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Fifty-third year, number 22 (2.649) Friday, 29 May 2020

Message of the Holy Father to the Pontifical Mission Societies The miracle of freely giving oneself in service to the Church

For the ’s message, see pages 7-11

Interview with UN S e c re t a r y - G e n e r a l General Audience Refuge against the Global threats require a new solidarity flood wave of evil In a recent interview with Andrea Monda, Editor-in- Chief of L’Osservatore Romano, António Guterres, PAGE 3 Secretary-General of the United Nations, responded to a series of questions on some of the greatest issues the world is facing during the current global pandem- ic. Among other things, he emphasized the need for Letter to Cardinal Koch “cooperation among “all States — including the most p owerful”not only to combat Covid-19, but also “ad- Prophetic gestures on dress the peace and security challenges we are facing” the path towards unity as a result of its spread, cautioning that “the pandem- ic should be a wake-up call. Deadly global threats re- quire a new unity and solidarity”. PAGE 5

Pope Francis with António Guterres on 20 December 2019 MONDA ON PA G E 4 page 2 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 29 May 2020, number 22

Bishop-elect Bravo Álvarez, 57, was born in Valparaíso, Chile. He obtained a licence in Ciencias Básicas de la Ingeniería and the title of civil VAT I C A N engineer; he holds a degree in theo- logy and a licence and doctorate in 2013, subsequent to his appointment Biblical theology. He was ordained a BULLETIN as Bishop prelate of Corocoro. priest on 12 October 1997. The Holy Father appointed Bishop The Holy Father appointed Fr Julio AUDIENCES Bishop-elect Bab, 45, was born in Mark Stuart Edwards, OMI, as Bish- Esteban Larrondo Yáñez as Auxili- Lublin, Poland. He was ordained a op of Wagga Wagga, Australia. Un- ary Bishop of the Metropolitan Saturday, 23 May priest on 22 May 1999. He holds a til now he has served as titular Bish- Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile, H.E. Ms. María Fernanda Silva, doctorate in pastoral theology. He is op of Garba and Auxiliary of the Chile, assigning him the titular epis- Ambassador of Argentina to the honorary canon of the Archcathedral Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mel- copal See of Magarmel. Until now , for the presentation of her Chapter of Lublin. bourne, Australia (26 May). he has served as priest of Letters of Credence Bishop Edwards, 61, was born in Nuestra Señora de Lourdes parish The Holy Father accepted the resig- Balikpapan, Indonesia. He was or- and episcopal vicar of the southern Cardinal Marc Ouellet, PSS, Prefect nation of John Hung dained a priest on 16 August 1986. area of Santiago (26 May). of the Shan-chuan, SVD, from his office as He was ordained a bishop on 17 Bishop-elect Larrondo Yáñez, 60, Metropolitan Archbishop of Taipei, Bishop Claudio Maniago of Castel- December 2014, subsequent to his was born in Santiago, Chile. He Taiwan (23 May). laneta, Italy appointment as of completed his philosophical and The Hon. Mr Nicola Zingaretti, The Holy Father appointed Bishop Garba and Auxiliary of Melbourne. theological studies. He was ordained President of Lazio Region Thomas Chung An-zu as Metropol- a priest on 12 December 1992. itan Archbishop of Taipei, and The Holy Father appointed Fr Thursday, 28 May Apostolic Administrator of Kinmen Gonzalo Arturo Bravo Álvarez as The Holy Father appointed Fr Cardinal Luis Francisco Ladaria Fer- or Quemoy Islands and Matzu. Un- Bishop of San Felipe, Chile. Until László Kerekes as rer, S J, Prefect of the Congregation til now he has served as Bishop of now he has served as parish priest of of the Archdiocese of Alba Iulia, for the Doctrine of the Faith Kiayi, Taiwan (23 May). El Salvador del Mundo parish in Romania, assigning him the titular Valparaíso and dean of the Faculty see of Tharros. Until now he has Bishop Antonio De Luca, CSSR, of Archbishop Chung An-zu, 67, was of Theology of the Pontifical Cathol- Teggiano-Policastro, Italy born in Yunlin, Taiwan. He was or- ic University of Valparaíso (26 May). CONTINUED ON PA G E 15 Bishop Stefano Russo, Bishop emer- dained a priest on 26 December itus of Fabriano-Matelica, Italy, Sec- 1981. He was ordained a bishop on retary General of the Italian Epis- 30 December 2006, subsequent to copal Conference his appointment as Bishop of Kiayi. H.E. Mr Carlos Ávila Molina, Am- The Holy Father accepted the resig- bassador of Honduras, on a farewell nation of Archbishop Edmundo Luis visit Flavio Abastoflor Montero from his Rescriptum ex Audientia S S.MI office as Metropolitan Archbishop of Considering the need to guarantee a more rational organization of CHANGES IN EP I S C O PAT E La Paz, Bolivia (23 May). the economic and financial information of the Holy See and to di- The Holy Father appointed Bishop gitize the models and underlying procedures, thereby guaranteeing The Holy Father appointed Fr Can- Percy Lorenzo Galván Flores as on Adam Piotr Bab as Auxiliary the simplification of the activities and the efficacy of controls, as Metropolitan Archbishop of La Paz. they are fundamental for the proper functioning of the Organisms Bishop of the Metropolitan Arch- Until now he has served as Bishop diocese of Lublin, Poland, assigning of the ; in anticipation of the function exercised for Prelate of the Territorial Prelature of this purpose by the Office denominated Data Processing Center him the titular of Corocoro (23 May). Arna. Until now he has served as (CED), currently headquartered at the Administration of the Patri- parish priest of the parish of Archbishop Galván Flores, 54, was mony of the (APSA) Joseph in Lublin and director of the born in Tomás Frías, Bolivia He was office of youth pastoral care (22 ordained a priest on 18 July 1991. He the Supreme Pontiff Francis May). was ordained a bishop on 1 May has ordered the following

