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L’O S S E RVATOR E ROMANOWEEKLY EDITION

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IN ENGLISHNon praevalebunt

Forty-eighth year, number 8 (2384) Vatican City Friday, 20 February 2015

Pope Francis creates 20 new cardinals at the Ordinary Public Consistory in the Vatican Basilica

Incardinated and docile

Rome, 14 February 2015

On Saturday, 14 February 2015, theSupreme Pontiff Francis held an Or-dinary Public Consistory in the Vat-ican Basilica for the creation of newcardinals, and the imposition of thebiretta, consignment of the ring andassignment of the Title or Deaconry.

The Holy Father entered the Ba-silica at 11 am, pausing for a mo-ment of prayer before the Altar ofthe Confession. He was then greetedby Prefect of the Supreme Tribunalof the Apostolic Signatura, Domin-ique Mamberti, the first among thenew Cardinals. After the openingprayer and proclamation of the Gos-pel, the Pope gave his address. Hethen read the formula for the cre-ation of the new Cardinals, pro-claiming their names:

— Dominique Mamberti, Prefectof the Supreme Tribunal of theApostolic Signatura

— Manuel José Macário do Nasci-mento Clemente, Patriarch of Lis-bon, Portugal

— Berhaneyesus Demerew Soura-phiel, CM, Archbishop of AddisAbaba, Ethiopia

— John Atcherley Dew, Archbish-op of Wellington, New Zealand

— Edoardo Menichelli, Archbish-op of Ancona-Osimo, Italy

— Pierre Nguyên Văn Nhon,Archbishop of Hanoi, Vietnam

— Alberto Suárez Inda, Archbish-op of Morelia, Mexico

— Charles Maung Bo, SDB, Arch-bishop of Yangon, Myanmar

— Francis Xavier KriengsakKovithavanij, Archbishop ofBangkok, Thailand

— Francesco Montenegro, Arch-bishop of Agrigento, Italy

— Daniel Fernando Sturla Berhou-et, SDB, Archbishop of Montevideo,U ru g u a y

— Ricardo Blázquez Pérez, Arch-bishop of Valladolid, Spain

— José Luis Lacunza Maestrojuán,OAR, Bishop of David, Panama

— Arlindo Gomes Furtado, Bishopof Santiago de Cabo Verde, Ar-chipelago of Cape Verde

— Soane Patita Paini Mafi, Bishopof Tonga, Kingdom of Tonga

— José de Jesús Pimiento Rodríg-uez, Archbishop emeritus of Man-izales, Colombia

— Luigi De Magistris, titularArchbishop of Nova, Pro-MajorPenitentiary emeritus

— Karl-Josef Rauber, titular Arch-bishop of Iubaltiana, ApostolicNuncio

— Luis Héctor Villalba, Archbish-op emeritus of Tucumán, Argentina

— Júlio Duarte Langa, Bishopemeritus of Xai-Xai, Mozambique

The birettas were then imposedon the new Cardinals, the rings wereconsigned and the Titles and Deac-onries were assigned. The ceremonycontinued with a vote on severalCauses of Canonization and con-cluded with the Apostolic Blessingwhich the Holy Father imparted toeveryone present.

The only claimto merit

GI O VA N N I MARIA VIAN

The Extraordinary Consistoryand the creation of 20 Cardinalsfrom literally every part of theworld is a clear indication ofPope Francis’ intent, as the thirdyear of his pontificate is about tobegin. In the sign of communionand collegiality the Pontiff’s cent-ral concern is the mission, whosefeatures are delineated in themeditation on St Paul’s hymn tocharity which Bergoglio dividedinto two parts, speaking to thenew Cardinals and then celebrat-ing with them.

Charity is the exemplary qual-ity by which the Church of Romeand her Curia is measured eachday. Cardinals have a very specialconnection to this Church andnow more than ever before, theyare a symbol of a catholicity thatthe Pope described effectively as:“to love without limits, but alsoto be faithful in particular situ-ations and with practical ges-t u re s ”. If indeed the Church ofRome presides in charity, “eachparticular Church is called, withinits own sphere, to preside in char-ity”.

CONTINUED ON PA G E 2

At the General Audience

Fro mthe same flesh

Mass on Ash Wednesday

The gift of tearsOn Ash Wednesday af-ternoon, 18 February,Pope Francis participatedin the traditional penit-ential procession and cel-ebrated Holy Mass onthe Aventine Hill inRome. The Holy Fatherprocessed from the Ba-silica of Sant’Anselmo toSanta Sabina, where heblessed the Ashes duringthe Eucharistic celebra-tion and delivered thehomily. Cardinal JozefTomko imposed theAshes on Pope Francis’f o re h e a d .

PA G E 3

PAGES 6-12

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page 2 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 20 February 2015, number 8

VAT I C A N BULLETINAUDIENCES

Thursday, 12 February

H.E. Ms Shahindokht Molaverdi,Vice-President of the Islamic Repub-lic of IranMonday, 16 February

Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller,Prefect of the Congregation for theDoctrine of the FaithFr John P. Chalmers, Moderator ofthe Church of Scotland (Reformed),with his entourageRabbi Pynchas Brener, Chief Rabbiemeritus of the Israelite Union ofCaracas, with his entourageHis Majesty Tupou VI, King ofTonga, with Queen Nanasipau’uTu k u ’aho, and entourage

CHANGES IN EP I S C O PAT E

The Holy Father accepted the resig-nation of Archbishop IldefonsoObama Obono of Malabo, Equat-orial Guinea. It was presented in ac-

cord with can. 401 § 1 of the Codeof Canon Law (11 Feb.).The Holy Father appointed BishopJuan Nsue Edjang Mayé as Arch-bishop of Malabo, EquatorialGuinea. Until now he has beenBishop of Ebebiyin (11 Feb.).

Archbishop Nsue Edjang Mayé,57, was born in Akok Yebinveiñ,Equatorial Guinea. He was ordaineda priest on 25 March 1995. He wasordained a bishop on 7 May 2011,subsequent to his appointment asBishop of Ebebiyin, EquatorialGuinea.

The Holy Father accepted the resig-nation of Bishop Louis Nkinga Bon-dala, CICM, of Lisala, DemocraticRepublic of the Congo. It waspresented in accord with can. 401 § 1of the Code of Canon Law (11Fe b . ) .The Holy Father appointed Fr Ern-est Ngboko Ngombe, CICM, as Bish-op of Lisala. Until now he has beenVicar General of the Scheut Mis-sionaries in Rome (11 Feb.).

Bishop-elect Ngboko Ngombe,50, born in Kanya Mbonda, Demo-cratic Republic of the Congo. Heholds a degree in theology. On 17October 1987 he made his perpetualvows and was ordained a priest on20 June 1996. He has served in par-ish ministry and as: superior of theautonomous CICM district in Senegalfor three terms; rector of the theolo-gical seminary of Cameroon and co-ordinator of the CICM for the AfricaRegion.

The Holy Father appointed Fr Fran-çois Gnonhossou, SMA, as Bishop ofDassa-Zoumé, Benin. Until now hehas been General Counsellor of theSociety of African Missions in Rome(12 Feb.).

Bishop-elect Gnonhossou, 53, wasborn in Dassa-Zoumé, Benin. Heholds licence in civil law and a BA intheology. He made his religiousvows for the Society of the AfricanMissions on 6 December 1996 andwas ordained a priest on 26 July1997. He has served in parish min-istry in Nigeria and as chaplain tothe Apprentis d’Au t e i l in Paris. Hewent to Canada in 2009 where hecontinued to work in parish ministryin addition to being in charge of themission apostolate and treasurer ofhis community.

The Holy Father appointed Fr LucCrépy, CJM, as Bishop of Le Puy-en-Velay, France. Until now he hasbeen Procurator General of theCongregation of Jesus and Mary(Eudists) in Rome (12 Feb.).

Bishop-elect Crépy, 56, was bornin Lille, France. He holds a doctor-ate in biology and a licence in moraltheology. He made his solemn vowsfor the Congregation of Jesus and

Mary on 10 December 1988 and wasordained a priest on 21 May 1989.He has served in parish ministry andas: rector of the interdiocesan semin-ary of Orléans; provincial of France-Africa and contemporaneously pres-ident of the Conference of MajorSuperiors of France; pontifical com-missioner for the Province of Franceand Switzerland of the Societé desFilles du Coeur de Marie.

The Holy Father appointed BishopYustinus Harjosusanto, M S F, as Arch-bishop of Samarinda, Indonesia.Until now he has been Bishop ofTanjung Selor (16 Feb.).

Archbishop Harjosusanto, 61, wasborn in Muntilan, Indonesia. Hewas ordained a priest on 6 January1982. He was ordained a bishop on14 April 2002, subsequent to his ap-pointment as Bishop of TanjungS e l o r.

RE L AT I O N S WITH STAT E S

The Holy Father appointed Arch-bishop Bruno Musarò, titular Arch-bishop of Abari and Apostolic Nun-cio in Cuba, as Apostolic Nuncio inthe Arab Republic of Egypt andDelegate to the League of ArabStates (4 Feb.).The Holy Father appointed Arch-bishop Adolfo Tito Yllana, titularArchbishop of Montecorvino, asApostolic Nuncio in Australia. Untilnow he has been Apostolic Nuncioin the Democratic Republic of theCongo (17 Feb.).

HO LY SEE

The Holy Father appointed MsgrFernando Chica Arellano, Nunci-ature Counsellor, as the Holy See’sPermanent Observer to the UnitedNations Food and Agriculture Or-ganisation (FA O ); to the Internation-al Fund for Agricultural Develop-ment (I FA D ), and to the World FoodProgramme (WFP) (12 Feb.).

CARDINAL TA K E S POSSESSION

On Tuesday, 17 February, CardinalLuigi De Magistris, Pro-Major Pen-itentiary emeritus of the ApostolicPenitentiary, took possession of theDeaconry of Santissimi Nomi diGesù e Maria, Rome.

NECROLO GY

Archbishop emeritus José Martinsda Silva of Porto Velho, Brazil, atage 79 (29 Jan.).Bishop Vincent ValentineEgwuchukwu Ezeonyia, CSSp, ofAba, Nigeria, at age 73 (8 Feb.).Bishop emeritus Abel CostasMontaño, of Tarija, Boliva, at age 94(11 Feb.).

Bishop emeritus Thomas Bhalerao,S J, of Nashik, New Delhi, India, atage 82 (13 Feb.).

Bishop emeritus Magnus Mwaluny-ungu of Tunduru-Masasi, Tanzania,at age 84 (13 Feb.).

Bishop emeritus Joseph DevellerezThaung Shwe of Pyay, Myanmar, atage 79 (17 Feb.).

Archbishop Antonio Lanfranchi ofModena-Nonantola, Italy, at age 68(17 Feb.).

The only claimto merit

CONTINUED FROM PA G E 1

Audience withthe King and

Queen of Tonga

For two days, in the Ex-traordinary Consistory, Cardinalsfrom throughout the world dis-cussed and unquestionably sup-ported, in their natural and obvi-ously distinct voices, the reformof the Church and of the RomanCuria, which is necessary and hasbeen called for by the Pontiff inkeeping with the indications thatemerged during the most recentsede vacante. Pope Francis re-minded them and all the faithfulof the essence of the Gospel: “Fo rJesus, what matters above all isreaching out to save those far off,healing the wounds of the sick,restoring everyone to God’s fam-ily”.

Archbishop Bergoglio said thisto his Brothers who had come toRome to elect the bishop, and herepeated it today to the new Car-dinals: one has to leave one’s“four walls behind and to go outin search of those who are dis-tant, those essentially on the ‘out-skirts’ of life”, overcoming the re-curring temptation to emulate theolder brother described in theGospel parable of the ProdigalSon, forgiven through paternalmercy. And with the knowledgethat a Christian’s only claim tomerit is the willingness to serveothers.

G.M.V.

On Monday, 16 February, PopeFrancis received in audience, inthe Vatican Apostolic Palace,Their Majesties King Tupou VI ofTonga and Queen Nanasipau’uTu k u ’aho, who went on to meetwith Cardinal Secretary of StatePietro Parolin, accompanied byArchbishop Paul Gallagher, Sec-retary for Relations with States.

His Majesty first expressed hissatisfaction at the election of thefirst Cardinal from the ar-chipelago, Cardinal Soane PatitaPaini Mafi, underlining the en-thusiasm of the population andthe presence of Her Majesty theQueen and numerous Tongans atthe Ordinary Public Consistoryheld on 14 February. During thecordial discussions, attention wasdrawn to the recent political de-velopments in the country and toa number of aspects of social andeconomic life, as well as to thepositive contribution of the Cath-olic Church in various areas ofso ciety.

There was subsequently an ex-change of opinions on the inter-national situation, with particularreference to the insular States ofthe southwest-central PacificOcean and the environmentalproblems that some of them arecompelled to face.

number 8, Friday, 20 February 2015 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 3

At the General Audience the Holy Father speaks about siblings

From the same fleshIt is necessary to “place fraternity back at the centre of our technocratic andbureaucratic society”. These were the words of Pope Francis at the GeneralAudience in St Peter’s Square on Wednesday, 18 February, as he continued hisseries on the family. The following is a translation of the Holy Father’s catechesis,which was delivered in Italian.

Pablo Picasso, “Two brothers” (1906)

or physically chal-lenged. There arecountless brothersand sisters who dothis, throughout theworld, and perhapswe do not appreciatetheir generosityenough. And whenthere are many sib-lings in a family —today, I greeted afamily that has ninechildren? — the eldestboy or girl helps thedad, the mom, totake care of theyounger children.This work of helpingamong siblings isb eautiful.

Abel, God asks Cain: “Where isAbel your brother?” (Gen 4:9a). It isa question that the Lord continuesto repeat to every generation. Andunfortunately, in every generation,Cain’s dramatic answer never fails tobe repeated: “I do not know; am Imy brother’s keeper?” (ibid., 4:9b).The rupture of the bond betweensiblings is a nasty, bad thing for hu-manity. In the family too, how manysiblings quarrel over little things, orover an inheritance, and then theyno longer speak to each other, theyno longer greet one another. This isterrible! Brotherhood is a greatthing, when we consider that all ourbrothers and sisters lived in thewomb of the same mother for ninemonths, came from the mother’s

able way. He renders it capable ofovercoming all differences of nation-ality, language, culture and even reli-gion.

