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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met on Thursday with members of the ROACO (Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches) Assembly which raises funds for Christians in the Eastern-rite Churches. Among those taking part in the meeting were the papal representatives from Jerusalem, Lebanon, Syria, Ukraine,  Iraq and Jordan, as well as the new Franciscan Custos of the Holy Land, Fr Francesco Patton.

In his greetings to the group, Pope Francis thanked them for their work, in particular the task of helping to fund the restoration of the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem and the small shrine of Christ's tomb at the heart of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

Noting that the restoration work in Bethlehem has unearthed the mosaic of a seventh angel in the nave of the Basilica, the Pope reflected on the way the face of our own communities can also be covered by 'incrustations' as a result of all our problems and sins. Yet all your work, the Pope said, must unfailingly be guided by the certainty that, beneath material and moral incrustations, and the tears and bloodshed caused by war, violence and persecution, there is a radiant face like that of the angel in the mosaic. 

All of you, with your projects and your activities, the Pope said, are part of a “restoration” that will enable the face of the Church to reflect visibly the light of Christ the Word Incarnate.  He is our peace, the Pope insisted, and he is knocking at the doors of our heart in the Middle East, as he does in India or in Ukraine, a country for which he recently called for a special collection to be taken among all  European Churches in support of those suffering the effects of the conflict.

Pope Francis noted that the ROACO meeting, which has been taking place in Rome this week, has also been focused on the presence of the Syro-Malabar and Syro-Manlankara Churches in the territories of India outside Kerala where they are based.  It is a sign of hope that, he said, that progress can be made in respect for the proper rights of each, without a spirit of division. Rather, he stressed, in all those parts of the world where Latin and Oriental Catholics live side-by-side, our Churches need the spiritual riches of East and West as a source from which coming generations can draw. 

Finally, Pope Francis blessed the members of the group, asking for their prayers as he prepares for his pilgrimage next week to Armenia, a land of the East and the first country to adopt Christianity as its state religion.  

Please find below the full text of Pope Francis’ address to the ROACO Assembly

Dear Friends,

            I offer you a warm welcome and I thank Cardinal Sandri for his kind words of introduction.  To each of you, and the communities from which you come, I offer a cordial greeting.  I am grateful for the zeal that all of you have shown in carrying out the mission entrusted to you, and for your attention to the needs of our brothers and sisters in the East.  Present at this meeting, too, are the Papal Representatives in Jerusalem, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Jordan, and Ukraine.  They accompany the life of the Churches and peoples of those countries, demonstrating the closeness of the Pope and the Holy See not only through their contacts but also through gestures of concrete charity, in coordination with all the concerned offices of the Holy See.

            I also greet with fraternal good wishes Father Francesco Patton, the successor of Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa as Custos of the Holy Land.  I take this occasion to express my gratitude and appreciation to all the Friars Minor, who for centuries have maintained the holy places and shrines, also with the help of the yearly Good Friday Collection providently instituted by Blessed Paul VI.  May the Lord bless you and grant you his peace!  It is my hope that, with the generous help of so many people, including the contribution of the other Christian communities, the restoration of the Basilica of the Nativity and the aedicule of the Holy Sepulcher will be brought to conclusion.

            I have been told that in the course of restoration work in Bethlehem, on one of the walls of the nave a seventh angel in mosaic has come to light, forming with the other six a sort of procession towards the place commemorating the mystery of the birth of the Word made flesh.  This can lead us to reflect on how the face of our ecclesial communities can also be covered by “incrustations” as a result of various problems and sins.  Yet your work must unfailingly be guided by the certainty that, beneath material and moral incrustations, and the tears and bloodshed caused by war, violence and persecution, beneath this apparently impenetrable cover there is a radiant face like that of the angel in the mosaic.  All of you, with your projects and your activities, are part of a “restoration” that will enable the face of the Church to reflect visibly the light of Christ the Word Incarnate.  He is our peace, and he is knocking at the doors of our heart in the Middle East, as he does in India and in Ukraine, a country for which I determined last April that an extraordinary collection should be taken up among the Churches of Europe.

            Your reflection in these days centres on the presence of the Syro-Malabar and Syro-Manlankara Churches in the territories of India outside Kerala.  It is a sign of hope that, following the indications set out by my Predecessors, progress can be made in respect for the proper rights of each, without a spirit of division, but rather fostering communion in witness to the one Saviour, Jesus Christ.  That communion, in all those parts of the world where Latin and Oriental Catholics live side-by-side, needs the spiritual riches of East and West as a source from which coming generations of priests, men and women religious, and pastoral workers can draw.  For, as Saint John Paul II observed: “The words of the West need the words of the East, so that God’s word may ever more clearly reveal its unfathomable riches.  Our words will meet forever in the heavenly Jerusalem, but we ask and wish that this meeting be anticipated in the holy Church which is still on her way towards the fullness of the Kingdom” (Orientale Lumen, 28).

