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Vatican City, Sep 9, 2016 / 03:01 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Church unity is endangered especially by certain tactics of division favored by the devil himself, Pope Francis told bishops of mission territories on Friday.

“Division is the weapon the devil employs most to destroy the Church from within,” the Pope said Sept. 9.

“He has two weapons, but the main one is division: the other is money. The devil enters through our pockets and destroys with the tongue, with idle chatter that divides, and the habit of gossiping is a habit of ‘terrorism’.”

“The gossip is a ‘terrorist’ who throws a grenade – chatter – in order to destroy,” he added. “Please, fight against division, because it is one of the weapons that the devil uses to destroy the local Church and the universal Church.”

The Pope addressed his remarks to the participants in a seminar for bishops of mission territories which was held in Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace.

Among Pope Francis’ other concerns were ethnic divisions in missionary territories. These “must not penetrate into the Christian communities to the point of prevailing over their own good.”

“These are challenges that are difficult to resolve, but with the grace of God, prayer, penance, it can be done,” the Roman Pontiff continued. “The Church is called to place herself above tribal and cultural connotations and the bishop, the visible principle of unity, has the task of ceaselessly building up the particular Church in the communion of all her members.”

The Pope exhorted the bishops “to care for the flock and to go in search of sheep, especially those that are far away or lost.”

For Pope Francis, the bishops must seek out new ways of proclaiming the gospel and reaching out to people. They must work “to help those who have received the gift of baptism to grow in faith, so that believers, even those who are lukewarm or not practicing, may discover anew the joy of faith and evangelizing fruitfulness.”

He encouraged the bishops “to encounter those sheep that do not yet belong to Christ’s fold.”

Evangelism has an essential connection to proclaiming the Gospel “to those who do not know Jesus Christ or have always rejected him,” he added.

Lay Catholics should be encouraged to collaborate in mission work.

“Many lay faithful, immersed in a world marked by contradictions and injustices, are willing to seek the Lord and to bear witness to Him. It is up to the bishop, first and foremost, to encourage, accompany and stimulate all the attempts and all efforts made to keep hope and faith alive.”

“Care for the people God has entrusted to you, care for priests, care for seminarians. This is your task,” the Pope told the bishops.

He encouraged them to be particularly involved in priestly formation and with their priests.

“Do not forget that for the bishop, the closest of the close is the priest. Every priest must be aware of the closeness of his bishop,” he said. “When a bishop receives a telephone call from a priest, or a letter, he must answer immediately, immediately! The same day, if possible. But that closeness must begin in the seminary, in formation, and continue.”

According to Pope Francis, bishops have the mission to “observe carefully the problems and practical questions of the society to be evangelized.” These require that bishops “tend towards the fullness of maturity in Christ.”

Through their witness, spiritual and intellectual maturity, and pastoral charity, he asked, “may Christ’s charity and the Church’s care for all mankind shine ever more brightly in you.”

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Boston, Mass., Sep 9, 2016 / 05:03 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Capuchin keepers of the relics of the late mystic Padre Pio are sending the saint’s heart to Boston for his feast day.

"I'm very excited to announce that the Capuchin Friars who run the Shrine of St. Padre Pio have offered to come to Boston with the heart of Padre Pio for his feast day this year," Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston announced in a Sept. 2 post on his blog.

"This is the first time any major relic of Padre Pio has left Italy, and we are so pleased that they have offered to come to Boston for this historic visit. We know that many people throughout our country have a great devotion to Padre Pio, so the friars have made this possible especially for those who are not able to travel to San Giovanni Rotondo in Italy to venerate his relics and pray for his intercession," he added.

The relic will be in the Boston area from Sept. 21 through his feast day, Sept. 23. It will be the only stop the relic will make during this trip.

St. Pio of Pietrelcina, colloquially known as “Padre Pio,” was a priest of the Order of the Friars Minor Capuchin, a stigmatist, and a mystic, who lived from 1887-1968. He was beatified in 1999, and canonized in 2002 by St. John Paul II, who often sought spiritual counsel from the mystic when he was alive.

Padre Pio was born in Pietrelcina, but served in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, from 1916 until his death in 1968.

His body, which has remained partially incorrupt years after his death, was sent to Rome in February as a special initiative for the Jubilee of Mercy.

Padre Pio was someone who spent his entire life in service of God’s mercy, Pope Francis said in February.

“We can say that Padre Pio was a servant of mercy. He did so full-time, practicing, at times in exhaustion, the apostolate of listening,” the Pope said.

Through his ministry in the confessional, where he would at times spend 10-15 hours a day, the saint was able to become “a caress of the living Father, who heals the wounds of sin and refreshes the heart with peace,” Pope Francis added.

Padre Pio’s body was also taken to his hometown of Pietrelcina for the first time since he left as a young priest.

It is said that while he was alive, Padre Pio never left San Giovanni Rotonto after being assigned there. When was asked if he would ever return to his childhood hometown of Pietrelcina, the saint said that he would return one day, but not until after his death.

According to a schedule released by the Archdiocese of Boston, the locations where the public may view his heart in Boston are as follows:

Wednesday, Sept. 21

9 a.m.-5 p.m. at Immaculate Conception, Lowell. Veneration will be held throughout the day with Mass at noon.

