Following the Eucharistic celebration, the Pope transferred to Tel Aviv's Ben   
   Gurion airport for his return flight to Rome, departing at 7.15 p.m. and   
   arriving at Rome's Ciampino airport at 11 p.m.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    FRANCIS: TERRORISM IS BAD IN ITS ORIGINS AND ITS RESULTS   
    Vatican City, 27 May 2014 (VIS) - "I want to say, with great humility, that   
   terrorism is bad! It is bad in its origins and it is bad in its results. It is   
   bad because it is born of hate, and it is bad in its results because it does   
   not construct, it destroys! May all people understand that the path of   
   terrorism does not help. The way of terrorism is fundamentally criminal. I   
   pray for all these victims and for all victims of terrorism in the world.   
   Please, no more terrorism! It is a dead-end street".   
    These were the words spoken by Pope Francis yesterday, before the tomb   
   commemorating the victims of terrorism in Israel.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    THE POPE RETURNS TO THE VATICAN AND SPEAKS TO JOURNALISTS ON THE FLIGHT   
    Vatican City, 27 May 2014 (VIS) - At the end of his trip, during the flight   
   from Tel Aviv to Rome, Pope Francis spoke for over 40 minutes with the   
   journalists who accompanied him on the flight, answering their questions on   
   various issues linked not only to his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, but also in   
   relation to the abuse of minors, remarried divorcees, his upcoming trips,   
   priestly celibacy, and so on. Below is a summary of some of the Pope's answers.   
    The Holy Land and the prayer meeting in the Vatican with Shimon Peres and   
   Mahmoud Abbas.   
    The most authentic gestures are those that we don't think about, those that   
   come to us, aren't they? I thought about suggesting it during the trip, but   
   there were many logistical problems, because each one has to consider the   
   territory, and it's not easy. So I thought about a meeting, and at the end, I   
   came up with this invitation. It will be an encounter to pray, not for the   
   purposes of mediation. We will pray with the two presidents; prayer is   
   important, it helps. Afterwards, each person will return home. There would be   
   a rabbi, a Muslim, and myself.   
    Abuse of minors   
    At the moment there are three bishops under investigations: one has already   
   been found guilty and we are now considering the penalty to be imposed. There   
   are no privileges. ... A priest who does this betrays the Body of the Lord,   
   because this priest must lead this child, this boy, this girl, to sanctity,   
   and this boy or girl trusts in him; and instead of leading them to sanctity he   
   abuses them. This is very serious. It is like, by way of comparison, holding a   
   black Mass. You are supposed to lead them to sanctity and instead you lead   
   them to a problem that will last their entire lives. In a few days' time there   
   will be a Mass at the Domus Sanctae Marthae with some survivors of abuse, and   
   then a meeting with them. ... But we must move forward on this issue, with   
   zero tolerance!   
    Contradiction between the poor and austere Church and the financial scandals   
   within   
    The Gospel tells us that Lord Jesus once said to His disciples that it is   
   inevitable that there will be scandals, because we are human and we are   
   sinners. And there will be scandals. The key is trying to avoid that there are   
   more of them! Economic administration calls for honesty and transparency. The   
   two Commissions, the one which has studied the IOR and the Commission that has   
   studied the Vatican as whole, have reached their conclusions, and now the   
   ministry, the Secretariat for the economy directed by Cardinal Pell, will   
   carry out the reforms that the two Commissions have advised. ... For instance,   
   in the IOR I think that around 1,600 accounts have been closed, belonging to   
   people who were not entitled to hold an account at the IOR. The IOR exists to   
   help the Church, and accounts can be held by bishops, Vatican employees, and   
   their widows or widowers, to draw their pensions. ... But other private   
   individuals are not entitled to accounts. It is not open to all.   
    European elections   
    There is a key word: unemployment. This is a serious matter. It is serious   
   because I look at it this way, simplifying somewhat. We are in a global   
   economic system which places money at its centre, not the human person. A true   
   economic system should revolve around men and women, the human person. This   
   economic system we have today places money at the centre and to maintain its   
   equilibrium, it has to carry out various "waste" measures. Children are   
   discarded, as the low birth rates in Europe show, and the elderly are   
   abandoned.   
    Stable and lasting peace in Jerusalem   
    The Catholic Church has established its position from a religious point of   
   view: it will be the city of peace for the three religions. The concrete   
   measures for peace must come from negotiations. I agree that from the   
   negotiations perhaps it will emerge that it will be the capital of one State   
   or another, it would be madness on my part. But these are hypotheses, and I do   
   not consider myself competent to say that we should do one thing or another. I   
   believe that it is necessary to negotiate with honesty, fraternity and great   
   trust in the path of negotiation. It takes courage to do this, and I pray that   
   these two leaders, these two governments will have the courage to take this   
   path. It is the only route to peace.   
    Priestly celibacy   
    The Catholic Church has married priests - Greek Catholics, Coptic Catholics,   
   those of oriental rites. Celibacy is not a question of dogma, but rather a   
   rule of life that I greatly appreciate, as I believe it is a gift for the   
   Church. But, since it is not a dogma of faith, the door is always open.   
    Relations with the Orthodox Churches   
    Patriarch Bartholomew and I spoke about the unity we create as we walk   
   together. Unity cannot be created in a congress on theology. He confirmed that   
   Athenagoras said to Paul VI: "We go ahead together, calmly, and put all the   
   theologians together on an island where they can discuss among themselves, and   
   we walk ahead in life!". There are many things we can do to help each other.   
