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VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXIII - N° 66
DATE 19-03-2013
Summary:
- BEGINNING OF PONTIFICATE. POPE FRANCIS: “DON'T BE AFRAID OF
TENDERNESS”
- POPE: LET US BE “PROTECTORS” OF CREATION, NOT ALLOWING OMENS OF
DESTRUCTION AND DEATH TO ACCOMPANY OUR WORLD'S JOURNEY
- POPE'S SURPRISE PHONECALL TO PLAZA DE MAYO
- POPE FRANCIS' RING
- NOTICE
___________________________________________________________
BEGINNING OF PONTIFICATE. POPE FRANCIS: “DON'T BE AFRAID OF
TENDERNESS”
Vatican City, 19 March 2013 (VIS) – To protect with tenderness. That is
the call to each of us. It is the new Pope's message. Perhaps it will be the
directive of his government. Clear, simple, deep, compelling. Spoken in
Italian and lasting no
more than twenty minutes. The crowd gathered in St. Peter's Square remained
attentive throughout the celebration, which lasted just under the two hours
that had been planned.
“This is a punctual Pope. Even a bit ahead of schedule. At least that's
how it was today,” said a German pilgrim, advanced in age, who had been
waiting for hours in front of a giant screen set up in Via della
Conciliazione, the street that
runs in front of the Vatican. He had been watching as, little by little,
thousands more gathered in the square. He was right. The Pope's Jeep appeared
in St. Peter's Square around 8:50am. Standing up in the back, Pope Francis in
his white cassock, his
mozzetta, his black shoes, and his pectoral cross (the one he has had since
being appointed bishop) smiled as he greeted and blessed those he passed.
People began to run to him with their flags, their children, their friends,
their sick... And then
Francis picked up a baby in his arms and, to everyone's astonishment, got down
from the car. What was going on? He had seen a handicapped man and wanted to
embrace and bless him.
This is the new Pope: the Argentine, the first Pope from the Americas, the
first Francis, leader of the Catholic Church who was presented to the world
today and who, in the few days since his election, has excited so many. People
already know him as the
“close” Pope, the “simple” Pope, the Pope who
“is like a father”, who greets the crowds with a “good
afternoon” and says goodbye with an “enjoy your lunch”. He
is the Pope who, first thing this
morning, made a phone call to his native land where his countrymen and women
had gathered in Buenos Aires' Plaza de Mayo. Surprising everyone with the
call, live over the phone, he left them with a message: “Do not be
afraid.” They were the
same words spoken by one of his predecessors in 1978, the Polish Pope Karol
Wojtyla, Blessed John Paul II.
This is the first time that Pope Francis has taken the Popemobile through the
square and the people wanted to see him better, closer... The new Pope moved
through them and then went back around again in what was, perhaps, the longest
trip that a Roman
pontiff has ever made around the square. He travelled over the ground that,
twenty-one centuries earlier, had been occupied by the Circus of Nero. The
ground where modern investigators have confirmed the tradition of the site of
St. Peter's martyrdom:
Peter the fisherman, the first Pope of the Catholic Church, whose remains are
still conserved in the same place. Of that ancient vista perhaps the only
thing that remains is the great obelisk, brought to Rome from Heliopolis by
order of the emperor
Caligula. It is the same obelisk that hundreds of workers have been toiling
around all night to prepare for the historic event.
Today, twenty-one centuries later, there are other witnesses and the spectacle
is different but the protagonist is again a “common man”. Jorge
Mario Bergoglio, S.J., Argentine, 76 years-old, a chemical technician. His
followers may number
over 1,165,714,000: the number of Catholics in the world, which is,
approximately, one out of every six. In the “bleachers” this time
are men and women who have come from over 132 countries around the world. They
have come “because
they wanted to”, as the Holy See emphasized: “There were no
'invitations' sent out. All who wish to come are warmly welcomed. It must be
made clear that no one has privileged status or will be refused.” And so
they have come: six
sovereigns, three crown princes, 31 heads of state, 11 heads of government...
more than 250 Catholic bishops and 1200 priests and seminarians... But those
numbers do not count the men, women, youth, elderly, those of every type,
faith, langu
age,
culture, class, status, and opinion who also came.
