The Dialog

By Cindy Wooden

Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Christians are called to welcome and cooperate with the good accomplished by members of other religions or no religion at all, promoting a culture of dialogue and peace, Pope Francis said.

“We are all children of God — all of us. And God loves us — all of us,” the pope said in his homily May 22 during an early morning Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae. Lebanese Cardinal Bechara Rai, the Maronite patriarch, concelebrated the Mass, which was attended by Vatican employees. Read more »

By Cindy Wooden

Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — With humor and passion, Pope Francis shared highlights of his personal faith journey and explained some key points of his teaching to an enthusiastic crowd of representatives from Catholic lay movements.

Celebrating a vigil on the eve of Pentecost with an estimated 200,000 people singing, chanting and waving their groups’ banners, Pope Francis focused on the importance of parents and grandparents educating their children in the faith, the knowledge that God wants a relationship with each person, the importance of caring for the poor and the need to pray for people who are denied religious freedom.

Without using a prepared text, the pope responded to questions presented to him prior to the May 18 event.

Pope Francis, who often talks about the beauty of God’s mercy and the sacrament of confession, told the crowd about one confession that he said changed his life. Read more »

By Cindy Wooden

Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — With slightly more of a swipe than a tap, Pope Francis helped the Pontifical Mission Societies of the United States broaden its reach around the world by unlocking a smartphone app.

At the end of an audience with national directors of pontifical mission societies from around the world May 17, Oblate Father Andrew Small, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States, brought an iPad up to the pope for the launch. Read more »

By Cindy Wooden

Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — Between Pentecost and his trip to Brazil, Pope Francis will preside over a prayer service with all the bishops of Italy, visit a Rome parish and celebrate other liturgies — both those traditionally part of a pope’s schedule and those designed specifically for the Year of Faith.

On May 17, the Vatican released the pope’s liturgical schedule for late May, June and early July. It includes:

– May 23: The pope will preside over a prayer service with the bishops of Italy, who will be holding their plenary assembly at the Vatican. Marking the Year of Faith, they formally will reaffirm their profession of faith in St. Peter’s Basilica.

– May 26: Pope Francis will visit the Parish of Sts. Elizabeth and Zachariah in Rome’s northern suburbs and celebrate Mass. Italian newspapers have said the pope also will give first Communion to more than 40 children at the parish.

– May 30: The pope will celebrate an evening Mass on the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, and then participate in the Corpus Christi procession to the Basilica of St. Mary Major.

– June 2: At 6 p.m. Rome time, Pope Francis will lead eucharistic adoration. Bishops around the world have been asked to hold similar adoration services at the same time or at least on the same day.

– June 16: The pope will celebrate Mass in St. Peter’s Square with participants in the Year of Faith “Evangelium Vitae” pilgrimage of those dedicated to promoting and defending the sacredness of all human life.

– June 29: On the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, the pope will celebrate Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica and give the pallium — a woolen band worn around the shoulders — to archbishops named in the past year.

– July 7: Pope Francis will celebrate Mass with seminarians and male and female novices at the conclusion of the Year of Faith pilgrimage to the Vatican.

– July 22-29: The pope travels to Brazil for World Youth Day.

By Cindy Wooden

Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Scottish Cardinal Keith O’Brien, who resigned as archbishop after admitting to sexual misconduct, will leave Scotland “for several months for the purpose of spiritual renewal, prayer and penance,” the Vatican said.

Any decision about when the period will end or where the cardinal will live permanently will be made in agreement with the Vatican, said a statement released May 15 by the Vatican press office. Read more »

By Cindy Wooden

Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — Using a phrase that translates literally as “the face of a pickled pepper,” Pope Francis said that when Christians have more of a sourpuss than a face that communicates the joy of being loved by God, they harm the witness of the church.

“The Christian is a man or woman of joy,” the pope said May 10, giving a homily during his morning Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae. Read more »

By Cindy Wooden

Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — Patience in the midst of trials and patiently putting up with other people are marks of Christian maturity, Pope Francis told ushers and other staff members of the office that cleans and repairs St. Peter’s Basilica and watches over the millions of people who visit it each year.

