creatures with strengths and weaknesses, sinners in need of forgiveness. To   
   enter into the mystery we need the lowliness that is powerlessness, the   
   renunciation of our idols ... in a word, we need to adore. Without adoration,   
   we   
   cannot enter into the mystery.   
    "The women who were Jesus' disciples teach us all of this. They kept watch   
   that   
   night, together with Mary. And she, the Virgin Mother, helped them not to lose   
   faith and hope. As a result, they did not remain prisoners of fear and sadness,   
   but at the first light of dawn they went out carrying their ointments, their   
   hearts anointed with love. They went forth and found the tomb open. And they   
   went in. They had kept watch, they went forth and they entered into the   
   Mystery.   
   May we learn from them to keep watch with God and with Mary our Mother, so that   
   we too may enter into the Mystery which leads from death to life".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Easter Sunday: may the consoling and healing voice of the Lord reach us all   
    Vatican City, 5 April 2015 (VIS) - At 10.15 today, Easter Sunday, the Holy   
   Father Francis celebrated the solemn Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord in   
   St.   
   Peter's Square, which had been decorated for the occasion with 40,000 plants   
   and   
   flowers (tulips, narcissus and hyacinths) offered by Dutch florists, mostly in   
   yellow and white, the colours of Vatican City State. The celebration, which   
   began with the "Resurrexit" rite - the opening of an icon of the Risen Lord,   
   placed next to the papal altar - was attended by more than 50,000 faithful from   
   all around the world, whom the Pope thanked.   
    The Holy Father did not pronounce a homily, but following Mass at midday he   
   delivered an Easter message and imparted his "Urbi et Orbi" blessing from the   
   central balcony of the Vatican basilica. He addressed the faithful gathered in   
   St. Peter's Square and all those following the event on radio or television,   
   making a special Easter appeal for the world not to submit to arms traffickers,   
   recalling the tragedies in Yemen, Libya, Syria and Iraq, the persecution of   
   Christians in these and other countries, the conflicts in the Holy Land and the   
   war in Ukraine. He also made a plea for peace in Nigeria, South Sudan and the   
   Republic of Congo, and mentioned in particular the poor, the incarcerated and   
   immigrants, who are frequently scorned and rejected. He then imparted his "Urbi   
   et Orbi" blessing, to the city and the world.   
    "Dear Brothers and Sisters, Happy Easter! Jesus Christ is risen!" exclaimed   
   the   
   Pope. "Love has triumphed over hatred, life has conquered death, light has   
   dispelled the darkness! Out of love for us, Jesus Christ stripped Himself of   
   His   
   divine glory, emptied Himself, took on the form of a slave and humbled Himself   
   even to death, death on a cross. For this reason God exalted him and made him   
   Lord of the universe. Jesus is Lord! By His death and resurrection, Jesus shows   
   everyone the way to life and happiness: this way is humility, which involves   
   humiliation. This is the path which leads to glory. Only those who humble   
   themselves can go towards the 'things that are above', towards God. The proud   
   look 'down from above'; the humble look 'up from below'.   
    "On Easter morning, alerted by the women, Peter and John ran to the tomb. They   
   found it open and empty. Then they drew near and 'bent down' in order to enter   
   it. To enter into the mystery, we need to 'bend down', to abase ourselves. Only   
   those who abase themselves understand the glorification of Jesus and are able   
   to   
   follow him on his way. The world proposes that we put ourselves forward at all   
   costs, that we compete, that we prevail. But Christians, by the grace of   
   Christ,   
   dead and risen, are the seeds of another humanity, in which we seek to live in   
   service to one another, not to be arrogant, but rather respectful and ready to   
   help. This is not weakness, but true strength! Those who bear within them God's   
   power, His love and His justice, do not need to employ violence; they speak and   
   act with the power of truth, beauty and love.   