Consider what becomes of thebond between men and women,even when completely different fromeach other, when they are able to sayof another: “He is truly like a broth-er, she is just like a sister to me!”.This is beautiful! History has shownwell enough, after all, that even free-dom and equality, without brother-hood, can be full of individualismand conformism, and even personali n t e re s t s .

Familial fraternity shines in a spe-cial way when we see the care, thepatience, the affection that envelopthe weakest little brother or sister, sick

Dear Brothers and Sisters,Good morning,In our continuing catechesis on thefamily, after having considered theroles of the mother, the father, thechildren, today we shall reflect onsiblings. “B ro t h e r ” and “sister” a rewords that Christianity really loves.And, thanks to the family experi-ence, they are words that all culturesand all times comprehend.

The fraternal bond holds a specialplace in the history of the People ofGod, who received his revelation atthe core of the human experience.The Psalmist sings of the beauty ofthe fraternal bond: “Behold, howgood and pleasant it is when broth-ers dwell in unity!” (Ps 133[132]:1).And this is true, brotherhood isbeautiful! Jesus Christ also broughtto its fullness this human experienceof being brothers and sisters, embra-cing it in Trinitarian love andthereby empowering it to go wellbeyond the ties of kinship and en-abling it to surmount every barrierof extraneousness.

We know that when the fraternalrelationship is destroyed, when the re-lationship between siblings is des-troyed, the road is open to painfulexperiences of conflict, of betrayal,of hate. The biblical account of Cainand Abel is an example of this negat-ive outcome. After the killing of

flesh! Brotherhood cannot bebroken. Let us consider: we all knowfamilies that have divided siblings,who have quarrelled; let us ask theLord — perhaps in our family thereare a few cases — to help these fam-ilies to reunite their siblings, to re-build the family. Brotherhood mustnot be broken and when it breaks,what happened to Cain and Abeloccurs. When the Lord asks Cainwhere his brother is, he replies: “Ido not know, my brother does notmatter to me”. This is terrible, it is avery, very painful thing to hear. Inour prayers let us always pray forsiblings who are at odds.

Should the bond of f ra t e r n i t ywhich forms in the family between chil-d re n arise in an educational atmo-sphere of openness to others, it isthe great school of freedom andpeace. In the family, among siblings,human coexistence is learned, howone must live in society. Perhaps weare not always aware of it, but thefamily itself introduces fraternity in-to the world! Beginning with thisfirst experience of fraternity, nour-ished by affection and education athome, the style of fraternity radiateslike a promise upon the whole of so-ciety and on its relations amongp eoples.

The blessing that God, in JesusChrist, pours out on this bond offraternity, expands in an unimagin-

cratic society: then even freedomand equality will find the correctbalance. Therefore, let us notthoughtlessly deprive our families,out of criticism or fear, of the beautyof a bountiful fraternal experience ofsons and daughters. And let us notlose our trust in the broad horizonfaith is able to draw from this exper-ience, enlightened by God’s bless-i n g.

SPECIAL GREETINGS

I would like once again to inviteyou to pray for our Egyptian broth-ers who three days ago were killedin Libya for the sole fact of beingChristians. May the Lord welcomethem to his house and give comfort

to their families and their communit-ies.

Let us also pray for peace in theMiddle East and in North Africa, re-membering all the victims, thewounded and the refugees. May theinternational community find peace-ful solutions to the difficult situationin Libya.

I greet the English-speaking pil-grims and visitors taking part into day’s Audience, including thosefrom England, Japan and theUnited States of America. Upon youand your families I cordially invokejoy and peace in the Lord Jesus.God bless you all!

I cordially greet the Bishops ofUkraine — Praise be to Jesus Christ!—, who have come on their “ad lim-ina” visit, as well as the pilgrimsfrom the dioceses who have accom-panied them. Brothers and sisters, Iknow that among the many other in-tentions that you bring to theTombs of the Apostles, there is therequest for peace in Ukraine. I bearthe same wish in my heart and I joinin your prayer, that a lasting peacemay come to your homeland as soonas possible. God bless you!

I address a warm welcome to theItalian-speaking pilgrims. I greet inparticular the Rural Catechist Sistersof the Sacred Heart with the “Zam-bia for Life” Association and the“Villa Maria” rehabilitation home inMonticello Conte Otto. Mythoughts go to the young people ofInternational Catholic CharismaticRenewal who, in various parts of theworld today, are gathering in prayerfor an hour of Eucharistic adoration.I spiritually join them in expressingappreciation for this initiative and Ihope the new generations may in-creasingly meet Christ.

I greet the young people, the sickand newlyweds. Lent is a favourabletime to intensify your spiritual life:may the practice of fasting be ofhelp to you, dear young people, to ac-quire mastery over yourselves; mayprayer be for you, dear sick people,the means to entrust your sufferingto God and to feel in it his lovingpresence; lastly, may works of mercyhelp you, dear newlyweds, to liveyour marital life by opening it to theneeds of your brothers and sisters.

Happy Lent to all!

Having a brother, a sister, wholoves you is a deep, precious, irre-placeable experience. Christian fra-ternity happens in the same way. Thesmallest, the weakest, the poorestsoften us: they have the “right” totake our heart and soul. Yes, theyare our brothers and sisters and assuch we must love and care forthem. When this happens, when thepoor are like family members, ourown Christian fraternity comes tolife again. Christians, in fact, go tomeet the poor and the weak not toobey an ideological programme, butbecause the word and the exampleof the Lord tell us that we are allbrothers and sisters. This is the prin-ciple of God’s love and of all justiceamong men. I should like to suggestsomething: before concluding, just afew words, in silence each of us, let

us think of our broth-ers, our sisters, andfrom our heart let uspray in silence forthem. A moment of si-lence.

Here then, with thisprayer we havebrought all, brothersand sisters, with ourthoughts, with ourhearts, here to theSquare to receive theb l e s s i n g.

Today more thanever it is necessary toplace fraternity back atthe centre of our tech-nocratic and bureau-

page 4 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 20 February 2015, number 8

In his address to the Moderator of the Church of Scotland the Pope recalls the Egyptian Coptic Christians who were assassinated

A testimony cries out“The blood of our Christian brothersand sisters is a testimony which criesout”. With these words the HolyFather condemned the barbarousexecution of the Egyptian CopticChristians in Libya by jihadistmilitants. The Pope expressed hisprofound sorrow during a meeting withthe Moderator and Representatives ofthe Church of Scotland, on Monday,16 February. The following is theEnglish text of the Pope address.

Dear Moderator,Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,I am happy to have this opportunityto meet this delegation from theChurch of Scotland, and to reaffirmour common commitment to theGospel and to the cause of Christianu n i t y.

Scotland’s rich cultural and his-torical traditions have been shapedby outstanding saintly witnesses toChrist from various confessions. Thepresent state of ecumenical relationsin Scotland clearly shows that whatwe, as Christians, hold in common isgreater than all that divides us. Onthis basis the Lord is calling us toseek ever more effective ways to

overcome old prejudices and to findnew forms of understanding and co-op eration.

It is heartening for me to see thatthe good relations between theChurch of Scotland and the Cathol-ic Church have born fruit in sharedreflection on the challenges posedby contemporary society, and that inmany cases we are able to speakwith one voice on issues whichdeeply affect the lives of all Christi-ans. In our globalized and oftenconfused world, a common Christianwitness is a necessary requisite forthe effectiveness of our efforts toevangelize.

We are pilgrims and we journeyalongside one another. We need tolearn to have “sincere trust in ourfellow pilgrims, putting aside all sus-picion or mistrust, and turn ourgaze to what we are all seeking: theradiant peace of God’s face” (cf.Evangelii Gaudium, 244).

Faith and Christian witness arepresently confronted by such greatchallenges that only by working to-gether will we be able effectively toserve the human family and enablethe light of Christ to reach every

abundance (cf. Jn 10:10).Let us pray for one another, and

continue to advance in the way ofwisdom, good will, strength andp eace.

I would now like to turn to mynative tongue to express feelings ofprofound sorrow. Today I readabout the execution of those 21 or22 Coptic Christians. Their onlywords were: “Jesus, help me!”. Theywere killed simply for the fact thatthey were Christians. You, my broth-er, in your words referred to what ishappening in the land of Jesus. The

blood of our Christian brothers andsisters is a testimony which cries outto be heard. It makes no differencewhether they be Catholics, Ortho-dox, Copts or Protestants. They areChristians! Their blood is one andthe same. Their blood confessesChrist. As we recall these brothersand sisters who died only becausethey confessed Christ, I ask that weencourage each another to go for-ward with this ecumenism which isgiving us strength, the ecumenism ofblood. The martyrs belong to allChristians.

dark corner ofour hearts andof our world.May the jour-ney of recon-ciliation andpeace betweenour communit-ies continue todraw us closer,so that, promp-ted by theHoly Spirit, wemay bring lifeto all, andbring it in

The Pontiff asks the Pro Petri Association to pray for peace

We receive much from the poorThe poor need our material andspiritual support; but “at the sametime the poor, whom we approach andhelp, can give us much” . The Poperecalled this to the members of the ProPetri Association, whom he received onMonday, 16 February in the ConsistoryHall. The following is a translation ofthe Holy Father’s address which wasgiven in Italian.

Dear Friends,I welcome you, members of the P roPetri Sede Association, with joy onthe occasion of your pilgrimage tothe Tombs of the Apostles, withwhich you nourish your faith andmanifest your fidelity to Peter’s Suc-c e s s o r.

I express gratitude for your com-mitment to serving the poor. Thegrowing number of people who aremarginalized and live in great insec-urity challenge us and ask us forgreater solidarity to give them thematerial and spiritual support theyneed. At the same time the poorwhom we approach and help cangive us much.

In contending with their diffi-culties they are often witnesses ofthe essential, of family values; theyare capable of sharing with thosepoorer than themselves and theyknow how to rejoice, as I was alsoable to observe on my recentApostolic Visit to Asia. Indifferenceand selfishness are always lurking.Attention to the poor enriches us,placing us on a path of humility andtruth. St Paul wrote to the Corinthi-ans: “What have you that you did

Successor, you come in aid of thepeoples harshly tried in various partsof the world. With this solidarityyou also offer them spiritual comfortthat they may not feel forgotten intheir trials, but continue to cease-lessly hope. I heartily thank you forthis on their behalf. I also invite youto pray steadfastly for peace, in or-der that political leaders may find

“Indifference and selfishness arealways lurking. Attention to thepoor enriches us, placing us on apath of humility and truth”

the joy of proclaiming the Gospel toall. May fraternity be strengthenedamong you so that you may carry onyour mission at the service of thepoor and the small ones, for whomJesus had a preferential love. En-trusting you to the intercession ofthe Blessed Virgin Mary, to St Peterand the Saints of your countries, Iwholeheartedly impart the ApostolicBlessing to you, your families and

all the members of your Association.And please, do not forget to prayfor me.

Before taking his leave, the Pontiffadded the following words off the cuff.

Before concluding, I would like toadd a few words. I am thinking ofBelgium and Holland: these twocountries have filled the world withmissionaries, and today they are in avocational crisis. I would like to askyou to knock at Jesus’ heart that thegenerosity these two countries hadin former times may not be forgot-ten. And that He send vocationsthere, to Belgium and Holland, sothe life of faith may grow stronger.You work with the poor and lovethe poor, but also think of the poorin faith, who do not have faith be-cause there is no one who preaches.May the Lord send priests to pro-claim the faith. And please, pray forvocations in your countries.

not receive?” (1 Cor 4:7). Their pres-ence is a reminder of our commonhumanity, of the fragility of life, ofdependence on God and on broth-ers and sisters. Therefore, I inviteyou, particularly on the occasion of

channels for dialogue and reconcili-ation.

Dear friends, I hope your pilgrim-age may increase in each one of youthe sense of belonging to theChurch, which is a great family, and

Lent, which is about to be-gin, to ask that the Lord giveyou a poor and mercifulheart, one which realizes itsown poverty and gives itselffreely for others (cf. Me s s a g efor Lent 2015, n. 3).

With the precious gift thatyou give today to Peter’s

number 8, Friday, 20 February 2015 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 5

Mass at Santa Marta for the 21 Copts killed in Libya

As martyrs“We offer this Mass for our 21Coptic brothers, slaughtered for thesole reason that they were Christi-ans”. These were Pope Francis’words during the Mass celebrated atSanta Marta on Tuesday, 17 Febru-ary. “Let us pray for them, that theLord welcome them as martyrs, fortheir families, for my brother Tawad-ros, who is suffering greatly”, he ad-ded. In a telephone conversation onMonday afternoon, Pope Francisspoke personally with Tawadros II,Patriarch of the Coptic OrthodoxChurch. He expressed his profoundsadness for the barbaric assassina-tion carried out by Islamic funda-mentalists, and assured him of hisprayers for the funerals.

Pope Francis opened his homilywith the words of the entrance anti-phon, “Be my protector, O God, amighty stronghold to save me. Foryou are my rock, my stronghold!Lead me, guide me, for the sake ofyour name” (cf. Ps 31[30]:3-4). Hecontinued with the passage on theflood in the day’s Reading from theBook of Genesis (6:5-8, 7:1-5, 10)which, he said, “makes us thinkabout man’s capacity for destruc-tion: man is capable of destroyingeverything that God made” when“he thinks he is more powerful thanGo d”. Thus, “God can make goodthings, but man is capable of des-troying them all”.

Even starting from the beginning“in the first chapters of the Bible, wefind many examples”. For example,Francis explained, “man summonsthe flood through his wickedness: itis he who summons it!”. Moreover,“man summons the fire out of heav-en, to Sodom and Gomorrah, out ofhis wickedness”. Then, “man createsconfusion, the division of humanity— Babel, the Tower of Babel — withhis wickedness”. In other words,“man is capable of destruction, weare all capable of destruction”. Thisis confirmed again in Genesis with“a very, very sharp phrase: ‘Thiswickedness was great and every in-nermost intent of their heart — inthe heart of mankind — was nothingbut evil, always”.

It isn’t a question of being toonegative, the Pope pointed out, be-cause “this is the truth”. At thispoint “we are even capable of des-troying fraternity”, as demonstratedby the story of “Cain and Abel inthe first pages of the Bible”. Thisepisode which “destroys fraternity, isthe beginning of wars: jealousy,envy, such greed for power, to havemore power”. Yes, Francis con-firmed, “this seems negative, but itis realistic”. After all, he added, oneneed only pick up a newspaper tosee “that more than 90 percent ofthe news is about destruction: morethan 90 percent! And we see thisevery day!”.

