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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday celebrated Mass for the maintenance staff of Vatican City State, reminding them that our joy and our salvation lies in the fact that Jesus came so that we can all be forgiven our sins.

Speaking to a group of Vatican employees who take care of maintenance and general services, the Pope reflected on the Gospel reading of the day which speaks of how Jesus invited Matthew, a tax collector, to dine with him at his house.

Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni:

He illustrated his words recalling a Caravaggio painting “The Calling of St. Matthew” which he said, he used to like going to see when he could walk the streets of Rome freely,before becoming Pope, and he described the scene that features Matthew counting his money, and Jesus pointing at him with his finger as he chooses him to dine at his table.  

“When the Pharisees saw this – the Pope said - they said to his disciples ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ the answer they received was ‘Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do”.

“This, the Pope said, is an immense consolation because it means that Jesus came for me”. “We are all sinners” he continued, “We all have a degree in sin.” 

The Pharisees, Francis explained, considered themselves just and criticized Jesus for spending time in bad company, but the Lord said ‘I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.’

Each of us, Pope Francis said, must recognize our strengths, our weaknesses, our sins. He pointed out that Jesus condemned the Pharisees because they were arrogant, vain and considered themselves to be superior to others.

But Jesus, he said, comes to us because we are sinners, and those who acknowledge this also know that Jesus “always forgives, always heals our souls.

“And when you are afraid of being weak and of falling, Jesus will help you back to your feet, he will heal you. This is our consolation. (…) Do not be afraid. In bad times, in moments in which we feel weighed down from things we may have done, during the many slippery slopes of life… remember: Jesus love me because this is who I am” he said.    

Pope Francis then recalled the figure of Saint Jerome who offered the Lord his work of many years to which Jesus replied “No. Jerome. That is not what I want most.” Finally Jerome asked Jesus to tell him what would give him the most joy, and Jesus replied “Give me your sins…”

“Today, he concluded, let us give Jesus our sins, let us think of His merciful heart. May it be our joy.”

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Vatican City, Jul 7, 2017 / 06:14 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis on Friday approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Hanna Chrzanowska, a Polish nurse and nursing instructor who died from cancer in 1973, paving the way for her beatification.

The Pope met July 7 with the prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Cardinal Angelo Amato, giving his approval for the cause to move forward, along with the causes of five persons recognized for their heroic virtue.

He also recognized the martyrdom of two persons killed in hatred of the faith, Bishop Jesús Emilio Jaramillo Monsalve of Arauca, killed near Fortul, Colombia in 1989 and diocesan priest Fr. Pietro Maria Ramírez Ramos, killed on April 10, 1948 in Armero, Colombia.

Venerable Hanna Chrzanowska was born in Warsaw on October 7, 1902 to a family known for their charitable work. She finished high school at a school run by Ursuline sisters in Krakow and after graduating in 1922 attended nursing school in Warsaw.

She became an Oblate with the Ursuline Sisters of St. Benedict.

From 1926-1929 she worked as an instructor at the University School of Nurses and Hygienists in Krakow. For 10 years she held the position of editor of the monthly "Piel?gniarka Polska" (“Nurse Poland”), also publishing her own work in the field of nursing.

During this period, she also grew closer to God, joining in the work of the Catholic Association of Polish Nurses in 1937.

Poland saw the outbreak of World War II in 1939. After the war and after the opening of a university school of maternity and nursing in Krakow, she worked as the head of the department dedicated to home nursing.

She was especially dedicated to the proper formation and preparation of her students, including offering advice and assistance while accompanying her students on visits to patients confined at home.

In 1966 she contracted cancer. Despite operations, the disease spread and eventually led to her death on April 29, 1973 in Krakow.

With approval of the miracle, a date can be set for her beatification, likely to take place in Poland.