            As I invoke upon all of you the Lord’s blessings, I ask for your prayers, for in a few days I will go on pilgrimage to a land of the East, Armenia, the first nation to welcome the Gospel of Jesus.  I thank you most cordially.  May Our Lady watch over you and accompany you. Thank you.

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(Vatican Radio) The world of the Circus spreads “a culture of encounter” and those working in such travelling shows have a unique opportunity “to be Christ’s witnesses” to “even the most distant” of people:  that’s what Pope Francis said Thursday to members of Italian circuses and travelling entertainment.

In a festive audience in the Vatican, Pope Francis greeted representatives of circus associations, employees of amusement parks and fairs, street performers, artists, designers and puppeteers, musicians and folk groups celebrating their Jubilee for Circus and Travelling Show People.  The Pope told them their festiveness and joy “are distinctive signs of your identity, your profession and your life” and that this appointment “could not be overlooked” in the Jubilee of Mercy.

The 15-16 June Jubilee was sponsored and organized by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People in collaboration with the "Migrantes" Foundation of the Italian Episcopal Conference and the Migrantes Office of the Diocese of Rome.

“You are ‘artisans’ of festivities, of wonder, of beauty,” the Pope said, and “with these qualities, you enrich all world society, even with the aim of nurturing sentiments of hope and confidence. You do it through performances that have the ability to elevate the soul, to show the boldness of particularly challenging exercises, to fascinate with the wonder of beauty and to offer opportunities for healthy entertainment.”

Pope Francis thanked them for having, in this year of Mercy, “opened your shows to the most needy, the poor and the homeless, prisoners, and disadvantaged kids. This too is mercy: to sow beauty and joy in a world sometimes gloomy and sad.”

The Holy Father admitted that “the rhythms of your life and of your work” can often make it “difficult for you to be part of a parish community on a regular basis.”  Nevertheless,  he invited them “to take care of your faith. Take every opportunity to draw close to the Sacraments. Transmit to your children the love for God and neighbor.”

Concluding, Pope Francis said “the Church is concerned about the problems that accompany your traveling life, and wants to help eliminate prejudices” that can sometimes keep them “on the margins.”  He called on churches and parishes to be attentive to the needs of travelling performers and all people on the move.”

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis said that prayers are not magic words for Christians and when we pray the ‘Our Father’ we can feel God looking at us and this prayer should be the cornerstone of our prayer life. His words came during his mass celebrated on Thursday morning in the chapel of the Santa Marta residence. 

Jesus always turned to the Father in the most challenging moments

Taking his inspiration from the gospel reading where Jesus teaches his disciples to pray the “Our Father, the Pope’s homily was a reflection on the value and meaning of prayer in the life of a Christian. He noted that Jesus always used the word “Father” in the most important or challenging moments of his life, saying our Father “knows the things we need, before we even ask Him.” He is a Father who listens to us in secret just like Jesus advised us to pray in secret.  

“It’s through this Father that we receive our identity as children. And when I say ‘Father’ this goes right to the roots of my identity: my Christian identity is to be his child and this is a grace of the Holy Spirit.  Nobody can say ‘Father’ without the grace of the Spirit. ‘Father’ is the word that Jesus used in the most important moments: when he was full of joy, or emotion: ‘Father, I bless you for revealing these things to little children.’ Or weeping, in front of the tomb of his friend Lazarus: ‘Father, I thank you for hearing my prayer,’ or else at the end, in the final moments of his life, right at the very end.”

Pope Francis went on to stress how the word ‘Father’ was the one most used by Jesus in the most important or challenging moments of his life. He warned that “unless we feel that we are his children, without considering ourselves as his children, without saying ‘Father,’ our prayer is a pagan one, it’s just a prayer of words.

Praying the ‘Our Father’ is our cornerstone

In the same way, the Pope stressed that the ‘Our Father’ prayer is the cornerstone of our prayer life.  If we are not able to begin our prayer with this word, he warned, “our prayer will go nowhere.”

“Father.” It’s about feeling our Father looking at me, feeling that this word ‘Father’ is not a waste of time like the words in the prayers of pagans: it’s a call to Him who gave me my identity as his child. This is the dimension of Christian prayer – ‘Father’ and we can pray to all the Saints, the Angels, we can go on processions, pilgrimages … all of this is wonderful but we must always begin (our prayers) with ‘Father’ and be aware that we are his children and that we have a Father who loves us and who knows all our needs. This is that dimension.”

