priests who participated in the rite, proceeded to the vestibule of the   
   Basilica   
   to open the Holy Door. First, he greeted and embraced Pope emeritus Benedict   
   XVI, and then walked alone to the Door where he recited the words of Psalm 118:   
   "Open to me the gates of justice".   
    Francis pushed against the Door with his hands until it opens and then prayed   
   a   
   moment before entering the Basilica. The Pope emeritus then entered, followed   
   by   
   the cardinals, bishops, religious and laypeople, including some of Italy's most   
   prominent political figures.   
    The Jubilee of Mercy is the first extraordinary Jubilee of the 21st century.   
   In   
   the 20th century Pius XI proclaimed a Holy Year in 1933 to commemorate the   
   nineteenth centenary of the death of Christ, and Paul VI inaugurated another in   
   1966 that lasted five months, dedicated to the closure shortly beforehand of   
   Vatican Council II. St. John Paul II convoked a Jubilee with the Bull "Aperite   
   Portas Redemptori" the Holy Year of Redemption in 1983, for the 1950th   
   anniversary of the Redemption.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Angelus: the Solemnity of the Immaculate reminds us that mercy is all   
    Vatican City, 8 December 2015 (VIS) - After the opening of the Holy Door, Pope   
   Francis appeared at the window of his study to pray the Angelus with the   
   faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square. On the Solemnity of the Immaculate   
   Conception that Holy Father recalled that Mary is our sister in suffering, but   
   not in evil or in sin, which were defeated in her befor they even touched her,   
   since God had filled her with grace.   
    "The Immaculate Conception means that Mary was the first to have been saved by   
   the Father's infinite mercy, as a preview of the salvation that God intended   
   for   
   every man and woman in Christ. Therefore Mary Immaculate has become the sublime   
   icon of divine mercy that defeats sin, and in her we are invited to recognise   
   the dawn of a new world, transformed by the salvific work of the Father and the   
   Son and the Holy Spirit. The dawn of a new creation put into effect by divine   
   mercy".   
    "Celebrating this feast day means two things", he continued. "Firstly, it   
   means   
   fully welcoming God and His merciful grace in our life; secondly, it means in   
   turn becoming makers of mercy through the path of the Gospel. The feast of the   
   Immaculate Conception becomes a feast for all of us if, by our daily 'yes', we   
   manage to vanquish our selfishness and make the lives of our brothers and   
   sisters happier, bringing them hope, drying their tears and giving them joy. In   
   imitation of Mary, we are called upon to become bearers of Christ and witnesses   
   of His love, looking first to those who are privileged in Jesus' eyes".   
    The feast of the Immaculate Conception also bears a specific message for us:   
   it   
   reminds us that our life is a gift, that all is mercy. "May the Holy Virgin,   
   first among the saved, model of the Church, holy and immaculate bride, beloved   
   of the Lord, help us increasingly rediscover divine mercy as the distinctive   
   sign of the Christian!" exclaimed Francis. "It is impossible to conceive of a   
   true Christian who is not merciful, just as it is impossible to understand God   
   without His mercy. It is the key word of the Gospel: mercy. It is the   
   fundamental feature of Christ's face: that face we recognise in the various   
   aspects of its existence: when He goes towards the people, when He heals the   
   sick, when He sits at the table with sinners, and above all, when nailed on the   
   Cross, He forgives. There we see the face of divine mercy. Let us not be   
   afraid:   
   let us be embraced by the mercy of God, Who awaits and forgives all. Nothing is   
   sweeter than His mercy".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Homage to Mary Immaculate: I come on behalf of families, the elderly, the   
   incarcerated, and those from faraway lands   
    Vatican City, 8 December 2015 (VIS) - Today, the Solemnity of the Immaculate   
   Conception, the Holy Father went to Piazza di Spagna where he performed the   
   traditional act of veneration below the statue of Mary Immaculate crowning the   
   Roman marble column commemorating the proclamation of the dogma by Pope Pius IX   
   on 8 December 1854.   