    "From the risen Lord we ask today the grace not to succumb to the pride which   
   fuels violence and war, but to have the humble courage of pardon and peace. We   
   ask Jesus, the Victor over death, to lighten the sufferings of our many   
   brothers   
   and sisters who are persecuted for his name, and of all those who suffer   
   injustice as a result of ongoing conflicts and violence. There are so many of   
   them. We ask for peace, above all, for beloved Syria and Iraq, that the roar of   
   arms may cease and that peaceful relations may be restored among the various   
   groups which make up those beloved countries. May the international community   
   not stand by before the immense humanitarian tragedy unfolding in these   
   countries and the drama of the numerous refugees. We pray for peace for all the   
   peoples of the Holy Land. May the culture of encounter grow between Israelis   
   and   
   Palestinians and the peace process be resumed, in order to end years of   
   suffering and division.   
    "We implore peace for Libya, that the present absurd bloodshed and all   
   barbarous acts of violence may cease, and that all concerned for the future of   
   the country may work to favour reconciliation and to build a fraternal society   
   respectful of the dignity of the person. For Yemen too we express our hope for   
   the growth of a common desire for peace, for the good of the entire people. At   
   the same time, in hope we entrust to the merciful Lord the framework recently   
   agreed to in Lausanne, that it may be a definitive step toward a more secure   
   and   
   fraternal world. We ask the risen Lord for the gift of peace for Nigeria, South   
   Sudan and for the various areas of Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the   
   Congo. May constant prayer rise up from all people of goodwill for those who   
   lost their lives - I think in particular of the young people who were killed   
   last Thursday at Garissa University College in Kenya -, for all who have been   
   kidnapped, and for those forced to abandon their homes and their loved ones.   
    "May the Lord's resurrection bring light to beloved Ukraine, especially to   
   those who have endured the violence of the conflict of recent months. May the   
   country rediscover peace and hope thanks to the commitment of all interested   
   parties. We ask for peace and freedom for the many men and women subject to old   
   and new forms of enslavement on the part of criminal individuals and groups.   
   Peace and liberty for the victims of drug dealers, who are often allied with   
   the   
   powers who ought to defend peace and harmony in the human family. And we ask   
   peace for this world subjected to arms dealers, who profit from the blood of   
   men   
   and women.   
    "May the marginalised, the imprisoned, the poor and the migrants who are so   
   often rejected, maltreated and discarded, the sick and the suffering, children,   
   especially those who are victims of violence; all who today are in mourning,   
   and   
   all men and women of goodwill, hear the consoling and healing voice of the Lord   
   Jesus: 'Peace to you!'. 'Fear not, for I am risen and I shall always be with   
   you'.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Regina Coeli: Christ is risen! Repeat this with our witness of life   
    Vatican City, 6 April 2015 (VIS) - At midday today the Holy Father appeared at   
   the window of his study to pray the Regina Coeli, the prayer that substitutes   
   the Angelus during Easter time, with the thousands of faithful and pilgrims   
   reunited in St. Peter's Square. Before reciting the Marian prayer, Francis   
   commented on the day's Gospel reading, remarking that the angel announced to   
   the   
   women in the tomb that Jesus was risen, and asked them to take the news to the   
   disciples and to tell them to go to Galilee, where they would encounter the   
   Messiah. "Today, too, He is with us, here in the square". The Pope also noted   
   that this is the announcement that the Church has repeated since the very first   
   day. "Christ is risen!" "It is the good news we are called upon to take to   
   others everywhere, inspired by the Holy Spirit. Faith in the resurrection of   
   Jesus and the hope that He has brought to us is the most beautiful gift that   
   the   
   Christian can and must offer to his brethren. ... Christ is risen! Let us   
   repeat   
   this in words, but above all with the witness of our life".   
    "Let us proclaim Christ's resurrection when His light illuminates the darkest   
   moments of our existence and we are able to share it with others; when we know   
   how to smile with those who smile, and weep with those who weep; when we walk   
   alongside those who are sad and at risk of losing hope; when we recount our   
   experience of faith to those who are in search of meaning and happiness. With   
   our attitude, our witness, our life, we say: Jesus is risen! We say this with   
   all our soul. ... Easter is the event that brought radical newness to every   
   human   
   being, for history and for the world: it is the triumph of life over death; it   
   is the celebration of reawakening and regeneration. Let our existence be   
   conquered and transformed by the Resurrection!" concluded the Pope, urging   
   those   
   present to pray to the Virgin Mary to "let the joy of Easter grow in us".   