Thus the fundamental question:“what happens in the heart ofman?”, the Pope asked. “Jesus oncewarned his disciples that evil doesnot enter a man’s heart because heeats something that isn’t pure, butrather, it comes out of the heart”.And “all wickedness comes out ofthe heart of man”. Indeed, “ourweak heart is wounded”. There is

“always that desire for autonomy”which leads one to say: “I do what Iwant, and if I want to do this, I doit! And if I want to make war overthis, I do it! And if I want to des-troy my family over this, I do it!And if I want to kill my neighbourover this, I do it”. But this is really“everyday news”, the Pope re-marked, observing that “newspap ersdon’t tell us news about the life ofsaints”.

Therefore, he continued, returningto the central question: “why are welike this?”. And the answer: “Be-cause we have the opportunity todestroy: this is the problem!”. Andin doing so, “with war, with armstrafficking, we are entrepreneurs ofdeath!”. And “there are countriesthat sell arms to this one that is atwar with that one, and they also sellthem to that one, so that war contin-ues”. The problem is precisely the“capacity for destruction and thisdoes not come from our neighbour”but “from us!”.

“Every innermost intent of theheart is nothing but evil”, Francisagain repeated. And “we have thisseed inside, this possibility”. But“we also have the Holy Spirit whosaves us”. It is thus a matter ofchoosing to start with the “littlethings”. And so, “when a womangoes to the market and finds anoth-er, starts to gossip, to speak ill ofher neighbour, about that woman

Church, on the threshold of Lent,causes us to reflect”. The Pope’s re-flection in this regard started fromthe Gospel of Mark (8:14-21). “Inthe Gospel, Jesus lightly reprimandsthe disciples who were arguing: ‘youwere supposed to bring the bread —no, you were!’”. Basically the Twelve“were discussing as usual, were ar-guing amongst themselves”. And Je-sus says something beautiful to them“Take heed, beware of the leaven ofthe Pharisees and the leaven ofHero d”. Thus, “He simply makes anexample of two people: Herod isbad, he is an assassin, and the Phar-isees hypocrites”. But the Lord alsospeaks of “‘leaven’ and they do notunderstand”.

The fact is, as Mark writes, thedisciples “were speaking about

bread, about this bread, and Jesustells them: ‘that leaven is dangerous,what we have inside is what leads usto destroy. Take heed, beware!’”.Then “Jesus shows the other door:‘Are your hearts hardened? Do younot remember when I broke the fiveloaves, the door of God’s salva-tion?”. In fact, “nothing good evercomes from arguing”, he said, “t h e rewill always be division, destruc-tion!”. He continued: “Think aboutsalvation, about what God too didfor us, and make the right choice!”.But the disciples “did not under-stand because their hearts werehardened by this passion, by thiswickedness of arguing amongstthemselves to see who was to blamefor forgetting the bread”.

Francis then advised that “thismessage of the Lord” should betaken seriously, because “this isn’tsomething strange, this isn’t a Mar-tian talking, no: these are things thathappen in everyday life”. And toconfirm this, he repeated, we onlyneed to pick up “the newspaper,nothing more!”.

However, he added, “man is cap-able of doing such good: let’s con-sider Mother Teresa, for example, awoman of our era”. But if “all of usare capable of doing such good” weare “also capable of destroying ingreat and small measure, in the samefamily: of destroying the children,not letting the children grow freely,not helping them to grow well” andthus in some way nullifying the chil-dren. “We have this capacity andthis is the reason constant medita-tion, prayer, discussion amongourselves is necessary, to avoid fall-ing into this wickedness which des-troys everything”.

And “we have the strength” to doit, as “Jesus reminds us”, and “to dayHe tells us: Remember. Rememberme, who spilled my blood for you;remember me, who saved you, whosave everyone; remember me, whohas the power to accompany you onthe journey of life, not on the roadof evil, but on the path of goodness,of doing good for others; not on thepath of destruction, but on the pathof building: building a family, build-ing a city, building a culture, build-ing a homeland, always more!”.

With today’s reflection, Francisasked the Lord, for the grace to “al-ways choose the right path with hishelp and not to let ourselves be de-ceived by the seduction that willlead us down the wrong path” b e-fore Lent begins.

Muslims and Christians in Egypt

United against barbarityThe barbarity shocked not onlythe Egyptian Christian com-munity, but the more numerousMuslim authorities have alsoharshly condemned the beheadingof 21 Egyptian Coptic Christianswho had had been held hostagefor weeks by Libyan jihadists affil-iated with the so-called IslamicState. Video of the execution wasbroadcast on the internetthroughout the day on Sunday, 15Fe b ru a r y.

A reaction was immediatelyforthcoming from Al-Azhar Uni-versity, the oldest Sunni Islamiclearning centre, which called theexecutions “barbaric”. GrandMufti Shawqi Allam, Egypt’shighest Islamic authority, offeredhis condolences to families of thevictims, while stating that “the as-sassins deserve Allah’s curse”, and

asking Arab countries and the in-ternational community to seriouslyoppose these criminals.

On behalf of Catholics, Patri-arch Ibrahim Isaac Sedrak of Al-exandria for Copts, in a statementbroadcast by the Fides NewsAgency, urged that the tragicdeath of these Coptic Orthodoxbrothers — whom he called “mar-tyrs who gave their lives for theirfaith” — be looked at with a gazeilluminating by religion. He con-sidered it important that, in theface of the bloodthirsty barbarityof the jihadists, a surge of unifica-tion was being seen throughoutthe country. “This tragic event”, FrHani Bakhoum Kiroulos of thePatriarchate remarked, “is unitingthe entire country, Christians andMuslims. If they were aiming todivide us, their plan failed”.

over there: this wo-man kills, this womanis evil”. And this hap-pens “at the market”but also “in the par-ish, in associations,when there is jeal-ousy, the enviousones go to the priestto say ‘this one no,this one yes, this onedo es...’”. And this too“is evil, the capacityto destroy, which allof us have”.

This is the pointon which “today the

In front of the Egyptian embassy in Amman, a girl holds up aposter with pictures of the 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians, who were

beheaded on 15 February (Reuters)

In the Cathedralof St Mark’s,Cairo on Tuesdayafternoon, 17Fe b r u a r y,OrthodoxP a t r i a rc hTawadros II forCopts celebratedMass in suffragefor those killed

page 6 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 20 February 2015, number 8

Cardinals created at the Consistory on 14 FebruaryThe following are the biographies of the20 cardinals that Pope Francis createdat the Ordinary Public Consistory onSaturday morning, 14 February, in StPeter’s Basilica.

Dominique MambertiTitular Archbishop of Sagona,

Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal ofthe Apostolic Signatura

Dominique Mamberti was born inMarrakech, Morocco, on 7 March1952, to French parents who re-turned to their homeland shortlyafter his birth. He studied publiclaw and political science. After en-tering the Pontifical French Semin-ary in Rome, he was ordained apriest on 20 September 1981 for theDiocese of Ajaccio, Corsica. Heearned a degree in canon law andbegan studying at the Pontifical Ec-clesiastical Academy. He entered theHoly See’s diplomatic service on 1

After earning a history degree at theUniversity of Lisbon, he entered thePatriarchal Seminary of Cristo Reidos Olivais. He earned a doctoratein theology, with a specialization inhistorical theology, at the CatholicUniversity of Portugal. He was or-dained a priest on 29 June 1979.

On 22 January 2000 he was or-dained a bishop, subsequent to hisappointment as titular Bishop ofPinhel and Auxiliary of Lisbon. On22 February 2007, Pope BenedictXVI appointed him Bishop of Porto.He was appointed Patriarch of Lis-bon by Pope Francis on 18 May2013. He has served as president ofthe Bishops’ Conference of Portugalsince 19 June 2013, after having pre-viously served as vice-president.Within the Conference he has servedas president of the Episcopal Com-mission for Culture, Cultural Assetsand Social Communications. He hasauthored numerous publications,and since 2012 has been a memberof the Pontifical Council for SocialCommunication.

During his patriarchate he hasbeen: vice-rector and rector of theMajor Seminary; professor in thefaculty of theology of the CatholicUniversity of Portugal; and a mem-ber of: the Cathedral Chapter; thePresbytery Council and the PastoralCouncil.

Berhaneyesus DemerewSouraphiel, CM

Archbishop of AddisAbaba, Ethiopia

Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphielwas born in Cheleleqa, Ethiopia on14 July 1948. In 1963 he entered theLazarist Minor Seminary and thenstudied philosophy at the Makanissa

of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences ofOceania from 2010-2014.

Edoardo MenichelliArchbishop of Ancona-Osimo, ItalyEdoardo Menichelli was born in SanSeverino Marche, Italy on 14 Octo-ber 1939. He studied philosophy andtheology at the Pius IX RegionalPontifical Seminary in Fano beforetransferring to the Pontifical LateranUniversity in Rome, where heearned a licence in pastoral theology.

He was ordained a priest on 3 Ju-ly 1965 and served three years asvicar of St Joseph’s parish in SanSeverino Marche, while simultan-eously teaching religion in localpublic schools. In 1968 he wascalled to Rome, where he remainedfor 26 years, serving until 1991 as anofficial at the Supreme Tribunal ofthe Apostolic Signatura, and then,from 1992-1994 in the secretariat ofthe Congregation for the EasternChurches, where he served as per-sonal secretary to Cardinal AchilleSilvestrini, Prefect of the dicastery.

March 1986. He served in the papalrepresentations in Algeria (1986-1990), Chile (1990-1993), at the UNin New York (1993-1996), in Leban-on (1996-1999), and at the Sectionfor Relations with States of the Sec-retariat of State (1999-2002).

He received his episcopal ordina-tion on 3 July 2002, subsequent tohis appointment as Apostolic Nun-cio in Sudan, titular Archbishop ofSagona and Apostolic Delegate inSomalia. On 19 February 2004 hewas appointed Apostolic Nuncio inEritrea. Two years later, on 15September 2006, he was appointedsecretary for Relations with States ofthe Secretariat of State by Pope Be-nedict XVI and served until mid-January 2015. As secretary he ledmany Holy See delegations at inter-national meetings and conferences,especially at the General Assemblyof the United Nations and the Or-ganization for Security and Co-oper-ation in Europe.

On 8 November 2014, Pope Fran-cis appointed him prefect of the Su-preme Tribunal of the Apostolic Sig-n a t u re .

Manuel José Macário doNascimento ClementePatriarch of Lisbon, Portugal

Manuel José Macário do Nasci-mento Clemente was born in TorresVedras, Portugal on 16 July 1948.

Also during his years in Rome heserved the parish of the SacredHearts of Jesus and Mary, with spe-cial regard to the pastoral care offamilies. For over 20 years he alsoprovided spiritual guidance at theVilla Mafalda clinic and also workedin family services with the faculty ofmedicine at Gemelli Policlinic,where, for several years, he taughtprofessional ethics in the school ofn u r s i n g.

He received his episcopal ordina-tion on 9 July 1994, subsequent tohis appointment as Archbishop ofChieti-Vasto, and was appointedArchbishop of Ancona-Osimo on 8

Major Seminary. In 1970 he movedto London, where he studied at theMissionary Institute and earned abachelor of divinity at King’s Col-lege. He was ordained a priest on 4July 1976 in Ethiopia where he wasimprisoned by the Communists from1979-1980.

After his release, he moved toRome, where he served as a delegateto the General Assembly of the Con-gregation of the Mission and alsoearned a Master’s in socio-economicdevelopment at the PontificalGregorian University. He returnedto Ethiopia and in 1985 beganserving as director of the LazaristNovitiate, in addition to being par-ish priest and lecturer at the StFrancis Institute of Philosophy andTheology. With the establishment ofthe Apostolic Prefecture of Jimma-Bonga, Ethiopia on 10 June 1994, hebecame the first apostolic prefect.

On 25 January 1998 he was or-dained a bishop subsequent to hisappointment as titular Bishop ofBita and as Auxiliary of the Arch-diocese of Addis Ababa. On 7 July1999 he was appointed Archbishopof Addis Ababa. Since 2000 he hasserved as president of the CatholicBishops Conference of Ethiopia, asofficial representative of the CatholicChurch to the Ethiopian Govern-ment and international organizationsin Ethiopia. In 2003 he was appoin-ted consultor of Congregation forthe Oriental Churches. In 2014 hewas elected chairman of of the Asso-ciation of Member Episcopal Con-ferences in Eastern Africa.

John Atcherley DewArchbishop of Wellington,

New ZealandJohn Atcherley Dew was born inWaipawa, New Zealand on 5 May1948. He studied philosophy at theHoly Name Seminary and theologyat Holy Cross College. He was or-dained a priest on 9 May 1976. Afterhis ordination he began serving inparish ministry. In 1980 he travelledto the Cook Islands as a missionary,working in the Maori community.There he also served as parish priestand head of archdiocesan youthministry. In 1988 he was appointeddirector of formation at Holy CrossCollege in Mosgiel. From 1991-1993he studied spirituality at the Insti-tute of St Anselm in Kent, England.Upon earning a diploma, he stayedin England and began serving asparish priest in Newtown.

He received his episcopal ordina-tion on 31 May 1995, subsequent tohis appointment as titular Bishop ofPrivata and Auxiliary of Wellington.He was appointed Coadjutor Arch-bishop of Wellington on 24 May2004.

He succeeded Cardinal Williamsas Archbishop of Wellington on 21March 2005. He was appointed Mil-itary Ordinary for New Zealand on 1April 2005. He was installed asArchbishop of Wellington on 7 April2005. He was appointed President ofthe New Zealand Catholic Bishops’Conference on 30 October 2009. Heserved as President of the Federation

number 8, Friday, 20 February 2015 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 7

January 2004. He is president of theMarche Bishops’ Conference, amember of the Commission forCatholic Education, Schools andUniversities, and national chaplainfor the Association of Italian Cath-olic Physicians. In October 2014, bypontifical appointment, he particip-ated in the Third Extraordinary As-sembly of the Synod Bishops on theFamily, where he was a relator of theItalian language working group ‘A’.

Pierre Nguyên Văn NhonArchbishop Hanoi, Vietnam

Pierre Nguyên Văn Nhon was bornon 1 April 1938 in Ðà Lat, Vietnam.From 1958-1968 he studied philo-sophy and theology at Pius X Ponti-fical College in Đà Lat, and was or-dained a priest on 21 December

his final profession as a Salesian on10 March 1976. He was ordained asa priest on 9 April 1976. After his or-dination he served as parish priestand formator.

