countries, and he also underlined that lack of adequate services to respond to   
   the effective needs of the population. "Faced with this worrying scenario, a   
   general mobilisation is necessary, to unite the strengths of the population,   
   the   
   institutions, private entities and various civil bodies", he affirmed. "It is   
   not possible to defer the concrete steps that need to be taken to favour the   
   creation of new jobs, thus offering the young the possibility of realising   
   their   
   potential through honest work".   
    The diocese is celebrating, on the other hand, a jubilee year dedicated to   
   Pope   
   Celestine V, originally from the region, which offers the opportunity for a new   
   missionary impulse in order to go "beyond a static religious reality" and to   
   "return to Christ, to the Gospel; to be reconciled with God and neighbour. And   
   thus there is reborn the desire to bring His love to all, especially those who   
   are alone, marginalised, humiliated by suffering and by social injustice; to   
   the   
   many who, tired of human words, feel a profound nostalgia for God". The jubilee   
   year will also provide a preparatory stage for the extraordinary Jubilee Year   
   of   
   Mercy, and the parishes, where "ecclesial communion finds its most immediate   
   and   
   visible expression", is called upon to be the "privileged place for listening   
   to   
   and announcing the Gospel; a house of prayer around the Eucharist; a true   
   school   
   of communion, where the ardour of charity prevails over the temptation to a   
   superficial and arid religiosity".   
    "When difficulties seem to obscure the prospects for a better future, when we   
   experience failure and emptiness around us, it is the moment of Christian hope,   
   based in the Risen Lord and accompanied by charitable strength towards those   
   most in need. This is how your diocesan path, already admirably orientated to   
   this way of charity, can involve more people and more social and institutional   
   bodies in assisting those who are homeless or jobless, as well as those who are   
   affected by forms of poverty both old and new, not only in order to take care   
   of   
   their urgent needs but also to build alongside them a more welcoming society,   
   more respectful of diversity, more just and fraternal. ... Problems can be   
   overcome with solidarity. I encourage you, therefore, to be witnesses of   
   solidarity in your cities and towns, at work, at school, in your families, and   
   in the places where you meet".   
    Finally, Francis commended all those present to Our Lady and the saints of   
   Molise and Abruzzo, so they might be "supported by these powerful   
   intercessors",   
   in order to look "without fear and with hope to your future and that of your   
   land".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Globalising solidarity: the Pope's message for the inauguration of the Milan   
   Universal Exposition   
    Vatican City, 1 May 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father spoke at the inauguration of   
   the Universal Exposition of Milan (1 May - 31 October 2015), on the theme   
   "Feeding the planet, energy for life" via a video message transmitted life, in   
   which he emphasises the importance of the event for giving a voice to the poor,   
   globalising solidarity and defending the environment.   
    "I am grateful for the opportunity to unite my voice to those of you gathered   
   here for this inauguration. It is the voice of the bishop of Rome, who speaks   
   on   
   behalf of the pilgrim People of God throughout the whole world; it is the voice   
   of the many poor who form part of this people and with dignity seek to earn   
   bread through their labours. I would like to be the spokesman for all these   
   brothers and sisters of ours, Christians and also non-Christians, whom God   
   loves   
   as His sons and for whom he gave his life, breaking the brad that is the flesh   
   of His Son made man. He teaches us to ask God the Father: 'Give us this day our   
   daily bread'. EXPO is an opportune occasion to globalise solidarity".   
    Recalling the importance of the theme of the EXPO, Francis emphasises that an   
   issue so important and so essential cannot remain merely as a theme for the   
   event, but must instead be accompanied by "an awareness of the faces of the   
   millions of people who are hungry today, who will not eat today in a way worthy   
   of a human being. I would like every person who comes to visit the EXPO of   
   Milan, from today onwards, passing through those wonderful pavilions, to be   
   able   
   to perceive the presence of those faces. A hidden presence, but which ought in   
   reality to be the true protagonist of the event; the faces of the men and women   
   who are hungry, who become ill or even die as a result of inadequate or harmful   
   diet".   
