VATICAN INSIDER: CARDINAL PELL CONTRA MUNDUM (PART II) – “POPE FRANCIS LAUNDROMATS” FOR THE HOMELESS OPEN IN ITALY

VATICAN INSIDER: CARDINAL PELL CONTRA MUNDUM (PART II)

I’m sure that curious title got you wondering what this  interview is about! You will not want to miss my guest in the interview segment – Fr. Robert Sirico, co-founder and president emeritus of the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty. This is Part II of our conversation. Part I aired last weekend. (Acton photo)

Fr. Sirico is a prolific author, sought-after speaker and a good friend, and this week we talk about the late Cardinal George Pell and the synod on synodality as presented in Father’s just-released book “Pell Contra Mundum.” Contra Mundum is an expression that describes a person with a steadfast commitment to one’s values and the courage to go against the prevailing norms or majority consensus. An eye-opening conversation.

The book is in 4 languages and eminently readable. In addition to what Fr. Sirico writes and the selected pieces by Cardinal Pell, there are contributions by Cardinal Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Mumbai, Danny Casey, who worked alongside Cardinal Pell as director of the Vatican’s Secretariat for the Economy, and George Weigel.

IN THE UNITED STATES, you can listen to Vatican Insider (VI) on a Catholic radio station near you (stations listed at 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 www.ewtnradio.net ALWAYS CHECK YOUR OWN TIME ZONE! For VI archives: https://www.ewtn.com/radio/audio-archive –  write the name of the guest for whom you are searching in the SEARCH box. Below that, will appear “Vatican Insider” – click on that and the link to that particular episode will appear.

“POPE FRANCIS LAUNDROMATS” FOR THE HOMELESS OPEN IN ITALY

Two facilities offering showers and washing machines to the homeless and economically disadvantaged open in Turin, Italy.

Places designed to offer cleanliness and hygiene, but first and foremost dignity.

They were inspired by the Pope and his tireless advocacy for those suffer misery in all its forms.

The two ‘Pope Francis Laundromats’, also equipped with showers, opened today, November 2, in Turin.

One was set up inside the Parish of San Giorgio Martire, and the other in the town centre, in the ‘House of Friendship’ at the ‘La Sosta’ centre.

Their inauguration, which took place in the early afternoon, was preceded by a Mass presided over by the Papal Almoner Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, attended by about 200 people, mostly homeless.

Support from businesses
The initiative, which has the support of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, was launched by the company Procter & Gamble and realised thanks to the involvement of the local Sant’Egidio community, which will run both laundries. Haier Europe also collaborated.

Several leading companies in the hygiene sector will provide products, which will enable the poor and homeless to shower, as well as wash and dry clothes and blankets.

TO CONTINUE: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-11/pope-francis-laundromats-turin-open.html

VATICAN OFFERS FREE DENTAL CARE FOR THE POOR OF ROME

VATICAN OFFERS FREE DENTAL CARE FOR THE POOR OF ROME

The Dicastery for the Service of Charity teams up with a Roman clinic and university to provide free dental care for the poor.
By Sr. Nina Benedikta Krapić, VMZ (Vatican news)

Dental care for the poor of Rome is a result of a memorandum of understanding signed at Vatican, on 7 September, between the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Service of Charity, UniCamillus University, and the “Our Lady of Trust” clinic.

Cardinal Krajewski with the signatories to the agreement –

Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the papal almoner, said that the agreement allows people in financial difficulty can turn to the “Mother of Mercy” Outpatient Clinic.

After an initial evaluation, they will then receive the necessary treatment at the “Madonna della Fiducia” Clinic in Rome’s Appio Latino neighbourhood.

The dental service starts in September, and offers an additional health service to those already provided at the Santa Marta Dispensary in the Vatican, such as showers, distribution of food, and medical care.

Expression of Pope’s care for the poor

The “Mother of Mercy” facility is run by the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, which was established in 2015 at the behest of Pope Francis.

The efforts of 60 doctors, nurses, and other volunteers make it possible for over 6,000 people to receive free healthcare every year.

The service represents a response to the invitation of Pope Francis for the upcoming World Day of the Poor on 19 November.

The Pope’s message for the World Day is “Do not turn your face away from anyone who is poor”.

He invites us to show concern for the poor “marked by Gospel realism”, which entails meeting “the concrete needs of our brothers and sisters”.

POPE SAYS BREATHING “STILL NOT GOOD” – POPE SENDS CARDINAL KRAJEWSKI TO UKRAINE FOR 6TH TIME – SR. LUCIA, FATIMA VISIONARY, DECLARED VENERABLE – VATICAN DELIVERS EVIDENCE IN ORLANDI CASE TO CIVIL AUTHORITIES

A fascinating read and good summary of the synod document: Synod working doc aims to unite Catholics, but may alienate conservatives | Crux (cruxnow.com)

Re: the story below on the pope having difficulty breathing: Vatican News mentioned this in several news stories it published today, including one on the Holy Father’s meeting with ROACO: “Receiving ROACO members in the Vatican on the morning of Thursday, 22 June, Pope Francis handed them his prepared remarks and explained he would not be reading his discourse because he is still having difficulty breathing after the general anaesthesia he underwent during surgery on 7 June.”

