PAPAL MASS “A STIRRING EXPERIENCE” FOR CATHOLIC FAITHFUL – POPE FRANCIS MEETS BUDDHIST LEADERS, CATHOLIC BISHOPS

I sincerely hope that my longtime friend and a colleague at Vatican Radio, Philippa Hitchens, is allowed a good rest and a day or two off when she returns to Rome from covering the papal trip to Myanmar and Bangladesh. She has done such a terrific job for Vatican Radio and has brought so much color and behind the scenes info to us.

PAPAL MASS “A STIRRING EXPERIENCE” FOR CATHOLIC FAITHFUL

Pope Francis Wednesday celebrated Mass at a sports ground in central Yangon, on the third day of his pastoral visit to Myanmar.

The Vatican Radio correspondent in Yangon, Philippa Hitchen reported that the event marked a highlight of his journey for the small Catholic Church in the country….

This was the moment the Catholic community in Myanmar had been patiently waiting for, since Francis’ arrival in the country two days ago. As he acknowledged in his homily, many of the faithful had come to Yangon from remote, rural villages or mountainous communities and had journeyed for several days on foot, by train, bus or the uncomfortable, open-sided trucks that are the most common form of transport here. They’d been camping out close to the sports ground since Monday, in anticipation of  this historic, first papal Mass on Burmese soil.

Myanmar’s turbulent history

The Kyaikkasan ground itself, built under British rule as Rangoon’s racecourse, is closely connected to the turbulent past century of the country’s history. During the years of military dictatorship, following the 1962 coup, it was used as a temporary detention centre. Following the death of Burma’s most famous diplomat, former U.N. Secretary General, U Thant, his coffin was briefly displayed here, before being seized by students protesting against the military’s refusal to honour their globally respected political leader.

Healing memories of the past

Pope Francis in his homily alluded to this turbulent history, noting how “many in Myanmar bear the wounds of violence” and are searching for ways to heal “every hurt and every painful memory”. While we often try to do this through anger and revenge, he said, it is only through forgiveness and mercy that we can truly find healing in our hearts. He described this loving mercy, modelled by Jesus on the Cross, as kind of “a spiritual GPS” that unfailingly guides us, even when we seem to have lost our way.

Witnessing to love and compassion

The pope praised the small flock in Myanmar for its tireless work among the poorest and most vulnerable people, mentioning especially the local Caritas and the Pontifical Mission Societies. But there are many other small groups of Catholics, up and down this country, working in schools and clinics, refugee camps and rehabilitation centres, quietly witnessing to those values of loving kindness and compassion.

‘Stirring experience’ for small flock

For all those people, this was truly a unique event, quite unimaginable until just a few months ago when the papal visit was first announced. Cardinal Charles Bo, at the end of Mass, described it as a “stirring experience” for this little flock.  An event that may hopefully, in some small way, be part of the national healing process that’s so urgently needed here.

POPE FRANCIS MEETS BUDDHIST LEADERS, CATHOLIC BISHOPS

Pope Francis had an action-packed afternoon in Myanmar on Wednesday, meeting with the nation’s Buddhist leaders at a peace pagoda and with the country’s Catholic bishops at the archbishop’s residence where he’s staying. He also managed to squeeze in an unscheduled encounter with the local Jesuit community there, as he likes to do on every foreign journey.

Philippa Hitchen is in Yangon and reports that the focus of the day’s events was on the role of all religions in shaping society through the shared values of justice, dignity and peace.

The meeting with Buddhist leaders was a very formal affair, with a row of barefoot monks, wrapped in their maroon or rust coloured robes, seated in stiff backed chairs opposite the pope and the rest of the Vatican delegation. An occasion for official speeches rather than animated interfaith discussions.

Nevertheless, the pope spoke emphatically about the need to strengthen friendships between believers of different faiths, promoting that culture of encounter that can “surmount all forms of misunderstanding, intolerance, prejudice and hatred”. He quoted from a famous collection of Buddha’s verses and encouraged recent efforts by religious leaders to meet together and discuss increased cooperation.

