Good Friday - Way of the Cross Homily by Pope Francis - Colosseum - Rome 2013

Dear Brother and Sisters, Thank you for having taken part in these moments of deep prayer. I also thank those who have accompanied us through the media, especially the sick and elderly.I do not wish to add too many words. One word should suffice this evening, that is the Cross itself. The Cross is the word through which God has responded to evil in the world. Sometimes it may seem as though God does not react to evil, as if he is silent. And yet, God has spoken, he has replied, and his answer is the Cross of Christ: a word which is love, mercy, forgiveness.

It is also reveals a judgement  namely that God, in judging us, loves us. Remember this: God, in judging us, loves us. If I embrace his love then I am saved, if I refuse it, then I am condemned, not by him, but my own self, because God never condemns, he only loves and saves. Dear brothers and sisters, the word of the Cross is also the answer which Christians offer in the face of evil, the evil that continues to work in us and around us. Christians must respond to evil with good, taking the Cross upon themselves as Jesus did.

This evening we have heard the witness given by our Lebanese brothers and sisters: they composed these beautiful prayers and meditations. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to them for this work and for the witness they offer. We were able to see this when Pope Benedict visited Lebanon: we saw the beauty and the strong bond of communion joining Christians together in that land and the friendship of our Muslim brothers and sisters and so many others. That occasion was a sign to the Middle East and to the whole world: a sign of hope.We now continue this Via Crucis in our daily lives. Let us walk together along the Way of the Cross and let us do so carrying in our hearts this word of love and forgiveness. Let us go forward waiting for the Resurrection of Jesus, who loves us so much. He is all love.

Holy Thursday - Chrism Mass with Pope Francis 2013 - Homily

Dear Brothers and Sisters, This morning I have the joy of celebrating my first Chrism Mass as the Bishop of Rome. I greet all of you with affection, especially you, dear priests, who, like myself, today recall the day of your ordination.The readings of our Mass speak of God’s “anointed ones”: the suffering Servant of Isaiah, King David and Jesus our Lord. All three have this in common: the anointing that they receive is meant in turn to anoint God’s faithful people, whose servants they are; they are anointed for the poor, for prisoners, for the oppressed… A fine image of this “being for” others can be found in the Psalm: “It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down upon the collar of his robe” (Ps 133:2). The image of spreading oil, flowing down from the beard of Aaron upon the collar of his sacred robe, is an image of the priestly anointing which, through Christ, the Anointed One, reaches the ends of the earth, represented by the robe.

The sacred robes of the High Priest are rich in symbolism. One such symbol is that the names of the children of Israel were engraved on the onyx stones mounted on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, the ancestor of our present-day chasuble: six on the stone of the right shoulder-piece and six on that of the left (cf. Ex 28:6-14). The names of the twelve tribes of Israel were also engraved on the breastplate (cf. Es 28:21). This means that the priest celebrates by carrying on his shoulders the people entrusted to his care and bearing their names written in his heart. When we put on our simple chasuble, it might well make us feel, upon our shoulders and in our hearts, the burdens and the faces of our faithful people, our saints and martyrs of whom there are many in these times…From the beauty of all these liturgical things, which is not so much about trappings and fine fabrics than about the glory of our God resplendent in his people, alive and strengthened, we turn to a consideration of activity, action.

The precious oil which anoints the head of Aaron does more than simply lend fragrance to his person; it overflows down to “the edges”. The Lord will say this clearly: his anointing is meant for the poor, prisoners and the sick, for those who are sorrowing and alone. The ointment is not intended just to make us fragrant, much less to be kept in a jar, for then it would become rancid … and the heart bitter.A good priest can be recognized by the way his people are anointed. This is a clear test. When our people are anointed with the oil of gladness, it is obvious: for example, when they leave Mass looking as if they have heard good news.

Our people like to hear the Gospel preached with “unction”, they like it when the Gospel we preach touches their daily lives, when it runs down like the oil of Aaron to the edges of reality, when it brings light to moments of extreme darkness, to the “outskirts” where people of faith are most exposed to the onslaught of those who want to tear down their faith. People thank us because they feel that we have prayed over the realities of their everyday lives, their troubles, their joys, their burdens and their hopes. And when they feel that the fragrance of the Anointed One, of Christ, has come to them through us, they feel encouraged to entrust to us everything they want to bring before the Lord: “Pray for me, Father, because I have this problem”, “Bless me”, “Pray for me” – these words are the sign that the anointing has flowed down to the edges of the robe, for it has turned into prayer.

