themselves to being victims of abuse. These are situations in which it is not   
   enough to safeguard the law to defend the basic rights of the person, and in   
   which the rules, without pity and mercy, do not respond to justice. Within   
   every   
   country, at times, scandalous and offensive differences are created, especially   
   between indigent peoples, in rural areas or in the peripheries of large cities.   
   If it fails to genuinely defend these people against racism, xenophobia and   
   intolerance, the rule of law loses its very legitimacy".   
    "Efforts to build bridges, to establish channels of communication, to build   
   relationships and to seek agreement are never in vain. The geographical   
   situation of Panama, in the centre of the American continent, making it a point   
   of encounter between north and south, between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans,   
   is certainly a call, pro mundi beneficio, to generate a new order of peace and   
   justice, and to promote solidarity and collaboration, respecting the just   
   autonomy of every nation", writes the Pope, who concludes by expressing his   
   hope   
   that the Church "may also be an instrument of peace and reconciliation between   
   peoples".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    To formators of consecrated persons: not only teachers, but also witnesses of   
   following Christ   
    Vatican City, 11 April 2015 (VIS) - "To live in Christ according to the form   
   of   
   life of the Gospel" is the title of an international conference for formators   
   of   
   consecrated persons, held in Rome from 7 to 11 April. This morning around 1,400   
   participants were received in audience by the Pope, who exclaimed, "Seeing so   
   many of you, you would not believe that there is a crisis of vocations!", and   
   went on to highlight the beauty and importance of consecrated life for the   
   world   
   and for the Church.   
    However, he noted that the decreasing number of new vocations is an undeniable   
   fact, and "this make the task of formation even more urgent". He expressed his   
   conviction that "there is not a vocational crisis where there are consecrated   
   persons able to transmit, by their own witness, the beauty of consecration. And   
   it is a fruitful witness. If there is not witness, there is no coherence, and   
   if   
   there is no coherence, there will be no vocations". He added, they are "not   
   only   
   teachers, but above all witnesses of following Christ in their own charism", as   
   the mission and task of formators is to "truly mould the heart of Jesus in the   
   heart of the young, so that they have the same sentiments".   
    "In these days of the Resurrection, the word that frequently resounded to me   
   in   
   prayers was 'Galilee', where it all began, as Peter tells us in his first   
   discourse. Events occurred in Jerusalem, but they began in Galilee. Our life,   
   too, began in a 'Galilee': each one of us has had the experience ... of   
   encountering the Lord, that encounter that cannot be forgotten, but that many   
   times ends up obscured by things, by work, by worries, and also by sins and   
   worldliness. To offer witness it is often necessary to make a pilgrimage to   
   one's own Galilee, to revive the memory of that encounter, that wonder, and to   
   start again from there. But if you do not follow the road of memory there is   
   the   
   risk of remaining stuck where you are, and also the danger of not knowing why   
   you are there".   
    "Consecrated life is beautiful: it is one of the most valuable treasures of   
   the   
   Church, rooted in the baptismal vocation. Therefore, it is beautiful to be its   
   formators, as it is a privilege to participate in the work of the Father, which   
   forms the heart of the Son in those to whom the Spirit calls. At times, this   
   service may be felt as a weight, as if it draws us away from something more   
   important", the Pontiff observed. "But this is a deception, a temptation. The   
   mission is important, but it is equally important to educate in the mission, in   
   the passion of proclamation, of going everywhere, to every periphery, to say to   
   all that the love of Jesus Christ, especially for those who are most distant,   
   to   
   tell this to the small and the poor, and also to allow oneself to be   
   evangelised   
   by them. All this requires a solid foundation, a Christian structure of   
   personality that families themselves are rarely able to give. And this   
   increases   
   your responsibility".   
