SUMMARY:
- PAPAL
AND HOLY SEE HIGHLIGHTS FOR SEPTEMBER - DECEMBER 2012
-
BENEDICT XVI'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR JANUARY 2013
- ST.
STEPHEN, MODEL OF NEW EVANGELISATION
-
CHRISTMAS MESSAGE: MAY PEACE SPRING FROM THE EARTH
-
MIDNIGHT MASS: MAY GOD GRANT US THE CURIOSITY TO KNOW HIM
- OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
- THE
VISITATION REPRESENTS THE BEAUTY OF HOSPITALITY
- NOTICE
______________________________________
PAPAL
AND HOLY SEE HIGHLIGHTS FOR SEPTEMBER - DECEMBER 2012
Vatican
City, 28 December 2012 (VIS) - The following are highlights of the
activities of Pope Benedict XVI and of the Holy See for the months of
September to December 2012.
SEPTEMBER
4:
Message from the Holy Father for the funeral of Cardinal Carlo Maria
Martini, S.J., archbishop emeritus of Milan, Italy, who died on 31
August at the age of 85.
10: The
Holy Father receives the second group of bishops from the Episcopal
Conference of Colombia, at the end of their five-yearly "ad
limina" visit.
14-16:
Apostolic Visit to Lebanon.
14:
Publication of Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation of the Special
Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops, "Ecclesia
in Medio Oriente" in Beirut, Lebanon.
18: The
Holy Father appoints the Synod Fathers for the Thirteenth Ordinary
General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which takes place from 7 to
28 October on the theme "The new evangelisation for the
transmission of the Christian faith".
20:
Cardinal Fortunato Baldelli, penitentiary major emeritus of the
Apostolic Penitentiary, dies at the age of 77.
21: The
Holy Father receives prelates from the Episcopal Conference of France
on their "ad limina" visit.
25: "God,
the unknown. Dialogue between believers and non-believers" is
the theme of the "Atrium of St. Francis", an initiative
organised by the Pontifical Council for Culture, the Holy Convent of
Assisi and the "Oicos Riflessioni" Association.
OCTOBER
4:
Pastoral visit to Loreto, Italy, to commemorate the fiftieth
anniversary of the Blessed Pope John XXIII's pilgrimage to the Marian
city.
5: By a
decree made public today and signed by Cardinal Manuel Monteiro de
Castro and Bishop Krzysztof Nykiel, respectively penitentiary major
and regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary, Benedict XVI grants
faithful Plenary Indulgence for the occasion of the Year of Faith.
The indulgence will be valid from the opening of the Year on 11
October 2012 until its end on 24 November 2013.
7-28:
Thirteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, on the
theme: "The New Evangelisation for the Transmission of the
Christian faith".
8:
Benedict XVI proclaims St. John of Avila and St. Hildegard of Bingen
as Doctors of the Universal Church and presides at the Eucharistic
celebration during which he inaugurates the thirteenth Ordinary
General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.
8:
Cardinal Lucian Muresan, major archbishop of Fagaras and Alba Julia
of the Romanians, Romania, takes possession of the title of
Sant'Atanasio, Via del Babuino 149, Rome.
10: In
the general audiences, an Arabic speaker joins the other speakers
providing a summary of the papal catechesis in various different
languages.
11:
Beginning of the Year of Faith.
14:
Cardinal Timothy Michael Dolan, archbishop of New York, takes
possession of the title of Nostra Signora di Guadalupe a Monte Mario,
Piazza Nostra Signora di Guadalupe 12, Rome.
14:
Cardinal George Alencherry, major archbishop of Ernakulam Angamaly of
the Syro-Malabars, takes possession of the title of San Bernardo alle
Terme, Via Torino 94, Rome.
18:
Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States,
receives the Letters of Credence of Carl-Henri Guiteau, ambassador of
Haiti to the Holy See.
20:
Cardinal Julien Ries takes possession of the diaconate of
Sant’Antonio di Padova a Circonvallazione Appia, Circonvallazione
Appia 150, Rome.
20: The
"Ratzinger Prize" is conferred upon historian and
philosopher Remi Brague, and scholar of patrology and theology Fr.
Brian Edward Daley S.J.
21: Papal
Mass for the canonisation of seven new saints: Jacques Berthieu,
martyr and priest of the Society of Jesus (1838-1896); Pedro
Calungsod, lay catechist and martyr (1654-1672); Giovanni Battista
Piamarta, priest and founder of the Congregation of the Holy Family
of Nazareth and of the Congregation of the Humble Sister Servants of
the Lord (1841-1913); Maria del Carmen (born Maria Salles y
Barangueras), foundress of the Conceptionist Missionary Sisters of
Teaching (1848-1911); Marianne Cope, nee Barbara, religious of the
Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis in Syracuse U.S.A.
