WHAT'S
RIGHT WITH THE CATHOLIC CHURCH #138
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·
Text of Papal Messages to Poles and
People of Bergamo
Francis Sent Messages Ahead of Canonization of John XXIII and John Paul
II
·
John Paul II, John XXII Canonized
Pope Francis: New Saints Were Unafraid of Gazing Upon Wounds of Christ
·
Michael Novak Recalls the Good Humoured
John XXIII and
the Polish Pontiff Who Called Him a Friend
Tells ZENIT Why Joint Canonization Made Sense
·
On the Canonizations of Sts. John XXIII
and John Paul II
"We turn in prayer to the Virgin Mary, whom St. John XXIII and St. John
Paul II loved like her true sons"
·
Pilgrims share their personal stories
on the Church's two
new saints (Video)
Hundreds of flags, custom made shirts and banners show the affection
these
pilgrims feel for the two Popes. St. Peter's Square became the crossing
point
for people from all nationalities and backgrounds
·
Pope Francis greets Benedict XVI before
start of
canonization ceremony (Video)
Pope Francis walked into St. Peter's Square at 10.00 to start of the
canonization ceremony. He was joined by cardinals who will concelebrate
Mass
with him following the canonization
·
Pope's Canonization Mass: John Paul II
and John XXIII
were brave and hopeful, even amid challenges (Video)
It was a unique day to say the least. The canonization of John Paul II
and John
XXIII will forever be recorded in the history of the Catholic Church
·
Pope Francis' Homily at Canonization
Mass of Sts. John
XXIII and John Paul II
"May these two new saints and shepherds of Gods people intercede for
the
Church"
VATICAN CITY, April 27, 2014 (Zenit.org)
- Text of
Pope Francis' Video Message to the Poles on Occasion of Canonization of
John
Paul II:
Dear Fellow Countrymen of Blessed John Paul II!
The canonization is now close of the great man
and great Pope, who has passed into history with the name John Paul II.
I am
happy to have been called to proclaim his sanctity on next Sunday of
the Divine
Mercy, at the end of the Easter Octave. I am grateful to John Paul II,
as are
all the members of the People of God, for his tireless service, his
spiritual
leadership, for having introduced the Church in the third millennium of
the
faith and for his extraordinary witness of holiness.
Three years ago, on the day of the Beatification
of his Predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI noted rightly that what John Paul
II
asked all was not to be afraid to open wide the doors to Christ. He,
himself,
did so first: “He opened to Christ the society, the culture, the
political and
economic systems, intervening with the strength of a giant -- strength
that
came to him from God -- a tendency which could seem irreversible. With
his
witness of faith, of love and of apostolic courage, accompanied by a
great
human drive, this exemplary son of the Polish nation helped Christians
worldwide not to be afraid to call themselves Christians, to belong to
the
Church, to speak of the Gospel. In a word, he helped us not to be
afraid of the
truth, because the truth is the guarantee of freedom” (Homily, May
1,
2011). I identify fully with these words of Pope Benedict XVI.
We all know that, before going on the roads of
the world, Karol Wojtyla grew up to the service of Christ and of the
Church in
his homeland, Poland. His heart was formed there, a heart which then
was
dilated to the universal dimension, first by participating in Vatican
Council
II and, above all, after October 16 of 1978, so that in it all nations,
languages and cultures could find a place. John Paul II made himself
everything
to everyone.
I thank the Polish people and the Church in
Poland for the gift of John Paul II. We have all been enriched by this
gift.
John Paul II continues to inspire us. We are inspired by his words, his
writings, his gestures, his style of service. We are inspired by his
suffering
lived with heroic hope. We are inspired by his total entrustment to
Christ,
Redeemer of man, and to the Mother of God.
During the recent visit ad limina
Apostolorum
of the Polish Bishops, I stressed that the Church in Poland
continues to
have great capacity of faith, of prayer, of charity and of Christian
practice.
I also highlighted the pastoral challenges, such as the family, young
people,
the poor and vocations to the priesthood and to consecrated life. I
hope that
John Paul II’s canonization, and also John XXIII’s, will give a new
impulse to
the daily and perseverant work of the Church in your homeland. I am
delighted
by the fact that, God willing, in two years’ time I will visit your
country for
the first time, on the occasion of the World Youth Day.
