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 WASHINGTON-Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York called on everyone "concerned about the tragedy of abortion" to recommit to a "vision of life and love, a vision that excludes no one" on January 14. His statement marks the 43rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. Cardinal Dolan chairs the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

"Most Americans oppose a policy allowing legal abortion for virtually any reason - though many still do not realize that this is what the Supreme Court gave us," wrote Cardinal Dolan. "Most want to protect unborn children at later stages of pregnancy, to regulate or limit the practice of abortion, and to stop the use of taxpayer dollars for the destruction of unborn children. Yet many who support important goals of the pro-life movement do not identify as 'pro-life,' a fact which should lead us to examine how we present our pro-life vision to others."

"Even as Americans remain troubled by abortion," wrote Cardinal Dolan, a powerful and well-funded lobby holds "that abortion must be celebrated as a positive good for women and society, and those who cannot in conscience provide it are to be condemned for practicing substandard medicine and waging a 'war on women'." He said this trend was seen recently when President Obama and other Democratic leaders prevented passage of the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act, "a modest measure to provide for effective enforcement" of conscience laws.

"While this is disturbing," said Cardinal Dolan, "it is also an opportunity." Pro-life Americans should reach out to "the great majority of Americans" who are "open to hearing a message of reverence for life." He added that "we who present the pro-life message must always strive to be better messengers. A cause that teaches the inexpressibly great value of each and every human being cannot show disdain or disrespect for any fellow human being." He encouraged Catholics to take part, through prayer and action, in the upcoming "9 Days for Life" campaign, January 16-24. More information on the campaign is available online: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxJwfcefUiU

He also cited the Year of Mercy called by Pope Francis as a time for women and men to find healing through the Church's Project Rachel post-abortion ministry.

The full text of Cardinal Dolan's message is available online.
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Keywords: Roe v. Wade, anniversary, Pro-Life, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, 9 Days for Life, USCCB, U.S. bishops, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Year of Mercy, Project Rachel, Pope Francis
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Rome, Italy, Feb 10, 2016 / 03:02 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The lead actor of “Risen,” a film told through the eyes of a Roman soldier who is forced to confront the resurrection of Christ, calls it a story for believers and nonbelievers alike – notwithstanding its strong Christian themes.

“The film presents us with the element of a second chance, of forgiveness, of redemption,” Joseph Fiennes told CNA. “Whether you're a believer or not, I think there's a huge value in understanding the quality of redemption.”

Fiennes, known for his leading role in the 1998 award-winning film “Shakespeare in Love,” plays the character of Clavius, a Roman tribune charged by Pontius Pilate to investigate the disappearance of Jesus' body.

“Clavius as a man who's deeply conditioned in death, in killing, in warfare,” he said. Over the course of the film, “he is challenged through a series of interrogations to look at and examine himself and his own conditioning.”

A Catholic himself who is married in the Church, Fiennes noted the film's unique approach to the story's consistency with Scripture – at a time when many films take a more revisionist approach to biblical stories.

“It has a balance between being very creative cinema – it's a beautiful, epic, big film, it’s a Hollywood blockbuster in that sense – but at the same time it's respectful of Scripture.”

This balanced approach to the material stems from the filmmakers' commitment to the integrity of the subject material. Those involved in the film, he said, “have sweated and given their nth degree of energy to serve up and make this entertaining and respectful.”

Fiennes was recently in Rome with his family to screen the film. While in the city he attended the Feb. 3 weekly general audience, and spoke of being moved to tears upon meeting with Pope Francis.

“I wanted to say, 'Hey, Pope Francis,' but I cried like a baby,” Fiennes recounted. “I was reduced to a very humble set of feelings, because it was not about what was said: There’s a presence. That was a blessing for myself and my family and everyone there to be a part of that.”

Risen will be released in the United States and Canada on Feb. 19.

See the rest of CNA's interview with Joseph Fiennes below:

CNA: What attracted you to this project?

Fiennes: I think there are a number of answers to that question. Firstly, Kevin Reynolds, a veteran director, we had a long conversation and after that conversation he very kindly offered me (the role) – which is one of the rare times, if maybe the only time, a director’s been in the room and said: ‘Would you like to do the film?’ And I knew there and then: yes I did.

