(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis greeted thousands of young volunteers from Italy’s National Civil Service in the Paul the VI hall in the Vatican on Saturday, telling them that they were precious asset to their country.Listen: Speaking to the estimated 7 thousand young people from Italy’s National Civil Service, the Pope told them they were a dynamic and valued force in their country, especially he added, for the weakest in society.The Holy Father went on to say that having a united society is the goal of every civilized community that wants to be egalitarian and fraternal. But he underlined, that this unity is betrayed, “every time we witness passively the increasing inequality between different social partners or between the nations of the world.”Pope Francis said, that these attitudes are an affront to our society because they create a culture of indifference and oppression, as well as an inward looking behaviour.The Pope told the young people pr...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis greeted thousands of young volunteers from Italy’s National Civil Service in the Paul the VI hall in the Vatican on Saturday, telling them that they were precious asset to their country.
Listen:
Speaking to the estimated 7 thousand young people from Italy’s National Civil Service, the Pope told them they were a dynamic and valued force in their country, especially he added, for the weakest in society.
The Holy Father went on to say that having a united society is the goal of every civilized community that wants to be egalitarian and fraternal. But he underlined, that this unity is betrayed, “every time we witness passively the increasing inequality between different social partners or between the nations of the world.”
Pope Francis said, that these attitudes are an affront to our society because they create a culture of indifference and oppression, as well as an inward looking behaviour.
The Pope told the young people present that they were being called on to show how it is possible to think and act differently through their projects with the National Civil Service, such as the protection of the environment and educational projects.
Another area of ??action, he pointed out was migration, saying that migrants and refugees need to be rescued and integrated into the social fabric of society.
The Holy Father also highlighted the extraordinary effort that is required to help people affected by the recent earthquakes in Central Italy. “All these realities, he added, “become occasions for you to grow and share experiences, knowledge and sensitivity.
In conclusion the Pope expressed the hope that the young people would follow the path that gives them full meaning and joy to their lives, and invited them to look to Jesus as a perfect model of humanity.
Archbishop Filomeno do Nascimento Vieira Dias of Angola's Archdiocese of Luanda. / Credit: Radio EcclesiaACI Africa, May 5, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).Archbishop Filomeno do Nascimento Vieira Dias of Angola's Archdiocese of Luanda has asked the people of God under his pastoral care to dedicate the last Sunday of the month to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament as part of the preparations for the Church's 2025 Jubilee Year. Pope Francis on Jan. 21 announced the start of a Year of Prayer in preparation for the Church's 2025 Jubilee Year, the second in his pontificate after the extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy in 2015."Following the Holy Father's call, as an archdiocese, we will be holding adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on the last Sunday of each month in all parishes and, in alternate months, a meditation on the importance of prayer in the life of the Church," the archbishop said in his April 18 message.Eucharistic adoration, he said, facilitates "a true encounter with Chri...
A patient at the new Misky María Palliative Care Hospital located on the outskirts of Lima, Perú. / Credit: Asociación de las Bienaventuranzas (Association of the Beatitudes)ACI Prensa Staff, May 4, 2024 / 08:00 am (CNA).In the context of the recent news of the death of Ana Estrada, the first person to request and receive euthanasia in Peru, there is a contrasting story to tell on care for the dying in that country: that of a new Catholic hospital on the outskirts of Lima that provides palliative care, which extends the love of Christ to those in extreme poverty who are in the final stages of their lives.The beginning of the 'Misky María' HospitalIn 2021, Father Omar Sánchez Portillo, a priest known for his extensive charitable work in the district of Lurín (south of Lima) and founder of the Association of the Beatitudes, had the dream of building a center to serve, with the "sweetness of Mary," people in situations of abandonment and extreme poverty who have terminal illnesses...
President Joe Biden presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Jesuit Father Greg Boyle on May 3, 2024. / Screenshot/public domainCNA Staff, May 3, 2024 / 15:30 pm (CNA).The White House on Friday announced that Jesuit Father Greg Boyle, the founder of a prominent ministry dedicated to rehabilitating gang-affiliated youth, will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom alongside 18 other recipients this afternoon. Boyle, ordained a priest in 1984, founded Homeboy Industries in 1992 while pastor of Dolores Mission, a Catholic church and school in an area that at one time had one of the highest concentrations of gang activity in Los Angeles. Today, Homeboy Industries claims to be the largest gang-intervention program in the United States.The successful ministry, which now operates nationwide, offers training and job skills to those formerly involved in gangs or in jail, as well as case management, tattoo removal, mental health and legal services, and GED completion.Wh...