1 Responsibility over the CED shall be transferred from APSA to the Secretariat for the Economy (SPE), under terms established by the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the former, repres- ented by the President, H.E. Bishop Nunzio Galantino, and the Communiqué latter, represented by the Prefect, the most Rev. Fr Juan Antonio Guerrero, SJ; On Wednesday, 20 May, H.E. Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secret- 2 the and Staff responsible for and in charge of the ary for Relations with States, was contacted by telephone by H.E. Saeb CED shall pass from employment by APSA to that of the SPE, except Erekat, Chief negotiator and Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation for those who, through mutual agreement and for greater conveni- Organization. The latter wished to inform the Holy See about recent devel- ence, may remain under the employ of APSA; opments in the Palestinian territories and of the possibility of Israel apply- 3 the Prefect of the SPE shall provide for the reorganization of ing its unilaterally to part of those territories, further jeop a rd - ising the peace process. the service, guaranteeing to APSA whatever is necessary for the ful- The Holy See reiterates that respect for and the relevant filment of its institutional duties. United Nations resolutions, is an indispensable element for the two peoples The Holy Father has established that this provision shall be pro- to live side by side in two States, within the borders internationally recog- mulgated by publication in the 20 May edition of L’O s s e r v a t o re nised before 1967. Romano, entering into force on 1 June 2020. The Holy See is following the situation closely, and expresses concern about any future actions that could further compromise dialogue, while also From the Vatican, 11 May 2020 expressing its hope that Israelis and Palestinians will be soon able to find once again the possibility for directly negotiating an agreement, with the Ca rd i n a l help of the International Community, so that peace may finally reign in the Secretary of State Holy Land, so beloved by Jews and Christians and Muslims.

ANDREA MONDA TIPO GRAFIA VAT I C A N A EDITRICE Subscription rates: Italy - Vatican: € 58.00; Europe: € 100.00 - US$ 148.00 £ 80.00; Latin America, Africa, L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO L’OS S E R VAT O R E ROMANO Asia: € 110.00 - US$ 160.00 - £ 88.00; Oceania, North America: € 162.00 - £ 130.00. Editor-in-Chief Management Office: phone +390669899480; fax +390669885164; e-mail [email protected]. WEEKLY EDITION IN ENGLISH For India: The weekly English Edition of L'Osservatore Romano is published and distributed in Unicuique suum Non praevalebunt Photo Service Giuseppe Fiorentino [email protected] w w w. p h o t o .v a India by Carmel International Publishing House, Cotton Hill, Trivandrum- 695 014, Kerala-India; Assistant Editor phone: +91471327253, fax: +91471328191, 329934; e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]. For North America: L’Osservatore Romano (USPS 016-419) is published fifty times per year (weekly, except third week in Advertising Agency August and last week in December) by Our Sunday Visitor, L’Osservatore Romano, English Edition, 200 Noll Plaza, Vatican City Il Sole 24 Ore S.p.A. Editorial office Huntington, IN 46750. Periodicals Postage Pending at Huntington, IN, and additional mailing offices, USA – phone: redazione.inglese.or@sp c.va System Comunicazione Pubblicitaria via del Pellegrino, 00120 Vatican City Via Monte Rosa 91, 20149 Milano 800-348-2440 x2171; fax: 866-891-7390 – e-mail: [email protected]. w w w. o s s e r v a t o re ro m a n o .v a telephone +390669899300, fax +390669883675 s e g re t e r i a d i re z i o n e s y s t e m @ i l s o l e 2 4 o re . c o m POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Our Sunday Visitor, 200 Noll Plaza, Huntington, IN 46750 number 22, Friday, 29 May 2020 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 3

GENERAL AU D I E N C E

Prayer is “man’s refuge before the flood wave of evil that grows in the w o rl d ”, said during the General Audience on Wednesday morning, 27 May, as he continued his series of catecheses on prayer. This week, the Holy Father reflected on the prayer of the righteous. The following is a translation of his catechesis which he delivered in Italian from the library of the Vatican’s , in compliance with restrictions related to the pandemic.