(It was) not only after having spoken with Kevin, but also because, for me, the two interesting things about the script is that, (first,) we begin at the Crucifixion.

Pretty much all films I’ve seen that depict the life of Christ end with the Crucifixion, almost like the filmmakers don’t know what to do after. And, it’s a very heavy place to end. It’s a very upsetting place to end, believer or nonbeliever. It’s a very powerful image. So, we start with the Crucifixion, and we go to the Resurrection and the Ascension. As the title Risen (implies that it) might explore the theme of resurrection, it also I think imbues the film with a sense of uplift.

Maybe we need more dialogue in terms of our faith, in terms of those who are believers, or even nonbelievers, about that aspect, and what that might mean if you were interpreting. You don’t have to believe it; maybe you could draw a metaphor from it. But, I think there’s a positivity here which for me is fresh in the telling of Christ.

The other thing is it’s true to Scripture, or respectful of Scripture. Some films in the past have not been. I like that it has a balance between being very creative cinema – it’s a beautiful, epic, big film, it’s a Hollywood blockbuster in that sense – but at the same time it’s respectful of Scripture. So that’s a first time balance as well.

CNA: Could you talk about the journey of your character? And, how much of your own personal life and faith journey contributes to the journey of Clavius?

Fiennes: As you know, my character is a nonbeliever. He believes in the law of Roman gods, in particular Mars. He views Yeshua (Jesus), his followers, and all that they stand for, as Zealots and terrorists.

I came to this from a completely different angle. It’s nothing to do with me. I had to go the other way. I had to invent and articulate the research I had found. The historical research that gave me great value to making the character was how a man, military tribune, would think and act in that time and age.

I didn’t bring my self to the part. I invented Clavius. And when he goes on a change, maybe I could come closer to him, but for me, in my mind, I wasn’t myself. I’m this Tribune.

CNA: As an actor in Hollywood, you’ve said this film has an appeal for believers nonbelievers alike. Are we perhaps at time when there’s more receptivity to films about faith? Specifically, to films that don’t have an agenda, or that aren’t seeking to change the story?

Fiennes: The Biblical narrative has played a part in the history of cinema for a long time. There’s always been a hunger, I think.

Now, they’ve always been films for their age. Maybe they’ve been over-the-top old fashioned, Evangelical, and now maybe they’ve gone the other way – they’re too revisionist, and too original, and don’t adhere to Scripture. I think we’ve got a nice balance here, and maybe it is a film for the time and age.

I think less about religion, and I think (about) the word “conditioning”: that we’re all conditioned, whether we know it or not. To have a dialogue and a self-observation of one’s conditioning is important, because we’re only going to come up against another person’s conditioning, and that might bring tension and conflict.

The more that we can understand our conditioning, the more that we can invite ourselves to look at someone else’s culture and belief through their eyes, the less conflict there will be.

I see Clavius as a man who’s deeply conditioned in death, in killing, in warfare. He is challenged through a series of interrogations to look at and examine himself and his own conditioning.

It’s less about religion for me. I like to use the term, it’s a more neutral term, conditioning for me. I think religion might throw up a kind of resistance, but I think if one talks about conditioning we can all kind of understand that.

Conditioning can be not a big heavy thing. (For instance:) I've got a brand new pair of shoes, by mistake you step on it and you make them muddy and dirty, I'm conditioned to go “Hey, what are you doing?” That's my conditioning, I have a response. So, maybe we have to learn to find the pause before we react, because reaction is our conditioning.

That for me is what I love about Clavius. He’s conditioned, and de-conditioned in order to take on the understanding of philosophy elsewhere.

CNA: You’ve been taking part in the various screenings of this film, and meeting with people who are seeing it for the first time. What has been surprising in how people are responding to the film?

Fiennes: Our producers and directors and actors, right across the board... have sweated and given their nth degree of energy to serve up and make this entertaining and respectful.

The surprising thing for me is that we're dealing with a very sacred narrative. It seems to me that we have not caused division or dislocation or disenfranchisement, which is incredible. The overwhelming response has been positive.