Jesus calls his disciples to follow “the path of love, of patience, of putting up with tribulations and, if I may say so, of putting up with each other. We must do this with charity and love because if I have to put up with you, I am sure you will put up with me and we’ll walk together on the path of Jesus,” the pope said in a homily May 7.

Jesus calls his disciples to follow “the path of love, of patience, of putting up with tribulations and, if I may say so, of putting up with each other. We must do this with charity and love because if I have to put up with you, I am sure you will put up with me and we’ll walk together on the path of Jesus,” the pope said in a homily during his early morning Mass at Domus Sanctae Marthae May 7. (CNS file/Paul Haring)

Celebrating an early morning Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, Pope Francis was joined by Cardinal Angelo Comastri, the archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, and by basilica staff members.

Looking at the Acts of Apostles’ account of the persecution of Sts. Paul and Silas, Pope Francis said their patience and joy in the midst of tribulation are signs of Christian maturity that every follower of Jesus must learn.

Learning how to patiently carry “the weight of difficulties, the weight of contradictions” is something people learn gradually, he said. It’s a process of maturation that lasts a lifetime. “It’s like fine wine.”

“When difficulties occur, temptations arrive,” he said. One of the most frequent temptations is that of complaining, saying, “’’Look what’s happening to me.’ A Christian who continually complains, neglects being a good Christian and becomes Mr. or Mrs. Whiner, no?”

Patiently accepting trials and continuing to thank God for the gifts one is given “is not a masochistic attitude, but an attitude that leads you to the path of Jesus,” he said.

Continuing to pray and to be at peace, even in the midst of difficulties, the pope said, is a mature Christian attitude that actually keeps a person young. Pope Francis asked those at the Mass to think about the elderly people they know who have put up with trials patiently; “look at their eyes, young eyes, they have a youthful spirit and a renewed youth.”

The pope ended his homily by telling the congregation, “Let us ask the Lord for the grace of Christian endurance that gives us peace, this ability to bear things with a good heart, for this joyful endurance.”

By Cindy Wooden

Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — Two days after the head of the Vatican office overseeing religious life said he had not been consulted by the Vatican’s doctrinal office about a controversial investigation of American nuns, the two bodies affirmed their “common commitment” to reform of the U.S.-based Leadership Conference of Women Religious.

Brazilian Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, told an international gathering of sisters May 5 that his office had not been consulted about the doctrinal congregation’s investigation of the LCWR and he expressed hopes for “a dialogue, something which did not take place previously.”

In newspaper reports, a video of the cardinal’s homily and a video interview, Cardinal Braz de Aviz was not quoted as disagreeing with the doctrinal congregation’s final assessment of the LCWR or challenging the congregation’s decision that the group’s statutes must be revised. He did, however, say the way the process was handled personally caused him pain.

Cardinal Braz de Aviz’s remarks were an unusual example of a Vatican official speaking publicly about the lack of communication and coordination among Roman Curia offices, which many cardinals tried to address during the meetings before the conclave that elected Pope Francis.

The statement released by the Vatican press office May 7 was more in line with standard Vatican practice when differences between Vatican officials become public. It said Archbishop Gerhard Muller, the doctrinal prefect, and Cardinal Braz de Aviz met May 6 and agreed that the media’s interpretation of the cardinal’s remarks was “not justified.”

“The prefects of these two congregations work closely together according to their specific responsibilities and have collaborated throughout the process of the doctrinal assessment of the LCWR,” the statement said.

During their meeting, it said, Archbishop Muller and Cardinal Braz de Aviz “reaffirmed their common commitment to the renewal of religious life, and particularly to the doctrinal assessment of the LCWR and the program of reform it requires, in accordance with the wishes of the Holy Father.”

Initially, the statement was released only in English. Most of the news coverage, including the most thorough piece by the National Catholic Reporter, were written in English.

The Maryland-based LCWR is a Vatican-recognized organization that includes about 1,500 leaders of U.S. women’s religious communities, representing about 80 percent of the country’s 57,000 women religious. In April 2012, the Vatican ordered a major reform of the organization, citing “serious doctrinal problems which affect many in consecrated life.”