Refuge against the flood wave of evil The value of the prayer of the righteous

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Lamech seventy-seven fold” (4:23- Catechism: “This kind of prayer Prayer sows life, small prayers: Good morning! 24). Vengeance: “You did this, is lived by many righteous people this is why it is so important to you will pay”. But the judge does CCC teach children to pray. I suffer We are dedicating today's cat- in all religions” ( , 2569). Pray- when I encounter children who echesis to the prayer of the right- not say this, I do. And I make er cultivates flowerbeds of rebirth do not know how to make the eous. myself the judge of the situation. in places where man's hatred has And in this way evil spreads like only been able to expand the sign of the Cross. They have to God's plan for humanity is wildfire, until it occupies the en- desert. And prayer is powerful be taught to make the sign of the good, but in our daily affairs we tire picture: “The Lord saw that Cross properly, because it is the experience the presence of evil. It because it attracts the power of the wickedness of man was great God and the power of God al- first prayer. Then perhaps they is a daily experience. The first in the earth, and that every ima- may forget, take another path, chapters of the Book of Genesis ways gives life: always. He is the gination of the thoughts of his God of life and he causes rebirth. but the first prayers learned as a describe the progressive expansion heart was only evil continually” child remain in the heart, because of sin in human affairs. Adam and (6:5). The great frescos of the This is why God's lordship they are a seed of life, the seed of Eve (cf. Gen 3:1-7) doubt God's universal flood (ch. 6-7) and of passes through this chain of men dialogue with God. good intentions; they think they the tower of Babel (ch. 11) reveal and women, often misunderstood are dealing with an envious God The journey of God in the his- that there is need of a new begin- or marginalized in the world. But who impedes their happiness. tory of God is conveyed through ning, like a new creation, which the world lives and grows thanks This is where their rebellion them: it has passed through a “re - will be fulfilled in Jesus Christ. to the power of God whom these mainder” of humanity that has comes from: they no longer be- servants attract with their prayer. Yet, in these first pages of the not conformed to the law of the lieve in a generous Creator who It is not at all a boisterous chain, Bible, another, less striking, much fittest, but has asked God to per- desires their happiness. Yielding and rarely makes headlines, yet it to the temptation of evil, their more humble and pious story is form his miracles, and above all also written, which represents the is so important to restoring trust to transform our hearts of stone hearts are overcome by a delirium to the world! of omnipotence: 'if we eat the release of hope. While almost into hearts of flesh (cf. Ez 36:26). fruit from the tree we will become everyone behaves in a wicked I remember the story of one And this helps prayer: because like God' (cf. v. 5). And this is manner, making hatred and con- man: an important government prayer opens the door to God, temptation: this is ambition that quest the great engine of human leader not from these days, but turning our often stony hearts in- enters hearts. But their experience affairs, there are people who are from the past. An atheist who had to a human heart. And this de- goes in the opposite direction: capable of praying to God with no religious feeling in his heart, mands a lot of humanity, and their eyes are opened and they sincerity, capable of writing man- but as a child he heard his grand- with humanity one can pray well. discover they are naked (cf. v. 7), kind's destiny in a different way. mother pray, and this remained in with nothing. Do not forget this: Abel offers God the firstling sac- his heart. And at a very difficult the tempter is a bad payer, he rifice. After his death, Adam and time in his life, that memory re- SPECIAL GREETINGS does not pay well. Eve had a third son, Seth, to turned to his heart and said: “But I greet the English-speaking Evil becomes even more dis- whom Enosh (which means 'mor- my grandmother used to pray ...”. faithful joining us through the ruptive with the second human tal') was born, and it is stated: He thus began to pray with his media. As we prepare to celebrate generation, it is stronger: it is the “At that time men began to call grandmother’s formulas, and there the Solemnity of Pentecost, I in- story of Cain and Abel (cf. Gen upon the name of the Lord”. he found Jesus. Prayer is always a voke upon you and your families 4:1-16). Cain is envious of his (4:26). Then Enoch appears, a chain of life: many men and wo- an abundance of the gifts of the ; there is the seed of envy; person who “walked with God” men who pray sow life. Holy Spirit. May God bless you! even though he is the first born, and was taken to heaven (cf. 5:22, The day after tomorrow we will he sees Abel as a rival, one who 24). And lastly there is the story celebrate the liturgical memorial undermines his primacy. Evil ap- of Noah, a righteous man who of Saint Pope Paul VI. May the pears in his heart and Cain is un- “walked with God” (6:9), before example of this Bishop of , able to control it. Evil begins to whom God withheld his intention who reached the pinnacle of holi- enter his heart: his thoughts are to blot out mankind (cf. 6:7-8). ness, encourage each one to gen- always turned to looking badly While reading these narratives, erously embrace evangelical ideals. upon the other, with suspicion. one has the impression that pray- I offer my thoughts to the eld- And this occurs with his thoughts er is a bulwark; it is man's refuge e rl y, to young people, to the sick and too: “This one is evil, he will hurt before the flood wave of evil that to newlyweds. In this climate of me”. And this thought enters his grows in the world. On closer in- preparation for the now forth- heart ....And thus the story of the spection, we also pray to be saved coming Solemnity of Pentecost, I first brotherhood ends in murder. from ourselves. It is important to exhort you to be ever docile to I think of human fraternity pray: “Lord, please, save me from the action of the Holy Spirit, so today... war everywhere. myself, from my ambitions, from that your life may always be In Cain's descendants, arts and my passions”. The prayerful of warmed and illuminated by the crafts develop, but violence devel- the first pages of the Bible are love that the Spirit of God pours ops too, expressed by the sinister peace workers: indeed, when out into hearts. I offer my bless- canticle of Lamech, which sounds prayer is authentic, it frees one ing to all! like a hymn of revenge: “I have from the instincts of violence and killed a man for wounding me, a it is a gaze directed to God, that young man for striking me, if he may return to take care of the Cain is avenged seven times, truly heart of mankind. We read in the page 4 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 29 May 2020, number 22

