To the families with recently baptised children, Francis confessed that he   
   liked to hear the cry of newborns as "they are a promise of life", and that   
   they should not be expected to leave the church when they cry. He also   
   encouraged parents to teach their children the sign of the Cross. He comforted   
   the sick by reminding them that the Lord is always close to them, as "a father   
   never leaves his children alone", and therefore "we must be trustful, and   
   courageous in our trust ... some days everything is bleak ... but never lose   
   your trust". He thanked the homeless for not having given up hope, and for   
   their witness in bearing their cross of solitude. "Beneath so many ashes of   
   suffering, of solitude, know that there is the fire of the Holy Spirit; below,   
   there is the embrace of God's love. And why does the Lord allow there to be   
   this cross? He permitted it first for His Son. And so Jesus understands you   
   well". He spoke with the young catechumens about war and peace, and encouraged   
   them to pray every day, especially to the Virgin, "Our Mother who will lead us   
   by the hand to find Jesus, to find peace and not to descend into war".   
   Finally, he answered a question on how he knew whether or not his decision to   
   become a priest was the right one. He compared his inner certainty with what a   
   man and woman might feel when they decide to marry, and explained that in   
   spite of the sacrifices that have to be made and the problems that may appear,   
   love is always stronger. "This certainty comes from Jesus", he emphasised.   
    Pope Francis went on to confess some of the faithful, and then proceeded to   
   the church to celebrate Mass. In his homily, the Pope urged those present to   
   listen to Jesus and to let Him preach to them. Jesus "speaks to us in the   
   Gospel", he said, "and this is a habit we no longer have: to go and seek out   
   the word of Jesus in the Gospel. Always carry a small copy of the Gospel with   
   you, and keep it within reach. Read it whenever you have five or ten minutes   
   to spare: Jesus speaks to us there. Maintain daily contact with the Gospel".   
   He continued by encouraging those present to allow the Lord to heal their   
   wounds: "open your heart, to let Him enter and heal you".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    To the representatives of EXPO 2015: the root of all ills is inequality   
    Vatican City, 7 February 2015 (VIS) - On Saturday afternoon Pope Francis sent   
   a video message to the 500 national and international representatives gathered   
   in Milan, where Expo 2015 will be held, to address the theme, "The ideas of   
   EXPO 2015: Towards the Milan Charter".   
    In his message, the Pope refers to his address in November to the Conference   
   on Nutrition organised by the the FAO in Rome, in which he affirmed that   
   "interest in the production, availability and accessibility of foodstuffs,   
   climate change and agricultural trade should certainly inspire rules and   
   technical measures, but the first concern must be the individual as a whole,   
   who lacks daily nourishment and has given up thinking about life, family and   
   social relationships, instead fighting for survival".   
    "St. John Paul II, in the inauguration in this hall of the First Conference   
   on Nutrition in 1992, warned the international community against the risk of   
   the 'paradox of plenty', in which there is food for everyone, but not everyone   
   can eat, while waste, excessive consumption and the use of food for other   
   purposes is visible before our very eyes. Unfortunately, this 'paradox'   
   remains relevant. There are few subjects about which we find as many fallacies   
   as those related to hunger; few topics as likely to be manipulated by data,   
   statistics, the demands of national security, corruption, or futile   
   lamentation about the economic crisis".   
    To overcome the temptation of sophisms, "that nominalism of thought that goes   
   beyond ... but never touches reality", the Pope suggests three practical   
   approaches: turn first to urgent priorities, be witnesses of charity, and be   
   guardians rather than masters of the earth.   
    "Aim your gaze and heart not towards an emergency pragmatism that shows   
   itself to be perpetually provisional, but instead an approach aimed at   
   removing the structural causes of poverty. Let us recall that the root of all   
   ills is inequality", says Francis, repeating his words in the apostolic   
   exhortation Evangelii gaudium: "we have to say 'thou shalt not' to an economy   
   of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills. How can it be that it is   
   not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is   
   news when the stock market loses two points? This is a case of exclusion. ...   
   It is no longer simply about exploitation and oppression, but something new.   
   ... The excluded are not the 'exploited' but the outcast, the 'leftovers'".   
    "It is therefore necessary, if we really want to solve problems and not   
   become lost in sophisms, to remove the root of all evil, which is inequality.   
   To do this, there are some priority decisions to be made: to renounce the   
   absolute autonomy of markets and financial speculation, and to act above all   
   on the structural causes of inequality".   
    "Politics, though often denigrated, remains a lofty vocation and one of the   
   highest forms of charity, inasmuch as it seeks the common good", he continues.   
