population. If instead it aims to unite all, but respecting each person, with   
   his or her richness and particular characteristics, then this globalisation is   
   good and makes us all grow; it leads us to peace. I like using geometry to   
   describe this. If globalisation is a sphere, in which we are all equal,   
   equidistant from the centre, then it annuls difference and is not good. If on   
   the other hand it unites us like a polyhedron, in which we are all united but   
   each person conserves his or her individual identity, then it is good, allows   
   the people to grow, endows all men with dignity and grants rights to all".   
      
   Finally, he addressed America's large Hispanic population, along with   
   representatives of recent immigrants to the United States. "I greet all of you   
   with particular affection!" he exclaimed. "Many of you have emigrated to this   
   country at great personal cost, but in the hope of building a new life. Do not   
   be discouraged by whatever challenges and hardships you face. I ask you not to   
   forget that, like those who came here before you, you bring many gifts to your   
   new nation. You should never be ashamed of your traditions. Do not forget the   
   lessons you learned from your elders, which are something you can bring to   
   enrich the life of this American land. I repeat, do not be ashamed of what is   
   part of you, your life blood. You are also called to be responsible citizens,   
   and to contribute fruitfully to the life of the communities in which you live.   
   I   
   think in particular of the vibrant faith which so many of you possess, the deep   
   sense of family life and all those other values which you have inherited. By   
   contributing your gifts, you will not only find your place here, you will help   
   to renew society from within. Do not lose the memory of what happened here more   
   than two centuries ago. Never forget that Declaration which proclaimed that all   
   men and women were created equal, that the Creator has endowed them with   
   inalienable rights, that governments exist to protect and defend these rights".   
      
   Pope Francis concluded by thanking all present for their warm welcome, adding,   
   "Let us conserve this freedom. Take care of freedom. Freedom of conscience,   
   religious freedom, the freedom of every person, every family, every people,   
   which gives rise to our rights".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
      
   God gave Creation to a family   
      
   Vatican City, 27 September 2015 (VIS) - The Pope's first day in Philadelphia   
   concluded yesterday with his participation in the Festival of Families in the   
   Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The Pope arrived by popemobile, greeted by thousands   
   of faithful and well-wishers along the way. The event was hosted by the actor   
   Mark Wahlberg, and there were performances by several musicians, including   
   Aretha Franklin, who sang "Amazing Grace", the tenor Andrea Bocelli who   
   performed the Lord's Prayer accompanied by the Philadelphia Symphonic   
   Orchestra,   
   and the Colombian singer Juanes. The festival also included readings, some by   
   the actor Jim Caviezel, and testimonies from families from all over the world.   
      
   The Pope set aside the official text prepared for the occasion, which is given   
   below, and improvised a brief address in which he said that God gave the "most   
   beautiful thing He had", the world, to a family, to a man and a woman so that   
   they would grow, multiply and make the land fruitful. Francis also remarked   
   that   
   He wanted His only Son to grow up within a family home, and emphasised that the   
   family enjoys "divine citizenship". While there are problems in every home,   
   they   
   can be overcome with love, whereas the division of the heart prevents   
   difficulties from being overcome. Finally, he insisted on the special care due   
   to children and the elderly, the hope and memory of the family.   
      
   "Dear brothers and sisters, dear families. First of all, I want to thank the   
   families who were willing to share their life stories with us. Thank you for   
   your witness! It is always a gift to listen to families share their life   
   experiences; it touches our hearts. We feel that they speak to us about things   
   that are very personal and unique, which in some way involve all of us. In   
   listening to their experiences, we can feel ourselves drawn in, challenged as   
   married couples and parents, as children, brothers and sisters, and   
   grandparents.   
      
   "As I was listening, I was thinking how important it is for us to share our   
   home   
   life and to help one another in this marvellous and challenging task of 'being   
   a   
   family'. Being with you makes me think of one of the most beautiful mysteries   
   of   
   our Christian faith. God did not want to come into the world other than through   
   a family. God did not want to draw near to humanity other than through a home.   
   God did not want any other name for Himself than Emmanuel. He is 'God with us'.   
   This was His desire from the beginning, His purpose, His constant effort: to   
   say   
   to us: 'I am God with you, I am God for you. He is the God who from the very   
   beginning of creation said: 'It is not good for man to be alone'. We can add:   
   it   
   is not good for woman to be alone, it is not good for children, the elderly or   
   the young to be alone. It is not good. That is why a man leaves his father and   
   mother, and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one flesh. The two   
   are meant to be a home, a family.   
      
