During the Angelus Pope Francis commented on the liturgical readings of Gaudete Sunday. “In a remote village in the Galilee, in the heart of a young woman unknown to the world, God ignited the spark of happiness for the whole world. And today the same proclamation is addressed to the Church,” he said. “No concern, no fear shall ever take away the serenity that comes from knowing that God lovingly guides our lives, always.” The pontiff urged the international community to implement the directives of the Marrakech conference on migration. He also mentioned the blessing of the Little Children (Bambinelli) brought by the children of Rome.
Kirill appeals to the pope and UN against the 'systematic persecution' of Russian churches in Ukraine
by Vladimir Rozanskij | RUSSIA – UKRAINEIn Kiev, Unification Council of the autocephalous Orthodox Church (Video)
by Vladimir Rozanskij | UKRAINE-RUSSIAIn a message to a conference promoted by FAO, Francis notes that in many places "water is contaminated, garbage accumulates, deforestation progresses, the air is stale and the soil acidified. All this generates a harmful accumulation of evils and miseries."
Francis will travel to Bulgaria and visit the Macedonian capital of Skopje.
"The lessons" learned from the two great world can "continue to convince the world’s people and their leaders of the futility of armed conflict and the need to resolve conflicts through patient dialogue and negotiation. ". No effective humanitarian solution to the mass migration crisis "can ignore our moral responsibility" to "welcome, protect, promote and integrate".
On the day dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe, Francis spoke about authentic prominence; not the kind that is full of the arrogance or humiliation for others, but the one that doesn’t fear tenderness and hugs, to restore dignity of those who have has fallen.
It is a "audacious" prayer, which contains seven questions to God. "None of us is required to embrace the theory that someone in the past has advanced, that is, prayer of supplication is a weak form of faith, whereas the most authentic prayer is of pure praise, that seeks God without the weight of any request ".
Speaking at the UN conference on migrations, the Vatican Secretary of State said that when the challenges posed by migration are not well managed, "crises can form, rhetoric can eclipse reason, and migrants can be seen more as threats than as brothers and sisters in need of solidarity and basic services.”
Faced with the "consolation of salvation", "let us bet on desolation, on problems. Let us ask the Lord in this week of preparation for Christmas not to be afraid but to allow ourselves be consoled by Him with tenderness.
The leader of the 'Heksinki Group' who started the movement of Russian dissent in the 1960s died last December 8. The funeral is celebrated today. Perhaps Putin will also be present. In her testament she invites people to never lose hope, even when the battle appears lost.
Francis appeals "to those with institutional responsibilities" in his message to a conference held at the Gregorian university marking the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. When fundamental rights are violated "we are all called into question", especially Christians, he says.
