Catholic News 2

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday spoke of a series of events and situations that shed shadows on our lives and lead us to ask difficult questions.

Speaking during morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta, the Pope remembered a homeless man who recently died of the cold here in Rome; he recalled the sisters of Charity who were killed in an attack in Yemen; and his thoughts flew to the many people who continue to fall ill in the so-called “triangle of death” in the southern Italian region of Campania where the illegal burning of toxic waste causes cancer and despair.
   
As we are forced to face these "dark valleys" of our time, he said, the only answer is to trust in God.

Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni:

“Even when we do not understand - such as before the illness of a child - let us put ourselves in the hands of the Lord who never abandons His people” he said.

Reflecting on the Reading of the day that tells of Susanna, a just woman who is “soiled” by the “evil desire” of two judges, but chooses to trust in God rather than succumb to their wish, Pope Francis said that that even when we find ourselves walking in a“valley of darkness” we need not fear evil.

How many dark valleys; where are you Lord?

The Lord, the Pope said, always walks with us, loves us and does not abandon us. And he turned his attention to some of the many “dark valleys” of our time:

"When we look at the many dark valleys, at the many misfortunes, at the fact there are so many people dying of hunger, there is war, there are so many children with disabilities… and asking their parents we discover they suffer from something called a ‘rare disease’…  And the things we create ourselves: think of the cancers caused by the “triangle of death”… When you look at all this you ask: ‘where is the Lord’, ‘where are you?’ ‘Are you walking with me?’ This was Susanna’s sentiment. And it is ours too. Look at those four slain sisters of ours: they were serving with love; they ended up murdered in hatred! When you see that doors are being closed to refugees who are left out in the cold… you say: ‘Lord, where are You?’ ".

Why does a child suffer? I do not know why, but I trust in God

“How can I entrust myself to God - the Pope said – when I see all these things? And when things happen to me, each of us may say: how can I entrust myself to You?” There is an answer to this question, he continued, “but it cannot be explained”:

“Why does a child suffer? I do not know: it is a mystery to me” he said.

And recalling Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane the Pope pointed out that although he is suffering he trusts in the Father and knows that all will not end with death, with the cross.

Pope Francis pointed out that Jesus’ last words before dying on the cross were ‘Father into your hands I commend my spirit’ and said: “To trust in God who walks with me, walks with His people, walks with the Church: this is an act of faith. To entrust myself. I cannot explain it, but I place myself in Your hands. You know why”.  
  
Suffering and evil are not final, the Lord is always with us

And this, he said, is the teaching of Jesus: “he who entrusts himself to the Lord our Shepherd, shall lack nothing”. 

Even if he finds himself going through the darkest of valleys, Pope Francis said “he knows that the suffering is only of the moment and that the Lord is with him: “Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me”. This – Pope Francis said - is a grace that we must ask for: “Lord, teach me to place myself in your hands, to trust in Your guidance, even in bad times, in the darkest moments, in the moment of death”:

Pope Francis said that “We would do well, today, to think about our lives, about the problems we have, and ask for the grace to place ourselves into the hands of the Lord”.

And he invited the faithful to think of the many men and women who do not even receive a last caress before dying. 

“Three days ago a homeless person died here, on the street: he died of cold. In the middle of Rome, a city that has all the possibilities of providing assistence.Why, Lord?  Not even a caress ... But I entrust myself to You because You never let me down.”

“Lord - he concluded – I do not understand you. This is a beautiful prayer. Without understanding, I place myself in Your hands”.

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(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis has sent a message expressing his closeness to the people of Turkey following a suicide car bombing Sunday evening in Ankara.  At least 37 people died and more than 120 were injured after a car loaded with explosives was detonated near bus stops in the Turkish capital.

In a telegram to  President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin wrote on behalf of the Holy Father that the Pope was “deeply saddened to learn of the injury and tragic loss of life caused by the bombing in Ankara.”

“His Holiness Pope Francis assures the Turkish people of his spiritual closeness and solidarity.  He prays for the eternal rest of those who have died and for all who mourn their loss, as well as for the recovery of those affected by this heinous act of violence.  Mindful of the generous service being rendered by security and emergency personnel, His Holiness invokes the divine blessings of peace, healing and strength upon the nation."

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(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis has sent a message expressing his condolences  and his spiritual closeness to the people of Ivory Coast after gunmen opened fire on holiday-goers at a popular beach resort in Grand-Bassam east of the commercial capital Abidjan.

In a telegram to Bishop Raymond Ahoua F. D. P. of Grand Bassam, Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin said   “Upon hearing the news of the heinous attack in Grand-Bassam, His Holiness Pope Francis presents condolences to the bereaved and assures the injured his spiritual closeness.”

15 civilians and three members of the country's special forces were killed and 33 people wounded in the attack by alleged Islamist extremists. Three of the attackers were also killed.

The message further states that the Holy Father “entrusts the victims to the mercy of God to welcome them into his peace and light.”

Expressing his sadness for the suffering of the Ivorian people, the message continues, “the Holy Father again condemns violence and hatred in all  forms. In a sign of consolation, he invokes an abundance of divine blessings on the Ivory Coast and all the families affected by this tragedy.”