Now, some people will love it, some people will kind of go: “Yeah, it’s okay.” But no one has gone to the other length. And, when you’re dealing with this narrative, I find that we’ve been very lucky. Something has guided us towards a place where I feel that the auditorium watching the film could be a complete diverse mix of atheists, agnostics, hard-core believers, and they will all enjoy and take something away from it. That, to me, is very rare.

And from all the interviews, and everything I’m getting: People are liking it.

CNA: Something I noticed during (the Feb. 3 Rome) screening was how some people were moved to tears during the film. Obviously, the majority of people in that screening were Catholic, but it would be interesting to see the impact it would have on people who don’t have any religion.

Fiennes: That’s what we’re really interested in: Will it reach that wide audience? I hope it does, because there’s great value for everybody.

But, I think just on a cinematic level, it’s a feast. It’s beautiful to look at, it’s wonderfully shot by a great Italian cinematographer and cameraman, Lorenzo (Senatore).

CNA: You had the opportunity to meet Pope Francis at the general audience. Could you tell us a little bit about what that was like?

Fiennes: I didn’t know what to expect. I guess I was a little bit in a dream. Honestly, I’m buying Pampers for my girl with my wife on Wednesdays. Wednesday mornings I’m not in Rome at the Vatican meeting the Pope.

I’m a huge admirer of Pope Francis and everything he stands for. I think he’s an incredibly connected spiritual and authentic being. As well as that, he clearly has the heart of the people because he is a modern voice and, (because of) everything he stands for, (people) feel a connection. He is tangible.

The pomp and the ceremony (at the Vatican) can distance ordinary people, and he breaks through that. This is incredible.

I wanted to say, “Hey, Pope Francis,” but I cried like a baby. I was reduced to a very humble set of feelings, because it was not about what was said: There’s a presence. That was a blessing for myself and my family and everyone there to be a part of that. And what a generous man to do that every day, or on Wednesdays, or across the world and travel. To look you in the eye, and give (that) the time and energy to millions: this takes a very connected being to do that.

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A jubilee year that does not open people's wallets to share what they have with others is not a true jubilee, Pope Francis said.

"This pope isn't inventing that," he insisted. "It's in the Bible."

At his weekly general audience Feb. 10 in St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis spoke about the description of a jubilee year in the Book of Leviticus. The religious feast also had serious social implications, he said, because it proclaimed a forgiveness of debts, the freedom of indentured servants and special generosity toward the poor and the stranger.

"It was a kind of 'general amnesty,' which permitted everyone to return to their original situation with the cancellation of every debt, the restitution of land and the possibility of enjoying once again the freedom proper to members of the people of God," he said.

For God's chosen people, who are called to holiness, the pope said, the jubilee prescriptions help "to combat poverty and inequality, guaranteeing a dignified life for all and a fair distribution of the land on which to live and draw sustenance."

During the Catholic Church's jubilee year, each Christian should think about what they have, he said, and "if they have too many things," they should "give some to someone who has nothing; 10 percent or 50 percent. The Holy Spirit will inspire you."

Pope Francis told the crowd gathered in St. Peter's Square that "a jubilee is for conversion so that our hearts become bigger, more generous, more (like) a child of God, with more love."

"I'll tell you something," he said, "if this jubilee doesn't reach our pockets, it's not a real jubilee. Do you understand? This is in the Bible, eh, this pope isn't inventing that. It's in the Bible."

"The biblical message is very clear: courageously open yourselves to sharing; this is mercy," the pope said. "If we want mercy from God, let us begin by being merciful ourselves."

A biblical jubilee is about sharing and solidarity, Pope Francis said. "The biblical jubilee was a 'jubilee of mercy' because it was lived with a sincere search of the good of one's needy brothers and sisters."

The laws governing God's people in the Bible, he said, also had other means for encouraging people to help others experience God's mercy. One of those things was the command to tithe a tenth of one's earnings to the temple and to widows and orphans or to give a portion of the first fruits of one's harvest.

In addition, he said, the Bible had harsh words for those who charged high interest rates when loaning to the poor. In many countries, he added, usury is still a huge problem and families lose everything and end up on the streets.

"Please, let us pray that in this jubilee the Lord would remove from all our hearts this desire to have more," he said.

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis marked the beginning of the church's Lenten journey by sending off several hundred religious and diocesan priests on their own special path as "missionaries of mercy" in local parishes.