I invite all to live profoundly the canonization
of Blessed John Paul II and of Blessed John XXIII. Some of you will
come to
Rome but, thanks to the mass media, very many of you will be
able to
participate in this great event. Therefore, I wish already today to
thank all
the journalists of the press, radio and television for their service to
the
canonization of next Sunday.
I greet all of John Paul II’s fellow countrymen,
also those who do not belong to the Catholic Church. I carry all in my
heart.
May God bless you all!
[Original text: Italian]
[Translation by ZENIT]
* * *
Following is a translation of the Message that
Pope Francis sent to the people of Bergamo, on the occasion of the
Canonization
of their fellow countryman, Blessed John XXIII.
Dear Friends of Bergamo,
As the day of the canonization of Blessed John
XXIII draws closer, I felt the desire to send this greeting to your
Bishop
Francesco, to the priests, the men and women religious, the lay
faithful of the
Diocese of Bergamo, but also to those who do not belong to the Church
and to
the entire community of Bergamo.
I know how much you love Pope John, and how much
he loved his land. Since the day of his election to the Pontificate,
the name
of Bergamo and of Sotto il Monte have become familiar throughout the
world and
still today, more than fifty years later, they are associated to his
smiling
face and his father’s tenderness.
I invite you to thank the Lord for the great
gift that his sanctity was for the universal Church and I encourage you
to keep
the memory of the land in which it germinated: a land made of profound
faith
lived in the day-to-day of poor but united families by the love of the
Lord, of
a community able to share in simplicity.
Certainly, since then the world has changed, and
new also are the challenges for the mission of the Christian community.
However,
that inheritance can still inspire today a Church called to live the
sweet and
comforting joy of evangelizing, of being a companion on the path of
every man,
“fountain of the village” from which all can draw the fresh water of
the
Gospel. The renewal desired by the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council
has opened
the way, and it is a special joy that Pope Roncalli’s canonization
takes place
together with that of Blessed John Paul II, who carried this renewal
forward in
his long pontificate.
I am certain that the civil society also will
always be able to find inspiration in the life of the Pope of Bergamo
and in
the environment that generated him, seeking new ways, adapted to the
times, to
build a coexistence based on the everlasting values of fraternity and
solidarity.
Dear brothers and sisters, I entrust this
message of mine to the “Echo of Bergamo,” of which the young
priest Don
Angelo Roncalli was an esteemed collaborator. When his ministry then
took him
far away, he always received the pages of the “Echo,” the
voice and the
call of his land. I ask you to pray for me, while assuring you of my
remembrance and prayer for you all, in particular for those who are
suffering,
for the sick – recalling the citizen Hospital that you dedicated to
Pope John –
and for the diocesan Seminary, so dear to his heart. On the imminence
of the
Easter celebrations, I send all the Apostolic Blessing.
FRANCISCUS
[Original text: Italian]
[Translation by ZENIT]
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By Ann Schneible, Deborah Castellano Lubov
VATICAN CITY, April 27, 2014 (Zenit.org)
- On Divine
Mercy Sunday, the Church celebrated the canonization John XXIII
and John
Paul II, two of the most influential figures of the 20th century.
Two tapestries, each bearing the image of the
newly-declared
saints, hung from the façade of Saint Peter’s basilica,
overlooking the
hundreds of thousands of people who had filled Saint Peter’s Square for
the
occasion. Thousands more poured into the streets around the Vatican,
took part
in the Mass by watching it on giant screens. Most notable was the vast
number
of pilgrims from Poland who have travelled to Rome – by bus, plane, and
even on
foot – to witness the canonization of the first Polish pope.
One of the special guests attending the Mass was
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI who himself had beatified John Paul II, his
predecessor and friend.
Opening his homily, Pope Francis noted that the
canonizations coincide with Divine Mercy Sunday, a feast
instituted by
John Paul II. To mark this feast, the Holy Father reflected on “the
glorious
wounds of the risen Jesus”.
In the Gospel reading for the day, he spoke of
how Christ had already appeared to the Apostles, with the exception of
Thomas,
who said he would not believe Jesus had Risen until he placed his
finger in His
wounds. It was not until Jesus appeared to them again that he believed,
proclaiming “My Lord and my God!" (Jn 20:28).
