The Pontiff went on to remark that in today's provisional culture, care
must be taken not to lose sight of the definitive. "We are afraid of
the definitive. And to choose a vocation, any vocation, including vocations
that involve a 'state' such as marriage, consecrated life, the priesthood,
one must choose with a view to the definitive. This is contrary to the
culture of the provisional. It is a part of the culture in which we must
live in this time, but we must live through this and conquer it".
 In conclusion, the Pope encouraged all present to sing the "Salve
Regina" and imparted his blessing to all the young people and their
families, asking them to pray for him.

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 MADAGASCAR: THE CATHOLIC CHURCH'S POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION ON THE PATH TO
RECONCILIATION AND STABILITY
 Vatican City, 28 June 2014 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican Apostolic
Palace the Holy Father Francis received in audience the president of the
Republic of Madagascar, Hery Martial Rajaonarimampianina, who subsequently
met with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by Msgr.
Antoine Camilleri, under-secretary for Relations with States.
 During the cordial discussions, after expressing satisfaction with the
good relations between the Holy See and the Republic of Madagascar, the
Parties focused on the current phase of recovery within the country,
underlining the positive contribution of the Catholic Church on the path to
national reconciliation and political stability, as well as her
contribution in the education and healthcare sectors. Themes of common
interest were then considered, such as the struggle against poverty and
social inequality.
 Mention was made of the international situation and the conflicts
affecting various regions in the world.

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 ECUMENISM: LET US SEE OURSELVES ACCORDING TO GOD'S PLAN, NOT THE
HISTORICAL CONSEQUENCES OF OUR SINS
 Vatican City, 28 June 2014 (VIS) - The Solemnity of the Holy Patrons of
the Church of Rome, the Apostles Peter and Paul, again provided Pope
Francis the opportunity to meet with a delegation from the Ecumenical
Patriarchate of Constantinople, which always visits Rome on this date. In
exchange, a delegation from the Vatican visits Instanbul, Turkey, every 30
November, St. Andrew's Day.
 On this occasion the delegation was headed by the metropolitan of Pergamo,
Ioannis (Zizioulas), co-president of the international mixed Commission for
theological dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church,
who was accompanied by Archbishop Job de Telmissos and the patriarchal
archdeacon John Chryssavgis.
 The Holy Father recalled with great affection his "beloved
brother" Bartholomaios, with whom he shared his recent pilgrimage to
the Holy Land, during which they were able to repeat the historical embrace
between their predecessors, Athenagoras I and Paul VI, which took place
fifty years ago in the holy city of Jerusalem. "That prophetic gesture
gave a decisive impulse to a journey which, thank God, has never
ceased", remarked Pope Francis. "I consider it a special gift
from the Lord that we were able to venerate the holy places together and to
pray at each other's side at the place of Christ's burial, where we can
actually touch the foundation of our hope". The joy of their common
prayer was then renewed during the recent meeting in the Vatican Gardens
where they joined in prayer, together with the Presidents of Israel and
Palestine, to invoke the gift of peace in the Holy Land".
 "The Lord granted us these occasions of fraternal encounter, in which
we were able to express the love uniting us in Christ, and to renew our
mutual desire to walk together along the path to full unity",
continued the Holy Father. "We know very well that this unity is a
gift of God, a gift that even now the Almighty grants us the grace to
attain whenever, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we choose to look at one
another with the eyes of faith and to see ourselves as we truly are in
God's plan, according to the designs of his eternal will, and not what we
have become as a result of the historical consequences of our sins. If all
of us can learn, prompted by the Spirit, to look at one another in God, our
path will be even straighter and our cooperation all the more easy in the
many areas of daily life which already happily unite us".
 This theological vision "is nourished by faith, hope and love; it
gives rise to an authentic theological reflection which is truly 'scientia
Dei', a participation in that vision which God has of himself and of us. It
is a reflection which can only bring us closer to one another on the path
of unity, despite our differing starting points. I hope and I pray, then,
that the work of the Joint International Commission can be a sign of this
profound understanding, this theology 'on its knees'. In this way, the
Commission's reflections on the concepts of primacy and synodality,
communion in the universal Church and the ministry of the Bishop of Rome
will not be an academic exercise or a mere debate about irreconcilable
positions. All of us need, with courage and confidence, to be open to the
working of the Holy Spirit. We need to let ourselves be caught up in
Christ's loving gaze upon the Church, his Bride, in our journey of
spiritual ecumenism. It is a journey upheld by the martyrdom of so many of
our brothers and sisters who, by their witness to Jesus Christ the Lord,
have brought about an ecumenism of blood", concluded the Pope.

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 THE POPE CANCELS HIS VISIT TO THE GEMELLI HOSPITAL
 Vatican City, 28 June 2014 (VIS) - Pope Francis did not make his scheduled
visit to Rome's Agostino Gemelli Hospital on Friday afternoon due to a mild
indisposition. The Mass at which the Holy Father was expected to preside
was instead celebrated by Cardinal Angelo Scola, archbishop of Milan, who
also pronounced the homily prepared by the Pontiff.
 The director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J.,
confirmed the Holy Father's engagements planned for Saturday 28 and Sunday
29 and emphasised that there is no cause for concern regarding the Pope's
health.

