VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE   
   YEAR XXII - # 151   
   DATE 10-09-2014   
      
   Summary:   
   - GENERAL AUDIENCE: MERCY IS ESSENTIAL   
   - MAY THE LORD REWARD AND GIVE COURAGE TO CHRISTIANS IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND   
   SYRIA   
   - CARDINAL MULLER TO TAKE POSSESSION OF HIS DIACONATE   
   - OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    GENERAL AUDIENCE: MERCY IS ESSENTIAL   
    Vatican City, 10 September 2014 (VIS) - A special aspect of the "maternity"   
   of the Church is education through mercy, and this was the subject of the Holy   
   Father's catechesis during this Wednesday's general audience in St. Peter's   
   Square.   
    Like a good mother and educator, the Church focuses on the essential, and the   
   essential, according to the Gospel, is mercy, as Jesus clearly tells his   
   disciples: "Be merciful, just as your father is". "Is it possible for a   
   Christian not to be merciful?" asked Pope Francis. "No. The Christian must   
   necessarily be merciful, because this is at the centre of the Gospel. And so   
   the Church behaves like Jesus. She does not give theoretical lessons on love   
   or on mercy. She does not spread throughout the world a philosophy or a path   
   to wisdom. Certainly, Christianity is all of this too", the Pope remarked,   
   "but as a consequence, a reflection. The mother Church, like Jesus, teaches by   
   example, and words serve to cast light on the meaning of her gestures".   
    Therefore, "the Mother Church teaches us to give food and drink to those who   
   hunger and thirst, and to clothe those who are naked. And how does she do   
   this? She does it through the example of many saints who have done it in an   
   exemplary fashion, but she also does it through the example of many fathers   
   and mothers, who teach their children that what we have left over is for those   
   who are in need of basic necessities. In the most humble Christian families,   
   the rule of hospitality is always sacred: there is always a dish of food and a   
   place to sleep for those in need". And to those who say they have nothing to   
   spare, Francis gave the example of a family in his former diocese who shared   
   half of what they had to eat with a poor man who knocked at their door.   
   "Learning to share what we have is important".   
    The mother Church teaches us to be close to those who are sick. Like the   
   saints who have served Jesus in this way, there are many people who practise   
   this work of mercy every day in hospitals, rest homes, or in their own homes,   
   providing assistance for the sick.   
    The mother Church also teaches us to be close to those who are imprisoned.   
   "'But Father', some will say, 'This is dangerous. These are bad people'.   
   Listen carefully: any one of us is capable of doing what these men and women   
   in prison have done. We all sin and make mistakes in life. They are not worse   
   than you or me. Mercy overcomes any wall or barrier, and leads us always to   
   seek the face of the human being. And it is mercy that changes hearts and   
   lives, that is able to regenerate a person or enable him to be newly   
   reintegrated in society".   
    "The mother Church teaches us to be close to those who have been abandoned   
   and who die lonely. This is what Mother Teresa did in the streets of Calcutta   
   and it is what many Christians, those who are not afraid to take the hand of   
   those who are about to leave this world, have done and continue to do. And   
   here too, mercy offers peace to those who depart and to those who remain,   
   making us aware that God is greater than death, and that by staying with Him,   
   even the final separation is only 'until we meet again'".   
    "The Church is a mother", he continued, "teaching her children the works of   
   mercy. She has learned this path from Jesus; she has learned that this is   
   essential for salvation. It is not enough to love those who love us. It is not   
   enough to do good to those who do good to us in return. To change the world   
   for the better is it necessary to do good to those who are not able to do the   
   same for us, as our Father did for us, in giving us Jesus. How much have we   
   paid for our redemption? Nothing. It was all free. Doing good without   
   expecting anything in return - this is what our Father did for us and what we   
   too must do". For this reason, he concluded, "let us give thanks to the Lord,   
   who has given us the grace of having the Church as a mother who teaches us the   
   way of mercy, the way of life".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    MAY THE LORD REWARD AND GIVE COURAGE TO CHRISTIANS IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND   
   SYRIA   
    Vatican City, 10 September 2014 (VIS) - In his greetings in various languages   
   following the catechesis of today's general audience, the Pope addressed,   
   among others, the Arab-speaking faithful and in particular those from Syria   
   and the Middle East, to remind them that the Church, following the example of   
   her Master, excels in mercy: "she faces hatred with love, vanquishes violence   
   with forgiveness, and responds to weapons with prayer".   
    He added, "May the Lord reward your faithfulness, inspire you with courage in   
   the struggle against the forces of evil, and open the eyes of those who have   
   been blinded by evil, so that they may soon see the light of truth and repent   
   for the mistakes they have made. May the Lord bless you and protect you   
   always".   
    He also greeted the officers and members of the Italian naval forces who   
   participate in the operation "Mare Nostrum", assisting migrants and refugees   
   who attempt to cross the Mediterranean. "I give thanks for your admirable work   
   in the aid of so many of our brethren in search of hope", he said.   
    Before the general audience in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall, the Holy Father   
   greeted a group of sick people, mostly children, who were not able to attend   
   the audience in St. Peter's Square. He thanked them all for their visit and   
   asked them to pray for him. "I ask you to pray for me. Don't forget! Pray so   
   that I can continue my work. I will pray for all of you and for the children.   
   And so, together, let us pray to the Virgin to bless us", he exclaimed. After   
   praying a Hail Mary with those present, Francis wished them a good day and   
   encouraged them to persevere with hope.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    CARDINAL MULLER TO TAKE POSSESSION OF HIS DIACONATE   
    Vatican City, 10 September 2014 (VIS) - The Office of Liturgical Celebrations   
   of the Supreme Pontiff today announced that this coming Sunday, 14 September,   
   at 12.15 p.m., Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Muller, prefect of the Congregation for   
   the Doctrine of the Faith, will take possession of the diaconate of   
   Sant'Agnese in Agone, Via di Santa Maria dell'Anima, 30/A.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS   
    Vatican City, 10 September 2014 (VIS) - The Holy Father has appointed:   
    - Archbishop Luigi Bianco, apostolic nuncio in Ethiopia, as apostolic nuncio   
   in Djibouti and apostolic delegate in Somalia.   
    - Rev. Fr. Robert J. Geisinger, S.J., (U.S.A.), as procurer general of the   
   Society of Jesus.   
    - Msgr. Robert W. Oliver of the clergy of the archdiocese of Boston, as   
   secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. Msgr.   
   Oliver was formerly promoter of justice of the Congregation for the Doctrine   
   of the Faith.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
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