“The wounds of Jesus are a scandal, a
stumbling block for faith, yet they are also the test of
faith,”
the Holy Father said. “That is why on the body of the risen Christ the
wounds
never pass away: they remain, for those wounds are the enduring sign of
God’s
love for us. They areessential for believing in God. Not for
believing
that God exists, but for believing that God is love, mercy and
faithfulness.”
John XXIII and John Paul II, however, were men
who “were not afraid to look upon the wounds of Jesus, to touch
his
torn hands and his pierced side. They were not ashamed of the flesh
of
Christ, they were not scandalized by him, by his cross,” seeing Jesus
in all
those who suffer and struggle.
These courageous men, he said, were “filled with
the parrhesia of the Holy Spirit,” bearing “witness
before the
Church and the world to God’s goodness and mercy.”
John XXIII and John Paul II, he said, were
“priests, bishops and popes of the twentieth century”: they “lived
through the
tragic events of that century, but they were not overwhelmed by them.
For them,
God was more powerful; faith was more powerful – faith in Jesus Christ
the
Redeemer of man and the Lord of history; the mercy of God, shown by
those five
wounds, was more powerful; and more powerful too was the closeness of
Mary our
Mother”.
In their willingness to look “upon the wounds of
Christ” and bear “witness to his mercy,” there dwelt within them “a
living
hope and an indescribable and glorious joy” (1
Pet 1:3,8).
Pope Francis also recalled how “John XXIII and
John Paul II cooperated with the Holy Spirit in renewing and
updating
the Church in keeping with her pristine features, those features
which the
saints have given her throughout the centuries”.
“In convening the Council, John XXIII showed an
exquisite openness to the Holy Spirit. He let himself be
led and he
was for the Church a pastor, a servant-leader. This was his great
service to
the Church”.
For his part, the Holy Father continued, “John
Paul II was the pope of the family,” recalling the upcoming
Synod
on the family. “From his place in heaven,” he said, “he guides
and
sustains” in the journey toward the Synod.
Pope Francis called on the faithful to look to
these saints to learn how “not to be scandalized by the wounds of
Christ and to
enter ever more deeply into the mystery of divine mercy, which always
hopes and
always forgives, because it always loves”.
In his short Regina Caeli address following
Mass, the Pope greeted all those who had traveled to Rome for the
event, and
thanked all those who had contributed to its success. He made special
mention
of those pilgrims from Bergamo and Krakow – the cities where John XXIII
and
John Paul II came from, respectively. “You honor the memory of the two
holy
Popes, faithfully following their teachings”.
He also welcomed those representing the many
countries around the world, who had come to “give tribute to the two
pontiffs
who had contributed in an indelible way to the development of peoples,
and to
peace.
One of the concelebrants for Sunday’s Mass was
former archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac-Murphy O’Connor. He
was a
young priest when Angelo Roncalli was elected in 1958, he
told ZENIT,
having been ordained just one year previous. “I well remember his
election and
thinking: gosh, he’s quite old, he’s 77. I didn’t think he set the
world on
fire. But then, within a very short amount of time, he became “Good
Pope John.”
His humanity, his humor, his simplicity, endeared him to everybody.”
“I remember we were going into a prison here in
Rome, and one of the prisoners said: Holy Father, I’m a murderer. Will
God ever
forgive me? You know what he did? He went up and embraced him”.
Many changes were instituted following the
Second Vatican Council, which was initiated by John XXIII, including
the
celebration of Mass in the vernacular, as well as a greater emphasis on
Scripture. “For me personally,” said the cardinal, “the new emphasis on
ecumenism was something quite dramatically new, and it affected me not
only
then but right through my life as a priest and bishop”.
Reflecting back to the election of John Paul II,
Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor recalled that “from the very beginning one
could see
he was a leader”.
One of the highlights of John Paul II’s
pontificate, he said, was his 1982 visit to Britain which he described
as “very
dramatic.”
“It was just the time of the Falklands Malvinas
war. But he was determined to come. It was not just a success but it
was a
marvelous week because, for the first time, English and Scottish and
Welsh
people saw the Catholic community. Not just the Pope, but the Catholic
community gathered around him.
