Catholic News 2
BAGHDAD (AP) -- Iraqi forces gained control of the main hospital in Fallujah on Saturday and were clearing mines after driving the Islamic State group from most of the city, one of its last remaining strongholds in the Anbar province west of Baghdad, a military official said....
(Vatican Radio) During his special Jubilee audience in St Peter’s Square on Saturday, Pope Francis said Jesus' call to conversion is an experience of unmerited love which leads to openness to others, especially to the poor.He said Jesus' call to conversion was expressed in closeness to sinners and mercy to those in need, rather than in judgment, allowing sinners to feel God’s loving mercy and to open their hearts to his gift of forgiveness.Below, please find the official English-language summary of Pope Francis’ catechesis, which was delivered in Italian.******************************************Dear Brothers and Sisters: Appearing to the disciples in Emmaus, the Risen Jesus tells them that repentance and the forgiveness of sins are to be preached to all nations in his name (Lk 24:47). Repentance and the forgiveness of sins are at the heart of the Gospel message of God’s merciful love. The Old Testament prophets repeated...
(Vatican Radio) During his special Jubilee audience in St Peter’s Square on Saturday, Pope Francis said Jesus' call to conversion is an experience of unmerited love which leads to openness to others, especially to the poor.
He said Jesus' call to conversion was expressed in closeness to sinners and mercy to those in need, rather than in judgment, allowing sinners to feel God’s loving mercy and to open their hearts to his gift of forgiveness.
Below, please find the official English-language summary of Pope Francis’ catechesis, which was delivered in Italian.
******************************************
Dear Brothers and Sisters: Appearing to the disciples in Emmaus, the Risen Jesus tells them that repentance and the forgiveness of sins are to be preached to all nations in his name (Lk 24:47). Repentance and the forgiveness of sins are at the heart of the Gospel message of God’s merciful love. The Old Testament prophets repeatedly call the people to “return to the Lord” in fidelity to his covenant of love. Jesus began his public ministry by preaching repentance, interior conversion and belief in the Gospel (cf. Mk 1:15). His call to conversion was expressed not in judgment but in closeness to sinners and mercy to those in need. As we see in the conversion accounts of Matthew and Zacchaeus, Jesus enabled sinners to feel God’s loving mercy and to open their hearts to his gift of forgiveness. As an experience of unmerited love, true conversion always entails openness to others, especially the poor. In this Holy Year of Mercy, may we recognize our own need of forgiveness and conversion, and open our hearts ever more fully to the power of the Lord’s grace to transform and renew our lives.
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I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly those from England, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore and the United States of America. With prayerful good wishes that the present Jubilee of Mercy will be a moment of grace and spiritual renewal for you and your families, I invoke upon all of you joy and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ.
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis held his special Jubilee Audience for the month of June in St. Peter’s Square on Saturday, reflecting on Jesus’ call to conversion which was expressed not in judgment but in closeness to sinners and mercy to those in needListen to Devin Watkins’ report: Reflecting on the Gospel passage in which the Risen Jesus encounters his disciples on the road to Emmaus, Pope Francis said Jesus’ call to conversion is an experience of unmerited love which leads to openness to others, especially to the poor.He said the theme of conversion is present throughout the Bible, especially in the message of the prophets who continually invited people to ‘return to the Lord’.“Conversion for the prophets means changing direction and turning anew to the Lord, trusting that He loves us and that His love is always faithful.”He said Jesus focused more than the prophets on the interior dimension of conversion, making repenta...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis held his special Jubilee Audience for the month of June in St. Peter’s Square on Saturday, reflecting on Jesus’ call to conversion which was expressed not in judgment but in closeness to sinners and mercy to those in need
Listen to Devin Watkins’ report:
Reflecting on the Gospel passage in which the Risen Jesus encounters his disciples on the road to Emmaus, Pope Francis said Jesus’ call to conversion is an experience of unmerited love which leads to openness to others, especially to the poor.
He said the theme of conversion is present throughout the Bible, especially in the message of the prophets who continually invited people to ‘return to the Lord’.
“Conversion for the prophets means changing direction and turning anew to the Lord, trusting that He loves us and that His love is always faithful.”
He said Jesus focused more than the prophets on the interior dimension of conversion, making repentance the first word of his preaching ministry, as seen in the Gospel of Mark: “Repent, and believe in the Gospel” (Mk 1,15).
The Holy Father went on to say that Jesus’ call to conversion was expressed not in judgment but in closeness to sinners and mercy to those in need.
“When Jesus calls to conversion, he does not set himself up as judge of persons, but he calls from a position of nearness, because he shares in the human condition, and calls from the street, from the home, from the table… Mercy towards those who needed to change their lives took place through his lovable presence so as to involve each person in his salvation history. With this way of being, Jesus touched the depth of people’s hearts and they felt attracted by the love of God and invited to change their life.”