During a mid-April meeting with LCWR officers, Archbishop Muller said he had “recently discussed the doctrinal assessment with Pope Francis, who reaffirmed the findings of the assessment and the program of reform for this conference of major superiors.”

The statement issued by the Vatican May 7 said the doctrinal congregation and the congregation for religious “have for some time been collaborating on a renewed theological vision of religious life in the church.”

The doctrinal assessment of the LCWR, it said, was “motivated by a desire to support the noble and beautiful vocation of religious so that the eloquent witness of religious life may prosper in the church for the benefit of future generations.”

Religious life and the passion for justice and the work of charity that characterize the ministry of so many religious flows from their Catholic faith and the doctrinal congregation’s actions were motivated by ensuring that the LCWR’s activities were in line with the faith of the church, it said.

By Cindy Wooden

Catholic News Service

ROME — Mary is a mother who helps Christians grow, face the difficulties of life and use their freedom to make lasting commitments, Pope Francis said.

Marking Catholics’ traditional celebration of May as the month of Mary, Pope Francis led the recitation of the rosary May 4 at the Basilica of St. Mary Major.

Pope Francis venerates the icon of Mary “Salus Populi Romani” (health of the Roman people) before praying the rosary during a service at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome May 4. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

After the service, he went to the steps of the basilica to greet thousands of people who were unable to get inside, and he asked them to say three Hail Marys “for me, because I need it.” He also led the crowd in chanting “Viva la Madonna” (Long live the mother of God).

At the beginning and end of the service, Pope Francis venerated the basilica’s famous icon of Mary “Salus Populi Romani” (health of the Roman people).

In a reflection after the recitation of the glorious mysteries of the Rosary, Pope Francis said there are three primary ways in which Mary, as a mother with “great and tender love,” promotes the healthy growth of Christians.

Like a good mother, he said, Mary “wants her children to grow and to grow well; for that reason she teaches them not to give in to laziness,” but to take responsibility for their actions, to commit themselves to projects and tasks, and to hold on to their ideals.

“She helps us to grow humanly and in the faith, to be strong and not give in to the temptation of being men and Christians in a superficial way, but to live with responsibility, always reaching upward,” the pope said.

Also like a good mother, he said, Mary does not try to shield believers from every difficulty, but gradually teaches them how to face and overcome problems.

“A life without challenges does not exist; and a young man or woman who does not know how to face challenges,” he said, simply will be “spineless.”

“Like a good mother, she is close to us so that we never lose the courage to face the adversities of life, to face our own weaknesses, our own sins,” Pope Francis said.

With her example of saying “yes” to God’s plan for her life and with her encouragement, he said, Mary also helps Christians make lasting commitments, using their freedom to do good and to follow God’s will.

Freedom “certainly isn’t doing everything we want, allowing passions to dominate us, moving from one experience to another without discernment, following the fads of the moment; freedom doesn’t mean throwing everything we don’t like out the window,” he said. True freedom is the ability to say “yes” to what is good and to make “definitive choices.”

“How difficult it is in our time to make definitive choices,” the pope said. “The ephemeral seduces us. We are victims of a tendency that pushes us toward the provisional, as if we wanted to remain adolescents.”

“We must not be afraid of definitive commitments, of commitments that involve and have an effect on our whole lives,” the pope said. “In this way our lives will be fruitful.”

By Cindy Wooden

Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — For the first time in history, the Vatican is home to a pope and a retired pope.

Pope Francis welcomed his predecessor, retired Pope Benedict XVI, to the Vatican May 2 outside the convent remodeled for the 86-year-old retired pontiff and five aides. Pope Francis and Pope Benedict entered the convent’s chapel together “for a brief moment of prayer,” said Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman.