On the terrace of the Charlemagne Wing (the left-hand side colonnade of the
square, if you are facing the Basilica) were positioned the cameras of some of
the nearly 6000 journalists covering the event. Some of them saw the dawn;
others were even there
at 4:00am. For many of them, this will be their final event to cover after
following developments day-by-day, including the almost-daily press
conferences held by Fr. Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See Press
Office, who yesterday was presented
with a plaque and press pass by the Italian Agency for the Associated Press as
a thank you on behalf of all the journalists.
But the ceremony begins. Within the Basilica, the Holy Father Francis
venerates St. Peter at his tomb. At this important moment he chose to be
accompanied by the ten Patriarchs and Major Archbishops of the Eastern Rite
Catholic Churches who were in
attendance. Why? Perhaps to demonstrate the universality of the Catholic
Church with its two rites, Oriental and Latin, that are equal in essence and
dignity. From the Confession, the tomb of St. Peter, the Pope reascended to
the main floor of the
Basilica, following the Book of the Gospels, the papal pallium, and the new
Fisherman’s Ring.
Outside in the square, ecclesiastics who are not concelebrating have been
seated to the left of the altar (always if you are facing the Basilica) and,
to the right, political and civil authorities. Beauty is present in the
splendour of the chants
intoned by the Sistine Chapel Choir and the Pontifical Institute of Sacred
Music. The first Gregorian chant is the “Laudes Regiae” (Christ is
King). At the Offertory during the Mass a motet composed by Pierluigi da
Palestrina precisely for
the Inauguration of the Pontificate will be sung: “Tu es pastor
ovium” (You Are the Shepherd of the Sheep). At the conclusion of the
Mass will come the “Te Deum” with verses alternating between
Gregorian chant and a melody by
Tomas Luis de Victoria.
There are three important moments of the ceremony inaugurating the new
pontiff's Petrine ministry before the Mass begins. The first is the imposition
of the pallium made from lamb's wool. Cardinal proto-deacon Jean-Louis Tauran,
the one who made the
“habemus Papam” announcement from the Basilica’s loggia last
Wednesday, today will place the pallium on the Holy Father's shoulders. It
represents the “lost, sick, or weak sheep which the shepherd places on
his shoulders and
carries to the waters of life”.
Then the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, will bestow
the Fisherman's Ring on Francis. It bears the image of Peter holding the keys
and is made of gold-plated silver. It was designed by the Italian artist
Enrico Manfrini for
Pope Paul VI but was never cast in metal. Its wax cast was conserved by Paul
VI's personal secretary Archbishop Pasquale Macchi and, on his death, by
Archbishop Macchi's colleague Msgr. Ettore Malnati who had it cast and
proposed it, through Cardinal
Giovanni Battista Re, as one of the choices for the new Roman Pontiff.
Thirdly, six cardinals, two from each of the Orders, will make a symbolic act
of obedience on behalf of all the other cardinals. This act of obedience was
already made, by the Cardinal electors at the end of the Conclave and by the
rest of the College
of Cardinals when they met with him the next day. The people of God will be
represented in the act of obedience made by the faithful who are present when
the Pope takes possession of the Cathedral of Rome—St. John
Lateran—in the next few
days.
Now the Mass begins. It is the Mass for the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Patron of
the Universal Church. Concelebrating are all the cardinals present in Rome,
joined by six Patriarchs and Major Eastern Rite Archbishops; the Secretary of
the College of
Cardinals; Fr. Jose Rodriguez Carballo, O.F.M., superior general of the Order
of Friars Minor; and Fr. Adolfo Nicolas Pachon, S.J., superior general of the
Society of Jesus. In total they will be around 180 concelebrating with Pope
Francis.
The Gospel, the culminating moment of the Liturgy of the Word is proclaimed in
Greek, in deference to the Eastern Rite. Afterwards, Pope Francis gives his
homily in Italian. The square is silent and the Holy Father is calm. “It
seems like he has
always been Pope,” someone remarks as soon as they hear his first words.
The text was given to journalists beforehand with the warning, “Be
attentive! This Pope loves to improvise!” But in this moment he stuck
with the prepared text.
