Open to the surprises of God

Transcription

1 Price 1,00. Back issues 2,00 L O S S E RVATOR E ROMANO WEEKLY EDITION Unicuique suum IN ENGLISH Non praevalebunt Forty-eighth year, number 4 (2380) Vatican City Friday, 23 January 2015 Before millions of faithful in Manila Pope Francis celebrates Holy Mass and concludes his Journey to Asia Open to the surprises of God Every child is a gift to be welcomed, cherished and protected Santo Niño Sunday GI O VA N N I MARIA VIAN Rain fell on the city of Manila all day Sunday, 18 January, but it did not dampen the faith or enthusiasm of the Filipino faithful. Pope Francis celebrated Mass in Rizal Park, in a sea of people, estimated by officials to exceed 6 million. Dressed in Inflight interviews Colombo to Manila Manila to Rome PAGES 4 TO 6 PAGES 18 TO 20 At the General Audience Their faith and missionary spirit PAGE 3 FOR FULL COVERAGE OF THE POPE IN THE PHILIPPINES SEE PA G E S 6 TO 17 brightly coloured ponchos and holding umbrellas, many brought small statues of the Child Jesus, venerated as the Santo Niño, whose feast the Church in the Philippines celebrated that Sunday. One of the key messages that the Pope wanted to convey in his homily is that every child is a gift to be welcomed, cherished and protected, above all in the family. The next morning, the Pope bid farewell to the Filipino people at the Villamor Air Base and departed for Rome. Week of Prayer for Christian Unity The spiritual ecumenism of conversion The theme of the Week comes from John 4:7 Jesus said to her: Give me to drink KURT KO CH* In the Church of Rome, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity ends with the Bishop of Rome celebrating Vespers in the Basilica of St Paul Outside-the-Walls, with the participation of representatives of other Christian Churches and ecclesial communities. This well-established tradition of prayer for Christian unity within the ecumenical community was launched by Blessed Pope Paul VI on 4 December Shortly before the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council, he invited ecumenical observers to a liturgical celebration in the Basilica of St Paul Outside-the-Walls to thank them for their participation at the Council and to take his leave of them. He used these deeply sensitive words: Thus, your departure will not put an end, for Us, to the cordial spiritual relationships that your presence at the Council gave rise to. It does not end, for Us, a dialogue which began in silence but which impels us on the contrary to study how we may be able to successfully continue it. The friendship e n d u re s (Speech during the Celebration to Implore Christian Unity, 4 December 1965). It is particularly appropriate to recall, with gratitude, this liturgical event celebrated 50 years ago, as it was the first public prayer for Christian unity presided over by a Pope within the ecumenical community. With this solemn prayer for Christian unity, Blessed Pope Paul VI put into practice what the Decree CONTINUED ON PA G E 2 Manila s Rizal Park was overflowing during the Mass that concluded the Pope s visit to the Philippines on a Feast day cherished by the country s Catholics, Santo Niño (Holy Child) Sunday. The media estimated that almost six million people were present, in addition to those who, in these days, poured onto the streets of the capital and onto the island of Leyte, devastated in 2013 by the worst typhoon ever recorded. It was there that Francis spoke these unforgettable words: I had to be h e re. Earlier, the Pontiff had received a warm and feeling welcome in Sri Lanka, where Catholics are a minority. His presence aroused interest and encouraged dialogue and cooperation among the various religions and in society, just recovering from a long civil war. The journey to Asia confirmed that Francis is a missionary at heart, a witness to God s mercy and to the Gospel. This could be seen during the two events on the Sunday dedicated to the Child Jesus dressed as a king: the meeting with the young people and the Mass in Rizal Park, sealed with the warmest thanks of Archbishop Villegas, President of the Bishops Conference, and Cardinal Tagle, Archbishop of Manila, who were interrupted many times by applause, as they expressed the appreciation and affection of the Filipino people for the Pope. As at the meeting with families and also at that with young people, Francis set aside his prepared text and, recalling the volunteer who died in Leyte, he improvised a long speech in Spanish, interrupted and visibly moved by the testimony, in this case of two street children who have been saved and of two young people committed to helping others. In the face of the dramatic reality of the extreme poverty and ignoble exploitation of so many minors, including the abuse and the repulsive phenomenon of sex tourism, but also in the widespread self-referential drought of a society increasingly swamped with information, the Pope found words that were addressed not only to young Filipinos. Struck by the CONTINUED ON PA G E 17

2 page 2 L OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 23 January 2015, number 4 VAT I C A N BULLETIN NEW EPA R C H Y The Holy Father established the Eparchy of Bahir Dar-Dessie, Ethiopia, with territory taken from the Metropolitan Archieparchy of Addis Ababa and with its headquarters at Bahir Dar, making it a suffragan of the said Ecclesiastical Circumscription (18 Jan.). The Holy Father appointed Bishop Lisane-Christos Matheos Semahun, titular Bishop of Mathara in Numidia, as the first Bishop of Bahir Dar-Dessie. Until now he has been Auxiliary Bishop of Addis Ababa (18 Jan.). Bishop Semahun, 55, was born in Gurage, Ethiopia. He was ordained a priest on 8 May He was ordained a bishop on 18 April 2010, subsequent to his appointment as Auxiliary of the Metropolitan See of Addis Ababa. The Holy Father established the Metropolitan Church sui iuris of Eritrea, by dividing the Metropolitan Archieparchy of Addis Ababa. The headquarters of the new Metropolitan Church is in Asmara which has been raised to a metropolitan archieparchy (18 Jan.). The Holy Father appointed Bishop Menghesteab Tesfamariam, M C C J, as the first Metropolitan of the Metropolitan Archieparchy of Asmara. Until now he has been Bishop of the Eparchy of Asmara, Eritrea (18 Jan.). Archbishop Tesfamariam, 66, was born in Berakit, Eritrea. He was ordained a priest on 18 February He was ordained a bishop on 16 September 2001, subsequent to his appointment as Eparchial Bishop of Asmara. CHANGES IN EP I S C O PAT E The Holy Father appointed Fr José María Baliña from the clergy of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires as Auxiliary of Buenos Aires, Argentina, assigning him the titular episcopal See of Theudalis. Until now he has been parish priest at San Isidro Labrador (18 Jan.). Bishop-elect Baliña, 56, was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He holds a degree in agricultural engineering. He was ordained a priest on 25 November He has served in parish ministry and as member of the prebysteral council, dean of the Deanry N. 8 Paternal Colegiales and of Deanry N. 7 Saavedra Nuñez, and vice president of the Asociación Eclesial San Pedro. The Holy Father appointed Fr Piotr Tu r z y ński as Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Radom, Poland, assigning him the titular episcopal See of Usula. Until now he has been Vice The spiritual ecumenism of conversion CONTINUED FROM PA G E 1 on Ecumenism Unitatis Redintegratio, promulgated by the Second Vatican Council, had identified as the vital core of every ecumenical effort, namely spiritual ecumenism, defined as the soul of the whole ecumenical movement (Unitatis Redintegratio, n. 8). In fact, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which began at the start of the ecumenical movement was an ecumenical initiative from the beginning. The idea of an Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity launched by Fr Paul Wattson, an Anglican from the United Stated who then entered the Catholic Church, and by Spencer Jones, a member of the Episcopal Church. The idea was taken up by Pope Benedict XV in order for it to be extended to the entire Catholic Church. It was further developed by Fr Paul Couturier, a passionate pioneer of spiritual ecumenism, who compared the ecumenical movement to an invisible monastery in which Christians of different Churches in various countries and continents pray together. Prayer for Christian unity opened the way to ecumenism, which has from its very beginnings been a prayer movement, as Pope Benedict XVI highlighted with a very eloquent image: The ship of ecumenism would never have put out to sea had she not been lifted by this broad current of prayer and wafted by the breath of the Holy Spirit (Homily during the celebration of Vespers for the conclusion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, 25 January 2008). If we take this spiritual dimension seriously, we will easily understand that this prayer movement, which begun more than 100 years ago, is not simply a beginning which belongs to the past and which we can leave behind, but is rather a beginning which continues to journey with us even today and which must accompany every ecumenical effort. Since there can be no true ecumenism that is not rooted in prayer, prayer for Christian unity is and remains the beating heart of the whole ecumenical journ e y. *Cardinal President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity Rector of the Major Seminary of Radom (17 Jan). Bishop-elect Turzyński, 50, was born in Radom, Poland. He was ordained a priest on 28 May He holds a licence in theology and in patristic sciences, and a doctorate in theology. He has served in parish ministry and as spiritual director of the Major Seminary of Radom, adjunct professor at the Institute of Church History and Patrology of the Catholic University of Lublin, member of the Presbyteral Council, director of the Diocesan Council for the permanent formation of the clergy and of the Council for Consecrated Life, lecturer at the Seminary of Radom, and canon of the Chapter of Skarżysko Kamienna. The Holy Father accepted the resignation of Bishop Claudio Stagni of Faenza-Modigliana, Italy. It was presented in accord with can of the Code of Canon Law (19 Jan). The Holy Father appointed Bishop Mario Toso, SDB, as Bishop of Faenza-Modigliana, Italy. Until now he has been titular Bishop of Bisarcio and Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace (19 Jan.). Bishop Toso, 64, was born in Mogliano Veneto, Italy. He was ordained a priest on 22 July He was ordained a bishop on 12 December 2009, subsequent to his appointment as titular Bishop of Bisarcio and Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. The Holy Father accepted the resignation of Bishop Germán Trajano Pavón Puente of Ambato, Ecuador. It was presented in accord with can of the Code of Canon Law (19 Jan.). The Holy Father appointed Fr Jorge Giovanny Pazmiño Abril, O P, as Bishop of Ambato, Ecuador. Until now he has been Vicar General of the Domenican Province of Santa Catalina de Siena, Ecuador (19 Jan.). Bishop-elect Pazmiño Abril, 49, was born in Baños, Ecuador. He holds a licence in dogmatic theology. He was ordained a priest on 16 December He has served in parish ministry and as: professor of pastoral theology and philosophy at the School of Religious Sciences of the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, promoter of vocations for the Vicariate General of the Dominicans of Ecuador; professor at the Major Seminary of Guayaquil; secretary general of the interprovincial conference of the Dominican Fathers of Latin America and the Caribbean; head of contemplative life for the Archdiocese of Quito. The Holy Father appointed Fr Daniel Elias Garcia from the clergy of the Diocese of Austin as Auxiliary Bishop of Austin, USA, assigning him the titular episcopal See of Capsus. Until now he has been Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia (21 Jan.). Bishop-elect Garcia, 54, was born in Cameron, Texas, USA. He holds a degree in philosophy, a Master of Divinity, and a Masters in Liturgical Studies. He was ordained a priest on 28 May He has served in parish ministry and as: dean of the Austin North Deanry; member of the presbyteral council; diocesan consultor, and member of the Priests Personnel Board. EASTERN CHURCHES The Holy Father accepted of the resignation of Archbishop Djibraïl Kassab, DD, of the Eparchy of Saint Thomas the Apostle of Sydney for Chaldeans, Australia (15 Jan.) The Holy Father appointed Archbishop Amel Shamon Nona as Bishop of the Eparchy of Saint Thomas the Apostle of Sydney for Chaldeans, Australia, retaining his title of Archbishop ad personam. Until now he has been Archbishop of Mossul, Iraq. (15 Jan.). Archbishop Nona, 47, was born in Alqosh, Iraq. He was ordained a priest on 11 January He has served as Vicar of Alqosh and Protosyncellus of the Archieparchy. On 8 January 2010 he received his episcopal ordination, subsequent to his appointment as Archbishop of Mossul for Chaldeans. The Holy Father appointed Chorbishop Emmanuel Challita, from the clergy of the Eparchy of Saint Thomas the Apostle of Detroit for Chaldeans, USA, as Bishop of the Eparchy of Mar Addai of Toronto for Chaldeans, Canada (15 Jan.). Bishop Challita, 58, was born in Fishkabour-Zakho, Iraq. He was ordained a priest on 31 May He worked in the U.S. and on the 25th anniversary of his ordination, in 2009, he received the title of chorbishop. The Holy Father has given his assent to the canonical election by the Synod of Bishops of the Chaldean Church of Fr Basel Yaldo as Auxiliary Bishop of the Patriarchate of Babylon for Chaldeans, assigning him the titular episcopal see of Bethzabda (15 Jan.). Bishop-elect Yaldo, 44, was born in Telkaif, Iraq. He was ordained a priest on 23 November He holds a Master s in dogmatic theology and a doctorate. He has served in parish ministry and as: vice-rector CONTINUED ON PA G E 16 L OSSERVATORE ROMANO WEEKLY EDITION Unicuique suum IN ENGLISH Non praevalebunt Vatican City e d. e n g l i s o s s ro m.v a w w w. o s s e r v a t o re ro m a n o.v a GI O VA N N I MARIA VIAN Editor-in-Chief Giuseppe Fiorentino Assistant Editor Mary M. Nolan Editor Editorial office via del Pellegrino, Vatican City telephone , fax TIPO GRAFIA VAT I C A N A EDITRICE L OS S E R VAT O R E ROMANO don Sergio Pellini S.D.B. Director General Photo Service photo@ossrom.va w w w. p h o t o.v a Advertising Agency Il Sole 24 Ore S.p.A. System Comunicazione Pubblicitaria Via Monte Rosa 91, Milano s e g re t e r i a d i re z i o n e s y s t e i l s o l e 2 4 o re. c o m Subscription rates: Italy - Vatican: 58.00; Europe: US$ ; Latin America, Africa, Asia: US$ ; Oceania, North America: US$ Management Office: phone ; fax ; subscriptions@ossrom.va. 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3 number 4, Friday, 23 January 2015 L OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 3 At the General Audience, the Pope recalls his Journey to Sri Lanka and the Philippines Their faith and missionary spirit The Pope dedicated his catechesis at the General Audience, 21 January, to his Pastoral Visit to Sri Lanka and the Philippines from 12 to 19 January. It was above all, he said, a joyful encounter with the ecclesial communities which, in those countries, bear witness to Christ: I confirmed them in their faith and missionary spirit. The following is a translation of the Pope s catechesis, which was delivered in Italian. Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning. Today I will focus on the Apostolic Journey to Sri Lanka and the Philippines, which I made last week. After my visit to Korea a few months ago, I again returned to Asia, that continent rich in cultural and spiritual traditions. The Journey was above all a joyful encounter with the ecclesial communities which, in those countries, bear witness to Christ: I confirmed them in their faith and missionary spirit. I will forever carry in my heart the memory of the festive welcome from the crowds in some cases the size of an ocean which accompanied those salient moments Peace in Niger After the catechesis, the Holy Father made the following appeal: I would now like to invite you to pray together for the victims of events in these last days in beloved Niger. Brutality directed at Christians, children and churches. Let us invoke the Lord for the gift of reconciliation and peace so that religious sentiment may never become an occasion for violence, suppression and destruction. War must not be waged in the name of God! I hope that as soon as possible a climate of mutual respect and peaceful coexistence may be reestablished for the good of all. Let us pray to Our Lady for the people of Niger (Hail Mary...). of the Journey. Furthermore, I encouraged interreligious dialogue at the service of peace, as well as the journey of those peoples towards unity and social development, especially with families and young people playing a prominent role. The culminating moment of my stay in Sri Lanka was the canonization of the great missionary Joseph Vaz. This holy priest administered the Sacraments, often in secret, to the faithful, but he helped all those in need from every religion and social condition, without distinction. His example of holiness and love for neighbour continues to inspire the Church in Sri Lanka in her apostolate of charity and education. I pointed to St Joseph Vaz as a model for all Christians, called today to offer the saving truth of the Gospel in a multireligious context, with respect for others, with perseverance and with h u m i l i t y. Sri Lanka is a country of great natural beauty, whose people are seeking to rebuild unity after a long and dramatic civil conflict. In my meeting with Government Authorities I stressed the importance of dialogue, respect for human dignity, the need to involve everyone in order to find appropriate solutions to further reconciliation and the common go o d. The different religions have a crucial role to play in this regard. My encounter with religious leaders was a confirmation of the good relations that already exist between the various communities. In this context, I wanted to encourage the cooperation already undertaken by the followers of different religious traditions, in order to also heal, with the balm of forgiveness, those who are still afflicted by the suffering of the last years. The theme of re c o n c i l i a t i o n also marked my visit to the Shrine thorities, as well as in moments of prayer and during the crowded concluding Mass, I stressed the continual fruitfulness of the Gospel and its capacity to inspire a society worthy of man, in which there is room for the dignity of each and for the aspirations of the Filipino people. The main scope of my visit, and the motive for which I chose to go to the Philippines this was the main reason was to be able to express my closeness to our brothers and sisters who suffered the devastation of Typhoon Yolanda. I went to Tacloban, in the region most seriously hit, where I paid homage to the faith and resilience of the local population. In Tacloban, unfortunately, adverse weather conditions claimed yet another innocent victim: the young volunteer Kristel, struck and killed by a structure that col- of Our Lady of Madhu, deeply venerated by the Tamil and Sinhalese peoples and a centre of pilgrimage for members of other religions. In that holy place we asked Mary, our Mother, to obtain for all the people of Sri Lanka the gift of unity and p eace. From Sri Lanka I flew to the Philippines, where the Church is preparing to celebrate the fifth centenary of the Gospel s arrival. It is the foremost Catholic country in Asia, and the Filipino people are well known for their deep faith, their religiosity and enthusiasm, even in the diaspora. In my meeting with the nation s Aulapsed in the wind. I then thanked those who, from every part of the world, responded to their adversity with a generous outpouring of aid. The power of God s love, revealed in the mystery of the Cross, was made evident in the spirit of solidarity demonstrated by the many acts of charity and sacrifice that marked those dark days. The encounters with families and young people, in Manila, were salient moments of my visit to the Philippines. Healthy families are essential to the life of a society. It gives consolation and hope to see so many large families that welcome children as a gift from God. They know that every child is a blessing. I have heard it said by some that families with many children and the birth of many children are among the causes of poverty. That opinion seems simplistic to me. I can say, we can all say, that the main cause of poverty is an economic system that has canceled the person from the centre and set money in its place; an economic system that excludes, always excludes: excludes children, the elderly, young people, the unemployed... and that creates the throwaway culture we live in. We are accustomed to seeing people discarded. This is the main cause of poverty, not large families. Looking to the figure of St Joseph, who protected the life of the Santo Niño, much venerated in that land, I recalled that we need to protect families who are being threatened in different ways so that they can bear witness to the beauty of the family in God s plan. We also need to defend the family from new ideological CONTINUED ON PA G E 5 The liturgical memory of St Agnes, Virgin and Martyr Presentation of the lambs Before the General Audience in the Paul VI Hall on 21 January, Pope Francis presided at the ceremony in the Domus Sanctae Marthae for the presentation of the lambs blessed in the Basilica of St Agnes Outside-the-Walls, on Via Nomentana whose wool will be used to make the palliums conferred on new Archbishops in 2015.

