VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 157
DATE 17-09-2014

Summary:
- The Church, universal and missionary, cannot be wrapped up in herself
- The Pope to the faithful: accompany me in Albania in prayer
- Decrees of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints
- Sixth meeting of the Council of Cardinals
- "Evangelii gaudium" and pastoral ministry: three day meeting in
the Vatican

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 The Church, universal and missionary, cannot be wrapped up in herself
 Vatican City, 17 September 2014 (VIS) - The meaning of the terms
"Catholic" and "apostolic" when we speak about the
Church was the theme of Pope Francis' catechesis at this morning's
Wednesday general audience in St. Peter's Square, attended by 50,000
faithful.
 When we profess the Creed, we state that we believe in a Catholic and
apostolic Church. "Catholic means universal", said the Holy
Father, "and a clear sign of this Catholicity is that she speaks all
languages. This is none other than the effect of the Pentecost: indeed, it
was the Holy Spirit that enabled the Apostles and the entire Church to
communicate to all, to the very ends of the earth, the Good News of
salvation and of God's love. Thus, the Church was born Catholic - that is,
'symphonic' since the beginning, and she cannot be otherwise, destined as
she is for evangelisation and for encountering everyone": The Pope,
remarking that everyone is able to read the Word of God in his or her own
language, again encouraged those present always to carry a copy of the
Gospel and to read one or two passages each day.
 "If the Church is born Catholic, it means that she was born to go
forth, missionary", continued Pope Francis. "If the Apostles had
stayed in the Cenacle without going out to preach the Gospel, the Church
would have remained there, in that city, in that country, in that room. It
is what we express when we describe her as 'apostolic'. But they went
forth. An apostle spreads the good news of Jesus' resurrection. This term
reminds us that the Church, on the foundations of the Apostles and in
continuity with them, is sent to proclaim the Gospel to all humanity, with
the signs of the tenderness and strength of God. The Apostles went forth,
they travelled the world, they founded new churches, they consecrated new
bishops and in this way, we continue their work".
 "And this too derives from the Pentecost. Indeed, the Holy Spirit is
able to overcome any resistance, to defeat the temptation to remain wrapped
up in ourselves, an elect few, and to consider ourselves as the only ones
destined to receive God's blessing. Imagine if a group of Christians were
to consider itself in this way; they would die out. First in soul and then
in body, as they would not be able to generate new life. They would not be
apostolic. The Holy Spirit leads us towards our brothers, even to those who
are far away in every sense, so that they can share with us the gift of
love, peace and joy that the Risen Lord has left us".
 "What does it mean, for our communities and for each of us, to be
part of a Church that is Catholic and apostolic? First of all, it means
taking to heart the salvation of all humanity, not to be indifferent or
removed from the fate of so many of our brothers, but rather to be open and
in solidarity with them. It also means having a sense of the fullness, the
completeness, the harmony of Christian life, always rejecting partial and
unilateral positions that close us up in ourselves".
 Being part of the apostolic Church means "being aware that our faith
is anchored in the proclamation and the witness of Jesus' Apostles, and
therefore always being aware that were are sent out, in communion with the
successors of the Apostles, with our hearts full of joy, to proclaim Christ
and His love for all humanity".
 Pope Francis recalled the "heroic life" of all the missionaries
who leave their homelands to take the Gospel to others, encouraging those
present to give thanks to God for the missionaries the Church has had and
will continue to need.
 "Let us ask the Lord to renew in us the gift of His Spirit, so that
every Christian community and baptised person may be an expression of the
Catholic and apostolic Holy Mother Church".

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 The Pope to the faithful: accompany me in Albania in prayer
 Vatican City, 17 September 2014 (VIS) - At the end of today's general
audience, the Holy Father greeted those present in various languages. In
his greetings in Arabic, he addressed the faithful of the Holy Land
"from where the light of proclamation issued forth to the ends of the
earth", urging them always to be, "despite difficulties,
courageous and joyful bearers of the Message of salvation, truth and
blessing".
 Before his greetings in Italian, the Pope spoke about his trip to Albania
this coming Sunday, 21 September, and invited the faithful to accompany him
in prayer. "I decided to visit this country because it has suffered
greatly as a result of a terrible atheist regime and is now realising the
peaceful co-existence of its various religious components".