He served as apostolic adminis-trator in Lashio from 1985-1986 andthen as apostolic prefect from 1986-1990. He was ordained a bishop onon 16 December 1990, subsequent tohis appointment by John Paul II asfirst bishop of the newly-createdDiocese of Lashio. In 1996 he wastransferred to the Diocese ofPathein. From May 1996 to Novem-ber 1998 he served as apostolic ad-ministrator of the Diocese of Lashio,and of the Archdiocese of Mandalayfrom 3 April 2002 to June 2003. On24 May 2003, he was appointedArchbishop of Yangon.

He is the current secretary treas-urer of the Catholic Bishops’ Con-ference of Myanmar, head of theMajor Seminary, head of national in-terreligious dialogue, head of theOffice of Human Development atthe Federation of Asian Bishops’Conference (FA B C ), a member of theCommission for Religious in FA B C ,and a member of the PontificalCouncil for Culture.

Francis Xavier KriengsakKo v i t h a v a n i j

Archbishop of Bangkok, ThailandFrancis Xavier KriengsakKovithavanij was born on 27 June1949 in Ban Rak, Thailand. After at-tending St Joseph’s Seminary inSampran, he studied philosophy andtheology at the Pontifical UrbanUniversity in Rome, from 1970-1976.1967. He then taught for four years

at the Simon Hòa Minor Seminary,before serving as rector of the MinhHòa Major Seminary from 1972-1975,followed by more than 15 years inministry as parish priest of thecathedral, from 1975-1991. During thesame period he also served as deanof the deaconry of Đà Lat and thenas vicar general of the diocese fornearly 10 years.

He was ordained a bishop on 3December 1991, subsequent to hisappointment as Coadjutor of ÐàLat. He became Bishop of Ðà Laton 23 March 1994, and held this po-sition until 2013. During this period,within the Catholic Bishops’ Confer-ence of Vietnam (CBCV), he presidedover the Commission for the Laityfrom 1992-1995, participated in theSynod of Bishops for Asia in 1998,and served as deputy secretary gen-eral of the CBCV from 1998-2001. Hewas later elected president for twoterms, from 2007-2013.

He was appointed coadjutor ofthe Archdiocese of Hanoi on 22April 2010, becoming Archbishoponly several weeks later, followingthe resignation of ArchbishopJoseph Ngô Quang Kiêt.

Alberto Suárez IndaArchbishop of Morelia, Mexico

Alberto Suárez Inda was born inCelaya, Mexico on 30 January 1939.After studying humanities at theseminary in Morelia, he attended theLatin-American Pontifical Pius Col-lege in Rome from 1958-1965. Hewas ordained a priest on 8 August1964 and served as parish vicar of StJoseph’s in Morelia and of the Ba-

silica in Pátzcuaro. He subsequentlytaught several subjects at the arch-diocesan seminary. He was later ap-pointed as the first parish priest ofthe new community of the Assump-tion of Mary in his hometown ofCelaya. With the creation of the newDiocese of Celaya, he was appointedrector of the minor seminary in 1974and served until 1985, when on 20December of that year he receivedhis episcopal ordination, subsequentto his appointment as Bishop ofTa c á m b a ro .

On 20 January 1995 Pope JohnPaul II appointed him Archbishopof Morelia, Mexico. During his 20years of pastoral governance hesponsored the creation of the newdiocese of Irapuato, instituted over40 new parishes, and ordained fourbishops and approximately 300priests. Within the Bishops’ Confer-ence of Mexico (CEM), he has beenresponsible for the social support forclergy, has been president of thecommission for the clergy, which in-stitutes diocesan heads for the per-manent formation of priests. He alsoserved two terms as vice-president ofthe CEM and headed the commissionfor the creation of new dioceses. Hecurrently heads the organization forpastoral education. Within the LatinAmerican Episcopal Council(CELAM), he was a member of thedepartment of vocations and minis-tries and participated in the fourthConference of Latin-American Bish-ops in 1992. He also took part in theplanning commission of the fifthconference in Aparecida in 2007.

Charles Maung Bo, SDB

Archbishop of Yangon, MyanmarCharles Maung Bo was born inMonhla Village in Myanmar on 29October 1948. After studying atNazareth Salesian Aspirantate in Py-in Oo Lwin from 1962-1976, he made

He was ordained a priest on 11 July1976. Later that year he became par-ish vicar of the Nativity of Mary inBan Pan and then, from 1977-1979,parish vicar of the Epiphany in KohVai. He then served as vice-rector ofSt Joseph’s Minor Seminary inSampran from 1979-1981, before re-turning to Rome, from 1982-1983, fora specialization in spirituality at thePontifical Gregorian University.

Upon returning to Thailand hewas rector of the Holy Family Inter-mediate Seminary in NakhonRatchasima for six years. From 1989-1993, he served as undersecretary ofthe Bishop’s Conference of Thail-and, and then, from 1992-2000 asrector of the Lux Mundi NationalMajor Seminary in Sampran, wherehe has been an adjunct professorsince 2001. He served as parish

CONTINUED ON PA G E 10

Consistory on Friday

Open andc o n s t ru c t i v e

dialogue

The College of Cardinals ex-pressed their appreciation and en-couragement for the challengingand decisive economic reformwhich has already begun, under-lining the importance of transpar-ency, responsibility, competencyand clarity. Fr Federico Lom-bardi, Director of the Holy SeePress Office, explained this tojournalists this during a briefingon Friday morning, 13 February,the second day of the Extraordin-ary Consistory.

In total 25 Cardinals took thefloor, further examining severalissues and expressing appreci-ation for the proposed reformsand reorganization regarding theeconomic framework of the ad-ministration. Transparency andcredibility were also emphasized.Cardinal George Pell and Cardin-al Reinhard Marx explained theprogress made by the Secretariatfor the Economy. Joseph F.X.Zahra, Vice-Coordinator of theCouncil for the Economy, andJean-Baptiste de Franssu, Presid-ent of the Institute for Works ofReligion, also gave detailed sum-maries.

During the afternoon sessionon Friday, Cardinal O’M a l l e y,President of the Commission forthe Protection of Minors, dis-cussed the Commission’s work.

On Thursday afternoon, 12February, the addresses regardingthe Curia reforms were delivered.Forty Cardinals intervened: 12 inmorning and 28 in the afternoon.In a serene, positive and con-structive atmosphere, the mostcommon themes addressed by theCardinals regarded the relation-ship between the Curia, the localChurches and Episcopal Confer-ences. In this regard the Cardin-als also discussed decentraliza-tion, indicating that the Curiamust take into account their ser-vice to the dioceses and episcopalconferences. There was also talkof coordination within the Curiaand the need to safeguard thecompetence of the Secretariat ofState in relation to internationalorganizations. Also discussed wasthe role of the laity, especiallywomen.

number 8, Friday, 20 February 2015 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 8/9

The Holy Father creates 20 new Cardinals during the Ordinary Public Consistory

Incardinated and docile

At Mass with the new Cardinals in St Peter’s Basilica

At a crossroads of two ways of thinking

good of others, even those unfriendlyto us.

The Apostle goes on to say thatcharity “is not jealous or boastful, it isnot puffed up with pride”. This is surelya miracle of love, since we humans —all of us, at every stage of our lives —are inclined to jealousy and pride, sinceour nature is wounded by sin. Nor areChurch dignitaries immune from thistemptation. But for this very reason,dear brothers, the divine power of love,which transforms hearts, can be all themore evident in us, so that it is nolonger you who live, but rather Christwho lives in you. And Jesus is love tothe fullest.

St Paul then tells us that charity “isnot arrogant or rude, it does not insist onits own way”. These two characteristicsshow that those who abide in charityare not self-centred. The self-centredinevitably become disrespectful; veryoften they do not even notice this,since “resp ect” is precisely the ability toacknowledge others, to acknowledgetheir dignity, their condition, theirneeds. The self-centred person inevit-ably seeks his own interests; he thinksthis is normal, even necessary. Those“i n t e re s t s ” can even be cloaked in

noble appearances, but underlyingthem all is always “s e l f - i n t e re s t ”. Char-ity, however, makes us draw back fromthe centre in order to set ourselves inthe real centre, which is Christ alone.Then, and only then, can we be per-sons who are respectful and attentive tothe good of others.

Charity, St Paul says, “is not irritable,it is not resentful”. Pastors close to theirpeople have plenty of opportunities tobe irritable, to feel anger. Perhaps werisk being all the more irritable in rela-tionships with our confreres, since ineffect we have less excuses. Even here,charity, and charity alone, frees us. Itfrees us from the risk of reacting im-pulsively, of saying or doing the wrongthing; above all it frees us from themortal danger of pent-up anger, of thatsmouldering anger which makes usbrood over wrongs we have received.No. This is unacceptable in a man ofthe Church. Even if a momentary out-burst is forgivable, this is not the casewith rancour. God save us from that!

Charity — St Paul adds — “does notrejoice at the wrong, but rejoices in theright”. Those called to the service of

On Sunday morning, 15 February, PopeFrancis celebrated Mass for the 20 newly-created Cardinals. St Peter’s Basilica wasfilled with faithful who had gathered fromall over the world to participate in theLiturgy celebrated in various languages.Present were: Cardinal Sodano, Dean ofthe College of Cardinals; CardinalParolin, Secretary of State; along withnumerous archbishops, bishops, prelates,priests and men and women religious.During the homily the Pope called for adeeper look at the key concepts proposed inthe Liturgy of the Word: “the compassionof Jesus in the face of marginalizationand his desire to reinstate”. “The way ofthe Church”, the Pope said, “is precisely toleave her four walls behind and to go outin search of those who are distant, thoseessentially on the ‘outskirts’ of life”. Thefollowing is the English text of the HolyFa t h e r ’s homily.

“Lord, if you choose, you can make meclean”.... Jesus, moved with compas-sion, stretched out his hand andtouched him, and said: “I do choose.Be made clean!” (Mk 1:40-41). Thecompassion of Jesus! That com-passionwhich made him draw near to everyperson in pain! Jesus does not holdback; instead, he gets involved inp eople’s pain and their need... for thesimple reason that he knows and wantsto show com-passion, because he has aheart unashamed to have “compassion”.

“Jesus could no longer go into atown openly, but stayed in the country;and people came to him from everyquarter” (Mk 1:45). This means that Je-sus not only healed the leper but alsotook upon himself the marginalizationenjoined by the law of Moses (cf. Lev13:1-2, 45-46). Jesus is unafraid to risksharing in the suffering of others; hepays the price of it in full (cf. Is 53:4).

Compassion leads Jesus to concreteaction: he reinstates the marginalized!These are the three key concepts thatthe Church proposes in today’s liturgyof the word: the compassion of Jesus inthe face of m a rg i n a l i z a t i o n and his de-sire to re i n s t a t e .

Ma rg i n a l i z a t i o n : Moses, in his legisla-tion regarding lepers, says that they areto be kept alone and apart from thecommunity for the duration of their ill-ness. He declares them: “unclean!” (cf.Lev 13:1-2, 45-46).

Imagine how much suffering andshame lepers must have felt: physically,socially, psychologically and spiritually!They are not only victims of disease,but they feel guilty about it, punishedfor their sins! Theirs is a living death;they are like someone whose father hasspit in his face (cf. Num 12:14).

In addition, lepers inspire fear, con-tempt and loathing, and so they areabandoned by their families, shunnedby other persons, cast out by society.Indeed, society rejects them and forcesthem to live apart from the healthy. Itexcludes them. So much so that if ahealthy person approached a leper, hewould be punished severely, and oftenbe treated as a leper himself.

True, the purpose of this rule was “tosafeguard the healthy”, “to protect therighteous”, and, in order to guard themfrom any risk, to eliminate “the peril”by treating the diseased person harshly.As the high priest Caiaphas exclaimed:“It is better to have one man die for

A N T., Ad Rom., Prologue).In the Church, all “p re s i d -

ing” flows from charity, mustbe exercised in charity, and isordered towards charity. Heretoo the Church of Rome exer-cises an exemplary role. Just asshe presides in charity, so tooeach particular Church iscalled, within its own sphere,to preside in charity.

For this reason, I believethat the “hymn to charity” inSt Paul’s first letter to the Cor-inthians can be taken as aguiding theme for this celebra-tion and for your ministry, es-pecially for those of you whotoday enter the College ofCardinals. All of us, myselffirst and each of you with me,

Four new saints on 17 May

the people than to have the whole na-tion destroyed” (Jn 11:50).

Reinstatement: Jesus revolutionizesand upsets that fearful, narrow and pre-judiced mentality. He does not abolishthe law of Moses, but rather brings itto fulfillment (cf. Mt 5:17). He does soby stating, for example, that the law ofretaliation is counterproductive, thatGod is not pleased by a Sabbath ob-servance which demeans or condemns aman. He does so by refusing to con-demn the sinful woman, but saves herfrom the blind zeal of those preparedto stone her ruthlessly in the belief thatthey were applying the law of Moses.Jesus also revolutionizes consciences inthe Sermon on the Mount (cf. Mt 5),opening new horizons for humanityand fully revealing God’s “logic”. Thelogic of love, based not on fear but onfreedom and charity, on healthy zealand the saving will of God. For “Go dour Saviour desires everyone to besaved and to come to the knowledge ofthe truth” (1 Tim 2:3-4). “I desire

Even today it can happen that westand at the crossroads of these twoways of thinking. The thinking of thedoctors of the law, which would re-move the danger by casting out the dis-eased person, and the thinking of God,who in his mercy embraces and acceptsby reinstating him and turning evil intogood, condemnation into salvation andexclusion into proclamation.

These two ways of thinking arepresent throughout the Church’s his-tory: casting off and re i n s t a t i n g. St Paul,following the Lord’s command to bringthe Gospel message to the ends of theearth (cf. Mt 28:19), caused scandaland met powerful resistance and greathostility, especially from those who de-manded unconditional obedience to theMosaic law, even on the part of conver-ted pagans. St Peter, too, was bitterlycriticized by the community when heentered the house of the pagan centuri-on Cornelius (cf. Acts 10).

The Church’s way, from the time ofthe Council of Jerusalem, has alwaysalways been the way of Jesus, the way

Lk 15:11-32), the burden of envy andthe grumbling of the labourers whobore “the burden of the day and theheat” (cf. Mt 20:1-16).

