VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - No. 65
DATE 07-04-2014

Summary:
- TO THE BISHOPS OF TANZANIA: YOUR EXAMPLE INSPIRES THOSE WHO LONG FOR PEACE
- BRAZILIANS STOLE MY HEART, SAYS THE POPE
- POPE FRANCIS APPROVES THE RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE FUTURE OF THE IOR
- AFRICA PAYS HOMAGE TO JOHN XXIII AND JOHN PAUL II
- VISIT TO THE ROMAN PARISH OF ST. GREGORY THE GREAT
- POPE FRANCIS: JESUS DOES NOT RESIGN HIMSELF TO ANY TOMB
- THE POPE GIVES A POCKET-SIZED GOSPEL: FREELY RECEIVE, FREELY GIVE!
- POPE'S AUDIENCE WITH THE PRESIDENT OF LIBERIA: APPRECIATION FOR THE
CHURCH'S COMMITMENT TO PEACE
- THE POPE TO ITALIAN MAYORS: BE MEDIATORS, NOT INTERMEDIARIES
- COMMUNIQUE FROM THESECRETARIAT FOR THE ECONOMY
- POPE FRANCIS' NEXT PASTORAL VISITS IN ITALY
- AUDIENCES
- OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

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 TO THE BISHOPS OF TANZANIA: YOUR EXAMPLE INSPIRES THOSE WHO LONG FOR PEACE
 Vatican City, 7 April 2014 (VIS) –     This morning Pope Francis received
in audience the bishops of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference, at the end of
their five-yearly “ad limina” visit and, in the written address that he
handed to them, he praises “the impressive history of missionary work
throughout the region”, encouraging the prelates to “maintain and foster
this missionary imperative, so that the Gospel may increasingly permeate
every work of the apostolate and shed its light on all areas of Tanzanian
society”.
 “The work of evangelisation in Tanzania, then, is not merely a remarkable
event of the past”, he writes; “no, it happens every day in the Church’s
pastoral work in parishes, in the liturgy, in the reception of the
sacraments, the educational apostolate, health care initiatives,
catechesis, and in the lives of ordinary Christians”. The Pope mentions in
particular the witness of healthcare workers who “care for those suffering
from HIV/AIDS, and by all who strive diligently to educate people in the
area of sexual responsibility and  chastity”, and “all those who devote
themselves to the integral development of the poor, and in particular, of
destitute women and children”. He exclaims, “May the Holy Spirit who gave
strength, wisdom and holiness to the first missionaries in Tanzania
continue to inspire the entire local Church in this vital witness”.
 He also repeats the importance of “holy, well-educated and zealous
priests” and of ensuring they “receive an adequate human, spiritual,
intellectual and pastoral formation”. With reference to the role of the
laity, he asks that bishops make special efforts to “provide catechists
with a comprehensive understanding of the Church’s doctrine. This will
equip them not only to counter the challenges of superstition, aggressive
sects and secularism, but even more importantly,to share the beauty and
richness of the Catholic faith with others, particularly the young”.
 With regard to the theme of the family, Pope Francis affirms that “The
gift that healthy families represent is felt with particular vitality in
Africa” and recalls that “the Church’s love for, and pastoral solicitude
towards the family is at the heart of the new evangelisation. … By
promoting prayer, marital fidelity, monogamy, purity and humble service to
one another within families, the Church continues to make an invaluable
contribution to the social welfare of Tanzania, one which, coupled with her
educational and healthcare apostolates, will surely foster greater
stability and progress in your country. There is scarcely a finer service
which the Church can offer than to give witness to our conviction of the
sanctity of God’s gift of life and to the essential role played by
spiritual and stable families in preparing the younger generations to live
virtuous lives and to face the challenges of thefuture with wisdom, courage
and generosity”.
 He concludes, “I am particularly encouraged to know that Tanzania is
committed to ensuring the freedom that followers of various religions enjoy
to practice their faith. The ongoing protection and promotion of this
fundamental human right strengthens society by enabling believers, in
fidelity to the dictates of their conscience and in respect for the dignity
and rights of all, to advance social unity, peace and the common good. I am
grateful for your ongoing efforts to promote forgiveness, peace and
dialogue as you shepherd your people in difficult situations of intolerance
and, at times, of violence and persecution. … I urge you also to work with
government and civic institutions in this area so as to ensure that the
rule of law prevails as an indispensable means for guaranteeing just and
pacific social relations. I pray that your example, and that of the entire
Church in your country, will continue to inspire all peopleof good will who
long for peace”.

