(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday told participants at an international conference on vocations that faith cannot be reduced to a set of rules and regulations, but, instead, must be a way of life which inspires others to discover the joy of the Gospel message.The Pope’s words came as he met with a large group of cardinals, bishops, priests and religious attending a Rome conference entitled with the Latin words which describe Jesus’ calling of St. Matthew: ‘Miserando atque eligendo’ or ‘having mercy and choosing’ him.Philippa Hitchen reports: Pope Francis recalled that he chose those same words for his own bishop’s motto as a reminder of how clearly he felt the Lord calling in his own life as a young man. The question of vocations, he told participants, must never be reduced to mere pastoral planning or human calculations, but must rather be about learning to imitate the way Jesus lived, talked and showed God’s mercy to tho...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday told participants at an international conference on vocations that faith cannot be reduced to a set of rules and regulations, but, instead, must be a way of life which inspires others to discover the joy of the Gospel message.
The Pope’s words came as he met with a large group of cardinals, bishops, priests and religious attending a Rome conference entitled with the Latin words which describe Jesus’ calling of St. Matthew: ‘Miserando atque eligendo’ or ‘having mercy and choosing’ him.
Philippa Hitchen reports:
Pope Francis recalled that he chose those same words for his own bishop’s motto as a reminder of how clearly he felt the Lord calling in his own life as a young man. The question of vocations, he told participants, must never be reduced to mere pastoral planning or human calculations, but must rather be about learning to imitate the way Jesus lived, talked and showed God’s mercy to those around him.
Church on the move
The Pope said this way of life that Jesus exemplified can be summarized by the three verbs: to go out, to see and to call. Firstly, he insisted, the Church must always be going out, on the move, broadening its horizons, rather than being hemmed in by the fear of failure. There will never be a fruitful harvest of vocations, he said, if Church leaders cannot boldly and creatively redefine their goals, structures, styles and methods of evangelization.
Seeing through Jesus' eyes
Secondly, Pope Francis said, pastors must learn to see the way Jesus saw the people of his day, defying popular prejudices and creating space for others to feel God’s love in their lives. The Church and the world needs mature and well-balanced priests, he stressed, who are intrepid and generous in discerning and accompanying people without seeking to control their consciences.
Calling and questioning
Finally the Pope said that pastors must learn to imitate Jesus' way of calling people, not through proselytism, long lectures or pre-packaged answers but, rather, by inviting others to ask the right questions and to follow where Jesus is leading them.
Facade of the Plurinational Legislative Assembly of Bolivia. / Credit: Wikimedia Commons / EEJCCACI Prensa Staff, Apr 27, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).One year after the Spanish newspaper El País published the report "Diary of a Pedophile Priest," which recounted the sexual abuse of minors committed in Bolivia by the deceased Jesuit priest Alfonso Pedrajas, journalists from ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, went to the South American country to look into the political implications of the case, how the scandal has affected the Church's image in Bolivia, and the response of the civil justice system.Pedrajas, better known as "Padre Pica," arrived in South America in the early 1960s as part of his formation process with the Jesuits. For 10 years he lived in Peru and Ecuador, where he allegedly committed his first abuses while still a seminarian, and in 1971 he settled permanently in Bolivia.There the Society of Jesus appointed him assistant principal of the John XXIII Insti...
The members of the general board of directors of the Regnum Christi Federation, before its first general convention from April 29 to May 4, 2024, in Rome. / Credit: Regnum ChristiACI Prensa Staff, Apr 27, 2024 / 09:00 am (CNA).The Regnum Christi Federation will hold its first general convention in Rome from April 29 to May 4, the first such assembly since its statutes were approved in 2019 after a long process of listening, purification, and a hopeful look toward its future.The ecclesial movement was shaken to the core by the revelation of numerous cases of sexual abuse and abuses of power primarily involving Father Marcial Maciel, the deceased founder of the Legionaries of Christ and the Regnum Christi movement.The Regnum Christi Federation is comprised of four vocations: the Legionaries of Christ (priests), Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi, Lay Consecrated Men of Regnum Christi, and lay members.Regnum Christi is now defined as an apostolic body and spiritual family led by ...
Gia Chacón (right), founder of March for the Martyrs, said the plight of the tens of thousands of Christian Armenians pushed out of their homes in the disputed Artsakh or Nagorno-Karabakh region hash been "completely overlooked by the mainstream media." / Credit: EWTN News Nightly / ScreenshotCNA Staff, Apr 27, 2024 / 09:20 am (CNA).Marchers are setting out in the nation's capital on Saturday to call attention to the plight of persecuted Christians throughout the world.Gia Chacón, founder of For the Martyrs and the March for the Martyrs, said the event aims to highlight often "overlooked" victims of persecution. This year's march will focus on the persecution suffered by Armenian Christians as well as those in Nigeria and Iran.In an interview with "EWTN News Nightly" anchor Tracy Sabol, Chacón said she started the initiative to both increase awareness and provide aid for persecuted Christian communities throughout the world.Chacón explained that the decades-long conflict ...