VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 146
DATE 03-09-2014

Summary:
- MARY: MODEL OF MOTHERLY COURAGE FOR THE CHURCH
- TO THE FAITHFUL OF IRAQ: THE CHURCH SUFFERS BY YOUR SIDE AND IS PROUD OF YOU
- HOLY FATHER'S CALENDAR FOR SEPTEMBER
- POPE FRANCIS' ACTIVITIES IN AUGUST
- ACTIVITIES OF THE HOLY SEE IN AUGUST

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 MARY: MODEL OF MOTHERLY COURAGE FOR THE CHURCH
 Vatican City, 3 September 2014 (VIS) - "We do not become Christians
by ourselves, of our own will, autonomously, but rather we are generated
and grow in faith within the great body of the Church", said Pope
Francis during this morning's general audience. "The Church is truly a
mother, a mother who gives life in Christ and who enables us to live with
all our brethren in the communion of the Holy Spirit".
 The Holy Father explained that the Church has a model for this maternity
in the Virgin Mary. "The maternity of the Church is in continuity with
that of Mary. ... The Church, in the fruitfulness of the Spirit, continues
to generate new sons and daughters in Christ. .. The birth of Jesus from
Mary's womb is indeed the prelude to the rebirth of every Christian and He
is the first-born of a multitude of brothers. Therefore, we are able to
understand the depth of the relationship between Mary and the Church; when
we look to Mary, we see the most beautiful and most tender face of the
Church; when we look to the Church, we recognise the sublime features of
Mary. We Christians are not orphans".
 He remarked that the Church is our mother as she gave birth to us in our
Baptism, and, "since that day, like an affectionate mother, brings us
up in faith and shows us, through the strength of God's Word, the path of
salvation, defending us from evil". The maternity of the Church is
particularly evident in the service of evangelisation, in which she is
"committed, like a mother, to offering her sons the spiritual
nourishment that nurtures them and renders Christian life fruitful. The
path of salvation, by which the Church guides us and accompanies us with
the strength of the Gospel and the support of the Sacraments, gives us the
capacity to defend ourselves against evil, like a courageous mother who
protects her children from danger.
 The Pope warned that, although God has defeated Satan, he always returns
with his temptations. "We must not be ingenuous", he said,
"but must instead remain vigilant and firm in our faith, with the
counsel and the help of the mother Church who ... accompanies her children
in difficult moments". Similarly, Francis encouraged those present to
remember that we, all baptised persons, are the Church, and must not be
afraid to bear witness to this maternity. "Let us entrust ourselves to
Mary", he concluded, "so that she may teach us to have the same
maternal spirit towards our brethren, with a sincere capacity to accept,
forgive, give strength and infuse trust and hope".

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 TO THE FAITHFUL OF IRAQ: THE CHURCH SUFFERS BY YOUR SIDE AND IS PROUD OF YOU
 Vatican City, 3 September 2014 (VIS) - In his greetings in various
languages, following his catechesis during today's general audience, the
Pope addressed Arab-speaking pilgrims, especially those from Iraq,
reminding them that the Church is a mother and therefore, like all mothers,
know how to accompany her child when in need, to seek him out when he is
lost, and to "defend the defenceless and persecuted".
"Today, I especially wish to assure the latter, the defenceless and
persecuted, of my closeness - you are in the heart of the Church, the
Church suffers with you and is proud of you, proud to have sons and
daughters like you. You are the strength and the concrete and authentic
example of her message of salvation, forgiveness and love. I embrace all of
you, all of you. May the Lord bless you and protect you always".
 He went on to address Polish-speaking pilgrims and recalled that, during
these days various cities in Poland commemorate the 75th anniversary of the
outbreak of the Second World War. "Let us entrust to God's mercy those
who lost their lives for the love of their homeland and their brothers, and
let us invoke the gift of peace in all the nations of Europe and throughout
the world, by the intercession of Mary, Queen of Peace".
 Finally, he greeted the faithful from the Italian diocese of
Terni-Narni-Amelia, to whom he expressed his concerns regarding the
difficult situation experienced by many families in Terni due to the plans
of the Thyssenkrupp Corporation, and renewed his appeal that "the
logic of profit may not prevail, but rather that of solidarity and justice.
The person and his or her dignity is at the heart of every issue, including
that of work. We must not joke about work. Those who, for the sake of
money, business and greater profit, leave people without work, must be
aware that this means removing their dignity".

