As the Council stated, the Church's role is to ensure that each member of the   
   faithful shall be led in the Holy Spirit to the full development of his own   
   vocation in accordance with Gospel preaching, and to sincere and active   
   charity' and to exercise that liberty with which Christ has set us free. It is   
   through us, Pope Benedict continues, that the Lord reaches souls, instructs,   
   guards and guides them. St Augustine, in his Commentary on the Gospel of St   
   John, says: let it therefore be a commitment of love to feed the flock of the   
   Lord; this is the supreme rule of conduct for the ministers of God, an   
   unconditional love, like that of the Good Shepherd, full of joy, given to all,   
   attentive to those close to us and solicitous for those who are distant,   
   gentle towards the weakest, the little ones, the simple, the sinners, to   
   manifest the infinite mercy of God with the reassuring words of hope.   
    Therefore, said the Pontiff, the Church is Christ's - she is His bride - and   
   all the bishops, in communion with the Successor of Peter, have the task and   
   the duty of guarding her and serving her, not as masters but as servants. The   
   Pope, in this context, is not the supreme lord but rather the supreme servant   
   - "Il servus servorum Dei", the guarantor of the obedience and the conformity   
   of the Church to the will of God, to the Gospel of Christ, and to the   
   Tradition of the Church, setting aside every personal whim, despite being - by   
   the will of Christ Himself - the supreme Pastor and Teacher of all the   
   faithful and despite enjoying supreme, full, immediate, and universal ordinary   
   power in the Church.   
    Finally, Francis reminded those present that there remains a year before the   
   next Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in which to develop,   
   with true spiritual discernment, the ideas that have been proposed, and to   
   find concrete solutions to many difficulties and innumerable challenges that   
   families must confront; to give answers to the many discouragements that   
   surround and suffocate families. There is a year to work on the "Relatio   
   Synodi", the faithful and clear summary of everything that has been said and   
   discussed in this hall and in the small groups. He concluded by asking the   
   Lord to accompany and guide all the participants in the Synod in their journey.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Audience with the Prime Minister of Vietnam: important step in relations with   
   the Holy See   
    Vatican City, 18 October 2014 (VIS) - Today His Holiness Pope Francis   
   received in audience the prime minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,   
   Nguyen Tan Dung, who subsequently met with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro   
   Parolin, accompanied by Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations   
   with States.   
    In the course of the cordial conversations, the Parties expressed their   
   satisfaction at today's meeting, which marks an important step in the process   
   of strengthening bilateral relations between the Holy See and Vietnam, this   
   being the second visit of Prime Minister Dung to the Vatican, following that   
   of 2007. The Church's commitment to contributing to the development of the   
   country, thanks to its presence in various areas which benefit society as a   
   whole, was highlighted. In this context, sincere appreciation was expressed   
   for the support given by the Authorities to the Catholic community in keeping   
   with the developments sanctioned by the Constitution of 2013 with regard to   
   religious policy, as well as for the assistance given to the non-resident   
   Papal Representative of the Holy See to Vietnam in the discharge of his   
   mission, which is aimed at promoting relations between Church and State with a   
   view also to the common objective of diplomatic relations. The Parties then   
   discussed some issues which, it is hoped, will be further examined and   
   resolved through the existing channels of dialogue.   
    Finally, there was an exchange of views on some current regional and   
   international issues, with particular reference to initiatives aimed at   
   promoting peace and stability in the Asian continent.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Christians and Hindus: together to foster a culture of inclusion   
    Vatican City, 20 October 2014 (VIS) - "Christians and Hindus: together to   
   foster a culture of inclusion" is the theme of the Message addressed to   
   followers of Hinduism by Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the   
   Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, on the occasion of Deepavali,   
   the festival of lights, to be celebrated on 23 October this year. The document   
   was co-authored by Fr. Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot, M.C.C.J., secretary of the   
   same dicastery.   
    "It is true that globalisation has opened many new frontiers and provided   
   fresh opportunities to develop, among other things, better educational and   
   healthcare facilities", according to the text. "It has ushered in a greater   
   awareness of democracy and social justice in the world, and our planet has   
   truly become a 'global village' due in large part to modern means of   
   communication and transportation. It can also be said, however, that   
   globalisation has not achieved its primary objective of integrating local   
   peoples into the global community. Rather, globalisation has contributed   
   significantly to many peoples losing their sociocultural, economic and   
   political identities".   
    "The negative effects of globalisation have also had an impact on religious   
   communities throughout the world since they are intimately related to   
   surrounding cultures. In fact, globalisation has contributed to the   
   fragmentation of society and to an increase in relativism and syncretism in   
   religious matters, as well as bringing about a privatisation of religion.   
   Religious fundamentalism and ethnic, tribal and sectarian violence in   
   different parts of the world today are largely manifestations of the   
   discontent, uncertainty and insecurity among peoples, particularly the poor   
   and marginalised who have been excluded from the benefits of globalisation".   
