NEW METROPOLITAN ARCHBISHOPS RECEIVED PALLIUMS BLESSED BY POPE – A SAINT, BABY LAMBS AND PALLIUMS

NEW METROPOLITAN ARCHBISHOPS RECEIVED PALLIUMS BLESSED BY POPE

Today’s solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles and patron saints of Rome is a heartfelt celebration, both in the Vatican and throughout the Eternal City. The main event is always the papal Mass in St. Peter’s basilica when metropolitan archbishops, named by the Pope since the previous June 29^th are given the symbols of their authority and their link to the See of Peter, the palliums blessed by the Pope.

Today, 32 of the 44 metropolitan archbishops named since last June 29 were present in St. Peter’s basilica and received the blessed palliums from the hands of the Holy Father.

The palliums were brought from the confessio area beneath the papal altar to Pope Francis who blessed them. Later in the Mass, the archbishops received the palliums in which looked like a gift-wrapper box. The nuncio of each archbishop’s country will actually place the pallium on his shoulders in a ceremony in his home cathedral.

The Holy Father, seated in an armchair not far from the celebrated statue of the first pope, St. Peter, presided at the first part of Mass, the Liturgy of the Word, and he delivered the homily (Pope at Mass: Church called to promote a culture of care – Vatican News)

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, presided at the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

The bronze statue of Peter on this day, as well as on February 22, feast of the Chair of Peter, wears stupendous vestments, the triple tiara and a papal ring on a finger of his extended hand.

The Vatican today also released Pope Francis’ Apostolic Letter “Desiderio desideravi”on the liturgy, addressed to “the People of God,” Pope: ‘Overcome polemics about the liturgy to rediscover its beauty’ – Vatican News

A SAINT, BABY LAMBS AND PALLIUMS

When Pope Francis announced on May 29 this year that he would create 21 new cardinals, most observers were surprised when he gave the date of the consistory to create new cardinals as August 27, 2022, three months later. Consistories have historically taken place within a month of the announcement of the cardinals-elect.

Interestingly enough, exactly four years ago today in St. Peter’s Square, June 29, solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles, Pope Francis presided at Mass with the new cardinals he created the previous day, having announced them a month earlier, and with other members of the College of Cardinals.

During Mass the Pope blessed the palliums worn by metropolitan archbishops that for years were placed on the shoulders of the archbishops by the Pope on this very feast day. This year the palliums were handed in a box to the new metropolitan archbishops.

In 2015, Francis changed the traditional ceremony in which the prelates receive the pallium, deciding that the public ceremony of investiture of the pallium on metropolitan archbishops would henceforth take place in their home dioceses and not in the Vatican as has been the case under recent pontiffs.

The pallium is a white, woolen circular band embroidered with six black crosses which is worn over the shoulders and has two hanging pieces, one in front and another in back. Worn by the Pope and by metropolitan archbishops, it symbolizes their authority as archbishop and expresses the special bond between the bishops and the Roman Pontiff.

In a 1978 document, “Inter Eximina Episcopalis,” Pope Paul VI restricted its use to the Pope and metropolitan archbishops. Six years later, Pope John Paul decreed that it would be conferred on the metropolitans by the Pope on the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul.

Every year in the Vatican, on January 21, in keeping with the tradition for the liturgical memory of St. Agnes, two lambs, blessed earlier in the morning in the Roman basilica named for this saint, are presented to the Pope. The lambs are raised by the Trappist Fathers of the Abbey of the Three Fountains. When their wool is shorn, the Sisters of St. Cecelia weave it into the palliums (pallia is another plural form) that, on the June 29th feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles, are given to new metropolitan archbishops as signs of their office.

Usually in attendance at the January 21 ceremony in the Apostolic Palace are 21 people, including two Trappist fathers, several nuns, two canons of the Chapter of St. John, the dean of the Roman Rota, and two officials from the Office of the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, and a number of other invited guests.

The baby lambs, under one year of age, are normally tucked into wicker baskets, and both lambs and baskets are adorned with red and white ribbons and flowers, white to symbolize purity and red to signify the blood of a martyr. In 2004 St. John Paul II blessed the lambs during a general audience in the Paul VI Hall as both the audience and St. Agnes’ feast day occurred on a Wednesday.

Agnes died about 305 and is buried in the basilica named for her on Rome’s Via Nomentana. Historical accounts vary about the birth, life and manner of death of Agnes but generally it is recounted that, in order to preserve her virginity, she was martyred at a very young age, probably 12. She is usually depicted with a lamb because the Latin word so similar to her name, agnus, means “lamb.” The name Agnes is actually derived from the feminine Greek adjective hagné meaning “chaste, pure.”

In 2011, L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican paper, carried an interview with Sr. Hanna Pomniaowska, one of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth who prepares the lambs every year for their Vatican visit. This order of nuns has been preparing the baby lambs for over 130 years and it was their founder, Blessed Frances Siedliska, who started this custom in 1884. Up to that date another order of nuns had prepared the lambs but it became difficult when the nuns began to age. At that time the Sisters of the Holy Family took over the duties.

Two lambs are brought to the sisters on January 20 by the Trappist Fathers of Tre Fontane (Three Fountains). The nuns then bring the lambs to the top floor of their residence where there is a terrace with a laundry room where the lambs are washed with delicate soap usually used for children until their wool is white as the driven snow and they are dried with a hair dryer that, in recent years, has replaced the towels they once used.

The nuns are careful to completely dry the lambs so that, at their tender age, they do not fall sick. The room is well heated. After the lambs are dried they are placed in a tub that is covered with straw and closed with canvas so they don’t catch cold. A meal of straw is fed to the lambs who then spend the night in the laundry.

The morning of January 21, the nuns place two small capes on the lambs, one is red to indicate St. Agnes’ martyrdom and the other is white to indicate her virginity. There are also three letters on each mantle: S.A.V. (St. Agnes Virgin) and S.A.M. (St. Agnes Martyr). The sisters weave crowns of interlocking red and white flowers, place them on the baby lambs’ heads, and then put the lambs in a decorated basket. The lambs are tied so they don’t escape. In fact, one of them did escape a few years back, jumping up and running from the altar at St. Agnes basilica.

In the morning the lambs are brought to St. Agnes Basilica where they are placed on the altar and blessed. Following this ceremony, two papal sediari or chair bearers bring the lambs in a van to the Vatican where they are presented to the Holy Father. It is usually the sisters who are celebrating a jubilee of religious vows who are present in the papal residence.

ROME CELEBRATES HER PATRON SAINTS, PETER AND PAUL – PAPAL MASSES, PALLIUMS, INFIORATA, AND FIREWORKS FOR TWO SAINTS

Today is one of my favorite feast days of the liturgical calendar, the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles. There is always a beautiful papal Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica with the pallium ceremony in which new metropolitan archbishops receive the symbol of their authority. In addition, June 29 is one of two days a year (the other is the February 22 feast of the Chair of Peter) when the bronze statue of the saint for whom the basilica is named is adorned with pontifical vestments, the triple tiara and a papal ring.

It is a holiday in the Vatican and in Rome as well, although the rest of Italy goes to work as if it was just another day! I always loved having this day off the years I worked at the Vatican. Usually there are many festive events planned for June 29 but 2020 is an exceptional year in many ways, including traditional celebrations.

