"The Holy Mother of God not only visited these people, but she chose to   
   remain with them. ... By her intercession, the Christian faithful started to   
   become the richest treasure of the soul of the American people, whose precious   
   pearl is Jesus Christ. It is a patrimony which is transmitted and manifest   
   today in the many baptism of multitudes of people, in the faith, hope and   
   charity of many; in precious popular piety; and in that popular ethos that   
   reveals itself in an awareness of human dignity, in the passion for justice,   
   in solidarity with the poorest and suffering, in hope that is sometimes   
   against every hope".   
    "That is why, here today, we can continue to praise God for the wonders he   
   has brought to the lives of the Latin American people. ... In the wonders   
   which the Lord has achieved in Mary, she recognises her Son's style and way of   
   acting in the story of Salvation. Sweeping away worldly judgements, destroying   
   idols of power, riches, success at any cost, denouncing self-sufficiency,   
   pride and a secularised which distances from God, the Mary's Magnificat   
   professes that God delights in subverting ideologies and worldly hierarchies.   
   He lifts up the lowly, comes to the aid of the poor and the smallest among us,   
   he fills with goodness, blessings and hope those who trust in his mercy from   
   generation to generation, while he casts down the rich, the powerful, and   
   rulers from their thrones. The 'Magnificat' introduces us to the Beatitudes,   
   the earliest synthesis of the Gospel. In the light of the Beatitudes we feel   
   compelled to ask that the future of Latin America be forged for the poor and   
   those who suffer, for the humble, those who hunger and thirst for justice, for   
   the compassionate, the pure of heart, those who work for peace, and for those   
   who are persecuted because of Christ's name, 'for theirs is the kingdom of   
   Heaven'. May theirs be the grace of being forged by those who today the   
   idolatrous system of the throwaway culture relegates to the category of   
   slaves, objects to be used or simply denied".   
    "And we make this request because Latin America is the 'continent of hope'!   
   Because she hopes in new ways of development which combine traditional   
   Christianity and civil progress, justice and equity with reconciliation,   
   scientific development and technology with human wisdom. Fruitful suffering   
   with joyful hope. We can protect this hope only with great amounts of truth   
   and mercy, the basis for all realities and revolutionary engines of an   
   authentically new life".   
    "We place these realities and these desires on the altar as a gift pleasing   
   to God. ... He is the only Lord, the 'liberator' of all of our slavery and   
   misery derived from sin. He calls us to live the true life, a more human life,   
   to live together as children and brothers, now that the doors to 'the new   
   heaven and the new earth' are open. We implore the Blessed Virgin Mary, under   
   the name 'Our Lady of Guadalupe' - the Mother of God, our Queen, our Lady, the   
   young woman, our Little One (as called St. Juan Diego called her), and with   
   all the loving names which popular piety has given her - that she may continue   
   to accompany, help and protect our people. May she lead by the hand all   
   pilgrim children in these lands to the encounter with her Son, Jesus Christ   
   Our Lord, present in the Church, in its holiness, especially in the Eucharist,   
   present in the treasure of his Word and teachings, present in the faithful and   
   holy people of God, in those who suffer and in the humble of heart. So be it.   
   Amen!".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    "I received my first ecumenical sermon from my grandmother, in front of you",   
   says the Pope to the Salvation Army   
    Vatican City, 13 December 2014 (VIS) - Yesterday, Friday 12 December, Pope   
   Francis received in audience a delegation from the Salvation Army, well-known   
   for their mission of evangelisation and voluntary work.   
    "Your visit is one of the good fruit of the more frequent and beneficial   
   contacts that have developed during recent years between the Salvation Army   
   and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity; contacts among which   
   we must recall a series of theological conversations intended to promote   
   better mutual understanding, mutual respect and regular collaboration. ... I   
   hope with all my heart that Catholics and Salvationists may continue to bear   
   witness to Christ and the Gospel together in a world that greatly needs to   
   experience God's mercy. Catholics and Salvationists, along with other   
   Christians, recognise that the needy have a special place in God's heart, to   
   the extent that the Lord Jesus Christ made Himself poor for us. As a   
   consequence, they frequently encounter one another in the same human   
   peripheries, and it is my fervent hope that common faith in our Saviour Jesus   
   Christ, the sole mediator between God and Man, may become an increasingly   
   solid foundation for friendship and collaboration between us".   
    "I pray that in today's world, all Christ's disciples may offer their   
   contribution with the same conviction and the same dynamism that the Salvation   
   Army demonstrates in its devoted and valued service. The differences between   
   Catholics and Salvationists on theological and ecclesiological matters must   
   not obstruct the witness of our shared love for God and for our neighbour, a   
   love that is able to inspire energetic efforts to restore the dignity of those   
   who live at the margins of society".   