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A young Pakistani man killed while preventing a suicide bomber from entering a crowded church should be considered for canonization, according to Catholics marking the anniversary of a deadly terrorist attack carried out in Lahore on March 15 last year.   Volunteer security guard Akash Bashir, 20, stopped the suicide bomber from entering St. John's Catholic Church and tackled him while being aware he wore a bomb vest.  The attacker from a Taliban splinter group detonated the bomb, killing himself and Bashir outside the church. 

Father Francis Gulzar, the parish priest, said the first anniversary of the terrorist attack on two churches in the Youhanabad area of Lahore marks the beginning of a movement to seek sainthood for Bashir. "Akash is our hero; his bravery saved more than 2,000 people inside the church," said Father Gulzar. Bashir was one of at least 15 people who died in the attacks and more than 70 were wounded. The other site simultaneously attacked was a nearby Protestant church. Currently 42 Christians remain in jail over the lynching of two Muslims who were suspected of being involved in the attacks.

Under tight police security, Archbishop Sebastian Shah of Lahore and seven priests celebrated a Mass for about 3,000 faithful on March 13 in the memory of victims of last year's terror attack.   At the anniversary, Bashir's parents helped launch "Unforgettable Sacrifice" a booklet about their son's sacrifice that includes eyewitness accounts of his death.  Father Gulzar said the booklet would help document the life of the country's potential first saint.  (Source: UCAN)

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(Vatican Radio) A new coalition of Scottish pro-life groups has formed as abortion laws are set to be devolved to the Scottish parliament.

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The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) in Scotland is behind a new coalition of groups that will lead the campaign against new proposals to extend abortion time limits when the Westminster Parliament in London devolves powers to the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.

SPUC Scotland will soon launch a new initiative called ‘Don’t Stop a Beating Heart’, which will bring the country’s major pro-life groups together for the first time in what is being called a significant show in strength, with members including the Catholic Church, the Scottish Muslim Council, and the Free Church of Scotland.

Speaking to Vatican Radio, the campaign coordinator and chief executive of SPUC Scotland, Mr John Deighan, explained the name of the new initiative. He wants to remind people that a baby’s heart begins to beat eighteen days after conception, and notes that “everyone knows a beating heart means life.”

The new super group wants to wake society up to the realities that are the needless loss of life through abortion and the damage abortion does to women. The members of the coalition believe that human life is of immeasurable value and should be defended, and that abortion discriminates against people with disability.

Mr Deighan has called the current political climate an “historic and important time” for the pro-life movement. Commenting on the impending devolution of powers to the Scottish Parliament, Mr Deighan noted that the rights of the unborn child are “facing new threats”. Even before the new Scotland Bill has had its third reading in the House of Lords in Westminster – the final reading before any amendments are considered and the Bill is put forward for Royal Assent – a number of pro-choice groups are already calling for more progressive extensions to what Mr Deighan calls the existing “excessively liberal law”. He explains that abortion could be legalized, in most cases, up until the time of birth. The current legislation means that abortion is illegal after twenty four weeks.

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(Vatican Radio) An anti-migration nationalist party, founded only three years ago, has made strong gains in three Germany state legislatures in ballots that were seen as a test for next year's general election. The success of the Alternative for Germany party, or AfD, came amid growing public anger over German chancellor Angela Merkel's welcoming policy towards refugees.   

Click below to hear the report from correspondent Stefan Bos

Supporters shouted their party leaders name as it became clear that the AfD had become a strong political force.

Official results showed the AfD received over 15 percent of the vote in the prosperous southwestern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, nearly 13 percent in neighboring Rhineland-Palatinate, and the party was predicted to have won almost a quarter of the vote in relatively poor Saxony-Anhalt, in the ex-communist east.  

These were unfavorable results for both Chancellor Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union, or CDU party, and their partners in national government, the center-left Social Democrats. 

MIGRANT POLICY

AfD party leader Frauke Petry has linked her party's strong showing to German Chancellor Angela Merkel's migrant policy as more than a million refugees arrived in the country last year alone. "The AfD is trying since three years to bring people back to the ballot boxes. And it is the catastrophic policy of Chancellor Merkel which apparently has opened the eyes of the people," she said.

"Only thanks to this it was possible to have double numbers in all states. In Saxony-Anhalt, we even managed become the second strongest party."

Yet not everyone was celebrating. Protests broke out outside a hotel in Stuttgart where the AfD victory party was held. Demonstrators shouting "you are no alternative", faced a heavy police presence.

Elsewhere the CDU's regional leader Julia Klockner, who some observers see as a possible successor of Chancellor Angela Merkel, acknowledged that these were challenging times for her party. "I met lots of citizens who told me that they don’t want to support the 'red-greens' as they are disappointed by the government now on the refugee crisis and that’s why they voted for AfD'," she told supporters.

'NO SOLUTIONS'

However she noted: "When questioned about what solutions the AfD proposes, they said no solutions, but they wanted to give a warning. I know that's part of the freedom the voters have, but we have to know who is behind it."