4 page 4 L OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 23 January 2015, number 4 The following is an English translation of the transcript of the journalists interview with Pope Francis on-board the flight from Colombo to Manila on Thursday, 16 January. Inviting the Holy Father to speak about the Canonization of Joseph Vaz, Fr Lombardi introduced and moderated the interview. First of all, Good Morning! Just a word for Carolina: I did get the picture of Our Lady of Lujan, thank you so much. These canonizations have been done using a method provided for in Church law called equivalent canonization. This is used whenever a man or a woman has long been venerated as Blessed by the People of God. In effect, they are venerated as saints, but no investigation of a miracle is carried out. There are persons who have been in this situation for centuries. The process of Angela of Foligno was carried out in this way; she was the first. Then I chose to do the same for persons who were great evangelizers. First of all Peter Faber, who was an evangelizer of Europe: he died, we can say, on the street, at the age of 40, preaching the Gospel. And then the others. The evangelizers of Canada, François de Laval and Marie de l Incarnation: these two were practically the founders of the Church in Canada, he as a bishop and she as a religious sister, with the great apostolate which they carried out there. Another was José de Anchieta, from Brazil, founder of São Paolo, who was long a Blessed and is now Saint. And here, Joseph Vaz, as the evangelizer of Sri Lanka. In September, God willing, I will canonize Junípero Serra in the United States, since he was the Mission, environmental protection, the poor, violence in the name of God, friendship among religions, freedom of expression, peace. These were the main topics addressed by the Pope, who responded to journalists during a press conference on the long flight from Colombo to Manila, where evening had already begun to fall when he arrived. An enormous and exuberant crowd of perhaps over a million people were there to welcome him. In the extended conversation which lasted nearly an hour, the chief concern proclaiming and testifying to the Gospel that has always characterized Bergoglio was immediately evident. In this sense, the prologue with which Francis introduced the meeting was indeed most meaningful. He spoke about the canonizations of Joseph Vaz in Colombo and of many other great missionaries, thereby offering a key to understanding his pontificate. He spoke of proclamations by way of the socalled equivalent path the one traditionally used by Pontiffs to recognize the sainthood, without the certification of a miracle, of The Pope s inflight interview from Colombo to Manila Fundamental rights evangelizer of the western United States. These are figures who were impressive evangelizers along the lines of Evangelii Gaudium. That is why I chose them. That was the re a s o n. Jerry O Connell: My question has to do with three aspects of ecology. First, is climate change mostly the result of human causes, to our failure to care of nature? Second, when will your encyclical be issued? Third, you insist greatly, as we saw in Sri Lanka, on interreligious cooperation; do you intend to ask other religions to join in facing this problem? Thank you. The first question. You said a word mostly which saves me from going into a lot of detail. I The heart of the people someone long venerated as such by the faithful. Vaz was preceded by Pierre Faber, François de Laval, Marie de l Incarnation, José de Anchieta, and will be followed, the Pope announced, by Junípero Serra. Bergoglio thus proposes a sort of geography of missionary sainthood which, in the first centuries of the modern age, ideally reaches various parts of the world: from Europe to Canada, from Brazil to ancient Ceylon, and to the west coast of North America. To the first question on the environment, the theme of the next encyclical, the Pope responded with an irrefutable affirmation: man has gone too far in his exploitation of natural resources and in his reckless consumption. In the current context, it will not be easy to reach truly effective international decisions, but Francis trusts that his document will be able to contribute to the discussion in view of the upcoming meeting in Paris, after the disappointment of that in Lima. Next to the necessity of preserving nature, which the Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomaios has long studied and reflected on, the poor don t know about entirely, but mainly, for the most part, it is human beings who abuse nature, constantly. We have in some sense begun to lord it over nature, sister earth, mother earth. I remember, you have already heard this, what an old farmer once told me: God always forgives, we men and women sometimes forgive, but nature never f o rg i v e s. If you abuse her, she gives it back to you. I believe that we have overly exploited nature; deforestation, for example. I remember at A p a re c i d a at the time I did not really understand this problem when I would listen to the Brazilian bishops talk about the deforestation of Amazonia. I didn t quite understand. Amazonia is one of the world s lungs. Then, five years later, The Pope s visit to the Buddhist temple in Colombo are at the centre of the Pontiff s concerns in this his fourth journey to Asia in less than a year, after those to the Holy Land, Korea and Turkey. This itinerary of friendship is unfolding while, on the contrary, fundamentalist violence seems to be intensifying in the world: from using children in suicide attacks to the question of respect for religions posed by the tragic events in Paris. Thus, various questions were related to these dramatic topics. Francis answered, noting the extraordinary experience at the Marian Shrine of Madhu, where he was welcomed by not only Catholics, and where, without distinction of religion, all pray before the image of the Virgin and receive grace. In this too, people are not mistaken, while fundamentalism and violence are disseminated by minorities. To kill in the name of God is an aberration, but it is unacceptable to make a mockery of religion. We must go forward, in order to build harmony from peace, and in this way reach the heart of the people, as the Pope confided to the President of Sri Lanka. G.M.V. together with a committee for human rights, I petitioned the Supreme Court of Argentina to halt, at least temporarily, the terrible deforestation taking place in the north of the country, in the zone North of Salta, Tartagal. This is one aspect. Another is monoculture. Small farmers, for example, know that if you cultivate corn for three years, then you have to stop and plant something else for a couple off years in order to replenish nitrogen in the soil. For example, in our parts only soy is cultivated and they grow soy until the soil is exhausted. Not everybody does this, but it is one example, and there are many others. I believe that man has gone too far. Thanks be to God, today many, many voices speak out about this: here I would mention my dear brother Bartholomaios, who has preached on this issue for years, for years. I have read many of his writings in preparing this encyclical. I can come back to this but I want to be brief. Guardini I will say only this says something which is quite expressive. He speaks of two forms of u n c u l t u re, the second is bad. The first form is the unculture which comes with creation, and which we then cultivate. But when you become too controlling and go too far, this culture works against you; think of Hiroshima. It creates u n c l u t u re, the second form. The encyclical: Cardinal Turkson and his team prepared the first draft. Then, with some help, I took it and worked on it, then with a few theologians I made a third draft and sent a copy to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to the second section of the Secretariat of State, and to the Theologian of the Papal Household to take a look at it, so that I would not say anything silly! Three weeks ago I got their responses back, some of them this thick, but all of them constructive. Now I will take a week in March, an entire week, to complete it. I believe that by the end of March it will be finished and sent out for translation. I think that if the work of translating goes well Archbishop Becciu is listening, and he has to help with this if it goes well, then it can come out in June or July. The important thing is that there be a bit of time between the issuing of the encyclical and the meeting in Paris, so that it can make a contribution. The meeting in Peru was not great. I was disappointed by the lack of courage; things came to a halt at a certain point. Let s hope that in Paris the delegates will be more courageous and will move forward with this. As to the third question, I believe that interreligious dialogue. On this point the other religions have a good approach. Here too there is an agreement that we should have one vision. Not yet in the encyclical. I spoke to some of the other religions on the theme and I know that Cardinal Turkson has also done so, as well as at least two theologians. This is where we are at. There will not be a common statement. The meetings will come later.

5 number 4, Friday, 23 January 2015 L OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 5 a common statement. The meetings will come later. Pia: What is your message for those many thousands of people who were not able to meet you, who won t be able to meet you personally, even though they may have wanted to. In answering this, I run the risk of being too simple, but I will say one thing. The centre, the core of the message, will be the poor. The poor who want to move forward, the poor who suffered because of Typhoon Yolanda and still suffer from its effects, the poor who have faith and hope during in this commemoration of the fifth centenary of the preaching of the Gospel in the Philippines, the people of God in the Philippines. The poor, including the poor who are exploited, exploited by those who perpetrate so many social, spiritual and existential injustices. I think of them. As we go to the Philippines, I think of them. The other day at our home, Santa Marta, on 7 January, it was the feast of Christmas in the Eastern Churches: We have three Ethiopian nationals and some Filipinos who work there. The Ethiopians had a party: they invited all the people who work there, about 50 in all, to lunch. I joined them and I looked around at the people from the Philippines who work there, who left their country to seek a better life, leaving father, mother, children behind, to go. The poor. I don t know. The core will be this. Juan Vicente Boo: During the civil war, in Sri Lanka, there were more than 300 kamikaze attacks, carried out by men, women and young people. Now we are seeing suicide attacks from young people and children. What do you think of this way of waging war? Perhaps what I am about to say may sound somewhat disrespectful, but it is what comes to mind. I believe that behind every suicide attack there is a certain imbalance, a lack of normal human equilibrium. I do not know if it is mental or not, but it is a human imbalance. Something is not right in that person. He or she is unbalanced with regard to the meaning of life, his or her own life and the life of others. They are fighting they give their lives, but they do not give them well. So many people, so many people I am thinking here of missionaries, for example who work, who give their lives for the sake of building up. Here people are giving their lives, destroying themselves, for the sake of destruction. This is not acceptable, it is not right. I once helped a pilot for Alitalia who was writing a Master s thesis on the Japanese kamikaze. I learned something from him, but it is hard to understand this reality. When I offered my corrections, these were more concerned with methodology. But it was hard to understand. This is not only something that happens in the Orient. Studies have been made about an idea which arose during the Second World War in Italy, with Italian Fascism. There are no proofs, but it is being researched. There is something here that has to do with dictatorships and totalitarian systems. Totalitarian systems. It is closely linked. Totalitarian systems kill, if not life, then the future; they kill many things. Including lives. So it is. But it is not a one-time problem. It is not only a phenomenon in the East. This is important. That is about all I can say. As for the use of children. What I just said is generally true for everyone, but leaving that aside, let us take the case of children. Children are used all over the world for many things: they are exploited as laborers, they are exploited as slaves, they are even exploited sexually. Several years ago, a group of Argentinean senators and I wanted to approach some of the more important hotels to state publicly that tourists should not exploit children there. We were not able to do so. There are hidden but powerful forms of resistance. I don t know whether or not children were exploited in these hotels; our efforts were primarily preventative. On a few occasions in Germany I came across magazines promoting tourism, particularly in South-east Asia, including e ro t i c tourism, with pictures of children. Children are exploited, but the enslavement of children is something terrible. They are exploited even for the sex trade. More than this I dare not say. Ignazio Ingrao: There is much concern throughout the world for your safety. According to the American and Israeli secret services, the Vatican is a target for certain Islamic terrorists. On fundamentalist websites there are pictures of the ISIS flag flying over St Peter s Basilica. There are fears for your safety on foreign trips. We know that you do not want to give up direct contact with people, but at this point do you think there is a need to change some of the things you do and the trips you make? There are also concerns for the safety of the faithful who take part in the events, should there be an attack. Are you concerned about this? And, more generally, what are your thoughts on the best way to respond to the threats of Islamic fundamentalists? For me, the best way to respond is always with gentleness. To be gentle, simple like bread without being aggressive. I am like this, but there are some who do not understand this. About the concerns you raised: I am worried about the faithful, it is true; this does worry me. And I have spoken about this to the Vatican security forces. On board this flight with us is Mr Giani who is responsible for this, and he is well-informed about the problem. It is a concern for me, a big concern. Am I afraid? You know, I have a shortcoming: a healthy dose of recklessness. I am not bothered by these things. Every now and then I have asked myself: Could it happen to me? And I ve said to the Lord: Lord, I ask only for the grace that I don t feel pain. Because I am not brave in the face of pain, I get scared, but not about God. But I also know that suitable measures are being taken for my security, prudent yet secure measures. So we will see. Christoph Schmidt: Would you be so kind as to tell us something about your visit to the Buddhist temple yesterday, which was a big surprise. What was the reason for such an apparently spontaneous visit? Are you impressed by that religion? We know that Christian missionaries believed right up to the Their faith and missionary spirit CONTINUED FROM PA G E 3 colonizations that threaten its identity and mission. It was a joy for me to be with the young people of the Philippines, to listen to their hopes and their anxieties. I wanted to offer them my encouragement in their effort to contribute to the renewal of society, especially through service to the poor and safeguarding the environment. Care for the poor is an essential element of our Christian life and witness I stressed this too during my visit; it entails the rejection of every form of corruption, for corruption robs the poor. It calls for a culture of honesty. I thank the Lord for this pastoral visit to Sri Lanka and the Philippines. I ask Him to bless these two Countries for ever and to strengthen the fidelity of Christians to the Gospel message of our redemption, reconciliation and communion with Christ. SPECIAL GREETINGS I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today s Audience, including the various groups from the United Kingdom, Switzerland, New Zealand, Japan and the United States of America. Upon you and your families I invoke grace and peace in the Lord Jesus. God bless you all! I address a special thought to young people, the sick and newlyweds. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which we are celebrating, offers us the opportunity to reflect on our belonging to Christ and to the Church. Dear young people, pray that all Christians be one family; dear sick people, offer up your suffering for the cause of unity in the Church; and you, dear newlyweds, experience the freedom of the gift of love, which is the kind that God bears for humanity. 20th century that Buddhism was a fraud, a diabolical religion. Third, what relevance does Buddhism have for the future of Asia? How was the visit, and why did I go? The head of that temple was invited by the government to the airport for my arrival, and there he is a great friend of Cardinal Ranjith when he greeted me he invited me to the temple and he asked Cardinal Ranjith to bring me there. So I spoke with the Cardinal, but there wasn t time, once I arrived I had to cancel the meeting with the Bishops because I wasn t feeling well. I was tired that 29-kilometre ride from the airport and greeting all the people had worn me out completely and so there was no time. But yesterday, returning from Madhu, there was a chance to do it; he called and so we went. There are relics of two of the Buddha s disciples in that temple. These are very important to them. These relics were in England and the temple authorities managed to get them back: good. So he came to greet me at the airport and I went to visit him. That s the first. Second, yesterday in Madhu I saw something which I would never have expected: not everyone there was Catholic, not even the majority! There were Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, and each one came to pray; they go and they say they receive graces there. There is in the people and the people are never wrong they sense that there is something there that unites them. And if they are so naturally united in going together to pray at that shrine which is Christian but not only Christian, because all want [to go there] then why shouldn t I go to a Buddhist temple to greet them? What happened yesterday in Madhu is very important. It helps us to understand the meaning of the interreligious experience in Sri Lanka: there is respect for one another. There are small fundamentalist groups, but these are not with the people: they may be the ideological elite, but they are not with the p eople. Now, as for their going to hell! Even the Protestants when I was a child, some 70 years ago, all Protestants were going to hell, all of them. That s what we were told. And I remember my first experience of ecumenism. I spoke about it a little while ago to the leaders of the Salvation Army. I was four or five years old, but I can still remember it clearly. I was walking down the street with my grandmother, she was holding my hand. On the other sidewalk there were two ladies from the Salvation Army, with those hats with the bow they used to wear. And I asked my grandmother: Grandma, are they nuns? And she said to me: No, they are Protestants, but they are good people. This was the first time that I had ever heard someone say something good about a person of another religion, about a Protestant. At that time, in catechesis, they told us that everyone was going to hell! But I believe that the Church has become much more respectful as I said during the interreligious meeting in Colombo and appreciative. When we read what the Second Vatican Council said about the values to be CONTINUED ON PA G E 6