   For instance, with the Churches. In Rome, as in many cities, many Orthodox go   
   to Catholic churches. Another thing we mentioned, that may be considered in   
   the pan-orthodox Council, is the date of Easter, because it is somewhat   
   ridiculous to say, "When is your Christ resurrected? Mine was resurrected last   
   week". Yes, the date of Easter is a sign of unity. ... We also spoke a lot on   
   the problems of ecology, and the need to work together on this issue.   
    Forthcoming trips and the problems faced by Christians in Asia   
    With regard to Asia, two trips are planned: the one to South Korea, for the   
   meeting of young Asians, and then, next January, a two-day trip to Sri Lanka   
   and then on to the Philippines, to the area affected by the typhoon. The   
   problem of the lack of freedom of worship affects not only certain Asian   
   countries, but also other countries in the world. Religious freedom is   
   something that not all countries have. Some have a certain level of control   
   ... others adopt measures that lead to a real persecution of believers. There   
   are martyrs! There are martyrs in our times, Christian martyrs, both Catholic   
   and non-Catholic. There are places where it is forbidden to wear a crucifix or   
   to possess a Bible; where it is forbidden to teach the catechism to children.   
    Abdication from the pontificate in the case of failing strength and the issue   
   of Popes emeritus   
    I will do what the Lord tells me to do: pray, and seek God's will. But I   
   think that Benedict XVI is not a unique case. It happened because he no longer   
   had the strength and in an honest way - he is a man of faith, and humble - he   
   took this decision. Seventy years ago bishops emeritus barely existed, whereas   
   now there are many. What will happen to Popes emeritus? I think that we must   
   look to him as an institution. He has opened a door, the door of Popes   
   emeritus. Will there be others? Only God knows. But this door is open, and I   
   think that a bishop of Rome, a Pope who feels that his strength is declining -   
   because we live much longer now - must ask himself the same questions that   
   Pope Benedict faced.   
    Beatification of Pius XII   
    The cause for Pius XII is open. However, there has been no miracle, and if   
   there are no miracles it is not yet possible to go ahead.   
    Synod on the family and remarried divorcees   
    The Synod in October will be on the family and the problems it faces; its   
   riches and its current situation. I do not like the fact that many people,   
   even within the Church, have said that it will be the Synod about remarried   
   divorcees, as if it could simply be reduced to a case study: can they receive   
   communion or not? The issue is much broader. Today, as we all know, the family   
   is in crisis, and it is a global crisis. Young people no longer want to get   
   married, or prefer simply to live together; marriage is in crisis, and   
   therefore the family is too. The problem of family pastoral care is very   
   broad. Pope Benedict said something about the family three times: it is   
   necessary to study the faith with which a person approaches marriage and   
   clarify that divorcees are not excommunicated, and very often they are treated   
   as if they are.   
    Reform of the Roman Curia   
    The council of eight cardinals is studying the constitution "Pastor bonus"   
   and the Roman Curia. It has consulted many people and with the Curia and is   
   still studying certain issues, such as bringing together various dicasteries   
   to streamline organisation. One of the key points is the economy, and it is   
   therefore necessary to work in collaboration with the secretary of State. ...   
   The obstacles are those one encounters in any process of this type. Planning   
   the approach, the work of persuasion is very important. There are some people   
   who do not see this clearly, but any reform involves these things. But I am   
   content, in truth.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    HOLY FATHER'S CALENDAR FOR JUNE TO AUGUST 2014   
    Vatican City, 27 May 2014 (VIS) - The Office of Liturgical Celebrations of   
   the Supreme Pontiff has published the following calendar of liturgical   
   celebrations over which the Holy Father will preside from September to   
   November:   
    JUNE   
    Sunday, 8: Pentecost. At 10 a.m., Holy Mass in the Papal Chapel of the   
   Vatican Basilica.   
    Thursday, 12: At 10 a.m. in the Consistory Hall, Consistory for various   
   causes of canonisation.   
    Thursday, 19: Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. At 7 p.m.,   
   St. John Lateran, Holy Mass in the Papal Chapel. Procession to St. Mary Major   
   and Eucharistic blessing.   
    Saturday 21: Pastoral visit to Cassano all'Jonio.   
    Sunday 29: Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul. At 9.30 a.m., in the Papal   
   Chapel: Holy Mass and imposition of the pallium on the new metropolitan   
   archbishops.   
    JULY   
    Saturday, 5: Pastoral visit to Campobasso and Isernia.   
    AUGUST   
    Wednesday, 13. Apostolic trip to the Republic of Korea for the Sixth Asian   
   Youth Day.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS   
    Vatican City, 27 May 2014 (VIS) - The Holy Father has:   
    - accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary of the archdiocese of   
   Lodz, Poland, presented by Bishop Adam Lepa, upon reaching the age limit.   
    - accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary of the archdiocese of   
   Washington, U.S.A., presented by Bishop Francisco Gonzalez Valer, S.F., upon   
   reaching the age limit.   
    - gave his assent to the election by the Synod of Bishops of the   
   Greek-Catholic Ukrainian Church of Fr. Yosafat Moshchych as auxiliary of the   
   archieparchy of Ivano-Frankivsk of the Ukrainians, Ukraine. The bishop-elect   
   was born in Stariy Rozdil, Ukraine in 1976 and was ordained a priest in 1999.   
   He holds a licentiate in moral theology from the Alphonsianum Academy, Rome,   
   and has served as Superior General of the missionary congregation of St.   
   Andrew the Apostle. He is currently "sincellus" for laical aggregations in the   
   archieparchy of Ivano-Frankivsk of the Ukrainians, Ukraine.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
   For more information and to search for documents refer to the site:   
   www.visnews.org and www.vatican.va   
      
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