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“The Pope is a man in need of God’s mercy,” confides Pope Francis to a journalist in a book that was officially released in Rome on Jan. 12, going on sale in 86 countries. “The Name of God is Mercy” is the title of the book in interview format, in which the 79-year old pontiff argues his case for the merciful face of God, emphasizing God never tires of forgiving and actually prefers sinners who repent over self-righteous moralizers who don't. The publication, “The Name of God is Mercy”, available in Italian, English, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese, takes an in-depth look at Pope Francis' vision of mercy and forgiveness, with nine chapters of candid questions-and-answers between the Holy Father and Italian journalist AndreaTornielli.Among the speakers at the Jan. 12 press conference to officially release of “The Name of God is Mercy” at the Patris...
“The Pope is a man in need of God’s mercy,” confides Pope Francis to a journalist in a book that was officially released in Rome on Jan. 12, going on sale in 86 countries. “The Name of God is Mercy” is the title of the book in interview format, in which the 79-year old pontiff argues his case for the merciful face of God, emphasizing God never tires of forgiving and actually prefers sinners who repent over self-righteous moralizers who don't. The publication, “The Name of God is Mercy”, available in Italian, English, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese, takes an in-depth look at Pope Francis' vision of mercy and forgiveness, with nine chapters of candid questions-and-answers between the Holy Father and Italian journalist AndreaTornielli.
Among the speakers at the Jan. 12 press conference to officially release of “The Name of God is Mercy” at the Patristic Institute "Augustinianum”, were Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, noted Italian actor, comedian, screenwriter and director, Roberto Benigni, the author of the book, Andrea Tornielli, and others. However, the most poignant presentation at the book launch came from Zhang Agostino Jianqing, a 30-year old Chinese immigrant in Italy who related his story of committing a “grave error” at age 19 and being sentenced to 20 years in prison. Last year he received Baptism in prison. Zhang spoke in Italian. In today’s edition of THE BACKGROUNDER, we bring you extracts of his testimony.
Listen:
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday met with Jean Todt, the president of Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), which sanctions many auto racing events, including Formula One and World Rally Championship.Todt also serves as the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, and it was in this capacity he met with the Holy Father. He was accompanied by a delegation from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).The UN General Assembly proclaimed the period 2011–2020 as the Decade of Action for Road Safety, with a goal to stabilize and then reduce the forecast level of road traffic fatalities around the world by increasing activities conducted at the national, regional and global levels. Every year, nearly 1.3 million people die and between 20 million and 50 million more are injured as a result of road crashes. More than 90 per cent of these deaths occur in low-income and middle-income countries, which h...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday met with Jean Todt, the president of Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), which sanctions many auto racing events, including Formula One and World Rally Championship.
Todt also serves as the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, and it was in this capacity he met with the Holy Father. He was accompanied by a delegation from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).
The UN General Assembly proclaimed the period 2011–2020 as the Decade of Action for Road Safety, with a goal to stabilize and then reduce the forecast level of road traffic fatalities around the world by increasing activities conducted at the national, regional and global levels. Every year, nearly 1.3 million people die and between 20 million and 50 million more are injured as a result of road crashes. More than 90 per cent of these deaths occur in low-income and middle-income countries, which have less than half of the world’s vehicles.
“We know the Holy Father’s strong commitment to address problems of inequality, and address problems of poverty, and … this is a sign of poverty,” said Christian Friis Bach, the Executive Secretary of UNECE, who also met Pope Francis.
Listen to the interview by Vatican Radio’s Antonino Galofaro with Christian Friis Bach:
“This is still a problem in the rich countries. It’s a severe, serious problem in the poor countries,” Bach told Vatican Radio.
“So once again, the poor people and the poor children around in the world are those who are most vulnerable, because the countries have not invested in safe cars; they have not invested in safe roads; they have not educated their drivers to drive safely, and don’t drink when they drive,” he said.
Bach said Pope Francis was very attentive during the meeting, and gave his support to the United Nations initiative.
“I think all of us who have kids, we remember the first days sending them to school, and praying and hoping that they would come safe back from school again,” Bach said. “Every single day, 500 kids do not make it. They get killed by a car, or by an accident on the road.”