"Look upon your servants, Lord, that we are sending as messengers of mercy, salvation and peace. Guide their steps" and sustain them with "the power of your grace," the pope said during a special Ash Wednesday liturgy in St. Peter's Basilica Feb. 10.

"May Christ's voice resound in their words and Christ's heart in their gestures," he said.

More than 700 of the 1,142 missionaries specially appointed by the pope attended the Mass. Dressed in white vestments and purple stoles, the men received the pope's mandate to preach about God's mercy and special authority to pardon even those sins reserved to the Holy See.

Their mission was echoed in the day's second reading from St. Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians, in which he proclaims, "We are ambassadors for Christ" with God working and speaking through them, imploring people to "be reconciled with God."

In his homily before commissioning the priests at the end of Mass, the pope said their mandate is to be "signs and instruments of God's pardon."

"Dear brothers, may you be able to help open the doors of people's hearts" as well as bless, heal and raise them up with a father's love, he said.

God knows the sins, weakness, wounds and fatigue people experience in their lives and "he knows how much we need forgiveness, he knows that we need to feel loved in order to carry out the good," he said.

People cannot keep going on their own, and that is why the apostle Paul doesn't urge people to "do something, but to let themselves be reconciled by God, to allow him to forgive us," he said.

In fact, the first step on the road of a Christian life is recognizing the need for divine mercy and to pass through that "open door which is Christ," who offers everyone a new and joyful life.

The problem, the pope said, is there may be many barriers that keep people from ever approaching or opening that door.

People may be so hardened by sin or pride that "they bolt the lock on the soul," justifying their errors or believing they are "no worse than others," thereby remaining "prisoners of evil."

Another obstacle people face is being ashamed "to open the secret door of the heart." While shame is a good sign since "it shows that we want to detach ourselves from evil," it must never turn into "dread or fear."

The third danger is when people walk away from Christ, becoming distant or isolated by holing themselves up with their own suffering, wallowing endlessly in negative thoughts and sinking into the darkest recesses of the soul, he said.

"Let's listen to Jesus, who says to those who are weary and burdened, 'Come to me,'" since "only the Lord's grace liberates us" and offers peace and rest, the pope said.

He said the Lord asks people to close the distance that has grown and "return to me with your whole heart."

The Lenten journey invites people to "be protagonists, embracing three remedies, three medicines that heal (people) from sin" -- prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

"May Lent be a time of a healthy 'pruning' back of falsehood, worldliness, indifference; of no longer thinking that everything is fine as long as I am doing well; of understanding that what matters isn't acceptance, seeking success or approval, but the cleansing of one's heart and life."

The pope broke with the tradition of walking from the Benedictine monastery of St. Anselm to the Dominican-run Basilica of Santa Sabina in order to commission the missionaries of mercy from St. Peter's Basilica. Before the main altar were the mortal remains of St. Padre Pio and St. Leopold Mandic, two Capuchins popular as miracle workers and known particularly for the long hours they would spend hearing confessions.

Pope Francis had asked the Capuchins to bring the relics of the two saints to Rome for the Year of Mercy, particularly the celebration of Ash Wednesday and the commissioning of the official missionaries of mercy as an encouragement and inspiration to be generous with God's love.

The pope received ashes on the top of his head from Cardinal Angelo Comastri, archpriest of St. Peter's, and distributed ashes to a number of cardinals and a small group of laypeople and religious.

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- More than 1,000 "missionaries of mercy" from all over the world will receive a special mandate from Pope Francis to preach and teach about God's mercy, said Archbishop Rino Fisichella.

About 700 of the missionaries who were chosen by Pope Francis will be in Rome to receive their special mandate in person during an Ash Wednesday ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica Feb. 10, said the president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization, the office organizing events for the Year of Mercy.

For the holy year, which runs until Nov. 20, Pope Francis said he would designate "missionaries of mercy" to be unique signs of God's mercy. He is also giving them special authority to pardon sins that carry penalties that only the Holy See can lift.

During a news conference at the Vatican Jan. 29, Archbishop Fisichella said there had been a huge response from priests and religious men who -- with permission from their bishops or superiors -- requested to serve as these special missionaries.

