VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE   
   YEAR XXII - # 051   
   DATE 12-03-2015   
      
   Summary:   
   - The Pope encourages the bishops of Korea and the Catholic community of   
   Mongolia, a "pledge of the fullness of God's Kingdom"   
   - Every penitent who approaches the confessional is sacred ground to be   
   cultivated with care and attention   
   - Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran to visit Cote d'Ivoire   
   - The Holy See reaffirms its opposition to the death penalty   
   - Audiences   
   - Other Pontifical Acts   
   - Notice   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    The Pope encourages the bishops of Korea and the Catholic community of   
   Mongolia, a "pledge of the fullness of God's Kingdom"   
    Vatican City, 12 March 2015 (VIS) - The Pope received the bishops of the   
   Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea this morning, at the end of their "ad   
   Limina" visit. In the written discourse he prepared for the prelates,   
   extensive extracts of which are published below, the Holy Father refers to his   
   visit to the country last year during which he experienced first hand the   
   goodness of the Korean people who shared their joys and sorrows with him, and   
   affirmed that the trip remains "a lasting encouragement" to him in his   
   ministry to the Universal Church.   
    "In the course of my visit, we had the opportunity to reflect on the life of   
   the Church in Korea and, in particular, on our episcopal ministry in the   
   service of the People of God and of society", he writes. "I wish to continue   
   that reflection with you today,by highlighting three aspects of my visit:   
   memory, youth and the mission of confirming our brothers and sisters in the   
   faith. I would like also to share these thoughts with the Churchin Mongolia.   
   Though a small community in a vast territory, it is like the mustard seed   
   which is the pledge of the fullness of God's Kingdom. May these reflections   
   encourage the continuing growth of that seed, and nourish the rich soil of the   
   Mongolian people's faith".   
    "For me, one of the most beautiful moments of my visit to Korea was the   
   beatification ofthe martyrs Paul Yun Ji-chung and companions. ... Even before   
   their faith found full expression in the sacramental life of the Church, these   
   first Korean Christians not only fostered their personal relationship with   
   Jesus, but brought him to others, regardless of class or social standing, and   
   dwelt in a community of faith and charity like the first disciples of the   
   Lord. ... Their love of God and neighbour was fulfilled in the ultimate act of   
   freely laying down their lives, thereby watering with their own blood the   
   seedbed of the Church. That first community has left you and all of the Church   
   a beautiful witness of Christian living: 'their integrity in the search for   
   truth, their fidelity to the highest principles of the religion which they   
   chose to embrace, and their testimony of charity and solidarity with all'.   
   Their example is a school which can form us into evermore faithful Christian   
   witnesses by calling us to encounter, to charity and to sacrifice. The lessons   
   which they taught are particularly applicable in our times when, despite the   
   many advancements being made in technology and communication, individuals are   
   increasingly becoming isolated and communities weakened. How important it is,   
   then, that you work together with the priests, religious men and women, and   
   lay leaders of your dioceses, to ensure that parishes, schools and centres of   
   the apostolate are authentic places of encounter: encounter with the Lord who   
   teaches us how to love and who opens our eyes to the dignity of every person,   
   and encounter with one another, especially the poor, the elderly, the   
   forgotten in our midst".   
    "My thoughts now turn to your young people who greatly desire to carry   
   forward the legacy of your ancestors. ... Just as the witness of the first   
   Christians calls us to care for one another, so our youth challenge us to hear   
   one another. ... When we speak with young people, they challenge us to share   
   the truth of Jesus Christ clearly and in a way that they can understand. They   
   also test the authenticity of our own faith and fidelity. Though it is Christ   
   we preach and not ourselves, we are called to be an example to the People of   
   God in order to draw people to him. ... As you reflect on the life of your   
   dioceses, as you formulate and revise your pastoral plans, I urge you to keep   
   before you the young whom you serve. See them as partners in 'building a   
   holier, more missionary and humble Church, a Church which loves and worships   
   God by seeking to serve the poor, the lonely, the infirm and the   
   marginalised'. Be close to them. ... This closeness will not only strengthen   
   the institutions and communities of the Church, but will also help you to   
   understand the difficulties they and their families are experiencing in their   
   daily lives in society. In this way, the Gospel will penetrate ever more   
   deeply the life of the Catholic community as well as that of society as a   
   whole".   
    "As you prepare to return to your local Churches, as well as encouraging you   
   in your ministry and confirming you in your mission, I ask you, above all, to   
   be servants, just as Christ came to serve, and not to be served. Ours is a   
   life of service, freely given, for each soul entrusted to our care, without   
   exception. ... In this spirit of service, may you be solicitous for one   
   another. By your collaboration and fraternal support, you will strengthen the   
   Church in Korea and Mongolia and become ever more effective in proclaiming   
   Christ.   
      
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    Every penitent who approaches the confessional is sacred ground to be   
   cultivated with care and attention   
    Vatican City, 12 March 2015 (VIS) - "The Sacraments, as we know, are God's   
   demonstration of closeness and tenderness towards humanity; they are the   
   concrete way God created to move be closer to us, to embrace us, without shame   
   for our limits", said Pope Francis this morning as he received in audience in   
   the Paul VI Hall the participants in the annual Course on the Inner Forum   
   organised by the Apostolic Penitentiary. "Without doubt", he continued, "among   
   the Sacraments, it is that of Reconciliation that best shows the merciful face   
   of God. We must never forget, either as penitents or as confessors: there is   
   no sin that God cannot forgive! None! Only what is hidden from divine mercy   
   cannot be forgiven, like those that hide themselves from the sun cannot be   
   illuminated or warmed.   
    Following the theme of reconciliation, Francis emphasised three demands. The   
   first is to live the Sacrament as a way of educating in mercy. The Pope   
   described Confession "not as a form of torture but rather as a liberating   
   encounter, full of humanity, through which we can educate in a mercy that does   
   not exclude, but rather includes the just commitment to make amends, as far as   
   possible, for the sin committed". The second is that of "allowing oneself to   
   be educated in what we are celebrating, in the Sacrament of Reconciliation",   
   as "it is possible to learn much from conversion and the repentance of our   
   brothers. They lead us to examine our own consciences". He then outlined the   
   third requirement, that of keeping one's gaze towards heaven and the   
   supernatural. He urged those present to remember that they are all ministers   
   of reconciliation "purely by the grace of God, gratuitously and out of love,   
   or rather, out of mercy. We are ministers of mercy thanks to God's mercy, and   
   we must never lose this view to the supernatural that makes us truly humble,   
   weloming and merciful towards every brother and sister who wishes to confess.   
   ... Every faithful penitent who approaches the confessional is 'sacred ground'   
   to be cultivated with dedication, care and pastoral attention".   
    The Pope concluded by encouraging those present to "make the most of this   
   Lenten period for personal conversion and to dedicate yourselves generously to   
   confessions, so that the People of God can be purified as they reach Easter,   
   which represents the final victory of Divine Mercy over all the evil in the   
   world".   
      
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    Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran to visit Cote d'Ivoire   
    Vatican City, 12 March 2015 (VIS) - The Pontifical Council for Interreligious   
   Dialogue today announced that Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the   
   dicastery, will visit Cote d'Ivoire from 13 to 17 March 2015, accompanied by   
   Fr. Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot, secretary and Msgr. Lucio Sembrano, official.   
    The aim of the visit is primarily to participate in the celebrations to   
   commemorate the 110th anniversary of the evangelisation of the Great North in   
   the diocese of Korhogo.   
      
   --- MPost/386 v1.21   
    * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)