(1838-1918); Kateri Tekakwitha, laywoman (1656-1680), and Anna
Schaeffer, laywoman (1882-1925).
23:
Cardinal Thomas Christopher Collins, archbishop of Toronto, Canada,
takes possession of the title of San Patrizio, Via Boncompagni 31,
Rome.
25:
Cardinal Edwin Frederick O'Brien, grand master of the Equestrian
Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, takes
possession of the diaconate of San Sebastiano al Palatino, Via di San
Bonaventura, Rome.
29:
Pope's Message for the ninety-ninth World Day of Migrants and
Refugees (13 January 2013) on the theme: "Migrations: Pilgrimage
of Faith and Hope".
31: The
Holy Father presides at the first Vespers of the Solemnity of All
Saints in the Sistine Chapel to commemorate the five-hundredth
anniversary of the unveiling of the ceiling frescoes painted by
Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512.
NOVEMBER
10: By
the Motu Proprio "Latina lingua" Benedict XVI establishes
the Pontifical Academy for Latin, under the auspices of the
Pontifical Council for Culture.
12: The
Holy Father visits the Sant Egidio Community's "Viva gli
Anziani" rest home for the elderly in Rome, to mark the occasion
of the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity Among
Generations.
16: Holy
Father's Message for the 28th World Youth Day 2013, which will take
place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in July 2013, with the title "Go
and make disciples of all nations!"
17:
Pope's address to prelates from the Episcopal Conference of France on
their "ad limina" visit.
20:
Presentation to the international press of the book "The Infancy
Narratives", third volume of Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI's
"Jesus of Nazareth" trilogy.
24:
Ordinary Public Consistory for the creation of six new cardinals.
30:
Pope's address to the third group of prelates from the Episcopal
Conference of France on their "ad limina" visit.
DECEMBER
1:
Publication of Benedict XVI's Apostolic Letter issued "motu
proprio" on "The Service of Charity", dated 11
November 2012.
9:
Inauguration of the International Congress "Ecclesia in America"
on the Church in the American continent with a Eucharistic
celebration in St. Peter's Basilica.
12: The
Pope enters Twitter with a blessing.
13:
Audience with six new ambassadors and non-resident ambassadors
accredited to the Holy See: Bizwayo Newton Nkunika of Zambia,
Chalermpol Thanchitt of Thailand, Ravinatha Pandukabhaya Aryasinha of
Sri Lanka, Wafic Rida Said of St. Vincent and the Grenadines,
Aminatou Batoure Gaoh of Niger and Ibrahima Sory Sow of Guinea.
16: Third
Sunday of Advent "Gaudete", pastoral visit to the Roman
parish of San Patrizio al Colle Prenestino, celebration of the
Eucharist at 9.30 a.m.
17: The
Holy Father receives in audience Mahmoud Abbas, president of the
Palestinian Authority.
17: The
Holy See and the Republic of China complete the necessary procedures
to allow the entry in force of the Agreement between the Congregation
for Catholic Education and the Ministry of Education of the Republic
of China on collaboration in the field of higher education and on the
recognition of studies, qualifications, diplomas and degrees.
22:
Benedict XVI grants pardon to Paolo Gabriele.
BENEDICT
XVI'S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR JANUARY 2013
Vatican
City, 28 December 2012 (VIS) - Pope Benedict's general prayer
intention for January 2013 is: "That in this Year of Faith
Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and
witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him".
His
mission intention is: "That the Christian communities of the
Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy
Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance".
ST.
STEPHEN, MODEL OF NEW EVANGELISATION
Vatican
City, 26 December 2012 (VIS) - At midday today, Feast of St. Stephen
the Deacon and Protomartyr, the Holy Father appeared at the window of
his study to pray the Angelus with faithful gathered below in St.
Peter's Square.
The Pope
explained that in the Acts of the Apostles St. Stephen is portrayed
as a "man filled with grace and the Holy Spirit; in him we find
the fulfilment of Jesus' promise ... that the believers called to
bear witness in difficult and dangerous circumstances will not be
abandoned or left defenceless: the Spirit of God will speak within
them. Indeed, the deacon Stephen was inspired by the Holy Spirit as
he worked, spoke and died, bearing witness to the love of Christ even
to the point of the most extreme sacrifice... Filled with the Holy
Spirit, just before his eyes were dimmed forever, he turned his gaze
upon 'Jesus standing at the right side of God', the Lord of all, who
draws all to Him ... Allowing ourselves to be drawn to Christ, like
St. Stephen, means opening our lives to the light that calls, guides
and makes us follow the path of good, the path of humanity according
to God’s loving plan".