POPE SAYS BREATHING “STILL NOT GOOD”

Gives one speech today, but hands out the text for a 2nd one

(I. Media for Aleteia) – Pope Francis says he is still suffering from the effects of his recent anaesthesia. He reported this when receiving members of the meeting of the Works of Aid to the Oriental Churches (ROACO), on June 22, 2023 at the Vatican, I.MEDIA found. Two weeks after his operation for an abdominal hernia with risk of occlusion, the Pope explained that his breathing was “not good.”

Since his return on June 16 from the Gemelli hospital, where he underwent surgery on June 7, the 86-year-old Pontiff has resumed the Sunday Angelus, as well as his audiences. Yesterday, June 21, he received the Brazilian president, and on June 20, the Cuban president. However, the general audience on Wednesday June 21 was cancelled ahead of time, to allow him to continue his convalescence.

But this morning, the Pope showed signs of fatigue. After a first speech, which he read to Assumptionist religious, he declined a second address to ROACO, contenting himself with handing it over to the participants. “I’m still under the effects of anesthesia. My breathing is not good,” confided the Argentine Pontiff.

During this brief exchange, the 266th Pope then instructed Msgr. Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, to pass on his pre-prepared speech.

“I’m still alive,” he added, however, to a participant who asked how he was doing.

The Pope, who has been missing part of one lung since he had a serious infection as a youth, has already had respiratory problems this year. On March 29, he was rushed to Gemelli, where doctors diagnosed him with “infectious bronchitis.” He underwent antibiotic treatment and left hospital on April 1.

He later confided that it was acute pneumonia. “If we had waited a few more hours, it would have been more serious,” he told Mexican television.

POPE SENDS CARDINAL KRAJEWSKI TO UKRAINE FOR 6^TH TIME

A communique from the papal almoner’s office says Pope Francis is sending Cardinal Konrad Krajewski to Ukraine for the 6^th time, bearing urgent medical supplies and prayers from the Holy Father. This mission is evangelical and underlines the closeness of Pope Francis to the tormented Ukraine.

The cardinal “will head to the Kherson area where, following the destruction of the dam, the innocent population is in great difficulty and many people have lost their lives. His mission is to be with the people, pray with them and bring an embrace and concrete support from the Pope.

Vatican photo –

“The Almoner will travel to Ukraine with a car loaded with the most urgent medicines and thus have the opportunity to visit, along the way, various religious communities, the Catholic parishes of the Byzantine and Latin rites as well as the Orthodox.

“In these days, there will also be a second truck full of food (mostly received from Korea), medicines and health aids which will be delivered to the areas most affected by the dam explosion.”

SR. LUCIA, FATIMA VISIONARY, DECLARED VENERABLE

Carmelite Sister Lucia de Jesus Rosa dos Santos, who, along with her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto witnessed a series of apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Fatima, has been declared Venerable by the Church.

Sr. Lucia (R) –

The decree recognizing Sr Lucia’s heroic virtues was promulgated on Thursday with the approval of Pope Francis.

In 1916, Lucia and her two cousins reported being visited by an Angel in the area of Fatima, Portugal. The following year, beginning on May 13, the children claimed to receive a series of apparitions from the Blessed Virgin Mary, which culminated six months later with the famous “Miracle of the Sun” that was witnessed by tens of thousands of people.

After the untimely death of her cousins, who died a few years later due to Spanish flu, Sister Lucia remained the sole custodian of the message entrusted to her by Our Lady, which she transcribed, at the instigation of the Bishop of Leiria, José Alves Correia da Silvia, into four documents between 1935 and 1941.

A later document, dated 1944, contained the so-called “third secret,” was sent to Rome and opened for the first time in 1960. St John Paul II, who had a special devotion to Our Lady of Fatima, allowed the secret to be published in 2000.

Along with Sister Lucia, four other Servants of God saw their causes advanced on Thursday. Thursday’s decree also recognises the martyrdom of twenty people killed out of “hatred of the faith” in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War.

Sister Mary Lange, who left her native Cuba for the United States because of racial discrimination, founded the Congregation of the Oblate Sisters of Providence in Baltimore in 1829. The order is dedicated to school education.

For full story: Fatima visionary Sr Lucia declared Venerable – Vatican News

VATICAN DELIVERS EVIDENCE IN ORLANDI CASE TO CIVIL AUTHORITIES

In a statement to journalists, the Office of the Promoter of Justice says evidence found in Vatican institutions and gained from interviews with former officials has been turned over to the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Rome.

Vatican News

On the 40th anniversary of the disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi on June 22, 1983, the Promoter of Justice of Vatican City State, Alessandro Diddi, has stated that he has forwarded the acts of his office’s investigation to the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Rome.

In a statement made public by the Holy See Press Office in response to journalists’ questions, Diddi’s office reports that “in recent months this office has collected all the evidence available in the various institutions of the Vatican and the Holy See, while also seeking evidence through conversations with the persons in charge of certain offices at the time of the events.”

Lines of further investigation

Vatican investigators proceeded “to examine the material, confirming certain lines of investigation worthy of further investigation,” the statement continues, noting that “in recent weeks” all the relevant documentation has been transmitted “to the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Rome, so that the latter may examine it and proceed in the direction it deems most appropriate.”

