People of God; may your homilies never be dull; may your homilies arrive   
   straight to the heart of the people as they come from your heart: what you say   
   to them is what you have in your heart. In this way one offers the Word of the   
   Lord, and in this way your doctrine will be joy and sustenance to Christ's   
   faithful; the aroma of your life will be witness, as example edifies, whereas   
   words without example are empty. They are ideas that never reach the heart and   
   may even do harm; they do not do good".   
      
   "When you celebrate Mass, acknowledge then what you are doing. Do not be hasty!   
   Imitate what you celebrate - it is not an artificial rite. ... With Baptism,   
   you   
   will add new faithful to the People of God. You must never refuse Baptism to   
   those who ask for it. With the Sacrament of Penance you will forgive sins in   
   the   
   name of Christ and of the Church. And I, in the name of the Jesus Christ, the   
   Lord, and His spouse, the Holy Church, I ask you never to tire of being   
   merciful. You will be in the confessional to forgive, not to condemn! Imitate   
   the Father, Who never tires of forgiving. With the holy oils you will bring   
   relief to the sick. By celebrating the holy rites and raise at the different   
   times of the day the prayers of praise and supplication, you will become the   
   voice of the People of God and of the whole of humanity. Aware of having been   
   chosen among men and constituted for their benefit to attend to matters of God,   
   exercise Christ's priestly work with joy and sincere charity, intent solely on   
   pleasing God and not yourselves. A priest who lives to please himself, who acts   
   like a peacock, is unpleasant".   
      
   "Finally, participating in Christ's mission as Head and Pastor in filial   
   communion with your bishop, make efforts to unite the faithful in a single   
   family - you are ministers of unity in the Church and in the family - to lead   
   them to God the Father by means of Christ in the Holy Spirit", he concluded,   
   adding. "and always keep before your eyes the example of the Good Shepherd, Who   
   did not come to be served, but to serve; not to remain in comfort, but to reach   
   out to seek and save what was lost".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
      
   Regina Coeli: contemplation and thanksgiving are not enough - we must follow   
   the   
   Good Shepherd   
      
   Vatican City, 26 April 2015 (VIS) - At the end of the celebration of Holy Mass   
   for new vocations, Pope Francis appeared at the window of his study in the   
   Vatican Apostolic Palace to pray this Sunday's Regina Coeli with the faithful   
   gathered in the square. Beforehand the Holy Father spoke about the figure of   
   Jesus, the Good Shepherd in Whom we contemplate God's Providence.   
      
   "The Father gave us the greatest and most precious gift He could give. It is   
   the   
   highest and purest love, as it is not motivated by any need, it is not   
   conditioned by any calculation, it is not attracted by any interest to receive   
   in exchange. Before this love of God, we experience immense joy and open   
   ourselves up to the the acknowledgement of what we have freely received. But   
   contemplating and giving thanks are not enough. We must also follow the Good   
   Shepherd. In particular, those who have the mission of guides in the Church -   
   priests, bishops, popes - are called upon to assume not the mentality of a   
   manager but rather that of a servant, in imitation of Jesus Who, despoiling   
   Himself, saved us with His mercy. The new priests of the diocese of Rome, whom   
   I   
   have had the joy of ordaining this morning in St. Peter's Basilica, are also   
   called to this style of pastoral life".   
      
   The Pope invited two of the newly ordained priests to appear at the window to   
   greet the people and to thank the faithful for their ordination, and he asked   
   that Our Lady might obtain for him, for the bishops and the priests of all the   
   world the grace of serving the holy people of God through the joyful preaching   
   of the Gospel, heartfelt celebration of the Sacraments and patient and gentle   
   pastoral guidance".   
      
   Following the Marian prayer, the Pope assured his closeness to those affected   
   by   
   the powerful earthquake in Nepal and neighbouring countries. "I pray for the   
   victims, for the injured, and for all those who suffer as a result of this   
   disaster", he said. "May they have the support of fraternal solidarity. And let   
   us pray to Our Lady to be close to them".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
      
   Telegram for the earthquake in Nepal   
      
   Vatican City, 26 April 2015 (VIS) - Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin   
   has sent a telegram of condolences on behalf of the Holy Father to Bishop Paul   
   Simick, of the apostolic vicariate of Nepal, for the victims of the earthquake   
   that struck the country and neighbouring India, Tibet and Bangladesh.   
      