INTERVIEW

with UN S e c re t a r y - G e n e r a l

Appreciation for Pope Francis’ support for the global ceasefire appeal Global threats require a new solidarity

ANDREA MONDA I would also like to mention another appeal I have made that I consider essential: an ap- “The pandemic should be a wake-up call. peal for peace in the home. Across the globe, Deadly global threats require a new unity and as the pandemic spreads, we are also witness- solidarity”. This concern was stressed by the ing an alarming increase in violence against Secretary-General of the United Nations Mr women and girls. António Guterres, in this exclusive interview I have asked Governments, civil society and with all those who can help around the world to mobilize to better protect women. I have also Recently you made an appeal for peace in the appealed to religious leaders of every faith to world, a world affected by the pandemic. This ini- unequivocally condemn all acts of violence Pope Francis with the Secretary-General tiative links up once again with those taken by against women and girls and to uphold the of the United Nations on 20 December 2019 Pope Francis — whom you met at the end of last bedrock principles of equality. year, when you delivered a video message together — who keeps asking to cease all wars. You said: A few months ago, before the pandemic broke out, I have also called on educational institu- The fury of the virus illustrates the folly of war. you said that fear is the best-selling brand. This tions to focus on digital literacy, and I have Why, do you think, is it so difficult to get this is something which now, in these weeks, could be urged media, especially social media compan- message through? even more amplified. How, do you think, is it ies, to do much more to flag and remove ra- First, I would like to renew my deep appre- possible to fight the feelings of fear spreading cist, misogynist and other harmful content, in ciation to Pope Francis for his support for my among people, especially in these difficult times? line with international human rights law. global ceasefire appeal and the work of the Religious leaders have United Nations. His global engagement, com- a crucial role to play to passion and calls for unity reaffirm the core promote mutual respect values that guide our work: to reduce human in their communities and suffering and promote human dignity. beyond. They are well- When I launched the ceasefire appeal, my Recovery also needs to go hand-in-hand positioned to challenge inaccurate and harmful message to parties to conflict around the with climate action. I have been calling world was simple: fighting needs to stop so messages, and encourage on Governments to ensure that spending all communities to pro- that we can focus on our shared enemy — mote non-violence and Covid-19. to revitalize economies should be used to reject xenophobia, racism So far, the call has been endorsed by 115 invest in the future, not the past. and all forms of intoler- Governments, regional organizations, more ance. than 200 civil society groups as well as other religious leaders. Sixteen armed groups have Fear is certainly fostered by pledged to end violence. Millions of people fake news, which, as you re- have also signed an on-line call for support. cently denounced, is spread- But mistrust remains high, and it is difficult The Covid-19 pandemic is not just a global ing more and more. How is it possible to fight to turn these commitments into actions that health emergency. misinformation without risking to blot out funda- make a difference in the lives of those im- In recent weeks, there has been a surge of mental freedoms and rights in the name of this pacted by conflict. conspiracy theories and anti-foreigner senti- battle? My special representatives and envoys are ment. In some cases, journalists, health pro- People around the world want to know working tirelessly around the world, with my fessionals, or human rights defenders have what to do and where to turn for advice. In- own direct involvement when necessary, to been targeted simply for doing their jobs. stead, they have to navigate an epidemic of turn expressed intentions into effective cease- From the very beginning of this crisis, I misinformation that, at its worst, can put lives f i re s . have been advocating for solidarity within so- at risk. I continue to call on parties to conflict and cieties and among countries. Our response I salute the journalists and others who are on all those who can have influence on them, must be based on human rights and human fact-checking the mountain of misleading to place the health and safety of people first. d i g n i t y. stories and social media posts. In support of these efforts, I have launched a UN Communications Response initiative, under the name Verified, aimed at getting ac- curate, factual information to people while en- couraging solutions and solidarity as we move from crisis to recovery. Religious leaders also have a role to play to leverage their networks and communication capacities to support governments in promot- ing public health measures recommended by the World Health Organization — from phys- ical distancing to good hygiene — and to dis-

CONTINUED ON PA G E 6

Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Brazil number 22, Friday, 29 May 2020 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 5

Pontifical Letter for the 25th anniversary of John Paul II’s ‘Ut Unum Sint’ Prophetic gestures on the path towards unity

“May the Spirit inspire new prophetic gestures and strengthen fraternal charity among all Christ’s disciples”, Pope Francis writes in a letter addressed to Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the for the Promotion of Christian Unity, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of John Paul II’s Encyclical “Ut Unum Sint”, which “confirmed ‘i r re v o c a b l y ’ the ecumenical commitment of the Church”. The following is the English text of the Holy Fa t h e r ’s letter which was released on Monday morning, 25 May.