The Pope speaks of St. Joseph, the example he gives us, of his vocation, his
fidelity, his availability, of how he knew how to listen to God, of how he was
attentive to everything going on around him. This is the preamble of his
homily, then he arrives
at its heart, connecting St. Joseph's vocation to that of us all, each of us,
and to the Pope's own vocation as well. He concludes with a resounding
entreaty: our responsibility to protect with tenderness, to not destroy what
we have received. From
creation to ourselves and those around us, and especially the poorest.
“We must not be afraid of goodness or even tenderness!” Pope
Francis exhorted. We are all called “so that the star of hope will shine
brightly. Let us protect with
love all that God has given us!” So ended the homily of the new Bishop
of Rome, the homily of the Mass inaugurating his pontificate.
In the square a young man says of the quiet: “We were silent but a
seething volcano is within us.” He was one of the many young Italians
who have come with their children, some of which are just babies. Beside him
is a group from Lebanon who
remember John Paul II and Benedict XVI's trips to their land. “Francis
will come too. We're sure of it!”
At the end, after the Mass, the Pope went to pray before the statue of the
Virgin that stood next to the altar. Then, amidst the crowd's cries of
“Francesco, Francesco, Francesco”, the Gregorian chant, and the
thundering bells of St.
Peter's, the new Holy Father returned to the Basilica. After removing his
liturgical vestments, he went to the Altar of Confession, standing in front of
which he received the greetings of the diplomatic representatives of the 132
countries and various
organizations that had attended the Mass.
In the next few days, Pope Francis will have to figure out how to answer the
millions of email messages that have already been received, despite the fact
that he still doesn't have an official address.
___________________________________________________________
POPE: LET US BE “PROTECTORS” OF CREATION, NOT ALLOWING OMENS OF
DESTRUCTION AND DEATH TO ACCOMPANY OUR WORLD'S JOURNEY
Vatican City, 19 March 2013 (VIS) – Following is the complete text of
the homily that Pope Francis gave during the Mass inaugurating his Petrine
ministry. Beginning with the image of St. Joseph, the “protector”,
the Pope stressed that
the vocation to protect creation and humanity concerns everyone. He urged all
to not be afraid of goodness or even of tenderness.
“Dear Brothers and Sisters, I thank the Lord that I can celebrate this
Holy Mass for the inauguration of my Petrine ministry on the solemnity of
Saint Joseph, the spouse of the Virgin Mary and the patron of the universal
Church. It is a
significant coincidence, and it is also the name-day of my venerable
predecessor: we are close to him with our prayers, full of affection and
gratitude.”
“I offer a warm greeting to my brother cardinals and bishops, the
priests, deacons, men and women religious, and all the lay faithful. I thank
the representatives of the other Churches and Ecclesial Communities, as well
as the representatives of
the Jewish community and the other religious communities, for their presence.
My cordial greetings go to the Heads of State and Government, the members of
the official Delegations from many countries throughout the world, and the
Diplomatic Corps.”
“In the Gospel we heard that 'Joseph did as the angel of the Lord
commanded him and took Mary as his wife' (Mt 1:24). These words already point
to the mission that God entrusts to Joseph: he is to be the 'custos', the
protector. The protector of
whom? Of Mary and Jesus; but this protection is then extended to the Church,
as Blessed John Paul II pointed out: 'Just as Saint Joseph took loving care of
Mary and gladly dedicated himself to Jesus Christ’s upbringing, he
likewise watches over
and protects Christ’s Mystical Body, the Church, of which the Virgin
Mary is the exemplar and model' (Redemptoris Custos, 1).”
“How does Joseph exercise his role as protector? Discreetly, humbly, and
silently, but with an unfailing presence and utter fidelity, even when he
finds it hard to understand. From the time of his betrothal to Mary until the
finding of the
twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem, he is there at every moment
with loving care. As the spouse of Mary, he is at her side in good times and
bad, on the journey to Bethlehem for the census and in the anxious and joyful
hours when she gave
birth; amid the drama of the flight into Egypt and during the frantic search
for their child in the Temple; and later in the day-to-day life of the home of
Nazareth, in the workshop where he taught his trade to Jesus.”