Weaving peaceful interfaith relations

In a similar way, with Catholic bishops later in the day, the pope returned to the theme of both interfaith and ecumenical relations, a pivotal part of the Church’s life here, where Catholics are a small minority within both the Christian and the wider Buddhist community.

He talked about weaving peaceful relations among people of different faiths, reminding me of the delicate designs I’ve seen woven into the brightly coloured clothes of the many different ethnic groups here.

Bishops must be prophetic voice

He told the bishops they must be healers, helping to overcome the scars of conflicts that continue to impede peace and development. He urged them to accompany their people, like shepherds who “bear the smell of the sheep”, going out into the fields and villages, rather than staying inside the sacristies of their churches.

Finally, he urged the bishops to be a prophetic voice within their rapidly changing society, asking them to focus especially on the environment, taking care of this nation’s “rich natural resources for the benefit of future generations”.

Priority of environmental protection

I only wish he had time, as I did last week, to visit the new Holy Cross church, built at the foot of a mountain in the spectacular Kachin National Park. Located at the source of the Irrawaddy river which runs the length of the country, the church is managed by La Salette Father Jerome Eiphan, whose dream is to develop a centre for environmental protection. Funding is scarce and the challenges are many, yet it’s a good example of how the Church here is quietly promoting those values of justice and peace that the pope was talking about today.

BEHIND THE SCENES IN MYANMAR – THE POPE IN MYANMAR: DAY 2 – NOBEL LAUREATE AUNG SAN SUU KYI’S SPEECH – POPE ADDRESSES AUTHORITIES, CIVIL SOCIETY, DIPLOMATIC CORPS

POPE FRANCIS TWEETED TODAY: I want my visit to embrace all the people of Myanmar and to encourage the building of an inclusive society.

Just a few highlights of Pope Francis’ first full day in Myanmar (meeting with religious leaders, welcome ceremony at airport in capitol city, meeting with government officials, presidential palace:

BEHIND THE SCENES IN MYANMAR

(Vatican Radio) On the first full day of his journey to Myanmar, Pope Francis travelled on Tuesday to the new capital city of Nay Pyi Taw for an official welcome ceremony at the presidential palace.

Our correspondent for this visit, Philippa Hitchen, also went to visit the city and sends this report…

Nay Pyi Taw, where Pope Francis travels on Tuesday to meet the president and popular Burmese leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.

It’s a four hour drive north from Yangon, on the road to Mandalay (literally!) although the pope is taking a short plane trip to the city, which was purpose built by the former military government, just over a decade ago. Its name means ‘Abode of the King’ and it was designed to showcase what the rulers of the day hoped would be the nation’s rapid transformation into a leading Asian economic powerhouse.

Purpose built modern metropolis

Almost overnight in 2005, administrative offices were transferred, lock, stock and barrel from Yangon to the new site, which was officially inaugurated with a giant military parade the following year.

The part of the city that the pope – and most other visitors – see is an eerie ghost town of wide, empty roads, lined with gleaming government offices, huge luxury hotels and amusement parks that light up like a kind of Disneyland after sundown.

Giant presidential complex

At the heart of this strange, modern metropolis lies the colossal presidential palace complex, surrounded by gardens, with a moat and tall, iron railings. It’s inside this vast building that the pope begins his visit, meeting privately with both President Htin Kyav and Aung San Suu Kyi, officially the State Counsellor and Minister for Foreign Affairs, although most people here call her simply ‘The Lady’.

Peace, reconciliation and minority rights

After that, Pope Francis goes onto a giant convention centre to give his first address to government leaders, diplomats and the country’s ruling elite. It’s here that everyone will be listening very attentively to his words about peace and reconciliation, religious freedom and the rights of Myanmar’s many ethnic minorities that are likely to be key themes on this short, but vital papal visit the region.