    Following the Regina Coeli prayer, Francis greeted the faithful, wishing them   
   a   
   happy Easter and encouraging them to read a passage from the Gospel every day.   
   He addressed some words to the Shalom Movement, which has reached the final   
   stage of its relay race to raise public awareness of the persecution of   
   Christians throughout the world. "You have reached the end of your itinerary,   
   but we must all continue on the spiritual path of intense prayer, concrete   
   participation and tangible aid in the defence and protection of our brothers   
   and   
   sisters who are persecuted, exiled, killed, decapitated, for the mere fact of   
   being Christians. They are our present-day martyrs, and there are many of them;   
   indeed, we might say that there are more of them than in the first centuries".   
    Francis also urged the international community "not to remain silent and inert   
   in the face of this unacceptable crime, which constitutes a worrying erosion of   
   the most elementary human rights. I truly hope that the international community   
   does not look away".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Pope's telegram for the attack on Garissa University College   
    Vatican City, 3 April 2015 (VIS) - Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin   
   sent a telegram of condolences on behalf of the Holy Father to Cardinal John   
   Njue, archbishop of Nairobi, Kenya, following the attack on the university   
   campus of Garissa which caused the death of 147 students and many casualties.   
    "Deeply saddened by the immense and tragic loss of life caused by the recent   
   attack on the Garissa University College, the Holy Father sends assurances of   
   his prayers and spiritual closeness to the families of the victims and to all   
   Kenyans at this painful time. He commends the souls of the deceased to the   
   infinite mercy of Almighty God, and he prays that all who mourn them will be   
   comforted in their loss. In union with all people of good will throughout the   
   world, His Holiness condemns this act of senseless brutality and prays for a   
   change of heart among its perpetrators. He calls upon all those in authority to   
   redouble their efforts to work with all men and women in Kenya to bring an end   
   to such violence and to hasten the dawn of a new era of brotherhood, justice   
   and   
   peace".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Other Pontifical Acts   
    Vatican City, 8 April 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father has:   
    - accepted the resignation from the office of auxiliary of the archdiocese of   
   Morelia, Mexico, presented by Archbishop Octavio Villegas Aguilar upon reaching   
   the age limit.   
    On Tuesday, 7 April, the Holy Father appointed:   
    - Rev. Fr. Ernesto Jose Romero Rivas, O.F.M. Cap., as apostolic vicar of   
   Tucupita (area 40,200, population 167,676, Catholics 120,000, priests 8,   
   religious 20), Venezuela. The bishop-elect was born in Machiques, Venezuela in   
   1960, gave his solemn vows in 1990, and was ordained a priest in the same year.   
   He holds a licentiate in catechetics from the Pontifical Salesian University in   
   Rome and has served in a number of roles, including parish administrator in   
   Tucupita; and master of post-novices, counsellor, superior, rector, bursar and   
   vice provincial counsellor of the Order of Friars Minor in Venezuela. He is   
   currently pro-vicar of Tucupita and parish priest.   
    - appointed Rev. Fr. Vincent Aind as bishop of Bagdogra (area 1,200,   
   population   
   1,015,000, Catholics 54,301, priests 58, religious 185), India. The   
   bishop-elect   
   was born in Kalchini, India in 1955 and was ordained a priest in 1984. He holds   
   a doctorate in philosophy from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, and   
   has served in a number of roles, including parish vicar and parish priest in   
   the   
   diocese of Jalpaiguri; lecturer, spiritual director, rector and dean of the   
   Morning Star regional seminary, Barrackpore; and principal of the Morning Star   
   College. He is currently diocesan consulter and member of the council for   
   economic affairs of the diocese of Jalpaiguri, and regional secretary of the   
   Commission for the Clergy, Religious and Seminarians of the Regional Episcopal   
   Conference of West Bengal.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
   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.   
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