6 page 6 L OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 23 January 2015, number 4 Inflight interview from Colombo to Manila CONTINUED FROM PA G E 5 found in other religions, the Church has grown greatly in this regard. And yes, there are dark periods in the history of the Church, we must admit, without being ashamed, because we too are on a path of constant conversion: always moving from sin to grace. And this interreligious experience of fraternity, each always respecting the other, is a grace. I do not know if there is something I have forgotten. Is that everything? Vielen Danke. Sébastien Maillard: In showing respect for the various religions, how far can freedom of expression, a fundamental human right, go? Thank you for the question, which is an intelligent one. I believe that freedom of religion and freedom of speech are both fundamental human rights. One cannot we think. You re French, so let s go to Paris! Let s be frank. There is a truth that we cannot overlook, namely, that everyone has the right to practice his or her religion freely, without offending others. That is what we do, what we all want to do. Second, we cannot offend others, make war or kill in the name of one s own religion, that is, in God s name. What is happening now makes us a little it astounds us. But we always think of our history: how many religious wars we have had! You may think of the St Bartholomew s Day massacre. How do we make sense of this? We too have sinned in this regard. But we cannot kill in God s name. This is an aberration. To kill in the name of God is an aberration. I believe that this is the most important thing about religious freedom: to exercise it in freedom, without offending, but also without imposing it or killing for it. Freedom of expression. Everyone has not only the freedom, the right, but also the obligation, to say what they think in order to promote the common good. The obligation. Think of an elected official, a senator: unless they say what they think is right, they are not working for the common good. Not only these people, but so many others. We have the obligation to speak openly, to enjoy this freedom, but without offending others. It is true one cannot respond violently, but if my good friend Dr Gasbarri here insults my mother, he ll get punched for it! This is normal! It is normal. We cannot provoke others, we cannot insult their faith, we cannot mock their faith. In one of his speeches, I don t recall where, Pope Benedict spoke of this post-positivistic mentality, post-positivistic metaphysics, which ultimately led to the idea that religions or expressions of religion are a sort of subculture which are tolerated but insignificant; they are not part of our enlightened culture. This is one legacy of the Enlightenment. All those people who belittle religions, who mock them, who toy with other people s religion, they antagonize others and what happens to Dr Gasbarri if he says something against my mother can happen to them. There is a limit. Every religion has dignity, every religion which respects human life, the human person. I cannot mock it. This is a limit. I used this example of the limit, in order to say that in freedom of expression there are limits like those regarding my mother. I don t know if I managed to answer to your question. Thank you. Joshua McElwee: You have frequently spoken out against religious extremism. Do you have any concrete ideas of how to involve other religious leaders in combating this problem? Perhaps a meeting in Assisi, like those Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI had? Thank you. This suggestion has also been made. I know that some people are working on it. I spoke with Cardinal Tauran, who is involved in interreligious dialogue, and he is aware of it. I know that we are not the only ones who would like this, but the idea has come even more from others, other religions, and it is in the air. I don t know if there anything is presently being organized, but the desire for it is out there. Thank you. Lynda Jumilla Abalos: I would like to ask if you would support a fact-finding commission in Sri Lanka and in other countries for internal conflicts... I don t know much about these commissions. I knew about the one in Argentina in the period after the military dictatorship. I supported that one because it was set up well. I can t speak in practical terms about these commissions, because I do not really know about them. Yes, I support all efforts at arriving at the truth and also balanced efforts, not vendettas, but balanced attempts to help come to an agreement. I did hear something from the President of Sri Lanka I would not want this to be interpreted as a political comment I am repeating what I heard and what I agree with. He told me that he wants to move forward with the work of peace first word of re c o n c i l i a t i o n, before all else. Then, he continued with another word, he said that harmony must be created in the people. Harmony is more than peace and reconciliation. It is more. It is even more beautiful. Harmony is musical. He then added that this harmony will give us happiness and j o y. Peace, reconciliation, harmony, happiness and joy. I was impressed and said: I am happy to hear this, but it is not an easy thing. And then a fifth word: we must go to the heart of the people. This last word, so profound, makes me think, to respond to your question: it is only by reaching the heart of the people, who know what suffering is, who know what injustices are, who suffered so much from war and dictatorship, so many things!... only by arriving there the people also know about forgiveness that we can find the right ways, without compromising, the right ways for moving forward in this area you raised. Fact-finding commissions are one of the elements which can be helpful, at least I think of those in Argentina: something which helped. One thing, but there are other things we have to do in order to achieve peace, reconciliation, harmony, happiness and reach the heart of the people. This is what comes to my mind, and I use the words of the President which I thought were well spoken. Then Father Lombardi asked the Pope to address the Italian news agency AN- SA, which is celebrating its 70th ann i v e rs a r y.... I came to know ANSA for the first time when I met Francesca Ambrogetti in Buenos Aires. Francesca was the leader of the group, the team of foreign journalists in Buenos Aires. Through her I got to know ANSA, and she represented ANSA well in Buenos Aires. I wish you all the best. Seventy years is no joke! To persevere in this service for 70 years is a great credit. I offer you my best wishes, always. I have the habit, when I do not know how things are going, of asking St Therese of the Child Jesus that if she takes care of some problem, anything at all, to send me a rose. At times she does, but in odd ways. In the same way, I asked her watch over this journey and to send me a rose. But instead of a rose, you yourself came to greet me. Thanks to Carolina, many thanks to Therese and to all of you. Thank you and have a good day. A flashmob for Francis from our correspondent GIANLUCA BICCINI From the traditional farewell ceremony for the Pontiff in Sri Lanka in the morning to the massive flashmob choreographed to welcome him to the Philippines that afternoon, although still in Asia, the whole perspective of the Pontiff s journey changed completely when he arrived in the Far East on Thursday, 15 January. Before the Pope s flight took off at 9:10 am, he bid a brief farewell to the President of the Republic and the Authorities. On the way to the airport, he paid one more visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu before going on to the future Benedict XVI Theological Institute at Bolawalana, Negombo, which, still under construction, will be a place for dialogue, reconciliation and development. He was welcomed there by the Rector, Mahamalage Quintus Fernando and accompanied to the newly completed chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Lanka, where he was awaited by a dozen confreres of the local Jesuit community, a choir and several area fisherman, along with 250 labourers who are working on the project. Not all went according to schedule during his stay in Colombo. For example, the meeting with with the Bishops C o n f e re n c e planned for Tuesday evening had to be cancelled. Pope Francis also added a few unscheduled events, including a meeting on Wednesday with the former President of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa, who, defeated in the recent election, had invited the Pope s journey. The Pope then hoped to make up the meeting the prelates that had been canceled the day before. When logistics rendered this impossible, however, an impromptu decision was made to instead visit the Mahabodhi Buddhist Temple and a monk, Banagala Upatissa, whom Pope Francis met upon arriving in Sri Lanka. For the occasion, the monks of the community opened the precious reliquary something traditionally done only once a year containing the relics of two holy disciples of Buddha. A barefooted Francis listened in silent meditation to the prayer recited by the monks. At last, before his flight on Thursday morning, the appointment with the bishops was recouped. The meeting took place at the Archbishopric, where the Holy Father explained the meaning of the canonization of St Joseph Vaz, a beautiful figure of evangelization, who was also able to bring a message of reconciliation. The same message was conveyed by state authorities, who approved the release of 612 detainees, mostly elderly, in homage to the Pontiff s visit.

7 number 4, Friday, 23 January 2015 L OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 7 In Manila the Pope calls all to fight social exclusion and corruption Break the bonds All peoples have the duty to hear the voice of the poor D reams and prophecy GI O VA N N I MARIA VIAN Families and children were at the centre of Francis attention during his first day in the Philippines. The day in Manila opened with a visit to the President and concluded with a meeting with families, confirming for the Filipino people that Bergoglio truly is The People s Pope, as the headline of the daily: The Philippine Star read. Although perhaps lacking in originality, it certainly hit the mark. And it has a simple explanation: the people feel the Pope is close to them because they hear his words that touch the heart. First and foremost the words: mercy and compassion, selected as the motto of this visit to the country that is home to the majority of Catholics in Asia. It is above all a pastoral visit, as the Pontiff said at the Presidential Palace at the beginning of his strong and urgent appeal for integral human development. The moving solidarity after the devastating Typhoon Yolanda demonstrated it. But it is important, Francis said, that politicians distinguish themselves for h o n e s t y, integrity and commitment to the common good, ready to reject all corruption in order to listen to the voice of the poor. He recalled these concepts in his homily at the Cathedral, when he urged Catholic Filipinos to live lives of honesty in order to serve and transform society. The clearest example of what the Church is doing for the poorest in the metropolis of the Philippines came immediately afterwards, for the Pope wanted to add to his itinerary a brief and touching visit to the Tulay ng Kabataan Foundation which, for nearly 20 years, has gathered and protected street children. The Pope stated: I was truly moved when, after the Mass, I visited that home for children, alone, without families. To the thousands of families who later gathered to hear him, he exclaimed: This is what it means, in a prophetic sense, to build a family. Francis, has the family and its prophecy at heart. And this was seen in the extraordinary meeting CONTINUED ON PA G E 9 The Pope met with authorities and the Diplomatic Corps in Malacañang Palace, Manila, on 16 January, the first public meeting of his visit to the Philippines. After words of welcome addressed to him by the President of the Republic, Benigno Aquino, the Holy Father gave the following address in English. all levels of society, to reject every form of corruption which diverts resources from the poor. May it also inspire concerted efforts to ensure the inclusion of every man and woman and child in the life of the comm u n i t y. A fundamental role in the renewal of society is played, of course, by the family and especially by young people. A highlight of my visit will be my meetings with families and with young people here in Manila. Families have an indispensable mission in society. It is in the family that children are trained in sound values, high ideals and genuine concern for others. But like all Go d s gifts, the family can also be disfigured and destroyed. It needs Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you, Mr President, for your kind welcome and for your words of greeting in the name of the authorities and people of the Philippines, and the distinguished members of the Diplomatic Corps. I am most grateful for your invitation to visit the Philippines. My visit is above all pastoral. It comes as the Church in this country is preparing to celebrate the fifth centenary of the first proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ on these shores. The Christian message has had an immense influence on Filipino culture. It is my hope that this important anniversary will point to its continuing fruitfulness and its potential to inspire a society worthy of the goodness, dignity and aspirations of the Filipino p eople. In a particular way, this visit is meant to express my closeness to our brothers and sisters who endured the suffering, loss and devastation caused by Typhoon Yolanda. Together with many people throughout the world, I have admired the heroic strength, faith and resilience demonstrated by so many Filipinos in the face of this natural disaster, and so many others. Those virtues, rooted not least in the hope and solidarity instilled by Christian faith, gave rise to an outpouring of goodness and generosity, especially on the part of so many of the young. In that moment of national crisis, countless people came to the aid of their neighbors in need. At great sacrifice, they gave of their time and resources, creating networks of mutual help and working for the common good. This example of solidarity in the work of rebuilding teaches us an important lesson. Like a family, every society draws on its deepest resources in order to face new challenges. Today the Philippines, together with many other countries in Asia, faces the challenge of building on solid foundations a modern society a society respectful of authentic human values, protective of our God-given human dignity and rights, and ready to confront new and complex political and ethical questions. As many voices in your nation have pointed out, it is now, more than ever, necessary that political leaders be outstanding for hon- esty, integrity and commitment to the common good. In this way they will help preserve the rich human and natural resources with which God has blessed this country. Thus will they be able to marshall the moral resources needed to face the demands of the present, and to pass on to coming generations a society of authentic justice, solidarity and peace. Essential to the attainment of these national goals is the moral imperative of ensuring social justice and respect for human dignity. The great biblical tradition enjoins on all peoples the duty to hear the voice of the poor. It bids us break the bonds of injustice and oppression which give rise to glaring, and indeed scandalous, social inequalities. Reforming the social structures which perpetuate poverty and the exclusion of the poor first requires a conversion of mind and heart. The Bishops of the Philippines have asked that this year be set aside as the Year of the Po or. I hope that this prophetic summons will challenge everyone, at our support. We know how difficult it is for our democracies today to preserve and defend such basic human values as respect for the inviolable dignity of each human person, respect for the rights of conscience and religious freedom, and respect for the inalienable right to life, beginning with that of the unborn and extending to that of the elderly and infirm. For this reason, families and local communities must be encouraged and assisted in their efforts to transmit to our young the values and the vision which can help bring about a culture of integrity one which honors goodness, truthfulness, fidelity and solidarity as the firm foundation and the moral glue which holds society together. Mr President, distinguished authorities, dear friends: As I begin my visit to this country, I cannot fail to mention the Philippines important role in fostering understanding and cooperation among the countries of Asia. I would also mention the oft-neglected yet real contribution of Filipinos of the diaspora to the life and welfare of the societies in which they live. It is precisely in the light of the rich cultural and religious heritage of which your country is proud that I leave you with a challenge and a word of prayerful encouragement. May the deepest spiritual values of the Filipino people continue to find expression in your efforts to provide your fellow citizens with an integral human development. In this way, each person will be able to fulfill his or her potential, and thus contribute wisely and well to the future of this country. I am confident that the praiseworthy efforts to promote dialogue and cooperation between the followers of the different religions will prove fruitful in the pursuit of this noble goal. In a particular way, I express my trust that the progress made in bringing peace to the south of the country will result in just solutions in accord with the nation s founding principles and respectful of the inalienable rights of all, including the indigenous peoples and religious minorities. Upon all of you, and upon all the men, women and children of this beloved nation, I cordially invoke Go d s abundant blessings.

8 page 8 L OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 23 January 2015, number 4 At Mass in Manila Francis asks us to forge a society inspired by the Gospel At the root of injustice At the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Manila, Pope Francis celebrated Mass with bishops, priests and religious on 16 January. The following is the Holy Father s homily which he delivered English. Do you love me? [the people: Ye s! ] Thank you, but I was reading the word of Jesus! Said the Lord: Do you love me?. Tend my sheep (Jn 21:15-17). Jesus words to Peter in today s Gospel are the first words I speak to you, dear brother bishops and priests, men and women religious, and young seminarians. These words remind us of something essential. All pastoral ministry is born of love. All pastoral ministry is born of love! All consecrated life is a sign of Christ s reconciling love. Like St Therese, in the variety of our vocations, each of us is called, in some way, to be love in the heart of the Church. I greet all of you with great affection. And I ask you to bring my affection to all your elderly and infirm brothers and sisters, and to all those who cannot join us today. As the Church in the Philippines looks to the fifth centenary of its evangelization, we feel gratitude for the legacy left by so many bishops, priests and religious of past generations. They labored not only to preach the Gospel and build up the Church in this country, but also to forge a society inspired by the Gospel message of charity, forgiveness and solidarity in the service of the common good. Today you carry on that work of love. Like them, you are called to build bridges, to pasture Christ s flock, and to prepare fresh paths for the Gospel in Asia at the dawn of a new age. The love of Christ impels us (2 Cor 5:14). In today s first reading St Cardinal Tagle s greeting Paul tells us that the love we are called to proclaim is a reconciling love, flowing from the heart of the crucified Savior. We are called to be ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor 5:20). Ours is a ministry of reconciliation. We proclaim the Good News of God s infinite love, mercy and compassion. We proclaim the joy of the Gospel. For the Gospel is the promise of God s grace, which alone can bring wholeness and healing to our broken world. It can inspire the building of a truly just and redeemed social order. To be an ambassador for Christ means above all to invite everyone to a renewed personal encounter with the Lord Jesus (Evangelii Gaudium, 3). Our personal encounter with Him. This invitation must be at the core of your commemoration of the evangelization of the Philippines. But the Gospel is also a summons to conversion, to an examination of our consciences, as individuals and as a people. As the Bishops of the Philippines have rightly taught, the Church in the Philippines is called to acknowledge and combat the causes of the deeply rooted inequality and injustice which mar the face of Filipino society, plainly contradicting the teaching of Christ. The Gospel calls individual Christians to live lives of honesty, integrity and concern for the common good. But it also calls Christian communities to create circles of integrity, networks of solidarity which can expand to embrace and transform society by their prophetic witness. The poor. The poor are at the center of the Gospel, are at heart of the Gospel, if we take away the poor from the Gospel we can t understand the whole message of Jesus The resources of faith and music The following is the Archbishop of Ma n i l a s speech at the end of Mass on 16 January. Most Holy Father, Before you this morning are representatives of the bishops, priests, religious men and women and lay faithful of the Philippines and of Asia. In their name I welcome you to our country, to the city of Manila and to the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. We are filled with joy for you are with us, especially in the first Eucharistic celebration of your pastoral visit. The Manila Cathedral was the first cathedral church in the Philippines. It can be considered a symbol of the Filipino people. Fire destroyed the first cathedral. The succeeding five cathedrals were either partially or totally damaged by earthquakes, the most massive of which struck in 1863 burying in rubble the members of the cathedral chapter, the choir and lay faithful. The seventh cathedral was mercilessly bombed along with other edifices in the Walled City of Manila (I n t ra m u ro s ) during the battle of liberation in We are gathered today in the eighth cathedral building that we closed three years ago for repairs. Now it warmly welcomes you. This cathedral has been razed to the ground many times, but it refuses to vanish. It boldly rises from the ruins just like the Filipino people. Yes, Holy Father, we bishops, priests and religious men and women have seen and lived the suffering and determination of our people. We are afflicted in every way possible, but we are not crushed (2 Cor 4:8). What is the secret to the resilience of Filipinos? Fr Horacio de la Costa, S J, historian, writer, priest, religious and nationalist provided an insight. He said that the Filipino has two treasures: music and faith. Our melodies make our spirits soar above the tragedies of life. Our faith makes us stand up again and again after deadly fires, earthquakes, typhoons and wars. Christ. As ambassadors for Christ, we, bishops, priests and religious, ought to be the first to welcome his reconciling grace into our hearts. Saint Paul makes clear what this means. It means rejecting worldly perspectives and seeing all things anew in the light of Christ. It means being the first to examine our consciences, to acknowledge our failings and sins, and to embrace the path of constant conversion, every day conversion. How can we proclaim the newness and liberating power of the Cross to others, if we ourselves refuse to allow the word of God to shake our complacency, our fear of change, our petty compromises with the ways of this world, our spiritual worldliness (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 93)? For us priests and consecrated persons, conversion to the newness of the Gospel entails a daily encounter with the Lord in prayer. The saints teach us that this is the source of all apostolic zeal! For religious, living the newness of the Gospel also means finding ever anew in community life and community apostolates the incentive for an ever closer union with the Lord in perfect charity. For all of us, it means living lives that reflect the poverty of Christ, whose entire life was focused on doing the will of the Father and serving others. The great danger to this, of course, is a certain materialism which can creep into our lives and compromise the witness we offer. Only by becoming poor ourselves, by becoming poor And now, as many of our poor people are just beginning to rise from recent natural and humanmade calamities, you, Holy Father came to us. You bring fire, not to destroy but to purify. You bring an earthquake, not to shatter but to awaken. You bring weapons, not to kill but to assure. Indeed, you are Peter, the Rock upon which Jesus builds His Church (Mt 16:18). You are Peter who comes to strengthen your brothers and sisters in faith (Lk 22:32). We welcome you, successor of Peter, to this blessed land of untiring hope, of infinite music and of joyful faith. With your visit, we know Jesus will renew and rebuild His Church in the Philippines. Ma b u h a y! ourselves, by stripping away our complacency, will we be able to identify with the least of our brothers and sisters. We will see things in a new light and thus respond with honesty and integrity to the challenge of proclaiming the radicalism of the Gospel in a society which has grown comfortable with social exclusion, polarization and scandalous ine q u a l i t y. Here I would like to say a special word to the young priests, religious and seminarians among us. I ask you to share the joy and enthusiasm of your love for Christ and the Church with everyone, but especially with your peers. Be present to young people who may be confused and despondent, yet continue to see the Church as their friend on the journey and a source of hope. Be present to those who, living in the midst of a society burdened by poverty and corruption, are broken in spirit, tempted to give up, to leave school and to live on the streets. Proclaim the beauty and truth of the Christian message to a society which is tempted by confusing presentations of sexuality, marriage and the family. As you know, these realities are increasingly under attack from powerful forces which threaten to disfigure God s plan for creation and betray the very values which have inspired and shaped all that is best in your culture. Filipino culture has, in fact, been shaped by the imagination of faith. Filipinos everywhere are known for their love of God, their fervent piety and their warm devotion to Our Lady and her rosary; their love of God, their fervent piety and their warm devotion to Our Lady and her rosary! This great heritage contains a powerful missionary potential. It is the way in which your people has inculturated the Gospel and continues to embrace its message (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 122). In your efforts to prepare for the fifth centenary, build on this solid foundation. Christ died for all so that, having died in Him, we might live no longer for ourselves but for Him (cf. 2 Cor 5:15). Dear brother bishops, priests and religious: I ask Mary, Mother of the Church, to obtain for all of you an outpouring of zeal, so that you may spend yourselves in selfless service to our brothers and sisters. In this way, may the reconciling love of Christ penetrate ever more fully into the fabric of Filipino society and, through you, to the farthest reaches of the world. Amen.