    "It is not true that today's young people are mediocre or not generous; but   
   they need to experience that 'It is more blessed to give than to receive', that   
   there is great freedom in a life of obedience, great fruitfulness in a virgin   
   heart, great wealth in possessing nothing. From this there arises the need to   
   be   
   lovingly attentive to the path of each person and evangelically demanding in   
   every phase of the formative journey, beginning with vocational discernment, so   
   that the eventual crisis in terms of quantity does not lead to a far more   
   serious crisis of quality. And this is the danger. Vocational discernment is   
   important: all those who understand the human personality - be they   
   psychologists, spiritual fathers, spiritual mothers - tell us that young people   
   who at a subconscious level feel they ... have some problem of balance or   
   deviation subconsciously seek out strong structures to protect them, and to   
   protect them against themselves. And here lies discernment: knowing how to say   
   no. Without driving them away - this, no. "I will accompany you, go, go ... and   
   just as you accompany them as they enter, accompany them to the exit, so that   
   they may find their path in life, with the necessary help".   
    He continued, "Initial formation, this discernment, is only the first step in   
   a   
   process destined to last a lifetime, and the young people must develop with the   
   humble and intelligent freedom of allowing himself to be educated by God the   
   Father every day of his life, at every age, in the mission as in fraternity, in   
   action as in contemplation".   
    "In this mission, neither time nor energy must be spared. And we must not be   
   discouraged when results do not fulfil our expectations. It is painful, when a   
   boy or a girl says after three or four years: 'I cannot continue; I have found   
   another love that is not against God, but I cannot continue, I am leaving'.   
   This   
   is hard. But it is also your martyrdom. Even missteps, these missteps from the   
   formator's point of view, can contribute to your journey of continual   
   formation.   
   And if at times you may have the feeling that your work is not sufficiently   
   appreciated, know that Jesus is following you with love, and the entire Church   
   is grateful to you".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Audiences   
    Vatican City, 13 April 2015 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father received in   
   audience:   
    - Archbishop Carlos Jose Nanez of Cordoba, Argentina.   
    On Saturday, 11 April, the Holy Father received in audience:   
    - Cardinal Marc Ouellet, P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for Bishops;   
    - Daniele Mancini, new ambassador of Italy to the Holy See, presenting his   
   credential letters;   
    - Archbishop Antonio Guido Filipazzi, apostolic nuncio in Indonesia.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Other Pontifical Acts   
    Vatican City, 13 April 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father has appointed:   
    - Msgr. Paolo Rocco Gualtieri, nunciature counsellor, as apostolic nuncio in   
   Madagascar, elevating him to the dignity of archbishop;   
    - Bishop Francois Eid, emeritus of Cairo of the Maronites and procurator of   
   the   
   Maronite Patriarchate at the Holy See, as apostolic visitator for the Maronite   
   faithful in Bulgaria, Greece and Romania:   
    - the following cardinals, created in the Consistory of 14 February 2015, as   
   Members of the Dicasteries of the Roman Curia:   
    - in the Council of Cardinals and Bishops of the Section for Relations with   
   States of the Secretariat of State: Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, prefect of the   
   Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura;   
    - in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: Cardinal Ricardo Blazquez   
   Perez, archbishop of Valladolid, Spain;   
    - in the Congregation for the Oriental Churches: Cardinals Berhaneyesus   
   Demerew   
   Souraphiel, archbishop of Addis Abeba, Ethiopia, and Edoardo Menichelli,   
   archbishop of Ancona-Osimo, Italy;   
    - in the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments:   
   Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic   
   Signatura;   
