VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE   
   YEAR XXII - # 023   
   DATE 02-02-2015   
      
   Summary:   
   - To the bishops of Lithuania: constructive dialogue with all, closeness to   
   the poor and assistance to those who emigrate   
   - Angelus: the Gospel changes life   
   - The Pope announces his visit to Sarajevo   
   - Pope's Telegram to the new President of the Italian Republic   
   - There is no humanity without cultivation of the land: Francis on the central   
   role of agriculture   
   - Members and substitutes from the Episcopal Conferences for the 14th Ordinary   
   General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops   
   - Assembly on "Women's cultures"   
   - Audiences   
   - Other Pontifical Acts   
      
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    To the bishops of Lithuania: constructive dialogue with all, closeness to the   
   poor and assistance to those who emigrate   
    Vatican City, 2 February 2015 (VIS) - "You have come to Rome with your youth,   
   but also with your heroism. Indeed, among you there are some young brothers,   
   but mostly prelates who have experienced the sad period of persecution. Thank   
   you for your witness to Jesus Christ and for your service to God's holy   
   people", writes the Holy Father in the discourse handed out at the end of his   
   audience with the Lithuanian Bishops' Conference today, following their   
   five-yearly "ad Limina" visit.   
    "Lithuania has always had pastors who are close to their flock and united   
   with them", he continues. "Throughout the history of the nation, they have   
   accompanied their people with care, not only in their journey of faith and in   
   facing material difficulties, but also in the civil and social construction of   
   society; the foundations of its history and identity are found in the strength   
   of the Gospel and the love of the Holy Mother of God. You are the heirs to   
   this history, this heritage of pastoral charity, and you show this with the   
   energy of your action, the communion you inspire and your perseverance in   
   pursuing the goals the Spirit indicates to you".   
    "Dear brothers, I know your apostolic labours. If for a long period the   
   Church in your country was oppressed by regimes based on ideologies contrary   
   to human dignity and freedom, today you must face others, more insidious, such   
   as secularism and relativism. Therefore, alongside tireless proclamation of   
   the Gospel and Christian values, you must not forget to maintain constructive   
   dialogue with all, even those who do not belong to the Church or who are   
   distant from religious experience. Ensure that Christian communities are   
   always places of welcome, of open and constructive exchange, a stimulus for   
   society as a whole in the pursuit of the common good".   
    Francis does not overlook the ceaseless efforts and attention paid by the   
   Lithuanian bishops to the clergy, and he invites them to pray that God might   
   give them "generous priests capable of sacrifice and devotion", as well as   
   "convinced laypersons who know how to take responsibility within the ecclesial   
   community and to make a valid Christian contribution to civil society", to be   
   encouraged by the bishops "with the strength of mature faith, in the civil,   
   cultural, political and social fields".   
    The Pope also remarks that the Church is engaged in reflection on the beauty   
   and value of the family, and the challenges it faces in our time. He   
   encourages the bishops, as pastors, to make their contribution to "this great   
   work of discernment", and above all to pay attention to the pastoral ministry   
   of the family, so that couples "feel the closeness of the Christian community   
   and are helped not to conform to the mentality of this world, but instead to   
   continually renew themselves in the spirit of the Gospel". He adds, "indeed,   
   in your country, which is now a full member of the European Union, is exposed   
   to an influx of ideologies that seek to introduce elements of destabilisation   
   of families, the result of a misunderstood sense of personal freedom.   
   Centuries-old Lithuanian traditions will help you to respond, in accordance   
   with reason and faith, to these challenges".   
    He then goes on to recommend special attention to vocations to the priesthood   
   and to consecrated life, and encourages the Church in Lithuania to pray   
   tirelessly to this end. He also urges adequate formation, both initial and   
   continuing, of priests, consecrated persons and seminarians, as well as the   
   active initiation of contact with them, to avoid leaving them alone with their   
   difficulties. He concludes by exhorting care for the poor. "In Lithuania too,   
   despite current economic development, there are many people in need,   
   unemployed, sick, and abandoned. Be close to them. And do not forget that   
   there are many, especially the young, who for various reasons leave the   
   country to find a new path abroad. Their growing number and their needs   
   require attention and pastoral care on the part of the Bishops' Conference,   
   also to ensure the preservation of their faith and Lithuanian religious   
   traditions".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Angelus: the Gospel changes life   
    Vatican City, 1 February 2015 (VIS) - At midday, Pope Francis appeared at the   
   window of his study to pray the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St.   
   Peter's Square, and to reflect on the readings in today's liturgy.   
    This Sunday's Gospel passage narrates Jesus' arrival with his disciples in   
   the city of Capernaum, the birthplace of St. Peter and the largest city in   
   Galilee at the time. St. Mark writes that, since it was the Sabbath, Jesus   
   went immediately to the synagogue and began to teach. "This makes us think of   
   the primacy of the Word of God, a word to listen to, receive and announce",   
   explained the Holy Father. Upon his arrival in Capernaum, Jesus does not delay   
   in proclaiming the Gospel: "He does not think first of the logistical   
   arrangements, certainly necessary, for his little community; nor does He take   
   his time over organisation. His main concern is communicating the Word of God   
   with the strength of the Holy Spirit. And the people in the synagogue are   
   impressed, because Jesus 'taught them as one having authority and not as the   
   scribes'".   
    "What does 'with authority' mean?", asked the Pope, before explaining that in   
   human words, Jesus felt "all the strength of the Word of God, He felt the same   
   authority of God Himself, the inspirer of the Holy Scriptures. And one of the   
   characteristics of the Word of God is that it accomplishes what it says".   