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 Decrees of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints
 Vatican City, 17 September 2014 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in
audience Cardinal Angelo Amato S.D.B., prefect of the Congregation for the
Causes of Saints. During the audience he authorised the promulgation of
decrees concerning the following causes:
 MIRACLES
 - Blessed Maria Cristina of the Immaculate Conception (nee Adelaide
Brando), Italian foundress of the Oblation Sisters of the Holy Sacrament
(1856-1906);
 - Venerable Servant of God Pio Alberto del Corona, Italian professed
priest of the Order of Preachers, bishop of San Miniato and founder of the
Dominican Sisters of the Holy Spirit (1837-1912);
 - Venerable Servant of God Marie-Elisabeth Turgeon, Canadian foundress of
the Sisters of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary (1840-1881).
 The Pontiff also approved the votes of the Ordinary Session of the
Cardinal and Bishop Fathers in favour of the canonisation of Blessed Joseph
Vaz, Indian priest of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri, founder of the
Oratory of the Holy Cross of Miracles in Goa (1651-1711).
 Finally, the Holy Father decided that a Consistory will be convoked
shortly for the canonisation of Blessed Joseph Vaz and Blessed Maria
Cristina of the Immaculate Conception, nee Adelaide Brando.

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 Sixth meeting of the Council of Cardinals
 Vatican City, 17 September 2014 (VIS) - This morning, the director of the
Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J., provided an update on
the sixth meeting of the Council of Cardinals, which began on Monday, 15
September and will conclude this afternoon. As usual, the Holy Father was
present at all sessions apart from this morning's, due to the Wednesday
general audience.
 "In the previous meetings, the Cardinals had worked by examining all
the Congregations and Pontifical Councils, but they had also assigned a
significant amount of time to hearing the referring Commissions on economic
and organisational questions (COSEA and CRIOR) and on matters pertaining to
the economic Dicasteries. Work in this area may now be considered complete,
following the constitution of the Council and the Secretariat for the
Economy. The press conference held by Cardinal Pell in July focused on the
results of this work and on the initiation of the activities of these new
organs.
 "Therefore, in this meeting the Council of Cardinals resumed work on
the other Dicasteries. In the meantime, several contributions had been
prepared by various members of the Council on the different issues within
their sphere of competence, which were proposed or presented to the
Council. During these days, the Council focused on two principal
"hotspots".
 "The first includes the themes of the laity and the family. It is a
very broad area, encompassing many issues, including for instance the role
of women in society and in the Church, youth, childhood, or matters related
to lay associations and movements, and so on.
 "The second comprises themes linked to justice and peace, charity,
migrants and refugees, health, and the protection of life and ecology,
especially human ecology.
 "As can be seen, the discussions therefore involved many of the major
issues that fall within the competences of the current Pontifical Councils,
and how to face them in a coordinated and integrated fashion.
 "The Council of Cardinals, as we are aware, does not make decisions,
but formulates proposals for the Pope, who certainly intends to consult in
further depth, also with regard to the various Dicasteries, involving those
in roles of responsibility. Therefore, the Council's proposals will be
studied further, and it is to be expected that the Pope will speak about
them, for instance, during the meetings with the Heads of the Dicasteries,
which are convoked regularly and will certainly take place in the coming
months.
 "A draft Introduction for the new Constitution was also drawn up and
distributed.
 "In order to speed up this new phase in the work of the Council, the
coordinator Cardinal Maradiaga has prepared an overall plan to facilitate
the organisation of the contributions and reflections already offered
during the previous meetings and the integration of new ones.
 "It may be assumed that, with the next two meetings of the Council
(9-11 December 2014 and 9-11 February 2015), the draft Constitution will
reach an advanced stage of preparation, making it possible for the Pope to
proceed with further consultations".
 With regard to the Commission for the Protection of Minors, the director
of the Holy See Press Office commented that the appointment of the
Secretary, Msgr. Robert Oliver, had been made public during recent days,
adding: "In the next few weeks other very important aspects will be
specified regarding the Statutes and further members of the Commission. It
is expected that these will be clarified at the time of the next meeting of
the Commission itself, scheduled for early October (4-5)".
 "With regard to the Commission on Vatican media, chaired by Lord
Chris Patten, the first meeting will be held from 22-24 September at the
Domus Sanctae Marthae. As a first meeting, it will be dedicated primarily
to drawing up a framework for the common base of information necessary to
enable the work of the members (several of whom are from contexts external
to the Vatican), the planning of the work to be done over the coming
months, and the method to be used. The Commission itself, during its first
meeting, will establish its own strategy of communication. Therefore,
interviews or communications will not be given prior to the meeting",
he concluded.

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 "Evangelii gaudium" and pastoral ministry: three day meeting in
the Vatican
 Vatican City, 17 September 2014 (VIS) - The international meeting
"The Pastoral Project of 'Evangelii gaudium'", organised by the
Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelisation, will be held in the
Vatican from 18 to 20 September and will be attended by more than two
thousand pastoral workers from seventy countries worldwide. Bishops,
priests, catechists, consecrated persons, pastoral workers and members of
associations and movements will explore in depth the content of the
apostolic Exhortation that Pope Francis has indicated as the programmatic
document of his papacy. Renowned speakers will discuss specific themes in
relation to pastoral ministry and evangelisation. The meeting will
culminate with an encounter with the Holy Father on Friday afternoon.
 A detailed programme of the event can be found at
www.novaevangelizatio.va
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