The original plan was to have just 800 missionaries, however, the number of requests was so great, 1071 men ended up being chosen, Archbishop Fisichella said. The missionaries will serve in their own dioceses, but they may be invited by other bishops to visit other dioceses as well.

The pontifical council will send out to all the world's bishops a list of the names and personal contact information of all the missionaries appointed by the pope, the archbishop said.

It will then be up to an individual bishop to reach out to a missionary on the list to invite him to his diocese, as well as cover expenses and provide what may be needed for his stay, the archbishop said.

Missionaries were chosen from all over the world, he said, including China, United Arab Emirates and East Timor. There were to be 125 missionaries from the United States and 10 missionaries from Canada, the council said.

"It is only the pope who nominates these missionaries, not the bishops, and it is he who entrusts them with the mandate to announce the beauty of the mercy of God while being humble and wise confessors who possess a great capacity to forgive those who approach the confessional," the archbishop said.

Those who wanted to serve as special missionaries, but were not chosen, are encouraged to "work as witnesses of mercy in their own daily missions, in the parishes, institutes, and other communities where they offer their service with love," the council said on its website, www.im.va.

The appointed missionaries were invited to Rome for a special meeting with the pope Feb. 9. They were to receive their papal mandate the next day during a ceremony in St. Peter's Square in the presence of the relics of Sts. Padre Pio and Leopold Mandic -- both Capuchin priests who spent 14 hours or more a day hearing people's confessions.

It will be the first time their relics come to Rome, Archbishop Fisichella said. The relics were to be brought to St. Peter's Basilica by procession Feb. 5 and remain in the central nave in front the Altar of the Confession until Feb. 11.

The pope requested their relics be exposed for veneration in the basilica, according to jubilee organizers, to be a sign for the missionaries of how God welcomes those who seek forgiveness.

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Although the number is not high, it is no longer "exceptional" to have priests turn down an appointment as bishop, said Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

Speaking Feb. 1 about the annual course his office sponsors for new bishops, the cardinal was asked about rumors that more and more priests are saying they do not want to be a bishop and declining an appointment even when the pope, on the recommendation of Cardinal Ouellet's office, has chosen them.

"Yes, that's true. Nowadays you have people who do not accept the appointment," he said, adding that he would not provide statistics on how often it happens, although he insisted the number was not huge.

Priests decline for a variety of reasons, Cardinal Ouellet said, pointing to the example of a priest who was chosen, but then informed the congregation that he had cancer and had not told others of his illness. "It was a sign of responsibility not to accept the appointment," he said.

Others decline because of something in their past or because they think they cannot handle the responsibility, he said. In the latter case, he said, "normally we insist" because often people are not the best judges of their own abilities. But when a person makes "a decision in conscience," the Vatican respects that.

As for the type of priests Pope Francis and the congregation are looking for as candidates, Cardinal Ouellet said the pope "has insisted on the pastoral quality of the bishops. That's very clear. It does not mean that they do not have to be masters of the faith because a bishop is, first and foremost, the first teacher of the faith in his diocese."

"But the capacity to relate to people, to establish dialogue, to start from the point where people are -- this is a quality that is also requested," the cardinal said.

Pope Francis' "charism is to be very compassionate, very close to people, but at the same time, he knows where he leads people: to our Lord Jesus Christ," he said.

Cardinal Ouellet also confirmed that since at least 2010, the confidential questionnaire sent to local bishops and priests asking about a potential candidate for bishop includes a question about whether the potential candidate ever was in a position of having to handle an accusation of clerical sexual abuse made against another priest or church worker.

"We have to be able to verify that he is able to handle these cases well, that is to say, he does not have a mentality of covering them up or not reporting them or not taking them seriously," the cardinal said. As far as possible, the Vatican wants to know a potential bishop will take accusations seriously and deal with them appropriately.

Since 2001, all newly ordained bishops serving in dioceses that report to the Congregation for Bishops have been obliged to come to Rome in September for an eight- or nine-day course for new bishops. More recently, the Congregation for Eastern Churches has co-sponsored the course and brought new Eastern-rite bishops to Rome for it. Every two years, new bishops in mission territories have a similar course sponsored by the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples with some of the sessions overlapping.

