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(Vatican Radio) Amongst the 30.000 people present in St. Peter's Square on Wednesday for the weekly General Audience was Spanish filmstar Antonio Banderas.

Accompanied by his girlfriend, Nicole Kimpel, Banderas was greeted personally by Pope Francis at the end of his catechesis and after having made an appeal for prayers for his upcoming visit to the Greek island of Lesbos in solidarity with refugees fleeing conflict.

After the meeting Banderas tweeted: 'nice chat with Pope Francis before we start filming in Rome'. Ahead of the audience he had let his followers know he was excited and looking forward to the meeting.

The new film he is referring to is shrouded in secrecy. What has transpired is that Banderas will be playing the lead role in a film on the life of fashion designer Gianni Versace directed by Bille August.

The Oscar winning Danish film director made the announcement recently and said that he will be focussing on personal aspects of Versace’s life and highlighting unexplored aspects of his work.  

Antonio Banderas is United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Goodwill Ambassador.

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(Vatican Radio)  Catholic bishops of Ireland have called on political parties in Northern Ireland to urgently tackle what they describe as a “shocking increase in levels of childhood poverty.” 

On Tuesday, 12 April, Archbishop Eamon Martin, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All-Ireland, led delegations from the Northern Ireland Catholic Council on Social Affairs (NICCOSA) to two official meetings with political parties in Northern Ireland. The first meeting was in Belfast, with members of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), led by First Minister Arlene Foster MLA. The second meeting, with members of Sinn Féin, led by Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness MLA, took place in Armagh.

The Irish Catholic Bishops Conference said the Church delegation welcomed the opportunity to discuss a range of issues with each party.  After the meetings, Archbishop Martin said the delegation had expressed concern for “the shocking increase in levels of childhood poverty during the mandate of the last Assembly. We are asking all of the political parties in our meetings to make tackling childhood poverty and other forms of social need a top priority in the next Programme for Government”.

The role of Churches in providing service to society’s vulnerable, need for civic forum

Archbishop Martin continued, “It was most encouraging that both parties recognised the vital contribution of Churches and faith groups in providing a range of services that support some of the most vulnerable in our society. We highlighted the need to respect the right of faith-based groups to provide these services in accordance with their particular religious ethos and values. We also asked both parties to consider how Churches and wider civic society could engage in a more structured dialogue with the next Assembly, mindful that the model of a civic forum was an important component of the Belfast Agreement.”

Among others in the delegation led by Archbishop Eamon Martin:  Bishop Donal McKeown, Bishop of Derry; and both Father Timothy Bartlett and Dr Nicola Brady of NICCOSA attended the meeting with the DUP.  Bishop John McAreavey, Bishop of Dromore; Ms Deirdre O’Rawe of Accord NI; Father Timothy Bartlett and Dr Nicola Brady (NICCOSA) participated in the meeting with Sinn Féin.

Building a caring culture of life

Dr Nicola Brady said, “As we did last week in our meeting with the SDLP, we emphasized to both parties the importance of consistent support for a culture of life, beginning with the commitment to the protection of the life of the unborn child, including those with life-limiting conditions. We encouraged the parties to work for the establishment of a perinatal hospice facility for Northern Ireland and to recognise the need to provide the best possible care for mothers and unborn children in cases of difficult or crisis pregnancy. We shared our conviction that the best possible future for humanity lies in building a culture of life and care in which the dignity of our beginning and end as persons is reverenced and respected, rather than in a culture where the value of life is diminished and destroyed.”

Education: raising standards

Bishop Donal McKeown, chair of the Northern Ireland Commission for Catholic Education, said, “It is vital that the next Assembly works with all the stakeholders in education to raise standards and aspirations among young people and their families, from all backgrounds, and to enhance the opportunities to achieve their full potential.” The Church delegation highlighted the importance of a strong ethos in raising standards in schools and the right of parents to choose a faith-based education for their children. Bishop McKeown said, “We explained that this does not contradict the commitment of our schools, precisely because of their Catholic ethos, to work for a shared and reconciled society by promoting inclusion and respect for diversity.”