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday met with a delegation from Rome’s Colegio Sacerdotal Argentino, which forms priests for Argentina.“It was a meeting of a shepherd with his flock,” said Father Ángel Hernández, the rector of the College.In an interview with Vatican Radio’s Spanish service, Father Hernández said the Holy Father told them when they returned to Argentina, they should take care of their prayer life, and preach the Word of God in the place they have been sent.The rector also said Pope Francis told him there are “many saints in the Church,” and “there are many saints in the Roman Curia.”
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday met with a delegation from Rome’s Colegio Sacerdotal Argentino, which forms priests for Argentina.
“It was a meeting of a shepherd with his flock,” said Father Ángel Hernández, the rector of the College.
In an interview with Vatican Radio’s Spanish service, Father Hernández said the Holy Father told them when they returned to Argentina, they should take care of their prayer life, and preach the Word of God in the place they have been sent.
The rector also said Pope Francis told him there are “many saints in the Church,” and “there are many saints in the Roman Curia.”
(Vatican Radio) The Holy Land Coordination has concluded its annual pilgrimage to the region, and issued a statement saying the Christians of the land of Christ “are not forgotten.”The pilgrimage brings together bishops from North America, Europe, and South Africa to the Holy Land every year as a sign of solidarity.“We have come to see people who are often forgotten by other people,” said Bishop Declan Lang, of the English Diocese of Clifton.Listen to the interview with Bishop Declan Lang: “I think it was very significant or time in Gaza. I think also meeting again the people in the Cremisan Valley, and … meeting refugees from Iraq in Jordan,” he said.“I think the importance of the Holy Land Coordination is that we are present with our brothers and sisters,” Bishop Lang told Vatican Radio.“We belong to the same Church, and we need to hear one another’s story, and support one another in faith, and to pray with...
(Vatican Radio) The Holy Land Coordination has concluded its annual pilgrimage to the region, and issued a statement saying the Christians of the land of Christ “are not forgotten.”
The pilgrimage brings together bishops from North America, Europe, and South Africa to the Holy Land every year as a sign of solidarity.
“We have come to see people who are often forgotten by other people,” said Bishop Declan Lang, of the English Diocese of Clifton.
Listen to the interview with Bishop Declan Lang:
“I think it was very significant or time in Gaza. I think also meeting again the people in the Cremisan Valley, and … meeting refugees from Iraq in Jordan,” he said.
“I think the importance of the Holy Land Coordination is that we are present with our brothers and sisters,” Bishop Lang told Vatican Radio.
“We belong to the same Church, and we need to hear one another’s story, and support one another in faith, and to pray with one another,” he said.
“The purpose of the Coordination is to pray to be on pilgrimage and when we go home to advocate the cause of those we have seen with our governments and with the ambassadors of the particular countries from which we have come,” concluded Bishop Lang.
The full statement by the bishops of the Holy Land Coordination is below
'You are not forgotten' - Statement by Bishops to vulnerable Christians in the Middle East
• Statement of the Coordination of Bishops’ Conferences in support of the Church in the Holy Land
• “We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it.” (Laudato Si 229).
As the Bishops of the Holy Land Coordination, we echo Pope Francis' plea in his recent Encyclical Letter, Laudato Si (Praise Be to You), to remember our interdependence in an integrated world. Here in this land holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims, we have been reminded during our visit of the Church's enduring presence among the weak and vulnerable and those who are too often forgotten. We take away our experiences and the stories that we have heard, and we are determined to give a voice to the voiceless.
The ongoing violence makes it all the more urgent that we remember and assist all, especially those on the margins, who seek to live in justice and peace.
To the Christian community and young people of Gaza, you are not forgotten. The 2014 war led to the destruction of thousands of homes and the physical and social infrastructure of Gaza, as well as the deaths of both Israelis and Palestinians. One and a half years later, while there are signs of hope and the resilience of the population is remarkable, many remain homeless and traumatised by the war. The blockade continues to make their lives desperate and they effectively live in a prison. At Holy Family Parish we were told: "In this Year of Mercy, one of the acts of mercy is to visit prisoners and I thank you for visiting the largest prison in the world." The ability of so many Christians and Muslims to support each other in this situation is a visible sign of hope and, at a time when many seek to divide communities, an example to us all.
To the Christian community of Beit Jala, outside of Bethlehem, where the Israeli confiscation of land and the expansion of the separation wall in the Cremisan Valley, in violation of international law, further undermines their presence in the Holy Land, you are not forgotten. Throughout 2016 we shall raise your plight nationally and internationally.
