VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE   
   YEAR XXII - # 119   
   DATE 25-06-2015   
      
   Summary:   
   - The Pope receives B'nai B'rith International and recalls the work of St. John   
   XXIII and St. John Paul II to promote friendship between Jews and Christians   
   - To future Papal representatives: be custodians of truth, not state   
   functionaries   
   - Telegram for the death of the Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenians   
   - Presentation of the Eighth World Meeting of Families   
   - Audiences   
   - Other Pontifical Acts   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    The Pope receives B'nai B'rith International and recalls the work of St. John   
   XXIII and St. John Paul II to promote friendship between Jews and Christians   
    Vatican City, 25 June 2015 (VIS) - A delegation from B'nai B'rith   
   International   
   ("Children of the Covenant"), a Jewish non-governmental organisation of a   
   philanthropic nature founded in 1843, which opposes anti-Semitism in all its   
   forms and promotes human rights, was received in audience by Pope Francis this   
   morning. B'nai B'rith established contacts with the Holy See following the   
   promulgation of the conciliar declaration Nostra Aetate which, as the Holy   
   Father mentioned, "constituted a milestone on the path of mutual knowledge and   
   esteem between Jews and Catholics, based on the great spiritual patrimony that,   
   thanks be to God, we share in common".   
    During the last fifty years of regular dialogue between the Catholic Church   
   and   
   Judaism, great steps have been taken in fostering mutual trust and   
   appreciation.   
   "Respect for life and creation, human dignity, justice and solidarity unite us   
   for the development of society and for securing a future rich in hope for   
   generations to come. In a particular way, we are called to pray and work   
   together for peace. Unfortunately, there are many countries and regions of the   
   world that live in situations of conflict - I think in particular of the Holy   
   Land and the Middle East - and that require a courageous commitment to peace,   
   which is not only to be longed for, but sought after and built up patiently and   
   tenaciously by everyone, especially believers".   
    Francis recalled with profound gratitude all those who have worked to promote   
   friendship between Jews and Catholics, and mentioned St. John XXIII and St.   
   John   
   Paul II in particular. "The first saved many Jews during the Second World War,   
   he met with them numerous times, and greatly desired a conciliar document on   
   this theme. Regarding St. John Paul II, his various historical gestures remain   
   very much alive in our memories, such as his visit to Auschwitz and to the   
   Great   
   Synagogue of Rome. With the help of God, I wish to walk in their footsteps,   
   encouraged too by the many beautiful encounters and friendships I enjoyed in   
   Buenos Aires", the Pope concluded.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    To future Papal representatives: be custodians of truth, not state   
   functionaries   
    Vatican City, 25 June 2015 (VIS) - "The mission you will one day be called to   
   carry out will take you all over the world. In Europe, which needs to be   
   reawakened; in Africa, which thirsts for reconciliation; in Latin America,   
   which   
   hungers for nourishment and inwardness; in North America, intent on   
   rediscovering the roots of an identity that does not define itself in terms of   
   exclusion; in Asia and Oceania, challenged by the capacity for transformation   
   in   
   diaspora and by dialogue with the immensity of ancestral cultures". With these   
   words, Pope Francis received in audience the students who are about to complete   
   their studies in the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, the Holy See   
   institution   
   charged with the formation of the diplomats who will work in the nunciatures   
   and   
   the Secretary of State.   
    In his address, the Holy Father highlighted various aspects of the path ahead   
   of them, starting with their mission. "You are preparing to represent the Holy   
   See in the Community of Nations and in the local Churches you are destined for.   