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(Vatican Radio) In a statement released ahead of Pope Francis’ visit to the Greek island of Lesbos the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) says the papal visit could not come at a more critical time.

The statement says that the recent EU deal with Ankara that pushes back refugees and migrants arriving to the Greek shores to Turkey is in clear violation of international law “and the principle of non-refoulement or not pushing back people in need of protection. 

"During a time when push backs are seemingly the solution being put forward by the EU, we hope the Pope's visit is not just a symbol of hope for refugees, but a concrete push for the Greek government and other European states to actualise those hopes," said Fr Thomas Smolich SJ, JRS International Director.

JRS Greece is present in Athens and in Lesbos, providing emergency assistance. 

In Athens, JRS runs a shelter for newly arrived or homeless refugees as well as an integration Centre. 

In the statement JRS concludes that it believes that the way forward for Europe is for governments to: ensure effective access to protection to all refugees regardless of nationality; not detain and provide special attention to the needs of particularly at-risk people such as unaccompanied minors in transit; and consider cases for asylum on an individual basis.

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(Vatican Radio) The Council of Cardinals concluded three days of meetings on Wednesday. All of the members of the Council were present, with the exception of Cardinal Oswald Gracias, who was impeded by health reasons.

Apart from the Wednesday morning session, which took place during the customary General Audience, Pope Francis himself participated in all of the meetings of the Council.

In a press briefing on the meetings, Father Federico Lombardi, SJ, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, said Cardinals’ discussion focused largely on final considerations concerning the various Dicasteries (departments) of the Roman Curia, in view of a new Apostolic Constitution.

In particular, the Cardinals re-read, and entrusted to the Holy Father, several texts relating to the proposal to create to new Dicasteries, dedicated to “Laity, Family, and Life” and to “Justice, Peace, and Migration.”

Father Lombardi said the Cardinals also took up several other topics in their discussion. In particular, the Council considered criteria for gathering information for the nomination of new bishops, in light of their identity and pastoral mission. They also discussed the significance and role of Nuncios.  

Additionally, the Council heard from two of their own members. Cardinal George Pell updated his colleagues on the work of the Secretariat for the Economy, while Cardinal Sean O’Malley discussed the activities of the Pontifical Council for the Protection of Minors.

The final day of the Council’s work, Father Lombardi said, was dedicated to organizing the results of the foregoing discussion, in order to craft a comprehensive proposal from the Council to the Pope, in view of a new Constitution for the Roman Curia.

The Council is expected to meet three more times this year: 6-8 June; 12-14 September; and  12-14 December.

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Vatican City, Apr 13, 2016 / 05:30 am (CNA/EWTN News).- With a last-minute trip to Lesbos just days away, Pope Francis remembered the refugees and residents of the Greek island during his general audience address, and asked for prayers ahead of his one-day journey.

“Next Saturday I will go to the island of Lesbos, through which so many refugees have passed in recent months,” the Pope said at the conclusion of the April 13 audience.

He asked pilgrims at the general audience to accompany him in prayer, “invoking the light and strength of the Holy Spirit and the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary.”

The Vatican announced on April 7 that Pope Francis would be traveling to the island just nine days later, this Saturday, April 16. Lesbos has been one the primary destinations of migrants fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria and Afghanistan who seek entry into the E.U.

With a financially stressed economy, Greece has been largely unprepared for the thousands of migrants who have shown up on its shores.

In 2015 alone more than 1.1 million migrants fleeing war and violence poured into Europe, and the influx has continued. Many Syrians seeking to escape the civil war which has devastated their country for the past five years enter Europe through Turkey, taking boats to the Greek isles.

Although the Vatican hasn’t yet issued an itinerary for the visit, Holy See Press Office director Fr Federico Lombardi has confirmed that the Pope will be meeting with refugees. A large public gathering is also expected.

The visit has been organized with the Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, and the Archbishop of Athens and all Greece, Hieronimus II. During the April 13 audience, Pope Francis called the two Orthodox bishops who will be accompanying him on the day-trip his “brothers.”