In a word: charity cannot be neutral,antiseptic, indifferent, lukewarm or impar-tial! Charity is infectious, it excites, itrisks and it engages! For true charity isalways unmerited, unconditional and gra-tuitous! (cf. 1 Cor 13). Charity is creat-ive in finding the right words to speakto all those considered incurable andhence untouchable. Finding the rightwords.... Contact is the language ofgenuine communication, the same en-dearing language which brought heal-ing to the leper. How many healingscan we perform if only we learn thislanguage of contact! The leper, oncecured, became a messenger of God’slove. The Gospel tells us that “he wentout and began to proclaim it freely andto spread the word” (cf. Mk 1:45).

Dear new Cardinals, this is the “lo-gic”, the mind of Jesus, and this is theway of the Church. Not only to wel-come and reinstate with evangelicalcourage all those who knock at ourdoor, but to go out and seek, fearlesslyand without prejudice, those who aredistant, freely sharing what weourselves freely received. “Who eversays: ‘I abide in [Christ]’, ought towalk just as he walked” (1 Jn 2:6).Total openness to serving others is ourhallmark, it alone is our title of hon-our!

Consider carefully that, in these dayswhen you have become Cardinals, wehave asked Mary, Mother of theChurch, who herself experienced mar-ginalization as a result of slander (cf.Jn 8:41) and exile (cf. Mt 2:13-23), tointercede for us so that we can beGo d’s faithful servants. May she — ourMother — teach us to be unafraid oftenderly welcoming the outcast; not tobe afraid of tenderness. How often wefear tenderness! May Mary teach us notto be afraid of tenderness and compas-sion. May she clothe us in patience aswe seek to accompany them on theirjourney, without seeking the benefits ofworldly success. May she show us Jesusand help us to walk in his footsteps.

Dear new Cardinals, my brothers, aswe look to Jesus and our Mother, Iurge you to serve the Church in such away that Christians — edified by ourwitness — will not be tempted to turnto Jesus without turning to the outcast,to become a closed caste with nothingauthentically ecclesial about it. I urgeyou to serve Jesus crucified in everyperson who is emarginated, forwhatever reason; to see the Lord inevery excluded person who is hungry,thirsty, naked; to see the Lord presenteven in those who have lost their faith,or turned away from the practice oftheir faith, or say that they are atheists;to see the Lord who is imprisoned,sick, unemployed, persecuted; to seethe Lord in the leper — whether inbody or soul — who encounters dis-crimination! We will not find the Lordunless we truly accept the marginal-ized! May we always have before us theimage of St Francis, who was unafraidto embrace the leper and to acceptevery kind of outcast. Truly, dearbrothers, the Gospel of the marginal-ized is where our credibility is at stake,is discovered and is revealed!

“The more we are ‘i n c a rd i n a t e d ’ in the Church of Rome,the more we should become docile to the Spirit”. This wasPope Francis’ recommendation to the 20 Cardinalscreated in the Ordinary Public Consistory held onSaturday, 14 February, in the Vatican Basilica. “You are

called”, he said, “to a dignity not an honour”. “It is nota kind of accessory, a decoration, like an honorary title.Rather, it is a pivot, a point of support and movementessential for the life of the community”. At the foot of thealtar stood Benedict XVI, who also attended last year’s

Consistory. Cardinal José de Jesús Pimiento Rodríguez,who recently turned 96, was unable to be present. TheArchbishop emeritus of Manizales will soon receive hisbiretta in his homeland. The following is the English textof the Holy Father’s homily during the Consistory.

ance” — is in some sense synonymouswith catholicity. It means being able tolove without limits, but also to befaithful in particular situations andwith practical gestures. It means lovingwhat is great without neglecting what issmall; loving the little things within thehorizon of the great things, since “noncoerceri a maximo, contineri tamen a min-imo divinum est”. To know how to lovethrough acts of kindness. “Kindness” —benevolence — means the firm and per-severing intention to always will the

Dear Brother Cardinals,The cardinalate is certainly an honour,but it is not honorific. This we alreadyknow from its name — “c a rd i n a l ” —from the word “c a rd o ”, a hinge. Assuch it is not a kind of accessory, a dec-oration, like an honorary title. Rather,it is a pivot, a point of support andmovement essential for the life of thecommunity. You are “hinges” and are“i n c a rd i n a t e d ” in the Church of Rome,which “presides over the entire assembly ofcharity” (Lumen Gentium, n. 13; cf. I G N.

would do well to let ourselves beguided by the inspired words of theApostle Paul, especially in the passagewhere he lists the marks of charity. Mayour Mother Mary help us to listen. Shegave the world Jesus, charity incarnate,who is “the more excellent Wa y ” (cf. 1Cor 12:31); may she help us to receivethis Word and always to advance onthis Way. May she assist us by her hu-mility and maternal tenderness, becausecharity, as God’s gift, grows whereverhumility and tenderness are found.

St Paul tells us that charity is, aboveall, “patient” and “kind”. The greaterour responsibility in serving theChurch, the more our hearts must ex-pand according to the measure of theheart of Christ. Patience — “forb ear-

The second part of the consistory held by Pope Francis onSaturday morning, 14 February, was dedicated to the voteon the causes for canonization of Jeanne Émilie de Villen-euve, Maria di Gesù Crocifisso Baouardy and Maria Alf-onsina Ghattas. The Pontiff established that he will pro-claim them saints, along with Blessed Maria Cristina of theImmaculate Conception (in the world: Adelaide Brando,Naples 1856 - Casoria 1906), foundress of the Sisters Expi-atory Victims of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, whosecanonization had already been set on 20 October 2014.The four new female saints were are women religious: twofrom the Holy Land, one from Italy and one from France.

Then Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congrega-tion for the Causes of Saints, presented the biographies ofthree saints: Jeanne Émilie De Villeneuve was born inToulouse, France on 9 March 1811, and died of cholera in

Castres on 2 October 1854. The foundress of the Sisters ofthe Immaculate Conception of Castres was beatified on 5July 2009 by Benedict XVI. Marie-Alphonsine Danil Ghat-tas was born in Jerusalem on 4 October 1843 and died inAin Karem on 25 March 1927. The foundress of the Con-gregation of the Sisters of the Most Holy Rosary of Jerus-alem was beatified on 22 November 2009 by PopeRatzinger. The Carmelite Maria of Jesus Crucified (Mari-am Baouardy) was born Nazareth, Galilee on 5 January1846 and died in Bethlehem on 26 August 1878. She wasbeatified by John Paul II on 13 November 1983.

Ultimately, the Pontiff decided to inscribe the threeblesseds in the list of saints, adding Maria Cristina of theImmaculate Conception, announcing that all four will becanonized on Sunday, 17 May.

Lastly the Holy Father imparted the Apostolic Blessingto those present and the hymn Salve, Regina was sung.

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mercy and not sacrifice” (Mt 12:7; Hos6:6).

Jesus, the new Moses, wanted to healthe leper. He wanted to touch him andrestore him to the community withoutbeing “hemmed in” by prejudice, con-formity to the prevailing mindset orworry about becoming infected. Jesusresponds immediately to the leper’splea, without waiting to study the situ-ation and all its possible consequences!For Jesus, what matters above all isreaching out to save those far off, heal-ing the wounds of the sick, restoringeveryone to God’s family! And this isscandalous to some people!

Jesus is not afraid of this kind ofscandal! He does not think of theclosed-minded who are scandalizedeven by a work of healing, scandalizedbefore any kind of openness, by anyaction outside of their mental and spir-itual boxes, by any caress or sign oftenderness which does not fit into theirusual thinking and their ritual purity.He wanted to reinstate the outcast, tosave those outside the camp (cf. Jn 10).

There are two ways of thinking andof having faith: we can fear to lose thesaved and we can want to save the lost.

of mercy and reinstatement. This doesnot mean underestimating the dangersof letting wolves into the fold, but wel-coming the repentant prodigal son;healing the wounds of sin with courageand determination; rolling up oursleeves and not standing by and watch-ing passively the suffering of the world.The way of the Church is not to con-demn anyone for eternity; to pour outthe balm of God’s mercy on all thosewho ask for it with a sincere heart. Theway of the Church is precisely to leaveher four walls behind and to go out insearch of those who are distant, thoseessentially on the “outskirts” of life. Itis to adopt fully God’s own approach,to follow the Master who said: “Thosewho are well have no need of the phys-ician, but those who are sick; I havecome to call, not the righteous but sin-ners” (Lk 5:31-32).

In healing the leper, Jesus does notharm the healthy. Rather, he frees themfrom fear. He does not endanger them,but gives them a brother. He does notdevalue the law but instead valuesthose for whom God gave the law. In-deed, Jesus frees the healthy from thetemptation of the “older brother” (cf.

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Cardinals created at the Consistory on 14 Februarypriest of Our Lady of Lourdes inHua Take from 2000-2003, thenfrom 2003-2007 he served as parishpriest of the Cathedral, and as sec-retary of the Presbyterial Council ofthe Archdiocese of Bangkok. PopeBenedict XVI appointed him Bishopof Nakhon Sawan on 7 March 2007,and he received his episcopal ordin-ation on 2 June of that year. On 14May 2009 he was appointed Arch-bishop of Bangkok, following theresignation of his predecessor, Arch-bishop Michael Michai Kitbunchu,Thailand’s first cardinal. He waselected vice-president of the Bish-ops’ Conference of Thailand laterthat year, and in that capacity heplays a fundamental role in the dia-logue with Buddhists. In 2012 he at-tended the Synod of Bishops, wherehe was elected to the Commissionfor Information. He was also calledthat year to assume the position ofcoordinator of Bishops Friends ofthe Focolare Movement.

Francesco MontenegroArchbishop of Agrigento, Italy

Francesco Montenegro was born on22 May 1946 in Messina, Italy. Heattended the St Pius X Archdio cesanSeminary from middle schoolthrough his philosophy and theo-logy studies. He also studied pastor-al theology at the Ignatianum inMessina. He was ordained a prieston 8 August 1969, and subsequentlyserved two years in priestly ministryat a village of the United Nations

CONTINUED FROM PA G E 7 tery council. From 1997-2000 he waspro-vicar general of the Archdioceseof Messina-Lipari-Santa Lucia delMela, and since 1998 has been can-on of the prometropolitan cathedralc h a p t e r.

He was ordained a bishop on 29April 2000, subsequent to his ap-pointment as titular Bishop of Auru-suliana and Auxiliary of Messina-Lipari-Santa Lucia del Mela. Hethen served as president of theCaritas Italy from 2003-08. On 23February 2008, Benedict XVI p ro -moted him to Metropolitan Arch-bishop of Agrigento, and on 17 Mayhe began his service to the arch-diocese. On 24 May 2013 he was ap-pointed president of the episcopalcommission for immigration andpresident of the Migrantes founda-tion.

Daniel Fernando SturlaBerhouet, SDB

Archbishop of Montevideo,U ru g u a y

Daniel Fernando Sturla Berhouetwas born on 4 July 1959 in Mon-tevideo, Uruguay. Attracted to thecharism of St John Bosco, heentered the Salesian novitiate andmade his profession on 31 January1980. He began to study philosophyand education science and then didan internship at Talleres Don Boscofrom 1982-1983. From 1984-1987 hefinalized his studies in theology.

He was ordained a priest on 21November 1987 and the followingyear he was appointed counselor forstudies at Talleres Don Bosco, a po-sition he held until 1990. In 1991 hissuperiors chose him as vicar of thenovitiate and post-novitiate house.From 1994-1996 he was director ofthe Salesian Aspirantate and thenfrom 1997-2002 he served as directorand novice master. He then workedas director of the pre-university insti-tute of John XXIII from 2003-2008,during which he earned a licence intheology at the Monseñor MarianoSoler Theological Faculty of Ur-u g u a y.

He has also taught Church historyin the Americas and Uruguay, re-searching and editing publicationsespecially on the relationshipbetween Church and State. In 2008,he was appointed inspector of theSalesian province of Uruguay. Hewas ordained a bishop on 4 March2012, subsequent to his appointment

as titular Bishop of Phelbes andAuxiliary of Montevideo. He choose“Serve the Lord with joy” as hisepiscopal motto. He became Arch-bishop of Montevideo on 11 Febru-ary 2014.

As Archbishop of the capital of acountry which only recently sanc-tioned the separation of Church andState, the Salesian Cardinal has paidparticular attention to the debate oflaicity and secularization in light ofhis formation in history and theo-logy. Cardinal Sturla Berhouet is thesecond cardinal in the history of Ur-uguay; the first was Capuchin Anto-nio Maria Barbieri, who John XXIIIcreated a cardinal in 1958.

Ricardo Blázquez PérezArchbishop of Valladolid, Spain

Ricardo Blázquez Pérez was born inVillanueva del Campillo, Spain on13 April 1942 to a family of humblefarmers. At the age of 13 he entered

the minor seminary of Ávila andlater continued at the city’s majorseminary. He was ordained a prieston 18 February 1967. He was sent toRome to continue his studies, earn-ing a doctorate in theology. Histhesis was entitled: The Resurrectionin Christology according to WolfhartP a n n e n b e rg. During this period hespent time in Munich researching,studying with Prof. Pannenberghimself. In his 21 years of ministryas a priest, he served mostly in acca-demia. From 1972-1974 he served assecretary of the Theological Instituteof Ávila, then from 1974-1988 as pro-fessor, and from 1978-1981 as dean ofthe Faculty of Theology and thenvice-rector of the Pontifical Uni-versity of Salamanca.

He was ordained a bishop on 29May 1988, subsequent to his ap-pointment as titular Bishop ofGerma di Galazia and Auxiliary ofSantiago di Compostela. On 26May 1992 he was appointed Bishopof Palencia and then on 8 Septem-ber 1995 he was transferred to theDiocese of Bilbao. From 2000-2005he served as grand chancellor of thePontifical University of Salamanca.

He has served on various commis-sions within the Bishops’ C o n f e re n c eof Spain including the Doctrine ofthe Faith from 1988-1993 and theLiturgical Commission 1990-1993.He then served as president of theCommission for the Doctrine of theFaith from 1993-2003 and of the

Commission for InterconfessionalRelations from 2002-2005, when hewas elected president of the epis-copal conference. At the end of hismandate as president, he served asvice-president until Benedict XVI ap-pointed him Archbishop of Valladol-id on 13 March 2010. On 29 March2014 he was appointed a member ofthe Congregation for Institutes forConsecrated Life and Societies ofApostolic Life. He has participatedin various Synods and has collabor-ated in drafting various documentsof the bishops’ c o n f e re n c e .