   The Holy See is the see of the bishop of Rome, of the Church that presides in   
   charity, that is based not on vain pride but rather on the daily courage of the   
   condescension or abasement of her Master. The true authority of the Church of   
   Rome is Christ's charity. This is the sole force that renders her universal and   
   credible for man and for the world: this is the heart of her truth, that does   
   not erect walls of division and exclusion, but instead forms bridges to build   
   up   
   communion and to recall the unity of humanity; this is her secret strength,   
   that   
   feeds her tenacious hope, invincible despite momentary defeats. It is not   
   possible to represent someone without reflecting their features, without   
   evoking   
   their face. Jesus said, 'Whoever has seen me has seen the Father'. You are not   
   called to be the high functionaries of a State ... welcome in worldly salons,   
   but rather the guardians of a truth that supports those who offer it, and not   
   the opposite. It is important that you do not let yourselves be depleted by   
   continual transfers; instead, it is necessary to cultivate deep roots, to   
   protect the memory of why you embarked on this path, and not to be hollowed out   
   by cynicism nor to lose sight of the face of He Who is at the origin of your   
   journey".   
    Likewise, he reiterated that the Academy specifically aims to prepare future   
   diplomats to consider the realities they will encounter and to love them, even   
   with their limitations. "You prepare, indeed, to become 'bridges', pacifying   
   and   
   facing with prayer and in spiritual battle the tendency to regard oneself as   
   above others, the assumed superiority of view that impedes access to the   
   substance of reality, the claim of already knowing enough. To do this it is   
   necessary not to transpose into the field in which you work your own patterns   
   of   
   understanding, your own cultural parameters, your own ecclesial background".   
    "The service to which you have been called requires you to protect the freedom   
   of the Holy See, which so as not to betray her mission before God and for the   
   true good of mankind cannot be imprisoned by the logic of cartels, taken   
   hostage   
   by the accounting division of factions, accept the division among consuls,   
   submit to political powers and to be colonised by the current dominant streams   
   of thought or the illusory hegemony of the mainstream. You are called to seek,   
   in the Churches and in the populations among whom you live, and whom you serve,   
   the good that must be encouraged. To best fulfil this mission it is necessary   
   to   
   set aside the attitude of the judge and to don the robes of the pedagogue, of   
   one who is able to release the potential for good that God does not fail to sow   
   in the Churches".   
    "I exhort you not to expect to find the terrain ready, but rather to have the   
   courage to plough it with your hands, without tractors or other more effective   
   means which we will never have at our disposal - to prepare it for sowing,   
   awaiting the harvest with God's patience; a harvest of which you may not be the   
   beneficiary. Do not fish in aquaria or farms, but instead have the courage to   
   leave behind the safe margins of what is already known and to cast your nets   
   and   
   rods in less obvious seas".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Telegram for the death of the Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenians   
    Vatican City, 25 June 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father has sent a telegram of   
   condolences to the Patriarchal Synod of the Patriarchate of Cilicia of the   
   Armenians, Beirut, for the sudden death of the Patriarch, His Beatitude Nerses   
   Bedros XIX Tarmouni, at the age of 75.   
    The Pope expresses his heartfelt condolences to the faithful of the   
   Patriarchate and recalls his close collaboration with the Patriarch, one of the   
   most prominent consequences of which is the recent declaration of St. Gregory   
   of   
   Narek as a Doctor of the Church.   
    "I entrust to the merciful Father the soul of this devoted pastor who, as a   
   priest dedicated himself tirelessly to the service of the communities for whom   
   he was responsible, and later, as bishop, carried out his ministry with faith   
   and zeal, first in Alexandria and then as Patriarch of Cilicia of the   
   Armenians.   
   I join in prayer with all those who are affected by his sudden passing and   
   convey my apostolic blessing, in particular to the bishops of the Patriarchate   
   of Cilicia of the Armenians, the family of the deceased and all those who are   
   to   
   attend his funeral".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Presentation of the Eighth World Meeting of Families   
    Vatican City, 25 June 2015 (VIS) - This morning in the Holy See Press Office a   
   press conference was held to present the Eighth World Meeting of Families, to   
   be   
   held in Philadelphia, U.S.A., from 22 to 27 September this year, on the theme   
   "Love is our mission. The family fully alive". The speakers were Archbishop   
   Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family; Archbishop   
   Charles Joseph Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. of Philadelphia with his auxiliary, Bishop   
   John J. McIntyre, and Jerry and Lucille Francesco, a couple from the same   
   archdiocese, now married for fifty years.   
