VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE   
   YEAR XXII - # 106   
   DATE 08-06-2015   
      
   Summary:   
   - To the prelates of Puerto Rico: the Church, by virtue of her mission, is not   
   linked to any political system   
   - Tenth meeting of the Council of Cardinals   
   - Audience with the president of Argentina   
   - Angelus: those who are nourished by the bread of Christ cannot be indifferent   
   to those without daily bread   
   - Francis urges recognition of the rights of childhood   
   - Apostolic trip to Sarajevo   
   - Francis meets the clergy of Sarajevo: the pastoral ministry of hope   
   - Ecumenical and interreligious meeting: dialogue cannot be confined to the   
   leaders of religious communities   
   - The Pope to the young of Bosnia and Herzegovina: keep the hope that inspires   
   life   
   - The Pope interviewed by journalists during return flight from Sarajevo   
   - Pilgrimage is a symbol of life   
   - Cardinals Menichelli and Macario do Nascimento Clemente to take possession of   
   their titular churches   
   - Audiences   
   - Other Pontifical Acts   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    To the prelates of Puerto Rico: the Church, by virtue of her mission, is not   
   linked to any political system   
    Vatican City, 8 June 2015 (VIS) - The prelates of the Puerto Rican Episcopal   
   Conference were received in audience by Pope Francis this morning, at the end   
   of   
   their "ad Limina" visit. In the written discourse he handed to the bishops,   
   Francis recalls that one of the first dioceses of the American continent was   
   founded on this Caribbean archipelago, and he invites them to be "heralds of   
   the   
   Gospel and custodians of the hopes of the people", called to "continue   
   inscribing the work of God in the local Churches, inspired by a spirit of   
   ecclesial communion, ensuring that faith grows and the light of the truth   
   shines   
   in our days too".   
    "Spend your energy not in divisions and conflicts, but rather in building and   
   collaborating", the Pope advises. "Be aware that the more intense your   
   communion   
   is, the more the mission is encouraged. Know how to keep a distance from any   
   form of ideological or political trend that may lead you to waste time and your   
   true zeal for the Kingdom of God. The Church, by virtue of her mission, is not   
   linked to any political system, enabling her always to be a sign and safeguard   
   of the transcendent nature of the human person".   
    "The bishop is a model for his priests, and I encourage them always to seek   
   spiritual renewal and to discover anew the joy of ministering to the flock   
   within the great family of the Church", Francis observes. "Before the upcoming   
   Jubilee of Mercy, I urge first you and then your priests to be faithful   
   servants   
   of God's forgiveness, especially in the sacrament of Reconciliation, which   
   allows God's love to be experienced in the flesh and offers every penitent the   
   source of true inner peace".   
    With reference to the task of the laity, the Pope reminds the bishops that   
   "facilitating the sacramental life of the faithful and offering them an   
   adequate   
   continuing formation enables them to fulfil their mission", and he expresses   
   his   
   hope that, "encouraged by the example of distinguished laypersons such as   
   Blessed Carlos Manuel Rodriguez Santiago, model of commitment and apostolic   
   service, or the venerable master Rafael Cordero y Molina, they may continue   
   along the path of a joyful adherence to the Gospel, deepening the social   
   doctrine of the Church and participating lucidly and serenely in the public   
   debates regarding the society in which they live".   
    The Pope also remarks that one of the initiatives that must be increasingly   
   consolidated is that of the pastoral ministry of the family, "afflicted by   
   serious social problems: the difficult economic situation, migration, domestic   
   violence, unemployment, drug trafficking and corruption. These are issues that   
   give rise to concern. Let me to draw your attention to the value and beauty of   
   marriage. ... The differences between man and women are not of the order of   
   opposition or subordination, but rather communion and generation, always as the   
   image and semblance of God. Without mutual commitment, neither of the two will   
   be able to understand the other in depth. The sacrament of marriage is a sign   
   of   
   God's love for humanity and Christ's commitment to His Bride, the Church. Take   
   care of this treasure, as one of the most important of the Latin American and   
   Caribbean peoples".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Tenth meeting of the Council of Cardinals   
    Vatican City, 8 June 2015 (VIS) - This morning, the Holy Father's tenth   
   meeting   
   with the Council of Cardinals began. The "Council of Nine" will continue its   
   work until Wednesday 10 June.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Audience with the president of Argentina   
    Vatican City, 7 June 2015 (VIS) - This afternoon Pope Francis received the   
   president of Argentina, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, in private audience.   
   The   
   very cordial meeting lasted for more than an hour and a half and took place in   
   the Pope's study next to the Paul VI Hall. The president once again expressed   
   the affection and closeness of the Argentine people to the Pope and asked for   
   his blessing for all their compatriots.   
    Following the meeting, in the adjacent hall, the Pope greeted the large   
   delegation accompanying the president on her visit, which will continue   
   tomorrow   
   with their attendance at the Conference of the FAO, meetings with the Italian   
   authorities and finally a visit to the EXPO in Milan.   
