"Every time I read the Sacred Scripture, in the passages that speak about Our
Lady, three verbs come to my attention. I would like to pause and look at
these, with the intention of inviting the pastors and faithful of Cuba to put
them into practice.
 "The first is to rejoice. It was the first word that the Angel Gabriel
addressed to the Virgin: "Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you". The
life of those who have discovered Jesus is full of an inner joy so great that
nothing and no-one can take it away. Christ gives his people the necessary
strength not to be sad or overwhelmed, thinking that their problems have no
solution. Supported by this truth, the Christian has no doubt that what is done
with love engenders a serene joy, the sister of the hope that breaks down the
barrier of fear and opens the doors to a promising future. ... How good it
would be if all Cubans, especially the young, could say: "I am a man of
charity"; I live truly to love, and not to be trapped in the vicious circle of
an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. What joy there is in loving
authentically, in our daily actions, and not with plentiful but empty words
that amount to nothing".
 "The second verb is to rise. St. Luke says that, with Jesus in her womb, Mary
rose and promptly went to help her kinswoman Elizabeth, who in her old age was
about to become a mother. She fulfilled God's will, making herself available to
anyone in need. She did not think of herself, but instead overcame setbacks and
gave herself to others. Victory belongs to those who rise again and again,
without giving up. If we imitate Mary, we cannot do so while sitting down,
merely complaining, or even at times passing the buck to others rather than
facing our own responsibilities. ... Mary was always with her people,
especially the least among them. She knew loneliness, poverty and exile, and
learned how to create fraternity and to make her home any place where goodness
grew. We implore her to give us a poor soul without pride, a pure heart that
sees God in the faces of the disadvantaged, and unwavering patience that does
not give up when faced with the difficulties of life".
 "The third verb is to persevere. Mary, who had experienced God's goodness,
proclaimed the greatness He had worked in her. ... For this reason, she stood
by her Son, when everyone else had abandoned Him; she prayed without fail
alongside the apostles and other disciples, lest they lose their mind. ...We
too are called upon to continued in the love of God and to continue loving our
neighbours. In this world, in which eternal values are discarded and everything
is subject to change, in which a throwaway mentality triumphs, and in which
there is fear of lifelong commitments, the Virgin encourages us to be men and
women constantly engaged in good work, who maintain their word, who are always
faithful".
 "Be joyful and share this with those around you. Lift your heart and do not
succumb to adversity, stay on the path of good, tirelessly helping those who
are oppressed by sorrows and troubles. These are the important lessons Our Lady
of Charity of El Cobre teaches us, and which are useful to us now and in the
future".

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 THE POPE TO THE BISHOPS OF CAMEROON: EVANGELISATION IS CLOSELY LINKED TO HUMAN
DEVELOPMENT
 Vatican City, 6 September 2014 (VIS) - Today Pope Francis received the
prelates of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon at the end of their
five-yearly "ad limina" visit. At the end of the audience the Pope expressed
his encouragement and confidence in the bishops, whose visit to Rome underlined
the spirit of communion with the Apostolic See, and handed them his written
discourse, in which he writes that "for the Gospel to profoundly touch and
convert hearts, we must remember that only our unity and love make it possible
to bear witness authentically and effectively". "You must keep unity and
diversity closely linked in order to accommodate the human and spiritual wealth
of your dioceses, that is expressed in many ways".
 Pope Francis mentioned the good collaboration between the Church, the State
and society in Cameroon, as shown recently by the signing of a framework
agreement between the Holy See and the Republic of Cameroon, and invited the
prelates to put this agreement in practice, "so that legal recognition of many
ecclesial institutions will enable them to exercise greater influence, to the
benefit not only of the Church but also of the whole of society in Cameroon".
In this context, he also referred to the considerable commitment on the part of
the local churches in social work, especially in the fields of education,
health and charity, that is recognised and appreciated by the civil authorities
and must be the fulcrum of "a fruitful collaboration between the State and the
Church, with full respect for her freedom. Commitment to social work is an
integral part of evangelisation, as there is an intimate link between
evangelisation and human development, which must be expressed and developed in
all evangelising work".
 The action of evangelisation will be more effective when the Gospel "is truly
lived by those who have received and profess it. This is how we find the way of
drawing to Christ those who do not yet know Him, demonstrating the power of His
love that is able to transform and illuminate human life". Given the
significant presence of Muslims in some dioceses, the Pope encouraged the
bishops to "develop a dialogue of life with them, in the spirit of mutual
trust", which is now "essential to maintain a climate of peaceful co-existence
and to discourage the development of the violence that Christians are victims
of in certain regions of the African continent".
 He continues, "Families, equally, must continue to be the focus of your
particular care, especially today as they experience grave hardships - poverty,
the displacement of peoples, lack of security, the temptation to return to
ancestral practices incompatible with the Christian faith, or even new
lifestyles promised by a secularised world".
 It is also essential that the clergy "offer witness to a life inhabited by the
Lord, coherent with the demands and the principles of the Gospel", he writes,
inviting the prelates to be fathers attentive to their priests, so that they
are helped to avoid the temptations of power, honours and money. "In relation
to this latter point, the negative example that may be given by poor management
of goods, personal enrichment or wastefulness will be particularly scandalous
in a region where many people lack basic necessities". Similarly, "the unity of
the clergy is an indispensable element in the witness to the risen Christ ...
and which depends upon unity among bishops, who are often faced with the same
challenges and called upon to offer common and joint solutions, as well as the
unity of the 'presbyterium' that the Lord calls on us to build every day,
setting aside all forms of prejudice, especially on the basis of ethnicity".
 The Pontiff finally offers encouragement to consecrated persons, whose life is
"always a prophetic witness and model in matters of reconciliation, justice and
peace" and concludes by urging the prelates of Cameroon not to fear
difficulties and to continue to proclaim the Good News with a renewed
missionary spirit "to all those who still await it or are most in need".