The prayers of the people of God. When we have this relationship with God and with his people, and grace passes through us, then we are priests, mediators between God and men. What I want to emphasize is that we need constantly to stir up God’s grace and perceive in every request, even those requests that are inconvenient and at times purely material or downright banal – but only apparently so – the desire of our people to be anointed with fragrant oil, since they know that we have it. To perceive and to sense, even as the Lord sensed the hope-filled anguish of the woman suffering from hemorrhages when she touched the hem of his garment.

At that moment, Jesus, surrounded by people on every side, embodies all the beauty of Aaron vested in priestly raiment, with the oil running down upon his robes. It is a hidden beauty, one which shines forth only for those faith-filled eyes of the woman troubled with an issue of blood. But not even the disciples – future priests – see or understand: on the “existential outskirts”, they see only what is on the surface: the crowd pressing in on Jesus from all sides (cf. Lk 8:42). The Lord, on the other hand, feels the power of the divine anointing which runs down to the edge of his cloak.We need to “go out”, then, in order to experience our own anointing, its power and its redemptive efficacy: to the “outskirts” where there is suffering, bloodshed, blindness that longs for sight, and prisoners in thrall to many evil masters.

It is not in soul-searching or constant introspection that we encounter the Lord: self-help courses can be useful in life, but to live by going from one course to another, from one method to another, leads us to become pelagians and to minimize the power of grace, which comes alive and flourishes to the extent that we, in faith, go out and give ourselves and the Gospel to others, giving what little ointment we have to those who have nothing, nothing at all.A priest who seldom goes out of himself, who anoints little – I won’t say “not at all” because, thank God, our people take our oil from us anyway – misses out on the best of our people, on what can stir the depths of his priestly heart.

Those who do not go out of themselves, instead of being mediators, gradually become intermediaries, managers. We know the difference: the intermediary, the manager, “has already received his reward”, and since he doesn’t put his own skin and his own heart on the line, he never hears a warm, heartfelt word of thanks. This is precisely the reason why some priests grow dissatisfied, become sad priests, lose heart and become in some sense collectors of antiques or novelties – instead of being shepherds living with “the smell of the sheep”, shepherds in the midst of their flock, fishers of men. True enough, the so-called crisis of priestly identity threatens us all and adds to the broader cultural crisis; but if we can resist its onslaught, we will be able to put out in the name of the Lord and cast our nets. It is not a bad thing that reality itself forces us to “put out into the deep”, where what we are by grace is clearly seen as pure grace, out into the deep of the contemporary world, where the only thing that counts is “unction” – not function – and the nets which overflow with fish are those cast solely in the name of the One in whom we have put our trust: Jesus.

Dear lay faithful, be close to your priests with affection and with your prayers, that they may always be shepherds according to God’s heart.Dear priests, may God the Father renew in us the Spirit of holiness with whom we have been anointed. May he renew his Spirit in our hearts, that this anointing may spread to everyone, even to those “outskirts” where our faithful people most look for it and most appreciate it. May our people sense that we are the Lord’s disciples; may they feel that their names are written upon our priestly vestments and that we seek no other identity; and may they receive through our words and deeds the oil of gladness which Jesus, the Anointed One, came to bring us. Amen.

Instinct, Reason and Baby Sea Lions?

A few days ago I watched a news report on saving baby sea lions off the coast of California.  It was about how these animals were weak and malnourished and had found themselves trapped between rocks and bays with not enough strength to make it out to sea.  Various teams of  scientists had scoured the various coasts to find these little critters and to save them.  Once, the baby sea lions were captured they were fed and taken care of for a certain period of time at a research clinic and taken to out to the shore.  What had made an impression on me was to see them run toward the water once they had opened the cages to let them out.  Their instinct to the water had captivated and intrigued me. 

