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(Vatican Radio) The upcoming visit of Pope Francis to Poland for World Youth Day celebrations in Krakow was the subject of a detailed briefing for journalists in the Press Office of the Holy See on Wednesday, conducted by the Press Office’s outgoing Director, Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ.

Essentially, the briefing was an in-depth look at the Holy Father’s published schedule for the three-day visit to the native land of his predecessor, Pope St. John Paul II, who began the World Youth Day tradition in 1986.

One issue that emerged session was that of security, and especially of the “atmosphere” surrounding the event.

“All the messages I’ve seen seem sincere and are of tranquility,” said Fr. Lombardi. “There are no particular concerns in Poland over security,” he added.

Fr. Lombardi also said that he has not heard of any groups withdrawing due to security concerns. “It seems to me,” he said, regarding the general atmpsphere, “to be a climate of great normality and tranquility.”

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Vatican City, Jul 20, 2016 / 06:21 am (CNA).- Pope Francis does not ordinarily celebrate the Sacrament of Matrimony. But on July 9, he made an exception for a young Italian deaf couple, who were married in the chapel at his residence, Casa Santa Marta.

Teodoro Pisciottani and Paulina Szczepanska received the rare blessing of being united in marriage by the Holy Father, an unforgettable story that they will one day be able to tell to their children.

Teodoro and Paulina are the president and vice-president, respectively, of the Padua chapter of the Deaf Youth Committee of Italy.

Additionally, Paulina is the daughter of a Vatican employee.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PopeFrancis?src=hash">#PopeFrancis</a> presides over the sacrament of Matrimony at Casa Santa Marta (9 Jul) <a href="https://t.co/fiq1BCCTnv">pic.twitter.com/fiq1BCCTnv</a></p>&mdash; Guido Marini Fanpage (@guidomarini_fan) <a href="https://twitter.com/guidomarini_fan/status/754563734576607232">July 17, 2016</a></blockquote>
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According to Italian news site Ondanews.it, this is the first wedding that Francis has celebrated at Casa Santa Marta, the residence where he lives, which is administered by the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul.

The chapel at Casa Santa Marta is where Pope Francis normally presides at daily Mass, Monday through Saturday. Those Masses are not currently celebrated, due to the summer break.

 

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Vatican City, Jul 20, 2016 / 06:49 am (CNA/EWTN News).- After a photo supposedly showing Fr Tom Uzhunnalil, who was kidnapped in Yemen in March, emerged on social media, sources close to the priest say there are strong reasons to doubt the image's authenticity.

“I have checked with a confrere with (the) Yemen experience and very close to Fr. Tom who shares my doubts about the authenticity of the photo,” a credible source close to the situation but who preferred to remain anonymous told CNA July 20.

“We simply do not have any verified news about (it), although I am convinced that Fr. Tom is alive.”

The comments come after a photo portraying an unshaven, tired-looking Indian man was published to Facebook, claiming that it was Fr. Tom and that an “entreaty,” or “plea” would be uploaded soon, according to Indian news agency The News Minute.

The agency reports that while this is the first such photo has been published and while it isn't clear who posted it, a relative of Fr Tom’s, Augustine, said many within the family have studied the photo, and believe it to be authentic.

However, CNA’s source said that since Fr Tom’s disappearance his Facebook account “has been hacked, most probably by the kidnappers.”

“It is now used to send such messages in order to make pressure,” the source said, voicing their belief that while the photo might not be authentic, they are confident Fr. Tom is alive.

Fr. Uzhunnalil, an Indian national, was abducted March 4 when four gunmen attacked a Missionaries of Charity-run retirement home in Aden, Yemen, killing 16 people, including four Missionary of Charity sisters.

During Holy Week, unsubstantiated rumors spread on social media that ISIS had captured Fr. Tom and were planning his torture and crucifixion on Good Friday, however, they were largely based on inaccurate information.

On March 28, the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) wrote a letter to Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, urging the Indian government to take greater efforts in locating the priest and for further information to clarify his whereabouts and to quell the rumors of crucifixion.

The minister then met with the CBCI and announced that the rumors of crucifixion were “baseless,” that Fr. Tom was still alive and that the government was “adopting all possible means” for the quick and safe release of Fr. Tom.

In May she again voiced her confidence that Fr. Tom is “safe and that the "last efforts (are being made to) ensure his release.”

According to The News Minute, Augustine said the Indian government has found it difficult to hold talks, and is unsure who to speak with since Yemen has no stable government.

He said that he didn't think Fr Tom was taken by the Islamic State, but likely a smaller group. The details, however, remain unclear.

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Vatican City, Jul 20, 2016 / 09:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Even though World Youth Day doesn't start until next week, thousands of pilgrims from throughout the world are already descending on Krakow ahead of the official event.

In a July 19 video message Pope Francis sent his greetings to the youth of Poland and the world who will attend the largest recurring gathering of youth in the Catholic Church.