EWTN Rome staff takes Italian and Vatican days off but I go with the U.S. calendar of holidays. Even though it was a workday for me, I try to do as little as possible because, inside me, I know June 29th is a holiday, a festive occasion, a celebration – and celebrate is the key word! You’ll see one result of my work when you tune in to “At Home” with Jim and Joy this afternoon! (posted later on Youtube if you miss it). I also slow down on June 29 as I spend time savoring the year past and preparing for another celebration, a new year on June 30!

The first part of the day was not exactly festive. I attended the funeral of a dear Australian friend from my parish who died Friday, so you might say we celebrated a great life. To know Gina was to love her and she graced our parish family for over 40 years so we knew each other almost from day one!

I had lunch outside at a place near my home and it was surreal! I live on what is normally one of the busiest streets in Rome and today, at 2pm, you could have shot a cannon down the middle of the street and not hit animal, vegetable or mineral! Not just because it was a holidays with Romans away at their seaside homes or in the mountains, but this is a city devoid of tourists, especially Americans and Asians.

The day is winding down so I leave you with a bit of news about the papal Mass this morning.

ROME CELEBRATES HER PATRON SAINTS, PETER AND PAUL

Today, June 29 is the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles and patron saints of the City of Rome. It is a holiday in the Vatican and in Rome and usually is a very festive occasion but the Coronavirus has muted the celebrations this year – the pallium ceremony in St. Peter’s, the infiorata along Via della Conciliazione and events planned by the city, for starters.

Normally, on this feast day, in a ceremony during a papal Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, the new metropolitan archbishops, created since last June 29, receive the pallium from the Pope. The pallium is a white woolen circular band embroidered with six black crosses and two hanging pieces, one in front and another in back, that is worn over the shoulders and symbolizes their authority as archbishop and their special bond with the Roman Pontiff.

Five Americans were among the 54 new archbishops who will receive the palliums blessed at the start of Mass today by Pope Francis: Archbishops Etienne of Seattle, Perez of Philadelphia, Hartmayer of Atlanta, Bellisario of Anchorage and Rozanski of St. Louis.

In addition, 85-year old Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, named dean of the College of Cardinals in January this year, received a pallium by virtue of his new office. It was placed on him by the Pope. Today’s papal Mass, in the presence of about 90 faithful, was concelebrated by 10 of the 14 cardinals who are of the Order of Bishops.

For decades the pallium was placed by the Pope on the shoulders of the new metropolitan archbishops, However, in 2015 Francis changed the traditional ceremony, having decided that the public ceremony of investiture of the pallium on metropolitan archbishops would henceforth take place in their home dioceses and not in the Vatican as has been the case under recent pontiffs. The nuncio to the country of the new archbishop places the pallium on his shouldets.

Traditionally there are big festivities in Rome when the new archbishops, in the company of family members and friends, are present to receive the pallium. There are receptions, luncheons, dinnes, etc. offered by embassies and by national seminaries such as the North American College.

PAPAL MASSES, PALLIUMS, INFIORATA, AND FIREWORKS FOR TWO SAINTS

Here’s a great piece with photos from thelocal.it about this very Roman holiday, so read on.

June 29th is the feast of St Peter and St Paul, the two patron saints of Rome, and a public holiday within the capital. But this year, the celebrations are a little different.

While June 29th remains a holiday in Rome in 2020, the usual celebrations have had to be scaled back because of the coronavirus epidemic.

Here’s what you need to know about the history and traditions of St Peter and Paul’s Day.

That’s right, Rome has two patron saints

St Peter, first bishop of Rome and namesake of the world’s largest church, may be the first name that comes to mind, but St Paul is joint patron of the Eternal City. Both apostles were martyred in Rome within three years of each other and both are said to be buried at the two basilicas that bear their names today: St Peter’s at the Vatican, and St Paul’s Outside the Walls, to the south of the historic centre.

Both churches have matching statues of the two saints. You’ll also see them represented together on either side of the bridge leading to Castel Sant’Angelo, the riverside fortress that once protected the popes, St Peter holding the keys to heaven and St Paul the sword.

It’s a public holiday, but only in Rome

The capital celebrates June 29th as an official holiday, so be prepared to find some shops and offices closed and transport running on a reduced schedule.

But you can expect less disruption than you’d find on a nationwide holiday, with intercity transport operating as usual and most museums and visitor attractions remaining open. And if you work in Rome, you might even get the day off.

The celebrations are solemn…

As you’d expect, most of the festivities are concentrated in and around St Peter and Paul’s twin basilicas. They start with special vespers at St Paul’s on the evening of June 28th, followed by masses throughout the next day. The church concludes its celebrations with a solemn procession of the iron chains said to have held Paul as he awaited his death.

FOR FULL STORY: https://www.thelocal.it/20180628/st-peter-st-paul-day-june-29-public-holiday-rome

VATICAN INSIDER EXPLORES THE ACCU – JUNE 29, CELEBRATING THE FEAST OF STS PETER AND PAUL IN ROME

Last evening at 6 pm in St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis said Mass to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of Prof. Guzmán Carriquiri Lecour and Lídice María Gómez Mango. Guzman, a Uruguyan, has held numerous positions in the Roman Curia, starting in 1971 and including Bureau Chief and later under-secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Laity and Secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. It seems the Pope heard the couple had planned a Mass and he decided to personally preside! A lovely way to thank the couple, especially Guzman, for his years of service!

From Canton Ohio: A miracle inquiry for the Cause of Beatification of the Servant of God Rhoda Wise was closed in the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown on June 25, 2019 and will be sent to the Congregation of Saints in Rome. More details will be shared at the special Mass on the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in thanksgiving for the 80th Anniversary of the Healing of The Servant of God Rhoda Wise. The Mass is 7:00 pm at Saint Peter Catholic Church, Canton, celebrated by Bishop George V. Murry, S.J., of Youngstown.

There is a big breaking story on China from the Vatican – will try to post Vatican note ASAP.

VATICAN INSIDER EXPLORES THE ACCU

Join me on this final weekend of June for a new edition of Vatican Insider for Part II of my conversation with Michael Galligan-Stierle, outgoing president and CEO of ACCU – the Washington, DC-based Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities. Every June Michael and his wife Pamela lead the ACCU’s annual Rome seminar for university and college presidents. We talk about the history of ACCU the Rome seminar, the difference between college and university, the benefits of membership in ACCU for a college or university, the advantages of going to a Catholic college or university, and much more.

IN THE UNITED STATES, you can listen to Vatican Insider (VI) on a Catholic radio station near you (stations listed at http://www.ewtn.com) or on channel 130 Sirius-XM satellite radio, or on http://www.ewtn.com. OUTSIDE THE U.S., you can listen to EWTN radio on our website home page by clicking on the right side where you see “LISTEN TO EWTN.” VI airs at 5am and 9pm ET on Saturdays and 6am ET on Sundays. On the GB-IE feed (which is on SKY in the UK and Ireland), VI airs at 5:30am, 12 noon and 10pm CET on Sundays. Both of these feeds are also available on the EWTN app and on http://www.ewtnradio.net ALWAYS CHECK YOUR OWN TIME ZONE! For VI archives: http://www.ewtn.com/multimedia/audio-library/index.asp (write Vatican Insider where it says Search Shows and Episodes)

JUNE 29, CELEBRATING THE FEAST OF STS PETER AND PAUL IN ROME

Thirty-one metropolitan archbishops will receive the pallium tomorrow morning, June 29 in St. Peter’s basilica during Mass presided over by the Holy Father. The Pope will bless the palliums during Mass and hand each archbishop the symbol of his authority in his archdiocese and of his ties to the Successor of Peter, the Pope. The nuncio of each archbishop’s country will actually place the pallium on his shoulders in a ceremony in his home cathedral.