José Luis LacunzaMaestrojuán, OAR

Bishop of David, PanamaJosé Luis Lacunza Maestrojuán wasborn in Pamplona, Spain on 24 Feb-ruary 1944, and entered the novitiateof the Order of Augustinian Recol-lects (OAR) at age 19. He earned adegree in humanities at San JoséMinor Seminary in Artieda, thenstudied philosophy at the Seminaryof Nuestra Señora Valentuñana inSos del Rey Católico, and thentheology at the Major Seminary ofPamplona, where he was ordained apriest of the OAR on 13 July 1969.

After teaching Latin and religionat the Collegio Nuestra Señora delBuen Consejo in Madrid, he wassent to Panama, where he obtained alicentiate in philosophy and historyat the National University ofPanama. Within the OAR he servedas: rector of the Collegio SanAgustín di Panamá from 1979-1985;Provincial councilor of the provincefor Central America and Panamafrom 1976-1982; president of the Fed-eration of Catholic Educators ofPanama; member of the Board ofTrustees of the Catholic UniversitySanta María la Anigua (USMA) from1980-85; rector of USMA, 1985; mem-

ber of the Priests’ Council of theArchdiocese of Panama, 1984; rectorof the San José Major Seminary,1984; vicar general, episcopal vicarfor education and vicar for the city.

He was ordained a bishop on 18January 1986, subsequent to his ap-pointment as titular Bishop of Part-enia and Auxiliary of Panama. With-in the Bishops’ Conference ofPanama, he has served as: confer-ence president; delegate to USMAand president of the department ofeducation and culture. He alsoserved as secretary general of the

Relief and Rehabilitation Adminis-tration (UNRRA), an area receivingassistance after being damaged bythe war.

From 1971-1978 he served as per-sonal secretary to ArchbishopFrancesco Fasola and then to Arch-bishop Ignazio Cannavò. Then hewas parish priest at St Clemente inMessina until 1987. In 1988 he wasappointed director of the diocesanCaritas, and also became a regionalCaritas delegate as well as a nationalCaritas representative. In the mean-time he taught religion, was dioces-an assistant of the Italian SportCentre (CSI) and directed the dioces-an Prayer Apostolate, while also ful-filling various duties as rector of theChurch and Shrine of St Rita, asspiritual father of the minor semin-ary, and as a member of the presby-

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Central American Bishops Secretari-at (SEDAC) and, in the Latin Americ-an Episcopal Council (CELAM), ledthe Section of Apostolate. On 29October 1994, he was appointedBishop of Chitré, and on 28 August1999, Bishop of David.

Arlindo Gomes FurtadoBishop of Santiago de Cabo Verde,

Archipelago of Cape VerdeArlindo Gomes Furtado was bornon 15 November 1949 in SantaCatarina, Cape Verde. He enteredthe São José Minor Seminary in1963 and then in 1971 he went toCoimbra, Portugal to continue atthe Major Seminary. Five years laterhe returned to Cape Verde and wasordained a deacon on 9 May. Afterworking in parish ministry he wasordained a priest on 18 July 1976.

From 1978-1986 he served as rectorof the Minor Seminary of São José.

ods and from 1972-1973 he was acounselor at the Apostolic Nunci-ature in Colombia for dialogue withthe government in the revision ofthe accord.

On 22 May 1975, he became Arch-bishop of Manizales and servedthere for 21 years, placing great em-phasis on applying Vatican II de-crees, especially in the pastoral careof the family, of the youth and ofsociety. He promoted the Council’sproposed renewal with parishes andthe major archdiocesan seminary, inaddition to updating the process offormation for priests and other voca-tions.

Throughout his episcopate hehelped to realize centres for evangel-ization and catechesis in the Arch-diocese of Manizales and centres foryouth. He organized the restorationof two of the Cathedral’s bell towerswhich had been damaged in theearthquake of 1979, the same year inwhich he organized the restructuringof the minor seminary which thenbecame the archdiocesan major sem-

In the meantime he was also chan-cellor and treasurer of the diocese(1978-1984) and chaplain of theCape Verdeans in the Netherlands(1985-1986). In August 1986 he cameto Rome and studied for a license inSacred Scripture. On returning tohis native country, he began teach-ing high school English. He re-turned to Coimbra and began teach-ing biblical studies at a higher insti-tute for theology. During his stay inPortugal he also worked in parishadministration.

In 1995 he returned to Cape Verdeand began working in parish min-istry and serving as a member of theNational Council for Education andtaught in the Police Academy. Until2004 he was also vicar general of theDiocese of Santiago de Cabo Verde.

He was ordained a bishop on 22February 2003, subsequent to his ap-pointment as the first Bishop of thenewly-established Diocese of Minde-lo. He chose “Jesus the Good Shep-h e rd ” as his motto. Then on 22 July2009 Pope Benedict XVI app ointedhim Bishop of Santiago de CaboVe rd e .

Furtado is the first cardinal fromCape Verde.

Soane Patita Paini MafiBishop of Tonga, Kingdom of TongaSoane Patita Paini Mafi was born on19 December 1961 in Nuku’alofa onthe Island of Tongatapu, Tonga. Heearned a degree in divinity at thePacific Regional Seminary in Fiji.He was ordained a priest on 29 June

1991 and began serving in parishministry. In 1998 he studied in theUnited States at Ignatius LoyolaCollege, Maryland, where he earneda degree in pastoral counseling. In2001 he returned to the Pacificwhere he began serving as vice-rect-or at Pacific Regional Seminary inFiji. On 4 October 2007 he was or-dained a bishop, subsequent to hisappointment as Coadjutor of Tonga.On 18 April 2008 he became theBishop of Tonga. In 2008 he waselected chairperson for CaritasTonga. That same year he beganserving as chairperson at the TongaNational Forum of Church Leaders.He was elected president of theEpiscopal Conference of the Pacificin 2009. In 2012 he celebrated the170th jubilee of the first Mass inTonga and the 125th anniversary ofCatholic education in the country.In October 2012 he participated inthe Synod on the New Evangeliza-tion and in 2014 he also participatedin the Synod on the Family.

At the age of 53, he is the young-est cardinal and the first cardinal ofhis home country.

José de Jesús PimientoRo dríguez

Archbishop emeritus of Manizales,Colombia

José de Jesús Pimiento Rodríguezwas born in Zapatoca, Colombia on18 February 1919. Despite his fam-ily’s economic hardship, he was ableto fulfil his dream of becoming apriest; he was ordained on 14December 1941. Then he beganserving as coadjutor vicar in parishesin Mogotes and in the Cathedral ofSan Gil y Vélez. He also was prefectand professor of the seminary, chap-lain of the hospital of San Gil andcoordinator of Social Action anddiocesan Catholic Action.

At the age of 36, he was ordaineda bishop on 28 August 1955, sub-sequent to his appointment as titularBishop of Apollonide and Auxiliaryof Pasto. Four years later, John XXIIIappointed him Bishop of Monteríaon 30 December 1959, where he re-mained until 1964, when he wastransferred to Garzón.

After participating in Vatican II,he was a delegate to the generalconferences of the Latin Americanepiscopate, held in Medellín in 1968,in Puebla de los Ángeles, Mexico in1979, and in Santo Domingo in1992.

In 1972, he was appointed presid-ent of the Episcopal Conference andserved for six years. During thattime he participated in several Syn-

inary. Following the eruption of theNevado del Ruiz volcano in 1985, hehoused hundreds of people fromChinchiná, Papayal, Los Cuervos,La Guayana de Villamaría, La Pazand Encanto.

In 1995, he resigned as Archbish-op of Manizales and retired to thecity of Urabá, where he works inpastoral ministry. In 2005, he celeb-rated the golden jubilee of his epis-copate.

At the age of 96, he is one of theonly living Council Fathers left.

Luigi De MagistrisTitular Archbishop of Nova

Pro-Major Penitentiary emeritusLuigi De Magistris was born inCagliari, Italy on 23 February 1926.He is the last of six children of afamily which practiced daily charity,especially to the poor and needy. Infact his father was known as “thedoctor of the poor”.

Although his vocation to thepriesthood began at a young age,before entering the seminary heearned a degree in liberal arts at theUniversity of Cagliari and wrote histhesis on Cicero vs. St Ambrose.

He moved to Rome to study atthe Pontifical Roman Seminary andwas ordained a priest on 12 April1952. After his ordination he re-mained at the seminary for one yearand then returned to Sardinia towork in parish ministry and at thediocesan ecclesiastical tribunal.

In 1957 he returned to Rome andbegan serving as secretary at theLateran. Then he was called to theHoly Office to work as substitutenotary. In 1969 he began as aminutant at the Council for theC h u rc h ’s public affairs. In thespring of 1979 he was appointed re-gent of the Apostolic Penitentiary.Then on 8 April 1996, he was or-dained a bishop, subsequent to hisappointment as titular Bishop ofNova. He was appointed pro-majorpenitentiary on 22 November 2001;on that day he was also given thetitle of Archbishop. He served aspro-major penitentiary for over 20years.

In 2003 he retired and continuedworking in Rome in the communit-ies of San Francesco a Ripa and inSan Salvatore in Lauro.

In 2010 he returned to his nativecity for health reasons. He was wel-comed by the Archbishop of Cagliariand today continues to serve as aconfessor in the Cathedral.

Karl-Josef RauberTitular Archbishop of Iubaltiana

Apostolic NuncioKarl-Josef Rauber was born inNürnberg, Germany on 11 April1934. After studying theology at theUniversity of Mainz, he was or-dained a priest on 28 February 1959.For three years he served in thesmall Catholic community of Nidda,Upper Hesse, before moving toRome, where he earned a degree in

canon law. He then began studyingat the Pontifical EcclesiasticalAcademy and in 1966 he began hisdiplomatic service for the Holy See.During this time he served as one offour secretaries to the Substitute ofthe Secretariat of State, Giovanni

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Cardinals created at the Consistory on 14 FebruaryBenelli. Both Benelli and Pope PaulVI had a profound impact on his lifeand ministry. Starting in 1977, heserved as counselor at the Nunci-atures in Belgium, Luxembourg andG re e c e .

He was ordained a bishop on 6January 1983, subsequent to his ap-pointment as pro-apostolic nunzioin Uganda and titular Archbishop ofIubaltiana. In 1990 he was appoin-ted president of the Pontifical Eccle-siastical Academy and, three yearslater, he returned to diplomatic ser-vice, first in Switzerland and inLiechtenstein (1993-1997), in Hun-gary and in Moldavia (1997-2003),then in Belgium and Luxembourg(2003-2009), concluding his servicein the same countries where hebegan. He worked in Uganda whenthe country saw the outbreak ofAIDS; in Switzerland he worked tocalm tensions between the Dioceseof Chur and Bishop WolfgangHaas; in Hungary he helped mendrelations between Church and Stateafter the Communist regime; and,when the pontifical representationwas created in Brussels, he workedto balance and divide the work ofthe two diplomatic institutions inBelgium.

In 2009, at the age of 75, he re-tired and now serves in spiritual min-istry at the house of the Sisters ofMary of Schönstatt in Ergenzingen.

Luis Héctor VillalbaArchbishop emeritus of Tucumán,

A rg e n t i n a

Luis Héctor Villalba was born inBuenos Aires, Argentina on 11 Octo-ber 1934. He studied philosophy andtheology at the Major Seminary inBuenos Aires. He was ordained a

Titles and deaconries assignedto the new Cardinals

priest on 24 September 1960 andwas then sent to Rome, where heearned a license in theology andChurch history at the PontificalGregorian University. On returningto Argentina he began serving inparish ministry.

The following year he became su-perior of the Major Seminary ofBuenos Aires and served there until1969. From 1965-1975 he dedicatedhimself to teaching Church historyat the Faculty of Theology at Uni-versidad Católica Argentina (UCA).In 1969 he was elected dean of thefaculty and also began serving inparish ministry.

He was ordained a bishop on 22December 1984, subsequent to hisappointment as titular Bishop ofOfena and Auxiliary of BuenosAires. He was transferred to theDiocese of San Martín on 16 July1991 and then on 8 July 1999 he be-came Archbishop of Tucumán. On10 June 2011 Benedict XVI acceptedhis resignation.

He served in various roles withinthe episcopal conference, includingas a member of the Commission forLiturgy and of the Commission forthe Apostolate of the Laity. Heserved two terms as head of theCommission for Catechesis and twoterms as head of the Commission forthe Apostolate of the Laity. He was

vice-president of the Bishops’ Con-ference of Argentina from 2006-2010. During this time he workedclosely with Archbishop Jorge MarioBergoglio, who was president of theconference at the time.

He also participated as a memberof the Department of Catechesis ofthe Latin American Episcopal Coun-cil and in the fourth and fifth con-ferences of the Latin American epis-copate, held in Santo Domingo in1992 and in Aparecida in 2007.

He is and has long been a pastorof the periphery in the style of PopeFrancis. Archbishop Villalbaresigned from his office in 2011, buthas never stopped serving in pastor-al care. Today he is rector of theChurch of Santa Cruz di SanMiguel de Tucumán and dedicateshimself to preaching the spiritual ex-ercises for the clergy and women re-ligious.

Júlio Duarte LangaBishop emeritus of Xai-Xai,

MozambiqueJúlio Duarte Langa was born on 27October 1927 in Mangunze, Mozam-bique. He was ordained a priest on9 June 1957 and began serving inparish ministry on mission in Mal-aisse. He subsequently served as dio-

cesan consultor, a member of thepresbyteral council, and vicar gener-al of the diocese. Thanks to hisknowledge of many local languages,he oversaw the translation of manyVatican II texts into the principallanguages of Mozambique.

He was ordained a bishop on 24October 1976, subsequent to his ap-pointment as Bishop of the dioceseof Xai-Xai, which had been calledJoão Belo until 1 October of thesame year. He guided the vast dio-cese for almost 30 years which weremarked by a long civil war, followedby the country’s independence in1992. During his ministry he placedgreat emphasis on the Church inplaces which were in particular need,struck by epidemics or natural dis-asters. He was also in charge of thediocesan clergy in the episcopal con-f e re n c e .

He retired as archbishop on 24June 2004. Considered a father-fig-ure by many priests in the country,he is the second cardinal fromMozambique.