THE POPE IN MYANMAR: DAY 2

Before his departure for the new capital city of Myanmar, Pope Francis met with 17 leaders of Myanmar’s religious communities Tuesday morning, telling them that peace consists in unity in diversity, not in uniformity.  The Pope met leaders of Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Catholic and other Christian communities at the Archbishop’s House in Yangon, at the start of his first full day of his November. 27-30 apostolic visit to Myanmar.

The Holy See spokesman, Greg Burke said that the during his 40-minute meeting with them, the Pope urged them to work together to rebuild the country and that if they argue, they should argue like brothers, who reconcile afterwards.

After various leaders spoke, Pope Francis spoke off-hand in Spanish helped by an interpreter.  Alluding to the Psalms, he said, “ How beautiful it is to see brothers united!”   He explained that being united does not mean being equal.  “Unity is not uniformity, even within a religious community.  Each one has his values, his riches as also shortcomings. We are all different. … Peace consists in a chorus of differences, unity comes about in differences.”

Francis said, “Peace is harmony,” and he noted a trend in the world towards uniformity to make everybody equal, denouncing this as a “cultural colonization” that “kills humanity.” He said religious leaders should understand the richness of our differences – ethnic, religious or popular – and what results from these differences is dialogue. “As brothers, we can learn from these differences,” the Pope stressed, exhorting the religious leaders to “build the country, which is so rich and diverse even geographically.”

After that meeting, the Pope travelled to the new capital city of Nay Pyi Taw for an official welcome ceremony at the presidential palace. After meeting the president, government officials and the diplomatic corps, he flew back to Yangon.  His scheduled included (all times local-Myanmar is 5 and a half hours ahead of Rome):

14:00 – Departure by air for Nay Pyi Taw

15:10 – Arrival at Nay Pyi Taw Airport – Official welcome

15:50 – Welcome ceremony in the Presidential Palace

16:00 – Courtesy visit to the president

16:30 – Meeting with the state counsellor and minister of foreign affairs

17:15 – Meeting with the authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps in the International Convention Centre – Address of the Holy Father

18:20 – Departure by air for Yangon

19:25 – Arrival at Yangon Airport and transfer to the archbishopric.

NOBEL LAUREATE AUNG SAN SUU KYI’S SPEECH

Pope Francis on Tuesday spent his first full day in Myanmar where he traveled to the country’s capital to meet with the country’s de facto civilian leader, Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. After meeting with her privately, she pronnounced an official welcome speech at the Myanmar International Convention Center where the Pope met with authorities, representatives of civil society and the diplomatic corps.

In her address to the Pope, Suu Kyi quoted from the Sermon on the Mount saying it presents a challenge for political and religious leaders and she mentioned that,“of the many challenges that our government has been facing, the situation in the Rakhine has most strongly captured the attention of the world”. (JFL: A reference to the plight of the Rohingya people whose name the Pope had been requested not to use during his trip, specifically by Cardinal Charles Bo of Yangon)

She also said that the aim of the Myanmar Government is ”to bring out the beauty of our diversity and to make it our strength, by protecting rights, fostering tolerance, ensuring security for all”.

Following is her speech:

Holy Father Pope Francis,

Distinguished Guests,

It is a great joy and a great honour for me to welcome you to this gathering that reaffirms our faith in the power and possibility of peace and loving kindness. Let me begin by thanking His Holiness for being with us today. ‘Grazie per essere arrivato qui da noi’.

Your Holiness, you bring us strength and hope in your understanding of our need, our longing, for peace, national reconciliation and social harmony. Our national anthem, adopted at the time of our independence, begins with the words: “Never swerving from just freedom,” reflecting the strongly held conviction of the founding fathers of our nation that true freedom cannot survive without justice. These words resonate with us today, just as they did with those who fought for independence that our people might be able to realize their full potential. It is incumbent on us to continue the task of building a nation founded on laws and institutions that will guarantee each and everyone in our land justice, freedom and security. Thus, the words of Your Holiness that the prophets of old saw justice as the basis of all true and lasting peace “resonates with us, and serves as a reminder that in our quest for peace we must be guided by the wisdom and aspirations of our fathers.