    The "paradox of abundance" an expression used by St. John Paul II in his   
   address to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation) during the first   
   Conference on Nutrition in 1992 "still persists, in spite of the efforts made   
   and some good results. Even EXPO, in some respects, forms part of this paradox   
   of abundance, if it conforms to the throwaway culture of waste, and does not   
   contribute to an equitable and sustainable model of development. Therefore, let   
   us ensure that EXPO provides the opportunity for a change of mentality, so that   
   we stop thinking that our daily actions - at every level of responsibility - do   
   not have an impact on the life of those, near and far, who suffer from hunger".   
    The Pope comments also on the other 'faces' who play an important role in the   
   Universal Exposition - those of the many workers and researchers in the food   
   and   
   agriculture sector. "May the Lord grant wisdom and courage to every one of   
   them,   
   as their responsibility is great", he says, expressing his hope that all those   
   who work in this field be "involved in a great project for solidarity: that of   
   feeding the planet with respect for every man and woman who inhabit it, and   
   with   
   respect for the natural environment". It is, he adds, "the great challenge that   
   God presents to humanity in the twenty-first century: to finally stop abusing   
   the garden God has entrusted to us, so that all may eat its fruits".   
    "However, everything begins here: from a perception of those faces", he   
   concludes, "especially the most anonymous, the most hidden, that thanks to EXPO   
   have earned bread to take home. May no-one be deprived of this dignity! And may   
   no bread be the fruit of work unworthy of mankind! The Lord ... is the true   
   'energy for life': the love to share bread, 'our daily bread', in peace and   
   fraternity. And may no man or woman lack bread and the dignity of work".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    To the Cursillos in Christianity: take your charism to the existential   
   peripheries   
    Vatican City, 1 May 2015 (VIS) - The participants in the third "Ultreya   
   Europea" organised by the Cursillos in Christianity were received in audience   
   by   
   Pope Francis yesterday afternoon. Citing the theme of the encounter, "Ultreya"   
   ("ever onward", the ancient greeting of the pilgrims of Santiago de   
   Compostela),   
   he invited them always to continue and to go forward, inspired by the   
   missionary   
   but not proselytising spirit of their founders, the Spanish Eduardo Bonnin   
   Aguilo and the then-bishop of Mallorca, Juan Hervas y Benet. As the Pope   
   remarked, they and other young laypeople, perceived the need to reach out to   
   their peers, glimpsing the desire for truth and love present in their hearts.   
    "Those pioneers ... went towards the people, involving them with warmth and   
   accompanying them on their path of faith with respect and love. This is   
   important: friendliness and company. ... I would like to say to your movement:   
   you   
   have not engaged in proselytism! And this is a virtue. The Church grows not by   
   proselytism but by witness, as Pope Benedict said. And it is true. ... Today   
   you   
   too wish to announce the Good News of God's love, making yourself close to   
   others ... so that they can have a personal experience of Christ's infinite   
   love   
   that frees and transforms life".   
    During the meeting, which had a spontaneous nature, the Pope answered some   
   questions from the participants in the Ultreya, suggesting to them how to make   
   their charism fruitful, and beginnning by explaining that to help others grow   
   in   
   faith, first of all it is necessary to experience first-hand God's goodness and   
   tenderness to then communicate it with benevolence and mercy. "This is the   
   amicable witness of dialogue between friends.   
    "The method of evangelisation of the Cursillos is born precisely of this   
   ardent   
   wish for friendship with God, Who is the source of our friendship with our   
   brothers", he continued. "From the beginning it was understood that only within   
   a relationship of authentic friendship was it possible to prepare and accompany   
   people on their path, a path that begins with conversion, passes through the   
   discovery of the beauty of a life lived in the grace of God, finally reaching   
   the joy of becoming apostles in daily life. And in this way, since then,   
   thousands of people throughout the world have been helped to grow in the life   
   of   
   faith. In today's context of anonymity and isolation typical of our cities, the   
   dimension of family welcome, on a human scale, that you offer in your group   
   meetings is of great importance".   