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 BRAZILIANS STOLE MY HEART, SAYS THE POPE
 Vatican City, 7 April 2014 (VIS) – The organising committee for the 28th
World Youth Day (Rio de Janeiro, July 2013), led by Cardinal Orani Joao
Tempesta, archbishop of San Paulo, was received in audience this morning by
Pope Francis.
 The Pontiff joked that the Brazilian people were thieves since they had
“stolen his heart”, and he also took the opportunity to thank the Committee
for this “theft”, since it helped quell his longing for Brazil.
 He went on to talk about the difficulty of organising an event as large as
the World Youth Day in Rio, and referred to the miracle of the
multiplication of the loaves and fishes, when Jesus asked the apostles to
give food to the crowd, a clearly impossible task. “However”, he said, “the
apostles were generous even though it was impossible. They gave the Lord
everything they had, and Jesus multiplied their efforts. Is this not what
happened on World Youth Day?”
 “However, we must not only look back; we must also look to the future,
strengthened by the surety that God will always multiply our efforts. Jesus
says to us repeatedly, 'You give them something to eat'. So this miracle
that we experienced on World Youth Day should be repeated every day, in
every parish, in every community, in the personal apostolate of each one of
us! We cannot rest easy knowing that many of our brethren live without
power, light or the comfort of friendship with Jesus Christ, without a
community of faith to welcome them, without a horizon of meaning and life”.
Therefore, it is necessary to think again about these three ideas that, in
a sense, summarise the entire meaning of World Youth Day: go, without fear,
to serve. We must be an 'outreach Church', like missionary disciples who
are not afraid to encounter difficulties, because they have already seen
that the Lord multiplies ourefforts, and for this reason we must always be
motivated to serve, giving of ourselves without reserve, full of the joy of
the Gospel”.

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 POPE FRANCIS APPROVES THE RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE FUTURE OF THE IOR
 Vatican City, 7 April 2014 (VIS) – The Holy Father has approved a proposal
on the future of the Istituto per le Opere di Religione (IOR), reaffirming
the importance of the IOR’s mission for the good of the Catholic Church,
the Holy See and the Vatican City State.
 The proposal has been jointly developed by representatives of the
Pontifical Referring Commission to the IOR (CRIOR), the Pontifical
Commission for Reference on the Organization of the Economic-
Administrative Structure of the Holy See (COSEA), the IOR’s Commission of
Cardinals and the IOR Board of Superintendence and presented to the Holy
Father by the Cardinal-Prefect for the Secretariat for the Economy with the
consent of Cardinal Santos Abril Y Castello, President of the IOR’s
Commission of Cardinals. It is drawn from information on the legal status
of the IOR and its operations gathered by and presented to the Holy Father
and his Council of Cardinals by CRIOR in February 2014.
 The IOR will continue to serve with prudence and provide specialized
financial services to the Catholic Church worldwide. The valuable services
that can be offered by the Institute assist the Holy Father in his mission
as universal pastor and also aid those institutions and individuals who
collaborate with him in his ministry.
 With the confirmation of the IOR’s mission and at the request of
Cardinal-Prefect Pell, the President of the Board of Superintendence, Ernst
von Freyberg, and the management of the IOR, will finalize their plan to
ensure that the IOR can fulfil its mission as part of the new financial
structures of the Holy See/Vatican City State. The plan will be presented
to the Holy Father’s Council of Cardinals and the Council for the Economy.
 The activities of the IOR will continue to fall under the regulatory
supervision of AIF (Autorità di Informazione Finanziaria), the competent
authority within the Holy See and Vatican City State. In compliance with
Motu proprios of 8 August 2013 and 15 November  2013, as well as Law No
XVIII on transparency, supervision and financial information which came
into force on 8 October 2013, a comprehensive legal and institutional
framework has been introduced to regulate financial activities within the
Holy See and Vatican City State. In that respect, the Cardinal-Prefect Pell
has confirmed the importance of a sustainable systematic alignment of the
legal and regulatory framework of the Holy See/Vatican City State with
regulatory international best practice. Strict regulatory supervision and
improvements in compliance, transparency and operations initiated in 2012
and substantially accelerated in 2013 are critical for theInstitute’s
future.

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 AFRICA PAYS HOMAGE TO JOHN XXIII AND JOHN PAUL II


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