Thursday’s statement concludes with the commitment that the Promoter “will continue his activities in this direction in the coming months,” while expressing his closeness to Emanuela’s family in their grief, “aware of the suffering one feels for the disappearance of a relative.”

 

POPE SENDS ALMONER TO ISCHIA TO COMFORT FAMILIES OF VICTIMS OF LANDSLIDE – POPE AT AUDIENCE: INNER PEACE CONFIRMS OUR DECISIONS

Tomorrow, solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, is a big holiday in Italy and I’ll be joining the community at NAC for Mass and a celebratory luncheon. Basically, I will follow Italian tradition and take the day off!

POPE SENDS ALMONER TO ISCHIA TO COMFORT FAMILIES OF VICTIMS OF LANDSLIDE

The Holy See Press Office announced that tomorrow, December 8, solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Pope Francis is sending his almoner, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, to the Italian island of Ischia, to the Municipality of Casamicciola Terme that was “severely and dramatically affected by the flood of last November 26th.

Ischia – AFP photo

The cardinal almoner heads the Dicastery for Charity.

The press office adds that, “in the days when the funerals of the twelve victims (of the massive landslide) are celebrated, Pope Francis hopes many will feel his closeness, through the presence of his envoy. Moreover, he has assigned a rosary crown blessed by him to some family members so that they may feel the comfort of his prayer and entrust themselves with hope to the Virgin Mother.”

POPE AT AUDIENCE: INNER PEACE CONFIRMS OUR DECISIONS

Pope Francis continues his catechesis on discernment at the weekly general audience, and reflects on the need to confirm our decisions with the presence of a long-lasting inner peace.

Devin Watkins (vaticannews)

“We can recognize some important aspects that help to read the time after a decision as a possible confirmation of its goodness.”

Pope Francis made that observation in his continuing catechesis on discernment at the Wednesday general audience.

He focused his reflections on the importance of confirming decisions with signs from our daily lives.

“One of the distinctive signs of the good spirit is the fact that it communicates a peace that lasts in time. A peace that brings harmony, unity, fervour, zeal.”

Good choices improve daily life

The Pope offered the example of someone who decides to dedicate an extra half-hour to prayer.

He said people should ask themselves whether the other moments of their day are more serene or anxious, if they care more or less for their work, or if their relationships with difficult people are more or less tranquil. “The spiritual life is circular. The goodness of a choice benefits all areas of our lives. For it is participation in God’s creativity.”

Alignment of our lives

Pope Francis said one aspect of post-decision discernment is the awareness of “feeling in one’s proper place in life” and a useful part of a larger plan.

He noted that St. Peter’s Square has two points from which the columns of Bernini are perfectly aligned. In the same way, he said, we understand that we have made a good decision when our day becomes more ordered and integrated and we discover renewed energy.

Overcoming desire to possess

Another sign of a good discernment, said the Pope, is when we “remain free” in relation to what we have decided and are “willing to revisit the decision” to find a possible teaching from the Lord.

“This is not because He wants to deprive us of what we hold dear, but in order to live it with freedom, without attachment. Only God knows what is truly good for us.”

Pope Francis added that the desire to possess is the enemy of goodness, pointing to the many cases of domestic violence which he said often are the result of the desire to possess the affection of another person.

“We can only love in freedom, which is why the Lord created us free, free even to say no to Him.”

Courage in fear of the Lord

In conclusion, the Pope said that the “fear of God” or “respect of God” is an indispensable gift of Divine Wisdom that helps us in our discernment.

“It is the fear that casts out all other fears, because it is oriented to Him who is Lord of all things. In His presence, nothing can disquiet us.”

 

POPE DONATES VENTILATORS, ULTRA-SOUND SCANNERS FOR HOSPITALS IN BRAZIL – ITALY TODAY: CRUISE SHIPS SAIL, DISCOS CLOSED, 4 MILLION BEES DIE

POPE DONATES VENTILATORS, ULTRA-SOUND SCANNERS FOR HOSPITALS IN BRAZIL

Hope Association, an Italian-based non-profit organization has mobilized the procurement and delivery of the devices, says the Office of Papal Charities.

By Vatican News

Pope Francis continues to make his heartfelt appeal for generosity and solidarity for communities and countries hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic by personally leading the way through concrete acts of closeness and affection.

He carries this out through the Office of Papal Charities, a department of the Holy See headed by the Apostolic Almoner, or papal almsgiver, Polish Cardinal Konrad Krajewski.

The cardinal said in a statement released Monday by the Holy See Press Office ithat, n the latest move, the Pope’s charity is being directed to Brazil.  Eight Draeger intensive care ventilators and 6 portable Fuji ultrasound scanners are being shipped to needy hospitals in Brazil.

Cardinal Krajewski said this has been made possible through the generous commitment of Hope Association, an Italy-based non-profit group that helps needy children and communities.  Highly specialized in humanitarian projects on health and education, he said the Hope Association finds ways to obtain high-tech life-saving medical equipment through donors, and arranges for their shipping and installation in hospitals.

These medical devices will be delivered to hospitals in Brazil chosen by the Apostolic Nunciature, so that “this gesture of Christian solidarity and charity can really help the poorest and neediest people,”

On several occasions, the Office of Papal Charities has mobilized medical material and equipment to be donated to many health facilities in situations of emergency and poverty around the world so that many human lives are treated and saved.