Your Holiness, the challenges that Myanmar faces are many, and each challenge calls for strength, patience and courage. Our nation is a rich tapestry of different peoples, languages and religions, woven on a backdrop of vast natural potential. It is the aim of our Government to bring out the beauty of our diversity and to make it our strength, by protecting rights, fostering tolerance, ensuring security for all. Our most cherished endeavor is to carry forward the peace process based on the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement that was initiated by the previous Government. The road to peace is not always smooth but it is the only way that will lead our people to their dream of a just and prosperous land that will be their refuge, their pride, their joy. The quest for peace has to be reinforced by the attainment of sustainable development, that the future of coming generations might be assured.

Of the many challenges that our government has been facing, the situation in the Rakhine has most strongly captured the attention of the world. As we address long standing issues, social, economic and political, that have eroded trust and understanding, harmony and cooperation, between different communities in Rakhine, the support of our people and of good friends who only wish to see us succeed in our endeavours, has been invaluable. Your Holiness, the gifts of compassion and encouragement that you bring to us will be treasured and we take to heart your words in the message of the celebration of the fiftieth World Day of Peace on 1st January 2017:

“Jesus himself offers a “manual” for this strategy of peacemaking in the Sermon on the Mount. The eight Beatitudes (cf. Mt 5:3-10) provide a portrait of the person we could describe as blessed, good and authentic. Blessed are the meek, Jesus tells us, the merciful and the peacemakers, those who are pure in heart, and those who hunger and thirst for justice.

        This is also a programme and a challenge for political and religious leaders, the heads of international institutions, and business and media executives: to apply the Beatitudes in the exercise of their respective responsibilities. It is a challenge to build up society, communities and businesses by acting as peacemakers. It is to show mercy by refusing to discard people, harm the environment, or seek to win at any cost.”

Your Holiness, we are proud and happy that you have come to our country a mere six months after the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Myanmar. This is not only the opening of a new era of close relations, it also constitutes a revival of old ties that I, and others of my generation, remember with affection and appreciation. I began my education at the St. Francis Convent in Rangoon which makes me fancy that I am entitled to special blessings from your Holiness. But all the blessings you confer will be shared by all of us that we may be able to spread goodwill and joy throughout our land.

Your Holiness, each age in the life of a nation brings its own responsibilities just as it has to bear the legacies of the past. We today who have been given the opportunity to effect changes that could open new vistas of progress for our nation, will strive to discharge our duties with probity and humility. We wish to leave to the future a land that has been nurtured with care and respect, a healthy land, a beautiful land. We wish to leave to the future a people united and at peace, secure in their capacity to grow and prosper in a changing world; a compassionate and generous people, always ready to hold out a helping hand to those in need; a people strong in skills and whole in spirit.

Your Holiness, the children of your Church in this country are also the children of Myanmar, loved and cherished. We thank them, as we thank you, for praying for our nation and all the peoples of the world. The road ahead is long but we will walk it with confidence, trusting in the power of peace, love and joy.

Your Holiness,

‘Continuiamo a camminare insieme con fiducia’. (Let’s continue to walk together with trust)

I thank you all.

POPE ADDRESSES AUTHORITIES, CIVIL SOCIETY, DIPLOMATIC CORPS

In his first public discourse on Myanmar soil on Tuesday, Pope Francis encouraged the nation on the “arduous process of peace-building and national reconciliation,” saying it can be achieved on only through a “commitment to justice and respect for human rights,” a process in which religious leaders have a crucial role to play.

