VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE   
   YEAR XXVI - # 13   
   DATE 21-01-2016   
      
   Summary:   
   - The Pope decrees that not only men may be chosen for the washing of the feet   
   in the Liturgy of Holy Thursday   
   - Pilgrimage to shrines: an eloquent expression of faith   
   - Pope's message to the World Economic Forum: "Do not forget the poor"   
   - The Year of Consecrated Life comes to an end   
   - Cardinal Maung Bo, papal legate at the International Eucharistic Conference   
   of   
   the Philippines   
   - Audiences   
   - Other Pontifical Acts   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    The Pope decrees that not only men may be chosen for the washing of the feet   
   in   
   the Liturgy of Holy Thursday   
    Vatican City, 21 January 2016 (VIS) - The Holy Father has written a letter,   
   dated 20 December and published today, to Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect of the   
   Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, in which   
   he decrees that from now on, the people chosen for the washing of the feet in   
   the liturgy of Holy Thursday may be selected from all the People of God, and   
   not   
   only men and boys.   
    The Pope writes to the cardinal that he has for some time reflected on the   
   "rite of the washing of the feet contained in the Liturgy of the Mass in Coena   
   Domini, with the intention of improving the way in which it is performed so   
   that   
   it might express more fully the meaning of Jesus' gesture in the Cenacle, His   
   giving of Himself unto the end for the salvation of the world, His limitless   
   charity".   
    "After careful consideration", he continues, "I have decided to make a change   
   to the Roman Missal. I therefore decree that the section according to which   
   those persons chosen for the Washing of the feet must be men or boys, so that   
   from now on the Pastors of the Church may choose the participants in the rite   
   from among all the members of the People of God. I also recommend that an   
   adequate explanation of the rite itself be provided to those who are chosen".   
    The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has   
   today published a decree on the aforementioned rite, dated 6 January 2016, the   
   full text of which is published below:   
    "The reform of the Holy Week, by the decree Maxima Redemptionis nostrae   
   mysteria of November 1955, provides the faculty, where counselled by pastoral   
   motives, to perform the washing of the feet of twelve men during the Mass of   
   the   
   Lord's Supper, after the reading of the Gospel according to John, as if almost   
   to represent Christ's humility and love for His disciples.   
    In the Roman liturgy this rite was handed down with the name of the Mandatum   
   of   
   the Lord on brotherly charity in accordance with Jesus' words, sung in the   
   Antiphon during the celebration.   
    In performing this rite, bishops and priests are invited to conform intimately   
   to Christ who 'came not to be served but to serve' and, driven by a love 'to   
   the   
   end', to give His life for the salvation of all humankind.   
    To manifest the full meaning of the rite to those who participate in it, the   
   Holy Father Francis has seen fit to change the rule by in the Roman Missal   
   (p.300, No. 11) according to which the chosen men are accompanied by the   
   ministers, which must therefore be modified as follows: 'Those chosen from   
   among   
   the People of God are accompanied by the ministers' (and consequently in the   
   Caeremoniale Episcoporum No. 301 and No. 299 b referring to the seats for the   
   chosen men, so that pastors may choose a group of faithful representing the   
   variety and unity of every part of the People of God. This group may consist of   
   men and women, and ideally of the young and the old, healthy and sick, clerics,   
   consecrated persons and laypeople.   
    This Congregation for Divine Worship and the Disipline of the Sacraments, by   
   means of the faculties granted by the Supreme Pontiff, introduces this   
   innovation in the liturgical books of the Roman Rite, recalling pastors of   
   their   
   duty to instruct adequately both the chosen faithful and others, so that they   
   may participate in the rite consciously, actively and fruitfully".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Pilgrimage to shrines: an eloquent expression of faith   
    Vatican City, 21 January 2016 (VIS) - "Making a pilgrimage to shrines is one   
   of   
   the most eloquent expressions of the faith of a people for God ... This popular   
   religiosity is an authentic form of evangelisation that must be promoted and   
   emphasised, without minimising its importance", said Pope Francis this morning   
   as he received in the Paul VI Hall three thousand leaders of pilgrimages and   
   rectors of shrines, participating in the Jubilee.   