Another cause moving forward is that of Sister Maria Elisabetta Mazza. Born in 1886 in Martinengo, Italy, she was an elementary school teacher from 1911 onward and was a leading figure in the Catholic Teachers' Association, called "Niccolò Tommaseo," which helped to revive Catholic education after the war.

She also founded a religious institution of teachers, called the Congregation of the Little Apostles of the Christian School, which focused on working for the good of society, particularly in the area of education of young people.

After the Second World War, she supported the revival of the "Niccolò Tommaseo" organization, under the new name of the "Italian Association of Catholic Teachers."

She died on Aug. 29, 1950 in Bergamo, Italy.

The other persons now declared 'Venerable' are: Archbishop Ismaele Perdomo of Bogota (1872-1950); Sister Paola of Jesus Gil Cano, foundress of the Congregation of Franciscan Sisters of the Most Pure Conception (1849-1913); Luigi Kosiba (Pietro), layman professed in the Order of Friars Minor (1855-1939); Sister Maria Crocifissa dell'Amore Divino (Maria Gargani), foundress of the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart (1892-1973).

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Portland, Ore., Jul 7, 2017 / 08:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A new bill in Oregon would expand the state’s already-liberal laws, requiring insurance companies to pay for abortions and other reproductive services at zero cost to the patient.

House Bill 3391, or the “Reproductive Health Equity Act Of 2017”, requires that insurance companies provide coverage for abortions and reproductive services to undocumented immigrants, and regardless of income or gender identity.

It allows for almost $500,000 to be spend on cost-free abortions and reproductive health services for immigrants who previously would have been ineligible for those services under the Oregon Health Plan.

In the past 14 years, according to state health records, already-expansive abortion laws dictated that almost $24 million in state funds were spent on more than 52,000 abortions.

The bill is also uniquely expansive in that, while some states allow for cost-free abortions that are deemed medically necessary, the Oregon bill allows for coverage of abortions for virtually any reason, including sex-selective and late-term abortions.

While some religious exemptions are provided for, such as in the case of churches and some religious non-profits per federal law, the bill states that the government would step in to pay for coverage in the case of such gaps.

It also codifies the right to abortion access, even if Roe v. Wade were to be overturned. Oregon is the only state without current restrictions added to provisions of Roe v. Wade.

The bill passed the Democrat-controlled Oregon Senate on Wednesday, and now heads to the desk of Democratic Gov. Kate Brown.

The liberal law comes at a time when President Donald Trump’s administration is passing restrictive legislation on abortion and reproductive services, including allowing states to withhold federal family planning funds from Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers.

After the vote, Senate Republicans issued a statement saying the bill is "nothing more than a political statement and a political gift card to Planned Parenthood that brought unnecessary drama and divisiveness to the end of the legislative session."

Bill Diss, leader of pro-life group Precious Children of Portland, called the proposed law “fundamentally an abortion bill that will boost the coffers of abortion providers like Planned Parenthood,” according to Oregon’s Catholic Sentinel.  

Diss said other portions of the bill could be accomplished “without further funding and promoting the killing of unborn children.”

 

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IMAGE: CNS photo/Abir Abdullah, EPA

By Junno Arocho Esteves

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- World leaders attending the Group of 20 meeting in Hamburg, Germany, must reflect on the repercussions their decisions may have on the entire global community and not just their own countries, Pope Francis said.

While it is reasonable that the G-20 is limited to a "small number of countries that represent 90 percent of the production of wealth and services worldwide," a multilateral approach in solving economic problems must be made "for the benefit of all," the pope said.

The pope's message to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, host of the July 7-8 leaders' summit, was dated June 29 and released July 7 at the Vatican.

"Those states and individuals whose voice is weakest on the world political scene are precisely the ones who suffer most from the harmful effects of economic crises for which they bear little or no responsibility," the papal message said.

"This great majority, which in economic terms counts for only 10 percent of the whole, is the portion of humanity that has the greatest potential to contribute to the progress of everyone," he said.

The members of the G-20 are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union.