9 number 4, Friday, 23 January 2015 L OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 9 The greatest treasure Festive meeting with families in Manila s Mall of Asia Arena Thousands of Filipino families packed the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila on Friday, 16 January, to take part in the the Meeting with Families and to bear witness with Pope Francis. The following is the English text of the discourse which the Pontiff delivered in English and Spanish. Dear Families, Dear Friends in Christ, I am grateful for your presence here this evening and for the witness of your love for Jesus and his Church. I thank Bishop Reyes, Chairman of the Bishops Commission on Family and Life, for his words of welcome on your behalf. And, in a special way, I thank those who have presented testimonies thank you! and who have shared their life of faith with us. The Church in the Philippines is blessed by the apostolate of numerous family movements and I thank them for their witness! The Scriptures seldom speak of St Joseph, but when they do, we often find him resting, as an angel reveals Go d s will to him in his dreams. In the Gospel passage we have just heard, we find Joseph resting not once, but twice. This evening I would like to rest in the Lord with all of you. I need to rest in the Lord with families, and to remember my own family: my father, my mother, my grandfather, my grandmother. Today I am resting with you, and together with you I would like to reflect on the gift of the family. First, however, let me say something about dreams. But my English is so poor! If you allow me, I will ask Msgr Miles to translate and I will speak in Spanish. I am very fond of dreams in families. For nine months every mother and father dream about their baby. Am I right? [Yes!] They dream about what kind of child he or she will be... You can t have a family without dreams. Once a family loses the ability to dream, children do not grow, love does not grow, life shrivels up and dies. So I ask you each evening, when you make your examination of conscience, to also ask yourselves this question: Today did I dream about my children s future? Today did I dream about the love of my husband, my wife? Did I dream about my parents and grandparents who have gone before me? Dreaming is very important. Especially dreaming in families. Do not lose this ability to dream! How many difficulties in married life are resolved when we leave room for dreaming, when we stop a moment to think of our spouse, and we dream about the goodness present in the good things all around us. So it is very important to reclaim love by what we do each day. Do not ever stop being newlyweds! Joseph s rest revealed God s will to him. In this moment of rest in the Lord, as we pause from our many daily obligations and activities, God is also speaking to us. He speaks to us in the reading we have just heard, in our prayer and witness, and in the quiet of our hearts. Let us reflect on what the Lord is saying to us, especially in this evening s Gospel. There are three aspects of this passage which I would ask you to consider: First, resting in the Lord. Second, rising with Jesus and Mary. Third, being a prophetic voice. Resting in the Lord. Rest is so necessary for the health of our minds and bodies, and often so difficult to achieve due to the many demands placed on us. But rest is also essential for our spiritual health, so that we can hear God s voice and understand what he asks of us. Joseph was chosen by God to be the foster father of Jesus and the husband of Mary. As Christians, you too are called, like Joseph, to make a home for Jesus. To make a home for Jesus! You make a home for him in your hearts, your families, your parishes and your communities. To hear and accept God s call, to make a home for Jesus, you must be able to rest in the Lord. You must make time each day to rest in the Lord, to pray. To pray is to rest in the Lord. But you may say to me: Holy Father, I know that; I want to pray, but there is so much work to CONTINUED ON PA G E 12 D reams and prophecy An unshakable faith CONTINUED FROM PA G E 7 organized by the Filipino Bishops. Here too, the Pope wished to greet the elderly and the sick first, as he had done in the Cathedral, coming down from the altar to give them an embrace of peace. He then listened to the testimony of three families faced with poverty, with separation because of the need to find work in faraway countries, with illness. The Pontiff then recounted at length, improvising in Spanish, the Gospel narrative of the Holy Fa m i l y s flight into Egypt. As a key to understanding, he spoke of Joseph, a man whose dreams led the Child Jesus and his mother to safety: You can t have a family without dreams. Once a family loses the ability to dream, children do not grow, love does not grow, life shrivels up and dies, Francis remarked. Then, off the cuff, he added to his speech a clear defence of the Encyclical Humanae Vitae by Pope Montini, who had the courage to defend openness to life in families. He then warned of the risk of ideological colonization, he looked at the peoples of the earth and he saw this threat of families being destroyed for lack of children. Paul VI was courageous; he was a good pastor and he warned his flock of the wolves who were coming. G.M.V. from our correspondent GIANLUCA BICCINI Families with their sufferings caused by natural disasters and economic inequality are the backbone of the country and Church. On Friday, 16 January, the families of Manila played a key role in the day s events. The Mall of Asia Arena was filled to the brim and beyond with those coming to witness the memorable event. With their contagious enthusiasm, the 15,000 people in the arena applauded and sang, proclaiming their joy to the Pope, who was welcomed by Bishop Gabriel Reyes of Antipolo, who is Chairman of the Bishops Commission on the Family. Before taking his seat, the Pope individually greeted the sick in the first row. On the stage he was received with a surprising welcome: 100-year-old Remedios Rodrigo presented him with a garland of sampaguita, the national flower. Despite an ailment or two, the sweet grandmother was as lively as a young girl; she still remembers the time when she received communion from Padre Pio of Pietrelcina and when she was friendly with Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Before meeting Francis, Rodrigo had previously met Pope Paul VI in 1970 and John Paul II in 1981 and 1995, during their trips to Manila. One of the most touching moments was when Rami Dizon recounted in Tagalog the story of his large family which lives in Krus Na Ligas, Quezon City. Then in English the Pumarada family recalled their struggles linked to emigration. Finally, Renato G. Cruz told the Pope in sign language thanks to the voice of one of his four children about the solitude which often accompanies his disability. All three accounts were demonstrations of an unshakable faith, a faith which opens its heart to neighbours even when one has so little to give. Yet this isn t always possible due to the widespread poverty and misery. Sometimes parents even decide to leave their children on the street in the hope that someone will take them in. And that is exactly what the volunteers of the ANAK- Tnk Foundation do. The Pope visited the foundation (pictured above) that morning, making an unexpected 30- minute stop to greet a group of 300 impoverished children, who had been forced onto the street or into prostitution. The Pope was able to hug them and thank them personally for the letters and video they had sent him in September by way of Cardinal Tagle.

10 number 4, Friday, 23 January 2015 L OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 10/11 When I witnessed this disaster from Rome, I felt that I had to be here. That is when I decided to come here. I wanted to come to be with you. Pope Francis told this to the hundreds of thousands of people who came to participate in the Mass he celebrated, 17 January, at the airport in Tacloban City on the island of Leyte, which was devastated by Typhoon Yolanda in At Mass, Pope Francis set aside his prepared homily and asked for a translator to help him as he spoke extemporaneously. The following is the English text of his improvised homily. In the first reading, we heard that we have a great priest capable of sympathizing with out weakness, who in every respect has been tempted as we are (cf. Heb 4:15). Jesus is like us. Jesus lived as we do. He is like us in everything. In everything but sin, for he was not a sinner. But to be even more like us, he took upon himself our sins. He became sin! This is what Paul tells us, and it was something that he knew well. Jesus goes before us always; when we experience any kind of cross, he was already there before us. If today all of us are gathered here, 14 months after the passage of Typhoon Yolanda, it is because we are certain that we will not be disappointed in our faith, for Jesus has gone before us. In his passion he took upon himself all of our sorrows, and. Let me tell you something personal when I witnessed this disaster from Rome, I felt that I had to be here. That is when I decided to come here. I wanted to come to be The strongest force The rain began to lash the papal flight at the first sight of the island of Leyte and did not let up until after it landed over four hours later. Little more than a year ago, this Philippine island was devastated by Typhoon Haiyan, also known as Yolanda, which claimed thousands of victims and caused overwhelming damage. The Pontiff was tenacious in his desire to reach this destination and that of Manila, but he had to hasten his scheduled appointments due to the approaching Tropical Storm Mekkhala (Amang). The wind, blowing in powerful gusts, even caused the tragic death of a volunteer and prevented the departure of another airplane which skidded off the runway immediately after the Pontiff s return flight took off for the capital. In Tacloban, nearly 200,000 attended the Mass which Francis celebrated in the battering rain. Perhaps just as many waited along the roads to catch even a glimpse of Lolo Kiko, as they have affectionally re- b a p t i z e d Pop e Bergoglio, who tirelessly greeted them, drenched by the rain, as he passed. At the moment of the homily, the Pope decided to set aside his prepared text and began speaking in Spanish. When I witnessed this disaster from Rome, I felt that I had to be here. That day, those days, that is when I decided to come here. I wanted to come to be with you. Maybe you will tell me that I came a little late; that is true, but here I am!, he began. Mass in Tacloban with those who suffered the devastation of Typhoon Yolanda I wanted to come be with you I do not know what to tell you. But surely He knows what to tell you! with you. Maybe you will tell me that I came a little late; that is true, but here I am! I am here to tell you that Jesus is Lord; that Jesus does not disappoint. Fa t h e r, one of you may tell me, he disappointed me because I lost my house, I lost my family, I lost everything I had, I am sick. What you say is true and I respect your feelings, but I see him there, nailed to the cross, and from there he does not disappoint us. He was consecrated Lord on that throne, and there he experienced all the disasters we experience. Jesus is Lord! And he is Lord from the cross, from there he reigned. That is why, as And as Francis looked to a Crucifix, then to a Madonna with the Baby Jesus in her arms and down at a little child at his feet, he explained God s compassion: I am here to tell you that Jesus is Lord; that Jesus does not disappoint. Fa t h e r, one of you may tell me, he disappointed me because I lost my house, I lost everything I had,... I am sick. What you say is true and I respect your feelings, but I see him there, nailed to the cross, and from there he does not disappoint us. And shortly thereafter: With him, beneath the cross, is his Mother. We are like that child who stands down t h e re, and like that child, we re a c h out, cling to her skirts and say to her in our hearts: Mother. Let us make this prayer in silence. Even in our greatest sorrow, the Pope continued, we are not alone; we have a Mother; we have Jesus, our older brother. We are not alone. And we also have many brothers and sisters who, when the disaster struck, came to our assistance. We too feel more like brothers and sisters whenever we help one another, whenever we help each other. These are the fruit of the compassion of God who suffers with man. The prepared text for the homily read: Here, the strongest storm ever recorded on earth was overcome by the strongest force in the universe: God s love. We are here this morning to bear witness to that love, to its power to transform death and destruction into life and community. we heard in the first reading, he can understand us: he became like us in every way. So we have a Lord who is able to weep with us, who can be at our side through life s most difficult moments. So many of you have lost everything. I do not know what to tell you. But surely He knows what to tell you! So many of you have lost members of your family. I can only be silent; I accompany you silently, with my heart. Many of you looked to Christ and asked: Why, Lord? To each of you the Lord responds from his heart. I have no other words to say to you. Let us look to Christ: he is the Lord, and he While the wind and rain intensified, Francis made three gestures of sharing: at the Archbishopric of Palo, which was severely damaged by Yolanda, he attended a luncheon with about 30 families of survivors of the Super Typhoon; he blessed a new centre for the poor; and he prayed in the cathedral with the sisters, men and women religious, priests and seminarians. They, along with countless volunteers, make every effort in every possible way to help the survivors, expanding themselves for his sake every day. They are silent witnesses to God s mercy and the power of the Gospel. G.M.V. understands us, for he experienced all the troubles we experience. With him, beneath the cross, is his Mother. We are like that child who stands down there, who, in times of sorrow and pain, times when we understand nothing, times when we want to rebel, can only reach out and cling to her skirts and say to her: Mother! Like a little child who is frightened and says: Mother. Perhaps that is the only word which can express all the feelings we have in those dark moments: Mother! Let us be still for a moment and look to the Lord. He can understand us, for he experienced all these things. And let us look to our Mother, and like that little child, let us reach out, cling to her skirts and say to her in our hearts: Mother. Let us make this prayer in silence; let everyone say it whatever way he or she feels. After a moment of silence, Francis continued: We are not alone; we have a Mother; we have Jesus, our older brother. We are not alone. And we also have many brothers and sisters who, when the disaster struck, came to our assistance. We too feel more like brothers and sisters whenever we help one another, whenever we help each other. This is all that I feel I have to say to you. Forgive me if I have no other words. But be sure that Jesus does not disappoint us; be sure that the love and tenderness of our Mother does not disappoint us. Clinging to her as sons and daughters with the strength which Jesus our brother gives us, let us now move forward. As brothers and sisters, let us take up our journey. Thank you! At the end of Mass, after Communion, the Pope delivered the following prayer of thanksgiving: We have just celebrated the passion, death and resurrection of Christ. Jesus has gone before us on this journey and he is with us whenever we gather to pray and celebrate. Thank you, Lord, for being with us here today. Thank you, Lord, for sharing our sorrows. Thank you, Lord, for giving us hope. Thank you, Lord, for your great mercy. Thank you, Lord, because you wanted to be like one of us. Thank you, Lord, because you keep ever close to us, even when we carry our crosses. Thank you, Lord, for givingushope.lord, maynoonerobus of hope! Thank you, Lord, because in the darkest moment of your own life, on the cross, you thought of us and you left us a mother, your mother. Thank you, Lord, for not leaving us orphans! from our correspondent GIANLUCA BICCINI Closeness and sharing through personal presence which is sometimes an act of compassion and sometimes silent prayer. Francis kept his promise to go to Tacloban to bring his solidarity to all the peoples of the island of Leyte, which was devastated in 2013 by Super Typhoon Yolanda. He deeply wanted to be present despite the prohibitive weather conditions that required him to return to Manila earlier than planned. At least a dozen times a year this area is hit by tropical storms. The latest was named Amang, with winds gusting at speeds of up to 100 kilometres an hour. Pope Francis came to express his Pope Francis remembers the victims and thanks those who served as rescue and relief workers Miracles of goodness The following is the English text that Pope Francis had prepared for Mass in Tacloban and gave for publication. What words of consolation we have just heard! Once again, we have been told that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, our Savior, our high priest who brings us mercy, grace and help in all our needs (cf. Heb 4:14-16). He heals our wounds, he forgives our sins, and he calls us, as he did St Matthew (cf. Mk 2:14), to be his disciples. Let us praise him for his love, his mercy and his compassion. Let us praise our great God! I thank the Lord Jesus that we can be together this morning. I have come to be with you, in this city which was ravaged by Typhoon Yolanda 14 months ago. I bring to you the love of a father, the prayers of the entire Church, the promise that you are not forgotten as you continue to rebuild. Here, the strongest storm ever recorded on earth was overcome by the strongest force in the universe: God s love. We are here this morning to bear witness to that love, to its power to transform death and destruction into life and community. Christ s resurrection, which we celebrate at this Mass, is our hope and a reality which we experience even now. We know that the resurrection comes only after the cross, the cross which you have borne with faith, dignity and God-given strength. We come together above all to pray for those who died, those who are still missing and those who were injured. We lift up to God the souls of the dead, our mothers, fathers, sons and daughters, family, friends and neighbors. We can be confident that, in Although headlines have moved on, need continues coming into the presence of God, they have encountered mercy and peace (cf. Heb 4:16). There remains much sadness because of their absence. For you who knew and loved them and love them still the pain of losing them is real. But let us look with the eyes of faith to the future. Our sadness is a seed which will one day bear fruit in the joy which our Lord has promised to those who trust in his words: Blessed are you who mourn, for you will be comforted (cf. Mt 5:4). We have also come together this morning to give thanks to God for his help in time of need. God has been your strength in these very difficult months. There has been great loss of life, suffering, and destruction. Yet we are still able to gather and to thank him. We know that he cares for us, that in Jesus his Son, we have a high priest who is able to sympathize with us (cf. Heb 4:15), who suffers with us. Go d s compassion, his suffering with us, gives eternal meaning and value to our struggles. Your desire to thank him for every grace and blessing, even when you have lost so much, is not only a triumph of the resilience and strength of the Filipino people; it is also a sign of God s goodness, his closeness, his tenderness, his saving p ower. We also give thanks to Almighty God for so much that has been done A promise he kept reverence for the resilience of these people, who wept with emotion at certain moments, but who most of the time were able to smile happily at their special guest. Indeed, thanks to Pope Francis, the media throughout the world once again shined the spotlight on their tragedy and on their tenacious will to start again from scratch every time, in spite of it all. It was actually in anticipation of inclement weather that the Pontiff left Manila early. The strong turbulence encountered during the flight did not prevent him from seeing, through the window of the Philippine Airlines plane, the devastation caused by one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded. There were over 10,000 dead; many structures, including the airport, were razed to the ground; all roadways were invaded by the fury of the waters. The Pope certainly saw the palm trees bent and stripped by the wrath of the elements; the buildings with their roofs torn off; the rubble and debris still took a jaunt in the popemobile among the hundreds of thousands of faithful who flocked from throughout the area. A few had been camped there since the night before, despite the heavy rains and warm, damp winds which continued to threaten mayhem. With his cassock soaked through, the Pope sought protection under a transparent yellow plastic rain poncho, the same worn by the pilgrims who gathered from every part of the island. And he even kept it on over his liturgical vestments as he celebrated Mass immediately thereafter. Practically still, to help, to rebuild, to assist in these months of unprecedented need. I think in the first place of those who welcomed and housed the great number of displaced families, elderly, and youth. How hard it is to flee one s home and livelihood! We thank those who have taken care of the homeless, the orphaned and the destitute. Priests, and men and women religious, gave as much as they could. To those of you who housed and fed people seeking safety, in churches, convents, rectories, and who continue to assist those still struggling, I thank you. You are a credit to the Church. You are the pride of your nation. I personally thank each one of you. For whatever you did for the least of Christ s brothers and sisters, you did for him (cf. Mt 25:41). At this Mass we wish also to thank God for the good men and women who served as rescue and relief workers. We thank him for the many CONTINUED ON PA G E 12 as if petrified by sorrow, he listened to the Readings. Then for the homily he stood up, set aside his prepared text, and with the help of an interpreter, he spoke from his heart in his native tongue. There were few words, spoken in Spanish with his voice wracked with emotion. They were heard in an almost unreal contemplation, which melted into applause in the instant that he emphasized I had to be here, becoming silent again when he asked them to look at the Crucifix and at the Marian statue placed on the altar, in order to entrust to Jesus and to the Virgin, the suffering of those who have lost their homes, their families, their health. The rite continued with readings and songs in local dialect. The offertory was a poignant moment, when several survivors, their faces lined with tears, carried the gifts to the altar. Francis comforted them, holding their hands. Then, at the closing of Mass, he improvised a touching prayer in Spanish. Immediately afterwards, aboard a panoramic vehicle, Francis set off for waiting to be removed. Disarming scenes of desolation. But he also saw reconstruction works begun by this tenacious people who refused to abandon their land, notwithstanding the natural disasters that continue to pound it, such as Typhoon Hagupit (a.k.a. Ruby), which claimed dozens of lives and caused extensive damage in December. After landing and being greeted by Palo, traversing a dozen kilometres Archbishop John F. Du among the hundreds of thousands of of Palo, by the Governor people who still awaited him regardless of Leyte and by other local authorities, Francis CONTINUED ON PA G E 13

