He went on to affirm that the Church, "missionary by nature, has as her   
   fundamental prerogative the service of charity to all"; and that "fraternity   
   and solidarity are natural to her life and her mission in and for the world".   
   Evangelisation "must reach out to all, beginning with the least among us, the   
   poor, those whose backs are bent by the weight and weariness of life. In so   
   doing the Church continues the mission of Christ Himself".   
    The Church is "the population of the beatitudes, the house of the poor, of   
   the afflicted, of the excluded and the persecuted, of those who hunger and   
   thirst for justice", he continued, emphasising that the representatives of the   
   Pontifical Mission Societies are called upon to work so that ecclesial   
   communities may know how to "welcome the poor with preferential love, keeping   
   the doors of the Church open so that all may enter and find refuge".   
    The Pontifical Mission Societies are "the special tool that focuses on and   
   takes special care of the 'missio ad gentes', and the Pope urges the members   
   to "promote missionary co-responsibility", as there is a great need for   
   priests, consecrated persons and lay faithful who, "seized by Christ's love,   
   are set ablaze with passion for the Kingdom of God and willing to set out on   
   the path of evangelisation".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    BISHOPS OF ETHIOPIA AND ERITREA: YOUR EFFORTS TO ALLEVIATE THE SUFFERING OF   
   YOUR PEOPLE BEAR WITNESS TO GOD'S LOVE   
    Vatican City, 9 May 2014 (VIS) - "Your visit provides an opportunity for us   
   to reflect together on the life of the Church in Ethiopia and Eritrea and to   
   discuss the joys and challenges which you face daily", writes the Pope in his   
   text addressed to the prelates of the Bishops' Conference of the two   
   countries, at the end of their "ad limina" visit. "Though you are from   
   different countries and belong to different rites, each with its own   
   particular richness, your mission in service of Christ and his Church is the   
   same: to proclaim the Gospel and to build up the faithful in holiness, unity   
   and charity. When that mission is exercised in collaboration and mutual   
   support, the Church, united in the Spirit, breathes with the two lungs of East   
   and West and burns with love for Christ".   
    Pope Francis comments that in our times, "we require again this missionary   
   spirit to announce the saving message of new life in Christ to all of society,   
   not only to those who do not know him, but also to the faithful, so they may   
   hear once more the freshness of the Gospel and be encouraged to find ever new   
   and creative ways to live and celebrate their faith".   
    He encourages the prelates to be "good and generous fathers to your priests,   
   present to them and attentive to their human and spiritual needs, and their   
   ongoing formation in the priesthood". He continued, "If they are to be holy   
   and effective heralds of the Gospel, it is essential that they themselves be   
   constantly evangelised anew. This should first take place in the seminary   
   through integral human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral formation."   
    He also mentions the support of the "many men and women religious who, for   
   many generations, have generously cooperated in building up your local   
   communities, reflecting the merciful face of Christ and assisting your   
   Churches in living out the Gospel". The Holy Father asks the bishops to   
   "encourage and support their continued efforts to serve the spiritual and   
   material needs of the people of Ethiopia and Eritrea today".   
    The Holy Father emphasises that "the work of evangelisation is not reserved   
   to the clergy or religious, but is the competence of all the Christian   
   faithful", and it is therefore "important to continue to identify and prepare   
   qualified lay leaders to assist in forming the faithful and thus make present   
   'the fragrance of Christ's closeness and his personal gaze'".   
    "Many years of conflict and continuing tensions, in addition to widespread   
   poverty and drought conditions, have brought great suffering to the people" he   
   continues, thanking the bishops for the "generous social programmes which,   
   inspired by the Gospel, you provide in collaboration with various religious,   
   charitable and governmental agencies, aimed at alleviating this suffering". He   
   mentions, in particular, "the many children you serve who experience hunger   
   and who have been orphaned because of violence and poverty" and "the young   
   people who like so many of their friends and family would otherwise flee their   
   homeland in search of greater opportunities, and risk losing their lives   
   during dangerous journeys", as well as "the many elderly who could so easily   
   be forgotten in the midst of such hardships".   
    "Your efforts on their behalf, which give such a powerful witness to the love   
   of God in your midst, are an extraordinary grace for the people. In your   
   loving concern for the poor and downtrodden, may you continue to seek new   
   opportunities to cooperate with civil authorities in advancing the common   
   good", he concludes.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    CARDINAL TAURAN IN JORDAN   
    Vatican City, 9 May 2014 (VIS) - Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the   
   Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, accompanied by the secretary   
   of the same dicastery, Fr. Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot, will travel to Amman,   
   Jordan on 12 May to participate in a seminar on religion and violence at the   
   Petra University of Amman, intended to promote interreligious dialogue. The   
   Cardinal will speak during the section dedicated to religion. On 13 and 14 May   
   the Holy See delegation will take part in the third conference organised by   
   the Pontifical Council in collaboration with the Royal Institute for   
   Interfaith Studies, "Meeting Current Challenges Through Education". The work   
   will begin with discourses from His Royal Highness the Prince El Hassan Bin   
   Talal and Cardinal Tauran, and will conclude with a joint declaration.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    AUDIENCES   
    Vatican City, 9 May 2014 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father received in audience:   
    - Eight prelates of the Bishops' Conference of Ethiopia and Eritrea on their   
   "ad limina" visit:   
    Bishop Angelo Moreschi, S.D.B., apostolic vicar of Gambella;   
    Bishop Woldetensae Ghebreghiorghis, O.F.M. Cap., apostolic vicar of Harar;   
    Bishop Woldeghiorghis Matheos, apostolic vicar of Hosanna;   
    Bishop Markos Gebremedhin, C.M., apostolic vicar of Jimma-Bonga;   
    Bishop Abraham Desta, apostolic vicar of Meki;   
    Bishop Varghese Thottamkara, C.M., apostolic vicar of Nekemte;   
    Bishop Tsegaye Keneni Derera, apostolic vicar of Soddo;   
    Fr. Angelo Antonini, O.F.M. Cap., apostolic prefect of Robe.   
    - Archbishop Jose Luis Escobar Alas of San Salvador, president of the   
   Episcopal Conference of El Salvador, and entourage.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
   For more information and to search for documents refer to the site:   
   www.visnews.org and www.vatican.va   
      
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