"All of us want peace!" he exclaimed. "But as we observe this tragic   
   conflict, seeing these wounds, seeing so many people who have left their   
   homeland, forced to do so, I ask myself: who is selling arms to these people   
   to make war? Behold the root of evil! Hatred and financial greed in the   
   manufacturing and sale of arms. This should make us think about who is   
   responsible for this situation, for providing arms to those in conflict and   
   thereby sustaining such conflict. Let us think about this and with sincere   
   hearts let us call upon these poor criminals to change their ways".   
    Francis thanked the Jordanian authorities and people for "the generous   
   welcome they have extended to the immense number of refugees from Syria and   
   Iraq. I also thank all those who offer them assistance and solidarity. I think   
   too of the charitable work undertaken by Church institutions such as Caritas   
   Jordan and others, who assist the needy regardless of their religious beliefs,   
   ethnic origin or politics; in this way they reveal the radiant face of Jesus,   
   full of kindness and love. May the Almighty and Merciful God bless all of you   
   and every effort you make to alleviate the sufferings caused by war".   
    "I urge the international community not to leave Jordan, so welcoming and   
   courageous, alone in the task of meeting the humanitarian emergency caused by   
   the arrival of so great a number of refugees, but to continue and even   
   increase its support and assistance. And I renew my heartfelt appeal for peace   
   in Syria. May the violence cease and may humanitarian law be respected, thus   
   ensuring much needed assistance to those who are suffering. May all parties   
   abandon the attempt to resolve issues by the use of arms and return to   
   negotiations. A solution will only be found through dialogue and restraint,   
   through compassion for those who suffer, through the search for a political   
   solution and through a sense of fraternal responsibility".   
    "Dear young people, I ask you to join me in praying for peace. You can do   
   this by offering your daily efforts and struggles to God; in this way your   
   prayer will become particularly precious and effective. I also encourage you   
   to assist, through your generosity and sensitivity, in building a society   
   which is respectful of the vulnerable, the sick, children and the elderly.   
   Despite your difficulties in life, you are a sign of hope. You have a place in   
   God's heart and in my prayers. I am grateful that so many of you are here, and   
   for your warmth and enthusiasm".   
    Finally, he added, "As our meeting concludes, I pray once more that reason   
   and restraint will prevail and that, with the help of the international   
   community, Syria will rediscover the path of peace. May God change the hearts   
   of those who seek war. May God change the hearts of those who manufacture and   
   sell arms, and may he strengthen the hearts and minds of peacemakers and grant   
   them every blessing".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    MESS IN AMMAN: MAY THE HOLY SPIRIT PREPARE US FOR ENCOUNTER DESPITE DIFFERENT   
   IDEAS, LANGUAGES, CULTURES OR RELIGIONS   
    Vatican City, 24 May 2014 (VIS) - Following his meeting with the Jordanian   
   authorities, the Pope transferred by car to the International Stadium in   
   Amman, which forms part of the "Al Husseini" sports complex, the construction   
   of which was initiated by King Hussein. The stadium, in which Benedict XVI   
   celebrated mass in 2009 during his apostolic trip to the Holy Land, holds more   
   than 25,000 people and several thousand were able to follow the event   
   broadcast on maxi-screens installed outside. Numerous Christian refugees in   
   Jordan, originally from Palestine, Syria and Iraq, participated in the   
   Eucharist presided by Pope Francis, during which 1,400 children received their   
   first Communion.   
    Pope Francis began his homily by commenting, "We are not far from where the   
   Holy Spirit descended with power on Jesus of Nazareth after his baptism by   
   John in the River Jordan, and today I will go there". He continued, "Today's   
   Gospel and this place to which, by God's grace, I have come as a pilgrim,   
   invite us to meditate on the Holy Spirit and on all that he has brought about   
   in Christ and in us. In a word, we can say that the Holy Spirit carries out   
   three actions - he prepares, he anoints and he sends".   