7 p.m.-midnight at St. Leonard's Church, North End of Boston. Mass will be celebrated at 7 p.m., followed by veneration until midnight.

Thursday, Sept. 22

9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Archdiocese of Boston Pastoral Center, Braintree. Veneration will be held throughout the day with Mass at noon.

7 p.m.-midnight at The Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Boston. Spanish Mass will be celebrated at 7 p.m., followed by veneration until midnight.

Friday, Sept. 23 (The Feast of St. Padre Pio)

9 a.m.-midnight at The Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Boston. Mass will be celebrated at 9 a.m., followed by veneration throughout the day. Cardinal O'Malley will also celebrate Mass at 7 p.m., followed by veneration until midnight

 

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IMAGE: CNS photo/Joe Woolhead

By Beth Griffin

MAMARONECK, N.Y. (CNS) -- Fifteen years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks decimated the twin towers in lower Manhattan, the 1,776-foot One World Trade Center rises out of the ground, a palpable symbol of triumph and optimism. The tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere is the soaring, storied, centerpiece of a 16-acre complex that includes eight other major structures.

"It's a secular site encoded with multiple symbols of faith, hope and love," said Judith Dupre, author of the recently published "One World Trade Center: Biography of the Building." The volume is a detailed, illustrated exploration of the political, structural and aesthetic forces that clashed, combined and coalesced before the building opened in October 2014.

Dupre, a Catholic raised in Rhode Island and an architectural historian and best-selling author of lushly illustrated works of narrative non-fiction, spoke to Catholic News Service Aug. 30 at her home in Mamaroneck, a suburb north of New York. She said she was the only writer given unfettered access by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to its site and archives. The Port Authority is principal owner of One World Trade Center.

The nine-building complex is primarily a commercial site, but includes the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, Liberty Park and the not-yet-completed St. Nicholas National Shrine of the Orthodox Church.

"It's impossible to be on those 16 acres and not remember what transpired there," Dupre said. "We all hold the falling towers in vivid imagination. The new structures are part of a continuum that began on 9/11 and embody a message of faith in the future."

The 104-story One World Trade Center required nimble solutions to complex technical, political and security considerations, Dupre explained. She described its structure as "a hybrid system consisting of a concrete core wrapped in a muscular steel perimeter frame that was designed to redistribute gravity loads in the event of an explosion or natural catastrophe."

In addition to the challenges of engineering the strongest, safest building possible, developers and the public demanded an attractive, symbolic skyscraper. What they got, Dupre said, is a massive reflective tower that manages to stand both tall and humble. "It had to stand for everything that was lost on 9/11 and reclaimed in the years that followed," she added.

Dupre described One World Trade Center as deceptively simple-looking.

"The 13,000 glass windows are nearly all unique, but from a distance they look like a single piece of glass. It's not a tower that reveals itself quickly. It demands patience and engagement. The design is subtle and richly experiential. The more you look at it, the more you see," she said.

"In many ways, building One World Trade was comparable to building a medieval cathedral," Dupre continued. "Cathedrals were always the most prominent element on the skyline and marked the heart of a city or town. There's a sense that great height is a way to express great devotion."

The building is not meant to be a secular cathedral, Dupre cautioned, but the effort dedicated to its construction makes it a cathedral to the spirit of the nation, she said. And the 50-foot high marble-clad lobby adds to the effect.

While researching the book, Dupre interviewed some of the 26,000 people who worked on One World Trade Center.

"Without being asked, each person first shared their personal story of 9/11 and described what compelled them to rebuild. It was a deeply moving ritual and gave me the sense that they were doing the work for something greater than themselves," she said.

Dupre was particularly impressed with an ironworker who described his daily routine during a snowy month. "He carried a shovel to his post on a 10-inch-wide steel beam 1,000 feet above the ground, shoveled snow off the beam into a dumpster and then used a blow torch to melt any lingering ice before he started the day's work," she said.

The entire project was built over existing below-grade infrastructure and curving rail lines that remained operational throughout construction.

"The below-ground site is eight stories deep and has commercial square footage equivalent to ten mid-sized cities," Dupre said. "Underground is a Rubik's cube of interdependent structures that share walls and ceilings. I found the image of elements sharing and leaning on one another down there a hopeful contrast to the turf feuds that went on above ground during the planning process," she said.

Myriad delays throughout the project reflected political compromises and the enormous amount of money devoted to the redevelopment, Dupre said. Nonetheless, the process was determinedly democratic and some of the delays could be attributed to the time-consuming effort of listening because "so many people cared so much," she said.

Dupre holds a master of divinity degree from Yale University. Among her earlier works are "Skyscrapers," "Churches" and "Full of Grace: Encountering Mary in Faith, Art and Life."

She considers her writing a form of lay ministry. Through compassionate listening, extensive research and faithful rendering of the building's development, she tried to capture the tremendous kindness and goodwill present at the site. It's a way to bring the good word to people who yearn for meaning, yet do not consider themselves religious, she said.

"I understand that rebuilding is a way to heal," she said. "One World Trade Center will never bring back loved ones and what was lost, but it stands as a symbol of hope, resilience and faith in the future."

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Editor's Note: "One World Trade Center: Biography of the Building" by Judith Dupre is published by Little Brown and Co.

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