After the United States, Brazil has the world’s worst coronavirus scenario, reporting more than 3.3 million cases and close to 108,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

ITALY TODAY: CRUISE SHIPS SAIL, DISCOS CLOSE, 4 MILLION BEES DIE 

(thelocal.it) We’re back from our Ferragosto break, so here’s a quick look at the latest news here in Italy today:

The government held out until after the traditional August holiday weekend, but on Sunday night ordered nightclubs to shut down again and said masks must be worn at night in public amid a sharp rise in new coronavirus cases – many of which are being blamed on partying holidaymakers. (Masks must be worn from 6 pm to 6 am in public areas where people may congregate such as popular piazzas or squares)

Government health advisors also warned that further business closures could follow if people don’t stick to the rules – and insisted that Italy’s schools must reopen as planned in September “at any cost.”

On Sunday evening, the first cruise ship set sail from Italy since before lockdown as the MSC Grandiosa departed from the port of Genoa. Meanwhile, anti-cruise campaigners in Venice celebrated a temporary reprieve from liners in the lagoon.

And sadly, forestry police in northern Italy are investigating the “inexplicable” and “catastrophic” deaths of some four million bees overnight in the Lombardy region.

 

VATICAN INSIDER: WHO IS THE MAN OF THE SHROUD? – PAPAL ALMONER VISITS HOMELESS NEAR ROME’S TERMINI STATION – CARITAS SUPPORTING LOCAL CHURCHES IN FIGHTING COVID-19

Tune in to EWTN this Sunday, Divine Mercy Sunday, because Pope Francis will be saying Mass in a private fashion in the church of Santo Spirito in Sassia, – Holy Spirit Church – just a few blocks from Vatican City. This year marks the 20^th anniversary of the canonization of St. Faustyna on April 30, 2000, and Pope John Paul’s designation of the Sunday after Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday. Check http://www.ewtn.com> for time.

On January 1, 1994, Saint John Paul II named Santo Spirito as the Rome center for Divine Mercy Spirituality. The church itself has a long history and today features beautiful images of Divine Mercy, St. Faustyna Kowalska, called the Apostle of Divine Mercy, and Pope John Paul.

Interestingly enough, John Paul II died on April 2, 2005, the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday, was beatified on Divine Mercy Sunday, May 1, 2011, and was canonized with Pope John XXIII on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 27, 2014 by Pope Francis.

VATICAN INSIDER: WHO IS THE MAN OF THE SHROUD?

Welcome to a new edition of Vatican Insider on this special Easter season weekend of Divine Mercy Sunday! As you know, given that under the coronavirus quarantine rules I cannot go out to interview people, until those restrictions are lifted, I’m presenting a number of Specials I’ve prepared in the interview segment. This weekend, stay tuned after the news for Part II of my special on the Shroud of Turin, the burial cloth believed by many to have enveloped Christ’s body in the tomb. What do scientists say about the cloth, its provenance and dates, the stains on it – and much more.

IN THE UNITED STATES, you can listen to Vatican Insider (VI) on a Catholic radio station near you (stations listed at 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 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)

PAPAL ALMONER VISITS HOMELESS NEAR ROME’S TERMINI STATION

On Thursday afternoon, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the papal almoner, brought Pope Francis’ greetings, along with food and hygiene products to Rome’s homeless.

Cardinal Krajewski and a handful of volunteers were out on the streets of Rome on Thursday afternoon. (photo: vaticannews)

They brought Pope Francis’s greetings, some food, and hygiene products to several homeless people living near Rome’s Termini train station.

“They were saying hi and thanking us,” said Daniele, one of the volunteers, “for what we had brought them: sleeping bags, food, soap, and some masks they weren’t expecting. But like always,” added Daniele, “we received more than we gave.”

CARITAS SUPPORTING LOCAL CHURCHES IN FIGHTING COVID-19

Caritas Internationalis launches a new “Covid-19 Response Fund” to help support the efforts of local Churches as they assist those suffering the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

By Devin Watkins (vaticannews)

Pope Francis recently set up a Commission to manifest the Church’s care for people around the world affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Caritas Internationalis plays a key role in the Vatican task force, due to its vast network of aid agencies spread out in local dioceses in 160 nations.

The Catholic Church’s human development arm released a communiqué on Thursday launching a new fundraising initiative called the “Covid-19 Response Fund”.

Aloysius John, the Secretary General of Caritas Internationalis, spoke to Vatican Radio about the Church’s role in helping those suffering during the ongoing pandemic.

“Pope Francis is very much preoccupied with Covid-19, and he wants the Church to express solidarity with the local Churches and help them at this moment as a gesture of witnessing the universal love and care of the universal Church for the local Church,” said Mr. John.

The commission that the Pope set up consists of five working groups. Caritas Internationalis belongs to the first working group, which is dedicated to listening and supporting local Churches.

“We have lots of experience in the areas of health and micro-development, and we are present down to the parish-level in a very capillary way in service of the Church,” said Mr. John.

Caritas has already sent out a survey and received responses from 140 Bishops’ Conferences.