    Continuing a tradition established by St. John XXIII in 1958, Francis left a   
   floral tribute at the foot of the column and, accompanied by thousands of   
   faithful led by Cardinal Agostino Vallini, vicar of His Holiness for the   
   diocese   
   of Rome, recited a prayer to the Virgin that he had composed himself, the full   
   text of which is published below:   
    "Virgin Mother, on this day, the feast of your Immaculate Conception, I pay   
   homage to you in faith and love on behalf of God's holy people who live in this   
   city and diocese. I come before you in the name of families, with their joys   
   and   
   troubles; on behalf of children and young people, exposed to life's challenges;   
   on behalf of the elderly, laden with age and years of experience. I come   
   especially on behalf of the sick, the imprisoned, and those who struggle. As a   
   leader I also come here for the sake of all those who have come from faraway   
   lands in search of peace and work".   
    There is space for everyone beneath your mantel, because you are the Mother of   
   Mercy. Your heart is full of tenderness towards all your children: the   
   tenderness of God, who, by you, became incarnate and became our brother, Jesus,   
   Saviour of every man and every woman. Looking at you, Our Immaculate Mother, ee   
   see the victory of divine mercy over sin and all its consequences; and hope for   
   a better life is reignited within us, free from slavery, rancour and fear.   
    Here, today, in the heart of Rome, we hear your motherly voice calling all of   
   us to walk towards that door, which represents Christ. You say to everyone:   
   "Come, come closer, faithful ones; enter and receive the gift of mercy; do not   
   be afraid, do not be ashamed: the Father awaits you with open arms. He will   
   forgive and welcome you into his house. Come, all those in search of peace and   
   joy".   
    "We thank you, Immaculate Mother, because you do not make us walk along this   
   path alone; you guide us, you are near us and help us through every difficulty.   
   May God bless you, now and forever. Amen".   
    After his homage to the statue of Mary Immaculate, the Pope greeted those   
   present and, as his final act on the first day of the Holy Year of Mercy, he   
   transferred to the Basilica of St. Mary Major to pray before the image of Mary   
   "Salus Populi Romani", where he was awaited by a large crowd. As he left for   
   the   
   Vatican, the bells of the Basilica, whose Holy Door he will open on 1 January   
   2016, rang in celebration.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Adoption by Moneyval of Second Progress Report of the Holy See and Vatican   
   City   
   State   
    Vatican City, 9 December 2015 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office today issued   
   the following communique:   
    "Yesterday in Strasbourg, the Plenary Meeting of Moneyval (the 'Committee of   
   Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing   
   of   
   Terrorism' of the Council of Europe) approved the Second Progress Report of the   
   Holy See/Vatican City State. The approval of this latest Report, which follows   
   on the Mutual Evaluation Report of 4 July 2012 and on the Progress Report of 9   
   December 2013, is part of the ordinary reporting process foreseen in the Rules   
   of Procedure of Moneyval for all member States.   
    The Moneyval Committee has welcomed the outcome of the continued efforts by   
   the   
   Holy See and the Vatican City State to further strengthen their institutional,   
   legal and operational framework for combating money laundering and the   
   financing   
   of terrorism (AML/CFT).   
    'The latest Progress Report confirms that the Holy See has established a   
   functional, sustainable and effective system, aiming at preventing and fighting   
   financial crimes', said Msgr. Antoine Camilleri, under-secretary for Relations   
   with States, and Head of Delegation of the Holy See and Vatican City State to   
   the Moneyval Plenary".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Other Pontifical Acts   
    Vatican City, 9 December 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father:   
    - accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Aachen,   
   Germany, presented by Bishop Heinrich Mussinghoff upon reaching the age limit.   
    - accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Garissa,   
   Kenya by Bishop Paul Darmanin, O.F.M. Cap., upon reaching the age limit. He is   
   succeeded by Bishop Joseph Alessandro, O.F.M. Cap., coadjutor of the same   
   diocese.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
   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   
      
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    * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)