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 28 SEPTEMBER: DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE SYNOD ON THE FAMILY
 Vatican City, 6 September 2014 (VIS) - According to a communique issued by the
Secretariat for the Synod of Bishops, Sunday 28 September will be dedicated to
prayer for the Third General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, to take place
from 5 to 19 October on the theme "Pastoral challenges to the family in the
context of evangelisation".
 The particular Churches, parish communities, Institutes of consecrated life,
associations and movements are invited to pray during Eucharistic celebrations
and other liturgical occasions in the days preceding and during the work of the
Synod.
 In Rome, there will be prayers every day in the Chapel of Salus Populii Romani
in the Basilica of St. Mary Major. The faithful, especially families, may
include this intention in their personal prayers, and are recommended to pray
the Rosary for the work of the Synod.
 The Secretariat of the Synod will shortly publish a leaflet in various
languages with the prayer of the Holy Family for the Synod, composed by Pope
Francis and with other suggested intentions for the prayers of the faithful.

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 CARDINAL ORTEGA Y ALAMINO, POPE'S SPECIAL ENVOY TO THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE
"MOTHER CHURCH OF NORTH AMERICA"
 Vatican City, 6 September 2014 (VIS) - A letter was published today, written
in Latin and dated 25 July 2014, by which the Holy Father appoints Cardinal
Jaime Lucas Ortega y Alamino, archbishop of Havana, Cuba, as his special envoy
to the celebration of the 350th anniversary of the foundation of the parish of
Notre Dame-de-Quebec, Canada, the "mother Church of North America", scheduled
to take place on 15 September.
 The members of the mission accompanying the Cardinal will be Msgr. Denis
Belanger, parish priest of Notre Dame-de-Quebec and rector of the
Basilica-Cathedral of the same name, and Rev. Pierre Gingras, parish priest of
St. John the Baptist and St. Dominic in Quebec City.

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 AUDIENCES
 Vatican City, 8 September 2014 (VIS) - Today the Holy Father received in
audience:
 - Annette Schavan, new ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the
Holy See, presenting her letters of credence.
 - Cardinal Gottfried Danneels, archbishop emeritus of Mechelen-Brussel,
Belgium.
 - Rev. Fr. Jose Ornelas Carvalho, superior general of the priests of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus (Dehonians).
 - Professor Matteo Truffelli, national president of Italian Catholic Action.
 - Kenan Gursoy, ambassador of Turkey to the Holy See, on his farewell visit.
 On Saturday, 6 September, the Holy Father received in audience:
 - Cardinal Marc Ouellet, P.S.S., prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.
 - Tamar Grdzelidze, new ambassador of Georgia to the Holy See, presenting her
letters of credence.

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 OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
 Vatican City, 8 September 2014 (VIS) - The Holy Father has accepted the
resignation from the pastoral care of the archdiocese of Armagh, Ireland,
presented by Cardinal Sean Baptist Brady, upon reaching the age limit. He is
succeeded by Archbishop Eamon Martin, formerly coadjutor of the same diocese.

___________________________________________________________

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