    He explained, "At the baptism, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus to   
   prepare him for his mission of salvation. ... Yet the Holy Spirit, present   
   from the beginning of salvation history, had already been at work in Jesus   
   from the moment of his conception in the virginal womb of Mary of Nazareth ...   
   and acted in Simeon and Anna on the day of the presentation of Jesus in the   
   Temple. ... They gave prophetic expression to the joy of encountering the   
   Redeemer and, in a certain sense, served as a preparation for the encounter   
   between the Messiah and the people. These various works of the Holy Spirit are   
   part of a harmonious action, a sole divine plan of love. The mission of the   
   Holy Spirit, in fact, is to beget harmony - he is himself harmony - and to   
   create peace in different situations and between different people. Diversity   
   of ideas and persons should not trigger rejection or prove an obstacle, for   
   variety always enriches. So today, with fervent hearts, we invoke the Holy   
   Spirit and ask him to prepare the path to peace and unity".   
    Secondly, "the Holy Spirit also anoints. He anointed Jesus inwardly and he   
   anoints his disciples, so that they can have the mind of Christ and thus be   
   disposed to live lives of peace and communion. Through the anointing of the   
   Spirit, our human nature is sealed with the holiness of Jesus Christ and we   
   are enabled to love our brothers and sisters with the same love which God has   
   for us. We ought, therefore, to show concrete signs of humility, fraternity,   
   forgiveness and reconciliation. These signs are the prerequisite of a true,   
   stable and lasting peace. Let us ask the Father to anoint us so that we may   
   fully become his children, ever more conformed to Christ, and may learn to see   
   one another as brothers and sisters. Thus, by putting aside our grievances and   
   divisions, we can show fraternal love for one another".   
    Finally, the Holy Spirit sends. "Jesus is the one who is sent forth, filled   
   with the Spirit of the Father. Anointed by the same Spirit, we also are sent   
   as messengers and witnesses of peace. The world has much need of us as   
   messengers of peace, witnesses of peace! The world needs this. The world asks   
   us to bring peace and to be a sign of peace! Peace is not something which can   
   be bought or sold; it is a gift to be sought patiently and to be 'crafted'   
   through the actions, great and small, of our everyday lives. The way of peace   
   is strengthened if we realise that we all of the same stock and members of the   
   one human family; if we never forget that we have the same heavenly Father and   
   are all his children, made in his image and likeness".   
    "It is in this spirit that I embrace all of you: the Patriarch, my brother   
   bishops and priests, the consecrated men and women, the lay faithful, and the   
   many children who today make their First Holy Communion, together with their   
   families. I also embrace with affection the many Christian refugees; let us   
   all earnestly turn our attention to them, to the many Christian refugees from   
   Palestine, Syria and Iraq; please bring my greeting to your families and   
   communities, and assure them of my closeness".   
    "The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus in the Jordan and thus inaugurated his   
   work of redemption to free the world from sin and death". The Holy Father   
   concluded. "Let us ask the Spirit to prepare our hearts to encounter our   
   brothers and sisters, so that we may overcome our differences rooted in   
   political thinking, language, culture and religion. Let us ask him to anoint   
   our whole being with the oil of his mercy, which heals the injuries caused by   
   mistakes, misunderstandings and disputes. And let us ask him for the grace to   
   send us forth, in humility and meekness, along the demanding but enriching   
   path of seeking peace".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    "VATICAN.VA" AVAILABLE IN ARABIC   
    Vatican City, 25 May 2014 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office announced   
   yesterday, Saturday 24 May, that as a gift from the Holy Father to the   
   Arabic-speaking faithful, "vatican.va" will be available in Arabic. This   
   includes the website   
   www.vatican.va, the site for mobile devices, widgets, and the application   
   vatican.va for Android and Apple, and for mobile devices and tablets.   
   Documents translated into Arabic will gradually be added to the site.   
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
   For more information and to search for documents refer to the site:   
   www.visnews.org and www.vatican.va   
      
   Copyright (VIS):  the news contained in the services of the Vatican   
   Information Service may be reproduced wholly or partially by quoting   
   the source:  V. I. S. - Vatican Information Service.   
   http://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/vis/vis_en.html   
      
   --- MPost/386 v1.21   
    * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)