St.
Stephen is, furthermore, "a model for all those who wish to
serve the new evangelisation", continued the Holy Father. "He
demonstrates that the newness of proclamation does not consist
primarily in the use of original methods or techniques, although
these are certainly useful, but rather relies on the presence of the
Holy Spirit in our lives, and on allowing ourselves to be guided by
Him. The newness of proclamation resides in profound immersion in the
mystery of Christ, in the assimilation of His Word and His presence
in the Eucharist, so that He, the living Christ, might speak and act
through His envoy. In essence, the evangeliser becomes capable of
effectively bringing Christ to others when he lives the life of
Christ, when the newness of the Gospel is made manifest in his own
life. We pray to the Virgin Mary that the Church, in this Year of
Faith, might see more men and women who, like St. Stephen, are able
to bear convinced and courageous witness to the Lord Jesus".
CHRISTMAS
MESSAGE: MAY PEACE SPRING FROM THE EARTH
Vatican
City, 25 December 2012 (VIS) - At midday today, Solemnity of the
Nativity of the Lord, the Pope pronounced his traditional Christmas
Message from the central loggia of the Vatican Basilica, and imparted
the 'Urbi et Orbi' blessing.
"In
this Year of Faith, I express my Christmas greetings and good wishes
in these words taken from one of the Psalms: 'Truth shall spring out
of the earth'", said the Holy Father in his message. "Today
these prophetic words have been fulfilled! In Jesus, born in
Bethlehem of the Virgin Mary, kindness and truth do indeed meet;
justice and peace have kissed; truth has sprung out of the earth and
justice has looked down from heaven. Saint Augustine explains with
admirable brevity: ... 'The Truth which heaven cannot contain has
sprung out of the earth, to be laid in a manger. For whose benefit
did so lofty a God become so lowly? Certainly not for his own, but
for our great benefit, if we believe'.
"'If
we believe'. Here we see the power of faith! God has done everything;
He has done the impossible: He was made flesh. His all-powerful love
has accomplished something which surpasses all human understanding:
... And yet, this same God cannot enter my heart unless I open the
door to Him.
"Porta
fidei! The door of faith! We could be frightened by this, our inverse
omnipotence. This human ability to be closed to God can make us
fearful. But see the reality which chases away this gloomy thought,
the hope that conquers fear: truth has sprung up! God is born! ... In
this world there is a good soil which God has prepared, that He might
come to dwell among us. ... This good earth exists, and today too, in
2012, from this earth truth has sprung up! Consequently, there is
hope in the world, a hope in which we can trust, even at the most
difficult times and in the most difficult situations. Truth has
sprung up, bringing kindness, justice and peace.
"Yes,
may peace spring up for the people of Syria, deeply wounded and
divided by a conflict which does not spare even the defenceless and
reaps innocent victims. Once again I appeal for an end to the
bloodshed, easier access for the relief of refugees and the
displaced, and dialogue in the pursuit of a political solution to the
conflict.
"May
peace spring up in the Land where the Redeemer was born, and may He
grant Israelis and Palestinians courage to end to long years of
conflict and division, and to embark resolutely on the path of
negotiation.
"In
the countries of North Africa, which are experiencing a major
transition in pursuit of a new future – and especially the beloved
land of Egypt, blessed by the childhood of Jesus – may citizens
work together to build societies founded on justice and respect for
the freedom and dignity of every person.
"May
peace spring up on the vast continent of Asia. May the Child Jesus
look graciously on the many peoples who dwell in those lands and, in
a special way, upon all those who believe in Him. May the King of
Peace turn His gaze to the new leaders of the People’s Republic of
China for the high task which awaits them. I express my hope that, in
fulfilling this task, they will esteem the contribution of the
religions, in respect for each, in such a way that they can help to
build a fraternal society for the benefit of that noble People and of
the whole world.
"May
the Birth of Christ favour the return of peace in Mali and concord in
Nigeria, where savage acts of terrorism continue to reap victims,
particularly among Christians. May the Redeemer bring help and
comfort to the refugees from the east of the Democratic Republic of
Congo, and grant peace to Kenya, where brutal attacks have struck the
civilian population and places of worship.
"May
the Child Jesus bless the great numbers of the faithful who celebrate
Him in Latin America. May He increase their human and Christian
virtues, sustain all those forced to leave behind their families and
their land, and confirm government leaders in their commitment to
development and fighting crime.
"Dear
brothers and sisters! Kindness and truth, justice and peace have met;
they have become incarnate in the child born of Mary in Bethlehem.