    It is also important that these small group meetings are accompanied by   
   "moments that favour openness to a larger social and ecclesial dimension, also   
   involving those who come into contact with your charism but do not habitually   
   participate in the group. ... Effectively, the Church is an 'open-hearted   
   mother'   
   who invites us at times to 'slow down' and 'stop rushing to remain with someone   
   who has faltered along the way'".   
    Francis concluded by renewing his invitation to "go ever onwards", faithful to   
   their charism, and to "keep alive the zeal and the flame of the Spirit that   
   always drives Christ's disciples to reach those who are distant, without   
   proselytism, to leave their comfort zone and to have the courage to reach out   
   to   
   those peripheries in need of the light of the Gospel. ... Every charism is   
   called   
   upon to grown as it carries the Holy Spirit inside, and the Holy Spirit makes   
   it   
   grow. Every charism must take account of different cultures, with different   
   ways   
   of thinking and different values ... letting itself be guided by the Spirit".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Four cardinals to take possession of titles and diaconates   
    Vatican City, 4 May 2015 (VIS) - According to a note released today by the   
   Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, the following   
   cardinals will take possession of their titles or diaconates in the coming   
   days:   
    Cardinal Luis Hector Villalba, archbishop emeritus of Tucuman, Argentina, will   
   take possession of the title of San Girolamo a Corviale in Via dei Buonvisi 3,   
   Rome, at 6 p.m. on Saturday 9 May.   
    Cardinal Arlindo Gomes Furtado, bishop of Santiago de Cabo Verde, will take   
   possession of the title of San Timoteo in Via Apelle 1, Rome, at 10 a.m. on   
   Sunday 10 May.   
    Cardinal Julio Duarte Langa, bishop emeritus of Xai-Xai, Mozambique, will take   
   possession of the title of San Gabriele dell'Addolorata in Via Ponzio Cominio   
   93-95, Rome, at 11 a.m. on Sunday 10 May.   
    Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic   
   Signatura, will take possession of the diaconate of Santo Spirito in Sassia, in   
   Via dei Penitenzieri 12, Rome, at 6 p.m. on Sunday 10 May.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Audiences   
    Vatican City, 4 May 2015 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father received in audience:   
    - Archbishop Jose Horacio Gomez of Los Angeles, U.S.A.;   
    - Dr. Antje Jackelen, archbishop of Uppsala, of the Evangelical-Lutheran   
   Church   
   of Sweden, and entourage;   
    - Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting   
   Christian Unity;   
    - Eleven prelates of the Episcopal Conference of the Republic of the Congo, on   
   their "ad Limina" visit:   
    - Archbishop Anatole Milandou of Brazzaville;   
    - Bishop Bienvenu Manamika Bafouakouahou of Dolisie;   
    - Bishop Urbain Ngassongo of Gamboma;   
    - Bishop Jean Gardin, C.S.Sp., of Impfondo;   
    - Bishop Louis Portella Mbuyu of Kinkala;   
    - Bishop Daniel Mizonzo of Nkayi, with Bishop emeritus Bernard Nsayi;   
    - Bishop Yves-Marie Monot, C.S.Sp., of Ouesso, with Bishop emeritus Herve   
   Itoua;   
    - Bishop Victor Abagna Mossa of Owando; and   
    - Bishop Miguel Angel Olaverri Arroniz, S.D.B., of Pointe-Noire.   
    On Saturday, 2 May, the Holy Father received in audience Cardinal Marc   
   Ouellet,   
   P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Other Pontifical Acts   
    Vatican City, 4 May 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father has appointed:   
    - Bishop Denis Groudin, auxiliary of Quebec, Canada, as metropolitan   
   archbishop   
   of Rimouski (area 20,225, population 147,352, Catholics 143,960, priests 85,   
   permanent deacons 16, religious 517), Canada.   
    On Saturday, 2 May the Holy Father appointed Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, archbishop   
   emeritus of Prague, Czech Republic, as his special envoy to the celebrations   
   for   
   the 600th anniversary of the death of Jan Hus, to take place in the city of   
   Prague on 5 and 6 July 2015.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
   For more information and to search for documents refer to the site:   
   www.visnews.org and www.vatican.va   
      
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   Information Service may be reproduced wholly or partially by quoting   
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