June 29 is the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles and patron saints of Rome. There are a number of non-liturgical events that mark the day of you happen to be in the Eternal City. It is a big holiday for the Vatican and the City of Rome.

The historical Floral Painting known as Infiorata Storica, organized by the Pro Loco organization of Rome, will take place tomorrow between Via della Conciliazione and Piazza Pio XII, just yards from St. Peter’s Square.

According to historical sources, the custom of creating floral paintings was born in Rome in the year 1625, when on the occasion of the patronal feast of Saints Peter and Paul on June 29, the head of the Vatican Floristry, Benedetto Drei had carpets made of “leafy flowers and vines to emulate the works of the mosaic” in front of the Basilica of St. Peter. At the death of Benedetto Drei, it was Gian Lorenzo Bernini who succeeded him, and it is through his influence that the tradition spread to the localities of Castelli Romani, rooting itself strongly in Lazio and beyond.

At 9:30 pm on June 29, go to the terraces of the Pincio (Piazza del Popolo) for the 13th edition of the historical re-enactment of the “Girandola di Roma,” (the Roman pinwheel), a fireworks display conceived by Michelangelo and reworked by Bernini.

JANUARY 21: ST. AGNES, BABY LAMBS AND THE PALLIUM

JANUARY 21: ST. AGNES, BABY LAMBS AND THE PALLIUM

Usually on the morning of January 21, the liturgical memory of St. Agnes, two lambs, blessed earlier in the morning in the Roman basilica named for this saint, are presented to the Pope for a blessing and prayer but I did not see any such story today about the lambs being brought to Pope Francis.

I’ve always loved this story and this feast day and write about it every year on this day. While I have no news concerning baby lambs in the papal household on January 21, 2019, I’ll tell the story anyway!

The lambs are raised by the Trappist Fathers of the Abbey of the Three Fountains. When their wool is shorn, the Sisters of St. Cecelia weave it into the palliums that, on the June 29th feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles, are given to new metropolitan archbishops as signs of their office.

The pallium is a white woolen circular band embroidered with six black crosses which is worn over the shoulders and has two hanging pieces, one in front and another in back. Worn by the Pope and by metropolitan archbishops, it symbolizes authority and expresses the special bond between the bishops and the Roman Pontiff. In a 1978 document, “Inter Eximina Episcopalis,” Pope Paul VI restricted its use to the Pope and metropolitan archbishops. Six years later, Pope John Paul decreed that it would be conferred on the metropolitans by the Pope on the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul.

Usually in attendance at the January 21 ceremony in the Apostolic Palace are 21 people, including two Trappist fathers, several nuns, two canons of the Chapter of St. John, the dean of the Roman Rota, and two officials from the Office of the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, and a number of other invited guests.

The baby lambs, under one year of age, are normally tucked into wicker baskets, and both lambs and baskets are adorned with red and white ribbons and flowers, white to symbolize purity and red to signify the blood of a martyr. In 2004 St. John Paul II blessed the lambs during a general audience in the Paul VI Hall as both the audience and St. Agnes’ feast day occurred on a Wednesday. (Photo CNA 2016)

Agnes died about 305 and is buried in the basilica named for her on Rome’s Via Nomentana. Historical accounts vary about the birth, life and manner of death of Agnes but generally it isrecounted that, in order to preserve her virginity, she was martyred at a very young age, probably 12. She is usually depicted with a lamb because the Latin word so similar to her name, agnus, means “lamb.” The name Agnes is actually derived from the feminine Greek adjective hagné meaning “chaste, pure.”

A couple of years ago I was intrigued by the January 21 press office communiqué about this event. It had been slightly altered since the announcement the previous day that the Pope would bless “two live baby lambs.” Naturally it was the word “live” that intrigued me – as if he might bless lambs that were no longer alive. That word did not appear the day of the blessings!

In 2011, L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican paper, carried an interview with Sr. Hanna Pomniaowska, one of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth who prepares the lambs every year for their Vatican visit. This order of nuns has been preparing the baby lambs for over 130 years and it was their founder, Blessed Frances Siedliska, who started this custom in 1884. Up to that date another order of nuns had prepared the lambs but it became difficult when the nuns began to age. At that time the Sisters of the Holy Family took over the duties.

Two lambs are brought to the sisters on January 20 by the Trappist Fathers of Tre Fontane (Three Fountains). The nuns then bring the lambs to the top floor of their residence where there is a terrace with a laundry room where the lambs are washed with delicate soap usually used for children until their wool is white as the driven snow and they are dried with a hair dryer that, in recent years, has replaced the towels they once used.

The nuns are careful to completely dry the lambs so that, at their tender age, they do not fall sick. The room is well heated. After the lambs are dried they are placed in a tub that is covered with straw and closed with canvas so they don’t catch cold. A meal of straw is fed to the lambs who then spend the night in the laundry.

The morning of January 21, the nuns place two small capes on the lambs, one is red to indicate St. Agnes’ martyrdom and the other is white to indicate her virginity. There are also three letters on each mantle: S.A.V. (St. Agnes Virgin) and S.A.M. (St. Agnes Martyr). The sisters weave crowns of interlocking red and white flowers, place them on the baby lambs’ heads, and then put the lambs in a decorated basket. The lambs are tied so they don’t escape. In fact, one of them did escape a few years back, jumping up and running from the altar at St. Agnes basilica.

In the morning the lambs are brought to St. Agnes Basilica where they are placed on the altar and blessed. Following this ceremony, two papal sediari or chair bearers bring the lambs in a van to the Vatican where they are presented to the Holy Father. It is usually the sisters who are celebrating a jubilee of religious vows who are present in the papal residence.

(Here’s a link to a Catholic News Agency story on the 2016 blessing by Francis – there’s also a video: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-celebrates-saint-agnes-with-blessing-of-lambs-40276)

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A SAINT, BABY LAMBS, AND PALLIUMS

In St. Peter’s Square today, June 29, solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles, Pope Francis presided at Mass with the new cardinals he created yesterday and with other members of the College of Cardinals. The College now has 226 members, 125 of whom are cardinal electors under the age of 80 and eligible to vote in a conclave.

During Mass the Pope blessed the palliums worn by metropolitan archbishops that for years were placed on the shoulders of the archbishops by the Pope on this very feast day. This year the palliums were handed in a box to the new metropolitan archbishops.

In 2015 Francis changed the traditional ceremony in which the prelates receive the pallium, deciding that the public ceremony of investiture of the pallium on metropolitan archbishops would henceforth take place in their home dioceses and not in the Vatican as has been the case under recent pontiffs.

The pallium is a white woolen circular band embroidered with six black crosses which is worn over the shoulders and has two hanging pieces, one in front and another in back. Worn by the Pope and by metropolitan archbishops, it symbolizes their authority as archbishop and expresses the special bond between the bishops and the Roman Pontiff.
In a 1978 document, “Inter Eximina Episcopalis,” Pope Paul VI restricted its use to the Pope and metropolitan archbishops. Six years later, Pope John Paul decreed that it would be conferred on the metropolitans by the Pope on the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul.

Every year in the Vatican, on January 21, in keeping with the tradition for the liturgical memory of St. Agnes, two lambs, blessed earlier in the morning in the Roman basilica named for this saint, are presented to the Pope. The lambs are raised by the Trappist Fathers of the Abbey of the Three Fountains. When their wool is shorn, the Sisters of St. Cecelia weave it into the palliums (pallia is another plural form) that, on the June 29th feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles, are given to new metropolitan archbishops as signs of their office.