Their instinct for the ocean had reminded me of the instinct we as human being have.  What exactly is this human instinct?  The answer: Reason. Whatever we do has to make sense or else it is “non-sense” and it is considered as a waste of time and effort.  We seek reason to arrive at a given truth or to get to the “bottom of things” as we like to call it.  Searching and arriving to this goal is for us human beings of the highest essential things, because it completes, satisfy and makes our intellectual structure sound and whole, which by the way, has an effect on our whole well-being and health. 

We are much at peace when we come understand certain things.  However, when we are confronted with illogical conclusions and random computations our heart beat goes up, along with our stress levels and bodily functions which can take over our mind and make matters worse by acting “crazy”.  But a reasonable word can come to aid, healing us and bringing us back to our senses, back to a homoeostasis or balance.  We are once again mind over body. 

A balance mind means that reason is allowed to roam within a person’s head and allowed to arrive at a given truth.  We could say that the more reasoning a person does to get to the truth of matters, the healthier and peaceful he or she may become, after all  “the truth will set you free” - as the old saying goes. 

Just as the baby sea lions have an instinct for the sea because they depend on it, so do we humans have an instinct and need for “reason” to make sense of the world around us. Things that are irrational, such as, war, killing, poverty, self-depreciation, anti-education, etc., etc., are considered enemies to humanity or enemies to reason.  Our instinct, therefore, prompts us to remedy and bring back to balance, bring back to a state of peace or homoeostasis the world around us. --- jlf 

What does being poor mean? Pope Francis's message of poverty.

Since his election Pope Francis has been talking a lot about poverty and how the Church should align itself more with the poor in helping them and becoming more Evangelical.  From a given point of view, seeing the austerity lived by his assumed named of St. Francis of Assisi, it is easy to see what the Pope means when we contrast the “richness” of the hierarchical Church with much of the world which suffers from destitution both in a material and spiritual dimension and calls upon a reform of heart; a recourse to mercy and tenderness to all peoples.

“The poor” is stressed continuously by him in just about every message given to the faithful and peoples of the world.  But what does being poor mean?  Certainly, as we know, economically speaking, there are people who live below the line of poverty who for one reason or another remain below that line, because they receive amenities or government subsidies which are designed, for the most part, to endow the individual the capacity to move up and over the poverty line. Thus, to some people being poor is economically beneficial. 

There are those who would rather not consider themselves poor, even though they just cannot make ends meet, they will fight tooth and nail to get out of their present condition with an attitude that positively looks toward the future, thus for these people being labeled as “poor” may be derogatory and  perhaps even discriminating. 

Then there is the destitute, who for a variety of reasons is victim to a number of social-political, health or ideological conditions.  This is the person who you may unfortunately find “living under a bridge” and who may very well be receptive to help.  St. Francis, in the mainstream ideal of what it means helping the poor, is best known for this type of ministry so emblematic of his life.  After all, Jesus said: “Whatever you do to the least of my brothers you do unto me.” This type of poverty (destitution), wide spread throughout the world, seems to remain a constant denominator throughout the ages: “The poor you will always have” says Jesus.

Pope Francis and his message of poverty indirectly brings to the forefront the question of the rich and powerful.  What about them?  Some, through no fault of theirs, have inherited wealth and or a high position in their community - and should these persons feel the weight of guilt or become victims of harassment?  After all, Jesus himself was not destitute, he dressed and ate well, and had several benefactors.   Rich and powerful should not be synonymous with darkness and evil, but it can be related to humbleness and poverty, as well. 

Which brings me to another aspect of poverty, its spiritual side.  Before the richness and the all-powerful God we are all poor.  Each one of us does not possess everything; we are in need. 

The question, "what does being poor mean?" is not an easy one to answer, but rather complex.  The message of poverty advocated by Pope Francis recalls the whole world, at least, that being poor means that we need each other, one way or another, and that this "need" be met with tenderness and mercy. --- jlf

Pope Francis and Adolfo Pérez Esquivel

A strong embrace, one full of affection. Adolfo Pérez Esquivel smiles as he looks at the picture of perhaps the most intense moment of his meeting with Pope Francis. At 81-years-old, he has spent his life defending human rights. This man, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1980, has been imprisoned and subjected to torture, still has a kind of child-like excitement. Only a few hours had  passed since his audience in the Vatican, when he recalled to our newspaper the joy of having been able to greet his fellow countryman, the one the Cardinals electors went to “ends of the earth” to elect as Bishop of Rome. Or maybe it was the “beginning of the earth”, he said, “it depends your point of view”.