    "It would be a mistake to think that those who go on a pilgrimage live a   
   spirituality that is not personal but rather of the 'masses'. The reality is   
   that the pilgrim carries within him hos own history and faith, and the lights   
   and shadows of his own life. Each person carries within his or her heart a   
   special wish and a particular prayer. Those who enter the shrine immediately   
   feel they are at home, welcomed, understood and supported. ... Therefore, the   
   key   
   word I would like to underline today with you is 'welcome'. ... An   
   affectionate,   
   celebratory, cordial and patient welcome. ... Jesus spoke about welcome, but   
   most   
   of all He practised it. When we read that sinners such as Matthew and Zacchaeus   
   welcomed Jesus in their home and at their table, it is because they felt   
   welcomed first by Jesus, and this had changed their lives".   
    Francis commented that the pilgrim often reaches a sanctuary tired, hungry and   
   thirsty. "And very often this physical condition reflects the inner condition",   
   he observed. "Therefore, every person needs to be welcomed well both materially   
   and spiritually. ... Whoever they may be, young or old, rich or poor, sick and   
   troubled or simply a curious tourist, we must find the right way to welcome   
   them, because in each one of them there is a heart that seeks God, at times   
   without being fully aware".   
    Finally, he said that priests offer a special welcome in these shrines as   
   ministers of God's forgiveness, as the shrine is the "house of forgiveness,   
   where each person encounters the tenderness of the Father who is merciful to   
   all, without excluding anyone. Those who approach the confessional do so   
   because   
   they repent of their sins. ... Priests who carry out their mission in   
   sanctuaries   
   must always have a heart full of mercy: their attitude must be that of a   
   father".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Pope's message to the World Economic Forum: "Do not forget the poor"   
    Vatican City, 21 January 2016 (VIS) - "Do not forget the poor", writes Pope   
   Francis to the founder and executive president of the World Economic Forum,   
   Klaus Schwab, in the message he sent tot he annual meeting of the forum that   
   opened yesterday in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, on the theme " Mastering the   
   Fourth Industrial Revolution". In the text, which was consigned by Cardinal   
   Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council "Justice and   
   Peace", the Pope emphasises that this "revolution" has been accompanied by   
   unemployment affecting millions of people, and expresses his hope that the   
   development of advanced technologies may lead to the creation of dignified work   
   for all, the consolidation of economic rights and the defence of the   
   environment.   
    The Holy Father also warns against the danger that a culture of prosperity   
   numbs people, rendering them insensitive to the problems of others, and   
   reiterates that business activity is a noble vocation directed towards the   
   production of wealth and the improvement of the world for all, when it is   
   understood as a service to the common good. He concludes by expressing his hope   
   that the World Economic Forum may be a platform for the defence and protection   
   of creation, as well as for the achievement of a "healthier, more human, more   
   social, more integral" progress.   
    Pope Francis begins by offering to Klaus Schwab his good wishes "for the   
   fruitfulness of this meeting, which seeks to encourage continuing social and   
   environmental responsibility through a constructive dialogue on the part of   
   government, business and civic leaders, as well as distinguished   
   representatives   
   of the political, financial and cultural sectors".   
    "The dawn of the so-called 'fourth industrial revolution' has been accompanied   
   by a growing sense of the inevitability of a drastic reduction in the number of   
   jobs. The latest studies conducted by the International Labour Organisation   
   indicate that unemployment presently affects hundreds of millions of people.   
   The   
   financialisation and technologisation of national and global economies have   
   produced far-reaching changes in the field of labour. Diminished opportunities   
      
   --- MPost/386 v1.21   
    * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)