VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE   
   YEAR XXII - # 195   
   DATE 06-11-2014   
      
   Summary:   
   - Pope Francis to the World Evangelical Alliance: "We can learn so much from   
   each other"   
   - To the bishops of Malawi: the apostolate of the family will bring   
   inestimable benefits to the Church and society as a whole   
   - The Pope receives the president of the "Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo"   
   - The Holy See at the United Nations: a lack of food is not the root cause of   
   hunger   
   - Audiences   
   - Other Pontifical Acts   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Pope Francis to the World Evangelical Alliance: "We can learn so much from   
   each other"   
    Vatican City, 6 November 2014 (VIS) - This morning Pope Francis received in   
   audience a delegation from the World Evangelical Alliance, a network of   
   evangelical churches in 128 nations, based in New York, U.S.A., which has   
   formed an alliance with over 100 international organisations, giving voice to   
   more than 400 million evangelical Christians throughout the world.   
    The Holy Father began his address to the Alliance by emphasising that Baptism   
   is a priceless gift from God, which we have in common. "Thanks to this gift,   
   we no longer live a purely earthly existence; we now live in the power of the   
   Spirit". He went on to remark that from the beginning, there have been   
   divisions among Christians and "sadly, even today, conflicts and rivalries   
   exist between our communities. This weakens our ability to fulfil the Lord's   
   commandment to preach the Gospel to all peoples. Our divisions mar the beauty   
   of the seamless robe of Christ, yet they do not completely destroy the   
   profound unity brought about by grace in all the baptised. The effectiveness   
   of the Christian message would no doubt be greater were Christians to overcome   
   their divisions, and together celebrate the sacraments, spread the word of   
   God, and bear witness to charity".   
    The Bishop of Rome went on to express his joy to know that "in various   
   countries Catholics and Evangelicals enjoy good relations and work together as   
   brothers and sisters. The joint efforts of the Pontifical Council for   
   Promoting Christian Unity and the Theological Commission of the World   
   Evangelical Alliance have also opened up new horizons by clarifying   
   misunderstandings and by showing the way to overcoming prejudices". He   
   continued, "It is my hope that these talks may further inspire our common   
   witness and our efforts to evangelise: if we really believe in the abundantly   
   free working of the Holy Spirit, we can learn so much from one another! It is   
   not just about being better informed about others, but rather about reaping   
   what the Spirit has sown in them, which is also meant to be a gift for us. I   
   am confident that the document 'Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World:   
   Recommendations for Conduct' can prove helpful for the preaching of the Gospel   
   in multi-religious contexts".   
    "I trust that the Holy Spirit, who inspires the Church to persevere in   
   seeking new methods of evangelisation, will usher in a new era of relations   
   between Catholics and Evangelicals, so that the Lord's will that the Gospel be   
   brought to the ends of the earth may be more fully realised. I assure my   
   prayers for this cause, and I ask you to pray for me and for my ministry",   
   concluded Pope Francis.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    To the bishops of Malawi: the apostolate of the family will bring inestimable   
   benefits to the Church and society as a whole   
    Vatican City, 6 November 2014 (VIS) - "I offer a joyful welcome to you who   
   have come from the 'warm heart of Africa', as you make your pilgrimage to   
   Rome, 'the warm heart of the Church'"; thus Pope Francis greets the bishops of   
   the Episcopal Conference of Malawi in the written discourse he handed to them   
   this morning as he received them in audience at the end of their five-yearly   
   "ad Limina" visit. He also notes that the effectiveness of their pastoral and   
   administrative efforts is the fruit of your faith as well as of the unity and   
   fraternal spirit that characterise their episcopal conference.   
    The Holy Father also expresses his appreciation for "the admirable spirit of   
   the Malawian people, who, though faced with many serious obstacles in terms of   
   development, economic progress and standards of living, remain strong in their   
   commitment to family life", as it is in this institution, which teaches "love,   
   sacrifice, commitment and fidelity", that the Church and society in Malawi   
   will find the resources necessary to renew and build up a culture of   
   solidarity. "You yourselves know well the challenges and the value of family   
   life, and, as fathers and shepherds, you are called to nurture, protect and   
   strengthen it in the context of the "family of faith", which is the Church.   
   ... There is scarcely a greater commitment that the Church can make to the   
   future of Malawi - and indeed, to her own development - than that of a   
   thorough and joyful apostolate to families. ... Thus, by doing everything you   
   can to support, educate and evangelise families, especially those in   
   situations of material hardship, breakdown, violence or infidelity, you will   
   bring inestimable benefit to the Church and all of Malawian society".   
    Among the results of this apostolate, it is hoped that there will be "an   
   increase in young men and women who are willing and able to dedicate   
   themselves to the service of others in the priesthood and religious life",   
   based on "the strong foundations laid by generations of faithful missionaries"   
   and fortified by the evangelising work of local men and women. The Bishop of   
   Rome exhorted the local prelates to be close to their priests and seminarians,   
   loving them "as a father should" and furthering their efforts to guarantee a   
   complete spiritual as well as intellectual and pastoral formation.   
    The "tragedy" of the limited life expectancy and extreme poverty experienced   
   by the majority of the people of Malawi is another of the Pope's concerns. "My   
   thoughts go to those suffering from HIV/AIDS, and particularly to the orphaned   
   children and parents left without love and support as a result of this   
   illness", he writes, encouraging the bishops to be close to those in distress,   
   to the sick, and especially to the children. "I ask you, particularly, to   
   offer my gratitude to the many men and women who present Christ's tenderness   
   and love in Catholic healthcare institutions. The service which the Church   
   offers to the sick, through pastoral care, prayer, clinics and hospices, must   
   always find its source and model in Christ, who loved us and gave himself up   
   for us. Indeed, how else could we be followers of the Lord if we did not   
   personally engage in ministry to the sick, the poor, the dying and the   
   destitute? Our faith in Christ, born of having recognised our own need for   
   Him, He Who has come to heal our wounds, to enrich us, to give us life, to   
   nourish us, is the basis of our concern for the integral development of   
   society's most neglected members".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    The Pope receives the president of the "Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo"   
    Vatican City, 6 November 2014 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon the Holy Father   
   received in private audience Estela de Carlotto, president of the Association   
   of the "Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo", accompanied by her grandson with   
   whom she was reunited, Ignacio Guido Montoya Carlotto. The meeting took place   
   in one of the rooms adjacent to Paul VI Hall.   
      
   --- MPost/386 v1.21   
    * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)