vatican-owned Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital and the Bethlehem-based Holy Family Hospital, which is operated by the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Holy Family Hospital is a major maternity hospital serving Palestine, and over 3,500 children are born in the institution every year.Under the two-year renewable agreement, the Bambino Gesù will provide professional support to the staff of Holy Family Hospital, including training courses.“We are very happy with this important agreement,” said the Grand Hospitaller of the Order of Malta, Dominique de La Rochefoucauld-Montbel. “The medical expertise of the Bambino Gesù, which is renowned throughout the world, can only enhance the professional reputation of our doctors and nurses who care for thousands of women in the Holy Land, which is today shaken and without peace.”“It is an honor for us to collaborate with Hol...
(Vatican Radio) An agreement was signed on Wednesday between the Vatican-owned Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital and the Bethlehem-based Holy Family Hospital, which is operated by the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. Holy Family Hospital is a major maternity hospital serving Palestine, and over 3,500 children are born in the institution every year.
Under the two-year renewable agreement, the Bambino Gesù will provide professional support to the staff of Holy Family Hospital, including training courses.
“We are very happy with this important agreement,” said the Grand Hospitaller of the Order of Malta, Dominique de La Rochefoucauld-Montbel. “The medical expertise of the Bambino Gesù, which is renowned throughout the world, can only enhance the professional reputation of our doctors and nurses who care for thousands of women in the Holy Land, which is today shaken and without peace.”
“It is an honor for us to collaborate with Holy Family Hospital and make available our expertise for the benefit of children and families in Bethlehem and the Holy Land," said Mariella Enoc, the President of the Bambino Gesù.
She also spoke about growing international presence of the Bambino Gesù, mentioning the recent initiative to train staff at a hospital in Bangui, Central African Republic.
Opened in 1869, the Bambino Gesù is the first children’s hospital in Italy, and is now the largest research Pediatric Hospital in Europe.
In addition to the project announced on Wednesday, the institution is involved in projects in Jordan, Cambodia, Vietnam, Ethiopia and Central African Republic.
(Vatican Radio) The Council of Nine Cardinals, who are Pope Francis’ special advisors on the reform of the Roman Curia and on other aspects of governance and administration of the universal Church, held a regularly scheduled meeting this week, which opened on Monday, September 12th, and concluded Wednesday, September 14th.The Director of the Press Office of the Holy See, Greg Burke, briefed reporters on the three days of sessions on Wednesday morning.During the course of the briefing it emerged that the meeting, which took place over morning and afternoon sessions in which the Holy Father took part, were devoted in large part to further considerations about the way in which the various departments the Curia can better serve the mission of the Church, and focused in particular on the Congregations for the Clergy, for Bishops, and for Catholic Education, as well as on the work of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.The Cardinals also addressed the issue ...
(Vatican Radio) The Council of Nine Cardinals, who are Pope Francis’ special advisors on the reform of the Roman Curia and on other aspects of governance and administration of the universal Church, held a regularly scheduled meeting this week, which opened on Monday, September 12th, and concluded Wednesday, September 14th.
The Director of the Press Office of the Holy See, Greg Burke, briefed reporters on the three days of sessions on Wednesday morning.
During the course of the briefing it emerged that the meeting, which took place over morning and afternoon sessions in which the Holy Father took part, were devoted in large part to further considerations about the way in which the various departments the Curia can better serve the mission of the Church, and focused in particular on the Congregations for the Clergy, for Bishops, and for Catholic Education, as well as on the work of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
The Cardinals also addressed the issue of the diplomatic service of the Holy See: the training and tasks of Apostolic Nuncios, with particular attention to the weighty responsibility they have in assisting the selection of candidates for the episcopate.
The theme of “diakonia – or loving and freely given service – in the cause of justice” was another major focus, as was the presentation of an extensive dossier on the role of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
The C-9 Cardinals examined the most recent steps taken in the process of Curial reform, particularly the establishment of the new Dicastery for Integral Human Development. The Secretariat for Communications delivered a dossier to the Cardinals on the progress reform in that sector, and detailed the planned next steps.