Usually in attendance at the January 21 ceremony in the Apostolic Palace are 21 people, including two Trappist fathers, several nuns, two canons of the Chapter of St. John, the dean of the Roman Rota, and two officials from the Office of the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, and a number of other invited guests.

The baby lambs, under one year of age, are normally tucked into wicker baskets, and both lambs and baskets are adorned with red and white ribbons and flowers, white to symbolize purity and red to signify the blood of a martyr. In 2004 St. John Paul II blessed the lambs during a general audience in the Paul VI Hall as both the audience and St. Agnes’ feast day occurred on a Wednesday.

Agnes died about 305 and is buried in the basilica named for her on Rome’s Via Nomentana. Historical accounts vary about the birth, life and manner of death of Agnes but generally it is recounted that, in order to preserve her virginity, she was martyred at a very young age, probably 12. She is usually depicted with a lamb because the Latin word so similar to her name, agnus, means “lamb.” The name Agnes is actually derived from the feminine Greek adjective hagné meaning “chaste, pure.”

In 2011, L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican paper, carried an interview with Sr. Hanna Pomniaowska, one of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth who prepares the lambs every year for their Vatican visit. This order of nuns has been preparing the baby lambs for over 130 years and it was their founder, Blessed Frances Siedliska, who started this custom in 1884. Up to that date another order of nuns had prepared the lambs but it became difficult when the nuns began to age. At that time the Sisters of the Holy Family took over the duties.

Two lambs are brought to the sisters on January 20 by the Trappist Fathers of Tre Fontane (Three Fountains). The nuns then bring the lambs to the top floor of their residence where there is a terrace with a laundry room where the lambs are washed with delicate soap usually used for children until their wool is white as the driven snow and they are dried with a hair dryer that, in recent years, has replaced the towels they once used.

The nuns are careful to completely dry the lambs so that, at their tender age, they do not fall sick. The room is well heated. After the lambs are dried they are placed in a tub that is covered with straw and closed with canvas so they don’t catch cold. A meal of straw is fed to the lambs who then spend the night in the laundry.

The morning of January 21, the nuns place two small capes on the lambs, one is red to indicate St. Agnes’ martyrdom and the other is white to indicate her virginity. There are also three letters on each mantle: S.A.V. (St. Agnes Virgin) and S.A.M. (St. Agnes Martyr). The sisters weave crowns of interlocking red and white flowers, place them on the baby lambs’ heads, and then put the lambs in a decorated basket. The lambs are tied so they don’t escape. In fact, one of them did escape a few years back, jumping up and running from the altar at St. Agnes basilica.

In the morning the lambs are brought to St. Agnes Basilica where they are placed on the altar and blessed. Following this ceremony, two papal sediari or chair bearers bring the lambs in a van to the Vatican where they are presented to the Holy Father. It is usually the sisters who are celebrating a jubilee of religious vows who are present in the papal residence.

UPDATE ON JUNE LITURGICAL CELEBRATIONS FOR POPE FRANCIS

UPDATE ON JUNE LITURGICAL CELEBRATIONS FOR POPE FRANCIS

The Vatican today released the papal schedule of liturgical celebrations for June, July and August. There are a few notable changes in June.

This coming Sunday, June 3, solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ – Corpus Christi – Pope Francis will celebrate Mass in the seaside town of Ostia, not at St. John Lateran Basilica in Rome as has been customary. Mass will be at the church of St. Monica and the Corpus Christi procession from that church to Our Lady of Bonaria for the Eucharistic Benediction.

A note from the vicariate of Rome relative to this year’s celebration of Corpus Christi says: “’For more than 40 years Corpus Christi has been celebrated at St. John Lateran,’ writes the bishop responsible for the southern quarter of the diocese of Rome. ‘One tradition is interrupted but another resumes. In fact, until 1978, with Paul VI this feast took part in various parts of the city and it was precisely in 1968 that Pope Montini celebrated it in Ostia’.”

JUNE 28 – CONSISTORY TO CREATE NEW CARDINALS: Although Pope Francis announced June 29 as the day he would hold a consistory to create new cardinals, that consistory will now be held on Thursday, June 28 at 4 pm in St. Peter’s Basilica.

In the past, a consistory to create new cardinals has taken place in the morning and the traditional courtesy visits to the new cardinals take place that afternoon. We’ll have to see what the Vatican has in mind for these visits.

JUNE 29 – PALLIUMS BLESSED FOR NEW METROPOLITAN ARCHBISHOPS:  What will take place on June 29, solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles, is the traditional papal Mass and blessing of the palliums that the new metropolitan archbishops named in the last year will receive. The palliums will be formally placed on the shoulders of the metropolitans in their home dioceses at a date to be determined.

THE LIFE OF AN APOSTLE: CONFESSION, PERSECUTION AND PRAYER

THE LIFE OF AN APOSTLE: CONFESSION, PERSECUTION AND PRAYER

As is traditional in Rome on the June 29^th Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles, during Mass this morning in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis blessed the pallia (palliums) worn by metropolitan archbishops as a symbol of their authority and their link with the Pope. At the end of Mass, he handed each new metropolitan archbishop appointed during the year his own pallium. The pallium will be formally placed on the shoulder of each metropolitan by the papal representative in the country of the respective metropolitan see.

The pallium, placed on the shoulders of the recipient, is a band of white wool with two hanging pieces, front and back, that is decorated with seven black crosses and represents the authority of a metropolitan archbishop and unity with the Holy Father.

The wool used in weaving the palliums comes from baby lambs that are blessed by the Pope each year in his private apartment on the January 21 feast of St. Agnes, whose symbol is a lamb. St. Agnes died about 350 and she is buried in the basilica named for her on Rome’s Via Nomentana. The lambs are raised by Trappist Fathers of the Abbey of the Three Fountains and the palliums are made from the newly-shorn wool by the sisters of St. Cecilia and brought to St. Peter’s Basilica where they are stored in a special coffer in the ‘confessio’ below the main altar.

This morning’s Mass was concelebrated by the five new cardinals and the new metropolitan archbishops. Saints Peter and Paul are the patron saints of Rome and both the Vatican and Rome mark the day as a holiday.

Today’s Eucharist was attended by a delegation from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, sent by His Beatitude Bartholomew and led by His Eminence Job, archbishop of Telmessos, accompanied by the Rev. Frs. Ambrosios Chorozidis and Agathanghelos Siskos.

Getty images:

Following is Pope Francis’ homily:

The liturgy today offers us three words essential for the life of an apostle: confession, persecution and prayer.

Confession. Peter makes his confession of faith in the Gospel, when the Lord’s question turns from the general to the specific. At first, Jesus asks: “Who do men say that the Son of man is?” (Mt 16:13). The results of this “survey” show that Jesus is widely considered a prophet. Then the Master puts the decisive question to His disciples: “But you, who do you say that I am?” (v. 15). At this point, Peter alone replies: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (v. 16). To confess the faith means this: to acknowledge in Jesus the long-awaited Messiah, the living God, the Lord of our lives.

Today Jesus puts this crucial question to us, to each of us, and particularly to those of us who are pastors. It is the decisive question. It does not allow for a non-committal answer, because it brings into play our entire life. The question of life demands a response of life. For it counts little to know the articles of faith if we do not confess Jesus as the Lord of our lives. Today He looks straight at us and asks, “Who am I for you?” As if to say: “Am I still the Lord of your life, the longing of your heart, the reason for your hope, the source of your unfailing trust?” Along with Saint Peter, we too renew today our life choice to be Jesus’ disciples and apostles. May we too pass from Jesus’ first question to his second, so as to be “His own” not merely in words, but in our actions and our very lives.