that same liturgical and spiritual context, we now commemorate it, and propose it once more to the . The re- cognized that the movement for the restoration of unity among all Chris- tians “arose by the grace of the Holy Spirit” (Unitatis Redintegratio, 1). The Council also taught that the Spirit, while “distributing various kinds of spiritual gifts and minis- tries”, is “the principle of the C h u rc h ’s unity” (ibid., 2). Ut Unum Homily at the Celebration of Vespers, Saint Paul Outside-the-Walls, 25 January 2014 To my dear Brother Sint reaffirmed that “legitimate di- Cardinal Kurt Koch versity is in no way opposed to the President of the Pontifical Council C h u rc h ’s unity, but rather enhances many steps have been taken in these plains the Scriptures to us. May we for Promoting Christian Unity her splendour and contributes decades to heal the wounds of cen- recognize him in the breaking of the greatly to the fulfilment of her mis- turies and millennia. Mutual know- bread, as we await the day when we Tomorrow marks the twenty-fifth an- sion” (no. 50). Indeed, “only the ledge and esteem have grown and shall share the Eucharistic table to- niversary of Saint John Paul II’s En- Holy Spirit is able to kindle di- g e t h e r. cyclical Letter Ut Unum Sint. With versity, multiplicity and, at the same helped to overcome deeply rooted his gaze fixed on the horizon of the time, bring about unity... It is he prejudices. Theological dialogue and I renew my gratitude to all who Jubilee of 2000, Pope John Paul II who brings harmony to the the dialogue of charity have de- have worked and continue to work desired that the Church, on her C h u rc h ”, because, as Saint Basil the veloped, as well as various forms of in the to keep the aware- journey towards the third millenni- Great said, “He himself is harmony” cooperation in the dialogue of life, ness of this irrevocable goal alive in um, should be ever mindful of the (Homily in the Catholic Cathedral of at both the pastoral and cultural the Church. I am especially pleased heartfelt prayer of her Teacher and the Holy Spirit, Istanbul, 29 Novem- level. At this moment, my thoughts to recognize two recent initiatives. Lord “that all may be one” (cf. Jn ber 2014). turn to my beloved Brothers, the The first is an Ecumenical Vademecum 17:21). For this reason he issued the On this anniversary, I give thanks heads of the different Churches and for Bishops that will be published Encyclical that confirmed “irrevo c- to the Lord for the journey he has Christian communities, and to all this autumn, as an encouragement ably” (UUS, 3) the ecumenical com- allowed us to travel as Christians in our brothers and sisters of every and guide for the exercise of their mitment of the . He quest of . I too share Christian tradition who are our com- ecumenical responsibilities. Indeed, published it on the Solemnity of the the healthy impatience of those who panions on this journey. Like the the service of unity is an essential as- Ascension of the Lord, placing it sometimes think that we can and disciples of Emmaus, may we exper- pect of the mission of every Bishop, under the sign of the Holy Spirit, should do more. Yet we should not ience the presence of the risen who is “the visible source and the creator of unity in diversity. In be lacking in faith and gratitude: Christ who walks at our side and ex- foundation of unity” in his own Par- ticular Church (Lumen Gentium, 23; cf. CIC 383 §3; CCEO 902-908). The second initiative is the launch of the journal Acta Œcumenica which, by renewing the Dicastery’s Informa- The with Pope Francis tion Service, is meant to assist all who work in the service of unity. Devoted and with one accord to pray- gency and the vast world of volun- er, together with Mary (Acts 1:14) teer work; and a young family, into On the path that leads to full United in prayer to invoke the which a child was born during this communion it is important to keep help and assistance of Our Lady in very period, as a sign of hope and in mind the progress already made, the pandemic, and to entrust the of the victory of life over death. but equally important to scan the whole of humanity to the Lord. On The Holy Father will place the horizon and ask, with the Encyclical 30 May 2020, at 5:30 pm, Pope many cares and sorrows of human- Ut Unum Sint,“Quanta est nobis via?” (no. 77). One thing is certain: Francis will preside over the prayer ity, further aggravated by the unity is not chiefly the result of our of the Holy Rosary from the Grotto spread of Covid-19, at Mary's feet. activity, but a gift of the Holy Spirit. of Lourdes in the Vatican Gardens. The concluding event of the Mari- Yet “unity will not come about as a The Marian celebration, to be an month is a further sign of close- miracle at the very end. Rather, unity broadcast live via satellite, has been ness and comfort for those who, in organized by the Pontifical Council comes about in journeying; the Holy various ways, have been affected by Spirit does this on the journey” for the Promotion of the New the coronavirus, in the certainty Evangelization, on the theme: “D e- (Homily at the Celebration of Vespers, that the Heavenly Mother does not voted and with one accord to pray- Saint Paul Outside the Walls, 25 disregard our pleas for protection. er, together with Mary” (Acts 1:14). January 2014). With confidence, The largest shrines on the vari- Shrines throughout the world will then, let us ask the Holy Spirit to ous continents will be linked. For join in the prayer, with special par- one who has lost a family member, guide our steps and to enable every- ticipation on the part of families. It example, from Europe: Lourdes one to hear the call to work for the on behalf of all those who have (France), Fatima (Portugal), San will be a worldwide act of prayer been personally touched by the cause of ecumenism with renewed Giovanni Rotondo, Pompeii (Italy) for those who wish to unite with coronavirus; a hospital chaplain vigour. May the Spirit inspire new and Czystochowa (Poland); from Pope Francis on the eve of Pente- and a nursing , for all the prophetic gestures and strengthen cost Sunday. priests and consecrated persons North America: the Shrine of the fraternal charity among all Christ’s Some women and men represent- close to those affected by the dis- in Wash- disciples, “that the world may be- ing various categories of those par- ease; a pharmacist and a journalist, ington, D.C. (USA), the Shrine of lieve” (Jn 17:21), to the ever greater ticularly affected by the virus will who represent all those who, even Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mexico); praise of our Father in heaven. pray the Mysteries. There will be a during the period of the pandemic, from Africa: the Shrine of Elele doctor and a nurse, representing have continued to serve others; a (Nigeria) and Notre-Dame de la From the Vatican, 24 May 2020 the medical personnel working on Civil Defence volunteer with his Paix (Ivory Coast); and from South the front lines in the hospitals; one family, on behalf of all those who America: Chiquinquira (Colombia), person who has been cured and are working to deal with this emer- Lujan and Milagro (Argentina). page 6 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 29 May 2020, number 22 Global threats require a new solidarity