11 page 12 L OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 23 January 2015, number 4 The greatest treasure CONTINUED FROM PA G E 9 do! I must care for my children; I have chores in the home; I am too tired even to sleep well. I know. This may be true, but if we do not pray, we will not know the most important thing of all: God s will for us. And for all our activity, our busy-ness, without prayer we will accomplish very little. Resting in prayer is especially important for families. It is in the family that we first learn how to pray. D on t forget: the family that prays together stays together! This is important. There we come to know God, to grow into men and women of faith, to see ourselves as members of God s greater family, the Church. In the family we learn how to love, to forgive, to be generous and open, not closed and selfish. We learn to move beyond our own needs, to encounter others and share our lives with them. That is why it is so important to pray as a family! So important! That is why families are so important in God s plan for the Church! To rest in the Lord is to pray. To pray together as a family. I would also like to tell you something very personal. I have great love for St Joseph, because he is a man of silence and strength. On my table I have an image of St Joseph sleeping. Even when he is asleep, he is taking care of the Church! Yes! We know that he can do that. So when I have a problem, a difficulty, I write a little note and I put it underneath St Joseph, so that he can dream about it! In other words I tell him: pray for this problem! Next, rising with Jesus and Mary. Those precious moments of repose, of resting with the Lord in prayer, are moments we might wish to prolong. But like St Joseph, once we have heard God s voice, we must rise from our slumber; we must get up and act (cf. Rom 13:11). In our families, we have to get up and act! Faith does not remove us from the world, but draws us more deeply into it. This is very important! We have to be deeply engaged with the world, but with the power of prayer. Each of us, in fact, has a special role in preparing for the coming of Go d s kingdom in our world. Just as the gift of the Holy Family was entrusted to St Joseph, so the gift of the family and its place in Go d s plan is entrusted to us. Like St Joseph. The gift of the Holy Family was entrusted to St Joseph so that he could care for it. Each of you, each of us for I too am part of a family is charged with caring for God s plan. The angel of the Lord revealed to Joseph the dangers which threatened Jesus and Mary, forcing them to flee to Egypt and then to settle in Nazareth. So too, in our time, God calls upon us to recognize the dangers threatening our own families and to protect them from harm. Let us be on guard against colonization by new ideologies. There are forms of ideological colonization which are out to destroy the family. They are not born of dreams, of prayers, of closeness to God or the mission which God gave us; they come from without, and for that reason I am saying that they are forms of colonization. Let s not lose the freedom of the mission which God has given us, the mission of the family. Just as our peoples, at a certain moment of their history, were mature enough to say no to all forms of political colonization, so too in our families we need to be very wise, very shrewd, very strong, in order to say no to all attempts at an ideological colonization of our families. We need to ask St Joseph, the friend of the angel, to send us the inspiration to know when we can say yes and when we have to say no. The pressures on family life today are many. Here in the Philippines, countless families are still suffering from the effects of natural disasters. The economic situation has caused families to be separated by migration and the search for employment, and financial problems strain many households. While all too many people live in dire poverty, others are caught up in materialism and lifestyles which are destructive of family life and the most basic demands of Christian morality. These are forms of ideological colonization. The family is also threatened by growing efforts on the part of some to redefine the very institution of marriage, by relativism, by the culture of the ephemeral, by a lack of openness to life. CONTINUED FROM PA G E 10 Miracles of goodness people around the world who generously gave of their time, money and goods. Countries, organizations and individuals across the globe put the needy first; it is an example that should be followed. I ask government leaders, international agencies, benefactors and people of goodwill not to give up. There is much that remains to be done. Though the headlines have changed, the needs continue. To day s first reading, from the Letter to the Hebrews, urges us to hold fast in our confession, to persevere in our faith, to draw near with confidence to the throne of God s grace (cf. Heb 4:16). These words have a special resonance in this place. Amid great suffering you never ceased to confess the victory of the cross, the triumph of God s love. You have seen the power of that love revealed in the generosity of so many people and in so many small miracles of goodness. But you have also seen, in the profiteering, the looting and the failed I think of Blessed Paul VI. At a time when the problem of population growth was being raised, he had the courage to defend openness to life in families. He knew the difficulties that are there in every family, and so in his Encyclical he was very merciful towards particular cases, and he asked confessors to be very merciful and understanding in dealing with particular cases. But he also had a broader vision: he looked at the peoples of the earth and he saw this threat of families being destroyed for lack of children. Paul VI was courageous; he was a good pastor and he warned his flock of the wolves who were coming. From his place in heaven, may he bless this evening! Our world needs good and strong families to overcome these threats! The Philippines needs holy and loving families to protect the beauty and truth of the family in God s plan and to be a support and example for other families. Every threat to the family is a threat to society itself. The future of humanity, as St John Paul II often said, passes through the family (cf. Fa m i l i a r i s Consortio, 85). The future passes through the family. So protect your families! Protect your families! See in them your country s greatest treasure and nourish them always by prayer and the grace of the sacraments. Families will always have their trials, responses to this great human drama, so many tragic signs of the evil from which Christ came to save us. Let us pray that this, too, will lead us to greater trust in the power of God s grace to overcome sin and selfishness. Let us pray in particular that it will make everyone more sensitive to the cry of our brothers and sisters in need. Let us pray that it will lead to a rejection of all forms of injustice and corruption which, by stealing from the poor, poison the very roots of society. Dear brothers and sisters, throughout this ordeal you have felt the grace of God in a special way through the presence and loving care of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Perpetual Help. She is our Mother. May she help you to persevere in faith and hope, and to reach out to all in need. And with Sts Lorenzo Ruiz and Pedro Calungsod and all the saints, may she continue to implore God s mercy and loving compassion for this country, and for all the beloved Filipino people. Amen. but may you never add to them! Instead, be living examples of love, forgiveness and care. Be sanctuaries of respect for life, proclaiming the sacredness of every human life from conception to natural death. What a gift this would be to society, if every Christian family lived fully its noble vocation! So rise with Jesus and Mary, and set out on the path the Lord traces for each of you. Finally, the Gospel we have heard reminds us of our Christian duty to be prophetic voices in the midst of our communities. Joseph listened to the angel of the Lord and responded to God s call to care for Jesus and Mary. In this way he played his part in God s plan, and became a blessing not only for the Holy Family, but a blessing for all of humanity. With Mary, Joseph served as a model for the boy Jesus as he grew in wisdom, age and grace (cf. Lk 2:52). When families bring children into the world, train them in faith and sound values, and teach them to contribute to society, they become a blessing in our world. Families can become a blessing for all of humanity! God s love becomes present and active by the way we love and by the good works that we do. We extend Christ s kingdom in this world. And in doing this, we prove faithful to the prophetic mission which we have received in baptism. During this year which your bishops have set aside as the Year of the Poor, I would ask you, as families, to be especially mindful of our call to be missionary disciples of Jesus. This means being ready to go beyond your homes and to care for our brothers and sisters who are most in need. I ask you especially to show concern for those who do not have a family of their own, in particular those who are elderly and children without parents. Never let them feel isolated, alone and abandoned, but help them to know that God has not forgotten them. Today I was very moved when, after Mass, I visited a home for children without families. How many people work in the Church to make that home a family! This is what it means, in a prophetic sense, to build a family. You may be poor yourselves in material ways, but you have an abundance of gifts to offer when you offer Christ and the community of his Church. Do not hide your faith, do not hide Jesus, but carry him into the world and offer the witness of your family life! Dear friends in Christ, know that I pray for you always! I pray for families! I do! I pray that the Lord may continue to deepen your love for him, and that this love may manifest itself in your love for one another and for the Church. Do not forget Jesus who sleeps! Do not forget St Joseph who sleeps! Jesus slept with the protection of Joseph. Do not forget: families find their rest in prayer. Do not forget to pray for families. Pray often and take the fruits of your prayer into the world, that all may know Jesus Christ and his merciful love. Please pray also for me, for I truly need your prayers and will depend on them always! Thank you very much!

12 number 4, Friday, 23 January 2015 L OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 13 Meeting scheduled in the Cathedral of Palo May even more be done for the poor Forced to hasten his return to Manila due to bad weather, the Pope was able to spend only a few minutes in the Cathedral of Palo on Saturday, 17 January, for the meeting with priests, religious, seminarians and the families of survivors of Typhoon Yolanda. I thank you very much for your welcome, he said to the assembly. And after asking them to sing Happy Birthday to the Cardinal Secretary of State who was celebrating his 60th birthday he explained that the worsening weather conditions, with the imminent arrival of a typhoon, would not allow him to adhere to the schedule planned for the meeting. I apologize for this, he said, bidding farewell with a pray to Our Lady and a blessing. The following is the text of the address the Holy Father had prepared for the occasion. Dear Brothers and Sisters, I greet all of you with great affection in the Lord. I am happy that we are able to meet in this Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Lord. This house of prayer, along with many others, has been repaired thanks to the remarkable generosity of many people. It stands as an eloquent sign of the immense effort of rebuilding which you and your neighbors have undertaken in the wake of the devastation caused by Typhoon Yolanda. It is also a concrete reminder to all of us that, even amid disaster and suffering, our God is constantly at work, making all things new. Many of you have suffered greatly, not only from the destruction caused by the storm, but from the loss of family members and friends. Today let us commend to God s mercy all those who have died, and invoke his consolation and peace upon all who still grieve. May we remember in a particular way those among us whose pain makes it hard to see the way forward. At the same time, let us thank the Lord for all those who have laboured in these months to clear away the rubble, to visit the sick and dying, to comfort the grieving and to bury the dead. Their goodness, and the generous aid which came from so many people throughout the world, are a real sign that God never abandons us! Here, in a special way, I would like to thank the many priests and religious who responded with such overwhelming generosity to the desperate needs of the people of the areas hardest hit. By your presence and your charity, you bore witness to the beauty and truth of the Gospel. You made the Church present as a source of hope, healing and mercy. Together with so many of your neighbors, you also demonstrated the deep faith and the resilience of the Filipino people. The many stories of goodness and self-sacrifice which emerged from these dark days need to be remembered and passed down for future generations. A few moments ago, I blessed the new Center for the Poor, which stands as another sign of the C h u rc h s care and concern for our brothers and sisters in need. How many they are! And how much our Lord loves them! Today, from this place which has known such profound suffering and human need, I ask that even more be done for the poor. Above all, I ask that the poor throughout this country be treated fairly that their dignity be respected, that political and economic policies be just and inclusive, that opportunities for employment and education be developed, and that obstacles to the delivery of social services be removed. Our treatment of the poor is the criterion on which each of us will be judged (cf. Mt 25:40, 45). I ask all of you, and all responsible for the good of society, to renew your commitment to social justice and the betterment of the poor, both here and in the Philippines as a whole. Finally, I would like to say a word of sincere thanks to the young people present, including the seminarians and young religious. Many of you showed heroic generosity in the aftermath of the typhoon. I hope that you will always realize that true happiness comes from helping others, giving ourselves to them in self-sacrifice, mercy and compassion. In this way you will be a powerful force for the renewal of society, not only in the work of restoring buildings but more importantly, in building up God s kingdom of holiness, justice and peace in your native land. Dear priests and religious, dear families and friends, in this Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Lord let us ask that our lives continue to be sustained and transfigured by the power of his resurrection. I commend all of you to the loving protection of Mary, Mother of the Church. May she obtain for you, and for all the beloved people of these lands, the Lord s blessings of comfort, joy and peace. God bless you all! A promise he kept CONTINUED FROM PA G E 10 of all discomfort. Soaking wet and with their feet many of them bare in the mud, they greeted him from their humble homes: tin huts, wooden stilt houses, plasterless and windowless houses, even large, rusted metal tanks. Dwellings of people who survive with little more than nothing, but capable of feeling joy and sharing even what little they have. At the door of one of them, the Pope paused briefly with the family of a fisherman, with a blessing and tender gestures for his children. Just like those he gave to a group of families of hurricane victims, among whom were several seminarians with whom he was supposed to have lunch in the archbishop s residence. However, worsening weather conditions imposed another change of plans: the Pontiff had a frugal meal at a residence still undergoing construction having been seriously damaged by Yolanda but found time to listen to their stories of desperation, repeatedly passing a hand over their faces and embracing them with affection. Francis then passed, again in the popemobile, in front a building complex yet uncompleted, in order to bless it: it is the new centre for the poor, which was named after him. It is being built with the support of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, and managed by the charismatic community of Kkottongnae, Brothers of Jesus, the same community that the Pope visited during his journey to Korea. The village which takes in orphans and the elderly was founded in the 1970s by Fr John Oh Woong Jiin and was also used as a shelter for those forced bo evacuate by the most recent disasters. The Pontiff then arrived at the Cathedral of Palo, where he apologized for having to rush his departure. He left before 1:00 pm local time, without being able to celebrate the Liturgy of the Word. Welcomed on the patio by the parish priest, he crossed the central nave to the altar to address a brief greeting to those present, while raindrops entered through the broken windows. For now it has only been possible to repair the roof of the place of worship, which was also used during World War II as a military hospital and reception centre for displaced civilians. As if hoping to diffuse the deep emotional climate of this intense day, Francis invited them to sing Happy Birthday to Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, as it was his 60th birthday. After praying the Hail Mary he then expressed his solidarity, and took his leave, imparting blessing to those present. Before leaving Palo for the TA C airport, Pope Francis asked to be taken to the cemetery, where he blessed the common grave which holds the remains of the unidentified victims of Typhoon Yolanda. At last on the airplane, he returned to Manila, where, with another little schedule change, he boarded the popemobile and set off for the nunciature, bringing joy to many other faithful manning the major thoroughfares of the Philippine capital, hoping to catch a glimpse of him, if only to see him pass. At the office of the pontifical representative, the Pope was informed of the death of Kristel Padasas, the young volunteer who was killed in Tacloban when scaffolding collapsed due to ferocious winds. In a period of hours, at the same airport and also caused by the foul weather, a government jet was forced off the runway. Fortunately, no one was injured.