“How does Joseph respond to his calling to be the protector of Mary,
Jesus and the Church? By being constantly attentive to God, open to the signs
of God’s presence and receptive to God’s plans and not simply to
his own. This is what
God asked of David, as we heard in the first reading. God does not want a
house built by humans, but faithfulness to his word, to his plan. It is God
himself who builds the house, but from living stones sealed by his Spirit.
Joseph is a
“protector” because he is able to hear God’s voice and be
guided by his will; and for this reason he is all the more sensitive to the
persons entrusted to his safekeeping. He can look at things realistically, he
is in touch with his
surroundings, he can make truly wise decisions. In him, dear friends, we learn
how to respond to God’s call, readily and willingly, but we also see the
heart of the Christian vocation, which is Christ! Let us protect Christ in our
lives, so tha
t we
can protect others, so that we can protect creation!”
“The vocation of being a 'protector', however, is not just something
involving us Christians alone; it also has a prior dimension which is simply
human, involving everyone. It means protecting all creation, the beauty of the
created world, as the
Book of Genesis tells us and as Saint Francis of Assisi showed us. It means
respecting each of God’s creatures and respecting the environment in
which we live. It means protecting people, showing loving concern for each and
every person,
especially children, the elderly, those in need, who are often the last we
think about. It means caring for one another in our families: husbands and
wives first protect one another, and then, as parents, they care for their
children, and children
themselves, in time, protect their parents. It means building sincere
friendships in which we protect one another in trust, respect, and goodness.
In the end, everything has been entrusted to our protection, and all of us are
responsible for it.
Be
protectors of God’s gifts!”
“Whenever human beings fail to live up to this responsibility, whenever
we fail to care for creation and for our brothers and sisters, the way is
opened to destruction and our hearts are hardened. Tragically, in every period
of history there are
'Herods' who plot death, wreak havoc, and mar the countenance of men and
women.”
“Please, I would like to ask all those who have positions of
responsibility in economic, political, and social life, and all men and women
of goodwill: let us be 'protectors' of creation, protectors of God’s
plan inscribed in nature,
protectors of one another and of the environment. Let us not allow omens of
destruction and death to accompany our world's journey! But to be
'protectors', we also have to keep watch over ourselves! Let us not forget
that hatred, envy, and pride defile
our lives! Being protectors, then, also means keeping watch over our emotions,
over our hearts, because they are the seat of good and evil intentions:
intentions that build up or tear down! We must not be afraid of goodness or
even tenderness!”
“Here I would add one more thing: caring, protecting, demands goodness;
it calls for a certain tenderness. In the Gospels, Saint Joseph appears as a
strong and courageous man, a working man, yet in his heart we see great
tenderness, which is not
the virtue of the weak but rather a sign of strength of spirit and a capacity
for concern, for compassion, for genuine openness to others, for love. We must
not be afraid of goodness, of tenderness!”
“Today, together with the feast of Saint Joseph, we are celebrating the
beginning of the ministry of the new Bishop of Rome, the Successor of Peter,
which also involves a certain power. Certainly, Jesus Christ conferred power
upon Peter, but what
sort of power was it? Jesus’ three questions to Peter about love are
followed by three commands: feed my lambs, feed my sheep. Let us never forget
that authentic power is service, and that the Pope too, when exercising power,
must enter ever more
fully into that service which has its radiant culmination on the Cross. He
must be inspired by the lowly, concrete, and faithful service which marked
Saint Joseph and, like him, he must open his arms to protect all of
God’s people and embrace with
tender affection the whole of humanity, especially the poorest, the weakest,
the least important, those whom Matthew lists in the final judgement on love:
the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and those in pr
ison
(cf. Mt 25:31-46). Only those who serve with love are able to protect!”
“In the second reading, Saint Paul speaks of Abraham, who, 'hoping
against hope, believed' (Rom 4:18). Hoping against hope! Today too, amid so
much darkness, we need to see the light of hope and to be men and women who
bring hope to others. To
protect creation, to protect every man and every woman, to look upon them with
tenderness and love, is to open up a horizon of hope; it is to let a shaft of
light break through the heavy clouds; it is to bring the warmth of hope! For
believers, for us
Christians, like Abraham, like Saint Joseph, the hope that we bring is set
against the horizon of God that has opened up before us in Christ. It is a
hope built on the rock that is God.”