What was your meeting with Pope Francis like? 

We were both very excited. The election of Pope Francis represents for me grace. It is a strong sign of the Spirit which has come at a moment in which the Church and the world feel a great need for renewal, spirituality and service to society.

 From Buenos Aires to Rome: who is Pope Bergoglio?

He is above all a pastor. Even in Argentina, in spite of the his responsibilities as a Jesuit and then in the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires and the bishops' conference, he has always been a serene and shy man, constantly attentive to the problems of the country and especially of the people.

After his election a defamatory campaign began against the Pontiff which you immediately shut down. Who is afraid of Pope Francis?

It is true, some tried to do this. But since the accusations were completely unfounded I felt the need to to prove them wrong. Pope Francis did not have anything to do with the military dictatorship. And I am not the only one to say this. This is true according to the president of the Supreme Court of Justice in Argentina. There are no shadows in Bergoglio's past. And in no way can anyone say that he was involved with the dictatorship. On the contrary he fought on behalf of the missing people and of the persecuted. However not all of his speeches were heard. The military said “yes” to everyone but they then did the contrary. I believe the defamatory campaign against Pope Francis was fueled by various political and ideological trends.

At the beginning of his Pontificate, Pope Francis spoke of a Church of the poor and for the poor and he called us to protect the gifts of creation. 

Yes, this call for the poor is something that has characterized his life. The Gospel speaks of the poor, those whom he always met with great humility. And now the Pope tells us that the whole Church must live in poverty and humility. Then there is the challenge of defending creation. I believe that this too is a field where collaboration must increase among believers. [L'Osservatore Romano]

Pope Francis addresses Journalists and Media Representatives and their Families

Pope Francis on Saturday met with Representatives of the Communications Media on Saturday. Below is an English translation of his full text:

Dear Friends,At the beginning of my ministry in the See of Peter, I am pleased to meet all of you who have worked here in Rome throughout this intense period which began with the unexpected announcement made by my venerable Predecessor Benedict XVI on 11 February last. To each of you I offer a cordial greeting.

The role of the mass media has expanded immensely in these years, so much so that they are an essential means of informing the world about the events of contemporary history. I would like, then, to thank you in a special way for the professional coverage which you provided during these days – you really worked, didn’t you? – when the eyes of the whole world, and not just those of Catholics, were turned to the Eternal City and particularly to this place which has as its heart the tomb of Saint Peter. Over the past few weeks, you have had to provide information about the Holy See and about the Church, her rituals and traditions, her faith and above all the role of the Pope and his ministry.

I am particularly grateful to those who viewed and presented these events of the Church’s history in a way which was sensitive to the right context in which they need to be read, namely that of faith. Historical events almost always demand a nuanced interpretation which at times can also take into account the dimension of faith. Ecclesiastical events are certainly no more intricate than political or economic events! But they do have one particular underlying feature: they follow a pattern which does not readily correspond to the “worldly” categories which we are accustomed to use, and so it is not easy to interpret and communicate them to a wider and more varied public. The Church is certainly a human and historical institution with all that that entails, yet her nature is not essentially political but spiritual: the Church is the People of God, the Holy People of God making its way to encounter Jesus Christ. Only from this perspective can a satisfactory account be given of the Church’s life and activity.

Christ is the Church’s Pastor, but his presence in history passes through the freedom of human beings; from their midst one is chosen to serve as his Vicar, the Successor of the Apostle Peter. Yet Christ remains the centre, not the Successor of Peter: Christ, Christ is the centre. Christ is the fundamental point of reference, the heart of the Church. Without him, Peter and the Church would not exist or have reason to exist. As Benedict XVI frequently reminded us, Christ is present in Church and guides her. In everything that has occurred, the principal agent has been, in the final analysis, the Holy Spirit. He prompted the decision of Benedict XVI for the good of the Church; he guided the Cardinals in prayer and in the election.It is important, dear friends, to take into due account this way of looking at things, this hermeneutic, in order to bring into proper focus what really happened in these days.