That child is the Son of God; He is God appearing in history. His
birth is a flowering of new life for all humanity. May every land
become a good earth which receives and brings forth kindness and
truth, justice and peace. Happy Christmas to all of you!"
Following
his Message, the Pope extended Christmas greetings in sixty-five
languages and imparted his blessing "Urbi et Orbi" (to the
city and the world).
MIDNIGHT
MASS: MAY GOD GRANT US THE CURIOSITY TO KNOW HIM
Vatican
City, 24 December 2012 (VIS) - The Pope tonight celebrated Midnight
Mass in the Vatican Basilica for the Solemnity of the Nativity of the
Lord.
During
the Eucharistic celebration, following the reading of the Gospel, the
Holy Father delivered his homily, ample extracts from which are given
below:
"Again
and again it astonishes us that God makes Himself a child so that we
may love Him, so that we may dare to love Him, and as a child
trustingly lets Himself be taken into our arms. It is as if God were
saying: I know that my glory frightens you, and that you are trying
to assert yourself in the face of my grandeur. So now I am coming to
you as a child, so that you can accept me and love me.
"I
am also repeatedly struck by the Gospel writer’s almost casual
remark that there was no room for them at the inn. Inevitably the
question arises, what would happen if Mary and Joseph were to knock
at my door. Would there be room for them? And then it occurs to us
that Saint John takes up this seemingly chance comment about the lack
of room at the inn, which drove the Holy Family into the stable; he
explores it more deeply and arrives at the heart of the matter when
he writes: 'he came to his own home, and his own people received him
not'. The great moral question of our attitude towards the homeless,
towards refugees and migrants, takes on a deeper dimension: ... Does
God actually have a place in our thinking? Our process of thinking is
structured in such a way that He simply ought not to exist. Even if
He seems to knock at the door of our thinking, He has to be explained
away. If thinking is to be taken seriously, it must be structured in
such a way that the 'God hypothesis' becomes superfluous. ... We are
so 'full' of ourselves that there is no room left for God.
"And
that means there is no room for others either, for children, for the
poor, for the stranger. By reflecting on that one simple saying about
the lack of room at the inn, we have come to see how much we need to
listen to Saint Paul's exhortation: 'Be transformed by the renewal of
your mind'. Paul speaks of ... the whole way we view the world and
ourselves. The conversion that we need must truly reach into the
depths of our relationship with reality. Let us ask the Lord ... that
we may that we may hear how ... He knocks at the door of our being
and willing. Let us ask that we may make room for Him within
ourselves, that we may recognise Him also in those through whom He
speaks to us: children, the suffering, the abandoned, those who are
excluded and the poor of this world.
"There
is another verse from the Christmas story on which I should like to
reflect with you – the angels' hymn of praise, which they sing out
following the announcement of the new-born Saviour: 'Glory to God in
the highest and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.'
God is glorious ... the radiance of truth and love. ... He is ...
goodness par excellence. The angels surrounding Him begin by simply
proclaiming the joy of seeing God's glory. ... There is no question
of attempting to understand the meaning of it all, but simply the
overflowing happiness of seeing the pure splendour of God's truth and
love. We want to let this joy reach out and touch us: truth exists,
pure goodness exists, pure light exists. God is good, and He is the
supreme power above all powers. All this should simply make us joyful
tonight, together with the angels and the shepherds.
"Linked
to God's glory on high is peace on earth among men. Where God is not
glorified, where He is forgotten or even denied, there is no peace
either. Nowadays, though, widespread currents of thought assert the
exact opposite: they say that religions, especially monotheism, are
the cause of the violence and the wars in the world. If there is to
be peace, humanity must first be liberated from them. Monotheism,
belief in one God, is said to be arrogance, a cause of intolerance,
because by its nature, with its claim to possess the sole truth, it
seeks to impose itself on everyone.
"Now
it is true that in the course of history, monotheism has served as a
pretext for intolerance and violence. It is true that religion can
become corrupted and hence opposed to its deepest essence, when
people think they have to take God's cause into their own hands,
making God into their private property. We must be on the lookout for
these distortions of the sacred. While there is no denying a certain
misuse of religion in history, it is not true that denial of God
would lead to peace. If God's light is extinguished, man's divine
dignity is also extinguished. Then the human creature would cease to
be God's image, to which we must pay honour in every person, in the
weak, in the stranger, in the poor. Then we would no longer all be
brothers and sisters, children of the one Father, who belong to one
another on account of that one Father. The kind of arrogant violence
that then arises, the way man then despises and tramples upon man: we
saw this in all its cruelty in the last century. Only if God's light
shines over man and within him, only if every single person is
desired, known and loved by God is his dignity inviolable, however
wretched his situation may be. ... And through the centuries, while
there has been misuse of religion, it is also true that forces of
reconciliation and goodness have constantly sprung up from faith in
the God Who became man. Into the darkness of sin and violence, this
faith has shone a bright ray of peace and goodness, which continues
to shine.