13 page 14 L OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 23 January 2015, number 4 Meeting with young people at the University of Santo Tomás Eyes that are cleansed by tears Certain realities of life are seen only with eyes that are cleansed by tears. Pope Francis listened to the moving testimonies presented by the young people at the meeting on Sunday morning, 18 January, at the University of Santo Tomás in Manila. The Holy Father invited the 30,000 present to let themselves be surprised by God s love, he said. And don t be afraid of surprises, afraid that they will shake you up. They make us insecure, but they change the direction we are going in. After several young people Jun, his friend Gyzelle, Leandro and Rikki asked him questions, the Pope answered in Spanish. The following is the English text of his responses. Dear Young Friends, When I speak spontaneously, I do it in Spanish. No? Because I don t know the English language. May I do it? Thank you very much! Here is Fr Mark, a good translator! First of all, some sad news. Yesterday, as Mass was about to begin, one of the towers fell, like that one over there, and injured a young lady working there and she died. Her name is Kristel. She was helping in the organization of that Mass. She was 27 years old. She was young like you and she was working for a group called Catholic Relief Services. She was a volunteer. I would like all of us, together, you who are young people just like her, to pray for a moment in silence, and then to call upon our heavenly Mother. Let us pray. (Silence... Hail Mary) Let us also say a prayer for her mother and father. She was their only child. Her mother is flying in from Hong Kong. Her father has come to Manila to wait for her mother. (Our Father...) It is a joy for me to be with you this morning. I greet each of you from the heart, and I thank all those who made this meeting possible. During my visit to the Philippines, I wanted in a particular way to meet Gyzelle s question during the Pope s meeting with young people Why did God allow this? Pope Francis met with young people on Sunday, 18 January. The meeting was introduced by Bishop Leopoldo C. Jaucian, Bishop of Bangued and President of the Bishops Commission for Youth. The Bishop underscored that the majority of the population of the Philippines is comprised of young people. Some of them, he added, have experienced various forms of poverty, the lack of basic necessities such as food, shelter and clothing, becoming victims of abuse, natural disasters and conflicts. They see in the Pope, he explained, a father who listens to their problems, their hopes and their dreams. The first to offer his dramatic testimony was Jun Chura, a 14-yearold former street child. He recounted that he left his home and family because they could no longer afford to send him to school. He ate what he found in trash bins. He was forced to sleep on the sidewalk, looking for a piece of cardboard to use as a makeshift bed. Together with a few other kids from the streets, Jun would wait for people to finish eating in restaurants to ask them for their leftovers. He would look for discarded materials, such as plastic bottles or pieces of paper, to resell them for money to by fo o d. The teen witnessed terrible things that happened to his companions on the street. He saw someone teach them how to steal, even to kill, and to have no respect for adults. He even saw children being taught how to use drugs like shabu, marijuana or tobacco. He saw his friends sniffing solvents and glue. He witnessed adults deceiving these street children, pretending to give them money or other opportunities: in the best cases the children were used to clean houses, but in the worst they were subjected to molestation. After Jun, Gyzelle-Iris Palomar took the floor. At 12 years of age, she too is a former street child. Before bursting into tears, she turned to the Pope and said: there are many children neglected by their own parents. There are also many who became victims and many terrible things happened to them like drugs or prostitution. Why is God allowing such things to happen, even though it is not the fault of the children? And why are there so few people helping us?. It was then Leandro Santos II s turn. A law student at the University of Santo Tomás, he underlined that progress in the field of information technology has changed the way we study and learn. However, it has also caused new issues and challenges to emerge. The youth stated that students need help and guidance in with young people, to listen to you and to talk with you. I want to express the love and the hopes of the Church for you. And I want to encourage you, as Christian citizens of this country, to offer yourselves passionately and honestly to the great work of renewing your society and helping to build a better world. In a special way, I thank the young people who have offered words of welcome to me: Jun, Leandro and Rikki. Thank you very much. And the small... the small representation of women. Too small! Women have much to say to us in to day s society. Sometimes we are too machista ; we don t make room for women. Women are able to see things differently than men. Women can ask questions that we men just don t get. Pay attention. She [pointing to Jun s friend] today asked the one question that doesn t have an answer. And she couldn t say it in words. She had to say it with tears. So that, when the next Pope comes to Manila, there should be more women (applause). I thank you, Jun, for being so brave in talking about your experience. As I just said, your question, deep down, is almost unanswerable. Only when we are able to weep over the things that you experienced, can we understand and give some kind learning to accept that the only validation we needed is that which comes from Christ. Students values must be intact, he said, because this is crucial to the formation of their being. Values, Leandro affirmed, can be understood well only by making an effort to hear God. Neglecting the teachings of the Church, he pointed out, is what draws them toward distraction. He then asked the Pope: what is true love?... How can we find true love in these modern times?. The floor then went to Rikki Q. Macolor, a 29-year-old electronics engineer who invented a solarpowered night light for the communities stricken by Typhoon Yolanda. He recalled the dramatic moments when he was in Tacloban and explained his project to provide lighting in order to share the light of hope with the people. With the help of some of his classmates and a few experts, he was able to design this technology and share it with the locals, enabling them to make it. He did not deny the difficulties and obstacles, but was happy to have been able to teach the people of those communities how to build his system. In conclusion, he asked the Pope to explain how young people can do more, how they can be agents of mercy and compassion, how to pursue success and prosperity without being worldly. of response. The great question for everybody is: Why do children suffer?. Why do children suffer? Only when our hearts can ask this question and weep, can we begin to understand. There is a worldly compassion which is completely useless. You said something about this. A compassion which, at most, makes us reach into our pocket and take out a coin. If Christ had that kind of compassion, he would have passed by, cured three or four people, and then returned to the Father. Only when Christ wept, and he was capable of weeping, did he understand our troubles. Dear young men and women, our world today needs weeping. The marginalized weep, those who are neglected weep, the scorned weep, but those of us who have relatively comfortable life, we don t know how to weep. Certain realities of life are seen only with eyes that are cleansed by tears. I ask each one of you to ask: Can I weep? Can I weep when I see a child who is hungry, on drugs and on the street, homeless, abandoned, mistreated or exploited as a slave by society? Or is my weeping the self-centred whining of those who weep because they want to have something else? This is the first thing I would like to say to you. Let s learn to weep, the way [Gyzelle] taught us today. Let s not forget this witness. She asked the big question why do children suffer? by weeping; and the big answer which we can give, all of us, is to learn how to weep. In the Gospel, Jesus wept. He wept for his dead friend. He wept in his heart for the family which lost its daughter. He wept in his heart when he saw the poor widowed mother who was burying her son. He was moved and he wept in his heart when he saw the crowds like sheep without a shepherd. If you don t learn how to weep, you are not a good Christian. And this is a challenge. Jun Chura and his friend who spoke today posed this challenge. When they ask us: Why do children suffer? Why does this or that tragedy occur in life?, let us respond either by silence or with a word born of tears. Be brave. Don t be afraid to cry! Then we heard from Leandro Santos, who was the second to speak. He asked questions about information and technology. Today, with so many kinds of media, we are informed, even over-informed. Is this a bad thing? No. It is good and useful, but we do run the risk of information overload. We have plenty of information, but maybe we don t know what to do with it all. We risk becoming museums, storing up all sorts of things but not knowing what to do with them. We don t need young people who are storehouses, but young people who are wise. You can ask me: Father, how can I become wise? This is another challenge: the challenge of love. What is the most important lesson which you have to learn at the University? What is the most important lesson that you have to learn in life? It is

14 number 4, Friday, 23 January 2015 L OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 15 learning how to love. This is the challenge which life sets before you today. Learning how to love. Not just how to accumulate information. There comes a time when you don t know what to do with it all. It s a storehouse. Unless, through love, all this information can bear fruit. For this to happen, the Gospel proposes to us a serene and tranquil thing to do. It is to use the three languages: the language of the mind, the language of the heart and the language of the hands. All three together, harmoniously: what you think, you feel and you do. Your information descends to the heart, moves it and gets translated into action. And all this in a harmonious way: I think what I feel and do, I feel what I think and what I do, and I do what I think and what I feel. The three languages. Are you ready to repeat these three languages? Thinking, feeling and acting. Say those words back to me. And all of this harmoniously. True love is both loving and letting oneself be loved. It is harder to let ourselves be loved than it is to love. That is why it is so hard to achieve the perfect love of God, because we can love him but the important thing is to let ourselves be loved by him. True love is being open to that love which was there first and catches us by surprise. If all you have is information, you are closed to surprises. Love makes you open to surprises. Love is always a surprise, because it starts with a dialogue between two persons: the one who loves and the one who is loved. We say that God is the God of surprises, because he always loved us first and he waits to take us by surprise. God surprises us. Let s allow ourselves to be surprised by God. Let s not have the psychology of a computer, thinking that we know everything. What do I mean? Think for a moment: the computer has all the answers: never a surprise. In the challenge of love, God shows up with surprises. Think of St Matthew. He was a good businessman. He also betrayed his country because he collected taxes from the Jews and paid them to the Romans. He was loaded with money and he collected taxes. Then Jesus comes along, looks at him and says: Come, follow me. Matthew couldn t believe it. If you have some time later, go look at the picture that Caravaggio painted about this scene. Jesus called him, like this (stretching out his hand). Those who were with Jesus were saying: [He is calling] this man, a traitor, a scoundrel?. And Matthew hangs on to his money and doesn t want to leave. But the surprise of being loved wins him over and he follows Jesus. That morning, when Matthew was going off to work and said goodbye to his wife, he never thought that he was going to return in a hurry, without money to tell his wife to prepare a banquet. The banquet for the one who loved him first, who surprised him with something important, more important than all the money he had. So let yourselves be surprised by God! Don t be afraid of surprises, afraid that they will shake you up. They make us insecure, but they change the direction we are going in. True love makes you burn life, even at the risk of coming up empty-handed. Think of St Francis: he left everything, he died with empty hands, but with a full heart. Do you agree? Not young people who are museums, s t o re h o u s e s, but young people who are wise. To be wise, use the three languages: think well, feel well and act well. And to be wise, let yourselves be surprised by God s love, then go out and burn life! Thank you for your contribution to day! The one who came with a good idea to help us to see how to get ahead in life was Rikki. He talked about all his activities, everything he is doing, everything that young people are doing, all the things that they can do. Thanks, Rikki, thanks for all that you and your friends are d o i n g. But I have a question. You and your friends are giving and giving, helping other people. But what about you? Do you let them give something to you? Ask yourselves, in your heart. In the Gospel we just heard, there is a phrase I think is the most important of all. The Gospel says that Jesus looked at that young man and loved him. When we see Rikki and his friends we like them because they do really good things, but Jesus tells us what is the most important thing. Jesus says: Only one thing is lacking. Let s each of us listen silently to these words of Jesus: Only one thing is lacking to you. What is lacking to me? To all of you, whom Jesus loves so much because you give so generously to others, I ask: Do you let people give you that other kind of wealth that you don t possess?. The Sadducees and the teachers of the Law in Jesus day gave much to the people: they gave the Law, they taught, but they never let the people give them anything. Jesus had to come so that he could be moved by people. How many young people I m not talking about you but how many young people like you here today know how to give, but have not yet learned how to receive? Only one thing is lacking. Become a beggar. That s what is lacking; learning to beg from those to whom we give. This is not easy to understand. Learning to beg. Learning to receive from the humility of Three challenges for a better world The following is the English text of the address Pope Francis had prepared for the meeting with young people at the University of Santo Tomás in Manila on Sunday morning, 18 January. Dear Young Friends, It is a joy for me to be with you this morning. I greet each of you from the heart, and I thank all those who made this meeting possible. During my visit to the Philippines, I wanted in a particular way to meet with young people, to listen to you and to talk with you. I want to express the love and the hopes of the Church for you. And I want to encourage you, as Christian citizens of this country, to offer yourselves passionately and honestly to the great work of renewing your society and helping to build a better world. In a special way, I thank the young people who have offered words of welcome to me. They have expressed eloquently, in your name, your concerns and worries, your faith and your hopes. They have spoken of the difficulties and the expectations of the young. Although I cannot respond to each of these issues at length, I know that, together with your pastors and among yourselves, you will prayerfully consider them and make concrete proposals for action in your lives. Today I would like to suggest three key areas where you have a significant contribution to make to the life of your country. The first of these is the challenge of integrity. The word challenge can be understood in two ways. First, it can be understood negatively, as a temptation to act against your moral convictions, what you know to be true, good and right. Our integrity can be challenged by selfish interest, greed, dishonesty, or the willingness to use other people. But the word challenge can be also understood positively. It can be seen as invitation to courage, a summons to bear prophetic witness to what you believe and hold sacred. In this sense, the challenge of integrity is something which you have to face now, at this time in your lives. It is not something you the people we help. Learning to be evangelized by the poor. The persons we help, the poor, the sick, orphans, have much to give us. Will I become a beggar and also ask this? Or am I sufficient and will I only give? You who live by always giving, and think that you need nothing, do you realize that you are poor yourself? Do you realize that you are very poor and that you need what they can give you? Do you let yourself be evangelized by the poor, by the sick, by those you assist? This is what can help all those people who are committed like Rikki to trying to give to others: it is learning to stretch out our own hands from our poverty. There are a couple of points which I had prepared. The first, and I have already said it, is about learning to love and to be loved. There is another challenge, the challenge of integrity. And the challenge of concern for the environment. This is not only because this country, more than many others, is likely to be seriously affected by climate change. Finally there is the challenge of caring for the poor. Loving the poor. Your bishops want you to look at the poor in a special way this year. Do you think about the poor? Do you do anything for the poor? And do you ask the poor to give you that wisdom which they have? This is what I want to say to you. Pardon me that I read practically nothing of what I had prepared. But there is a phrase which gives me a little bit of consolation: Realities are greater than ideas. Realities are greater than ideas. And the reality which [the young people who spoke] described, your reality, is greater than the ideas which I had prepared. So thank you! Thank you very much! And pray for me! can put off until you are older or have greater responsibilities. Even now you are challenged to act with honesty and fairness in your dealings with others, young and old alike. Do not avoid the challenge! One of the greatest challenges young people face is learning to love. To love means to take a risk: the risk of rejection, the risk of being taken advantage of, or worse, of taking advantage of another. Do not be afraid to love! But in love, too, maintain your integrity! Here too, be honest and fair! In the reading we have just heard, Paul tells Timothy: Let no one have contempt for your youth, CONTINUED ON PA G E 16