Let us ask ourselves if we are parlour Christians, who love to chat about how things are going in the Church and the world, or apostles on the go, who confess Jesus with their lives because they hold Him in their hearts. Those who confess Jesus know that they are not simply to offer opinions but to offer their very lives. They know that they are not to believe half-heartedly but to “be on fire” with love. They know that they cannot just “tread water” or take the easy way out, but have to risk putting out into the deep, daily renewing their self-offering. Those who confess their faith in Jesus do as Peter and Paul did: they follow Him to the end – not just part of the way, but to the very end. They also follow the Lord along His way, not our own ways. His way is that of new life, of joy and resurrection; it is also the way that passes through the cross and persecution.

Here, then, is the second word: persecution. Peter and Paul shed their blood for Christ, but the early community as a whole also experienced persecution, as the Book of Acts has reminded us (cf. 12:1). Today too, in various parts of the world, sometimes in silence – often a complicit silence – great numbers of Christians are marginalized, vilified, discriminated against, subjected to violence and even death, not infrequently without due intervention on the part of those who could defend their sacrosanct rights.

Here I would especially emphasize something that the Apostle Paul says before, in his words, “being poured out as a libation” (2 Tim 4:6). For him, to live was Christ (cf. Phil 1:21), Christ crucified (cf. 1 Cor 2:2), Who gave his life for him (cf. Gal 2:20). As a faithful disciple, Paul thus followed the Master and offered his own life too. Apart from the cross, there is no Christ, but apart from the cross, there can be no Christian either. For “Christian virtue is not only a matter of doing good, but of tolerating evil as well” (Augustine, Serm. 46,13), even as Jesus did. Tolerating evil does not have to do simply with patience and resignation; it means imitating Jesus, carrying our burden, shouldering it for his sake and that of others. It means accepting the cross, pressing on in the confident knowledge that we are not alone: the crucified and risen Lord is at our side. So, with Paul, we can say that “we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken” (2 Cor 4:8-9).

Tolerating evil means overcoming it with Jesus, and in Jesus’ own way, which is not the way of the world. This is why Paul – as we heard – considered himself a victor about to receive his crown (cf. 2 Tim 4:8). He writes: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (v. 7). The essence of his “good fight” was living for: he lived not for himself, but for Jesus and for others. He spent his life “running the race”, not holding back but giving his all. He tells us that there is only one thing that he “kept”: not his health, but his faith, his confession of Christ. Out of love, he experienced trials, humiliations and suffering, which are never to be sought but always accepted. In the mystery of suffering offered up in love, in this mystery, embodied in our own day by so many of our brothers and sisters who are persecuted, impoverished and infirm, the saving power of Jesus’ cross shines forth.

The third word is prayer. The life of an apostle, which flows from confession and becomes self-offering, is one of constant prayer. Prayer is the water needed to nurture hope and increase fidelity. Prayer makes us feel loved and it enables us to love in turn. It makes us press forward in moments of darkness because it brings God’s light. In the Church, it is prayer that sustains us and helps us to overcome difficulties. We see this too in the first reading: “Peter was kept in prison; but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the Church” (Acts 12:5). A Church that prays is watched over and cared for by the Lord. When we pray, we entrust our lives to Him and to His loving care. Prayer is the power and strength that unite and sustain us, the remedy for the isolation and self-sufficiency that lead to spiritual death. The Spirit of life does not breathe unless we pray; without prayer, the interior prisons that hold us captive cannot be unlocked.

May the blessed Apostles obtain for us a heart like theirs, wearied yet at peace, thanks to prayer. Wearied, because constantly asking, knocking and interceding, weighed down by so many people and situations needing to be handed over to the Lord; yet also at peace, because the Holy Spirit brings consolation and strength when we pray. How urgent it is for the Church to have teachers of prayer, but even more so for us to be men and women of prayer, whose entire life is prayer!

The Lord answers our prayers. He is faithful to the love we have professed for Him, and He stands beside us at times of trial. He accompanied the journey of the Apostles, and He will do the same for you, dear brother Cardinals, gathered here in the charity of the Apostles who confessed their faith by the shedding of their blood. He will remain close to you too, dear brother Archbishops who, in receiving the pallium, will be strengthened to spend your lives for the flock, imitating the Good Shepherd who bears you on his shoulders. May the same Lord, Who longs to see His flock gathered together, also bless and protect the Delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, together with my dear brother Bartholomew, who has sent them here as a sign of our apostolic communion.

 

PRAYERFUL BEST WISHES TO A NEW METROPOLITAN ARCHBISHOP – A SAINT, LITTLE LAMBS, AND PALLIUMS

PRAYERFUL BEST WISHES TO A NEW METROPOLITAN ARCHBISHOP

There was a lovely, intimate reception at noon today at the North American College for the lone U.S. archbishop to receive his pallium from the Pope at Mass this morning in St. Peter’s Basilica, Abp. Bernie Hebda of Minneapolis-St. Paul. I had the pleasure of meeting quite a number of family members who were in Rome for the ceremony, including one aunt for whom this is her first visit to the Eternal City.

We have known each other for quite some time and he is, quite simply, one of my favorite human beings, one of the best priests you’ll ever know! A totally humble man with great talent and a wonderful sense of humor, he is one of the most appreciated prelates I have ever known. I had been working in the Roman Curia since 1990, a year when many Americans, lay people and priests, were called to Rome, and our friend Bernie came in 1995

The smiling prelate we all know –

When Fr. Hebda, a native of Pittsburgh, was first called to the episcopacy, he was appointed to the diocese of Gaylord in Michigan, a diocese that wept when he was called to Newark as coadjutor in September 2013. Newark rejoiced in his presence but not for long as he was appointed to Minneapolis-St. Paul in March of this year, following a year as  apostolic administrator of that archdiocese (simultaneous with serving as coadjutor archbishop of Newark. While in the curia, my good friend was undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts.

At the end of today’s pallium Mass in St. Peter’s, the Pope spoke briefly to each of the new metropolitans but took a bit more time when speaking of Abp. Hebda. And here’s possibly why that happened: A coadjutor automatically succeeds the archbishop of a diocese when he retires or dies. In my recollection, my many years of work at VIS, I don’t recall a coadjutor being moved from the diocese to which he should succeed to yet a new diocese as archbishop. Perhaps my memory is faulty but no one I spoke to today at the reception – including the new metropolitan – can remember that happening.

In any case, my wonderful friend, countless people wish you well and are praying for you like mad! God sit on your shoulder!

A SAINT, LITTLE LAMBS, AND PALLIUMS

In St. Peter’s Basilica today, June 29, solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles, Pope Francis handed 25 new metropolitan archbishops the pallium which is the sign of their ties with the Pope, the Successor of St. Peter and their authority in their own archdiocese. The 25 new archbishops were those named after July 1, 2015. June 29 is a holiday in Rome as well as the Vatican.

In 2015 Francis changed the traditional ceremony in which the prelates receive the pallium, deciding that the public ceremony of investiture of the pallium on metropolitan archbishops will henceforth take place in their home dioceses and not in the Vatican as has been the case under recent pontiffs.

The Holy Father today concelebrated Mass with the new archbishops and afterwards gave each metropolitan the pallium in what the Vatican called when announcing the change “a private manner.” The Pope also spoke briefly to each metropolitan at that time.