CONTINUED FROM PA G E 4 Poverty could rise by 500 million people — the first increase in three decades. pel false information and rumors. We cannot allow this to happen and this is why I continue to advocate for a global relief package Among the groundless news that daily assail public amounting to at least 10 per cent of the global opinion, currently there is a lot of criticism of UN e c o n o m y. agencies, as for example the World Health Organiza- The most developed countries can do this with tion (WHO). What is your opinion with regard to their own resources, and some have already begun this? to put in place such measures. But developing As we mourn the lives lost to the virus, we des- countries need massive and urgent support. pair that many more will follow, particularly in The International Monetary Fund has already places least able to cope with a pandemic. approved emergency financing to a first group of Looking back at how the pandemic unfolded, developing countries. The World Bank has indic- and at the international response, will be crucial. ated that with new and existing resources, it can But, right now, the World Health Organization provide $160 billion of financing over the next 15 and the entire UN system are in a race against months. The G20 has endorsed the suspension of the clock to save lives. debt service payments for the poorest countries. I am particularly worried about the lack of ad- I fully appreciate these steps, which can protect equate solidarity with developing countries — people, jobs and development gains. But even both in equipping them to respond to the Covid- this will not be sufficient and it will be important 19 pandemic and to address the dramatic econom- to consider additional measures, including debt ic and social impacts on the world’s poorest. relief, to avoid prolonged financial and economic The World Health Organization, and the entire crises. United Nations system have mobilized fully to save lives, stave off famine, ease the pain and Some say that after this pandemic the world will nev- plan for recovery. er be the same again. What could the future of the We set out a U.S.$7.6 billion Global Humanit- United Nations be in tomorrow’s world? before finding a vaccine, what can be done in order to arian Response Plan for the most vulnerable pop- test the treatments that have proven to be of some ef- The pandemic recovery brings opportunities to ulations, including refugees and internally dis- ficacy? steer the world onto a safer, healthier, more sus- placed persons. Donors have generously pledged tainable and inclusive path. close to $1 billion so far and I continue my ad- In an interconnected world, none of us is safe The inequalities and gaps in social protection vocacy to ensure that this plan is fully funded. until all of us are safe. that have been so painfully exposed will need to Our country teams are working in coordination This was, in a few words, the essence of my be addressed. We will also have an opportunity to with Governments to mobilize funding, to assist message at the launch of “ACT Accelerator” — place women and gender equality at the forefront health ministries on preparedness, and to support the global collaboration to speed up the develop- to help build resilience to future shocks. economic and social measures, from food security ment, production and equitable access to new Recovery also needs to go hand-in-hand with and home schooling to cash transfers and many Covid-19 diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. climate action. others. This must be seen as a global public good. Not I have been calling on Governments to ensure Our peace operations continue to carry out a vaccine or treatments for one country or one re- that spending to revitalize economies should be their important protection mandates, and to sup- gion or one-half of the world — but a vaccine and used to invest in the future, not the past. port peace and political processes. treatment that are affordable, safe, effective, eas- Ta x p a y e r s ’ money should be used to accelerate The UN system network of supply chains has ily-administered and universally available — for been placed at the disposal of developing coun- the decarbonization of all aspects of our economy everyone, everywhere. This vaccine needs to be and privilege the creation of green jobs. Now is tries, with millions of test kits, respirators and the people’s vaccine. surgical masks having now reached more than 100 the time to put a price on carbon and for pol- luters to pay for their pollution. Financial institu- countries. We have set up solidarity flights to How can we avoid having first rank and second rank tions and investors must take climate risks fully bring more supplies and workers to dozens of countries in this fight against the virus? At any rate, into account. countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. there is a danger that the pandemic will widen the Our template remains the Sustainable Develop- And since the beginning, I have mobilized the gap between rich and poor. How can we avoid this ment Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate expertise within the entire UN family to produce happening? a series of reports and policy briefs to provide change. analysis and advice for an effective, coordinated The pandemic is exposing inequalities every- Now is the time to be determined. Determined response by the international community. (ht- where. Economic inequalities, disparities in access to defeat Covid-19 and to emerge from the crisis t p s : / / w w w. u n . o rg / e n / c o ro n a v i ru s / u n - s e c re t a r y - to health services and so much more. by building a better world for all. general)

