VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE   
   YEAR XXII - # 087   
   DATE 11-05-2015   
      
   Summary:   
   - Francis receives the Episcopal Conference of Togo: spread the values of the   
   Christian family   
   - The Pope receives the "workers" of the Peace Factory   
   - The Holy Father receives the president of the Republic of Cuba   
   - Regina Coeli: love is a concrete path   
   - Pope's message to His Holiness Tawadros II: continuing friendship between the   
   Orthodox Coptic Church and the Catholic Church   
   - Pope's letter for the bicentenary of the coronation of Our Lady of Mercy   
   - To the bishops of Mozambique: always live among the faithful   
   - Cardinal Daniel Fernando Sturla Berhouet to take possession of his titular   
   church   
   - Audiences   
   - Other Pontifical Acts   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Francis receives the Episcopal Conference of Togo: spread the values of the   
   Christian family   
    Vatican City, 11 May 2015 (VIS) - Defence of the particular nature of the   
   Christian family, and care in the formation of priests and consecrated persons   
   in a country where religious communities and co-existence with other religions   
   present no problems, were the key themes of the discourse Pope Francis handed   
   to   
   the bishops of the Episcopal Conference of Togo, whom he received in audience   
   this morning at the end of their "ad Limina" visit.   
    In the text, and in view of the upcoming Synod of Bishops, the Pope underlines   
   the need for the positive aspects of African families to be known and   
   understood. "In particular", he observes, "the African family welcomes life,   
   and   
   respects and takes into consideration the elderly. This heritage must be   
   preserved, and serves as an example and impetus for others. The sacrament of   
   marriage is a pastoral reality that is well accepted in your country, although   
   there still exist barriers of a cultural and legal nature that prevent some   
   couples from realising their wish to base their married life on faith in   
   Christ.   
   I encourage you to persevere in your effort to support families in difficulty   
   ...   
   and to prepare couples for the commitments, demanding but magnificent, of   
   Christian marriage. Togo is not immune to ideological and media attacks that   
   come from all sides these days and which present models of unions and families   
   incompatible with Christian faith. I am aware of the vigilance you show in this   
   area, as well as your efforts, especially in the sector of communications".   
    "But one of the keys to meeting the challenges presented to your communities   
   and your societies is without doubt the formation of the young", continues the   
   bishop of Rome. "The Church-Family of God in Togo has chosen to stay close to   
   children and young people who receive a good human and religious formation   
   through numerous projects and initiatives. It is crucial that the young learn   
   to   
   life their faith with coherence, in order to bear witness to it with   
   authenticity and to contribute to a more just and fraternal society. ... Men   
   and   
   women religious play an indispensable role in the proclamation and transmission   
   of faith in Togo. ... I encourage you always to show paternal care towards the   
   various Institutes. Their numbers are growing rapidly, and their development   
   should be well accompanied; attention should also be paid to the formation of   
   the youngest among them, in particular, to avoid amalgamation at the level of   
   faith and inculturation. ... Vocations are numerous in Togo and seminarians   
   receive good formation in the seminaries ... which must later help them in   
   their   
   battle against ambition, careerism, jealousy, worldliness, the seduction of   
   money and worldly goods, and in living a sincere and joyful celibacy. I   
   recommend special attention to the spiritual and pastoral care of young   
   priests,   
   and to be open to listening to their experiences".   
    The Pope remarks that in recent years Togolese society has made significant   
   progress in the political and social fields, and that "the Catholic Church has   
   made extensive contributions to this, not only through her works of   
   evangelisation and human promotion, but also through her commitment to justice   
   and reconciliation. I thank you warmly for your efforts in this area,   
   especially   
   for your work in the Commission for Truth, Justice and Reconciliation. I   
   encourage you to continue, ensuring that the Church occupies the place due to   
   her in the the process of institutional reforms. ... However, it is always   
   necessary to take care not to enter directly into political debate or disputes   
   ,   
   taking care instead to form, encourage and support the laity - whose role this   
   rightly is - so they are able to dedicate themselves to the service of the   
   nation and the highest level and to assume their responsibilities".   