The Pope made the remark to Myanmar’s state authorities, leaders of civil society and the diplomatic corps, after he was given a state welcome at the presidential palace in the country’s new capital Nay Pyi Taw, some 320 km north of the former capital Yangon, where the Pope landed on Monday and where he will spend the rest of his stay in Myanmar.

Peace founded on justice

‎Speaking in Italian, the Pope observed that according to age old wisdom, justice means a steadfast will to give ‎each person his due which forms the “basis of all true ‎and lasting peace.” The denial of this caused the “tragic experience of the two world wars,” the Pope said, that led to the establishment of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration ‎of Human ‎Rights as the basis for the international community’s efforts to promote ‎justice, peace and human ‎development worldwide, and to resolve conflicts ‎through dialogue, not the use of force. The Pope said the presence of the diplomatic corps before him confirms Myanmar’s commitment to uphold and pursue these foundational principles.

The Holy Father noted that the people of Myanmar have suffered much and continue to suffer from “civil conflict and hostilities that have ‎lasted ‎all ‎too long and created deep divisions.” The Pope said that in its task of restoring peace, “the healing of ‎those ‎wounds must be a paramount political and spiritual ‎priority.”

The Pope stressed that the future of the nation must be peace, a peace based on ‎respect for the dignity and rights of each member ‎of society, respect for each ‎ethnic group and its identity, respect for the rule of law, and respect for ‎a ‎democratic order that enables each individual and every group – none excluded – ‎to offer its ‎legitimate contribution to the common good.‎

Role of religious leaders

In this great task of national reconciliation and integration, the Pope said, Myanmar’s religious communities have a privileged role to play. He pointed out that “religious differences need not be a source of division and distrust, but ‎rather a force for unity, forgiveness, ‎tolerance and wise nation building.” He said religions can help repair “the emotional, spiritual and psychological wounds of those who ‎have ‎suffered in the years of conflict,” and “uproot the ‎causes of conflict, build bridges of dialogue, seek justice and be a ‎prophetic voice for all who suffer.” The Pope considered it a “great sign of hope” that leaders of the ‎various religious traditions in Myanmar are making efforts ‎to work together, in ‎a spirit of harmony and mutual respect, for peace, for helping the poor and ‎for ‎educating in authentic religious and human values. In seeking to build a culture ‎of encounter and ‎solidarity, they contribute to the common good and to laying the ‎indispensable moral foundations for a ‎future of hope and prosperity for coming ‎generations. ‎

Youth – future of Myanmar

Stressing that the future of Myanmar lies in the hands of young people, the Pope called on the nation to provide them with real opportunities for employment and a quality education, saying, it will be an investment that will yield a rich return, which is urgently needed for inter-generational justice. They need to be trained not only in technical fields but especially in ethical values, such as honesty, integrity and human solidarity that can consolidate democracy and the growth of unity and peace at every level. Intergenerational justice, the Pope pointed out, also demands that future ‎generations ‎inherit a natural environment unspoiled by human “greed and depredation.”

Pope Francis said that the main purpose of his visit to Myanmar was to “pray with ‎the nation’s small but fervent Catholic community, to confirm them ‎in their faith, ‎and to encourage them in their efforts to contribute to the good of the nation.”  He said he also wanted to embrace the entire population of Myanmar and ‎to offer a word of ‎encouragement to all those who are working to build a just, ‎reconciled and inclusive social order.

ENTHUSIASTIC PILGRIMS WELCOME POPE FRANCIS TO MYANMAR

ENTHUSIASTIC PILGRIMS WELCOME POPE FRANCIS TO MYANMAR

(Vatican Radio) The people of Myanmar welcomed Pope Francis to Yangon on Monday afternoon, although a first glance around the cities of Yangon and the capital Naypyitaw show few signs of any major preparations.

Philippa Hitchen has been travelling around the country, in preparation for this pastoral visit and reports on the expectations of the Catholic community ahead of the pope’s arrival.