To those Israelis and Palestinians who seek peace, you are not forgotten. The right of Israel to live in security is clear, but the continuing occupation eats away at the soul of both occupier and occupied. Political leaders across the world must put greater energy into a diplomatic solution to end nearly fifty years of occupation and resolve the ongoing conflict so the two peoples and three faiths can live together in justice and peace.
To the Christian refugees we met in Jordan, you are not forgotten. We heard about the trauma and difficulties in trying to rebuild their lives. For most, returning home is no longer an option. Jordan is struggling to cope with almost a quarter of its population now made up of refugees. The efforts of the local Church and NGOs in reaching out to all refugees - both Christian and Muslim - are significant and commendable in terms of addressing the refugees' loss of human dignity, but the international community must do more to alleviate their plight and work for peace across the region.
To the priests, religious communities and lay people of the Church in Jordan, you are not forgotten. The Church in Jordan is vital and growing, but Christians are fearful of the growing extremism in the region. It is to be hoped that the coming into force on 1 January of the Comprehensive Agreement between the Holy See and the State of Palestine, offers us a model of dialogue and cooperation between States that respects and preserves freedom of religion and freedom of conscience for all people.
With a promise of active solidarity, we make our own the prayer of Pope Francis in Laudato Si: “O God of the poor, help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth, so precious in your eyes.”
Archbishop Stephen Brislin, South Africa
Bishop Peter Bürcher, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden
Bishop Oscar Cantú, United States of America
Archbishop Rodolfo Cetoloni, Italy
Bishop Christopher Chessun, Church of England
Bishop Michel Dubost, France
Bishop Lionel Gendron, Canada
Bishop Felix Gmur, Switzerland
Bishop William Kenney, England and Wales, COMECE
Bishop Declan Lang, England and Wales
Bishop John McAreavey, Ireland
Bishop William Nolan, Scotland
Bishop Thomas Maria Renz, Germany
Archbishop Joan Enric Vives, Spain
(Vatican Radio) Analysts continue to look closely at Pope Francis’ speech to the Holy See’s diplomatic corps earlier this week, exploring in particular the impact he hopes the Church’s Jubilee Year of Mercy can have on political crises in countries around the world.In his speech on Monday to ambassadors of the 180 countries with diplomatic ties to the Vatican, the Pope chose to speak especially of what he called “the grave crisis of migration” facing Europe as well as parts of Asia and the Americas.Historian and theology professor Massimo Faggioli teaches at the University of St Thomas in St Paul, Minnesota. He talked to Philippa Hitchen about the challenges the Pope raised in his address, especially to European politicians and diplomatsListen Professor Faggioli notes that while Pope Francis’ address is aimed at the whole diplomatic corps, his words are especially focused on the European Union which is facing the biggest wave of migrants a...
(Vatican Radio) Analysts continue to look closely at Pope Francis’ speech to the Holy See’s diplomatic corps earlier this week, exploring in particular the impact he hopes the Church’s Jubilee Year of Mercy can have on political crises in countries around the world.
In his speech on Monday to ambassadors of the 180 countries with diplomatic ties to the Vatican, the Pope chose to speak especially of what he called “the grave crisis of migration” facing Europe as well as parts of Asia and the Americas.
Historian and theology professor Massimo Faggioli teaches at the University of St Thomas in St Paul, Minnesota. He talked to Philippa Hitchen about the challenges the Pope raised in his address, especially to European politicians and diplomats
Listen
Professor Faggioli notes that while Pope Francis’ address is aimed at the whole diplomatic corps, his words are especially focused on the European Union which is facing the biggest wave of migrants and refugees since World War II. After that war, he notes, the waves of refugees, especially from Eastern Europe were part of a larger diplomatic plan, since it was clear what deal had been struck between the allies and the USSR at Yalta and Potsdam. Right now, he says, there is no plan and the refugees are from different ethnic, political and religious backgrounds, so it’s much for difficult for European politicians to understand what is “the end game”….