We are living in a time where attacks against multi- lateralism are multiplying. Do you think there is a need to strengthen people’s trust in international in- and stitutions? And how could this be done? The collaboration and contribution of all States Apostolic Palace to reopen — including the most powerful — is essential to not only fight Covid-19 but also to address the After remaining closed for the structures will be subject to There will also be changes to peace and security challenges we are facing. It is three months due to the health hygiene and social distancing the hours of operation. The also essential to help create conditions for an ef- fective recovery in the developed and developing emergency, the Vatican Mu- norms: body temperatures will following schedule will apply world. seums and the Apostolic Palace be monitored upon entry and at the Vatican Museums: the The virus has demonstrated our global fragility. of Castel Gandolfo will reopen face masks will be required. Pontifical Collections will re- And this fragility is not limited to our health sys- to the public, on 1 and 6 June, Additionally, there will be main open to the public from tems. It affects all areas of our world and our in- resp ectively. medical personnel on hand at Monday to Thursday, 10am – stitutions. The Museums will be open- all times during all hours of 8pm, with last entry at 6pm; The fragility of coordinated global efforts is ing with a “renewed spirit of public access, and visits will Friday and Saturday, 10am – highlighted by our failed response to the climate sharing” of the “e x t r a o rd i n a r y follow an extraordinary pro- 10pm, with last entry at 8pm; crisis, by the ever-increasing risk of nuclear prolif- universal patrimony of history, gramme in light of the the usual free opening on the eration, by our inability to come together to bet- art and faith”, noted Barbara evolving public health situ- last Sunday of the month will ter regulate the web. Jatta, Director of the Vatican ation. remain suspended during this The pandemic should be a wake-up call. Museums, along with several In order to better control the p erio d. Deadly global threats require a new unity and important changes, such as the number of visitors allowed in- Meanwhile, the magnificent s o l i d a r i t y. restoration of the Hall of Con- side, entry to the Vatican Mu- gardens of the Apostolic Palace stantine, and the complete seums during this period will of Castel Gandolfo will be You have openly commended the European initiative renovation of “Room 8”, which require a reservation, which can open to the public exclusively aimed at developing a vaccine for Covid-19. is dedicated to Rafael, as 2020 be made on the website on Saturdays and Sundays, However, finding a vaccine might tempt someone to marks 500 years since his death. at www.museivaticani.va, while 10am – 6pm, with the last entry take up a dominant position within the international Beginning on Monday, 1 the usual €4 reservation fee permitted at 5pm, beginning, community. How can we avoid this risk? And even June, all the people who enter will be waived at this time. as noted, on Saturday, 6 June. number 22, Friday, 29 May 2020 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 7

In a message to the Pontifical Mission Societies Pope Francis indicates the path to take and the temptations to avoid The miracle of freely giving oneself in service to the Church