The speeches, homilies and reflections from the September 2015 course were published recently in a book, "Witnesses of the Risen One." Cardinal Ouellet said he hoped publishing the papers would help bishops in their ministry as well as elicit suggestions for improving the course.

More than 1,500 bishops have participated in the past 14 years, he said. While it includes sessions on finances, rapport with one's priests and on preventing clerical sexual abuse, most participants say the most valuable part of the course was the opportunity to meet, discuss and pray with bishops from around the world.

"The goal of these meetings is to learn their new identity -- that they belong to the college of the successors of the apostles," Cardinal Ouellet said. "It's an extraordinary moment of conversion for them."

"A priest who is ordained a bishop comes to Rome to learn that from now on he has a universal responsibility as a member of this college," the cardinal said.

The new bishops, he said, also are excited to meet the pope who appointed them.

"Every pope has his gifts and this influences the way younger bishops act," Cardinal Ouellet said. "One identifies with the style" of the pope who nominated him and often tries to make choices he thinks the pope would make in ministry, lifestyle and -- especially with Pope Francis -- in ways of communicating; "he breaches boundaries in proclaiming the Gospel," the cardinal said.

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- God doesn't want to condemn anyone; he wants to save every person in the entire world, Pope Francis said.

"The problem is letting him enter one's heart" to transform one's life, the pope said during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square Feb. 3.

"This is the heart of God, the heart of a father who loves his children and wants them to live rightly and justly and, therefore, to live in fullness and be happy," he said.

The pope continued a series of talks dedicated to divine mercy, looking specifically at how divine mercy and divine justice go hand in hand.

"It might seem that they are two things that contradict each other," he said, but they don't because "it is precisely God's mercy that brings true justice to fruition."

God's justice is different from the human administration of legal justice, which is "retributive, that imposes a penalty on the guilty," the pope said.

"This path still does not lead to true justice because it doesn't actually conquer evil but simply contains it," the pope said. "Rather, it is only by responding to (evil) with the good that evil truly can be overcome."

The Bible shows that true justice bypasses a court system, he said. The one who is wronged goes directly to the one who is guilty "in order to invite him to conversion, to help him to understand that he is doing wrong, to appeal to his conscience."

Through this act of persuasion, the one guilty of wrongdoing "can open himself to the forgiveness that the injured party is offering him. And this is beautiful," the pope said.

This is the way that families try to work out their conflicts, he said. The one who has been offended "loves the culprit and wants to salvage the relationship that binds them, not cut off this relationship," he said.

But it is not an easy path to take, he added. "It requires that the person who was wronged be ready to forgive and desire the salvation of and what's best for the one who has wronged him."

These reciprocal acts of forgiveness and conversion are the only way true justice can triumph, the pope said, because "if the guilty one recognizes the evil committed and stops doing it, then the evil is no more and the one who was unjust becomes just."

"This is how God acts with us sinners," he said. God constantly offers forgiveness and helps people recognize their sin in order to set them free.

That is because "God doesn't seek our condemnation, but our salvation. God doesn't want to condemn anybody," not even those whom many think deserve it like Pontius Pilate or Judas, he said. "The Lord of mercy wants to save everybody."

God's immense heart "goes beyond our small concept of justice" and opens up people's horizons to his limitless mercy, he said.

This is the kind of paternal heart people want to encounter in the confessional, the pope said.

While the priest may seek to help the penitent understand the evil committed, "we all go to the confessional to find a father, a father who helps us change our life, a father who gives us the strength to go on, a father who forgives us in the name of God."

That is why the sacrament of penance or reconciliation is such a big responsibility for the priest, the pope said, because the people "who come to you are just looking for a father" and the priest in the confessional is there "in the place of the father who brings justice with his mercy."

At the end of the audience, the pope greeted members of "American Circus," an Italian troupe who, wearing bright red, white and blue outfits, performed a routine featuring cheerleading, acrobatics and juggling.

The pope was especially impressed with the juggler who bounced small rubber balls -- including with the bottom of his feet -- at lighting speed. "The one that was in the front was great, wasn't he?" the pope commented to Archbishop Georg Ganswein, prefect of the papal household who was sitting next to the pope at the general audience.

Speaking to the performers directly, the pope told them, "you create beauty and beauty always brings us closer to God."

