Franco Pisano

The Pontifical Missionary Societies need to renew themselves ahead of the Extraordinary Missionary Month set for October 2019. “It is not simply a matter of rethinking the motivations to do better what you already do. The missionary conversion of Church structures requires personal holiness and spiritual creativity, so as not to only renew the old but to allow the Holy Spirit to create the new.”

Francis issues a message to mark the publication of the new document by the Dicastery "Giving the best of yourself. On the Christian perspective of sport and of the human person". "Sports can open the way to Christ in those places or environments where, for different reasons, it is not possible to announce Him directly; and people, with their witness of joy, practicing a sport as a community, can be messengers of the Good News".

The appointment of Msgr. Henryk Hoser is "indefinite". It is an "exclusively pastoral" task that "has the purpose of ensuring a stable and continuous accompaniment of the parish community of Medjugorje and of the faithful who go there on pilgrimage, whose needs require special attention".

"A message of peace for all humanity", stated Pope Francis following the taekwondo exhibition at the end of which a long banner was printed with the words "Peace is more precious than triumph". With Confirmation, we receive the gifts of the Spirit, "an indelible spiritual mark, the 'character', which more perfectly configures us to Christ".

"So often, we think of holiness as an extraordinary thing, as having very high visions or prayers ... or some think that being holy means having a holy image-like face... No! Being holy is another thing. It is to walk on [the path] that the Lord tells us to".

Today we are content with a "non-joyful culture", "a culture where we invent many things to have fun", many "bits of sweet life", but which do not fully satisfy. In fact, joy is "not something that is bought in the market", "it is a gift of the Spirit" and also vibrates "in the moment of trouble, in the moment of trial".

In a video message, Francis tells assembly that the "societies guarantee the equitable distribution of aid in the name of the Pope, so that all Churches in the world have a minimum of assistance for evangelisation, the sacraments, their own priests, seminaries, pastoral work, and catechists.”

Francis meets participants at the annual international conference Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation, which was also attended by Patriarch Bartholomew. "Too often a tragic and false dichotomy has developed between the ethical doctrine of our religious traditions and the practical interests of the current business community. But there is a natural circularity between profit and social responsibility ".

We must not focus, like these doctors do, on [the answer] "Yes, you can" divide a marriage, or "No, you can’t." At times there is misfortune, when it doesn't work, and it is better to separate in order to avoid a world war. But this is a misfortune. Let us go and look at the positive.

In the first quarter of the year, ticket sales reached 20.2 billion yuan (about US$3.17 billion) against US$2.85 billion in North America’s (US and Canada).

In an interview with the "Eco di Bergamo", Francis says that Pope John was a man and a saint "who did not know the word enemy ", who "always sought what unites", aware that "the Church is called to serve man as such and not only Catholics; to defend above all and everywhere the rights of the human person and not only those of the Catholic Church".

"Even here in Italy people are left without a job in order to preserve capital investments. This goes against the second commandment, so: ‘Woe to you’, Jesus warns.' "Do a little more prayer and a little more penance" for the rich, because wealth enslaves and Jesus warned that "you can not serve two masters: either you serve God or you serve riches". Francis dedicates Mass to the "noble Chinese people" who today celebrate Our Lady of Sheshan.