   "His Holiness Pope Francis was deeply saddened to learn of the earthquake and   
   the resultant loss of many hundreds of lives in Nepal, as well as in   
   neighbouring countries. He expresses his solidarity with all affected by this   
   disaster and assures those who grieve for deceased family members of his   
   closeness in prayer. His Holiness commends the souls of the victims to the   
   loving mercy of the Almighty and he offers encouragement to the civil   
   authorities and emergency personnel as they continue their rescue efforts and   
   assistance to those touched by this tragedy. Upon them all he invokes the   
   blessings of the Almighty as a pledge of healing and consolation".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
      
   To the John Paul II Foundation: nurture solidarity with Christian fraternity   
      
   Vatican City, 25 April 2015 (VIS) - "The canonisation of John Paul II has given   
   a new impulse to your work in the service of the Church and evangelisation. It   
   has rendered it, if possible, even more universal. And you offer a valuable   
   contribution to ensuring that the spiritual legacy of this Pope saint may   
   continue to make fertile the great field of the Church and to support her path   
   through history", said the Pope this morning to the members of the John Paul II   
   Foundation, whom he received in audience in the Sala Clementina of the   
   Apostolic   
   Palace.   
      
   Francis thanked them for their initiatives in the educational field, recalling   
   John Paul II's great love for the young. "You contribute to ensuring that his   
   charism and his paternity continue to bear fruit", he remarked, also   
   emphasising   
   the valuable opportunities they offer to priests and laypeople to enhance their   
   formation, to be better prepared and to accompany communities in facing the   
   cultural and pastoral challenges of our times.   
      
   "It is enough to think of one of the key words of his teaching, 'solidarity': a   
   word that some people thought ought to become obsolete, but which in reality   
   still retains all its prophetic force", he continued. "Therefore, it is   
   important that you, first of all, in your 'network' of the Circles of Friends   
   of   
   the Foundation, live this solidarity among yourselves, nurturing it continually   
   with Christian fraternity, inspired in turn by prayer and obedience to the Word   
   of God".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
      
   Audiences   
      
   Vatican City, 27 April 2015 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father received in   
   audience:   
      
   - Professor Riccardo Di Segni, Chief Rabbi of Rome;   
      
   - Archbishop Bruno Musaro, apostolic nuncio to the Arab Republic of Egypt and   
   Holy See delegate at the League of Arab States;   
      
   - Archbishop Giorgio Lingua, apostolic nuncio to Cuba;   
      
   - Ten prelates of the Episcopal Conference of Benin, on their "ad Limina"   
   visit:   
      
   - Archbishop Antoine Ganye of Cotonou;   
      
   - Bishop Eugene Cyrille Houndekon of Abomey;   
      
   - Bishop Francois Gnonhossou, S.M.A., of Dassa-Zoume;   
      
   - Bishop Victor Agbanou of Lokossa;   
      
   - Archbishop Pascal N'Koue of Parakou;   
      
   - Bishop Paul Kouassivi Vieira of Djougou;   
      
   - Bishop Clet Feliho of Kandi;   
      
   - Bishop Antoine Sabi Bio of Natitingou;   
      
   - Bishop Martin Adjou Moumouni of N'Dali;   
      
   - Rev. Jean-Benoit Gnambode, diocesan administrator of Porto Novo.   
      
   On Saturday, 25 April, the Holy Father received in audience:   
      
   - Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops;   
      
   - Guillermo Leon Escobar Herran, new ambassador of Colombia to the Holy See,   
   presenting his letters of credence;   
      
   - Archbishop Giuseppe Pinto, apostolic nuncio to the Philippines;   
      
   - Msgr. Fernando Chica Arellano, Holy See permanent observer at the United   
   Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (F.A.O.), International Fund for   
   Agricultural Development (I.F.A.D.), and World Food Programme (W.F.P.);   
      
   - Bishop Antonio Augusto dos Santos Marto of Leiria-Fatima, Portugal.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
      
   Other Pontifical Acts   
      
   Vatican City, 27 April 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father has appointed Bishop John   
   C.   
   Wester of Salt Lake City, U.S.A., as metropolitan archbishop of Sante Fe (area   
   158,296, population 1,473,000, Catholics 328,850, priests 207, permanent   
   deacons   
   215, religious 269), U.S.A. He succeeds Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan, whose   
   resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese upon reaching the   
   age   
   limit was accepted by the Holy Father.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
   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.   
   http://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/vis/vis_en.html   
      
   --- MPost/386 v1.21   
    * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)