“I will go together with (them) to express my closeness and solidarity to the refugees and citizens of Lesbos and to all the Greek people (who are) so generous in their welcoming,” Pope Francis said.

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Newark, N.J., Apr 13, 2016 / 06:59 am (CNA/EWTN News).- For many Catholic families, the day their child receives the Sacrament of First Holy Communion marks a pivotal moment in their journey of faith.
 
The Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey wants to make sure that financial hardship doesn't stand in the way of that experience, by collecting First Communion outfits for families who might not be able to afford a suit or dress for their child receiving the sacrament.

“It's a unique idea and you wouldn't think there would be a need, but these suits and dresses can get pricey,” said Kelly Marsicano, a public relations specialist at the Archdiocese of Newark.

“This is a special day for the kids to celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Communion, and now they are able to do that from these donations,” she told CNA.

For the past three years, the Archdiocese of Newark has been gathering new and gently used dresses, suits, shoes and veils for children preparing to receive their First Communion. This year, they have collected more than 500 dresses and over 200 suits for families in need.

“We receive calls from people needing one dress or one suit, to a parish needing 25, to a parish saying they will take whatever they can get,” said Lynn Gully, the Associate Director of Development at the Archdiocese, who also spearheaded the donation project.

The idea all started when the archdiocese received a call from a boutique asking if they would accept some donated First Communion dresses and suits.

“I was carrying the dresses into the building after picking them up, and there were people who were asking what was going on and if they could bring in their daughters," Gully explained. “It just kind of spread from there.”

Now, the majority of First Communion garments are donated from families who do collections at their parishes, but Gully said they have also received unexpected packages in the mail with brand new outfits. Children at a nearby parish started to make veils over the summer to donate to the campaign, and they have also received donations of socks, tights, purses, ties, and belts.

This year, four parishes in the archdiocese have participated in the donation program, and they already have additional parishes lined up for next year.

After the dresses and suits are worn, the children are able to keep the outfits or donate them for another year of use.

“It's up to them if they want to keep it or pass it on, there is a no charge... We don't ask any questions. If you need it, we are here for you,” Gully said.

After three successful years of donations, the Archdiocese of Newark plans to continue the program as long as there is a need for it.

“It's really a great help to the families in need,” Gully reflected.


Photo credit: Alicia Chelini via www.shutterstock.com.

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IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring

By Junno Arocho Esteves

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Without a repentant heart, Christians can risk living out their faith superficially and fail to live out God's desire for "mercy, not sacrifice," Pope Francis said.

Instead, Jesus' love for sinners shows that the church is not "a community of perfect people, but disciples on a path who follow the Lord because they recognize themselves as sinners and in need of his forgiveness," the pope said at his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square April 13.

Jesus' mission is "to search for each one of us, to heal our wounds and call us to follow him with love," he said.

The pope reflected on the Gospel passage, which recounted Jesus calling Matthew to follow him despite the fact he was a tax collector and considered a sinner by the people.

Jesus, he said, did not rebuke him for his past but dines with him and "opens up a new future."

"There is no saint without a past and there is not sinner without a future. This is beautiful; this is what Jesus does," he said.

However, like the scribes and Pharisees, there is also the temptation for Christians to fall into pride and arrogance and believe themselves better than others. For Christ, no sinner is excluded because "God's healing power knows no sickness that cannot be cured," the pope said.

Jesus, he added, was not afraid of talking to sinners, tax collectors and prostitutes, thus revealing the true meaning behind the prophet Hosea's call for "mercy, not sacrifice."

"Those Pharisees were very religious in practice, but were unable to share a table with tax collectors and sinners," he said. "While being faithful guardians of the law, they had no knowledge of God's heart."

Pope Francis called on the faithful to "look with mercy" upon others while reminding them that "we are all disciples in need of experiencing and living the comforting words of Jesus."

"We all need to be nourished by the mercy of God because our salvation comes from this source," the pope said. 

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Follow Arocho on Twitter: @arochoju.

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