One or two isolated posters and billboards can be spotted around the central St Mary’s cathedral in Yangon and the adjacent archbishop’s house where the pope will be staying for the duration of this three day visit. Further out of the centre, away from the shopping malls and smart hotels, in the townships that make up the sprawling metropolis, the other Catholic parishes have also been preparing for this first ever papal visit to the largely Buddhist nation.

Christians in northern Kachin state

Eager pilgrims have been converging on Yangon from other cities too, especially from the northern Kachin state where the majority of Christians are located. I visited Bishop Francis Tang from the diocese of Myitkyina there, watching busloads of men, women and children gathering with their bags on the grass outside his church, in preparation for the two day journey down south. The bishops say up to 200.000 people are expected to attend the main papal events, including pilgrims from neighbouring Thailand, Vietnam, Korea and the Philippines.

Myanmar’s many ethnic minorities

Officially there has been good cooperation with the Myanmar authorities in the planning of this trip, though everyone is on tenterhooks over the crisis in northern Rakhine state. With western media focused almost exclusively on whether or not the pope will pronounce the word ‘Rohingya’, organisers are seeking to shine the light on the many other refugee problems that still plague this nation, made up of over 130 different ethnic minorities. Several of them are locked in long running conflicts that have seen hundreds of thousands of villagers fleeing their homes and living in squalid camps for internally displaced people. I visited one of the 32 located in Myitkyina alone, where the Church tries to supplement basic services provided to Christian families there by the World Food Programme and a variety of NGOs.

High expectations for papal visit

Expectations among these Christian communities are sky-high, hoping the pope can miraculously bring the civil war to an end, by encouraging the military and members of the various independence armies to return to the negotiating table. Without peace and respect for all the country’s minorities, they insist, this nation can never develop and improve living standards for the quarter of its population that still lives below the poverty line.

Messenger of peace and reconciliation

That includes people living in the squalid slums I can see from my hotel overlooking Yangon city centre, close to St Mary’s cathedral. Many of them, including plenty of non-Catholics, will be lining the route as the papal motorcade passes by on Monday, or queuing to enter the stadium where he’ll celebrate Mass on Wednesday. For them, this visit marks a once in a lifetime opportunity to welcome the man they’re hailing as a messenger of reconciliation and peace.

MORE FROM PHILIPPA HITCHENS AND VATICAN RADIO –

Pope Francis arrived on Monday in Yangon, where he was greeted by Myanmar’s political and religious authorities, as well as by crowds of ordinary people who lined the road to the archbishop’s residence where he’ll be staying for the three-day visit.

It’s stiflingly hot here in downtown Yangon, but that didn’t stop thousands of people crowding into the city to line parts of the route where the papal motorcade passed by today, on its way from the airport to the archbishop’s house. While I’d forgotten to put any sunscreen on, almost everyone here uses the pale yellow juice of a local plant smeared on their cheeks to protect them from the sun’s rays. They’d come from all across the country, especially from the northern states where the majority of Christians live, largely in isolated, rural or mountain villages.

‘Peace and Love’ logo

Their excitement was palpable as they waved Vatican or Myanmar national flags, waiting for the pope to pass by. Many were dressed in traditionally embroidered tops and ‘longyis’, those brightly coloured lengths of cloth that everyone – women and men – wear wrapped around them here. Others sported hats and T-shirts bearing the words ‘Love and Peace’, the logo for this trip, depicted above a multi-coloured outline of the country, to signify the 135 ethnic groups that make up this south-east Asian country.

Inside Archbishop’s House

Inside the garden of the archbishop’s house, a group of eager Catholics (including a couple of nuns, who stood out from the colourful crowd in their white habits and veils) were energetically dancing and singing. As the blue car, carrying Pope Francis swept through the gates, their cries of excitement rose to fever pitch, as he stepped out and began walking up the path to the cream-coloured, colonial style residence.