   "From time immemorial, in the depths of our heart, we have heard those powerful   
   words: it is not good for you to be alone. The family is the great blessing,   
   the   
   great gift of this 'God with us', who did not want to abandon us to the   
   solitude   
   of a life without others, without challenges, without a home. God does not   
   dream   
   by Himself, He tries to do everything 'with us'. His dream constantly comes   
   true   
   in the dreams of many couples who work to make their life that of a family.   
      
   "That is why the family is the living symbol of the loving plan of which the   
   Father once dreamed. To want to form a family is to resolve to be a part of   
   God's dream, to choose to dream with Him, to want to build with Him, to join   
   Him   
   in this saga of building a world where no one will feel alone, unwanted or   
   homeless. As Christians, we appreciate the beauty of the family and of family   
   life as the place where we come to learn the meaning and value of human   
   relationships. We learn that 'to love someone is not just a strong feeling - it   
   is a decision, it is a judgement, it is a promise'. We learn to stake   
   everything   
   on another person, and we learn that it is worth it.   
      
   "Jesus was not a confirmed bachelor, far from it! He took the Church as His   
   bride, and made her a people of His own. He laid down His life for those He   
   loved, so that His bride, the Church, could always know that He is God with us,   
   His people, His family. We cannot understand Christ without His Church, just as   
   we cannot understand the Church without her spouse, Christ Jesus, Who gave His   
   life out of love, and Who makes us see that it is worth the price.   
      
   "Laying down one's life out of love is not easy. As with the Master, 'staking   
   everything' can sometimes involve the cross. Times when everything seems   
   uphill.   
   I think of all those parents, all those families who lack employment or   
   workers'   
   rights, and how this is a true cross. How many sacrifices they make to earn   
   their daily bread! It is understandable that, when these parents return home,   
   they are so weary that they cannot give their best to their children.   
      
   "I think of all those families which lack housing or live in overcrowded   
   conditions. Families which lack the basics to be able to build bonds of   
   closeness, security and protection from troubles of any kind.   
      
   "I think of all those families which lack access to basic health services.   
   Families which, when faced with medical problems, especially those of their   
   younger or older members, are dependent on a system which fails to meet their   
   needs, is insensitive to their pain, and forces them to make great sacrifices   
   to   
   receive adequate treatment.   
      
   "We cannot call any society healthy when it does not leave real room for family   
   life. We cannot think that a society has a future when it fails to pass laws   
   capable of protecting families and ensuring their basic needs, especially those   
   of families just starting out. How many problems would be solved if our   
   societies protected families and provided households, especially those of   
   recently married couples, with the possibility of dignified work, housing and   
   healthcare services to accompany them throughout life.   
      
   "God's dream does not change; it remains intact and it invites us to work for a   
   society which supports families. A society where bread, 'fruit of the earth and   
   the work of human hands' continues to be put on the table of every home, to   
   nourish the hope of its children.   
      
   "Let us help one another to make it possible to 'stake everything on love'. Let   
   us help one another at times of difficulty and lighten each other's burdens.   
   Let   
   us support one another. Let us be families which are a support for other   
   families.   
      
   "Perfect families do not exist. This must not discourage us. Quite the   
   opposite.   
   Love is something we learn; love is something we live; love grows as it is   
   'forged' by the concrete situations which each particular family experiences.   
   Love is born and constantly develops amid lights and shadows. Love can flourish   
   in men and women who try not to make conflict the last word, but rather a new   
   opportunity. An opportunity to seek help, an opportunity to question how we   
   need   
   to improve, an opportunity to discover the God Who is with us and never   
   abandons   
   us. This is a great legacy that we can give to our children, a very good   
   lesson:   
   we make mistakes, yes; we have problems, yes. But we know that that is not   
   really what counts. We know that mistakes, problems and conflicts are an   
   opportunity to draw closer to others, to draw closer to God.   
      
   "This evening we have come together to pray, to pray as a family, to make our   
   homes the joyful face of the Church. To meet that God who did not want to come   
   into our world in any other way than through a family. To meet 'God with us',   
   the God Who is always in our midst".   
      
   Today, 27 September, the Pope will meet the bishops attending the World Meeting   
   of Families in the St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, visit detainees at the   
   Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility and will celebrate Mass to conclude the   
   Eighth World Meeting of Families in the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. After   
   greeting the organisers of the event and the volunteers who participated, he   
   will board his return flight to Rome, departing at 8 p.m. local time (2 a.m.,   
   28   
   September in Rome).   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
      
   Other Pontifical Acts   
      
   Vatican City, 27 September 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father has accepted the   
   resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Kaga-Bandoro, Central   
   African Republic, presented by Bishop Albert Vanbuel, S.D.B., upon reaching the   
   age limit.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
   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)