15 page 16 L OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 23 January 2015, number 4 Three challenges for a better world CONTINUED FROM PA G E 15 but set an example for those who believe, in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity (1 Tim 4:12). You are called, then, to set a good example, an example of integrity. Naturally, in doing this, you will encounter opposition, negativity, discouragement, and even ridicule. But you have received a gift which enables you to rise above those difficulties. It is the gift of the Holy Spirit. If you nurture this gift by daily prayer and draw strength from sharing in the Eucharist, you will be able to achieve that moral greatness to which Jesus calls you. You will also be a compass for those of your friends who are struggling. I think especially of those young people who are tempted to lose hope, to abandon their high ideals, to drop out of school, or to live from day to day on the streets. So it is essential not to lose your integrity! Not to compromise your ideals! Not to give in to temptations against goodness, holiness, courage and purity! Rise to the challenge! With Christ, you will be indeed you already are! the architects of a renewed and more just Filipino cult u re. A second key area where you are called to make a contribution is in showing concern for the environment. This is not only because this country, more than many others, is likely to be seriously affected by climate change. You are called to care for creation not only as responsible citizens, but also as followers of Christ! Respect for the environment means more than simply using cleaner products or recycling what we use. These are important aspects, but not enough. We need to see, with the eyes of faith, the beauty of Go d s saving plan, the link between the natural environment and the dignity of the human person. Men and women are made in the image and likeness of God, and given dominion over creation (cf. Gen 1:26-28). As stewards of God s creation, we are called to make the earth a beautiful garden for the human family. When we destroy our forests, ravage our soil and pollute our seas, we betray that noble calli n g. Three months ago, your Bishops addressed these issues in a prophetic Pastoral Letter. They asked everyone to think about the moral dimension of our activities and lifestyles, our consumption and our use of the earth s resources. Today I ask you to do this in the context of your own lives and your commitment to the building up of Christ s kingdom. Dear young people, the just use and stewardship of the earth s resources is an urgent task, and you have an important contribution to make. You are the future of the Philippines. Be concerned about what is happening to your beautiful land! A final area in which you can make a contribution is one dear to all of us. It is care for the poor. We are Christians. We are members of Go d s family. No matter how much or how little we have individually, each one of us is called to personally reach out and serve our brothers and sisters in need. There is always someone near us who is in need, materially, emotionally, spiritually. The greatest gift we can give to them is our friendship, our concern, our tenderness, our love for Jesus. To receive Jesus is to have everything; to give him is to give the greatest gift of all. Many of you know what it is to be poor. But many of you have also experienced something of the blessedness that Jesus promised to the poor in spirit (cf. Mt 5:3). Here I would say a word of encouragement and gratitude to those of you who choose to follow our Lord in his poverty through a vocation to the priesthood and the religious life; by drawing on that poverty you will enrich many. But to all of you, especially those who can do more and give more, I ask: Please, do more! Please, give more! When you give of your time, your talents and your resources to the many people who struggle and who live on the margins, you make a difference. It is a difference that is so desperately needed, and one for which you will be richly rewarded by the Lord. For, as he has said: you will have treasure in heaven (Mk 10:21). Twenty years ago, in this very place, St John Paul II said that the world needs a new kind of young p erson one committed to the highest ideals and eager to build the civilization of love. Be those young persons! Never lose your idealism! Be joyful witnesses to God s love and the beautiful plan he has for us, for this country and for the world in which we live. Please pray for me. God bless you all! The Pope consoles the family of the young volunteer who died Tragically, on Saturday in Tacloban, a 27-year-old volunteer named Kristel Padasas was struck dead when scaffolding collapsed due to severe wind from the storm. The Holy Father, grieved to learn of her death, met with her father the following day at the Apostolic Nunciature in Manila before Sunday Mass. All present at the 20-minute encounter were visibly moved. During the meeting they also tried, unsuccessfully, to call her mother in Hong Kong. Kristel s father, Paulino, confided to the Pope that despite being heart-broken, he was consoled at the thought that his daughter died serving other p eople, calling it a meaningful death. When Cardinal Tagle, who was translating, conveyed this to the Pontiff, he was dumb-founded and quietly exclaimed: What faith!. VAT I C A N BULLETIN CONTINUED FROM PA G E 2 of the major seminary of the Chaldeans in Baghdad; lecturer in dogmatic theology at the Babel College; private secretary to the late Patriarch Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly. He moved to the U.S. in 2007 and became a parish priest of St George Chaldean Catholic Church in Michigan. The Holy Father appointed Bishop Nicholas James Samra of Newton for Greek-Melkites, USA, as Apostolic Administrator sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis of the Eparchy of Nuestra Señora del Paraíso en México for Greek-Melkites, Mexico (16 Jan.). The Holy Father accepted the resignation of Archbishop Ignazio Bedini, SDB, of Ispahan for Latins. It was presented in accord with can of the Code of Canon of the Eastern Churches (19 Jan.). The Holy Father appointed Fr Jack Youssef, CM, as Apostolic Administrator sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis of the Archdiocese of Ispahan for Latins (19 Jan.). AUTORITÀ DI INFORMAZIONE FINANZIARIA The Cardinal Secretary of State appointed Mr Tommaso di Ruzza as Director of the Autorità di Informazione Finanziaria (Financial Information Authority). Until now he has been Vice Diretor ad interim of the Autorità di Informazione Finanziaria (21 Jan.). CO N G R E G AT I O N FOR THE DO CTRINE OF THE FAITH With the Rescriptum ex Audientia SS.mi of 3 November 2014, prot. N , the Holy Father established a special Board of the Ordinary Session of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith regarding Appeals. The said Board will be composed of the following members: President: Bishop Charles J. Scicluna, titular Bishop of San Leone, Auxiliary of Malta. Memb ers: Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education; Cardinal Attilio Nicora, Papal Legate to the Basilicas of San Francesco and of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Assisi, President emeritus of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See and of Autorità di Informazione Finanziaria; Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts; Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi, President of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See; Archbishop emeritus José Luis Mollaghan of Rosario, Argentina; Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta Ochoa de Chinchetru, titular Bishop of Civitate, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts. Supplemental Members: Cardinal Julián Herranz, President emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts; Bishop Giorgio Corbellini, titular Bishop of Abula, President of the Labour Office of the Apostolic See and of the Disciplinary Commission of the Roman Curia. STA R T OF MISSION On 26 November 2014, Archbishop Bert van Megen, titular Archbishop of Novaliciana, began his mission as Apostolic Nuncio in Sudan with the presentation of his Letters of Credence to H.E. Mr Omar Hassan Ahmed Al-Bashir, President of the Republic. SPECIAL ENVOY The Holy Father appointed Cardinal Orlando B. Quevedo, OMI, Archbishop of Cotabato, the Philippines, as his Special Envoy to the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of the discovery of the hidden Christians of Japan, to be held in Nagasaki on March 2015 (17 Jan). NECROLO GY Bishop Joseph Mukasa Zuza of Mzuzu, Malawi, at age 59 (15 Jan.) Bishop emeritus José María Hernández González of Netzahualcóyotl, Mexico, at age 88 (19 Jan.)

16 number 4, Friday, 23 January 2015 L OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 17 Before an ocean of people the Pope celebrates Mass concluding his visit to the Philippines All God s children We cannot allow young people to be robbed of hope and condemned to life on the st re e t s Six million people overflowed from Rizal Park in Manila to attend the Mass celebrated by the Holy Father on Sunday, 18 January, concluding his visit to Asia. It was the day that the Church in the Philippines celebrates the Feast of the Santo Niño. The following is the text of the Pope s homily, which he delivered in English. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given (Is 9:5). It is a special joy for me to celebrate Santo Niño Sunday with you. The image of the Holy Child Jesus accompanied the spread of the Gospel in this country from the beginning. Dressed in the robes of a king, crowned and holding the sceptre, the globe and the cross, he continues to remind us of the link between God s Kingdom and the mystery of spiritual childhood. He tells us this in today s Gospel: Whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it (Mk 10:15). The Santo Niño continues to proclaim to us that the light of God s grace has shone upon a world dwelling in darkness. It brings the Good News of our freedom from slavery, and guides us in the paths of peace, right and justice. The Santo Niño also reminds us of our call to spread the reign of Christ throughout the world. In these days, throughout my visit, I have listened to you sing the song: We are all God s children. That is what the Santo Niño tells us. He reminds us of our deepest identity. All of us are God s children, members of God s family. Today St Paul has told us that in Christ we have become God s adopted children, brothers and sisters in Christ. This is who we are. This is our identity. We saw a beautiful expression of this when Filipinos rallied around our brothers and sisters affected by the typhoon. The Apostle tells us that because God chose us, we have been richly blessed! God has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens (Eph 1:3). These words have a special resonance in the Philippines, for it is the foremost Catholic country in Asia; this is itself a special gift of God, a special blessing. But it is also a vocation. Filipinos are called to be outstanding missionaries of the faith in Asia. God chose and blessed us for a purpose: to be holy and blameless in his sight (Eph 1:4). He chose us, each of us to be witnesses of his truth and his justice in this world. He created the world as a beautiful garden and asked us to care for it. But through sin, man has disfigured that natural beauty; through sin, man has also destroyed the unity and beauty of our human family, creating social structures which perpetuate poverty, ignorance and corru p t i o n. Sometimes, when we see the troubles, difficulties and wrongs all around us, we are tempted to give up. It seems that the promises of the Gospel do not apply; they are unreal. But the Bible tells us that the great threat to God s plan for us is, and always has been, the lie. The devil is the father of lies. Often he hides his snares behind the appearance of sophistication, the allure of being mo dern, like everyone else. He distracts us with the lure of ephemeral pleasures, superficial pastimes. And so we squander our God-given gifts by tinkering with gadgets; we squander our money on gambling and drink; we turn in on ourselves. We forget to remain focused on the things that really matter. We forget to remain, at heart, children of God. That is sin: forget, at heart, that we are children of God. For children, as the Lord tells us, have their own wisdom, which is not the wisdom of the world. That is why the message of the Santo Niño is so important. He speaks powerfully to all of us. He reminds us of our deepest identity, of what we are called to be as God s family. The Santo Niño also reminds us that this identity must be protected. The Christ Child is the protector of this great country. When he came into the world, his very life was threatened by a corrupt king. Jesus himself needed to be protected. He had an earthly protector: St Joseph. He had an earthly family, the Holy Family of Nazareth. So he reminds us of the importance of protecting our families, and those larger families which are the Church, Go d s family, and the world, our human family. Sadly, in our day, the family all too often needs to be protected against insidious attacks and programs contrary to all that we hold true and sacred, all that is most beautiful and noble in our culture. In the Gospel, Jesus welcomes children, he embraces them and blesses them (Mk 10:16). We too need to protect, guide and encourage our young people, helping them to build a society worthy of their great spiritual and cultural heritage. Specifically, we need to see each child as a gift to be welcomed, cherished and protected. And we need to care for our young people, not allowing them to be robbed of hope and condemned to life on the s t re e t s. It was a frail child, in need of protection, who brought God s goodness, mercy and justice into the world. He resisted the dishonesty and corruption which are the legacy of sin, and he triumphed over them by the power of his cross. Now, at the end of my visit to the Philippines, I commend you to him, to Jesus who came among us as a child. May he enable all the beloved people of this country to work together, protecting one another, beginning with your families and communities, in building a world of justice, integrity and peace. May the Santo Niño continue to bless the Philippines and to sustain the Christians of this great nation in their vocation to be witnesses and missionaries of the joy of the Gospel, in Asia and in the whole world. Please don t forget to pray for me! God bless! Santo Niño Sunday CONTINUED FROM PA G E 1 tears of a girl who had just told her distressing story, Bergoglio expressed the highest praise for women, asking himself the reason for the suffering of the littlest ones: Sometimes we are too machista ; we don t make room for women. Women are able to see things differently than men. Women can ask questions that we men just don t get. Pay attention. She [pointing to Jun s friend] today asked the one question that do esn t have an answer. And she couldn t say it in words. She had to say it with tears. So that, when the next Pope comes to Manila, there should be more women, he exclaimed. He then equated the girl s tears to those of Jesus weeping, as told many times in the Gosp els. In celebrating the Feast of the Holy Child Jesus at the end of these unforgettable days, while the whole Church prepares for the second Synod on the Family, Francis once again stressed the necessity to protect the family against insidious attacks and programs contrary to all that we hold true and sacred, all that is most beautiful and noble in our c u l t u re, in an effort to decipher Go d s plan for us, the sole purpose of which is to build a world of honesty and peace. G.M.V.

17 page 18 L OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 23 January 2015, number 4 The following is a translation of the transcript of Pope Francis interview during the return flight from Manila to Rome on Monday, 19 January. The meeting was introduced and moderated by Fr Federico Lombardi, SJ. First of all I greet you: good morning, thank you for your work. It was challenging, and as we say in Spanish, pasado por agua [it was very wet]. It is beautiful, and thank you very much for what you have done. Kara David (Filipino group): Th e Filipinos have learned a lot from listening to your messages. Is there something you have learned from the Filipinos? The gestures! The gestures moved me. They are not protocolary gestures, they are good gestures, gestures that are felt, gestures that come from the heart. Some almost make one weep. That s where everything is: faith, love, family, hopes, the future. That gesture of the fathers who lifted their children up for the Pope to bless them. The gesture of a father... there were many. They lifted their children up when we passed by on the road. A gesture which isn t seen in other places, as if to say this is my treasure, this is my future, this is my love, it s worth working for this one, it s worth suffering for this one. It s an original gesture and one that is heartfelt. A second gesture that really struck me is the unfeigned enthusiasm, the joy, the happiness, the capacity to celebrate. Even in the rain, one of the masters of ceremonies told me that he was edified because those who were serving in Tacloban, in the rain, they were never without a smile. It s the joy, unfeigned joy. It wasn t a painted-on smile: no. It was a smile that just came out, and behind that smile there is a normal life: there are sorrows, there are problems... Then there were the gestures of the mothers who brought their sick children. The mothers also brought them there. But the mothers did not lift the children up as high, only up to here [indicating where]. Yes, many disabled children were seen, with disabilities which make quite an impression. They did not hide the children, they brought them to the Pope, for him to bless them: This is my child, he is this way, and he is mine. All mothers know this and they do this. It s the way they did it that struck me. The gesture of fatherhood, of motherhood, of enthusiasm, of joy. T h e re s a word that s difficult for us to understand because it has been vulgarized too much, too often used poorly, misunderstood, but it s a word that has substance: resignation. A people that knows how to suffer, and is capable of getting up and continuing. Yesterday, I was edified by what the father of Kristel, the young volunteer who died in Tacloban, said to me. He said, she died serving, he was seeking words to comfort himself in this situation, to accept it. A people that knows how to suffer, that s what I saw and how I interpreted the gestures. The Pope s inflight interview on the return from Manila to Rome What the poor can teach us Jean Louis de la Vessiere (Frenchspeaking group): Holy Father, you have now gone twice to Asia. The Catholics of Africa have yet to receive a visit from you. You know that from the Central African Republic to Nigeria to Uganda, many faithful who are suffering due to poverty, war, Islamic fundamentalism, hope you will visit this year. So I would like to ask you, when and where are thinking of going? I will respond hypothetically. The plan is to go to the Central African Republic and Uganda. These two, this year. I think that this will be towards the end of the year, because of the weather. They have to calculate when it isn t the rainy season, when there won t be bad weather. This trip has been somewhat delayed, because there has been the problem of Ebola. It is a big responsibility to hold large-scale gatherings, because of the possible contagion. But in these countries there isn t a problem. These are two possibilities for this year. Salvatore Izzo (Italian-speaking g ro u p ): In Manila we were in a very beautiful hotel. Everyone was very nice and we ate very well, but as soon as we left this hotel we were, let s call it, morally accosted, at least by the poverty. We saw children amid the trash, treated, you might say, like trash. Now, I have a six-year-old son who has understood very well what you are teaching us when you say to share with the poor. And, for me it s much more difficult. And for other adults too. A lone cardinal, 40 years ago, left everything in order to go among the lepers (Archbishop Paul-Emile Leger). I wanted to know why it is so difficult to follow that example, even for cardinals? I also wanted to ask you something else. It s about Sri Lanka. There we saw all of the favelas on the way to the airport. Most are Tamils and they are discriminated against. After the massacre in Paris, right after, perhaps rashly, you said there is isolated terrorism and state-sponsored terrorism. What did you mean by statesponsored terrorism? It came to my mind when I saw the discrimination and suffering of these people. When one of you asked me what message I was bringing to the Philippines, I said: the poor. Yes, it s a message that the Church gives today. What you mentioned about Sri Lanka, about the Tamils and discrimination... The poor, the victims of this throwaway culture. This is true. Today, paper and leftovers a re n t all that s thrown away. People are thrown away. And discrimination is a way of throwing away: these people are discarded. And the image of the castes comes to mind. This can t go on. Today, waste seems almost normal. You spoke of the luxury hotel next to the shacks. In my diocese of Buenos Aires, there was the new area called Puerto Madero, up to the train station, and then the start of the Villas Miserias, poor people, one after another. On one side there are 36 upscale restaurants. If you eat there, you pay dearly. Yet over there, there is hunger. One right next to the other. And we have a tendency of getting used to this. Yes, yes, we re here, and over there, are those thrown away. This is poverty. I think the Church must increasingly set the example of refusing every worldliness. To us consecrated, bishops, priests, sisters, laity who truly believe, the gravest sin and the gravest threat is worldliness. It s so unsightly to look at a worldly consecrated, a man of the Church, a sister. It s unsightly. This is not the way of Jesus. It s the way of an NGO that is called C h u rc h but this isn t the Church of Jesus, that N G O. Because the Church is not an NGO but something else. When they become worldly, these people, a part of the Church, she becomes an NGO and she ceases to be the Church. The Church is Christ who died and rose for our salvation; she is the testimony of Christians who follow Christ. That scandal that you ve spoke of is true, yes, many times we scandalize Christians. We cause scandal, whether we are priests or laity, because the way of Jesus is difficult. It s true that the Church needs to strip herself. But you ve made me think about state-sponsored terrorism: that this throwing away could be like terrorism. I honestly haven t ever thought about that, but it makes me think. I don t know what to tell you but those are truly not caresses, truly. It s like saying no, not you, you out. Or, when it happened here in Rome that a homeless man had a abdominal pain. Poor man. When you have abdominal pain you go to the hospital to the emergency unit and they give you an aspirin or something like that and then they give you an appointment for 15 days later, to come after 15 days. Well, he went to a priest, the priest saw him and was moved. He said: I ll take you to the hospital but I want you to do me a favour. When I start explaining what you have, act like you re fainting. That s how it worked. He was an artist. He did well because it was peritonitis. This man had been discarded. If he would have gone alone, he would have been discarded, and he would have died. That parish priest was smart, he really helped him. He was far from worldliness. Is it a kind of terrorism? Well, yes, one could think so... one could think that. And I ll think about it. Thank you, and congratulations to the agency. Jan Cristoph Kitzler (Germanspeaking group): You have spoken of ideological colonization. Would you expand on the concept? You also mentioned Paul VI, speaking of the particular causes that are important to the pastoral care for families. Can you give an example of these particular cases and maybe say also if there is need to open the way, to have a corridor, for these particular cases? Ideological colonization. I ll give just one example that I saw myself. Twenty years ago, in 1995, a minister of education asked for a large loan to build schools for the poor. They gave it to her on the condition that in the schools there would be a book for the children of a certain grade level. It was a school book, a well-thought-out book, didactically speaking, in which gender theory was taught. This woman needed the money but that was the condition. Clever woman, she said yes and made another book as well and gave both of them. And that s how it happened. This is ideological colonization. They introduce an idea to the people that has nothing to do with the people. With groups of people yes, but not with the people. And they colonize the people with an idea which changes, or means to change, a mentality or a structure. During the Synod, the African bishops complained about this. It was the same story, certain loans in exchange for certain conditions I only speak of this case that I have seen. Why do I say ideological colonization? Because they take, they actually take the need of a people to seize an opportunity to enter and grow strong through the children. But this is nothing new. The same was done by the dictatorships of the last century. They entered with their own doctrine. Think of the Balilla, think of the Hitler Youth... They colonized the people, they wanted to do it. So much suffering peoples must not lose their freedom. Each people has its own culture, its own history. Every people has its own culture. But when conditions are imposed by colonizing empires, they seek to make these peoples lose their own identity and create uniformity. This is spherical globalization all points are equidistant from the centre. And true globalization I like to say this is not a sphere. It is important to globalize, but not like the sphere but rather,