All of this leads me to thank you once more for your work in these particularly demanding days, but also to ask you to try to understand more fully the true nature of the Church, as well as her journey in this world, with her virtues and her sins, and to know the spiritual concerns which guide her and are the most genuine way to understand her. Be assured that the Church, for her part, highly esteems your important work. At your disposal you have the means to hear and to give voice to people’s expectations and demands, and to provide for an analysis and interpretation of current events. Your work calls for careful preparation, sensitivity and experience, like so many other professions, but it also demands a particular concern for what is true, good and beautiful. This is something which we have in common, since the Church exists to communicate precisely this: Truth, Goodness and Beauty “in person”. It should be apparent that all of us are called not to communicate ourselves, but this existential triad made up of truth, beauty and goodness.

Some people wanted to know why the Bishop of Rome wished to be called Francis. Some thought of Francis Xavier, Francis De Sales, and also Francis of Assisi. I will tell you the story. During the election, I was seated next to the Archbishop Emeritus of São Paolo and Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Clergy, Cardinal Claudio Hummes: a good friend, a good friend! When things were looking dangerous, he encouraged me. And when the votes reached two thirds, there was the usual applause, because the Pope had been elected. And he gave me a hug and a kiss, and said: “Don't forget the poor!” And those words came to me: the poor, the poor. Then, right away, thinking of the poor, I thought of Francis of Assisi. Then I thought of all the wars, as the votes were still being counted, till the end. Francis is also the man of peace. That is how the name came into my heart: Francis of Assisi. 

For me, he is the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man who loves and protects creation; these days we do not have a very good relationship with creation, do we? He is the man who gives us this spirit of peace, the poor man … How I would like a Church which is poor and for the poor! Afterwards, people were joking with me. “But you should call yourself Hadrian, because Hadrian VI was the reformer, we need a reform…” And someone else said to me: “No, no: your name should be Clement”. “But why?” “Clement XV: thus you pay back Clement XIV who suppressed the Society of Jesus!” These were jokes. 

I love all of you very much, I thank you for everything you have done. I pray that your work will always be serene and fruitful, and that you will come to know ever better the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the rich reality of the Church’s life. I commend you to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Star of Evangelization, and with cordial good wishes for you and your families, each of your families. I cordially impart to all of you my blessing. Thank you.

I told you I was cordially imparting my blessing. Since many of you are not members of the Catholic Church, and others are not believers, I cordially give this blessing silently, to each of you, respecting the conscience of each, but in the knowledge that each of you is a child of God. May God bless you! 

Pope Francis - visits the Basilica of St. Mary Mayor

Pope Francis is an early riser and surprised the Romans on the very first morning of his pontificate by visiting, at 8.15 am one of Rome's Major Basilicas, Saint Mary Major. The Pope came bearing a floral homage.

Upon his election on Wednesday evening Pope Francis had anticipated he was going to “go and pray to the Madonna so that she might protect Rome”.

And so it was that the newly elected Pope went to venerate Mary in this most ancient of Christian Basilicas in the West dedicated to her. Going directly to the Pauline Chapel to the left of the main nave to pray in front of the icon of the Madonna 'Salus Populi Romani'  [news source]

Pope Francis - A glimpse into his ideals

Catholics are still buzzing over his speech last year accusing fellow church officials of hypocrisy for forgetting that Jesus Christ bathed lepers and ate with prostitutes is quoted in saying:

“In our ecclesiastical region there are priests who don't baptize the children of single mothers because they weren't conceived in the sanctity of marriage,” Bergoglio told his priests. “These are today's hypocrites. Those who clericalize the church. Those who separate the people of God from salvation. And this poor girl who, rather than returning the child to sender, had the courage to carry it into the world, must wander from parish to parish so that it's baptized!”

Bergoglio compared this concept of Catholicism to the Pharisees of Christ's time: people who congratulate themselves while condemning others.