Therefore, Caritas already has a wealth of information that can be used to better distribute aid in case of a local outbreak of Covid-19.

Mr. John said the solidarity fund will be used to provide healthcare services in the areas of prevention and control of infections, access to clean water and sanitation, and procurement of personal protective equipment (masks, gloves, etc).

Food security is one area that Caritas is most concerned about. Some poor people in developing nations consider Covid-19 to be the lesser of two evils. They prefer to defy social-distancing measures to go out in search of work.

“How are we going to help them? If they don’t have food, then they have to go out to search for food and expose themselves, and others, to the contagious effects of the disease,” Mr. John points out.

He said that Caritas is most concerned about parts of Africa and the Middle East where wars and internal conflicts have left many people poor and vulnerable.

Caritas Jerusalem’s staff in Palestine is already running out of money and may be forced to stop offering food and hygiene kits to 500 families in need.

With local agencies’ needs increasing as the coronavirus spreads, Caritas Internationalis has set up the Covid-19 Response Fund to raise money to send to local Churches.

“The coronavirus solidarity fund is a means to assist small projects which will allow Caritas to help the people who are confined,” Mr. John said.

One project is Caritas Philippines’ “Kindness Centers” set up at parishes. People wanting to help can bring their excess food supplies to the centers. They are then distributed to local families in need.

“We are there to help them create solidarity,” Mr. John said. “We are all in solidarity before the virus, but I think we also have to be in solidarity with people to help them live with dignity.”

The Covid-19 Response Fund offers people around the world a chance to help those in need, even from the confines of their own homes.

“Let us join hands in helping us to help the poor, the needy, and the most vulnerable,” said Mr. John. “Pope Francis wants us to be ‘educators of solidarity’ and, at the same time, actors in the field of solidarity.”

Anyone wishing to make a contribution to the Covid-19 Response Fundcan do so through Caritas Internationalis’s website.

A Bank Account has been opened specifically for this fund at the Vatican Bank (Institute for the Works of Religion). Funds can be wired using the IBAN: VA29001000000020179007

EMERGENCY AND CHARITY: A REFLECTION BY CARDINAL TAGLE – IS CHARITY CONTAGIOUS?

Even though the Vatican daily newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, born July 1, 1861, has temporarily suspended its print version, and thus delivery to the city of Rome and environs, it can still be accessed in multiple languages in its digital form at http://www.osservatoreromano.va You may also go to http://www.vaticannews.va and click on the yellow and white block on the right side of the home page.

Today I offer a thoughtful video message from Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, newly appointed prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. Until that appointment he was the archbishop of Manila, the Philippines.

EMERGENCY AND CHARITY: A REFLECTION BY CARDINAL TAGLE

What place does charity have in a time marked by the Coronavirus pandemic? Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, and President of Caritas Internationalis, reflects with Vatican News on this question, urging us to conquer the virus and fear with the “contagious pandemic of love.”

(CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Dear Sisters and Brothers,
We are faced with an emergency due to the coronavirus 19. An emergency, from the Latin word “emergere,” refers to an unforeseen occurrence that rises before us and requires attention. Emergencies are not new to us. Every year we experience earthquakes, typhoons, floods, drought and diseases. But they are often confined to a limited place and people. The current covid19 emergency is called pandemic, from the two Greek words: “pan”, meaning “all” and “demo,” meaning “people or population.” A pandemia affects all or nearly all people. We can say that the covid19 is a general or universal emergency. It affects nearly all of us. It invites a response from all of us.

During emergencies, we instinctively think first of ourselves, our families and the people close to us. We will do anything within our means to protect them. While this reaction is basically good, we should be careful so that we do not end up thinking only of ourselves. We should avoid fear from making us blind to the needs of other people, those needs that are the same as ours. We should prevent anxiety from killing genuine concern for neighbors. In an emergency, the true heart of a person also emerges. From an emergency that affects all people (pandemia), we hope to see a pandemic emergence of caring, compassion and love. An emergency crisis that erupts unexpectedly can be addressed only by an equal “eruption” of hope. A pandemic spread of a virus must produce a pandemic “contagion” of charity. History will judge our generation by the power of self-less love that this common emergency will have generated and spread or will have failed to do so. We thank the heroic people whose love and courage have already been a source of healing and hope these past weeks.

Experts say that we should wash our hands to avoid being contaminated by the virus and to avoid spreading it. At the trial of Jesus, Pontius Pilate “called for water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, declaring as he did, ‘I am innocent of the blood of this just man. The responsibility is yours’” (Matthew 27:24). We should wash our hands, but not the way Pilate did. We cannot wash our hands of our responsibility towards the poor, the elderly, the unemployed, the refugees, the homeless, the health providers, indeed all people, creation and future generations. We pray through the power of the Holy Spirit, genuine love for all may emerge from all human hearts as we face a common emergency.

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2020-03/emergency-charity-cardinal-tagle-coronavirus-covid.html

IS CHARITY CONTAGIOUS?

I believe we all know, from days and weeks of devouring news stories online or listening to the radio or watching television, that people in the United States and so many other countries have stepped up to the plate when it comes to what Cardinal Tagle called “self-less love” and “an eruption of hope.”