    "The negative consequences of globalisation, such as widespread materialism   
   and consumerism, moreover, have made people more self-absorbed, power-hungry   
   and indifferent to the rights, needs and sufferings of others. This, in the   
   words of Pope Francis, has led to a globalisation of indifference which makes   
   us slowly inured to the suffering of others and closed in on ourselves. Such   
   indifference gives rise to a 'culture of exclusion' in which the poor,   
   marginalised and vulnerable are denied their rights, as well as the   
   opportunities and resources that are available to other members of society.   
   They are treated as insignificant, dispensable, burdensome, unnecessary, to be   
   used and even discarded like objects. In various ways, the exploitation of   
   children and women, the neglect of the elderly, sick, differently-abled,   
   migrants and refugees, and the persecution of minorities are sure indicators   
   of this culture of exclusion".   
    "Nurturing a culture of inclusion thus becomes a common call and a shared   
   responsibility, which must be urgently undertaken. It is a project involving   
   those who care for the health and survival of the human family here on earth   
   and which needs to be carried out amidst, and in spite of, the forces that   
   perpetuate the culture of exclusion".   
    "As people grounded in our own respective religious traditions and with   
   shared convictions, may we, Hindus and Christians, join together with   
   followers of other religions and with people of good will to foster a culture   
   of inclusion for a just and peaceful society".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Audiences   
    Vatican City, 20 October 2014 (VIS) - On the afternoon of Friday, 17 October,   
   the Holy Father received in audience Park Geun-hye, president of the Republic   
   of Korea, and entourage.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Other Pontifical Acts   
    Vatican City, 20 October 2014 (VIS) - The Holy Father has:   
    - appointed Rev. Can. Gyorgy Snell as auxiliary of the diocese of   
   Esztergom-Budapest (area 1,543, population 2,088,000, Catholics 1,254,000,   
   priests 443, permanent deacons 23, religious 734), Hungary. The bishop-elect   
   was born in Kiskiralysag, Hungary in 1949 and was ordained a priest in 1972.   
   He has served in a number of pastoral roles, including deputy parish priest in   
   Kiskunlachaz-Pereg and Budapest-Rakoskeresztur, parish priest in   
   Budapest-Rakoskeresztur, and dean. He is currently priest of St. Stephen's   
   Basilica in Budapest, director of the diocesan superintendency for Catholic   
   schools, and canon of the metropolitan chapter.   
    - accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Mati,   
   Philippines, presented by Bishop Patricio H. Alo, in accordance with canon 401   
   para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law   
    On Saturday, 18 October, the Holy Father:   
    - accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the metropolitan   
   archdiocese of Malta, presented by Archbishop Paul Cremona, O.P., in   
   accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law;   
    - appointed Bishop Norbert Turini of Cahors, France, as bishop of   
   Perpignan-Elne (area 4,116, population 454,737, Catholics 302,600, priests 85,   
   permanent deacons 20, religious 79), France.   
    - appointed new members of the Pontifical Biblical Commission and renewed the   
   mandate of members of the previous five-year term. The aforementioned   
   Commission for the 2014-2019 is composed of the following members:   
    Rev. Knut Backhaus, Germany;   
    Fr. Pietro Bovati, S.J., Italy;   
    Sister Nuria Calduch Benages, M.N., Spain;   
    Rev. Eduardo Cordova Gonzalez, Mexico;   
    Professor Bruna Costacurta, Italy;   
    Msgr. Pierre Deberge, France;   
    Rev. Juan Miguel Diaz Rodelas, Spain;   
    Rev. Luis Henrique Eloy e Silva, Brazil;   
    Pr. Francolino Goncalves, O.P., Portugal;   
    Rev. Adrian Graffy, Great Britain;   
    Professor Mary E. Healy, United States of America;   
    Rev. John ChijiokeIwe, Nigeria;   
    Rev. Thomas Manjaly, India;   
    Rev. Hugo Orlando Martinez Aldana, Colombia;   
    Rev. Levente Balazs Martos, Hungary;   
    Rev. Jean Bosco Matand Bulembat, Democratic Republic of Congo;   
    Rev. Fearghus O'Fearghail, Ireland;   
    Rev. Johan Yeong-Sik Pahk, Korea;   
    Rev. Eleuterio Ramon Ruiz, Argentina;   
    Rev. Henryk Jozef Witczyk, Poland.   
    - appointed Professor Yves Coppens, lecturer in paleoanthropology and   
   prehistory at the College de France in Paris, France, and Professor Ada E.   
   Yonath, lecturer in biochemistry and director of the Helen and Milton A.   
   Kimmelman Center for Biomolecular Structure and Assembly at the Weizmann   
   Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel, as ordinary members of the Pontifical   
   Academy of Sciences.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
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