The Prefect of the Secretariat of Economy, Card. George Pell, reported on the latest developments of the office, and Cardinal Sean O'Malley illustrated the recent work of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.
The next meeting of the Council of Cardinals will take place on the 12th, 13th, and 14th of December, 2016.
IMAGE: CNS/Paul HaringBy Junno Arocho EstevesVATICANCITY (CNS) ?- To kill in the name of God is satanic, Pope Francis said at aspecial requiem Mass for a French priest assassinated by youths claimingallegiance to the Islamic State."Father Jacques Hamel had histhroat slit on the cross, at the exact moment he was celebrating the sacrifice of Christ'scross. A good man, meek, brotherly and who always sought to make peace, wasmurdered as if he were a criminal. This is the satanic line ofpersecution," the pope said Sept. 14 during a morning Mass in the chapelof Domus Sanctae Marthae.Archbishop Dominique Lebrun of Rouen andFather Hamel's sister, RoselyneHamel, along with 80 pilgrims from the diocese joined Pope Francis forthe Mass in memory of Father Hamel, who was killed July 26.Twomen stormed a churchin Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvraynear Rouen while Father Hamel celebrated Mass. After taking several hostages,the attackers slit Father Hamel's throat and seriously injured anotherparishioner. Fo...
IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring
By Junno Arocho Esteves
VATICAN CITY (CNS) ?- To kill in the name of God is satanic, Pope Francis said at a special requiem Mass for a French priest assassinated by youths claiming allegiance to the Islamic State.
"Father Jacques Hamel had his throat slit on the cross, at the exact moment he was celebrating the sacrifice of Christ's cross. A good man, meek, brotherly and who always sought to make peace, was murdered as if he were a criminal. This is the satanic line of persecution," the pope said Sept. 14 during a morning Mass in the chapel of Domus Sanctae Marthae.
Archbishop Dominique Lebrun of Rouen and Father Hamel's sister, Roselyne Hamel, along with 80 pilgrims from the diocese joined Pope Francis for the Mass in memory of Father Hamel, who was killed July 26.
Two men stormed a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray near Rouen while Father Hamel celebrated Mass. After taking several hostages, the attackers slit Father Hamel's throat and seriously injured another parishioner. Following a standoff, police killed the attackers, ending the hostage situation.
Celebrating the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, the pope entered the chapel dressed in a red chasuble, the color symbolizing martyrdom. He reverently bowed before the altar, where a picture of Father Hamel was placed in front of two lit candles.
Archbishop Lebrun said he had brought the photo and asked Pope Francis to sign it with a note for three religious women who had been with Father Hamel at Mass that day. The sisters care for the sick in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray and were not able to join the pilgrimage to Rome.
Instead of signing the photo before Mass, the pope "immediately told me to put it on the altar," the archbishop told reporters later. "At the end of Mass, when he was greeting everyone, he signed it and said to me, 'You can put this photo in the church because he is "blessed" now, and if anyone says you aren't allowed, tell them the pope gave you permission.'"
In his homily, the pope reflected on the mystery of Christ "who made himself a martyr for the salvation of men and women."
"The history of Christian martyrdom," he said, has continued from the first centuries until today, when "Christians are murdered, tortured, imprisoned and beheaded because they do not deny Jesus Christ."
"In this history, we arrive to our Father Jacques. He is a part of this chain of martyrs. The Christians, who suffer today -- be it in prison, in death or by torture -- for not denying Jesus Christ, show the very cruelty of this persecution. And this cruelty that asks for apostasy, we can say, is Satanic," the pope said.
Nonetheless, the pope noted, Father Hamel accepted his martyrdom and in his final moments, "did not lose the lucidity to accuse and clearly say the name of his murderer. He clearly said, 'Be gone, Satan.'"
"This example of courage, as well as the martyrdom of his own life when he gave himself to help others, to help create brotherhood, helps us to go forward without fear," the pope said.
Father Hamel's sister, Roselyne, told reporters after the Mass she is convinced that neither her brother nor Pope Francis were blaming Islam for the murders. "God is love," Roselyn said, the assassins who "killed my brother did so in the name of a god who is not the God of Islam nor the God of Christianity."