Individuals, celebrated and unknown, as well as corporations and institutions have come forth with amazing charitable gifts and offers of help, including for example, a list of Italian fashion designers who are turning their ateliers over to producing masks and protective clothing for medical personnel.

I follow U.S. football and, while I would not be a ‘Jeopardy’ contestant for my vast knowledge of this sport, I do know a few names, mainly quarterbacks. I thus recognized the name Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints quarterback, when I read he and his wife gave $5 million to help fight coronavirus.

Football fan or not, I am sure you all know the story of Polish Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the papal almoner, that is, the person in charge of Francis’ office for charity. Most of you think of the elemosineria as the Vatican office where you can obtain papal blessings. True – also true is that the monies paid for blessings go to papal charities. (www.elemosineria.va)

It is how Cardinal Krajewski uses that income that is the beautiful story.

CRUX did a great profile of this enormously generous and self-less prelate as he brings an “eruption of hope” to Rome’s homeless in these days of a pandemic: https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2020/03/vatican-official-tells-clergy-there-is-a-gospel-in-the-making-on-the-streets/

Cardinal Krajewski has been in the Vatican for decades and those of us who knew him called him simply “Don Corrado” (‘Don’ is Italian for ‘Father’). I used to refer to him as the Pope’s “altar ego” because he was one of the ceremonial officials whom you’d always see at the side of Pope John Paul, and also of Benedict in his early years, at papal liturgies.

You have to write the word “charity” in capital letters when it is in the same sentence as Don Corrado. Please pray for his health and well-being as he doubtlessly exposes himself to possible contagion in thee tumultuous times.

Another source of information on aid that is coming to Italy are embassies. The U.S. embassies, for example, have been emailing coronavirus-related alerts and messages to all U.S. citizens who have registered with them.

The U.S. embassy to Italy has a Twitter account in Italian and English that updates us on what they are doing: @AmbasciataUSA. That account, for example, posted news from Samaritans Purse that, with the assistance of the embassy, brought a field hospital and medical personnel to Cremona, Italy:
“To date, our medical team in Cremona, Italy has treated more than 100 patients at our Emergency Field Hospital. Each day, more patients with the #coronavirus are being admitted to our hospital. https://sampur.se/”

The U.S. Embassy to the Holy See has a website filled with information about diplomatic ties, our history with the Holy See, speeches and engagements of the ambassador but also valuable information for American citizens residing in Italy in the coronavirus era: https://va.usembassy.gov/

So, the answer is YES, charity is contagious!

POPE ANNOUNCES EXTRAORDINARY URBI ET ORBI BLESSING – COMMUNIQUE FROM PAPAL ALMSGIVER

I took a little bit of a hiatus from news yesterday, that is, I researched a lot, reposted some stories on Facebook but did not write a blog about the latest developments in Italy regarding quarantine, what we can do and cannot do, what some of the news measures are, etc. Tune in tomorrow!

I greatly enjoyed some Face Time with a niece last evening, and her two sisters and their children will join me later today. That is such a terrific way to stay in touch!

I don’t know where the time goes every day but I do know I am very behind in correspondence with so many of you who have sent me messages, emails, comments on Facebook, etc. I’ll try to be in touch personally in coming days.

Great news from my Rome parish of St. Patrick’s! Paulist Fathers Greg Apparcel and Steve Petroff have been posting videos of daily Mass in the small rectory chapel and that has been heart-warming but today’s Mass was quite special. Three of us who are lectors prepared the two readings and the Prayers of the Faithful in our homes, recording these segments on our iPads and then putting them on Google Drive. Ditto for our cantor and his wife who recorded music in their home. All segments were sent to Paulists in the U.S. who had the equipment needed to put the whole thing together, including putting sheet music online so we could sing as if in church. I was SO grateful for the sense of community!

Here are some links from Fr. Greg:
Mass for Sunday, March 22, 2020: +https://www.facebook.com/cacrome/videos/215511813030397/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/vB_Y27nL12A
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/399556467

Also look for our Stations of the Cross service that is now posted on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cacrome/videos/2508066879456605/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/dZvp2qHMsYA
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/399552697
For Sunday Mass, we thank our musicians, Dafrosa Cho and Raimundo Pereira; our Lectors: Joan Lewis, Gabriella Spadaro and Ann Haring; and our Paulist brothers in Washington DC and New York who edited all this together and upload the Mass on the different sites.
Next week we will be Livestreaming our daily Masses on Facebook, beginning at 9:30 AM, Monday through Friday.

Personally, I am so very grateful to Fathers Greg and Steve and the thousands of priest throughout the world who work so hard to bring us Mass every of these trying times!

After Mass I treated myself to brunch, as you can see here! This is how I usually spend every Sunday – Mass and then brunch at Homebaked, but brunch today was at my home!

POPE ANNOUNCES EXTRAORDINARY URBI ET ORBI BLESSING

At the Angelus on Sunday, Pope Francis invited all Christians to join together in praying the Our Father as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
By Christopher Wells

Pope Francis on Sunday called for all Christians to respond to the coronavirus pandemic “with the universality of prayer, of compassion, of tenderness,” adding, “Let us remain united. Let us make our closeness felt toward those persons who are the most lonely and tried.”

Speaking after the traditional recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father called on all Christians to join together in prayer. “In these trying days, while humanity trembles due to the thread of the pandemic, I would like to propose to all Christians that together we lift our voices towards Heaven.”