And she sparked laud applause when saying: "That’s why I say it clearly that xenophobia, hate against foreigners and misanthropy won't ever have the support from Christian Democrats."

The elections were seen as a test for next year's ballot.

But they were also closely watched by other countries in Europe, which is dealing with the biggest refugee crisis since World War Two. Germany is expected to play a key role in reaching a deal with Turkey on how to halt the influx of migrants fleeing war and poverty.

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Vatican City, Mar 14, 2016 / 10:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis sent his condolences to the president of Turkey where a terrorist attack Sunday left dozens dead.

“Deeply saddened to learn of the injury and tragic loss of life caused by the bombing in Ankara, His Holiness Pope Francis assures the Turkish people of his spiritual closeness and solidarity,” reads the telegram, addressed to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and signed by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

“He prays for the eternal rest of those who have died and for all who mourn their loss, as well as for the recovery of those affected by this heinous act of violence.”

At least 36 people were killed March 13 after a bomb was detonated in the capital city of Ankara.

The female bomber, who was killed in the blast, was a member of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (known as the PKK), the BBC reports. The PKK is a militant organization based in Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan.

Turkish media reports that four people are being held in connection with the bombing.

Sunday's bombing was the latest in a series of attacks in recent months, including attacks in Ankara, says the BBC.

Officials have imposed curfews on three towns in south-east Turkey.

“Mindful of the generous service being rendered by security and emergency personnel,” the telegram reads, “His Holiness invokes the divine blessings of peace, healing and strength upon the nation.”

 

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By Cindy Wooden

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis celebrated the third anniversary of his election with a simple Tweet -- "Pray for me" -- and the usual Sunday recitation of the Angelus prayer with tens of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square.

In his talk March 13, the pope did not mention the anniversary, but focused on God's forgiveness and mercy as he did in his first Angelus address in 2013.

"God does not nail us to our sins; he does not identify us with the evil we have committed," the pope told the crowd.

"God wants to free us," the pope said. He wants people to use their freedom to do good and not evil. "This is possible -- it's possible -- with his grace."

Pope Francis' Angelus address focused on the Gospel passage being read at Masses around the world: St. John's account of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery.

The scribes and Pharisees, planning to stone the woman in accordance with the law, brought her to Jesus in an attempt to trick him. "If Jesus followed the severity of the law, approving the stoning of the woman, he would lose his fame of meekness and goodness, which so fascinated people," the pope said. "But if he wanted to be merciful, he would go against the law, which he himself said he had come not to abolish but to fulfill."

Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees, "Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."

"This response scatters the accusers, disarming all of them in the true sense of the word," the pope said. They leave one by one, beginning with the oldest, who is "more aware of not being without sin."

"How good it would be for us, too, to be aware that we are sinners," Pope Francis said. "How good it would be if we had the courage to let fall to the ground the stones we have for throwing at others and rather to think about our own sins."

Every sin is a betrayal of God, making people "adulterers before God," the pope said. But Jesus says to all, like he said to the woman in the Gospel, "Go, and from now on do not sin anymore."

"Her experience represents God's will for each of us: not our condemnation, but our salvation through Jesus," Pope Francis said.

At the end of the Angelus, retired workers from an Italian telephone company and members of a national association of retirees handed out a special gift from Pope Francis: "The Gospel of Mercy of St. Luke," a small paperback edition of St. Luke's Gospel.

The pope thanked the volunteers, especially those who are grandparents and share the faith with their grandchildren. Speaking from the window of the apostolic palace, he noticed that thousands of people were outside St. Peter's Square and he asked the volunteers to "think about the people in Pius XII Square -- you see they couldn't get in -- make sure they receive a copy of this Gospel, too."

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Follow Wooden on Twitter: @Cindy_Wooden.

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By Cindy Wooden

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Serving others, helping them without making a show of it, "that's amore," Pope Francis said.

"Amore," or love, "is the concrete service we render to one another," the pope said March 12 during a special general audience for the Year of Mercy.

"Love isn't words, but works and service, a humble service performed in silence" without seeking acclaim, the pope told tens of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square.

The audience began with the reading of St. John's account of Jesus washing the disciples' feet, which Pope Francis said was "an unexpected and moving gesture, so much so that Peter did not want to accept it."

Jesus told the disciples that if he, their lord, washed their feet, they must do the same for others. "In this way Jesus indicates service as the path to follow if they want to live their faith in him and give witness to his love," the pope said.

"Washing the apostles' feet," he said, "Jesus wanted to reveal the way God acts toward us and give an example of his new commandment of loving one another as he loved us, that is, by giving his life for us."

Loving service also involves placing the gifts God has given one at the service of the community so it can grow, he said, but it also is expressed "in the sharing of material goods so that no one is in need."

Members of other religions, he said, also see "this sharing and dedication to those in need" as a command of God and a path of true humanity.

"When you forget yourself and think of others, that's love," Pope Francis said. "And with the washing of feet, the Lord teaches us to be servants."

To be "merciful like the Father," which is the theme of the Year of Mercy, means "to follow Jesus on the path of service," the pope said.

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Copyright © 2016 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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