    President Fernandez de Kirchner gave the Pope a number of very meaningful   
   gifts: a large painting of the blessed bishop and martyr Oscar Arnulfo Romero   
   by   
   the Argentine artist Eugenio Cuttica; a book by Alberto Methol Ferre, an author   
   greatly admired by the Holy Father ("Los estados continentales y el Mercosur");   
   an edition of the famous national poem "Martin Fierro", occasionally quoted by   
   the Pope in his discourses; two bas-reliefs for the blind or partially-sighted,   
   with the title in braille, depicting the Virgin of Lujan, and a portrait of the   
   Pope; a basket of typical Argentine products and a volume on the architectural   
   heritage of Argentina, published on the occasion of the Bicentenary.   
    The Pope's gift was a reproduction of a beautiful eleventh-century Russian   
   icon   
   representing the "Our Lady of Tenderness".   
    This is the fifth time - including the inauguration of Francis' papacy and   
   World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro - that the Argentine president has met with   
   the Holy Father.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Angelus: those who are nourished by the bread of Christ cannot be indifferent   
   to those without daily bread   
    Vatican City, 7 June 2015 (VIS) - At midday today - the Solemnity of the Most   
   Holy Body and Blood of Christ, or according to the better known Latin   
   expression, Corpus Domini - the Pope appeared at the window of his study to   
   pray   
   the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square.   
    Francis commented on the Gospel reading of this Sunday's liturgy, which   
   narrates the institution of the Eucharist during the Last Supper, when Jesus,   
   pronouncing the words, "Take; this is my body", assigns to the bread a function   
   "that is not solely that of simple physical nourishment, but rather that of   
   being present in his Person in the midst of the community of believers".   
    The Last Supper is "the point of arrival of all of Christ's life. It is not   
   merely the anticipation of His sacrifice that will be fulfilled on the Cross,   
   but also the synthesis of an existence offered for the salvation of all of   
   humanity". Therefore, "when we eat this bread, we are associated with Jesus'   
   life, we enter into communion with Him, we undertake to achieve communion among   
   ourselves, and to transform our life into a gift, especially to the poorest".   
    "Today's Solemnity evokes this fraternal message, and urges us to welcome the   
   invitation to conversion and to service, to love and to forgiveness. It   
   inspires   
   us to convert, with our life, into imitators of what we celebrate in the   
   liturgy. Christ, Who nourishes us in the form of the consecrated bread and   
   wine,   
   is the same Whom we encounter in daily events. ... He is in every human being,   
   even the smallest and most defenceless. The Eucharist, the source of love for   
   the life of the Church, is a school of charity and solidarity. Those who are   
   nourished by the Bread of Christ cannot remain indifferent before those without   
   daily bread. Today, we are aware, this is an increasingly serious problem",   
   Francis concluded.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Francis urges recognition of the rights of childhood   
    Vatican City, 8 June 2015 (VIS) - After praying the Angelus, the Pope recalled   
   his recent visit to Sarajevo, a symbolic city that was for centuries known for   
   the co-existence of peoples and religions, to the extent that it earned the   
   name   
   "Jerusalem of the West", but in the recent past has transformed into a symbol   
   of   
   destruction and war. "A good process of reconciliation is now in process, and   
   for this reason above all I went there: to encourage this path of peaceful   
   co-existence between difference populations; a strenuous path, difficult but   
   possible. And they are doing this well. I wish to again thank the authorities   
   and citizens for their warm welcome, ... the dear Catholic community, to whom I   
   wished to take the affection of the universal Church, and in particular, all   
   the   
   faithful: Orthodox, Muslim, Jews and those of other religious minorities. I   
   appreciated the commitment to collaboration and solidarity among these people   
   who belong to different religions, inspiring everyone to carry forward the work   
   of the spiritual and moral reconstruction of society. They work together as   
   true   
   brothers".   
    The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus will be celebrated next Friday, and   
   the Holy Father therefore invited all to think of Christ's immense love. World   
   Day against Child Labour will be held on the same day. "Many children   
   throughout   
   the world do not have the freedom to play or to go to school, and end up being   
   exploited as cheap labour", he said. "I hope that the international community   
   will commit itself diligently and constantly to promoting the active   
   recognition   
   of childhood rights".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Apostolic trip to Sarajevo   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Francis meets the clergy of Sarajevo: the pastoral ministry of hope   
    Vatican City, 6 June 2015 (VIS) - The Cathedral of Sarajevo, consecrated to   
   the   
   Sacred Heart, was the location of the Pope's meeting with priests, men and   
   women   
   religious, and seminarians of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The building, damaged   
   during the siege of Sarajevo, was subsequently restored and is now able to hold   
   250 people. At the entrance there is a statue of St. John Paul II to   
   commemorate   
   his visit in 1997.   
    Francis was welcomed by the rector of the Cathedral and greeted by the   
   cardinal   
   archbishop of Sarajevo, Vinko Puljic. He paused for a moment to worship the   
   Holy   
   Sacrament and prayed silently before the tomb of the Servant of God Josip   
      
   --- MPost/386 v1.21   
    * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)