The “Our Father” on the Annunciation

On Wednesday, March 25, feast of the Annunciation, he invited “the Heads of the Churches and the leaders of every Christian community, together with all Christians of the various confessions, to invoke the Almighty, the omnipotent God, to recite at the same time the prayer that Jesus, our Lord, taught us – the Our Father.”

“On that day on which many Christians recall the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary of the Incarnation of the Word,” Pope Francis prayed, “may the Lord listen to the united prayer of all of His disciples who are preparing themselves to celebrate the victory of the Risen Christ.”

A special Urbi et Orbi blessing

The Pope also announced that on the following Friday, March 27, he will preside over a moment of prayer on the sagrato of St Peter’s Basilica, the platform at the top of the steps immediately in front of the façade of the Church. “I invite everyone to participate spiritually through the means of communication,” he said, referring to the fact this would be done without the presence of the faithful in the square.

The ceremony will consist in readings from the Scriptures, prayers of supplication, and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament; and will conclude with Pope Francis giving the Urbi et orbi Blessing, with the possibility of gaining a plenary indulgence for all those who listen to it live through the various forms of communication. The blessing “to the City [of Rome] and to the World” is normally only given on Christmas and Easter.

The Director of the Holy See Press Office confirmed that the moment of prayer on Friday will be broadcast live from the Vatican, beginning at 6 pm Rome time. He noted that the plenary indulgence attached to the Urbi et orbi blessing is subject to the conditions foreseen by the recent Decree of the Apostolic Penitentiary.
Prayers for Croatia

At the close of his remarks following the Angelus, Pope Francis expressed his closeness to the people of Croatia, which was struck by magnitude 5.4 earthquake Sunday morning. The Holy Father prayed, “May the Risen Lord give them the strength and solidarity to face this calamity.”

COMMUNIQUE FROM PAPAL ALMSGIVER

The Holy Father’s almsgiver, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, sent out a note Saturday in which he wrote that he “wishes to sincerely thank all the volunteers and people of good will who continue to take care of the poorest and most needy, especially the homeless who live on the street, and do not abandon them right now at this even more difficult time. These brothers of ours not only don’t have a home, but now they can’t even ask for charity to buy something to eat. Now more than ever, they “depend” on our heart. Mercy is a very concrete word and only “charity covers a multitude of sins” (1Pt 4,8).”

He added that, “the office of the papal almoner also wishes to express its gratitude to all those companies and commercial entities that in these days have generously donated their products to prepare the “envelope of the heart” (tuna, small canned goods, fruit, cheese, packaged salami, bread …) which, in place of lunches and dinners, is offered to the poor by various soup kitchens, dormitories, parishes, voluntary associations and religious communities. An example comes from the Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo that send hundreds of packs of fresh milk and yogurt daily.

“As for the soup kitchens, parishes and associations that prepare packed lunches or help the poor of the street in other forms,” the communique ended, “if they find themselves in difficulty, financially or due to the lack of food, they can contact the almoner via his cell phone (he gave his Roman number here), as he remains available also for those who wish to donate food useful for preparing meals, to receive them directly or direct them to other charitable realities that help the poor homeless.”

VATICAN INSIDER: A TRUE INSIDER’S STORY OF CORONAVIRUS QUARANTINE – PAPAL ALMONER: VATICAN SERVICES FOR THE POOR CONTINUE DESPITE CORONAVIRUS

On the light side: Quarantine can bring many unwanted and/or unpleasant surprises, one of which may be for some people novinophobia. This is, of course, the fear of running out of wine or having no wine. (Yes, I know it’s Lent but….)

VATICAN INSIDER: A TRUE INSIDER’S STORY OF CORONAVIRUS QUARANTINE

This weekend on Vatican Insider, I tell my story of dealing with the coronavirus, even though I am only one of millions in beautiful Italy to be quarantined. We have just started week two of mandatory quarantine. How are we doing? What can we do and what can we not do? What are the rules and regulations for daily survival? What are some of the great stories and happy moment to emerge from a nationwide lockdown? What have I learned after a week of being homebound?

This, of course, is a BIG part of our lives –

Tune in for some amazing facts and astonishing stories!

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)

PAPAL ALMONER: VATICAN SERVICES FOR THE POOR CONTINUE DESPITE CORONAVIRUS

The Vatican continues to offer shower facilities, sleeping quarters, and food assistance to the poor and homeless who often sleep rough around St. Peter’s Square.
By Devin Watkins (vaticannews)

“Don’t ignore the poor Lazarus who knocks at your door.”

Cardinal Konrad Krajewski launched this appeal to those who encounter a homeless person.

The Almoner of the Office of Papal Charities said the Vatican continues to heed the cry of the poor despite the coronavirus outbreak.

“Though we maintain a safe physical distance, put on gloves, and avoid assemblies, we can still help those who are right beside us,” he said.

Critical moment of need
Cardinal Krajewski said this is a critical moment to help the poor.

In more normal times, homeless people can use the restrooms of cafes and restaurants, but now most are closed. “So we need to keep our shower facilities and restrooms open.”

The same goes for food assistance, he said. With restaurants closed, a charitable person is unable to offer someone a croissant or a cappuccino so they need somewhere to find food.