Tuesday’s papal programme

For the remainder of the day, he’s resting, after the more than 10-hour flight from Rome. Then on Tuesday, it’s back to the airport for the short journey up to the capital, Nay Pyi Taw, where he’ll be welcomed by the president and by Burmese leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. Those meetings will, of course, be held behind closed doors and even his first public address to government officials and diplomats at a nearby convention centre will only be open to the few, carefully selected guests.

Outdoor Mass on Wednesday

So the crowds of eager Catholics who lined the streets today will have to wait until Wednesday morning for their chance to hear and see the pope in person. That’s when he celebrates an open-air Mass at a colonial era racecourse, which also served as a detention centre during the darkest years of military rule.

Patiently waiting for the Pope

Earlier in the week, I met many of the pilgrims on their way down to Yangon from other towns and villages around the country, including a dozen lucky children who were picked to form part of the welcome delegation at the airport today. Many of the Catholics are from poor families and most of them told me they didn’t have accommodation here in the city. They’re simply going to camp out on the grounds of that sports arena, patiently waiting for their big moment to arrive.

POPE FRANCIS DEPARTS ROME, ARRIVES YANGON, MYANMAR

POPE FRANCIS DEPARTS ROME, ARRIVES YANGON, MYANMAR

After a long and frustrating afternoon at my computer, I decided about 8:30 to go to La Vittoria for a quick bite – let someone else do the cooking. As I started walking down Via di Porta Cavalleggeri, I saw several police cars with their lights on and realized they were in position to accompany Pope Francis’ car to the airport for his flight to Myanmar as it exited the Perugino Gate to the Vatican.

I also saw several cars waiting just up the street near the Perugino. I took a few photos and then decided it would be fun to do a Facebook Live as the motorcade left the Vatican. I waited a bit and was determined to do this but the temperature was so cold and the wind was picking up so that, after a long wait, I decided that wisdom was the better part of valor and abandoned my spot.

The papal plane was scheduled to leave Fiumicino Airport at 9:40 and I had reason to believe from reports I saw that the Holy Father would leave the Vatican at or before 9pm. But that did not happen. I read this morning that the plane actually left at 10:10pm. The late departure for the aircraft could have been due to a late Vatican City departure and/or a ceremony at the airport. Media colleague will surely let us know.

Meanwhile…..,

Not long after the plane departed, as is his habit, Pope Francis went back to greet members of the media. Holy See Press office Director Greg Burke accompanied the Pope and made some opening remarks, after which the Pope spoke very briefly.

Burke: Good evening, Holiness – or is it good night! We are always grateful to have you here with us, perhaps even more so this evening as it is already a bit past 10:30: you have spoken of a message of reconciliation, pardon and peace. This evening we’ll try to give you some peace so let’s be quick so that you have some time to sleep. If you wish to say something….

Pope Francis: Yes, good night – and many thanks for your company. Thanks also for your work that always sows so many god seeds. I wish you a good stay – hey say it is very hot. I’m so sorry but at least let’s hope it is a fruitful trip. I leave you now…

MYANMAR AND HOLY SEE ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC TIES – POPE TO VATICAN MEDIA PERSONNEL: “ACCEPT CHALLENGES WITHOUT FEAR AND APOCALYPTIC SCENARIOS”

Ever since the Holy Father announced he intended to institute a reform of the Roman Curia a few years back – a reform that naturally included all the offices whose work is communications (Vatican Radio, CTV, Holy See Press Office, L’Osservatore Romano newspaper, the publishing house, etc), there has been a state of nervousness and uncertainty along the employees who staff those offices.

As a former Vatican employee (Vatican “retiree”?), except for my weekly program, “Joan Knows” at Vatican Radio, I have heard many of my former colleagues in all of the above offices wonder where the reform will take them. I’ve read many an article that focussed on the question of the future, the post-reform Vatican communications world.