"So
Christ is our peace. ... How could we now do other than pray to Him:
Yes, Lord, proclaim peace today to us too, whether we are far away or
near at hand. Grant also to us today that swords may be turned into
ploughshares, that instead of weapons for warfare, practical aid may
be given to the suffering. Enlighten those who think they have to
practise violence in your name, so that they may see the
senselessness of violence and learn to recognize your true face. Help
us to become people 'with whom you are pleased' – people according
to your image and thus people of peace".
"Let
us go over to Bethlehem, says the Church's liturgy to us today.
Trans-eamus is what the Latin Bible says: let us go 'across', daring
to step beyond, to make the 'transition' by which we step outside our
habits of thought and habits of life, across the purely material
world into the real one, across to the God Who in His turn has come
across to us".
"Let
us go over to Bethlehem: as we say these words to one another, along
with the shepherds, we should not only think of the great 'crossing
over' to the living God, but also of the actual town of Bethlehem and
all those places where the Lord lived, ministered and suffered. Let
us pray at this time for the people who live and suffer there today.
Let us pray that there may be peace in that land. Let us pray that
Israelis and Palestinians may be able to live their lives in the
peace of the one God and in freedom. Let us also pray for the
countries of the region, for Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and their
neighbours: that there may be peace there, that Christians in those
lands where our faith was born may be able to continue living there,
that Christians and Muslims may build up their countries side by side
in God’s peace.
"The
shepherds made haste. Holy curiosity and holy joy impelled them. In
our case, it is probably not very often that we make haste for the
things of God. God does not feature among the things that require
haste. The things of God can wait, we think and we say. And yet He is
the most important thing, ultimately the one truly important thing.
Why should we not also be moved by curiosity to see more closely and
to know what God has said to us? At this hour, let us ask Him to
touch our hearts with the holy curiosity and the holy joy of the
shepherds, and thus let us go over joyfully to Bethlehem, to the Lord
Who today once more comes to meet us".
OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican
City, 24 December 2012 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Bishop
Thomas Vu Dinh Hieu, auxiliary of Xuan Loc, Viet Nam, as coadjutor
bishop of Bui Chu (area 1,350, population 1,859,000, Catholics
394,453, priests 163, religious 799), Viet Nam.
THE
VISITATION REPRESENTS THE BEAUTY OF HOSPITALITY
Vatican
City, 23 December 2012 (VIS) - The Gospel of this fourth Sunday of
Advent preceding the birth of the Lord narrates Mary's visit to her
relative Elizabeth. "This episode is not merely a simple gesture
of courtesy, but rather depicts with great simplicity the encounter
between the Old and New Testaments", explained the Pope to the
faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square to pray the Angelus. "The
two women, both expectant mothers, incarnate both expectation and the
expected One. The older Elizabeth symbolises Israel, whereas the
younger Mary carries within her the fulfilment of expectation, to the
benefit of all humanity".
"Elizabeth,
welcoming Mary, recognises that God's promise to humanity is being
realised and exclaims: “Blessed are you among women and blessed is
the fruit of your womb! How is it that the mother of my Lord should
come to me?”. John's leap for joy recalls David's dance when he
accompanied the entrance of the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem.
The soon-to-be-born John exults with joy before Mary, the Ark of the
New Covenant, who bears Jesus in her womb, the Son of God made man.
"The
scene of the Visitation also expresses the beauty of hospitality:
where there is mutual welcome, listening, accommodating the other,
there we find God and the joy that emanates from him. Let us imitate
Mary during the Christmas season, visiting those who are in
difficulty, especially the sick, prisoners, the elderly and children.
And let us also imitate Elizabeth who welcomes the guest as if he
were God Himself: unless we wish for the Lord we will never know Him;
unless we expect Him, we will never meet Him, unless we seek Him, we
will never find Him. With the same joy as Mary, who hastens to
Elizabeth, we too must approach the Lord, who in turn comes to us.
Let us pray that all men seek God, and in doing so discover that it
is God Himself who comes first to us", concluded the Holy
Father.
NOTICE
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City, 28 December 2012 (VIS) - The staff of the Vatican Information
Service wishes all its readers a Happy New Year. The next VIS
bulletin will be transmitted on Wednesday 2 January 2013.
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