    The Pope concluded by recounting an anecdote. When he was four years old -   
   the year was 1940 - he was walking along the street with his grandmother. "At   
   that time, there was the idea that all Protestants would go to hell. On the   
   other side of the road there were two women from the Salvation Army, wearing   
   their hats. And, I remember as if it were yesterday, I asked my grandmother,   
   'Who are those people? Nuns?', and she answered, 'No, they are Protestants,   
   but they are good'. And so my grandmother, thanks to your good witness, opened   
   the door to ecumenism for me. I received my first ecumenical sermon in front   
   of you. Thank you very much".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Cardinal Turkson to travel to Sierra Leone and Liberia to bring the   
   solidarity of the Church to two of the countries hardest hit by the Ebola virus   
    Vatican City, 15 December 2014 (VIS) - Cardinal Peter Turkson, president of   
   the Pontifical Council "Justice and Peace", will travel to Sierra Leone on 16   
   December, followed by a visit to Liberia, two of the countries most affected   
   by the Ebola virus. The World Health Organisation confirms around 18,000   
   probable or suspected cases and more than 6,500 deaths as a result of this   
   disease. The cardinal wishes to offer "a message of solidarity and hope for   
   the Church, for healthcare workers and for the population".   
    Cardinal Turkson will be accompanied by Msgr. Robert J. Vitillo, special   
   health consultor for Caritas Internationalis. "The Church, including Caritas,   
   religious congregations and other Catholic-inspired organisms, has been on the   
   front line in response to Ebola", affirmed Vitillo. "As well as providing   
   healthcare for other illnesses, establishing stringent procedures for   
   infection control and creating screening areas, the Church, to prevent the   
   transmission of the virus in the healthcare setting, has trained communities   
   with the aim of involving the clergy and local parish groups in renewed   
   efforts to stop the spread of this lethal virus".   
    "On a number of occasions the Holy Father has expressed his profound concern   
   for those affected by Ebola and for their loved ones. I hope to express the   
   solidarity of the Pope and of all the Church".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Audiences   
    Vatican City, 15 December 2014 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father received in   
   audience:   
    - Dragan Covic, Croatian member of the presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina,   
   and entourage;   
    - Archbishop Aldo Cavalli, apostolic nuncio in Malta and Libya;   
    - Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra, apostolic nuncio in Pakistan;   
    - Dennis Anthony Savoie, ambassador of Canada to the Holy See, presenting his   
   letters of credence;   
    - Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental   
   Churches;   
    - Don Pier Giorgio Perini, founder of the Parish Cells of Evangelisation.   
    On Saturday, 13 December the Holy Father received in audience:   
    - Cardinal Marc Ouellet, P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for Bishops;   
    - Matteo Renzi, prime minister of Italy, with his wife and entourage;   
    - Archbishop George Kocherry, apostolic nuncio in Bangladesh;   
    - Cardinal Sean Patrick O'Malley, archbishop of Boston, U.S.A.;   
    - George Weigel.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Other Pontifical Acts   
    Vatican City, 13 December 2014 (VIS) - The Holy Father has appointed Msgr.   
   Marek Szkudlo and Fr. Adam Wodarczyk as auxiliaries of the archdiocese of   
   Katowice (area 2,400, population 1,520,900, Catholics 1,477,900, priests   
   1,105, religious 1,013), Poland.   
    The bishop-elect Marek Szkudlo was born in Tychy, Poland in 1952 and was   
   ordained a priest in 1978. He has served in a number of pastoral roles,   
   including deputy priest in the parishes of "St. Margaret Lyski" and "St.   
   Michael Archangel" in Katowice, chaplain of the scouts and member of the   
   diocesan liturgical commission; parish priest of Our Lady Mother of the Church   
   in Jastrzebie Zdroj and dean of Jastrzebie Gorne, chaplain for workers and   
   miners, moderators for young priests and member of the Council of Consultors.   
   He is currently episcopal vicar for permanent formation of priests, member of   
   the college of consultors, of the presbyteral council and president of the   
   diocesan commission for the clergy.   
    The bishop-elect Adam Wodarczyk was born in Tarnowskie Gory, Poland in 1968   
   and was ordained a priest in 1994. He holds a licentiate from the Catholic   
   University of Liblino and a doctorate in pastoral theology from the Silesia   
   State University and has served as deputy curate of the "St. Hedwig of   
   Silesia" parish in Chorzow, and regional moderator of the "Light-Life"   
   Movement. He is currently moderator general of the Light-Life Movement,   
   appointed by the Polish Episcopal Council and, at national level, consultor of   
   the Council for youth pastoral, of the Committee for new evangelisation and   
   the missionary radio.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
   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)