   Indeed Jesus, after preaching, immediately demonstrates His authority by   
   freeing a man, present in the synagogue, from possession by a demon. "It was   
   Christ's authority that had provoked the reaction of Satan, hidden in that   
   man. In turn, Jesus immediately recognised the voice of the devil and,   
   severely rebuking him, ordered: 'Quiet! Come out of him!'. With the strength   
   of his word alone, Jesus freed the person from evil. And again those present   
   were astounded. 'He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey Him'. The   
   Word of God creates this wonder in us. It possesses the strength to astonish   
   us".   
    "The Gospel is the word of life: it does not oppress people, but on the   
   contrary, frees those who are enslaved by the many evil spirits of this world:   
   the spirit of vanity, attachment to money, pride, sensuality; the Gospel   
   changes hearts, changes lives, transforms the inclination to evil into good   
   resolutions. The Gospel is capable of changing people. Therefore, it is the   
   duty of Christians to spread this redeeming power everywhere, becoming   
   missionaries and heralds of the Word of God. ... The new doctrine that Jesus   
   taught with authority is that which the Church brings to the world, along with   
   the effective signs of His presence: authoritative teaching and the liberating   
   action of the Son of God become the words of salvation and the gestures of   
   love of the missionary Church".   
    Pope Francis concluded by reminding those present that the Gospel has the   
   strength to change life. "It is the Good News that transforms us only when we   
   let ourselves be transformed by it. This is why I ask you always to make daily   
   contact with the Gospel; to read a passage every day, to meditate upon it and   
   to carry it everywhere with you, in your pocket or in your bag. ... It is the   
   power that changes us, that transforms us. It changes life, and it changes the   
   heart".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    The Pope announces his visit to Sarajevo   
    Vatican City, 1 February 2015 (VIS) - Following today's Angelus prayer, the   
   Holy Father announced that on 6 June he will travel to Sarajevo, the capital   
   of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and asked those present for their prayers so that   
   his visit "to those dear populations may give encouragement to the Catholic   
   faithful, may be a leaven for good and contribute to the consolidation of   
   brotherhood, peace, interreligious dialogue and friendship".   
    He went on to greet the participants in the fourth world Congress organised   
   by Scholas Occurrentes, to be held in the Vatican from 2 to 5 February on the   
   theme "Responsibility for all education for a culture of encounter".   
    Finally, he remarked that today is the "Day for Life" in Italy, focusing this   
   year on the theme "Solidarity for life". He expressed his appreciation for the   
   associations, movements and all others who defend human life. "I join with the   
   Italian bishops in calling for a renewed recognition of the human person and   
   more suitable care for life from conception to its natural end. When we open   
   ourselves to life and serve life, we experience the revolutionary force of   
   love and tenderness, giving rise to a new humanism: the humanism of   
   solidarity, the humanism of life."   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Pope's Telegram to the new President of the Italian Republic   
    Vatican City, 2 February 2015 (VIS) - Last Saturday the Holy Father sent a   
   telegram to Sergio Mattarella, new president of the Italian Republic, in which   
   he expresses his hope that the new head of State will be able to exercise his   
   "high office in the service of the unity and harmony of the country", and   
   invokes upon him "constant divine assistance for enlightened action in the   
   promotion of the common good, in line with the authentic human and spiritual   
   values of the Italian population".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    There is no humanity without cultivation of the land: Francis on the central   
   role of agriculture   
    Vatican City, 31 January 2015 (VIS) - "There is no humanity without the   
   cultivation of the land; there is no good life without the food it produces   
   for the men and women of every continent. Agriculture thus demonstrates its   
   central role", said Pope Francis this morning, as he received in audience two   
   hundred managers from the National Confederation of Direct Cultivators in the   
   Clementine Hall on the seventh anniversary of its foundation.   
    The name "direct cultivators", explained the Pontiff, refers to cultivation,   
   "a typically human and fundamental activity. In agricultural work there is,   
   indeed, acceptance of the precious gift of the land that comes from God, but   
   there is also its development through the equally valuable work of men and   
   women, called to respond boldly and creatively to the mandate forever   
   entrusted to mankind, the cultivation and stewardship of the land".   
    This task, which requires time and energy, constitutes "a true vocation. It   
   deserves to be recognised and suitably valued as such, also in concrete   
   political and economic decisions. This means eliminating the obstacles that   
   penalise such a valuable activity and that often make it appear unattractive   
   to new generations, even though statistics show an increase in the number of   
   students in schools and institutes of agriculture, which leads us to foresee   
   and increase in the numbers of those employed in the agricultural sector. At   
   the same time, it is necessary to pay due attention to the removal of land   
   from agricultural use, to make it available for apparently more lucrative   
   purposes".   
    This reflection on agrarian work led the Holy Father to focus on two critical   
   areas: poverty and hunger, and the protection of the environment. "Vatican   
   Council II reiterated the common destination of earthly goods, but in reality   
   the dominant economic system excludes many people from their correct use. The   
   absolutism of the rules of the market and a throwaway culture in which waste   
   of food has reached unacceptable proportions, along with other factors, have   
   caused poverty and suffering for many families. Therefore, the system of   
   production and distribution of food needs to be fundamentally re-evaluated. As   
   our grandparents taught us, you do not play with food! Bread forms part of the   
   sacredness of human life, and must not therefore be treated as a mere   
   commodity".   
      
   --- MPost/386 v1.21   
    * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)