He also recognized the hard work and training that goes into their craft and said they are a wonderful example "for all of us."

"The seduction of an easy life, to end up with good results without effort, this is a temptation," he said.

But with their talent and the hard work they put in behind the scenes, "you offer us a witness that life without constant exertion is a mediocre life," he told them. "I thank you so much for your example."

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In a video message one week before his apostolic visit, Pope Francis asked the people of Mexico for some time alone during his visit to pray before the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

"I would like to ask -- as a favor from you -- that this time, which will be the third time I will step on Mexican soil, to leave me alone a few minutes in front of the image. That is the favor I ask. Can you do that for me?" he said in the video released Jan. 3 by the Mexican news agency NotiMex.

The video featured men and women from different cities in Mexico asking the pope questions about the visit he has planned to their country Feb. 12-17.

"I'm going to Mexico not as a wise man bearing things, messages, ideas or solutions to problems," he responded, but as a pilgrim in search of something from the Mexican people.

"I am not going to pass around the collection basket so don't worry about that," the pope said. "But I will seek the wealth of faith that you have; I want to come in contact with that wealth of faith."

Their wealth, he said, comes from the fact that they are not an orphaned people but one with a mother who "forged hope" in them.

"You all know the joke of that Mexican man who would say, 'I am an atheist, but I am Guadalupan.' It makes sense," he said, because it reflects the feeling of "a people who does not want to be orphaned. There, perhaps, is the great wealth that I will seek. I will go as a pilgrim."

When asked about his thoughts about Our Lady of Guadalupe, the pope recalled his visits to Mexico in 1970 and 1998, adding that "safety" and "tenderness" are what come to mind when thinking of Mary.

"How many times I have been fearful of a problem or that something bad has happened and I don't know how to react and I pray to her. I like to repeat to myself, 'Do not be afraid; Am I not here, I, who am your mother?'" The words are those Mary said to Juan Diego when she appeared to him.

Several men and women asked the pope for help in confronting violence brought on by corruption, drugs and human trafficking in the country. The "Mexico of corruption, the Mexico of drug trafficking, the Mexico of cartels is not the Mexico our mother wants," the pope replied, adding that people "must fight for peace, but not with war."

"I would like to be an instrument of peace in Mexico, but only with you all," he said. "It's obvious that I can't do it alone -- I would be crazy if I said that (I could) -- but together with you all, (I visit) as an instrument of peace."

Pope Francis also said he will visit as a "servant of faith" for the people, in the hopes that the faith may flourish in their private and public lives.

"Our faith is not a museum faith and the church is not a museum. Our faith is a faith born from contact, from speaking with Jesus Christ, our savior, with the Lord," he said.

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BOISE, Idaho (CNS) -- In the 1980s, a wave of migrants from Mexico and other Latin American countries began to settle in Idaho.

The agricultural industry made the state a prime location for these immigrants, who could work on the farms and ranches, often without having to know too much English or provide legal documents to secure employment.

It also presented the statewide Diocese of Boise -- one of the Catholic home mission dioceses in the U.S. -- with a set of challenges.

Before the big migration, Idaho had a predominantly white population and there was little need for Spanish-speaking priests, religious sisters or deacons.

The church, schools and government were not prepared for their arrival, said Father Jesus Camacho, parochial vicar of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Boise, who was ordained in his native Mexico in 1975.

When Father Camacho arrived in Boise in 1981, he was one of only two priests from Mexico in the diocese and there was no Hispanic ministry.

He had been invited to come to Idaho by then-Boise Bishop Sylvester W. Treinen, who was trying to address the language and cultural barriers presented by the new Mexican arrivals, most of whom were Catholic and were looking to the church to meet their pastoral needs and to establish community.

"There was a need everywhere for someone to translate for Spanish-speaking people into English," Father Camacho said. "In the very beginning, I was frequently invited by the police department, by hospitals, by schools, because there was not at that time the presence of bilingual people around."

That wave of Latinos continued through the 1990s and into the 21st century.

Hispanics made up about 10 percent of Idaho's Catholic population in the early 1980s and now it's more than 50 percent, according to the diocese's official statistics.