“Jesus teaches us another way: Go out. Go out and share your testimony, go out and interact with your brothers, go out and share, go out and ask. Become the Word in body as well as spirit,” Bergoglio said. [news source]

Papal Election vs. Political Election

Unlike political elections, papal elections is performed within an atmosphere of a brotherhood – nationality and culture becomes secondary. These Cardinals, because they are few in numbers, at the end of the day wish each other well.  If, during the votation, the names of their colleagues are called out one more often than the other, it is not due to a competition of who can get most votes and with all its polemics brought forth by it, but rather it is seen as a narrowing and shortening the list of the "papabili" (the papable) so that only one person remains at the end. This to many journalists is incomprehensible, because for many of them the electoral process is practically a replay of a the U.S. presidential election race or similar to it, when, in fact, it is just the opposite. --- jlf

Daily Schedule for Conclave 2013 --- "Holy Smokes"

Full-day schedule for the Conclave:

6:30 a.m.: Breakfast for one hour

7:45 a.m.: Depart from Domus Santa Marta to Apostolic Palace

8:15 a.m.: Hour-long Mass at Pauline Chapel

9:30 a.m.: First two rounds of voting inside Sistine Chapel

12:30 p.m.: Return to Santa Marta

1:00 p.m.: Lunch

4:00 p.m.: Depart from Domus Santa Marta to Apostolic Palace

4:50 p.m.: Remaining two rounds of voting inside Sistine Chapel

7:15 p.m.: Vespers (prayer) at Sistine Chapel

7:30 p.m.: Return to Santa Marta

8:00 p.m.: Dinner

The fumata (holy smoke) after the morning votes will appear between 11:30 a.m.-Noon, while the smoke for the evening votes will appear between 6:30-7 p.m.

In the event that a Pope is chosen during the first votes of the morning or evening, the smoke would appear at around 10:30 a.m. or 6 p.m

Storia del Conclave ITALIANO - Video

Storia del Conclave - video

Universi Dominici Gregis - Constitution on Sede Vacante and the Conclave

Oath of Secrecy to be taken by the Cardinals during the Conclave 2013

At a suitable time before the beginning of the election [the Conclave], the persons indicated in this Constitution, having been duly warned about the meaning and extent of the oath which they are to take, shall, in the presence of the Cardinal Camerlengo or another Cardinal delegated by him, and of two Pronotaries Apostolic, swear and sign the oath according to the following formula:

I, N.N., promise and swear that, unless I should receive a special faculty given expressly by the newly-elected Pontiff or by his successors, I will observe absolute and perpetual secrecy with all who are not part of the College of Cardinal electors concerning all matters directly or indirectly related to the ballots cast and their scrutiny for the election of the Supreme Pontiff.

I likewise promise and swear to refrain from using any audio or video equipment capable of recording anything which takes place during the period of the election within Vatican City, and in particular anything which in any way, directly or indirectly, is related to the process of the election itself.

I declare that I take this oath fully aware that an infraction thereof will incur the penalty of automatic (‘latae sententiae’) excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See.

So help me God and these Holy Gospels which I touch with my hand."

---jlf

The Conclave 2013 short explanation video

Here is a short video from CNN which explains the Conclave process in an abbreviated manner.  

The First Conclave

The custom of keeping the Cardinals enclosed under key (conclave) was adopted in the election of Pope Gregory X in 1271. After Clement IV had died in 1268 the See remained vacant for three years.  In the pontifical city of Viterbo the 18 cardinals present could not come to agree, despite pressure from  super power countries like France. 

One cardinal, Bonaventura of Bagnoregio called the military captain to gather the cardinals together in the Episcopate Palace in Viterbo and to lock it down until they are able to resolve the problem. The guards surrounded the palace, and locked it down.  This did not seem to affect the cardinals inside.  The people of Viterbo, fed-up with the waiting, had climbed on the roof and had taken the roof tiles off so that, rain, cold and heat would push them to make a decision.  In addition, food was rationed down to bread and water which was lowered down through the opened roof. 

Sickness and starvation had finally won them over to agree on a candidate on September 1, 1271.  Pope Gregory X, a skilled canon lawyer, had enacted a constitution (Ubi periculum of 1274) which would from then on regulate the duration and rules for the election of the new pontiff under lock and key, the so called conclave. --- jlf

Episcopate Palace, Viterbo, Italy - site of the first conclave 1271