   "Where, then, should a healthy economic policy begin? What are the necessary   
   pillars for public administration? The answer is precise: the dignity of the   
   human person and the common good. Unfortunately, however, these two pillars,   
   that ought to structure economic policy, often 'seem to be a mere addendum   
   imported from without in order to fill out a political discourse lacking in   
   perspectives or plans for integral development. ... Please, be courageous and   
   do not be afraid, in political and economic projects, to allow yourselves to   
   be influenced by a broader meaning of life as this will help you to truly   
   serve the common good and will give you strength in 'striving to increase the   
   goods of this world and to make them more accessible to all'".   
    With reference to the third point, the Pope again mentioned a comment he   
   heard many years ago from an elderly peasant: "God always forgives; men   
   forgive at times; but the Earth never forgives. We must care for our sister   
   the Earth, our Mother Earth, so that she does not respond with destruction".   
   "Faced with the goods of the Earth, we are required 'not to lose sight of the   
   origin or purpose of these goods, so as to bring about a world of fairness and   
   solidarity', says the social doctrine of the Church. The Earth has been   
   entrusted to us in order to be a Mother to us, able to give what is necessary   
   for each person to live. ... The Earth is not an inheritance we have received   
   from our parents, but rather a loan from our offspring to us, so that we may   
   take care of it, enable it to continue and restore it to them".   
    "The stewardship of the Earth is not a task exclusive to Christians, but   
   instead applies to all", he continued. "I entrust to you what I said during   
   the Mass of the beginning of my ministry as Bishop of Rome: 'I would like to   
   ask all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political and   
   social life, and all men and women of goodwill: let us be "protectors" of   
   creation, protectors of God's plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one   
   another and of the environment. Let us not allow omens of destruction and   
   death to accompany the advance of this world! But to be "protectors", we also   
   have to keep watch over ourselves! ... We must not be afraid of goodness or   
   even tenderness'. Care for the Earth not only with goodness, but also with   
   tenderness".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    The Pope: the participation of women in the social and ecclesial spheres is a   
   challenge that cannot be deferred   
    Vatican City, 7 February 2015 (VIS) - "Women's cultures: between equality and   
   difference" was the theme of the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council   
   for Culture, an issue of great interest to Pope Francis, as he affirmed this   
   morning while receiving in audience the participants in the event. He   
   reiterated the importance of finding "criteria and new ways to enable women to   
   no longer feel like guests, but instead to be full participants in the various   
   areas of social and ecclesial life".   
    "The Church is a woman, she is female!" he exclaimed. "This is a challenge   
   that cannot be deferred. I say this to the pastors of Christian communities,   
   here representing the universal Church, but also to lay women and men engaged   
   in different ways in culture, education, the economy, politics, the world of   
   work, families, and religious institutions", he continued, offering an   
   "itinerary" and a series of "guidelines to develop this effort throughout the   
   world, in the heart of all cultures, in dialogue with the various religious   
   affiliations".   
    With reference to the first theme considered in the Plenary Assembly,   
   "Between equality and difference: the quest for an equilibrium", Pope Francis   
   remarked that this equilibrium must be harmonious, not merely a question of   
   balance. "This aspect must not be faced ideologically, because the 'lens' of   
   ideology prevents us from seeing reality clearly. Equality and difference of   
   women - like that of men - is best perceived from the perspective of 'with',   
   in relation to, rather than 'against'. We have long left behind, at least in   
   western societies, the model of the social subordination of women to men, a   
   centuries-old model whose negative effects are nonetheless not yet fully   
   spent. We have also left behind a second model, that of parity, pure and   
   simple, applied mechanically, and of absolute equality. A new paradigm has   
   thus taken shape, that of reciprocity in equivalence and in difference. The   
   relationship between man and woman, therefore, must recognise that both are   
   necessary inasmuch as they possess an identical nature but different   
   modalities. One is necessary to the other, since the fullness of the person is   
   thus truly achieved".   
    The second theme, "'generativity' as a symbolic code", broadens the horizons   
   of biological maternity to include the transmission and the protection of   
   life. It may be summarised in four verbs: to wish for, to bring into the   
   world, to care for, and to let go. The Pope acknowledges the contribution in   
   this area of the many women who work in the family, in the field of education   
   in faith, in pastoral activity, in education in schools, and also in social,   
   cultural and economic structures. "You, women, know how to embody the tender   
   face of God, His mercy, which translates into willingness to offer time rather   
   than occupy space, to accommodate rather than exclude. In this sense, I like   
   to describe the feminine dimension of the Church as a welcoming womb for the   
   regeneration of life".   
      
   --- MPost/386 v1.21   
    * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)