18 number 4, Friday, 23 January 2015 L OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 19 like the polyhedron. Namely that each people, every part, preserves its identity without being ideologically colonized. This is ideological colonization. There is a book excuse me I m advertising there is a book, perhaps the style is a bit heavy at the beginning, because it was written in 1907 in London... At that time, the writer had seen this drama of ideological colonization and described it in that book. It is called Lord of the World. The author is Benson, written in I suggest you read it. Reading it, you ll understand well what I mean by ideological colonization. This is the first question. The second: What did I want to say about Paul VI? Openness to life is the condition of the Sacrament of Matrimony. A man cannot give the sacrament to the woman, and the woman give it to him, if they are not in agreement on this point, to be open to life. To the point that it can be proven that this man or this woman did not get married with the intention of being open to life, the matrimony is null. It s a cause of matrimonial nullity. Openness to life. Paul VI studied this with commission, how to help the many cases, many problems, important problems, that are even about love in the family. Everyday problems so many of them... But there was something more. Paul VI s rejection was not only with regard to personal problems, for which he then told confessors to be merciful and understand the situation and forgive, to be understanding and merciful. He was watching the universal Neo- Malthusianism that was in progress. And, how does one recognize this Neo-Malthusianism? It is by the less-than-one percent birth rate in Italy, and the same in Spain: that Neo-Malthusianism which seeks to control humanity by [controlling] its powers. This doesn t mean that a Christian should have a succession of children. I met a woman some months ago in a parish who was pregnant with her eighth child, after having seven caesarean births. Do you want to leave seven orphans? This tempting God. We speak about responsible parenthood. This is the way, responsible parenthood. But, what I wanted to say was that Paul VI did not have an antiquated, closed minded. No, he was a prophet who, with this, told us to beware of Neo-Malthusianism, which is coming. This is what I wanted to say. Thanks. Fr Lombardi: I would like to give some news. We are above China once again. We are thus making it a habit of having these press conferences with the Pope as we fly over China, as happened on the way back from Korea. Valentina Alazraki (Spanish-speaking group): On the flight from Sri Lanka you used the image of the gesture that this poor man Gasbarri might have deserved if he insulted your mother, he would have deserved a punch. Your words were not well understood by everyone in the world and seemed to perhaps justify the use of violence in the face of provocation. Could you explain a little better what you meant to say? In theory, we can say that a violent reaction in the face of an offense or a provocation is not a good thing, one shouldn t do it. In theory, we can say what the Gospel says, that we should turn the other cheek. In theory, we can say that we have freedom of expression, and that s important. In theory, we all agree. But we are human and there s prudence, which is a virtue of human coexistence. I cannot constantly insult, provoke a person continuously, because I risk making him angry, and I risk receiving an unjust reaction, one that is not just. But that s human. For this reason I say that freedom of expression must take into account the human reality and for this reason it must be prudent. It s a way of saying that one must be well-behaved, prudent. Prudence is the human virtue that regulates our relationships. I can go so far, I cannot go further, and there, beyond that no... What I wanted to say is that in theory, we all agree: there is freedom of expression, a violent aggression is not good, it s always bad. We all agree, but in practice, let us stop a little because we are human and we risk provoking others. For this reason freedom must be accompanied by prudence. That s what I wanted to s a y. Nicole Winfield (English-speaking g ro u p ): For the English Group, I would like to ask you again about this year s travels. You already told us that the visit to United States is expected to include three cities: New York, Washington and Philadelphia. Then, with the canonization of Serra, we ask if a stop to California is foreseeable, or to the Mexican border. Then, regarding South America, you told our colleague Elisabetta Piqué that three visits in three Latin American countries or one visit in three countries is foreseeable. Which countries? And are you thinking about personally beatifying Archbishop Romero, who was recently deemed a martyr? I ll start with the last one. There will be a war between Cardinal Amato and Archbishop Paglia! Which one will celebrate the beatification? I personally won t: beatifications are normally carried out by the Cardinal of the dicastery or by another. Let s go from the last question to the first question about the United States. Yes, the three cities are Philadelphia, for the Meeting of Families; New York I already have the date for the visit but I can t remember ; and Washington. Those are the three. I would like to go to California for the canonization of Junipero Serra, but I think there is a problem with time. It would require two more days. I think that I will do that canonization at the Shrine in Washington, it is a national event. In Washington, in the Capitol Building, I believe, there is even a statue of Junipero. To enter the USA from the border of Mexico would be a beautiful thing, as a sign of brotherhood and help for the immigrants. But you know that going to Mexico without going to visit the Madonna would be a drama. A war could break out! And also it would mean three more days, and this is not completely clear. I think there will only be those three cities. Later there will be time to go to Mexico. Have I forgotten something? Three Latin American countries are envisaged? Everything is still in draft form Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay. These three. Next year God willing, I would like to go but nothing is planned yet to go to Chile, Argentina and Uruguay. And we are missing Peru, there, but we don t know where to put it... but that s it. Carla Lim (Filipino group): You mentioned, in some of your speeches, that corruption deprives the people of resources. What can be done to fight corruption, not just in the government, but maybe in the Church as well? That s tough! Today corruption in the world is on the agenda, and the corrupt attitude easily and immediately finds a nest in institutions, because an institution that has so many branches here and there, so many heads and vice-heads that it is possible for corruption to nest there, and every institution can fall into this. Corruption takes away from the people. A corrupt person who makes corrupt deals or governs in a corrupt way or associates with others in order to do corrupt deals, robs the people. The victims are those who Salvatore Izzo saw near the luxury hotel, right? Those are the victims of corruption. Corruption is not closed in on itself; it moves and kills. You see, today corruption is a worldwide problem. Once, in 2001 more or less, I asked the head of the Cabinet of the President at that time t h e re was a government that we thought was not so corrupt, and it was true, the government was not so corrupt : Tell me, the aid you send into the interior of the country, whether it be in cash or food or clothes, all these things, how much arrives at the destination?. Immediately this man, who is a real man, an honest man, said, 35 percent. That s what he told me. The year 2001 in my homeland. And now, corruption in ecclesial institutions. When I speak of the Church I like to speak of the faithful, the baptized, the whole Church. In that case, it s better to speak of sinners. We are all sinners. But when we speak of corruption, we speak either of dishonest people or of institutions in the Church that fall into corruption. And there are cases, yes, there are. I remember once, in 1994, right after I had been appointed Bishop of the Flores, a district of Buenos Aires, two employees or functionaries of a ministry came to me and said, you will need so much with so many poor here in the Villas Miserias.... Oh yes. I said, and I explained. We can help you. We have, if you want, a subsidy of 400,000 pesos. At that time, the exchange rate with the dollar was one to one. $400,000. Can you do that?. Yes, yes. I listened because, when the offer is so big, even a Saint suspects something. But they went on: To do this, we make the deposit and then you give us half for ourselves. At that moment I thought about what I should do: either I insult them and give them a kick where the sun doesn t shine, or I play dumb. I played dumb and said, truthfully, you know we at the Vicariate don t have an account; you have to make the deposit at the archdiocesan office with a receipt. And that was it. Oh, we didn t know... it has been a pleasu re..., and they left. But later I thought, if these two came directly, without even asking for permission it s a bad thought it s because someone else said yes. But it s a bad thought!... It s easy to be corrupt. Let s remember this: sinners yes, dishonesty no! Never court corruption! We must ask pardon for those Catholics, those Christians, who scandalize with their corruption. It s a wound in the Church. But there are so many saints, and sinner saints, but not corrupt. Let s look at the other side, too: the Church is holy! There are some here too... Thank you for having the courage to ask this question. Anais Feuga (French-speaking g ro u p ): We are flying over China. On your way to Korea, you said that you would be ready to go to China tomorrow. In the light of this, can you explain to us why you didn t receive the Dalai Lama when he was in Rome recently, and where relations with China presently stand? Thank you for this question. It is the practice, following the protocol of the Secretariat of State, not to receive heads of state or personages of that level when they are in Rome for an international meeting. For example, at the time of the FA O meeting, I did not receive anyone. That is why he wasn t received. I saw that some newspapers stated I didn t receive him for fear of China. That is not true. At the time, this was the reason. He requested an audience and he was given a date at a certain point. He had requested it before, but not for that moment, and we are in contact. The reason was not to refuse him personally or fear of China. Yes, we are open, we want peace with everyone. Where do relations stand? The Chinese government is respectful and we are respectful, and we do things one step at a time, as historic- CONTINUED ON PA G E 20

19 page 20 L OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 23 January 2015, number 4 What the poor teach us CONTINUED FROM PA G E 19 ally things have been done. We don t know yet, but they know I am ready both to receive and to go. They know. Marco Ansaldo (Italian-speaking g ro u p ): Terrorism strikes Christianity, Catholics in many parts of the world. On our last visit, returning from Turkey, you launched an Appeal to Islamic leaders, saying that a step, a very firm intervention from them was needed. Now, it does not seem to me that this has received due consideration and been welcomed, despite your words. I do not know whether you have had the occasion to reflect and think about how to reframe your invitation over this past one month and a half, since your important Appeal was not welcomed. You, or someone on your behalf, I see here Archbishop Becciu or Cardinal Parolin, because this is a problem that will keep on questioning us. I even repeated that Appeal to the Diplomatic Corps on the morning of the very day I left for Sri Lanka. In my speech to the Diplomatic Corps, I said that I hope that more or less, I don t remember the exact words religious, political, academic and intellectual leaders will express themselves on the issue. Moderate Muslim people, too, ask that of their leaders. Some have done something. I also think that we should allow them some time: their situation is not easy. I am hopeful, since there are many good people among them, many good leaders. I am sure we will achieve it. But I wanted to underscore what I repeated on the day I departed from Rome. Christoph Schmidt (German-speaking group): You spoke of the great numbers of children in the Philippines, and about how happy you were that there are so many children. But according to several polls, the majority of Filipinos think that the enormous growth of the Filipino population is one of the most important reasons for the immense poverty in the country. In the Philippines, on average, one woman gives birth to more than three children in her lifetime, and the Catholic position regarding contraception appears to be one of the few questions on which a great number of people in the Philippines do not agree with the Church. What are your thoughts on that? I believe that the number of three per family, which you mentioned, is important, according to the experts, for maintaining the population. Three per couple. When it is below this level, you have the other extreme, as for example in Italy, where I have heard I don t know if it is true that in 2024 there will be no money left to pay pensioners. Population decrease. That is why the key phrase for responding is one which the Church constantly uses, as I do: it is responsible parenthood. How does this work? With dialogue. Each person with his or her pastor has to try to exercise this responsible parentho o d. The example I mentioned just now, about the woman who was expecting her eighth child and already had seven caesarean births: this is a form of irresponsibility. [Some might say:] No, I trust in God. But, look, God gives you the means, be responsible. Some people believe that pardon my language in order to be good Catholics, we should be like rabbits. No. Responsible parenthood. This is clear and it is the reason why in the Church there are marriage groups, there are experts in this area, there are pastors, and people are trying. And I know of any number of solutions which are licit and have helped for this. You did well to ask me this. Something else is curious, which does not have to do with this directly, but is in fact related. For very poor people, a child is a treasure. True enough, here too one needs to be prudent. But for them a child is a treasure. God knows how to help them. Maybe some are not prudent in this area, that is true. Responsible parenthood. But we also need to consider the generosity of those fathers and mothers who see in every child a treasure. Elisabetta Pique (Spanish-speaking group): This was a moving visit for everyone. We saw people crying the entire time in Tacloban, even we journalists cried. Yesterday you said the world needs to cry. We would like to ask you, what was and it was all very moving what was for you the most moving moment? That is the first question. The second, yesterday you made history, you surpassed the record set by John Paul II, in the same place, there were 6 or 7 million people. How does this feel? Cardinal Tagle was telling us that during the Mass in front of the altar you asked him, how many people are h e re?. How does it feel to have surpassed this record, to have entered history as the Pope with the highest-attended Mass in history? First: the most moving moment. For me, the Mass in Tacloban was very moving. Very moving. To see all of God s people standing there, praying, after this catastrophe, thinking about my sins and about those people... It was moving, a very moving moment. During the Mass there, I felt as though I had been wiped out, I almost couldn t speak. I don t know what happened to me, maybe it was the emotion, I don t know. But I didn t feel anything else. It was like being wiped out. And then, the moving moments: the gestures were moving. Every gesture. When I passed, a father would do this [gestures lifting up a child] and I blessed him, he would say thank you, for them a blessing was enough. I thought: and I, who have so many expectations, that I want this and I want that... That was good for me!... Moving moments. After I found out that we landed in Greeting his mother The Holy Father left Manila on Monday, 19 January, at 9:49 local time and landed in Rome at 5:38 pm. Before reentering the Vatican, Francis, as is his custom, first stopped at the Basilica of St Mary Major to give thanks to Our Lady, Salus populi Romani, thus officially concluding his Apostolic Visit to Asia. Tacloban with winds of 70 kilometres per hour, I took the warning seriously: that we needed to leave no later than one o clock because it was dangerous. But I wasn t afraid. Regarding the great turnout, I felt so wiped out. These were God s people, and the Lord was there. It is the joy of the presence of God who tells us: think on it well, that you are servants of these people... these people are the protagonists... The other thing is the weeping. One of the things that is lost when there is too much wealth or when values are misunderstood or we have become accustomed to injustice, to this throwaway culture, is the capacity to weep. This is a grace we must ask for. There is a beautiful prayer for tears in the old Missal. It went more or less like this: O Lord, you who made it so that Moses, with his staff, made water flow from the rock, make it so that the water of tears may flow from the rock that is my heart. It s a beautiful prayer! We Christians must ask for the grace to weep. Especially wealthy Christians. To weep about injustice and to weep about sins. Because weeping opens you to understand new realities or new dimensions of reality. This is what the girl said, and also what I said to her. She was the only one to ask that question to which there is no answer: why do children suffer?. The great Dostoyevsky asked himself this, and he could not answer. Why do children suffer? She, with her weeping, a woman who was weeping. When I say it is important that women be given more consideration in the Church, it s not only to give them a position as secretary of a dicastery, although this might be fine. No, it s so that they may tell us how they experience and view reality. Because women view things from a different richness, a larger one. Another thing I would like to underscore is what I said to the last young man [in the meeting with young people], who truly works well, he gives, he organizes, he helps the poor. But don t forget I said to him that we too need to be beggars in regard to them. Because the poor evangelize us. If we remove the poor from the Gospel, we cannot understand Jesus message. The poor evangelize us. I go to evangelize the poor. Yes, but allow them to evangelize you! Because they have values that you don t have. I thank you very much for your work, I value it. Thank you very much. I know it is a sacrifice for you.