    - in the Congregation for the Causes of Saints: Cardinal Dominique Mamberti,   
   prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura;   
    - in the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples: Cardinals John   
   Atcherley Dew, archbishop of Wellington, New Zealand; Pierre Nguyen Van Nhon,   
   archbishop of Ha Noi, Viet Nam; Francis Xavier Kriengsak Kovithavanij,   
   archbishop of Bangkok, Thailand; Arlindo Gomes Furtado, bishop of Santiago de   
   Cabo Verde, Cape Verde; and Soane Patita Paini Mafi, bishop of Tonga;   
    - in the Congregation for the Clergy: Cardinals Manuel Jose Macario do   
   Nascimento Clemente, patriarch of Lisbon, Portugal, and Alberto Suarez Inda,   
   archbishop of Morelia, Mexico;   
    - in the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies   
   of Apostolic Life: Cardinals Charles Maung Bo, archbishop of Yangon, Myanmar,   
   and Daniel Fernando Sturla Berhouet, archbishop of Montevideo, Uruguay;   
    - in the Congregation for Catholic Education: Cardinal Jose Luis Lacunza   
   Maestrojuan, bishop of David, Panama;   
    - in the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity: Cardinal John   
   Atcherley Dew, archbishop of Wellington, New Zealand;   
    - in the Pontifical Council "Justice and Peace": Cardinals Pierre Nguyen Van   
   Nhon, archbishop of Ha Noi, Viet Nam, and Alberto Suarez Inda, archbishop of   
   Morelia, Mexico;   
    - in the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum": Cardinals Francesco Montenegro,   
   archbishop of Agrigento, Italy; Arlindo Gomes Furtado, bishop of Santiago de   
   Cabo Verde, Cape Verde; and Soane Patita Paini Mafi, bishop of Tonga;   
    - in the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant   
   Peoples: Cardinals Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel, archbishop of Addis Abeba,   
   Ethiopia; and Francesco Montenegro, archbishop of Agrigento, Italy;   
    - in the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers:   
   Cardinal Edoardo Menichelli, archbishop of Ancona-Osimo, Italy;   
    - in the Pontifical Council for Culture: Cardinals Charles Maung Bo,   
   archbishop   
   of Yangon, Myanmar; Ricardo Blazquez Perez, archbishop of Valladolid, Spain;   
   and   
   Jose Luis Lacunza Maestrojuan, bishop of David, Panama;   
    - in the Pontifical Council for Social Communications: Cardinals Manuel Jose   
   Macario do Nascimento Clemente, patriarch of Lisbon, Portugal, and Francis   
   Xavier Kriengsak Kovithavanij, archbishop of Bangkok, Thailand;   
    - in the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelisation: Cardinal Daniel   
   Fernando Sturla Berhouet, archbishop of Montevideo, Uruguay.   
    On Sunday, 12 April, the Holy Father accepted the resignation from the   
   pastoral   
   care of the archdiocese of Taunggyi, Myanmar, presented by Archbishop Matthias   
   U. Shwe in accordance with canon 401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law, and   
   appointed Bishop Basilio Athai, auxiliary of the same archdiocese, as apostolic   
   administrator "sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis".   
    On Saturday, 11 April, the Holy Father appointed:   
    - appointed Bishop Jean de Dieu Raoelison, auxiliary of Antananarivo,   
   Madagascar, as bishop of Ambatondrazaka (area 21,000, population 1,536,000,   
   Catholics 277,000, priests 42, religious 208), Madagascar. He succeeds Bishop   
   Antoine Scopelliti, O.SS.T., whose resignation upon reaching the age limit was   
   accepted by the Holy Father.   
    - Rev. Fr. Dante Gustavo Braida as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Mendoza,   
   (area 63,839, population 1,250,000, Catholics 1,086,000, priests 157, permanent   
   deacons 61, religious 258), Argentina. He bishop-elect was born in Reconquista,   
   Argentina in 1968 and was ordained a priest in 1996. He has served as parish   
   vicar in Villa Ocampo, missionary ad gentes in Cuba, parish priest in   
   Calchaqui,   
   diocesan assessor for vocational pastoral ministry, formator of the "La   
   Encarnacion" interdiocesan seminary, and member of the presbyteral council and   
   college of consultors. He is currently vicar general of the diocese of   
   Reconquista and parish priest of the "La Inmaculada" parish.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
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