Pope Francis concluded that the experience of God’s unmerited love in Jesus opens us to true conversion, which always entails openness to others, especially the poor.
“True conversion happens when we accept the gift of grace, and a clear sign of its authenticity is when we become aware of the needs of our brothers and are ready to draw near to them. […] Let us follow, therefore, this invitation of the Lord and let us not put up resistance, because only if we open ourselves to mercy will we find true life and true joy.”
Below, please find a Vatican Radio English translation of the Pope’s Audience address:
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
After his resurrection, Jesus appeared several times to the disciples before ascending to the glory of the Father. The Gospel passage which we just heard (Luke 24,45-48) tells of one of these apparitions, in which the Lord points out the fundamental content of the message which the apostles will offer to the world. We can synthesize it with two words: “conversion” and “forgiveness of sins”. These are two qualifying aspects of the mercy of God, which takes care of us in love. Today we shall consider conversion.
This theme is present through the Bible and, in a special way, in the preaching of the prophets, who continually invite the people to “return to the Lord” asking them to forgive and change their style of life. Conversion, according to the prophets, means changing direction and turning anew to the Lord, trusting that He loves us and that His love is always faithful.
Jesus made conversion the first word of his preaching: “Convert, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1,15). It is with this proclamation that He presents Himself to the people, asking them to accept his word as the final and definitive word of the Father for humanity (cf. Mark 12,1-11). Compared to the preaching of the prophets, Jesus insists even more on the interior dimension of conversion. Indeed, the entire person is involved in it, heart and mind, in order to become a new creature.
When Jesus calls to conversion, he does not set himself up as judge of persons, but he calls from a position of nearness, because he shares in the human condition, and calls from the street, from the home, from the table… Mercy towards those who needed to change their lives took place through his lovable presence so as to involve each person in his salvation history. With this way of being, Jesus touched the depth of people’s hearts and they felt attracted by the love of God and invited to change their life. For example, the conversion of Matthew (cf. Matthew 9,9-13) and of Zacchaeus (cf. Luke 19,1-10) happened in exactly this manner, because they felt loved by Jesus and, through Him, by the Father. True conversion happens when we accept the gift of grace, and a clear sign of its authenticity is when we become aware of the needs of our brothers and are ready to draw near to them.
Dear brothers and sisters, how many times have we also felt the need to effect a change which would involve our entire person! How many times do we say to ourselves: “I need to change, I can’t continue this way. My life on this path will not give fruit; it will be a useless life and I won’t be happy.” How often these thoughts come! And Jesus, who is near us, extends his hand and says, “Come, come to me. I’ll do the work: I’ll change your heart, I’ll change your life, I will make you happy.” But do we believe this, yes or no? What do you think: do you believe this or not? Less applause and more voice! Do you believe or not? ‘Yes!’ So it is. Jesus who is with us invites us to change our life. It is He, with the Holy Spirit, who seeds in us the this restlessness to change life and be a little better.Let us follow, therefore, this invitation of the Lord and let us not put up resistance, because only if we open ourselves to mercy will we find true life and true joy.
(Vatican Radio) Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged European leaders to renew ties with his nation instead of imposing sanctions over Russia's controversial role in Ukraine. Putin spoke at a top economic gathering in St. Petersburg while the European Union extended for another year the punitive measures it imposed on Russia because of its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and alleged support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.Listen to Stefan Bos' full report: With his country's economy facing its longest recession since he came to power, Putin reached out to the EU as his country faced a new round of sanctions.Putin addressed the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, where he met the president of the European Union's executive Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker and other officials. Juncker was the first leader of an EU institution to visit Russia since sanctions were put in place in 2014.Their talks ...
(Vatican Radio) Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged European leaders to renew ties with his nation instead of imposing sanctions over Russia's controversial role in Ukraine. Putin spoke at a top economic gathering in St. Petersburg while the European Union extended for another year the punitive measures it imposed on Russia because of its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and alleged support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Listen to Stefan Bos' full report:
With his country's economy facing its longest recession since he came to power, Putin reached out to the EU as his country faced a new round of sanctions.
Putin addressed the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, where he met the president of the European Union's executive Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker and other officials. Juncker was the first leader of an EU institution to visit Russia since sanctions were put in place in 2014.
Their talks occurred while the EU extended sanctions on Russia to 2017, mainly because of its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in March 2014. The EU is also worried about Russia's alleged military support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine in a conflict that has killed nearly 10,000 people.
EU-RUSSIA TRADE
Yet, Putin urged a resumption of Russian-EU trade. “Following the recent meetings with the business representatives from Germany and France, the European business wants and is ready to cooperate with our country," he noted. "Politicians should listen to business. Politicians should demonstrate how wise, far-seeing and flexible they are,” Putin added.