— Cardinal Dominique Mamberti of the Deaconryof Santo Spirito in Sassia

— Cardinal Manuel José Macário do NascimentoClemente of the Title of Sant’Antonio in Campo Marzio

— Cardinal Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel, CM,of the Title of San Romano Martire

— Cardinal John Atcherley Dew of the Title ofSant’Ipp olito

— Cardinal Edoardo Menichelli of the Title of SacriCuori di Gesù e Maria a Tor Fiorenza

— Cardinal Pierre Nguyên Văn Nhon of the Title ofSan Tommaso Apostolo

— Cardinal Alberto Suárez Inda of the Title of SanPolicarp o

— Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, SDB, of the Title ofSant’Ireneo a Centocelle

— Cardinal Francis Xavier Kriengsak Kovithavanij ofthe Title of Santa Maria Addolorata

— Cardinal Francesco Montenegro of the Title ofSanti Andrea and Gregorio al Monte Celio

— Cardinal Daniel Fernando Sturla Berhouet, SDB,of the Title of Santa Galla

— Cardinal Ricardo Blázquez Pérez of the Title ofSanta Maria in Vallicella

— Cardinal José Luis Lacunza Maestrojuán, OAR, ofthe Title of San Giuseppe da Copertino

— Cardinal Arlindo Gomes Furtado of the Title ofSan Timoteo

— Cardinal Soane Patita Paini Mafi of the Title ofSanta Paola Romana

— Cardinal José de Jesús Pimiento Rodríguez of theTitle of San Giovanni Crisostomo a Monte Sacro Alto

— Cardinal Luigi De Magistris of the Deaconry ofSantissimi Nomi di Gesù e Maria in via Lata

— Cardinal Karl-Josef Rauber of the Deaconry ofSant’Antonio di Padova a Circonvallazione Appia

— Cardinal Luis Héctor Villalba of the Title of SanGirolamo a Corviale

— Cardinal Júlio Duarte Langa of the Title of SanGabriele dell’Addolorata

number 8, Friday, 20 February 2015 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 13

At the Angelus the Pontiff speaks of healing lepers and sends his greetings for the Lunar New Year

Afraid to touchWhen we do someone good we mustnot be afraid to look that person in theeye and to touch him, as Jesus did inhealing the man with leprosy. This wasPope Francis’ entreaty at the Angeluson Sunday, 15 February, in St Peter’sSquare. The following is a translationof the Pope’s reflection, which wasgiven in Italian.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,Good morning,In these Sundays, Mark the Evan-gelist speaks to us about Jesus’ ac-tions against every type of evil, forthe benefit of those suffering inbody and spirit: the possessed, thesick, sinners.... Jesus presents Him-self as the One who fights and con-quers evil wherever He encountersit. In today’s Gospel (cf. Mk 1:40-45) this struggle of His confronts an

emblematic case, because the sickman is a leper. Leprosy is a conta-gious and pitiless disease, which dis-figures the person, and it was a sym-bol of impurity: a leper had to stayoutside of inhabited centres andmake his presence known to pass-ersby. He was marginalized by thecivil and religious community. Hewas like a deadman walking.

The episode of the healing of theleper takes place in three briefphases: the sick man’s supplication,Jesus’ response, the result of the mi-raculous healing. The leper be-seeches Jesus, “kneeling”, and saysto Him: “If you will, you can makeme clean” (v. 40). Jesus responds tothis humble and trusting prayer be-cause his soul is moved to deep pity:compassion. “Compassion” is a mostprofound word: compassion means“to suffer-with-another”. Jesus’ heartmanifests God’s paternal compas-sion for that man, moving close tohim and touching him. And this de-tail is very important. Jesus

heals us from the leprosy of sin.Once again the Gospel shows us

what God does in the face of ourills: God does not come to “give alesson” on pain; neither does Hecome to eliminate suffering anddeath from the world; but rather, Hecomes to take upon Himself theburden of our human condition andcarries it to the end, to free us in aradical and definitive way. This ishow Christ fights the world’s malad-ies and suffering: by taking themupon Himself and conquering themwith the power of God’s mercy.

The Gospel of the healing of theleper tells us today that, if we wantto be true disciples of Jesus, we arecalled to become, united to Him, in-struments of his merciful love, over-coming every kind of marginaliza-tion. In order to be “imitators ofChrist” (cf. 1 Cor 11:1) in the face ofa poor or sick person, we must notbe afraid to look him in the eye andto draw near with tenderness andcompassion, and to touch him and

embrace him. I have often asked thisof people who help others, to do solooking them in the eye, not to beafraid to touch them; that this ges-ture of help may also be a gesture ofcommunication: we too need to bewelcomed by them. A gesture of ten-derness, a gesture of compassion....Let us ask you: when you help oth-ers, do you look them in the eye?Do you embrace them without beingafraid to touch them? Do you em-brace them with tenderness? Thinkabout this: how do you help? Froma distance or with tenderness, withcloseness? If evil is contagious, so isgoodness. Therefore, there needs tobe ever more abundant goodness inus. Let us be infected by goodnessand let us spread go o dness!

After the Angelus, the Holy Fathersaid:

Dear brothers and sisters, I ad-dress a wish for serenity and peaceto all the men and women who, inthe Far East and in various parts ofthe world, are preparing to celebratethe Lunar New Year. This celebra-tion offers them a propitious occa-sion to rediscover and live fraternityin an intense way. It is a preciousbond of family life and the founda-tion of social life. May this annualreturn to the roots of the person andof the family help those Peoples tobuild a society characterized by in-terpersonal relationships, respect,justice and charity.

I greet all of you, Romans andpilgrims; in particular, those whohave come on the occasion of theConsistory to accompany the newCardinals; and I thank the countriesthat wished to attend this event withOfficial Delegations. Let us greetthe new Cardinals with a round ofapplause!

Beloved, I encourage you to bejoyous and courageous witnesses ofJesus in everyday life. I wish all ofyou a happy Sunday. Please, do notforget to pray for me. Have a goodlunch. Ar r i v e d e rc i !

Installations in Taoranting Park in Beijingfor the Lunar New Year (Reuters)

“stretched out his handand touched him.... Andimmediately the leprosyleft him, and he was madeclean” (vv. 41-42). God’smercy overcomes everybarrier and Jesus’ handtouches the leper. He doesnot stand at a safe dis-tance and does not act bydelegating, but placesHimself in direct contactwith our contagion and inprecisely this way our illsb ecome the motive forcontact: He, Jesus, takesfrom us our diseased hu-manity and we take fromHim his sound and heal-ing humanity. This hap-pens each time we receivea Sacrament with faith:the Lord Jesus “touches”us and grants us his grace.In this case we think espe-cially of the Sacrament ofReconciliation, which

HomilyCONTINUED FROM PA G E 8

governance in the Church needto have a strong sense of justice,so that any form of injustice be-comes unacceptable, even thosewhich might bring gain to him-self or to the Church. At thesame time, he must “rejoice in theright”. What a beautiful phrase!The man of God is someone cap-tivated by truth, one who encoun-ters it fully in the word and fleshof Jesus Christ, the inexhaustiblesource of our joy. May the peopleof God always see in us a firmcondemnation of injustice andjoyful service to the truth.

Finally, “love bears all things,believes all things, hopes allthings, endures all things”. Here,in four words, is a spiritual andpastoral programme of life. Thelove of Christ, poured into ourhearts by the Holy Spirit, enablesus to live like this, to be like this:as people always ready to forgive;always ready to trust, because weare full of faith in God; alwaysready to inspire hope, because weourselves are full of hope in God;people ready to bear patientlyevery situation and that of eachof our brothers and sisters, inunion with Christ, who bore withlove the burden of our sins.

Dear brothers, this comes to usnot from ourselves, but fromGod. God is love and he accom-plishes all this in us if only weprove docile to the working of hisHoly Spirit. This, then, is how weare to be: “i n c a rd i n a t e d ” and do-cile. The more we are “i n c a rd i n -ated” in the Church of Rome, themore we should become docile tothe Spirit, so that charity can giveform and meaning to all that weare and all that we do. Incardin-ated in the Church whichpresides in charity, docile to theHoly Spirit who pours into ourhearts the love of God (cf. Rom5:5). Amen.

Interview with Archbishop Gänswein

Benedict’s choiceBenedict XVI’s decision to renounce the pontificate wasan “extraordinary act of Church governance”. This wasstated by Archbishop Georg Gänswein, Prefect of thePapal Household, in an interview with Gian Guido Vec-chi which was published in the Corriere della Sera on 12February, marking the anniversary of Pope Ratzinger’shistoric declaration. “Benedict XVI is convinced that thedecision he took and communicated was right. He hasno doubts”, explained Archbishop Gänswein, who isJoseph Ratzinger’s personal secretary in the Mater Ec-clesiae monastery inside the Vatican.

Indeed, the Pope emeritus “is very much at peace andcertain that: the decision was necessary, taken ‘after hav-ing repeatedly examined [his] conscience before God’”,and with the awareness of the “need to look not to hisown person but to the good of the Church”. Accordingto Archbishop Gänswein, “the reasons are in his d e c l a ra -tio. The Church needs a strong helmsman. All otherconsiderations and hypotheses are mistaken”.

Archbishop Gänswein clearly indicated that “hyp o-theses cannot be based on things that are untrue”, asthis would be “totally senseless”. Indeed, “Benedict him-self said that he had taken the decision freely, withoutany pressure” and assured “reverence and obedience” tothe successor that would be elected.

He did not hesitate to respond to Vecchi’s question asto whether these considerations and hypotheses arosefrom a lack of awareness on the part of the Church:“Yes, doubts about the renunciation and the electionarose from this”. In the interview, the Archbishop em-phasized the consistent decision of “monastic life” madeby Benedict XVI. Ratzinger “goes out only when PopeFrancis asks him to, but in other situations he does notaccept invitations”. He concluded that what unites thePontiff and his Predecessor, despite the differences intheir “ways of expression”, is the very “substance, thecontent, the depositum fidei, to be promoted and defen-ded”.

page 14 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 20 February 2015, number 8

The Congregation for Divine Worship publishes the Homiletic Directory

New directives on the preaching

What is a homily?

Delegation from Iran visits the Vatican

Eleven women around one table

ARTHUR RO CHE

It seems appropriate for me to beginmy remarks today with a citationfrom Pope Francis’ Encyclical Evan-gelii Gaudium: the Holy Father saidthat “the homily cannot be a formof entertainment like those presentedby the media, yet it does need togive life and meaning to the celebra-tion. It is a distinctive genre, since itis preaching situated within theframework of a liturgical celebra-tion” (n. 138).

This being the case, it is necessaryfor us to be able to answer some im-portant questions. What is thehomily? What kind of attention doesit deserve? Where do we find itscontents? How do we articulate it?It is with the goal of trying toprovide some kind of answer tothese and other questions, and to of-fer some helpful strategies, that theCongregation for Divine Worshipand the Discipline of the Sacramentshas prepared the Homiletic Direct-o r y.

The Fathers of the Second Vatic-an Council insisted that the homilyis an important part of the liturgicalcelebration (cf. Sacrosanctum Concili-um, n. 52). It plays an importantrole in fostering the devout, active,and conscious participation of thePeople of God. The homily is notan intermission in the middle ofMass — it is, rather, something in-timately connected with the Word ofGod and with the specific group ofpeople gathered to celebrate theEucharist. Pope Francis notes that“the homily has special importancedue to its eucharistic context: it sur-passes all forms of catechesis as thesupreme moment in the dialoguebetween God and his people, whichleads up to sacramental Commu-nion” (EG, n. 137).

The homily has a particular rela-tionship with the sacrament of HolyOrders. For the Bishop and thePriest — especially the Parish Priest— the preaching of the homily is oneof the principal ways in which hecarries out his ministry of teaching.It is his privilege and duty, receivedin a special way in Holy Orders, toproclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ,to help his hearers embrace in theirhearts the word that transforms thelives of those who put it into prac-tice. And insofar as this office hasbeen entrusted to them, we can saythe same thing about the ministry ofDeacons. I think of the great homil-ies of St Ambrose, St Augustine, StLeo the Great ... eloquent examples

of the teaching in a liturgical con-text of pastors who were dedicatedto the flock entrusted to them.

As a general rule, the homilyshould not be improvised. TheChurch expects the preacher to con-tinually rekindle in his mind andheart those things that are necessaryfor this task. He must have a solidunderstanding of Catholic doctrine;he must be familiar with the liturgic-al books and the context of the

liturgical season; he must cultivatethe skills necessary for good com-munication; he must strive to under-stand the needs of this particularcommunity that is gathered in pray-er. Pope Francis is insistent on this— he said: “Preparation for preach-ing is so important a task that a pro-longed time of study, prayer, reflec-tion and pastoral creativity shouldbe devoted to it” (EG, n. 145).

Certainly, this Directory will notsolve all the problems or challengeshaving to do with the homily. By ne-cessity, we have given more attentionto certain aspects of preaching thanto other aspects. But we hope that itwill be a useful instrument in thetraining and ongoing formation ofthose who are called to preach in theSacred Liturgy.

I would like to finish by recallingn. 41 of the Introduction of the Lec-tionary, in which the task of thehomilist in liturgical preaching issummarized, through five specificverbs: The homily leads his brothersand sisters to savour and understandSacred Scripture, opens their mindsto thanksgiving for the wonderswrought by God, strengthens thefaith of all present in that wordwhich in the course of the celebra-tion will become a sacrament by thepower of the Holy Spirit, and, fi-nally, prepares them for a fruitful re-ception of Communion and callsupon them to accept the demands ofthe Christian life.

Even if he is an entertainingspeaker, the homilist who does notbring about these effects will be abad preacher. The good preacher, onthe other hand, even if he is not themost gifted speaker, can do preciselythese things: he can guide us to abetter understanding of God’s revel-ation, he can open our hearts to givethanks to God, he can strengthenour faith, he can prepare us for afruitful sacramental Communionwith Christ, and he can effectivelyexhort us to live the Christian life ina genuine manner.

On Thursday morning, 12 February, the Pope received the Vice-President of the Islamic State ofIran, Shahindokht Molaverdi, in his study in the Paul VI Hall

Canada will celebrate John Paul IIDay on 2 April. It was set by a na-tional law which recognizes KarolWo j t y ła as an example of humandignity and freedom. The legisla-tion underlines that in the historyof the Catholic Church the PolishPope stands as an important figure,who played a crucial role in pro-moting harmony and peace amongnations.

John Paul II D ayin Canada

F or the first time in the historyof bilateral relations an all-

female delegation from the IslamicRepublic of Iran visited the Vatic-an. On 12 February, Vice-PresidentShahindokht Molaverdi met withPope Francis and Vatican officialsto discuss how to defend the familyand promote the role of women insociety and in international politics.