The pallium is a white woolen circular band embroidered with six black crosses which is worn over the shoulders and has two hanging pieces, one in front and another in back. Worn by the Pope and by metropolitan archbishops, it symbolizes authority and expresses the special bond between the bishops and the Roman Pontiff. In a 1978 document, “Inter Eximina Episcopalis,” Pope Paul VI restricted its use to the Pope and metropolitan archbishops. Six years later, Pope John Paul decreed that it would be conferred on the metropolitans by the Pope on the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul.

Every year in the Vatican, on January 21, in keeping with the tradition for the liturgical memory of St. Agnes, two lambs, blessed earlier in the morning in the Roman basilica named for this saint, are presented to the Pope. The lambs are raised by the Trappist Fathers of the Abbey of the Three Fountains. When their wool is shorn, the Sisters of St. Cecelia weave it into the palliums (pallia is another plural form) that, on the June 29^th feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles, are given to new metropolitan archbishops as signs of their office.

Usually in attendance at the January 21 ceremony in the Apostolic Palace are 21 people, including two Trappist fathers, several nuns, two canons of the Chapter of St. John, the dean of the Roman Rota, and two officials from the Office of the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff, and a number of other invited guests.

The baby lambs, under one year of age, are normally tucked into wicker baskets, and both lambs and baskets are adorned with red and white ribbons and flowers, white to symbolize purity and red to signify the blood of a martyr. In 2004 St. John Paul II blessed the lambs during a general audience in the Paul VI Hall as both the audience and St. Agnes’ feast day occurred on a Wednesday.

Pallium 2013

 

Agnes died about 305 and is buried in the basilica named for her on Rome’s Via Nomentana. Historical accounts vary about the birth, life and manner of death of Agnes but generally it is recounted that, in order to preserve her virginity, she was martyred at a very young age, probably 12. She is usually depicted with a lamb because the Latin word so similar to her name, agnus, means “lamb.” The name Agnes is actually derived from the feminine Greek adjective hagné meaning “chaste, pure.”

“TEACH PRAYER BY PRAYING, ANNOUNCE THE FAITH BY BELIEVING; OFFER WITNESS BY LIVING!” – POPE FRANCIS CREATES SECRETARIAT FOR COMMUNICATIONS – PRAYERS AND SOLIDARITY WITH VICTIMS OF TERROR ATTACKS – PARENTS OF ST THERESE OF LISIEUX TO BE CANONIZED

Pope emeritus Benedict XVI today celebrates the 64^th anniversary of his priestly ordination! What a beautiful milestone! I would like to express my congratulations as well as my affection, esteem and many prayers.  The same for his brother, Msgr. Georg Ratzinger who was ordained the same day.

Lots of important news over the weekend and today, given the Pope’s beautiful homily at the Mass for the solemnity of St. Peter and Paul.

“TEACH PRAYER BY PRAYING, ANNOUNCE THE FAITH BY BELIEVING; OFFER WITNESS BY LIVING!”

Today, solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles and patrons of Rome, Pope Francis blessed 46 palliums that he handed to 46 metropolitan archbishops as a sign of their union with the Successor of Peter, with their brother bishops  as well as a sign of their authority in the archdiocese where they are shepherds.

The Pope began his homily by commenting on the passage from the Acts of the Apostles, that “speaks to us of the first Christian community besieged by persecution. A community harshly persecuted by Herod who “laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the Church… proceeded to arrest Peter also… and when he had seized him he put him in prison.”

“However,” said Francis, “I do not wish to dwell on these atrocious, inhuman and incomprehensible persecutions, sadly still present in many parts of the world today, often under the silent gaze of all.  I would like instead to pay homage today to the courage of the Apostles and that of the first Christian community.  This courage carried forward the work of evangelization, free of fear of death and martyrdom, within the social context of a pagan empire; their Christian life is for us, the Christians of today, a powerful call to prayer, to faith and to witness.”

The Holy Father noted that, “the first community was a Church at prayer. …And if we think of Rome, the catacombs were not places to escape to from persecution but rather, they were places of prayer, for sanctifying the Lord’s day and for raising up, from the heart of the earth, adoration to God who never forgets his sons and daughters.”

He also noted how the first reading of the day tells us that, “Sentries before the door were guarding the prison; and behold, an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter on the side… And the chains fell off his hands,”

“Let us think about how many times the Lord has heard our prayer and sent us an angel,” said Francis. “An angel who unexpectedly comes to pull us out of a difficult situation?  Who comes to snatch us from the hands of death and from the evil one; who points out the wrong path; who rekindles in us the flame of hope; who gives us tender comfort; who consoles our broken hearts; who awakens us from our slumber to the world; or who simply tells us, ‘You are not alone’.

“How many angels he places on our path, and yet when we are overwhelmed by fear, unbelief or even euphoria, we leave them outside the door, just as happened to Peter when he knocked on the door of the house and the “maid named Rhoda came to answer.  Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she did not open the door” (12:13-14).

Highlighting the importance of prayer, the Pope said, “No Christian community can go forward without being supported by persistent prayer! Prayer is the encounter with God, with God who never lets us down; with God who is faithful to his word; with God who does not abandon his children.”

Speaking on the call to faith, the Holy Father said, “God does not take his children out of the world or away from evil but he does grant them strength to prevail.  Only the one who believes can truly say: ‘The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want’.”

He asked, “How many forces in the course of history have tried, and still do, to destroy the Church, from without as well as within, but they themselves are destroyed and the Church remains alive and fruitful! She remains inexplicably solid, so that, as Saint Paul says, she may acclaim: ‘To him be glory for ever and ever’.

“Everything passes, only God remains.  Indeed, kingdoms, peoples, cultures, nations, ideologies, powers have passed, but the Church, founded on Christ, notwithstanding the many storms and our many sins, remains ever faithful to the deposit of faith shown in service; for the Church does not belong to Popes, bishops, priests, nor the lay faithful; the Church in every moment belongs solely to Christ.  Only the one who lives in Christ promotes and defends the Church by holiness of life, after the example of Peter and Paul.

Francis then highlighted his third point, a call to witness:”A Church or a Christian who does not give witness is sterile; like a dead person who thinks they are alive; like a dried up tree that produces no fruit; an empty well that offers no water!  The Church has overcome evil thanks to the courageous, concrete and humble witness of her children.  She has conquered evil thanks to proclaiming with conviction: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’.”

The Pope then addressed the archbishops who today receive the pallium; “It is a sign which represents the sheep that the shepherd carries on his shoulders as Christ the Good Shepherd does, and it is therefore a symbol of your pastoral mission.  …Today, by these palliums, I wish to entrust you with this call to prayer, to faith and to witness.

“The Church wants you to be men of prayer, masters of prayer; that you may teach the people entrusted to your care that liberation from all forms of imprisonment is uniquely God’s work and the fruit of prayer; that God sends his angel at the opportune time in order to save us from the many forms of slavery and countless chains of worldliness.  For those most in need, may you also be angels and messengers of charity!

“The Church desires you to be men of faith, masters of faith, who can teach the faithful to not be frightened of the many Herods who inflict on them persecution with every kind of cross.  No Herod is able to banish the light of hope, of faith, or of charity in the one who believes in Christ!

“The Church wants you to be men of witness. Saint Francis used to tell his brothers: ‘Preach the Gospel always, and if necessary, use words!’ There is no witness without a coherent lifestyle!  Today there is no great need for masters, but for courageous witnesses, who are convinced and convincing; witnesses who are not ashamed of the Name of Christ and of His Cross; not before the roaring lions, nor before the powers of this world.”