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 GOD IS NOT AFRAID OF HIS BONDS WITH US
 Vatican City, 28 June 2014 (VIS) - Below are extensive extracts from the
homily the Holy Father prepared for his planned visit to the Roman
"Agostino Gemelli" Hospital, which he did not attend due to a
mild indisposition. The homily was read on behalf of the Pontiff by
Cardinal Angelo Scola, archbishop of Milan, during the Mass celebrated at
the hospital yesterday.
 "God is bound to us, He chose us, and this bond is for ever, not
because we are faithful but because the Lord is faithful and tolerates our
infidelity, our slowness, our lapses. God is not afraid of bonding with us.
... He loves these bonds, he creates bonds; bonds which free, rather than
constrain".
 "Nowadays, in particular, fidelity is a value under threat, as we are
induced always to seek change, presumed novelty, negotiating the roots of
our existence, of our faith. Without fidelity to its roots, however, a
society does not move ahead; it may make great technical progress, but not
the full progress of all man and all humankind. God's faithful love towards
His people was made manifest and fully realised in Jesus Christ ... [who]
remains faithful and never betrays; even when we err, He always awaits us
to forgive us: He is the face of the merciful Father".
 "This love, this faithfulness to the Lord demonstrates the humility
of His heart. ... We are able to experience and savour the tenderness of
this love in every phase of life: in times of joy and of sadness, in times
of health and of infirmity and sickness. God's faithfulness teaches us to
welcome life as a manifestation of His love and enables us to bear witness
to this love to our brethren in humble and meek service. This is what the
doctors and paramedical staff in this hospital, which belongs to the
Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, are especially called upon to do.
Here, each one of you brings to the sick a little of the love from Christ's
Heart, and you do so with competence and professionalism. This means
staying faithful to the fundamental values that Fr. Gemelli placed at the
base of this university for Italian Catholics, to unite scientific research
enlightened by faith to the preparation of qualified Christian
professionals".

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 THE AIF SIGNS INFORMATION SHARING AGREEMENT WITH THE USA OFFICE OF THE
COMPTROLLER OF THE CURRENCY
 Vatican City, 30 June 2014 (VIS) - The Autorit  Informazione Finanziaria
(AIF), the Financial Intelligence Authority of the Holy See and Vatican
City State, has signed an agreement to exchange information with the US
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).
 This Information Sharing Exchange of Letters is the first bilateral
agreement of AIF in its role as Financial Supervisor and Regulator within
the Holy See and Vatican City State. It represents a significant
strengthening of international cooperation between the Holy See and the
United States of America.
 "This is a further step in Holy See's efforts towards perfecting a
system of financial regulation and part of our commitment to transparency
and international cooperation," said Rene Bruelhart, the Director of
AIF. "The Holy See is part of the global family of well-regulated
jurisdictions and the signing of this agreement reflects that very
clearly."
 The agreement with the OCC follows the passing of the new law regarding
financial activities in the Holy See, Law XVIII, in October 2013 and the
enactment of AIF's new statute in November 2013, which introduced a new
supervisory function as part of AIF's mandate.
 AIF expects further bilateral agreements with financial supervisors and
regulators of other countries to follow in due course, and continues in its
efforts to strengthen its own regulatory infrastructure in fostering
international cooperation.
 The OCC is an independent authority within the Treasury Department of the
United States and serves to charter, regulate and supervise all national
banks and the federal branches and agencies of foreign banks in the United
States.
 AIF is the competent authority of the Holy See and Vatican City State to
fight money laundering and the financing of terrorism. According to its
mandate, AIF has a double role and acts both as Financial Supervisor and
Regulator as well as Financial Intelligence Unit. In its function as
Financial Intelligence Unit, AIF became a member of the Egmont Group in
July 2013, and has already signed MOUs with the Financial Intelligence
Units of more than a dozen countries, including the U.K., the United
States, France, Spain, Italy and Germany. It was established in 2010 and
became operational in 2011.

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 AUDIENCES
 Vatican City, 30 June 2014 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father received in audience:
 - Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith.
 - Archbishop Jean-Paul Gobel, apostolic nuncio in the Arab Republic of
Egypt, delegate of the Holy See to the League of Arab States.
 - Archbishop Marek Zalewski, apostolic nuncio in Zimbabwe, with members of
his family.
 - Archbishop Hubertus Matheus Maria van Megen, apostolic nuncio in Sudan
and Eritrea.
 - Archbishop Daniel Fernando Sturla Berhouet of Montevideo, Uruguay.
 - Charles Ghislain, ambassador of Belgium, on his farewell visit.
 - Fernando Felipe Sanchez Campos, ambassador of Costa Rica, on his farewell visit.
 - Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the
Apostolic Signatura.
 On Saturday, 28 June, the Holy Father received in audience:
 - Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
 - Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski, president of the Pontifical Council for
Health Care Workers (Health Care Pastoral).
 - Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity.

___________________________________________________________

 OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
 Vatican City, 28 June 2014 (VIS) - The Holy Father has appointed Msgr.
Gennaro Acampa as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Naples (area 274,
population 1,744,000, Catholics 1,715,000, priests 287, permanent deacons
292, religious 3,413), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Naples, Italy in
1945 and was ordained a priest in 1968. He holds a licentiate in sacred
theology from the Pontifical Theological Faculty of Southern Italy. He has
served in a number of pastoral roles, including priest in the parish of
Sacro Cuore di Gesu in Santa Maria Ognibene, spiritual father of the
"Paul VI" minor seminary; spiritual father for aspiring permanent
deacons, dean of the 1st deanery of the archdiocese of Naples and member of
the diocesan presbyteral council. He is currently curate prepositor of the
Collegiate Parish of San Giovanni Maggiore in Naples and episcopal vicar
for the clergy and for formation.

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