Citing his apostolic exhortation "Evangelii Gaudium" ("The Joy of the Gospel"), Pope Francis proposed four principles "for the building of fraternal, just and peaceful societies."

Reflecting on the principle that "time is greater than space," the pope said the migration crisis, which is "inseparable from the issue of poverty and exacerbated by armed conflict," requires an effective solution spread over time with a clear "final objective."

"In the minds and hearts of government leaders, and at every phase of the enactment of political measures, there is a need to give absolute priority to the poor, refugees, the suffering, evacuees and the excluded, without distinction of nation, race, religion or culture, and to reject armed conflicts," he said.

He also urged world leaders to promote economic policies where "unity prevails over conflict." Economic differences, he said, cannot be resolved if leaders are not committed to "substantially reducing levels of conflict, halting the present arms race and renouncing direct or indirect involvement in conflicts."

"There is a tragic contradiction and inconsistency in the apparent unity expressed in common forums on economic or social issues, and the acceptance, active or passive, of armed conflicts," the pope said.

G-20 leaders, he continued, must follow the example of past world leaders who were guided by "the primacy of the human being" and turn away from "new ideologies of absolute market autonomy and financial speculation."

"In their tragic wake, these bring exclusion, waste and even death," the pope said.

Pope Francis said to resolve today's economic problems and challenges, the G-20 leaders must first "consider the eventual repercussions on all countries and their citizens, while respecting the views and opinions of the latter."

He also expressed his hope that the meeting would be led by "the spirit of responsible solidarity that guides all those taking part."

"I ask God's blessings upon the Hamburg meeting and on every effort of the international community to shape a new era of development that is innovative, interconnected, sustainable, environmentally respectful and inclusive of all peoples and all individuals," the pope said.

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Follow Arocho on Twitter: @arochoju.

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Copyright © 2017 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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IMAGE: CNS photo/Leonardo Munoz, EPA

By Junno Arocho Esteves

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis will beatify a priest and a bishop martyred in Colombia when he visits the country in September, a Vatican spokesman said.

In an email to Catholic News Service July 7, Vatican spokesman Greg Burke confirmed that Pope Francis will beatify Bishop Jesus Emilio Jaramillo Monsalve of Arauca and Father Pedro Ramirez Ramos. The beatification Mass will be at Catama field in Villavicencio Sept. 8, Burke said.

At a meeting July 7 with Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints' Causes, the pope signed decrees acknowledging the martyrdom of Bishop Jaramillo, who was murdered by Colombian Marxist guerrillas in 1989.

The Colombian bishop, along with a local priest, was kidnapped by members of the National Liberation Army, known by the Spanish acronym ELN, because of his criticism of the rebel group's violent actions.

Although his companion was freed, Bishop Jaramillo was shot twice in the head. His body was found by local peasants near the Venezuelan border.

The pope also recognized the martyrdom of Father Ramirez, known as "the martyr of Armero," who was killed at the start of the Colombian civil war in 1948.

Pope Francis also recognized a miracle attributed to Anna Chrzanowska, a Polish laywoman who was an Oblate with the Ursuline Sisters of St. Benedict, clearing the way for her beatification.

In causes just beginning their way toward sainthood, the pope signed decrees recognizing the heroic virtues of two men and three women, including:

-- Archbishop Ismael Perdomo of Bogota, Colombia, who died in 1950.

-- Louis Kosiba, a Polish laymen and professed member of the Order of Friars Minor, who died in 1939.

-- Sister Paola de Jesus Gil Cano, a Spanish nun and founder of the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception. She died in 1913.

-- Sister Maria Elisabetta Mazza, an Italian nun and founder of the Congregation of the Little Apostles of the Christian School.

-- Sister Maria Crocifissa dell'Amore Divino, an Italian nun and founder of the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart.

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Follow Arocho on Twitter: @arochoju.

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Copyright © 2017 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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