    "I am glad that this service to Togolese society is also an opportunity for   
   joint action with other Christian communities, as shown by various joint   
   appeals   
   to the nation. In the same way, in matters of interreligious dialogue, it is   
   always necessary to promote, and perhaps further develop, the culture of   
   dialogue and encounter, given that you enjoy peaceful co-existence especially   
   with Islam, a co-existence that must be maintained considering the current   
   situation in Western Africa. 'Interreligious dialogue is a necessary condition   
   for peace in the world, and so it is a duty for Christians as well as other   
   religious communities'. It is particularly important for young priests to   
   receive a solid education in this matter", concludes the Holy Father.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    The Pope receives the "workers" of the Peace Factory   
    Vatican City, 10 May 2015 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall   
   Pope Francis received in audience more than seven thousand children and young   
   people, who form part of the "Peace Factory", an initiative promoted by various   
   institutions, including the Ministry of Education and the Italian Episcopal   
   Conference, to favour multi-ethnic integration and to raise awareness among   
   spiritual, political and educational leaders so that they use the language of   
   peace. The Peace Factory, presented on 5 May at the United Nations Food and   
   Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is a large laboratory that seeks to involve all   
   schools in an educational network that, through art, theatre, new technologies   
   and sport, offers a formation in human values to all boys and girls, starting   
   from elementary school.   
    Upon arrival in the Hall, the Pope was warmly greeted by the thousands of   
   Factory "workers", and answered the questions that some of them posed to him,   
   emphasising above all the inseparable relationship between peace and justice.   
   Francis did not pronounce the discourse he had prepared, but we publish several   
   extracts from it here below:   
    "Thank you for your invitation to work with you in the 'Peace Factory'! It is   
   good workplace as it is about building a society without injustice and   
   violence,   
   where all children and young people may be welcomed and grow in love. There is   
   a   
   great need for peace factories, as unfortunately there is no lack of war   
   factories! ... War is the result of hatred, selfishness, the desire to own more   
   and to dominate others. And to combat it you pledge to spread the culture of   
   inclusion, reconciliation and encounter. ... It is a good path, that requires   
   courage and strength, so that everyone may understand the need for a change in   
   mentality, to ensure the safety of children on the planet, and especially those   
   who live in areas afflicted by wars and persecution".   
    "The term 'factory' tells us that peace is something that has to ... be built   
   with wisdom and tenacity. But to build a world of peace, we need to begin with   
   our own world, that is, the environments in which we live every day: the   
   family,   
   school, the playground, the gym, the oratory. ... And it is important to work   
   together with the people who live next to us: our friends, schoolmates, parents   
   and educators. We need the help of all in order to build a better future. ...   
   The   
   true builder of peace is one who makes the first step towards the other. And   
   this is not weakness, but strength, the strength of peace. How can we put an   
   end   
   to wars in the world, if we are not capable of overcoming our minor   
   misunderstandings and our arguments? Our acts of dialogue, forgiveness and   
   reconciliation are bricks that serve to construct the edifice of peace".   
    "Another characteristic of this factory is that it has no borders. One   
   breathes   
   an air of acceptance and encounter without barriers or exclusion. Faced with   
   people from different countries and ethnic groups, who have other traditions   
   and   
   religions, your attitude is that of knowledge and dialogue, for the inclusion   
   of   
   all, with respect for the laws of the State. And you have understood that to   
   construct a world of peace it is indispensable to take an interest in the needs   
   of the poorest, the most suffering and abandoned, even those who are far away.   
   I   
   think of many of your peers who, just for the fact of being Christians, have   
   been driven from their homes, their countries, and some have been killed for   
   holding the Bible in their hands! And in this way the work of your 'factory'   
   truly becomes a work of love. Loving others, especially the most disadvantaged,   
   means showing that every person is a gift of God. Every person".   
    "But peace itself is a gift of God, a gift to ask for trustfully in prayer.   
   Therefore it is important not only to be witnesses of peace and love, but also   
   witnesses of prayer. Prayer is speaking to God, our Father in Heaven, to   
   entrust   
   to Him our wishes, our joys, our sorrows. Prayer is asking Him for forgiveness   
   every time we err and commit a sin, in the certainty that He always forgives.   
   His goodness towards us drives us too to be merciful towards our brothers,   
   forgiving them from our heart when they offend us or harm us. And, finally,   
   peace has a face and a heart: it is the face and the heart of Jesus, the Son of   
   God, Who died on the cross and rose again to bring peace to every man and to   
   all   
   humanity. Jesus is 'our peace', as he tore down the wall of hate that separated   
   men from each other".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    The Holy Father receives the president of the Republic of Cuba   
      
   --- MPost/386 v1.21   
    * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)