Putin stressed that Russia's ban on EU foodstuffs and other retaliatory measures were imposed "in response" to the EU sanctions, but that Moscow would like to improve relations.
And, he accused the United States of being the driving engine behind anti-Russian sanctions, saying they have done "little harm" to American companies while "badly hurting the Europeans".
RUSSIA SUPPORTING BREXIT?
He denied suggestions that Russia would benefit from Britain's possible decision to leave the European Union in a referendum next week. Putin also said the U.S. and its NATO military alliance allies ignore Russia's "legitimate interests" by expanding into Eastern Europe and building a U.S.-led missile defense shield which he claimed poses a threat to Russia.
But he left the door open to cooperate with the U.S. in Syria, saying new elections are crucial as part of efforts to end the conflict. However those remarks were somewhat overshadowed by comments by Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov who accused the U.S. on Thursday of using terror group al-Qaida's branch in Syria to unseat Syrian President Bashar Assad's government.
Lavrov was commenting on US Secretary of State John Kerry's warning that Washington is losing its patience with Russia, as the U.S. and Russia-brokered ceasefire in Syria was at risk mainly due to violations by Assad's forces with Russian air support.
MOSCOW (AP) -- An International Space Station crew including an American, a Briton and a Russian landed safely Saturday in the sun-drenched steppes of Kazakhstan....
BEIJING (AP) -- A Chinese regulator has ordered Apple Inc. to stop selling two versions of its iPhone 6 in Beijing after finding they look too much like a competitor, but Apple says sales are going ahead while it appeals....
BRUSSELS (AP) -- Belgian authorities have raided dozens of homes and arrested 12 suspects in a major anti-terror investigation which they said required "immediate intervention," fearing an attack could have been close....
BAGHDAD (AP) -- Iraqi government forces cleared mines and explosives left behind by the Islamic State group in recently recaptured areas of Fallujah, as fighting continued in other parts of the city Saturday, an Iraqi military official said....
LONDON (AP) -- The man accused of murdering British lawmaker Jo Cox gave his name as "Death to traitors, freedom for Britain" in court Saturday, following the killing that has brought campaigning ahead of the country's EU referendum to a standstill....
(Vatican Radio) The Vatican is set to host its second conference on Impact Investing on June 26-28 entitled 'Making the Year of Mercy a Year of Impact for the Poor'.The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, along with Catholic Relief Services, will host the event whose focus is on capacity building for Church enterprises. Impact investing actively seeks to make a positive impact by investing in non-profits that benefit the community or in clean technology enterprises.An overview of the conference provided by the Pontifical Council said impact investing is a more sustainable way to support the 'vision, passion and demonstrated excellence of Catholic social ministries' than charitable gifts and grants which it says will not provide sufficient support in the long-term for these important ministries. "For nearly 2000 years, the Catholic Church has developed and operated social ministries, gaining the trust and friendship of the people it serves...
(Vatican Radio) The Vatican is set to host its second conference on Impact Investing on June 26-28 entitled 'Making the Year of Mercy a Year of Impact for the Poor'.
The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, along with Catholic Relief Services, will host the event whose focus is on capacity building for Church enterprises. Impact investing actively seeks to make a positive impact by investing in non-profits that benefit the community or in clean technology enterprises.
An overview of the conference provided by the Pontifical Council said impact investing is a more sustainable way to support the 'vision, passion and demonstrated excellence of Catholic social ministries' than charitable gifts and grants which it says will not provide sufficient support in the long-term for these important ministries.
"For nearly 2000 years, the Catholic Church has developed and operated social ministries, gaining the trust and friendship of the people it serves. These works now form the backbone of many countries’ infrastructure for health care, education and social services. The Catholic Church has conducted social ministries and gained respect from local and national leaders. For centuries, in Africa, Asia and Latin America, Catholic missionaries have toiled in service of the poor," the overview says.
The overview says that 'many dioceses support themselves through businesses that produce wine, cheese, maize or cassava flour, caskets, art objects and furniture; some religious organizations have established credit unions and cooperatives, microcredit programs and “fair trade” schemes; and some dioceses own commercial property and run agricultural processing enterprises.'
This year's conference on Impact Investing will include approximately 140 participants from around the world and is intended to act as 'a catalyst in the Church’s efforts to shift social programming to social enterprise and a forum to create new partnerships to sustain this work'.
The two broad objective of the conference are to:
(1) explore when and how the Catholic Church and other faith-based institutions can employ a market-based model that utilizes private capital and new partnerships to attain and sustain their social mission; and
(2) enable these institutions, at an early stage of deliberation and visioning, to interact with and learn from successful social entrepreneurs and impact investors.
The conference falls during the Jubilee of Mercy and just over a year after Pope Francis' 2015 encyclical Laudato Si'.
Catholic Relief Services will hold a 3-day workshop ahead of the Vatican conference for select participants to present key concepts related to faith-based social enterprise and impact investing.