Turning next to the part of the 'Our Father' prayer where Jesus refers to forgiving those who “trespass against us” just as God forgives us, Pope Francis explains that this prayer conveys the sense of us being brothers (and sisters) and part of one family. Rather than behaving like Cain who hated his own brother, he said, it’s so important for us to forgive, to forget offences against us, that healthy attitude of saying ‘let’s forget this’ and not harbour feelings of rancour, resentment or a desire for revenge.

In conclusion, the Pope said the best prayer we can say is to pray to our God to forgive everybody and forget their sins.

“It’s good for us to sometimes examine our own consciences on this point.  For me, is God my Father? Do I feel that He is my Father? And if I don’t feel that, let me ask the Holy Spirit to teach me to feel that way. And am I able to forget offences, to forgive, to let go of it, and if not, let us ask the Father: ‘these people too are your children, they did something horrible to me … can you help me to forgive them’? Let us carry out this examination of our consciences and it will do us a lot of good, good, good. ‘Father’ and ‘our’: give us our identity as his children and give us a family to journey with during our lives.”  

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On Tuesday, 14 June the restaurant and the other realities run by Caritas Jordan at the center of Jabal al Weibdeh received a welcome visit of Queen Rania of Jordan, wife of King Abdullah II.

The Queen, received by Wael Suleiman, Director of Caritas Jordan, listened to the description of the initiatives promoted by Caritas in the Hashemite Kingdom, beginning with those geared to assisting refugees from Syria and Iraq. During the visit, the Queen also visited the Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Annunciation, where she met with Archbishop Maroun Lahham, Patriarchal Vicar for Jordan of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

The Restaurant of Mercy, inaugurated on Christmas eve, offers about five hundred hot meals every day to those in need.

In the holy month of Ramadan, Caritas volunteers who since December have been offering meals to those in need at the Restaurant of Mercy in Amman, in the Jabal al Weibdeh area, have modified their work plan: to adapt to the needs of their customers, mostly Muslims. They do not serve meals at lunch but they are opened in the evening, to offer, to those who observe the fast of Ramadan, the only meal eaten after sunset.(Fides)

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Washington D.C., Jun 16, 2016 / 03:46 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Since the very first World Youth Day in 1986, the international Catholic event has been marked by prayer, music, and fellowship among thousands of young people eager to encounter the Pope.

This year’s gathering in Krakow, Poland will feature the same elements – but it will also be unique, with the Pope’s visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.

Paul Jarzembowski, the World Youth Day USA Coordinator at the U.S. bishops’ conference, explained that the structure of the global gathering is intended to reflect the saving events of Triduum – the passion, death and resurrection of Christ.

The Friday of every World Youth Day is a commemoration of Good Friday. A vigil is held on Saturday, and Sunday remembers Easter joy with the celebration of Mass.

“The normal experience of World Youth Day highlights the paschal mystery,” Jarzembowski told CNA.

“The fact that Pope Francis is going to be visiting Auschwitz on Friday, which is always the reflective day of the week, will be very appropriate,” he said. “I don’t think it will change the tone of World Youth Day. It will highlight even more that this experience is very paschal.”

In addition to visiting the speeches, Masses and prayer reflections, Pope Francis’ July 25-31 itinerary for World Youth Day in Poland includes a visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.

“In this Year of Mercy,” Jarzembowski said, “it is certainly important for Pope Francis and the Church to remember, by his example, times when the world has not been as merciful.”

Jarzembowski said that the tragedy of the Holocaust, during Nazi German rule, was a moment in history without mercy. More than six million Jews were killed, as well as five million non-Jews.

“Pope Francis’ time there (Auschwitz) is a reminder for us to continue being in dialogue with our Brothers and Sisters in the Jewish faith,” he said.

“It is a reminder for us in what we are going through today. What do we do with this in regards to religious persecution; with the way we treat one another culturally and societally with different groups,” he added.

“I think it calls us to remember not slip into times where we aren’t merciful as a culture. When the pilgrims see the Holy Father doing this, it will challenge them to step up and find ways in which they too can hear those lessons of mercy or interfaith dialogue.”

Furthermore, Jarzembowski said, it will “remind them of where they are at in the Poland. The Polish culture and the history of Poland, has had a very interesting past.”

The Church in Poland faced great oppression in the 20th Century, first under the Nazis and later under the Communist regime.

But in the same way that Jesus suffered and then brought hope to the world through his resurrection, Jarzembowski said Poland’s history also had moments of great grace with the lives of three saints.

Saint Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish Franciscan friar, volunteered to starve to death in place of a father during the Holocaust.

The Polish mystic and nun, Saint Faustina, grew up in Poland during the World Wars and received messages of mercy from the Lord, known today as the devotion of the Divine Mercy.