Pope Francis was clear that he did not want any employees to be dismissed in order to meet the new goals. But that has not prevented people from being moved around, being moved from an office where they had a certain expertise to an office that simply needed “another laborer in the vineyard.”

In his speech today to representatives of the plenary of the Secretariat for Communications (see below), Pope Francis tried to allay the fears of Vatican and Roman Curia employees but, in a few instances, he raised new questions.
He concluded his remarks by saying: “Let us resist the temptation of being attached to a glorious past; let’s all be team players in order to better respond to the new communication challenges posed by culture today without fear and without foreseeing apocalyptic scenarios.”

MYANMAR AND HOLY SEE ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC TIES

Following Pope Francis’ audience this morning with Aung San Suu Kyi, State Counsellor and Union Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, the Vatican announced that, “The Holy See and the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, keen to promote bonds of mutual friendship, have jointly agreed to establish diplomatic relations at the level of Apostolic Nunciature, on behalf of the Holy See, and Embassy, on the part of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.”

No statement was made about the nature or content of the meeting between the Holy Father and Aung San Suu Kyi.

POPE TO VATICAN MEDIA PERSONNEL: “ACCEPT CHALLENGES WITHOUT FEAR AND APOCALYPTIC SCENARIOS”

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has urged members of Vatican media platforms not to be afraid of reform, and to embrace the challenge of change that will enable them to bring the message of the Gospel to all.

Addressing representatives of the Secretariat for Communications (SPC) gathered for its first Plenary Assembly, the Pope said that to “reform is not just to whitewash things; it’s to give them a different form and organization”.
“It’s something, he said to those charged with overhauling the Vatican’s different news and media outlets, to be done with intelligence and what he called a good kind of ‘violence’.”

Headed by the prefect, Msgr. Dario Viganò, the new Dicastery was created by Pope Francis exactly two years ago with the mandate to unify all Vatican communications platforms: the Vatican Television Center, the Vatican Publishing House, The Osservatore Romano newspaper, Vatican Radio, the Holy See Press Office, the Vatican Photographic Service, the Vatican Internet Service, the Vatican Printing Press and the former Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

Describing the issues addressed during the Plenary are “very dear to his heart,” Pope Francis said the work taken on by the SPC aims to “find new criteria and new ways of communicating the Gospel of mercy to all peoples and cultures making use of the new digital culture at our disposal”.

He highlighted the fact that – as specified in his ‘Motu proprio’ which established the new Dicastery – the reform is not about coordinating or merging the various platforms, but sets up something completely new with a single and unified management which will be able to better respond to the needs of the Church’s mission.

Reflecting on the fact that in the past each platform had its own channels and mediums of communication (the written word, images, audio) the Pope said that “all these forms of communication today are transmitted with a single code that uses the binary system.”

Thus, he said, the Vatican newspaper is called to find a new and different way to reach a much higher number of readers that it does through its printed format.
He said that through the years Vatican Radio has become an ensemble of portals and “must be reshaped according to new models so it can conform to modern technologies and to the needs of our contemporaries”.

And regarding the Vatican’s radiophonic service, the Pope had special words of appreciation for the efforts being made in consideration of countries that are not technologically developed – “I think of Africa” he said – praising the “rationalization of Short Wave frequencies that have never been dismantled.

“History undoubtedly represents a precious patrimony of experience to be safeguarded and used as a push towards the future” he said, pointing out that otherwise it would be a mere museum: “interesting and nice to visit, but unable to provide the strength and courage for the continuation of the journey.”

Pope Francis concluded his address encouraging the SPC to courageously bring the reform to completion with an apostolic and missionary spirit, and asked there be a special regard and attention for situations of need, poverty and difficulty within the knowledge that they must be faced with adequate solutions:

“Let us resist the temptation of being attached to a glorious past; let’s all be team players in order to better respond to the new communication challenges posed by culture today without fear and without foreseeing apocalyptic scenarios.”