“The most moving thing about Pope John Paul was
the last five years of illness, his suffering, which he bore so
bravely,” he
said, recalling his last meeting with the Holy Father a couple years
before his
death.
Speaking in Italian, he said:“I remember asking
him when he was going to beatify John Henry Newman. ‘Ah,’ he said, ‘you
need a
miracle! I said, ‘well, the English aren’t very good at miracles. We
don’t
bully God enough like the Italians.’” Cardinal Newman has since been
beatified.
“It’s nice to think, as I reflect on his long
and eventful life, that the main thing about him is that he was a holy
man,” he
said.
In the hours leading up to Sunday’s
canonization, thousands of pilgrims gathered along the streets
surrounding the
Vatican for a chance to make it into the Square.
Despite feeling "shoved" and "squeezed,"
the smiling pilgrims said that "nothing could contain their joy."
Representing John Paul's Poland, pilgrims
Magdalena Krefto and Jerzy Tarnowski were grateful to have secured
an elevated place to stand and see. They told ZENIT about the
pontiff of
Krakow who "delivered a message of love."
"We have a strong attachment to John Paul.
Our affection and love for him has brought us to Rome both for the
beatification and now for the canonization," said Krefto, who added
"how lovely it is to be back in the lovely and beautiful eternal
city."
"For the people of Poland it's a very
special time as he was a father to our country," she said, noting the
"huge presence" of Polish pilgrims.
Mr. Tarnowski added: "Through his extensive
travels and visits, his words touched and taught people around the
globe."
Having flown ten hours from Nigeria for the
event, Monica Ishioma told ZENIT John Paul II was "a lovely father."
"To be a witness to the two blesseds
becoming saints is an extraordinary moment."
Recalling his two visits to Nigeria, she said he
"preached love and forgiveness" and "touched the hearts of the
Nigerian people," particularly through his visit for the canonization
of
Nigerian Blessed Tansi. Visiting his village, she said, he "delivered a
love message, preaching love and forgiveness."
"It is important to be here,” she said,
“because I want to witness the sainthood of both beloved popes and to
experience the beautiful city of Rome”.
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By Deborah Castellano Lubov
VATICAN CITY, April 27, 2014 (Zenit.org)
- Michael
Novak, former ambassador to the U.N. Commission on Human Rights,
theologian,
and author of some 30 books, including "The Open Church" and
"Writing from Left to Right: My Journey from Liberal to Conservative"
spoke with ZENIT in Rome days before this weekend's canonization.
An eyewitness to Vatican II, who was both given
one of the last wedding blessings by John XXIII and who was publicly
called a
friend by John Paul II, Novak shared with ZENIT his thoughts about the
two
popes and the canonization.
ZENIT: What is the reason behind having a joint
canonization? It's said that Poles are unhappy with JPII being
canonized on the
same day as John XXIII.
Novak: The linking of the popes makes better
sense of them both, than one by one.
At the end of John XXIII's time as pope, his
work was left very undone. Some were even speculating about a Vatican
III. Once
Benedict XVI was asked: "What's the full meaning of Vatican II?" He
responded: "We won't know, as the fruits of the council take time to
develop."
This is very true and is evidenced by the fact
that no other country or great organization has had a re-enactment of
the
council, in the sense that they took the initiative to reinvent
themselves. We
cannot name another institution that is or has effectively done this in
the
same way that the Catholic Church did through Vatican II.
The questions raised by the decisions reached by
the decrees were incredibly far reaching and forward looking. It's true
that 50
years were needed to come to a common understanding of what happened.
ZENIT: Many say the joint canonization could be
seen as a sign of continuity between the Popes and the council. Could
you
explain your view on this?
Novak: Yes, as I said in my book "The Open
Church," John XXIII 'opened the windows of the Church' when he
announced
there would be a Second Vatican Council. He knew better than to consult
with
the Roman Curia, which had been described in this way: "Popes come and
go,
but the Curia lives forever." He just announced the Church needed this
council and will be having it, whether the Curia liked it or not.
Vatican II was a tremendous event which advanced
the Council of Trent. It announced a new era of the Church which, after
John
Paul II, Benedict XVI was about to build on in a very scholarly way and
Francis
would build on in a very populist way.