“This is not so straightforward,” concluded Francis, “because the most effective and authentic witness is one that does not contradict, by behaviour and lifestyle, what is preached with the word and taught to others!

“Teach prayer by praying, announce the faith by believing; offer witness by living!”

After Mass this morning, Pope Francis went to his study in the apostolic palace and , speaking from the window, he prayed the Angelus with the faithful inSt. Peter’s Square. He asked for prayers for his July 5 to 12 pilgrimage to Ecuador, Bolivia, and Paraguay: “I ask you all to accompany me with prayer, that the Lord will bless my journey on the continent of Latin America so dear to me, as you can imagine. I express to the dear peoples of Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay my joy at being in their homelands, and I ask you, in a particular way, to pray for me and for this trip, that the Virgin Mary might give us the gift of accompanying all of us with her maternal protection.”

POPE FRANCIS CREATES SECRETARIAT FOR COMMUNICATIONS

This entire story will be very interesting to follow. Having worked for many years at the Vatican Information Service (VIS), I am familiar with all the communications offices that the Pope refers to in this document. However, I did not see VIS mentioned by name in the Motu proprio which notes. “the following Organizations will be incorporated: Pontifical Council for Social Communications, the Holy See Press Office, Vatican Internet Service, Vatican Radio, the Vatican Televisi… Radio, the Vatican Television Center (CTV), the Osservatore Romano, Vatican Typography, Photograph Service, and the Vatican Publishing House (Libreria Editrice Vaticana). VIS was considered an office within the Holy See Press Office so perhaps that is the answer to my observation.

No mention was made of the future of the men who now lead CTV, the radio, the council for social communications, etc, though several are near retirement age.

,At the end of the Motu, Pope Francis notes: The new Department, in agreement with the Secretary of State, will assume the institutional website of the Holy See: www.vatican.va and the Twitter account of the Supreme Pontiff: @pontifex The Secretariat for Communications will begin its duties on June 29, 2015, having as a provisional headquarters Palazzo Pio, Piazza Pia, 3, 00120 Vatican City.

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis promulgated on Saturday, 27 June 2015, a Motu Proprio instituting the Secretariat for Communications and nominating Rev. Msgr. Dario Edoardo Viganò as Prefect of the new Secretariat.

The Motu Proprio establishes that all communications offices will be incorporated under the direction of the new Secretariat for Communications, including the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, the Holy See Press Office, Vatican Internet Service, Vatican Radio, the Vatican Television Center (CTV), the Osservatore Romano, Vatican Typography, Photograph Service, and the Vatican Publishing House (Libreria Editrice Vaticana).

The new Dicastery will also work in union with the Secretariat of State for the direction of the institutional website of the Holy See, http://www.vatican.va and the Twitter account of the Holy Father:  @pontifex

Please find below a Vatican Radio translation of the Motu Proprio: “The current communicative context”

APOSTOLIC LETTER IN THE FORM OF ‘MOTU PROPRIO’ OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF FRANCIS

Establishment of the Secretariat for Communications

The current communication context, characterized by the presence and the development of digital media, by the factors of convergence and interactivity, requires a rethinking of the information system of the Holy See and dedication to a reorganization which, recognizing the history of internal development of the asset of communications of the Apostolic See, must proceed decisively towards integration and a unified management.

For these reasons, I desire that all organizations which, thus far have dealt with communications in different ways, be brought together in a new Dicastery of the Roman Curia, to be called the Secretariat for Communications. Thus, the communication system of the Holy See will respond in an ever more efficacious manner to the needs of the mission of the Church.

Therefore, after reviewing reports and studies, and recently having received the study on feasibility and having heard the unanimous opinion of the Council of Cardinals, I institute the Secretariat for Communications and establish the following:

Art. 1

Into the Dicastery, as presented by the Commission of Vatican Media, instituted on April 30, 2015, the following Organizations will be incorporated: Pontifical Council for Social Communications, the Holy See Press Office, Vatican Internet Service, Vatican Radio, the Vatican Television Center (CTV), the Osservatore Romano, Vatican Typography, Photograph Service, and the Vatican Publishing House (Libreria Editrice Vaticana).

Art. 2

These organizations, from the date of publication of this Motu Proprio, must continue their own activities, in accordance, however, with the indications given by the Secretariat for Communications.

Art. 3

The new Department, in agreement with the Secretary of State, will assume the institutional website of the Holy See: http://www.vatican.va and the Twitter account of the Supreme Pontiff: @pontifex

Art. 4

The Secretariat for Communications will begin its duties on June 29, 2015, having as a provisional headquarters Palazzo Pio, Piazza Pia, 3, 00120 Vatican City.

Everything which I have deliberated with this Apostolic Letter issued under the form of Motu Proprio, I prescribe it to be observed in all its parts, notwithstanding anything to the contrary, even if worthy of special mention, and I establish that it be promulgated by publication in the newspaper L ‘ Osservatore Romano and, subsequently, in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis.

Given in Rome, at Saint Peter’s, on June 27 of the year 2015, the third of my Pontificate.

Francesco P.P.

PRAYERS AND SOLIDARITY WITH VICTIMS OF TERROR ATtACKS

Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin on Saturday sent telegrams of condolences in the Holy Father’s name to France, Kuwait and Tunisia for the victims of the terror attacks in those countries on Friday. The Pope expressed solidarity, saying he was united in prayer with the relatives of the victims, and praying for the souls of those who perished in the attacks. Pope Francis offered his condolences to those who were wounded and to their families.

In each of the messages, Pope Francis condemned yet again “the violence that causes so much suffering” and prayed that God “might grant the gift of peace.”

PARENTS OF ST THERESE OF LISIEUX TO BE CANONIZED

Saturday, during an Ordinary Consistory in the apostolic palace, it was announced that the Holy Father has approved  the decrees allowing for the canonization of Louis and Zelie Martin, the parents of St. Therese of the Child Jesus of Lisieux. They will be the first to be canonized together as husband and wife

 

46 METROPOLITAN ARCHBISHOPS TO RECEIVE PALLIUM ON JUNE 29 – HOLY SEE, PALESTINE SIGN HISTORIC AGREEMENT

Instead of writing this column, I’d actually like to cross the street and go into St. Peter’s Basilica for some quiet prayer. I’d like to spend some time at the Altar of St. Joseph, that saintly, humble man who was the head of the Holy Family and putative father of Jesus. I’d then cross to the right aisle of the basilica to spend some time in meditation before Michelangelo’s Pieta, the magnificent statue that depicts a sorrowful Mary holding the body of her crucified Son.

After talking to Mary, I’d move on down the right aisle just a few feet to the Chapel of St. Sebastian and kneel in prayer before the tomb of St. John Paul, the pontiff who wrote so magnificently about the family, about marriage, about “Love and Responsibility,” and who instituted the World Meetings of Families.

And how could I not spend time in prayer at the tomb of the first Pope I ever saw, St. John XXIII! He wrote so lovingly and beautiful about the family and marriage – and it is the question of marriage – the utter, total redefining of marriage –  that is tearing my heart apart today.

This is why I want to pray so badly – pray for our nation where the Supreme Court has just decided that same sex marriage must be allowed in all 50 U.S. states.