Faggioli notes that the current wave of migration coincides with a deep crisis within European identity. He points to the threats to democracy in Poland or the problems in countries like Ukraine and Turkey which border the European Union and says the paradox is that of a Catholic Pope from Argentina who appears to be “one of the last leaders who believes in the European Union”…
Asked about potential allies within the EU who share his perspective, Faggioli says until a few days ago, prior to the revelations of attacks on women in Cologne, Angela Merkel was also outspoken on the necessity of German to welcome migrants and refugees – a view she defended on the basis of her Christian background. Now that is much more difficult, Faggioli says, adding that “leadership in Europe right now is weak and shortsighted so the Pope doesn’t have many partners in this dialogue”
Another paradox that Professor Faggioli point to is the fact that right wing parties in Germany, France or the UK do not support the Pope’s social policies, while some left wing politicians can be embarrassed to make explicit connections to the social message of the Catholic Church. He notes that a similar paradox exists in the United States, where it is not the Catholic politicians or presidential candidates who are defending the Pope’s policies but rather the non-Catholic politicians.
Commenting on the Pope’s appeal for dialogue and engagement, especially with the Muslim world, Faggioli says the Pope frames this appeal, “not just in purely pragmatic terms but also at an intellectual and spiritual level”. Over the half century since Vatican II, he says, theologians have seen the deep connections between the theology of other religions and the global dimensions of the Catholic Church, thus they understand the dynamics of dialogue and identity which are not always clear to secular politicians. Usually the secular leaders are looking for short term results, he adds, while the Catholic Church takes a different view and thus the Pope is one of the few leaders with a truly global voice.
By Carol GlatzVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Don't fall for hate and fearmongering from others; make new friends instead and always help and showconcern for others, Pope Francis told the world's teens."Be brave and go against the tide, be friends ofJesus, who is the prince of peace," he said in a written message for theJubilee of Mercy for Young People, scheduled to be celebrated in Rome anddioceses around the world April 23-25.In his written message, released by the Vatican Jan. 14,the pope said the Year of Mercy is open to everyone so they may experience"a time of grace, peace, conversion and joy."God invites everyone, he said, because "there are nowalls or distances which can prevent the father's mercy from reaching andembracing us."While three days in April have been set aside for thosebetween 13 and 16 years of age, every day of the jubilee year marks "achance for us to grow in holiness."It is also a time to realize "that life together asbrothers and sisters is like a great party, perh...
By Carol Glatz
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Don't fall for hate and fearmongering from others; make new friends instead and always help and show concern for others, Pope Francis told the world's teens.
"Be brave and go against the tide, be friends of Jesus, who is the prince of peace," he said in a written message for the Jubilee of Mercy for Young People, scheduled to be celebrated in Rome and dioceses around the world April 23-25.
In his written message, released by the Vatican Jan. 14, the pope said the Year of Mercy is open to everyone so they may experience "a time of grace, peace, conversion and joy."
God invites everyone, he said, because "there are no walls or distances which can prevent the father's mercy from reaching and embracing us."
While three days in April have been set aside for those between 13 and 16 years of age, every day of the jubilee year marks "a chance for us to grow in holiness."
It is also a time to realize "that life together as brothers and sisters is like a great party, perhaps the most beautiful party we can imagine, the endless party that Jesus has taught us to celebrate by his Spirit."
However, the pope said, "I cannot forget those of you who are living in situations of war, extreme poverty, daily troubles and loneliness. Don't ever lose hope! The Lord has a great dream which, with your help, he wants to come true."
Other young people around the world have not forgotten about those who are less fortunate and they "are working for peace and justice for everyone everywhere," he said.
"Don't be taken in by the messages of hatred or terror all around us. Instead, make new friends. Give of your time and always show concern for those who ask your help," he said.
Pope Francis reminded young people that preparing for a pilgrimage or jubilee celebration didn't just mean getting backpacks and banners ready, "but your hearts and minds as well."
He urged them to grow closer to Jesus and draw nourishment from the sacraments. Becoming more merciful during the Year of Mercy means not only growing "in a love which is courageous, generous and real," it is means greater spiritual growth, too.
"You are preparing to be Christians capable of making courageous decisions in order to build daily, even through little things, a world of peace," he said.
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Editors: The pope's message for the Jubilee of Mercy for young teens can be found in English at:
http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/pont-messages/2016/documents/papa-francesco_20160106_messaggio-giubileo-ragazzi.html
And in Spanish at:
http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/es/messages/pont-messages/2016/documents/papa-francesco_20160106_messaggio-giubileo-ragazzi.html.
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