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 HOLY FATHER'S CALENDAR FOR SEPTEMBER
 Vatican City, 3 September 2014 (VIS) - The Office of Liturgical
Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff has published the following calendar of
liturgical celebrations at which the Holy Father will preside during the
month of September:
 Saturday, 13: Pastoral visit to the military monument of Redipuglia,
Italy, and Holy Mass.
 Sunday, 14: Festivity of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. 9 a.m., in St.
Peter's Basilica, Holy Mass with the rite of marriage.
 Sunday, 21: Apostolic trip to Albania.
 Sunday, 28: 10.30 a.m. in St. Peter's Square, Holy Mass with the elderly.

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 POPE FRANCIS' ACTIVITIES IN AUGUST
 Vatican City, 3 September 2014 (VIS) - The following is a list of Pope
Francis' activities during the month of August, including the Angelus,
audiences, other pontifical acts, telegrams, messages and other news. The
activities are presented in chronological order within the respective
categories.
 ANGELUS
 3: Francis comments on the three messages that Jesus offers with the
multiplication of the loaves and the fishes: compassion, sharing and the
Eucharist. In this Gospel reading, Christ shows us the path which will
enable us to face the needs of this world in a brotherly way, and which
will lead us beyond this world.
 10: The Gospel tells that Jesus walks on water and, when Peter tests him,
he too is able to walk on water. "Jesus tells us that we are able to
perform miracles with our faith, faith in God, faith in His Word, faith in
His voice".
 24: Simon, in the name of the the Twelve, professes his faith in Jesus as
"the Christ, the Son of the living God"; Jesus calls him
"blessed" for his faith, recognising that this is a special gift
from the Father, and says to him, "you are Peter, and on this rock I
will build my Church". The Pope explains that "the Lord intends
to construct, to imagine his community, as a building. Therefore, when he
hears Simon's sincere profession of faith, he calls him a 'rock' and
declares his intention to build His Church on this faith".
 31: Jesus, after ensuring that Peter and the other eleven disciples
believe in Him as the Messiah and Son of God, begins to explain that He
must go to Jerusalem where He will suffer greatly, will die, and will rise
again on the third day. "It is a critical moment in which Jesus' and
the disciples' method of thinking emerges".
 WEDNESDAY GENERAL AUDIENCES
 6: The Pope describes the Church as the new People of God, founded on the
new Covenant sealed with the blood of Jesus, and emphasises the importance
of John the Baptist as he prepares the people to receive Jesus.
 20: First General Audience following the Holy Father's return from Korea.
Francis recounts to the faithful the main events of his visit - the
beatification of 124 martyrs and his meeting with the young, which enabled
him to present the Church as a family which transmits to the new
generations the faith received from their ancestors.
 27: "When we recite the Creed", says the Pope, "we say that
the Church is 'one', and 'holy', even though we know from experience that
she is made up of sinners and there is no lack of divisions". Francis
recalls that "in a Christian community, division is one of the most
serious sins, as it does not allow God to act".
 MESSAGES AND TELEGRAMS
 4: Message from the Pope to Scouts in Europe to mark the Eurojamboree,
held in Saint-Evroult-Notre-Dame-du-Bois in Normandy, France from 1 to 10
August 2014.
 4: Telegram of condolences from the Holy Father for the death of Cardinal
Edward Bede Clancy, titular of Santa Maria in Vallicella, archbishop
emeritus of Sydney, Australia.
 6: Message from the Holy Father to the 1st Latin-American Congress for
Family Pastoral, held in Panama from 4 to 9 August.
 9: Letter from Pope Francis to his special envoy to the celebration of the
3rd (WACOM III), which took place in Bogota, Colombia from 15 to 19 August.
 11: Video message from Pope Francis broadcast in Korea by the KBS on the
occasion of his apostolic trip to the Republic of Korea for the 6th Asian
Youth Day.
 11: Telegram of condolences from the Holy Father to the victims of the air
crash at the international airport of Mehrabad-Teheran, Iran.
 13: Letter from the Pope to the Secretary General of the United Nations,
Ban Ki-Moon, on the dramatic situation unfolding in the north of Iraq.
 18: Letter from the Holy Father to the special envoy to the solemn
Eucharistic Celebration to mark the 250th anniversary of the foundation of
St. Louis in the U.S.A., on 24 August.
 22: Telegram from the Pope for the death in Novi, Michigan, U.S.A. of
Cardinal Edmund Casimir Szoka, title of Sts. Andrew and Gregory at Monte
Celio, president emeritus of the Pontifical Commission for the Governorate
of Vatican City State.
 23: Message from the Holy Father for the 35th edition of the Summer
Festival for Friendship Among Peoples, held on 24 August in Rimini, Italy,
on the theme: "To the ends of the world and of existence. Destiny has
not left man alone".
 25: Telegram from the Pope on the occasion of the Synod of the Waldensian
Methodist Church, which began on 24 August in Torre Pellice, Piedmont,
Italy.

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