Pope: "Familiarity" with Jesus is to live freely in his home, sharing our problems

During the pastoral visit of Card. Fernando Filoni, Prefect of Propaganda Fide, to the Land of the Rising Sun, Pope Francis urges the bishops and the Japanese Church to renew their missionary commitment to society, marked by suicides, divorces, religious formalism, material and spiritual poverty. The request to collaborate with ecclesial movements, perhaps in memory of the controversy with the Neocatechumenal Way.

In an audience with the group of participants in the general chapter, Pope Francis calls on them to find "possible new ways" to live the charism of the congregation founded in 1854. To learn from Jesus to "love with a human heart." The educational emergency to "accompany young generations". Valorise the laity and not give in to the evil of clericalism.

The "mystery" of the Sorrowful Virgin "is more than to reflect, to contemplate". "Contemplate the Mother of Jesus, contemplate this sign of contradiction, for Jesus is the winner, but on the Cross."

The Russian Orthodox return to the fore in the Joint Commission and focus on uniatism and "Primacy and Communion in the Second Millennium." Metropolitan Ioannis Zizioulas, historian of dialogue, replaced due to age limit. The fruits of the meeting at Cuba between Francis and Kirill and the visit of Card. Parolin to Moscow.

On the day dedicated to the Exaltation of the Cross, Francis stressed how the latter represents a "mystery of love," one that is not easy to understand. When he wants to explain it to Nicodemus, as in today’s gospel, Jesus uses two verbs "to go up" and "come down". "Jesus came down from Heaven to bring all of us up to Heaven."

Spiritual and pastoral discernment, gifts of the Spirit, were the focus of a long talk that Francis gave today to the bishops appointed during the year. The bishop is not the self-sufficient 'Lord father,' nor the feared and isolated 'solitary pastor.'" "A bishop's discernment is always a communitarian action".

The priest, released after 18 months of kidnapping in Yemen, will remain in the Vatican "to secure his wellbeing and allow for his full recovery." Father Tom tried to kiss Pope Francis' feet, who raised him and kissed his hands. "I've always felt Jesus next to me." Renewed thanks to the sultan of Oman. The Major Rector: No ransom was paid.

The rector of the Lourdes shrine remembers the "solidity of the theologian, the seriousness of the historian, the agility of the journalist," but also the "fervour of the believer, witness of the happiness of the beyond promised by Mary to Bernadette.” He studied Mary’s apparitions in Lebanon and Syria. His funeral will take place on 15 September.

"A country with strong Christian roots, but where" it is evident that the evil one wanted to divide the people to destroy the work of God. " "Peace is also founded, and perhaps above all, on the blood of many witnesses of love, truth, justice, and even true martyrs, killed for faith," such as Bishop Jesús Emilio Jaramillo Monsalve, and Pedro María Ramírez Ramos, a priest, beatified in Villavicencio ".

Sultan Qabus's commitment to securing the release was decisive. The priest was traced thanks to "some Yemeni parties". Fr. Tom will be in Rome for a few days. The "strength in faith and perseverance" of his family. Today Salesian homes around the world, will celebrate with a Mass of Thanksgiving and Eucharistic adoration.

The Ukrainian president has asked Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to grant autocephaly to his country’s eastern Churches, i.e. the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyiv Patriarchate, and the Greek Catholic Church. Religious properties are part of the historical and practical dispute. For the Moscow Patriarchate, issues of jurisdiction must be settled by the Churches in question without interference by heads of state.

On his flight back to Rome, Francis talked about climate change, Venezuela and migrants. Italy and Greece are doing a good job on migrants, accepting and integrating, “But a government must handle this problem with the virtue of prudence.” He also hopes Trump will go back on his decision concerning the "dreamers".

Few articles added to the draft. Religions viewed not as the "opium" but the "plague" of peoples. Spasmodic control at all levels of political power of official religions. Massive fines for members of unofficial communities. Seizure and closure of "illegal sites" by the State. Expulsions from schools for "proselytism" activities.

From Cartagena the last stop of the trip to Colombia, Francis makes an appeal to "take the first step" towards reconciliation. "Put an end to drug trafficking," which sows "death and destruction, destroying so many hopes and destroying so many families."

From Cartagena, on the last stop of his visit to Colombia, Francis made an appeal “for the rejection of all violence in political life” in Venezuela. He also visited the shrine of Saint Peter Claver, ‘the slave of the blacks forever” who “witnessed in a formidable way to the responsibility and care that we should have for one another.”