The home mission diocese, with limited resources, had to adjust to the changing demographic, much like the rest of the country, but it happened earlier and faster in Idaho than in the country as a whole, said Bishop Peter F. Christensen, the current bishop of Boise.

With the development of Hispanic ministries, the recruitment of more Spanish-speaking priests and a lot of grant money from the U.S. bishops' Catholic Home Missions Appeal, the diocese has been able to address the needs of its large Latino population, Bishop Christensen told Catholic News Service during an interview in Boise.

"Having the Mass in Spanish and knowing there are more people like me, who grew up with these traditions in the church, makes me feel like I'm at home in my parish," said Esmeralda Orozco, a Mexican native living near Jerome.

A majority of the priests in Idaho are now bilingual, but the diocese's adaptation went beyond the language barrier, said Father Rob Irwin, pastor of St. Jerome Catholic Church in Jerome.

Though many of the younger priests in Idaho are natives of Latin American countries, Father Irwin grew up in Oregon in a traditional white American family.

However, he has immersed himself in Hispanic culture, especially Latino church traditions.

The day after Halloween, he went to the cemetery near his church with several Anglo and Latino families to bless the graves on the Day of the Dead.

It's one of many Hispanic traditions that Father Irwin incorporates into his ministry and encourages participate by his Anglo parishioners.

Pope Francis often talks about welcoming the stranger. He also frequently discusses the need for an accepting and diverse church.

Bishop Curtis J. Guillory of Beaumont, Texas, another U.S. mission diocese, told CNS that cultural preservation is as important as bringing together diverse communities within the church.

"The challenge is to help people to realize that we are of one faith, one baptism and that we can enrich the church and each other through our cultural diversity," Bishop Guillory said during an interview in Beaumont.

Like Boise, the Beaumont Diocese has a large Hispanic population, but the churches also have sizable numbers of African-American, Asian and Anglo parishioners, he said.

In 1915, St. Katharine Drexel and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament founded three parishes for black Catholics in the Texas towns of Beaumont, Port Arthur and Orange, the same year she founded Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans.

St. Katharine Drexel was a Philadelphia heiress who used her personal fortune to fund Catholic schools and parishes for blacks and Native Americans.

Those black parishes are a symbol of the proud history the Beaumont Diocese has in serving diverse communities, said Father Lowell Case, pastor of Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church in Beaumont.

There also is a vivid tradition of pastoral care to Native American Catholics in the mission dioceses of Gallup, New Mexico, and Juneau, Alaska, as well as others throughout the United States.

Cross-cultural connection is encouraged in many of the U.S. mission dioceses.

Father Jean Pauline Lockulu is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is serving as a priest in the Diocese of Juneau. While he shares his religious traditions with his parishioners, he said his faith is enriched by the cultural expression of the Native Americans who attend his church.

A cross-cultural experience in church may be ideal, but it doesn't always pan out.

Father Adrian Vazquez, an administrator of four faith communities in eastern Idaho, told CNS that he often encourages his Anglo parishioners to participate in the Our Lady of Guadalupe festivities, which is a traditional feast day in the Hispanic community.

However, the priest manages to pique the interest of only a few white parishioners each year.

"Many of the Anglos don't know that much about Our Lady of Guadalupe and feel like they would rather just celebrate their devotion to Mary on the feast of the Immaculate Conception," Father Vazquez said.

The native of Mexico sometimes celebrates a bilingual Mass to accommodate all members of his church communities, mostly because his time is spread so thin that holding separate Masses in English and Spanish isn't always practical.

"They come, but afterward they say, 'Father, we really would appreciate two Masses, one in English and one in Spanish,'" he said. "They do not totally reject it, but you see the expressions."

Cross-cultural connection is not always easy, Bishop Guillory said.

"I tell the pastors that it's something that they have to educate and promote," he said. "Because there is a certain amount of fear of a different culture and sometimes even prejudice. So, we have to break through that.

"Once we break through that it's amazing in what happens," Bishop Guillory said.

Culture often gets in the way of humanity, he said, "because we remain on the cultural level. A lot of times, that's all stereotypes and how we get below the cultural level to our humanity is in dialogue. Coming together, understanding, talking, etc."

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Contributing to this story was Tyler Orsburn in Beaumont.

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Follow Chaz Muth on Twitter: @Chazmaniandevyl.

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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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