"Imagine how our world would change if each one of us began straight away",   
   he remarked. "This is the true Nativity: the feast of the poverty of the God   
   Who annihilated Himself, assuming the nature of a slave; of God Who served at   
   the table; of God Who hid Himself from the intelligent and the wise and   
   instead revealed Himself to the smallest, the simple and the poor. It is above   
   all the feast of Peace brought to earth by the baby Jesus, ... the peace the   
   Angels sang". He continued, "Peace needs our enthusiasm, our care, to warm our   
   frozen hearts, to encourage distrusting souls and to brighten jaded eyes with   
   the light of Jesus' face".   
    The Pope concluded by asking forgiveness for his shortcomings, and those of   
   his colleagues, and also for the various scandals "that do a great deal of   
   damage", he commented. "Forgive me and, please, pray for me".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Angelus: at Christmas, Jesus calls out again to the heart of every Christian   
    Vatican City, 21 December 2014 (VIS) - On the fourth and final Sunday of   
   Advent, with Christmas just around the corner, the Gospel narrates the Angel's   
   annunciation to Mary and the Virgin's "yes" that made possible the   
   Incarnation, the revelation of a mystery "enveloped in silence for eternity".   
   Before this morning's Angelus prayer, Pope Francis addressed the faithful   
   gathered in St. Peter's Square, focusing on two essential aspects of Mary's   
   attitude as a model to prepare for Christmas.   
    The first is her faith, which consists of listening to the Word of God in   
   order to surrender herself entirely to it, with full willingness of both mind   
   and heart. "In her 'yes', full of faith, Mary does not know which road she   
   will have to embark upon, how much pain she will have to suffer, what risks   
   she will run. But she is aware that it is the Lord Who asks her to entrust   
   herself entirely to Him, and she surrenders herself to His love. This is   
   Mary's faith".   
    "Another aspect is the capacity of the Mother of Christ to recognise the time   
   of God. Mary teaches us to seize the favourable moment in which Jesus passes   
   into our life and asks for a prompt and generous response".   
    "And Jesus passes", added the Pope, "because the mystery of Jesus' birth in   
   Bethlehem, which historically took place more than two thousand years ago,   
   occurs as a spiritual event on the 'today' of the Liturgy. The Word, that   
   finds a home in the virginal womb of Mary, during the celebration of the   
   Nativity calls out to the heart of every Christian; it passes, and knocks on   
   the door. Each one of us is called to answer, like Mary, with a personal and   
   sincere 'yes', placing ourselves entirely at the disposal of God and His   
   mercy, His love".   
    "How many times does Jesus pass into our lives!", he exclaimed. "And how many   
   times he sends us an angel, and how often we do not realise, because we are   
   too preoccupied, immersed in our thoughts, in our affairs and even, these   
   days, in our preparations for Christmas, to realise that He passes and knocks   
   at the door of our heart, asking for welcome, asking for a 'yes', like that of   
   Mary".   
    "A saint once said, 'I am afraid that the Lord will pass'. Do you know why he   
   was afraid? He was afraid he would not welcome Him, that he would let Him pass   
   by. When we feel in our heart, 'I would like to be a better person', "I feel   
   remorse for doing that", it is the Lord Who is calling. He makes you feel   
   this: the wish to be better, the wish to stay closer to others and to God. If   
   you feel this, then stop. It is the Lord Who is there! And pray, perhaps go to   
   Confession, to clean up a little ... this does you good. But keep in mind: if   
   you feel this desire to improve, it is He Who is calling: do not let Him pass   
   by".   
    Francis also recalled, in the mystery of the Nativity, the silent presence of   
   Joseph and emphasised the example that he and Mary offer as an invitation to   
   receive with total openness the Lord Jesus, "who for love made Himself into   
   our brother, and came to bring light to the world", as the angels proclaimed   
   to the shepherds: 'on earth peace, good will toward men'".   
    "The precious gift of Christmas is peace", he concluded. "Christ, Who is our   
   true peace, calls to our hearts to give us peace, the peace of the soul. Let   
   us open the doors to Christ".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    The Pope receives the Community of Pope John XXIII and praises its generosity   
   in helping people rise above material and moral degradation   
    Vatican City, 20 December 2014 (VIS) - Today in the Paul VI Hall the Holy   
   Father received 7,500 members of the Community of John Paul XXIII, founded by   
   the Italian priest Oreste Benzi in 1968. The association, currently present in   
   34 countries, is concerned with situations of marginalisation and poverty and   
   promotes the non-violent removal of the root causes. It follows the principle   
   of sharing of life in a number of contexts: minors and young people in   
   difficult conditions, the disabled, detainees, itinerant communities, drug   
   users, alcoholics, those without fixed abode, the elderly, the sick, mothers   
   with problems and women forced into prostitution.   
    During the audience, various members of the Community narrated to the Pope   
   their experiences, which as Francis said, spoke of "slavery and liberation, of   
   the selfishness of those who imagine they can build up their lives by   
   exploiting others and taking advantage of the generosity of those who help   
   others to rise up from material and moral degradation. They are experiences   
   that shed light on the many forms of poverty that unfortunately afflict our   
   world, and they reveal the most dangerous misery of all, the cause of all   
   others: distance from God, the presumption of being able to do without Him.   