I cannot write a reasonable and well-thought-out column on this subject today.  I have seen television commentary and I have downloaded Chief Justice Roberts’ dissent and have started to read that 6,033 word document.  I not only have fears about traditional marriage, I have fears about religious freedom, fears that Chief Justice Roberts expresses in his dissent.

For now, here are Chief Justice Roberts’ final words in his dissent:

“If you are among the many Americans—of whatever sexual orientation—who favor     expanding same-sex mar­riage, by all means celebrate today’s decision. Celebrate the achievement of a desired goal. Celebrate the oppor­tunity for a new expression of commitment to a partner. Celebrate the availability of new benefits. But do not celebrate the Constitution. It had nothing to do with it. I respectfully dissent.”

On June 29, 1959, St. John XXIII’s Encyclical “Ad Petri cathedram” was published. In that beautiful document, which should be read and re-read as it addresses truth, unity, the moral life and peace in what has been called “a fatherly message … addressing (these) issues with warmth and concern.”

In that document, St. John wrote: “All the evils that poison men and nations and trouble so many hearts have a single cause and a single source: ignorance of the truth—and at times even more than ignorance, a contempt for truth and a reckless rejection of it.”

Ora pro nobis!

46 METROPOLITAN ARCHBISHOPS TO RECEIVE PALLIUM ON JUNE 29

Pope Francis on Monday, June 29, the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles, in St. Peter’s Basilica will give the pallium to the 46 new metropolitan archbishops whom he has named since July 1, 2014.  June 29 is a holiday in Rome as well as the Vatican.

Earlier this year Francis changed the traditional ceremony in which the prelates receive the pallium, deciding that the public ceremony of investiture of the pallium on metropolitan archbishops will henceforth take place in their home dioceses and not in the Vatican as has been the case under recent pontiffs. The Holy Father will concelebrate Mass with the archbishops on June 29 and afterwards will give each metropolitan the pallium “in a private manner,” not placing it on their shoulders as seen here.

Guido Marini, Master of Liturgical Ceremonies of the Supreme Pontiff, broke the news in a January 12 letter to nuncios in countries where metropolitan archbishops had been named to receive the pallium from the Pope in the Vatican on June 29.

Msgr. Marini, in an interview with Vatican Radio, said: “Pope Francis believes that this new custom can serve to advance that journey of synodality in the Catholic Church which, from the beginning of his pontificate, he has constantly emphasized as particularly urgent and precious at this time in the history of the Church.”

The pallium will be blessed during the Mass on the feast of Saints Peter and Paul in the Vatican, but placed on the metropolitan archbishop in his own diocese by the papal representative, the apostolic nuncio, in the country. The ceremony is to be determined individually with each new metropolitan.

The pallium, which is placed on the shoulders of each archbishop and worn at all liturgical ceremonies in his own archdiocese, is a band of white wool with two hanging pieces, front and back, that is decorated with six black crosses and represents the authority of a metropolitan archbishop and unity with the Holy Father.  The Pope also wears a pallium. The wool used in weaving the palliums comes from baby lambs  – lambs under one year of age – that are blessed each year in the basilica of St. Agnes in Rome on her January 21 feast day and then brought to the apostolic palace to the Holy Father.

Pope emeritus Benedict XVI explained “the symbolism of the pallium” in a very concrete way in his homily when he inaugurated his Petrine ministry on April 24, 2005 and said, “the lamb’s wool is meant to represent the lost, the sick or weak sheep which the shepherd places on his shoulders to carry to the waters of life.”

Click here to see the names of those who will reeive the pallium:  http://www.news.va/en/news/metropolitan-archbishops-to-receive-the-pallium

HOLY SEE, PALESTINE SIGN HISTORIC AGREEMENT

On Friday, June 26, 2015 at the Vatican Apostolic Palace, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States, and Dr. Riad Al-Malki, minister of Foreign Affairs, of the State of Palestine, signed a Comprehensive Agreement between the Holy See and the State of Palestine.

-Sala dei Trattati-Firma Accordo tra la Santa Sede e la Palestina 26-06-2015
– (Copyright L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO – Servizio Fotografico – photo@ossrom.va)

The accord follows on the Basic Agreement that was signed between the Holy See and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) on February 15, 2000 and is the result of the negotiations undertaken by a bilateral working commission over the past number of years.

Others who took part in the ceremony include, for the Holy See: Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, Apostolic Delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine; Archbishop Antonio Franco, Apostolic Nuncio, and Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal; Msgr. Antoine Camilleri, Under-Secretary for Relations with States; Fr. Lorenzo Lorusso, O.P., Under-Secretary of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches; Msgr. Alberto Ortega, Official of the Section for Relations with States of the Secretariat of State; Msgr. Paolo Borgia, Official of the Section for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State; and Fr. Oscar Marzo, O.F.M., member of the Custody of the Holy Land and Official of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches.

For the State of Palestine: His Excellency Dr. Ramzi Khoury, Advisor to the President, Deputy Head of the Presidential Higher Committee on Church Affairs in Palestine; Ambassador Issa Kassissieh, Representative of the State of Palestine to the Holy See; Ambassador Rawan Sulaiman, Assistant Foreign Minister for Multilateral Affairs; Mrs. Vera Baboun, Mayor of Bethlehem; Mr. Moussa Abu Hadeed, Mayor of Ramallah; Mr. Ammar Hijazi, Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister for Multilateral Affairs; Mr. Azem Bishara, Legal Advisor of the PLO; Mr. Ammar Nisnas, Counselor of the Diplomatic Representation of the State of Palestine to the Holy See.

The Agreement is comprised of a Preamble and 32 Articles distributed in 8 Chapters. It deals with essential aspects of the life and activity of the Catholic Church in the State of Palestine, while reaffirming support for a negotiated and peaceful resolution of the situation in the region.

The Agreement shall come into force when both Parties have notified each other in writing that the constitutional or internal requirements for the coming into force of the Agreement have been met.

Archbishop Gallagher, welcomed the delegations, saying the Agreement “marks an important step on the path of good relations which for some time have happily existed between the Parties.”

He noted that, in contrast with the February 2000 Agreement, “the present one is being signed by the Holy See and the State of Palestine; this is indicative of the progress made by the Palestinian Authority in recent years, and above all of the level of international support, which culminated in the Resolution of the General Assembly of the United Nations of 29 November 2012, which recognized Palestine as a non-member Observer State at the United Nations.

“In this context,” said the archbishop, “it is my hope that the present Agreement may in some way be a stimulus to bringing a definitive end to the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which continues to cause suffering for both Parties. I also hope that the much desired two-State solution may become a reality as soon as possible. The peace process can move forward only if it is directly negotiated between the Parties, with the support of the international community. This certainly requires courageous decisions, but it will also offer a major contribution to peace and stability in the region. “

Archbishop Gallagher went on to note that, “the Comprehensive Agreement, while constituting an understanding between two subjects of international law, basically concerns the life and activity of the Church in Palestine. In this respect, I am pleased that juridical recognition is clearly established and that guarantees have been given for the work of the Catholic Church and her institutions. Catholics do not seek any privilege other than continued cooperation with their fellow-citizens for the good of society. I am also pleased to say that the local Church, which has been actively involved in the negotiations, is satisfied with the goal attained and is happy to see the strengthening of its good relations with the civil Authorities.

“In the complex reality of the Middle East, where in some countries Christians have even suffered persecution, this Agreement offers a good example of dialogue and cooperation, and I earnestly hope that this may serve as a model for other Arab and Muslim majority countries. With this in mind, I would like to emphasize the importance of the chapter dedicated to freedom of religion and freedom of conscience. (source: news.va)