Karol Józef Wojtyla grew up in Poland, became Pope John Paul II in 1978, and argued with the Polish government in order to make a papal visit in 1979. Millions of people lined the streets and his impact brought improvements to religious freedom in the country. He held the first World Youth Day in 1986 and now – 30 years later – the celebration will take place in the city where the saint once served as archbishop.

“The fight for equality and rights especially in Communist Russia was about sticking together, about bonding together, about not doing it alone,” Jarzembowski said.

“That spirit is the same spirit as World Youth Day. I think that’s why there’s such electricity to the air. You know that you’re not alone.”

Jarzembowski said the Polish government has been very cooperative with the Archdiocese of Krakow and has enhanced security to keep the pilgrims safe. He also said the government is excited to see so many people in their country.

The more than two million pilgrims expected to attend World Youth Day will encounter the universality of the Church through liturgy, music, diverse languages, and prayer, concluding with Mass celebrated by Pope Francis.

“The experience of celebrating a faith that you have with millions of other people, standing side-by-side with you, is truly something special,” Jarzembowski said.

“It’s distinct from any other gathering in the Church and any other gathering in culture.”

Pope Francis has not announced if young people will accompany him to Auschwitz. His visit is not open to the public, but pilgrims can register online to visit the historical site during other limited times in the week: http://mlodzi.duszpasterstwa.bielsko.pl/auschwitz/

 

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The African continent today commemorates the Day of the African Child under the theme, “Conflict and Crisis in Africa: Protecting all Children’s Rights.”

Through the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC), the African Union (AU) commissioned a continental study on the impact of armed conflict on children in Africa as part of efforts to elevate the child protection agenda in conflict situations. As a result, the AU has chosen this year’s theme as a means to promote the preservation of life and well-being of the African children.

In all conflicts, children are the most vulnerable segment of the civilian population and are negatively affected in various ways. Commemorating the Day of the African Child focuses the spotlight on children‘s rights and reminds the continent’s governments that this is an area that needs attention. 

The background to 16 June as the Day of the African Child lies in the 1976 Soweto Uprising and Massacre. On this day, a protest by students in South Africa against apartheid–inspired education resulted in the public shooting of unarmed young protesters by the apartheid police in South Africa.

This year the AU  is encouraging African countries to ratify and domesticate international human rights instruments for the protection of children‘s rights and to establish national monitoring and reporting systems that will oversee the enforcement of state laws and military codes of justice. This is particularly the case concerning children who are victims of the Six Grave Violations.

To advance the goal of protecting children during armed conflict and ending the impunity of perpetrators, the United Nations Security Council has identified six categories of violations – the so-called six grave violations. They serve as the basis to gather evidence on violations and include:

Killing and maiming of children;

Recruitment or use of children as soldiers;

Sexual violence against children;

Attacks against schools or hospitals;

Denial of humanitarian access for children;

The abduction of children.

The Day of the African Child further presents an opportunity for nations to consolidate their efforts in addressing obstacles faced in realising the rights of children.

(Email: engafrica@vatiradio.va)

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The Lord's Resistance Army rebels, who mutilate civilians and kidnap children to use as fighters and sex slaves, stepped-up attacks and abductions in the Central African Republic during the first three months of this year, the United Nations said on Wednesday.

The U.N. envoy for Central Africa, Abdoulaye Bathily, also told the U.N. Security Council that the world body was concerned about the potential Ugandan withdrawal of some 2 500 troops from a military operation hunting down the brutal rebel movement.

"The LRA appears now to be deviating from what had been for a certain period a low-profile posture, with attacks against larger and less isolated populations areas being noted and an increased number of children kidnapped," he said.

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for the LRA's rebel leader, Joseph Kony, and other senior commanders. The rebels were relatively unknown outside Central Africa until KONY 2012, a successful social media campaign, raised international awareness about the reclusive warlord.

The latest U.N. report to the Security Council, citing LRA Crisis Tracker data, said the rebels were responsible for 42 incidents, six civilian deaths and 252 civilian abductions in the Central African Republic in the first quarter of 2016. This compares with 52 incidents, five civilian deaths and 113 civilian abductions for all of 2015.

"The LRA has demonstrated increased boldness," according to the report. "The surge could be attributed to the dry season, the alleged forced withdrawal of LRA groups from the Kafia Kingi enclave, and some LRA groups operating independently from Joseph Kony's command."

Uganda leads a U.S.-supported African Union regional task force tracking the LRA rebels but said last week it plans to withdraw its troops by the end of the year. Most of its soldiers are in the eastern Central African Republic, while a smaller contingent is based in South Sudan.

"The withdrawal of the Ugandan troops may create a vacuum which may be used not only by the LRA but also the other armed groups which are in the region," Bathily told reporters.

Originally from northern Uganda, the LRA was driven out by a military offensive a decade ago. Today, its fighters roam a poorly policed area straddling the borders of Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.

(Reuters)

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