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POPE VISITS MISSIONARIES OF CHARITY, REAFFIRMS VALUE OF SOLIDARITY
Vatican City, 22 May 2013 (VIS) – “My presence here this
afternoon represents, first of all, a heartfelt 'thank you' to the
Missionaries of Charity founded by Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, who have worked
here for 25 years, with many
volunteers, for the many people who are in need of assistance. Thank you! All
of you make the Church's love for the poor visible … and with your
daily
Subject: VISnews130522
From: Vatican Information Service - Eng - txt
service you are—as the Psalm says—'You open wide your hand and
satisfy the desire
of every living thing'. … How many people have you fed in these years;
how many wounded, above all wounded spiritually, have you cared for!”
With these words Pope Francis addressed the missionaries, volunteers, and
residents in the Gift of Mary Hospitality House located within Vatican City,
just outside St. Peter's Square. He visited the community yesterday, Tuesday
21 May, at around
5:30pm in the afternoon, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Blessed John
Paul II's placing the house under the care of Blessed Mother Teresa of
Calcutta. The Pope was welcomed by Cardinal Angelo Comastri, vicar general of
His Holiness for Vatican
City, and the Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity, Sr. Mary Prema
Pierick, M.C., and the sisters placed a garland of flowers around the
pontiff's neck, in a gesture from Hindu tradition. The house accommodates
around 25 women and feeds
around 60 people on a daily basis.
In his brief speech to the community, the Pope focused on three words:
house, gift, and Mary.
“This structure, built and inaugurated by Blessed John Paul
II,” he said, “… is a 'home'. And when we say 'home', we
mean a place of welcome … where you can feel good, re-find yourself,
feel part of … a
community. Even more profoundly, 'home' is a word with a typically familial
flavour that recalls the warmth, affection, and love that can be felt in a
family. A 'home' thus represents the most precious human wealth, that of
encounter, that of the
relationships between persons of different ages, cultures, and histories, but
who live together and who, together, help one another to grow. … And
that is what this house has sought to be for 25 years! At the border between
the Vatican and Italy,
it is a powerful reminder to all of us—to the Church, to the city of
Rome—to always be more of a family, a 'home' in which we are open to
welcome, to attention, and to
fraternity.”
“Then there is a second very important word, 'gift', which qualifies
this house and defines it typical identity. … I mean that this house
gives welcome, material and spiritual support to you, dear guests, coming from
various parts of the
world. But you also are a gift for this house and for the Church. You tell us
that loving God and our neighbour is not something abstract but profoundly
concrete. It means seeing in every person the face of the Lord to serve and
serving him concretely.
… Here is lived a an open hospitality, regardless of one's nationality
or religion, according to Jesus' teaching: 'Without cost you have received;
without cost you are to give.' We must recover the entire sense of gift, of
gratuity and
solidarity. A savage capitalism has taught the logic of profit at any cost,
give in order to get, exploitation without looking at persons …. and we
see the results in the crisis we are living through!
This house is a place that teaches charity, a 'school' of charity, that
teaches us to go out to every person, not for profit, but out of
love.”
“Finally, there is one more feature of this house: it is qualified as
a gift 'of Mary'. … Mary is an example and an inspiration for those who
live in this house, and for all of us, to live charity towards our neighbour,
not out of a type
of social duty, but starting from God's love, from God's charity. …
Mary is the one who leads us to Jesus and who teaches us how to go out from
Jesus … For us Christians, love for one's neighbour is born from the
love of God and is the
clearest expression of it. Here you seek to love your neighbour, but also to
let yourselves be loved by them. These two attitudes go hand in hand. There
cannot be one without the other.”
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POPE'S TELEGRAM FOR OKLAHOMA CATASTROPHE
Vatican City, 22 May 2013 (VIS) – Yesterday afternoon, the Holy
Father sent a message, through Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone,
S.D.B., to Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, for the
tornado that devastated
the city and suburbs, causing numerous victims and wounded on Monday, 20
May.
“The Holy Father,” reads the text, “has followed with
deep concern the aftermath of the devastating tornado which has struck
Oklahoma and he asks you convey to the entire community the assurance of his
solidarity and closeness in
prayer. Conscious of the tragic loss of life and the immensity of the work of
rebuilding that lies ahead, he asks Almighty God to grant eternal rest to the
departed, comfort to the afflicted, and strength and hope to the homeless and
the injured. In a
particular way he commends to the Father of mercies the many young children
among the victims and their grieving families. Upon the local civil and
religious leaders, and upon all involved in the relief efforts, His Holiness
invokes the Risen
Lord’s gifts of consolation, strength, and perseverance in every
good.”
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AUDIENCE
Vatican City, 22 May 2013 (VIS) – After this morning's general
audience, the Holy Father received the President of the Republic of Benin, Dr.
Thomas Yayi Boni, in the study adjoining the Paul VI Audience Hall.
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