“To protect Jesus with Mary, to protect the whole of creation, to
protect each person, especially the poorest, to protect ourselves: this is a
service that the Bishop of Rome is called to carry out, yet one to which all
of us are called, so that
the star of hope will shine brightly. Let us protect with love all that God
has given us!”
“I implore the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, Saints
Peter and Paul, and Saint Francis, that the Holy Spirit may accompany my
ministry, and I ask all of you to pray for me! Amen.”
___________________________________________________________
POPE'S SURPRISE PHONECALL TO PLAZA DE MAYO
Vatican City, 19 March 2013 (VIS) – The thousands of people who spent a
sleepless night in the main square of Buenos Aires, Plaza de Mayo, to watch
the Mass inaugurating former Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio's Petrine
ministry had a pleasant
surprise. At 7:32am Rome time—that is, 3:32am in Argentina—the
speakers placed outside the cathedral in the square began to carry the voice
of Pope Francis. He was calling, from the Vatican, to greet them.
As reported by the Argentine newspaper, Clarin, the Pope had called the cell
phone of one of his aides, Fr. Alejandro Russo, rector of the cathedral. From
the archdiocesan television centre they were then able to connect the call to
Plaza de Mayo, so
that the pontiff might say hello to his parishioners. Shortly afterwards, the
rector announced that he had a special surprise and those gathered began to
hear Francis' voice. “Dear sons and daughters, I know you have gathered
in the square. I know
that you are saying prayers, I need them very much. It is beautiful to pray
because we look to heaven and know that we have a good Father who is
God.”
A huge wave of applause greeted the Pope's words and he continued: “I
want to ask a favour of you. I want to ask for us to walk together, to care
for one another, for you to care for each other. Do not cause harm. Protect
life. Protect the family;
protect nature; protect the young; protect the elderly. Let there not be
hatred or fighting. Put aside envy.” And, in the city's slang, he added:
“No le saquen el cuero a nadie [literally, “don't flay or skin
anyone alive”, that
is, don't gossip, don't criticize one another]. Talk with one another so that
this desire to protect each other might grow in your hearts. And draw near to
God. God is good. He always forgives and understands. Do not be afraid of him.
Draw near to him
and may the Virgin bless you. May she, as a mother, protect you. Please do not
forget this bishop who is far away but who loves you very much. Pray for
me!”
“Through the intercession of Mary, ever Virgin, and each of your
guardian angels, the glorious patriarch St. Joseph, St. Therese of the Child
Jesus, and each of your protector saints, may God All-mighty, Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit, bless
you,” Francis concluded, imparting the papal blessing to all present
before closing the connection.
___________________________________________________________
POPE FRANCIS' RING
Vatican City, 19 March 2013 (VIS) – This is the history of the
Fisherman’s Ring that, beginning today, Pope Francis will wear on the
ring finger of his right hand.
Archbishop Pasquale Macchi, the personal secretary of Pope Paul VI, kept the
wax cast of the ring that had been designed for Paul VI by the Italian artist
Enrico Manfrini. (He also made several medals and other artistic objects for
Paul VI.) The ring
depicts St. Peter holding the keys. It was never cast into metal therefore
Paul VI never wore it. Instead, he always wore the ring that was commissioned
at the time of the Second Vatican Council.
When he passed away in 2006, the cast, along with other objects, was left by
Archbishop Macchi to Monsignor Ettore Malnati, who had worked closely with him
for many years. Msgr. Malnati made a ring of gold-plated silver from the wax
cast. This ring was
offered to Pope Francis, along with several other possible options, by the
Papal Master of Ceremonies, through the auspices of Cardinal Re. Pope Francis
chose it for his Ring of the Fisherman and it was bestowed upon him at this
morning's Mass of the
Inauguration of his Petrine Ministry.
___________________________________________________________
NOTICE
Vatican City, 19 March 2013 (VIS) – We inform our readers that Pope
Francis' papal coat of arms can be seen at our blogsite: http://
isnews-en.blogspot.it.
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