ZENIT: In what ways did John Paul II himself
carry out the fruits of the council?
Novak: John Paul II took the initiatives of John
XXIII and 'rounded them out,' completing them and making them
international. By
'rounded out,' I mean he did something unimaginable in the way he
carried out
the council's decrees. No one had any idea what he was thinking.
If someone would have predicted that the wall
would come down, they would have locked him up. This is a
testament to
Wojtyla who, effectively did the impossible, in crumbling communism, in
a
roughly 11 year time frame.
He changed the contours of the world, traveling,
more than any pope ever had. He showed the Church structure is not a
pyramid,
it's concentric rings, which were visible during his travels, at which
he would
be on an altar surrounded by bishops of the region and hemisphere. John
Paul
introduced this to the world.
ZENIT: Tell us about the "The Open
Church." With your personal account of being present at Vatican II,
could
you give some insight to the persons who would like to know more about
John
XXIII?
Novak: John XXIII was so wonderful. He was known
as the smiling pope. He was very easy-going, kind, warm, and friendly.
He
enjoyed a good joke and laughed often. He had that personal touch
that
people see in and love about Pope Francis today. He was not all puffed
up about
himself.
ZENIT: Can you please give an example of this
humorous and playful side of the Italian pontiff?
Novak: Yes, once, when walking with a journalist
in the Vatican gardens, he was asked whether he knew how many people
worked at
the Vatican. He joked saying, "about half."
ZENIT: How else were John XXIII and Pope Francis
similar?
Novak: They were both pastors of the Church.
They possessed that warmth. They fall into the category of someone with
whom
you would like to have a coffee or cigar with.
John XXIII had "opened the windows of the
Church" with Vatican II and brought an "aggiornamento," meaning
it brought the Church to today. Yet, he was aware, like how Francis is,
that
sometimes there are 'winds.' Not everything that comes in through the
open
window is good. There are noxious fumes. Likewise, not everything of
today is
good.
ZENIT: What aspect of John XXIII and John Paul
II's relationship is important to this canonization?
Novak: The council that John XXIII proposed
brought the Church together and nailed down clear, positive statements
of faith
built around prayers of the Church. This allowed for the
evangelization, which
John Paul II brought to fruition.
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VATICAN CITY, April 27, 2014 (Zenit.org)
- Here is the
translation of the Holy Father's address prior to the recitation of the
Regina
Coeli at the conclusion of the Canonization Mass of Sts. John XXIII and
John
Paul II.
* * *
Dear brothers and sisters,
Before concluding this feast of faith I would
like to greet and thank all of you!
I thank the cardinals and the numerous bishops
and priests of every part of the world.
My gratitude goes out to official delegations
from many countries, who have come to pay homage to 2 pontiffs, who
contributed
in a permanent way to the cause of the development of peoples and to
peace. A
special thanks to the Italian officials for their precious
collaboration.
With great affection I greet the pilgrims of the
Diocese of Bergamo and of Krakow! My dear friends, honor the memory of
the 2
popes by faithfully following their teachings.
I am grateful to all of those who with great
generosity prepared these memorable days: he Diocese of Rome with
Cardinal
Vallini, the municipality of Rome with the Mayor Ignazio Marino, the
law
enforcement agencies and the various other organizations, associations
and the
numerous volunteers. Thank you everyone!
My greeting goes out to all the pilgrims here in
St. Peter’s Square, on the nearby streets and in other places in Rome;
and to
those who are joining us by radio and television; and I thank the media
directors and workers, who have given so many people the possibility of
participating. A special greeting goes out to the sick and the elderly
toward
whom the new saints were especially close.
And now we turn in prayer to the Virgin Mary,
whom St. John XXIII and St. John Paul II loved like her true sons.
[Translation by Joseph Trabbic]
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By Rome Reports
ROME, April 27, 2014 (Zenit.org)
- To view the
video click here.
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By Rome Reports
ROME, April 27, 2014 (Zenit.org)
- To view the
video click here.
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By Rome Reports
ROME, April 27, 2014 (Zenit.org)
- To view the
video click here.
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VATICAN CITY, April 27, 2014 (Zenit.org)
- Here is the
translation of the Pope's homily at the Canonization Mass of Sts. John
XXIII
and John Paul II today in St. Peter's Square.