Helping those near the Vatican
The Papal Almoner said his office is continuing to offer the same services as before.

“Our volunteers keep the same schedules, we are still distributing food at Rome’s train stations, and the shower facilities under the Colonnade around St. Peter’s Square are open. We even give out sandwiches and water there.”

Cardinal Krajewski said the Missionaries of Charity at the Gift of Mary House are handing out around 120 sack dinners every evening.

He added that the newly-opened “Palace for the Poor” still offers a warm bed and breakfast for those who come calling.

Knock fearlessly on church doors
The Cardinal had one more word of advice for the poor in Rome and throughout the world who find themselves in need and without a place to go in these difficult times of social isolation.

“I invite the poor to knock fearlessly on the door of parishes and churches,” Cardinal Krajewski said, “because the Christian spirit teaches us that we must open to those who knock.”

POPE: MAKE WORLD MORE HUMAN BY GUARANTEEING THE DIGNITY OF THE DISABLED – HOLY SEE, SANT’EGIDIO COMMUNITY TO BRING REFUGEES TO ITALY FROM LESBOS

Pope Francis this morning met with 37 bishops, including emeritus prelates, and one priest who is the diocesan administrator of Shreveport in Louisiana, from Regions IV and V of the USCCB who are in Rome on their ad limina visit. These mandatory visits normally take place every five years but the US prelates were last in Rome on ad limina in 2011. Region IV includes the District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, West Virginia, and the Military Archdiocese. Region V prelates are from Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

POPE: MAKE WORLD MORE HUMAN BY GUARANTEEING THE DIGNITY OF THE DISABLED

On the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, December 3rd, Pope Francis recalls how the promotion of the right to participation plays a central role in combating discrimination and promoting a culture of encounter and quality of life.
By Lydia O’Kane

In his message marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Pope Francis notes that “great progress has been made towards people with disabilities in the medical and welfare fields.”

But he highlights the fact that even today there is still a culture of waste with many disabled people feeling that “\”they exist without belonging and without participating.”

Protection of rights
The Pope stresses that “all this calls not only for the rights of people with disabilities and their families to be protected,” but “it also urges us to make the world more human” by removing prejudice.

It is necessary, Pope Francis writes, “to take care of and accompany people with disabilities in every condition of life, also making use of current technologies,” so that they can actively and with dignity participate in both civil and ecclesial communities.

He also says, that the accessibility of places and quality of life need to be promoted, taking into account all the dimensions of the human being.

Hidden exiles
In the message, the Pope emphasizes “the many ‘hidden exiles’ who live in our homes, our families and our societies.”

“I am thinking of people of all ages, especially the elderly who, also because of their disability, are sometimes felt as a burden, as ‘cumbersome presences’, and are in danger of being discarded, of being denied concrete job prospects to participate in the construction of their own future.”

Pope Francis stresses that “we need to develop antibodies against a culture that considers some lives” first or second-class. “This is a social sin,” he says.

A change of mentality needed
On this International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the Pontiff invites people to “have the courage to give a voice to those who are discriminated against because of their disability.”

“Making good laws and breaking down physical barriers is important,” the Pope writes, “but it is not enough, if the mentality does not change.”

Concluding his message, Pope Francis encourages “all those who work with people with disabilities to continue with this important service and commitment, which determines the degree of civilization of a nation.”

HOLY SEE, SANT’EGIDIO COMMUNITY TO BRING REFUGEES TO ITALY FROM LESBOS

A December 2 communique from Apostolic Almsgiver:

“The Holy Father Francis, on the occasion of his trip to the Island of Lesbos in April 2016, brought back to Italy three Syrian families seeking asylum. The Holy See took on the charge of welcoming and sustaining them, while hospitality and integration were assumed by the Sant’Egidio Community.

“Last May, three years after that event, the Pope asked the Apostolic Almsgiver (Office of Papal Charities) to return to the island to renew solidarity with the Greek people and refugees, and he also expressed the desire to make a further gesture of solidarity and host a group of young refugees and some families from Afghanistan, Cameroon and Togo.

“After an intense period of official negotiations between the competent authorities, in order to carry out this new humanitarian corridor the Interior Ministry of the Italian Republic gave final assent to carrying out the operation.

“Therefore today, December 2, the papal Almsgiver* returned to the Island of Lesbos, together with some leaders of the Sant’Egidio Community. They will return to Italy on December 4 with a group of 33 refugees requesting political asylum. This operation will end in December, when another 10 refugees will be accompanied to Italy, thus starting the procedures necessary for the request for international protection.

“Welcoming these refugees will be assumed by the Holy See, through the Apostolic Almsgiving office and by the Sant’Egidio Community.”

A Vaticannews story with the title, “Two families in Luxembourg,” noted that, on November 19 the archdiocese of Luxembourg, led by new Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich who, in May, had participated in the mission of Cardinal Krajewski to Lesbos, also opened its doors to two families of refugees from the same camps on the Greek island, one originally from Kuwait with two children aged 8 and 5 and one from Syria with twins aged almost two years.

* The head of the Apostolic Almsgiving Office (Office of Papal Charities) is Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, also known as the papal almsgiver. (https://www.elemosineria.va/)