“I look forward to meeting the young people from throughout the world gathered in Kraków and having the opportunity to meet the beloved Polish nation,” he said.

“My entire visit will be inspired by Mercy during this Jubilee Year, and by the grateful and blessed memory of Saint John Paul II, who instituted the World Youth Days and was the guide of the Polish people in its recent historic journey towards freedom.”

St. John Paul II, who was from Poland, established World Youth Day in 1985; the first event was held in Rome in 1986. Since then it has occurred in various cities throughout the world, typically every three years.

Krakow and the rest of Poland are important places of pilgrimage during the Jubilee Year of Mercy. It was in a convent chapel in Krakow where St. Faustina of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy received visions and messages from Jesus about his divine mercy, which she would compile in a diary that would become the book “Diary of St. Faustina: Divine Mercy in my Soul.” Pope Francis is scheduled to visit the Divine Mercy Sanctuary in Krakow July 30.

In his video message, Pope Francis thanked the pilgrims for their preparation for the trip and for their prayers, and said he is looking forward to seeing pilgrims from throughout the world.

“I am very anxious to meet you and to offer the world a new sign of harmony, a mosaic of different faces, from many races, languages, peoples and cultures, but all united in the name of Jesus, who is the Face of Mercy.”

He also had a particular greeting for the Polish youth upon his first visit as Pope to their country.

“For me, it is a great gift of the Lord to visit you. You are a nation that throughout its history has experienced so many trials, some particularly difficult, and has persevered through the power of faith, upheld by the maternal hands of the Virgin Mary. I am certain that my pilgrimage to the shrine of Czestochowa will immerse me in this proven faith and do me so much good,” he said.

During his visit, the Pope will also symbolically present families at the event with copies of Amoris laetitia, his apostolic exhortation on love in the family.

“The moral and spiritual ‘health’ of a nation is seen in its families. That is why Saint John Paul II showed such great concern for engaged couples, young married couples and families. Continue along this road!” the Pope said.

World Youth Day officially kicks off July 25 and lasts through July 31, with Pope Francis arriving July 27. It will be Pope Francis’ second World Youth Day during his pontificate.

The Pope closed his video by asking pilgrims to continue to pray for the event.

“Dear brothers and sisters, I send you this message as a pledge of my affection. Let us keep close to one another in prayer. I look forward to seeing you in Poland!”

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By Junno Arocho Esteves

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis said he looks forward to his upcoming visit to Poland for World Youth Day and that his visit will be inspired by mercy during this Jubilee Year.

The "blessed memory of St. John Paul II, who instituted the World Youth Days and was the guide of the Polish people in its recent historic journey toward freedom," will also serve as an inspiration, the pope said in a July 19 video message to the people of Poland.

The pope will join hundreds of thousands of young people from around the world during his July 27-31 visit to celebrate World Youth Day.

The 2016 World Youth Day celebration will mark the 30th anniversary of when St. John Paul II, the former archbishop of Krakow, invited bishops all over the world to hold an annual event for youths in their dioceses. The first international gathering, now held every two or three years, was in 1987 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where Pope Francis was born and ministered before becoming pope.

In his video message, the pope said he blessed young people traveling to Krakow and was "praying that it will be a pilgrimage of faith and fraternity."

"I am very anxious to meet you and to offer the world a new sign of harmony, a mosaic of different faces, from many races, languages, peoples and cultures, but all united in the name of Jesus, who is the face of mercy," the pope said.

Addressing the people of Poland, the pope said that despite the trials and difficulties throughout their history, the Polish nation "has persevered through the power of faith, upheld by the maternal hands of the Virgin Mary."

"I am certain that my pilgrimage to the shrine of Czestochowa will immerse me in this proven faith and do me so much good," he said.

Pope Francis said he looked forward to meeting the bishops, priests, men and women religious and the laity, particularly emphasizing the importance of marriage and the family in society.

"The moral and spiritual 'health' of a nation is seen in its families. That is why St. John Paul II showed such great concern for engaged couples, young married couples and families. Continue along this road," the pope said.

In a news conference July 20, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said that among the highlights of the pope's visit will be his stop at the concentration camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau.

More than 1 million people, including St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross and St. Maximilian Kolbe, died in those two camps alone, he said.

The pope will also meet with 10 Holocaust survivors and will visit St. Maximilian Kolbe's cell. Father Lombardi noted that the pope's visit will coincide with the 75th anniversary of the Polish saint's death sentence.

Father Pawel Rytel-Andrianik, spokesman for the Polish Bishops' Conference, told journalists that more than 335,000 young people have registered to attend the World Youth Day. He also told journalists that an estimated 1.8 million people are expected to attend the World Youth Day's final Mass July 31 at "Campus Misericordiae" ("Field of Mercy").

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Follow Arocho on Twitter: @arochoju.

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