* * *
At the heart of this Sunday, which concludes the
Octave of Easter and which John Paul II wished to dedicate to Divine
Mercy,
are the glorious wounds of the risen Jesus.
He had already shown those wounds when he first
appeared to the Apostles on the very evening of that day following the
Sabbath,
the day of the resurrection. But Thomas was not there
that
evening, and when the others told him that they had seen the Lord, he
replied
that unless he himself saw and touched those wounds, he would not
believe. A
week later, Jesus appeared once more to the disciples gathered in the
Upper
Room, and Thomas was present; Jesus turned to him and told him to touch
his
wounds. Whereupon that man, so straightforward and accustomed to
testing
everything personally, knelt before Jesus with the words: "My Lord and
my
God!" (Jn 20:28).
The wounds of Jesus are a scandal, a
stumbling block for faith, yet they are also the test of
faith.
That is why on the body of the risen Christ the wounds never pass away:
they
remain, for those wounds are the enduring sign of God’s love for us.
They are essential
for believing in God. Not for believing that God exists, but for
believing
that God is love, mercy and faithfulness. Saint Peter,
quoting
Isaiah, writes to Christians: "by his wounds you have been healed" (1
Pet 2:24, cf. Is 53:5).
Saint John XXIII and Saint John Paul II were
not afraid to look upon the wounds of Jesus, to touch his torn hands
and his
pierced side. They were not ashamed of the flesh of Christ, they
were not
scandalized by him, by his cross; they did not despise the flesh of
their
brother (cf. Is 58:7), because they saw Jesus in every
person
who suffers and struggles. These were two men of courage, filled with
the parrhesia of
the Holy Spirit, and they bore witness before the Church and the world
to God’s
goodness and mercy.
They were priests, bishops and popes of the
twentieth century. They lived through the tragic events of that
century, but
they were not overwhelmed by them. For them, God was more powerful;
faith was
more powerful – faith in Jesus Christ the Redeemer of man and the Lord
of
history; the mercy of God, shown by those five wounds, was more
powerful; and
more powerful too was the closeness of Mary our Mother.
In these two men, who looked upon the wounds of
Christ and bore witness to his mercy, there dwelt a living hope and
anindescribable and glorious joy (1 Pet 1:3,8).
The
hope and the joy which the risen Christ bestows on his disciples, the
hope and
the joy which nothing and no one can take from them. The hope
and joy
of Easter, forged in the crucible of self-denial, self-emptying,
utter
identification with sinners, even to the point of disgust at the
bitterness of
that chalice. Such were the hope and the joy which these two holy popes
had
received as a gift from the risen Lord and which they in turn bestowed
in
abundance upon the People of God, meriting our eternal gratitude.
This hope and this joy were palpable in
the earliest community of believers, in Jerusalem, as we
read in
the Acts of the Apostles (cf. 2:42-47). It was a community which lived
the heart of the Gospel, love and mercy, in simplicity and
fraternity.
This is also the image of the Church which the
Second Vatican Council set before us. Saint John XXIII and Saint John
Paul II
cooperated with the Holy Spirit in renewing and updating the
Church in
keeping with her pristine features, those features which the saints
have
given her throughout the centuries. Let us not forget that it is the
saints who
give direction and growth to the Church. In convening the Council,
Saint John
XXIII showed an exquisite openness to the Holy Spirit. He
let
himself be led and he was for the Church a pastor, a servant-leader.
This was
his great service to the Church; he was the pope of openness to
the
Holy Spirit.
In his own service to the People of God, Saint
John Paul II was the pope of the family. He himself once
said that
he wanted to be remembered as the pope of the family. I am particularly
happy
to point this out as we are in the process of journeying with
families
towards the Synod on the family. It is surely a journey which, from
his
place in heaven, he guides and sustains.
May these two new saints and shepherds of God’s
people intercede for the Church, so that during this two-year journey
toward
the Synod she may be open to the Holy Spirit in pastoral service to the
family.
May both of them teach us not to be scandalized by the wounds of Christ
and to
enter ever more deeply into the mystery of divine mercy, which always
hopes and
always forgives, because it always loves.
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