   This is the blind misery of those who believe that the aim of their existence   
   is material wealth, the pursuit of power and pleasure, and the enslavement of   
   the lives of others to these objectives".   
    "Yes, my friends, it is the presence of the Lord that makes the difference   
   between the freedom of good and the slavery of evil ... it broadens horizons   
   ... and gives us the strength necessary to overcome difficulties and   
   obstacles. ... Faith, indeed, moves the mountains of indifference and apathy,   
   of disinterest and sterile self-centredness. ... Faith opens the doors of   
   charity ... giving us the courage to act according to the example of the Good   
   Samaritan. Fr. Oresti Benzi, the founder of your association, understood this   
   well. His love for the least and for the poor, for the excluded and the   
   abandoned, was rooted in his love for Jesus crucified, Who made Himself poor   
   for us. ... From the mission of involving adolescents and encouraging their   
   interest in the figure of Jesus, there was born the idea of organising for   
   them a vital and radical encounter with Him as a hero and friend, through   
   testimonies of life, fully demonstrating the Christian message, but in a   
   joyful or even joking fashion".   
    "In this way your community was born, now present in 34 countries with its   
   family-houses, its social and educational cooperatives, its houses of prayer,   
   services for accompanying difficult motherhood and other initiatives",   
   continued the Pope. "Providence has enabled you to grow, demonstrating the   
   vitality of the charism of your Founder, who liked to say that "to get onto   
   your feet, you need to kneel first".   
    Pope Francis concluded by inviting those present to be attentive to their   
   spiritual formation, and to partake frequently of the Sacraments, especially   
   the Eucharist, as "it fills the heart with the love for God that is the   
   wellspring of charity towards our brothers and sisters".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Audiences   
    On Saturday, 20 December, the Holy Father received in audience:   
    - His Royal Highness Jaime Bernardo, Prince of Bourbon de Parme, ambassador   
   of the Netherlands to the Holy See, presenting his letters of credence;   
    - Clelio Galassi, ambassador of the Republic of San Marino to the Holy See,   
   presenting his letters of credence;   
    - Eduardo Felix Valdes, ambassador of the Republic of Argentina to the Holy   
   See, presenting his letters of credence.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Other Pontifical Acts   
    Vatican City, 22 December 2014 (VIS) - The Holy Father has   
    - appointed Bishop Christopher J. Coyne, auxiliary of the archdiocese of   
   Indianapolis, U.S.A., as bishop of Burlington (area 23,651, population   
   651,000, Catholics 123,700, priests 133, permanent deacons 43, religious 149),   
   U.S.A.   
    - appointed Bishop Benjamin Ndiaye of Kaolack, Senegal, as archbishop of   
   Dakar (area 4,803, population 3,677,000, Catholics 455,000, priests 168,   
   religious 645), Senegal. He succeeds Cardinal Theodore-Adrien Sarr, whose   
   resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese upon reaching the   
   age limit was accepted by the Holy Father.   
    - accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary of the diocese of   
   Basel, Switzerland, presented by Bishop Martin Gachter upon reaching the age   
   limit.   
    - erected the new diocese of Kuzhithurai (area 915, population 855,485,   
   Catholics 264,222, priests 131, religious 269) India, with territory taken   
   from the diocese of Kottar, making it a suffragan of the metropolitan church   
   of Madurai. He appointed Fr. Jerome Dhas Varuvel, S.D.B., as first bishop of   
   the new diocese. The bishop-elect was born in Paduvoor, India in 1951, gave   
   his perpetual vows in 1981, and was ordained a priest in 1985. He holds a   
   bachelor's degree in economics and theology, and a licentiate in education   
   from the Pontifical Salesian University, Rome, and has served in a number of   
   roles, including vice rector of the novitiate in Vellakinar, rector of the   
   pre-novitiate in Tirupattur and Maiyam, dean of the Salesian student body in   
   Trichy, parish priest and rector of the con-Cathedral of Madras-Mylapore,   
   provincial counsellor, director of Kalvi Solai in Tirupattur and in Ennore,   
   and director of Mount Don Bosco in Thalavadi. He is currently master of   
   novices in Yeallagiri Hills, Vellore.   
    On Saturday, 20 December, the Holy Father appointed:   
    - Bishop Jose Guadalupe Torres Campos of Gomez Palacio, Mexico, as bishop of   
   Ciudad Juarez (area 29,639, population 2,727,000, Catholics 2,318,000, priests   
   116, permanent deacons 19, religious 206), Mexico. He succeeds Bishop Renato   
   Ascencio Leon, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese   
   upon reaching the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father.   
    - Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for   
   Interreligious Dialogue as camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church;   
    - Archbishop Giampiero Gloder, apostolic nuncio and president of the   
   Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, as vice camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
   For more information and to search for documents refer to the site:   
   www.visnews.org and www.vatican.va   
      
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