Retired Pope Benedict XVI greets Pope Francis at the Vatican May 2. The 86-year-old retired pontiff, who had been staying at the papal summer villa in Castel Gandolfo since retiring Feb. 28, returned to the Vatican to live in a monastery in the Vatican Gardens. (CNS photo/L’Ossevatore Romano via Reuters)

Pope Benedict had been staying at the papal summer villa in Castel Gandolfo since retiring Feb. 28. Pope Francis traveled to the villa 10 days after his election to visit, pray and have lunch with Pope Benedict; the new pope also has telephoned his predecessor on at least two occasions.

In response to questions about the fact that Pope Benedict seemed to be much frailer than he was two months ago, Father Lombardi told reporters, “He’s an elderly man, weakened by age, but he is not suffering from any illness.”

In the last year of his pontificate, Pope Benedict was seen walking with a cane on more and more public occasions; after Pope Benedict retired, Father Lombardi confirmed that he had had a pacemaker inserted before becoming pope in 2005 and had undergone a brief procedure in November to replace the battery.

While the Vatican is now home to a pope and his predecessor, neither lives in the papal apartments of the Apostolic Palace. Pope Francis continues to live in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the Vatican guesthouse just south of St. Peter’s Basilica where the cardinals stayed during the conclave; the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery where Pope Benedict is living is just to the north of the basilica.

Arriving in Castel Gandolfo a couple hours before his retirement became official, Pope Benedict told a crowd gathered in the town square to welcome him, “I am a simple pilgrim who begins the last stage of his pilgrimage on this earth.

“With all my heart, with all my love, with my prayers, with my reflection, with all my interior strength, I still want to work for the common good and the good of the church and humanity,” he said, reaffirming his plans to spend his retirement in a “hidden life” of prayer and study.

The location he chose as his residence had served since 1994 as home to four different communities of cloistered nuns — Poor Clares, Carmelites, Benedictines and Visitandines — who each spent a five- or three-year term there in a life dedicated to praying for the pope and the church.

The structure includes what was once the Vatican gardener’s house; before the first group of nuns took up residence, Blessed John Paul II had it expanded to about 4,600 square feet, including a large chapel, refectory and infirmary.

Since the Visitandine nuns moved in November, the building has undergone a remodeling, including an expansion of the library specifically for Pope Benedict.

The retired pope will live in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery with Archbishop Georg Ganswein, his secretary, who also serves Pope Francis as prefect of the papal household; and with four consecrated laywomen from Memores Domini, Father Lombardi said. The building also has a guestroom designed particularly for visits from Pope Benedict’s older brother, Msgr. Georg Ratzinger.

The Italian government helicopter bringing Pope Benedict to the Vatican from Castel Gandolfo was met at the Vatican heliport by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican secretary of state; Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals; and other officials from the Vatican governor’s office and the secretariat of state.

Waiting in St. Peter’s Square to see the helicopter arrive was a priest from Kenya, who did not want to give his name. He told Catholic News Service, “It’s good he (Pope Benedict) comes to pray for the new pope and everyone else. He teaches us how to pray.”

“I guess he didn’t want any fanfare,” the priest said, noting that the large video screens in St. Peter’s Square were blank and the Vatican Television Center did not provide images. A battery of TV cameras stood outside the square with the same hope of catching a glimpse of the helicopter.

Jenna Cooper of Cornwall, N.Y., who is studying at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, said she came to the square “because I love Pope Emeritus Benedict. I wanted to be here to offer my prayerful support. I wanted to witness this historic event.

“It’s a beautiful witness that he’s dedicating his life to prayer; it shows how important prayer is for the life of the church,” Cooper said.

Father Bryan Jerabek of the Diocese of Birmingham, Ala., also studying at Holy Cross, said he came to see the retired pope fly back and was hoping the Vatican would show video on the monitors, “but he asked to be hidden from the world” so perhaps he asked that there not be live coverage. “But it was nice to see the helicopter.”

As for having a pope and a retired pope living in the Vatican, Father Jerabek said: “It’s absolutely unprecedented. We’re all still trying to figure out what it means.”

Noting that Pope Francis has visited and phoned Pope Benedict, Father Jerabek said, “It’s obvious he wants to have a close relationship with his predecessor. And now he can take a 15-minute walk to see him.”