    Archbishop Paglia emphasised that the Meeting is a valuable opportunity to   
   place the family at the centre of the Church and of civil society. "It is a   
   duty", he said, explaining that the meeting is about and for families, who are   
   its protagonists and main recipients. "The family builds the Church and   
   sustains   
   society. ... During the days of the conference, we will present the results of   
   some international research that has scientifically studied this positive   
   influence. The family constantly asks for help and support in the entire   
   ecclesial community - and in the next few days I will write to all the   
   monasteries of the world to ask them to accompany these very important days   
   with   
   their prayers - and from civil society as a whole, which cannot remain   
   indifferent to such beauty and goodness that is so effective and so viable".   
    The prelate went on to highlight the global nature of the event, and the hope   
   that it will be seen and reported on worldwide. "The family is the heritage of   
   all humanity, at every latitude, in every culture; it is blessed by all   
   religions. That is why we wanted a significant presence of other Christian   
   denominations and of major world religious traditions. ... We are working so   
   that   
   delegations from around the globe and especially from the world's poorest local   
   Churches will be present. Philadelphia will be a great worldwide celebration of   
   families: in the spectacle, we will be able to get a glimpse, we will have to   
   show the beauty and the possibility of all humanity becoming a single family of   
   peoples. It is the dream of peace; it is God's dream".   
    This universality will be enshrined in the final gesture of the meeting: the   
   archbishop revealed that at the end of Mass on Sunday, 27 September, Pope   
   Francis will give the Gospel of Luke, "the Good News of God's mercy, which is   
   Jesus, to families from big cities on the five continents: Kinshasa, Africa;   
   Havana, America; Hanoi, Asia; Sydney, Australia; and Marseilles, Europe. This   
   is   
   a symbolic gesture that will announce the sending of a million copies of this   
   book to the five cities involved. We want the Gospel of Mercy to be announced   
   in   
   the great cities of the world so that they may build bonds of love between   
   them,   
   in the Church and in society".   
    The archbishop of Philadelphia gave some data on the Meeting, which more than   
   a   
   million people are expected to attend, and from which representatives of more   
   than a hundred nations have registered. So far 6,100 volunteers have offered   
   assistance of various types and the event organisers intend to make more than   
   5,000 buses available. More than 1,600 people have signed up to the "Host a   
   Family" programme.   
    For more information on the events linked to the meeting, see   
   http://www.worldmeeting2015.org/   
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Audiences   
    Vatican City, 25 June 2015 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father received in   
   audience:   
    - Fra' Matthew Festing, Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military   
   Order   
   of Malta, and entourage;   
    - Cardinal George Pell, prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy;   
    - Archbishop Salvador Pineiro Garcia-Calderon of Ayacucho, Peru, president of   
   the Episcopal Conference of Peru, with:   
    - Archbishop Hector Miguel Cabrejos Vidarte of Trujillo, vice president;   
    - Archbishop Pedro Ricardo Barreto Jimeno of Huancayo, vice president; and   
    - Msgr. Fortunato Pablo Urcey, prelate of Chota, general secretary.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Other Pontifical Acts   
    Vatican City, 25 June 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father has:   
    - accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Autlan,   
   Mexico, presented by Bishop Gonzalo Galvan Castillo, in accordance with canon   
   401 para. 2 of the Code of Canon Law.   
    - appointed Bishop Uriah Ashley of Penonome, Panama, as auxiliary of Panama   
   (area 13,275, population 1,769,000, Catholics 1,675,000, priests 149, permanent   
   deacons 56, religious 377), Panama.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
   For more information and to search for documents refer to the site:   
   www.visnews.org and www.vatican.va   
      
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