"The assassins, I think, acted under the influence of the devil, of Satan," Archbishop Lebrun said. When Father Hamel said, "'Be gone, Satan,' he had already been stabbed and was on the floor. His sister immediately gave me a correct interpretation: 'Father Jacques did not believe these young men were the origin of this evil.'"
The archbishop said that since the murder there has been an obvious increase in fear among the people of the region and priests have reported receiving dozens of phone calls asking if it is safe to go to church. "But there are more people at Mass now," he said.
"Jesus never said it was stupid to be afraid," Archbishop Lebrun told reporters. When he tells his disciples, "Do not be afraid," he is telling them to acknowledge their fear and overcome it with the strength of faith.
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Contributing to this story was Cindy Wooden.
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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.
IMAGE: CNS/Paul HaringBy Junno Arocho EstevesVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Clergy whouse their position for personal gain rather than to help those in need do not follow the spirit ofJesus who took upon himself the sufferings of others, Pope Francis said. Jesus often would rebuke such leaders and warned his followers to"do what they say but not what they do," the pope said Sept. 14 athis weekly general audience. "Jesus was not a prince," the pope said."It is awful for the church when pastors become princes, far from thepeople, far from the poorest people. That is not the spirit of Jesus."As is customary, before speaking, Pope Francis made his way around St. Peter's Square in the popemobile, greetingthousands of pilgrims who waved, kissing children presented for a blessing andeven taking repeated sips of the mate tea offered by an Argentine pilgrim. In his talk, the pope reflected onJesus' tenderness toward the poor, the suffering and the oppressed and his invitation, "Come to me, all you w...
IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring
By Junno Arocho Esteves
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Clergy who use their position for personal gain rather than to help those in need do not follow the spirit of Jesus who took upon himself the sufferings of others, Pope Francis said.
Jesus often would rebuke such leaders and warned his followers to "do what they say but not what they do," the pope said Sept. 14 at his weekly general audience.
"Jesus was not a prince," the pope said. "It is awful for the church when pastors become princes, far from the people, far from the poorest people. That is not the spirit of Jesus."
As is customary, before speaking, Pope Francis made his way around St. Peter's Square in the popemobile, greeting thousands of pilgrims who waved, kissing children presented for a blessing and even taking repeated sips of the mate tea offered by an Argentine pilgrim.
In his talk, the pope reflected on Jesus' tenderness toward the poor, the suffering and the oppressed and his invitation, "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest."
In Jesus, he said, "they finally find the answer they have been waiting for. By becoming his disciples, they will receive the promise of finding rest for their whole life."
During a Holy Year, like the current Year of Mercy, he said, Christians pass through the Holy Door at St. Peter's Basilica or in their local diocese as a sign of seeking friendship with Jesus and of finding "the respite that only Jesus can give."
"By passing through the Holy Door, we profess that love is present in the world and that this love is more powerful than any form of evil in which man and woman, humanity and the world are involved," the pope said.
Pope Francis explained that when Jesus said, "Take my yoke upon you," he was calling all disciples to follow him and not simply a set of rules like the scribes and the Pharisees did.
"He wants to teach them that they will discover the will of God through his person, through Jesus, not through frigid laws and prescriptions that Jesus himself condemned," the pope said.
Christ's final command in the Bible passage, "Learn from me," invites disciples to follow a path of "knowledge and imitation."
"Jesus is not a master who severely imposes burdens upon others that he does not carry," the pope said. "This was the accusation he made against the doctors of the law."
True followers of Jesus, he added, take up his yoke in order to receive and welcome the revelation of God's mercy, which brings salvation to the poor and the oppressed.
Jesus was "a pastor who was among the people, among the poor," Pope Francis said. "He worked every day with them."
"The Lord teaches us to not be afraid to follow him, because we will not be disillusioned by placing hope in him," he said. "We are therefore called to learn from him what it means to live in mercy in order to be instruments of mercy."
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Follow Arocho on Twitter: @arochoju.
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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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