Today women are increasinglythe victims of violence and funda-mentalism and yet they are the oneswho can radically change society.The Iranian delegation first metwith the Pontifical Council for theFamily. Then the group entered theVatican and met with the Pontiff ata round table discussion, moder-ated by Archbishop VincenzoPaglia, President of the PontificalCouncil for the Family. Eleven wo-men — six from the Islamic Repub-lic of Iran, led by Vice-PresidentMolaverdi, and five Vatican repres-entatives — discussed issues linkedto the female identity and the fam-i l y.

In addition to the Vice-President,the delegation from Iran included:Zohreh Sefati, counselor on issuesregarding Islamic law; AshrafGheramizadegan, head of legalmatters; Aliye Shokrbeighi, secret-ary of a working group for healthy

families, Fatemeh Rahmati, coun-selor for international issues; andAtefeh Karbalaei, journalist at Ira-nian Students’ News Agency. Therepresentatives of the Vatican were:Flaminia Giovannelli, Undersecret-ary of the Pontifical Council forJustice and Peace; Sr Mary Melone,Rector of the Pontifical Antonian-um University; Lucetta Scaraffia,columnist at L’Osservatore Romanoand head of “Women Church

Wo r l d ”; Myriam Tinti, professor ofcanon law; and Giulia Galeotti ofL’Osservatore Romano.

The meeting itself was import-ant. On the national day of the Is-lamic Republic of Iran, ArchbishopPaglia performed a small miracle:11 women around one table discuss-ing women’s issues. It was a situ-ation which cannot be taken forgranted but which was terribly aus-picious.

It isn’t oratory. It’s neither ashow nor a list of reprimands. Sowhat is a homily? And what arethe rules for preaching? Cateringto the widespread need of theChurch, the Congregation forDivine Worship and theDiscipline of the Sacraments hasnow published the HomileticDirectory. The Directory waspresented in the Holy See PressOffice on Tuesday, 10 February,at a conference moderated byVice-Director, Fr CiroBenedettini.At the briefing, the Prefect of theCongregation, Cardinal RobertSarah, called the Directory ananticipated tool, which has beenpublished due to the need to“improve the service of liturgicalp re a c h i n g ”. This need was firstbrought to light during theSynod of Bishops in both 2005and then again in 2008. Benedict

XVI spoke to this need in Ve r b u mDomini when he describedpreaching as “an art that needs tobe cultivated”. Pope Francis alsounderlined in Evangelii Gaudiumthat homilies simply cannot beignored, in the face of “so manyconcerns [which] have beenexpressed about this importantministry”. In fact, Cardinal Sarahcontinued, “it is not easy to speakeffectively and it is necessary tolearn how to communicate”.Furthermore, he said, preachingis not based on technique, ratherthe homily “must express the lifeof the priest”. The priest must“speak about what he practices”and above all, he must “alwaysprepare himself for dialogue withGod through prayer”. Theaddress above was given at thepress conference by the Secretaryof the Congregation, ArchbishopRo che.

number 8, Friday, 20 February 2015 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 15

In the closing address to attendees at the ‘Scholas Occurrentes’ meeting

Harmony in differenceDuring a meeting in the Synod Hallon Thursday afternoon, 5 February,Pope Francis launched an invitation towelcome and appreciate differences inharmony to those attending the FourthWorld Congress of ‘ScholasO c c u r re n t e s ’ . The following is atranslation of the Pontiff’s closingspeech, which was delivered in Spanish.

First of all, I thank you for the ef-fort you have made in order to at-tend this Fourth Congress. I thankyou for your interventions, bornfrom experience.

One thing that concerns me agreat deal is how to achieve har-mony, which is not simply reachingpartial compromises, agreements andunderstandings. Harmony, inwhatever form, is creating an under-standing of differences, acceptingdifferences, appreciating differencesand allowing them to harmonize,but not fragment.

The message we heard fromLUMSA brought to mind one of mydictums: “We cannot change theworld if we do not change educa-tion”. And something is totally dis-cordant. I thought that this only ex-isted in Latin America or in a fewLatin American countries, withwhich I am more familiar. But it isworldwide. It concerns an educa-tional pact, an educational pactbetween the family, school, home-land and culture. It is broken, badlybroken and it cannot be pieced backtogether. The broken educationalpact means that society, the family,as well as various institutions, deleg-ate education to the educationalagents, to the teachers, who — gener-ally poorly paid — shoulder this re-sponsibility and, should they notachieve success, are reprimanded.

Yet no one reprimands the variousinstitutions that have breached theeducational pact, having delegated itto the expertise of a teacher. I wouldlike to pay tribute to the teachers,for they have been handed this hotpotato and have found the courageto go on.

Scholas would like in some way tocombine everyone’s efforts for edu-cation. It would like to harmoni-ously reform the educational pact,for only in this way — if all those incharge of the education of our chil-dren and young people work togeth-er — can education change. For thisreason, Scholas seeks to include cul-ture, sport, science; for this reasonScholas looks for bridges, emergingfrom the “small” and seeking else-where. Today on all the continentsthis interaction, this perspective isbeing implemented. But at the sametime Scholas seeks to harmonize theeducation of the child, the youngperson, the student. It is not simplyimparting information, the languageof the mind. This is not enough.Scholas wants to harmonize the lan-guage of the mind with the lan-guage of the heart and the languageof the hands so that a person, achild, a youth may think what hefeels and what he does; may feelwhat he thinks and what he does;may do what he feels and what hethinks. Combine this harmony with-in the very person, in the student,and in universal harmony, so that weall undertake the educational pactand, in so doing, emerge from thiscrisis of civilization that we are liv-ing in, and take the step that civiliz-ation itself demands of us.

Each country in which Scholas ispresent must question its tradition —its historical tradition, its popular

tradition — the founding elementswhich are the underlying culturalfeatures of the homeland. And be-ginning from what has given mean-ing to that homeland, to that nation,draw forth harmonizing universality.Italian culture, for example, cannotdeny Dante as a foundational ele-ment. Argentine culture, which Iknow, cannot deny Martín Fierro,our foundational poem. And Iwould like to ask, but I will not,how many Argentines present herehave studied, read, meditated onMartín Fierro? Turning to the cultur-al matters that have given us mean-ing, that gave us the first unit of thenational culture of the peoples. Eachcountry recovering what is most em-blematic to share with others andharmonizing it better: this is educat-ing in culture.

Furthermore, we must discoverthe depth of the person, the funda-mental health, the capacity for light-heartedness, the creative capacity forplay. The Book of Wisdom says thatGod was playful, the Wisdom ofGod was playful. Rediscover play asa learning experience, as an educa-tional experience, so that educationwill no longer be merely informa-tion, but creativity at play. Rediscov-er this this playful aspect which en-ables us to grow in creativity and injoint work.

Lastly, seek out beauty in eachone of us, in our peoples, the beautythat roots us in our art, in our mu-sic, in our painting, in our sculpture,in our literature. All that is beauti-ful. Educating in beauty, for har-mony means beauty and we cannotachieve the harmony of the educa-tional system if we do not have thisperception of beauty.

I thank you for all you are doingand for the way you are cooperatingin this challenge, which is creative:creating the educational pact — re -creating it because we are recreatingeducation like this —; creating har-mony among the three personalforms of expression: that of thehands, that of the heart, and that ofthe mind; creative in the playful di-mension of a person, that healthywasting of time by combining workand play; creative in beauty, whichwe have already encountered at theroot of the respective national iden-tities, everyone together. This is thechallenge. Who invented it? No oneknows, but there it is. Are thereproblems? Many, and many yet tobe resolved in organizing all of this.Are we tempted? Yes. Every endeav-our undertaken has temptations; thetemptation to quit, to corruption, todeviousness. For this reason jointwork and the vigilance of all are ne-cessary in order that this spark thathas been born may continue toburn, helping to rebuild and har-monize the educational pact. It isthe children who will benefit fromall this. Thus I thank you for whatyou are doing for the future, be-cause to speak of “c h i l d re n ” is tospeak of the “f u t u re ”. Thank you.

Now inMozambique

With Pope Francis’ video chat inthe Synod Hall on Thursday af-ternoon, 5 February, a newbranch of Scholas Occurrentesopened in Mozambique. Thiseducational body will continue topromote processes of integratingnew technology. The first centresof Scholas will be built in Man-gundze, where guidelines for edu-cation and social action will bedeveloped. The new structure isexpected to welcome mothers andchildren, health care workers andvolunteers who cooperate withScholas. Thanks to this organiza-tion, the more than 800 studentsof the only high school in Man-gundze will have access to Inter-net for the first time.

Video message to the children

A treasure and a treasure chestThe following is a translation of the Pope’s message to the children.

In each one of you there is a chest, a box, and inside there’s a treasure.Your job is to open the chest and pull out the treasure, make it grow,give it to others, and receive the treasure of others. We all have a treasureinside of us. If we keep it closed, it stays closed; if we share it with oth-ers, the treasure multiplies with the treasures that come from others.

What I want to tell you is: do not hide the treasure which each one ofyou has. Sometimes it’s easy to find, sometimes you must go on a treas-ure hunt, you don’t find it immediately. But once you find it, share it!Because, through sharing it, you receive from another and it multiplies.This is what I want to tell you, boys and girls: Go forward! What you doin the place where you are also helps us all to understand that life is abeautiful treasure, but it only makes sense when we give it. Thank you!

page 16 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 20 February 2015, number 8

Pope Francis at Santa Sabina for Ash Wednesday Mass

The gift of tears“It will do us good, all of us, but especially for us as priests, at the beginning ofLent, to ask for the gift of tears, so as to render our prayer and our journey ofconversion ever more authentic and free from hypocrisy”. This was the HolyFa t h e r ’s recommendation during the afternoon Mass celebrated at Santa Sabinaon Ash Wednesday, 18 February. The following is a translation of his homily,which he delivered in Italian.

gestures without ostentation, and torely solely on the reward of theFather “who sees in secret” (Mt 6:4,6, 18).

Dear brothers and sisters, theLord never tires of having mercy onus, and wants to offer us His for-giveness once again — we all need it

change, if we accept the grace ofGod and do not allow this “accept-able time” to pass in vain (6:2).Please, let us stop, let us stop awhile and let ourselves be reconciledto God.

With this awareness, we begin theLenten journey with trust and joy.

As the People of God begin thejourney of Lent, the time in whichwe seek to be more firmly united tothe Lord, to share the mystery ofHis Passion and His Resurrection.

To day’s liturgy offers us first andforemost a passage from the ProphetJoel, whom God sent to call thePeople of God to repentance andconversion, due to a natural disaster(a plague of locusts) which was dev-astating Judea. The Lord alone cansave us from the scourge and it istherefore necessary to entreat Himwith prayer and fasting, confessingone’s sins.

The Prophet emphasizes interiorconversion: “return to me with allyour heart” (2:12).

Returning to the Lord “with allyour heart” means to begin the jour-ney not of a superficial and transit-ory conversion, but rather of a spir-itual itinerary with regard to themost intimate place of our person.The heart is, indeed, the seat of ourfeelings, the centre in which our de-

cisions, our attitudes mature. That“return to me with all your heart”involves not only individuals, but isextended to the community as awhole. It is a convocation directedto everyone: “gather the people.Sanctify the congregation; assemblethe elders; gather the children, evennursing infants. Let the bridegroomleave his room, and the bride herchamb er” (v. 16). The Prophetpauses particularly on the prayer ofthe priests, pointing out that it is tobe accompanied by tears. It will dous good, all of us, but especially forus as priests, at the beginning ofLent, to ask for the gift of tears, soas to render our prayer and ourjourney of conversion ever more au-thentic and free from hypocrisy. Itwill do us good to ask ourselves thisquestion: “Do I weep? Does thePope weep? Do the cardinals weep?Do bishops weep? Do the consec-rated weep? Do priests weep? Isthere weeping in our prayers?”. Andthis is precisely the message ofto day’s Gospel. In the passage fromMatthew, Jesus again reads the threeworks of mercy called for by Mosaiclaw: almsgiving, prayer and fasting.He distinguishes the external dispos-ition from the interior disposition,from the weeping of the heart. Overtime, these prescriptions were cor-roded by external formalism, or theyeven mutated into a sign of socialsuperiority. Jesus highlighted a com-mon temptation in these threeworks, that can be summarized pre-cisely as hypocrisy (He mentions itthree times): “Beware of practicingyour piety before men in order to beseen by them.... When you givealms, sound no trumpet before you,as the hypocrites do.... And whenyou pray, you must not be like thehypocrites; for they love to standand pray... that they may be seen bymen.... And when you fast, do notlook dismal, like the hypocrites...”(Mt 6:1, 2, 5, 16). You know, broth-ers, that hypocrites do not know

how to weep,they have forgot-ten how toweep, they donot ask for thegift of tears.

When oneperforms a goodwork, the desirearises almost in-stinctively in usto be esteemedand admired forthis good action,to gain satisfac-tion from it. Je-sus calls us toperform these

“The Lord never tires of having mercyon us, and wants to offer us hisforgiveness once again, inviting us toreturn to Him with a new heart,purified of evil, purified by tears, totake part in His joy”

— , inviting us to return to Him witha new heart, purified of evil, purifiedby tears, to take part in His joy.How should we accept this invita-tion? St Paul advises us: “We be-seech you on behalf of Christ, be re-conciled to God” (2 Cor 5:20). Thispower of conversion is not only thework of mankind, it is letting oneselfbe reconciled. Reconciliationbetween us and God is possiblethanks to the mercy of the Fatherwho, out of love for us, did not hes-itate to sacrifice His only begottenSon. Indeed Christ, who was justand without sin, was made to be sin(cf. v. 21) when, on the Cross, Hetook on the burden of our sins, andin this way He redeemed and justi-fied us before God. “In Him” wecan become just, in Him we can

the tears that will be “in secret”, inpublic we will perform this gestureof the imposition of Ashes on thehead. The celebrant speaks thesewords: “Remember that you aredust, and to dust you shall return”(cf. Gen 3:19); or repeats the ex-hortation of Jesus: “Repent, and be-lieve in the Gospel” (cf. Mk 1:15).Both formulae are a reference to thetruth of human existence: we arelimited creatures, always sinners inneed of repentance and conversion.How important it is to listen to andaccept this call in this time of ours!The call to conversion is thus an in-centive to return, as the son in theparable did, to the arms of God,gentle and merciful Father, to weepin that embrace, to trust in Him andentrust ourselves to Him.

May Immaculate MotherMary, without sin, sus-tain our spiritual battleagainst sin, accompanyus at this acceptabletime, so that we maycome together to sing ofthe exultant victory onEaster Day. And as asign of the will to letourselves be reconciledto God, in addition to