U2’s Bono says “Listen to Papa Francesco”
Bono, the lead singer of the Irish band U2, in a video message broadcast May 28 at the Milan Expo during the launch of the Vatican document Terra e Cibo (Land and Food) by Cardinal Peter Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, said the powerful of the earth should “listen to Papa Francisco, and end the corruption.”
Paul David Hewson, known by the stage name “Bono,” said: “Pope Francis, and his solidarity with the most vulnerable, has inspired me and many others, beyond words, beyond the music, and we want to work with him in this effort… I’m ready to face the structures of poverty and indifference that trap the poor in misery, injustice, and hunger.”
— Aleteia.org
St. Paul-Minneapolis Archbishop, Auxiliary Step Down
The archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis stepped down June 15, along with one of his auxiliary bishops, amid accusations that the archdiocese did not correctly handle accusations of sexual abuse. Archbishop John Nienstedt and Bishop Lee Piché submitted their resignations, which were accepted by the Holy Father in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law. The archbishop released a statement saying he is resigning “with a clear conscience knowing that my team and I have put in place solid protocols to ensure the protection of minors and vulnerable adults.”
— Zenit.org
Pope Meets Privately with Relatives
After meeting with the members of the Waldensian church, Pope Francis had a family reunion June 22 with his own relatives in Turin.Vatican Radio reported that the Pope “met with around 30 of his relatives – six cousins and their families — in the Archbishop’s residence in Turin, and also celebrated Mass with them.” The Pope also made an unscheduled stop at the Church of Saint Therese. Giovanni and Rosa Bergoglio Vassallo, the Holy Father’s paternal grandparents, were married in the church in 1907. The following year, Mario Giuseppe Francesco Bergoglio, the Pope’s father, was baptized in the same church. According to Vatican Insider, the Pope was welcomed to the Church by Fr. Giustizio Zoppi, Provincial Superior of the Carmelites, who reside at the church. Fr. Zoppi said that the 78-year-old pontiff left a vase of yellow roses on the altar “and then asked for a chair so he could sit in silence for a few minutes.”
— Zenit.org
Pope Francis: Armenian Patriarch of Cilicia Was Deeply Rooted In Christ
In a message sent July 1 to Bishop Gregoire Ghabroyan, administrator of the Patriarchate of Cilicia of the Armenians, Pope Francis mourned the death of Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni, saying that he was “deeply rooted on the Rock that is Christ.” The funeral for the deceased Patriarch was celebrated at the Cathedral of St. Elie and St. Gregory the Illuminator in Beirut, Lebanon. Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, read the Holy Father’s message at the celebration. The Pope recalled Patriarch Nerses’ zeal for the Church, noting his promotion of the continuing formation of the clergy and his tireless ministry to the Armenian people.
— Zenit.org
Pope Establishes New Secretariat for Communications
Pope Francis issued an apostolic letter published on June 27, called a motu proprio (Latin for “on one’s own initiative”), that establishes a new Secretariat for Communications at the Holy See. The motu proprio placed all communications offices under the new Secretariat, including the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, the Holy See Press Office, Vatican Internet Service, Vatican Radio, the Vatican Television Center (CTV), L’Osservatore Romano, Vatican Typography, Photograph Service, and the Vatican Publishing House (Libreria Editrice Vaticana).
CNS photo)
The Pope said that the new department, working alongside the Secretary of State, will assume the responsibility for maintaining the Holy See’s website (www.vatican.va) and the Pope’s Twitter account (@pontifex). Following the publication of the motu proprio, the Holy Father also named Msgr. Dario Edoardo Viganò, director of the Vatican Television Center, as the prefect of the newly-created Secretariat for Communications. He also named Msgr. Lucio Adrian Ruiz head of the Vatican Internet Service, as Secretary; Paolo Nusiner, Director General of Avvenire Catholic newspaper, as Director General of the Secretariat; and Giacomo Ghisani, head of the International Relations Office and Legal Affairs of Vatican Radio as its Vice Director General.
— Zenit.org
Pope Francis Receives Grand Master of the Order of Malta
(Galazka photo)
Pope Francis received Fra’ Matthew Festing, Grand Master of the Order of Malta, June 25 at the Vatican. During the course of their conversation the Grand Master explained to the pontiff the Order’s commitment to help refugees and migrants in different parts of the world, from the Middle East to Africa, a Vatican note after the meeting said. Festing then made reference to numerous projects underway geared to providing medical help to refugees fleeing from war, violence and poverty, and also projects of social support to refugees in countries such as France and Germany. At the end of the meeting, the Pope also received the Grand Chancellor of the Sovereign Order of Malta, Albrecht Boeselager, and all the members of the Order’s government.
— Zenit.org
Unlikely Partners Join Discussion of Climate Encyclical
A Catholic climate scientist and a secular Jewish feminist formed an “unlikely alliance” in the Vatican press office on July 1 to introduce a two-day conference entitled “People and Planet First: the Imperative to Change Course.” The conference, which took place at the Pontifical Augustinianum University in Rome July 2-3, included some 200 political, religious and civil society leaders from all continents to discuss Pope Francis’ new encyclical Laudato Si’ in light of a climate summit to be held in Paris next December.
Canadian author, activist and self-described “secular feminist” Naomi Klein, known for her bestselling anti-corporatist book No Logo, admitted she was surprised and moved to be invited to the Vatican to speak about mobilizing public opinion and putting pressure on political leaders.
Echoing Klein was German scientist Ottmar Edenhofer, co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The new encyclical, he said, must not be reduced to a document on the environment but should be understood for the revolutionary way it links ecology with poverty reduction, describing the planet’s natural resources as “a common good of all and for all.”
— Vatican Radio
PEOPLE OF THE PERIPHERIES
Papal Charity to Open Night Shelter for Homeless
Among the services that homeless people around the Vatican are receiving from the charity of Pope Francis, will be added another one — a place to sleep. After a place to shower, a barber’s service in the Vatican and a hot meal at Rome’s Termini station, the homeless will soon have a dormitory near the Vatican, said the Pope’s Almoner or official alms-giver, Archbishop Konrad Krajewski, on June 9.
“We are preparing something,” the Polish archbishop told Italian news agency Ansa.
The site on Via dei Penitenzieri, close to the Vatican, is currently being renovated. The 30-bed facility will be used only as night shelter and will be managed by volunteers. As Archbishop Krajewski said, these services are meant to give dignity to the person.
– Vatican Radio
Pope Pays for Homeless to Visit Shroud of Turin
Two busloads of special pilgrims went to Turin in June to view the Holy Shroud, all expenses paid by the Pope. The individuals were needy, homeless or sick people who are assisted by two parishes in Rome. The trip was meant to “prepare the way for the Pope’s visit” which took place June 21: “His poor arrive before him,” the papal Almoner, Bishop Konrad Krajewski. explained in a statement to Italian newspaper La Stampa. The bishop used funds donated to the Pope for his personal charities to pay for the trip.
In March, the bishop organized a visit to the Sistine Chapel plus dinner in the Vatican Museums for a sizeable group of homeless people. In recent days, homeless people were invited to a concert where they were given front-row seats.
–Vatican Insider