“Missionary fervour” can never “be obtained as the result of reasoning or calculation”, but rather arises dom to Israel (cf. Ac t s 1:6). Yet, when Christ from giving oneself in service to the Church. Pope Francis said this in a message to the Pontifical leaves them, instead of being sad, they return Mission Societies whose annual general assembly originally scheduled for Thursday, 21 May, Feast of the to Jerusalem “with great joy”, as Luke tells us Ascension of our Lord, was postponed following restrictions imposed in recent months due to the (cf. 24:52). It would be odd if something had pandemic. The following is the English text of the Holy Father’s message which was written in Italian. not occurred. Indeed, Jesus had already prom- ised them the power of the Holy Spirit, who was to descend upon them at Pentecost. This When they had come together, they asked him, Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth”. is the miracle that changes everything. They “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to When he had said this, as they were looking on, become more confident when they entrust I s ra e l ? ”He said to them, “It is not for you to he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of everything to the Lord. They are filled with know times or seasons which the Father has fixed their sight (Acts 1:6-9). joy. Moreover, that joy is the fullness of con- by his own authority. But you shall receive power The Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was solation, the fullness of the presence of the when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you taken up into heaven and took his seat at the L o rd . shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all right hand of God. Nonetheless, they went forth Paul writes to the Galatians that the and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked Ap ostles’fullness of joy is not the effect of with them and confirmed the word through accom- pleasant feelings that make them happy. It is panying signs (Mk 16:19-20). an overflowing joy that can only be experi- Then he led them [out] as far as Bethany, enced as a fruit and gift of the Holy Spirit (cf. The source of mission raised his hands, and blessed them. As he blessed 5:22). Receiving the joy of the Spirit is a grace. them, he parted from them and was taken up to Moreover, it is the only force that enables us ANDREA TORNIELLI heaven. They did him homage and then returned to to preach the Gospel and to confess our faith Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the Lord. Faith means bearing witness to Pope Francis’ Message to the Pontifical Mission in the temple praising God (Lk 24:50-53). the joy that the Lord gives to us. A joy such as Societies is a weighty text, concrete in its direc- this cannot be the result of our own efforts. tions, indicating the one true source of the Jesus told his disciples that he would send C h u rc h ’s missionary work, and at the same time ***** seeking to avoid, by naming them, certain patho- them the Spirit, the Comforter, to his de- parture. In this way, he also entrusted the logies that risk degrading the mission itself. The Dear Brothers and Sisters! mission, Francis explains, is not the result of the apostolic work of the Church to the Spirit for application of “secular notions of activism or tech- This year I had decided to participate in your all time, until his return. The mystery of the nical-professional competence”, but born out of annual General Assembly on Thursday, 21 Ascension, together with the outpouring of the the “overflowing joy” that “the Lord gives to us” May, the feast of the Ascension of the Lord. Spirit at Pentecost, indelibly marks the mission and that is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. It is a grace, this joy that no one alone can give himself. Being missionaries means reverberating the great and unmerited gift that has been received, that is, reflecting the light of an Other, as the moon does with the sun. “In every human context”, the Pope writes, “wit- nesses are those who vouch for what someone else has done. In this sense, and only in this sense, can we be witnesses of Christ and his Spirit”. It is that mysterium lunae dear to the Fathers of the Church in the first centuries, who saw clearly that the Church lives moment after moment by the grace of Christ. Like the moon, the Church does not shine of her own light, and when she looks at herself too much or trusts in her own abilities, she ends up be- ing self-referential and no longer gives light to any- one. The origin of this Message is the contents of the Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, the text that outlined the path of the current Pontificate. Fran- cis recalls that proclaiming the Gospel and pro- fessing the Christian faith are something very dif- ferent from any political, cultural, psychological or religious proselytism. The Church grows in the world by attraction, and “if one follows Jesus, happy to be attracted by him, others will take no- The Assembly was subsequently cancelled be- of the Church: it is the work of the Holy Spirit tice. They may even be astonished”. cause of the pandemic that affects us all. I and not the consequence of our ideas and pro- The Message to the PMS, makes clear the Pope’s would now like to send this Message in order jects. This is the feature that makes missionary intention to quell that tendency to consider the to share what I had intended to say to you activity bear fruit and preserves it from the mission as something elitist, to be directed and personally. This Christian feast, in the remark- presumption of self-sufficiency, much less the managed through deliberate programmes, applying able times in which we are living, appears to temptation to commandeer Christ’s flesh, as- strategies, which obtain a “re a l i z a t i o n ” t h ro u g h me even more fruitful as a source of reflection cended to heaven, for narrowly “clerical” p ro - reasoning, appeals, activism, training. Even more for the journey and mission belonging to each jects and aims. evident from this pontifical text published today one of us and to the entire Church. When the ongoing work and efficacy of the (21 May) is that the Bishop of Rome considers this We celebrate the Ascension as a feast, yet it Holy Spirit is not appreciated in the Church’s a present risk, and therefore his words have a value commemorates the departure of Jesus from his mission, it means that even the most carefully that goes well beyond the Pontifical Mission Soci- disciples and from this world. The Lord as- chosen missionary language becomes like eties, to which it is addressed. To avoid the self-ref- cends to heaven and the Eastern liturgy nar- “words of human wisdom” aimed at glorifying erential tendency, the anxiety of commanding, and rates the astonishment of the angels in seeing a oneself or concealing one’s own interior the delegation of missionary work to “a man who in his flesh rises to be seated at the deserts. class of specialists” who consider baptized people right hand of the Father. Even so, while Christ as an inert mass to be reanimated and mobilized. is at the point of ascending to heaven, the dis- Francis recalls several distinct traits of the Christian ciples, who had seen him risen, still do not THEJOYOFTHEGOSPEL mission: gratitude and gratuitousness, humility, seem to understand what is happening. He is is an encounter with Jesus, who proximity to the lives of the people where they are about to bring his Kingdom to fulfilment and loves and forgives us by sending the Spirit and as they are, and a preference for the little ones they are still caught up in their own ideas. and for the poor. They ask him if he is going to restore the king- CONTINUED ON PA G E 8 page 8 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 29 May 2020, number 22 Message to the Pontifical Mission Societies

CONTINUED FROM PA G E 7 by Christ himself and by his Spirit. The Church, achieved by our own merits, then the Gospel of as Pope Benedict XVI has said, grows in the Christ can be proclaimed only with humility. One who comforts and defends us. Salvation is not the world through attraction and not through pros- can never think of serving the Church’s mission consequence of our missionary initiatives nor of elytism (cf. H o m i l y, Mass for the Inauguration of by employing arrogance as individuals and our talking about the incarnation of the Word. the Fifth General Conference of the Bishops of through bureaucracies, with the pride of one who For each one of us, salvation can take place only Latin America and the Caribbean, Aparecida, 13 misunderstands even the gift of the sacraments through the lens of an encounter with the one May 2007: AAS 99 [2007], 437). Saint Augustine and the most authentic words of the Christian who calls us. For this reason, the mystery of pre- says that Christ reveals himself by attracting us. faith, seeing them as merited rewards. One can- dilection begins and can only begin with an out- Moreover, he cites the poet Virgil, who states that not be humble out of good manners or the desire burst of joy and gratitude. The joy of the Gospel all are attracted to what gives them pleasure. Je- to appear attractive. We are humble when we fol- is that “great joy” of the poor women who on sus does not just persuade our wills, but awakens low Christ, who said to his disciples: “Learn from morning went to the tomb of Christ, found our pleasure (Commentary on the Gospel of John, me, for I am meek and humble of heart” (Mt it empty, then encountered the risen Jesus and 26:4). If one follows Jesus, happy to be attracted 11:29). Saint Augustine asks why, after the resur- raced home to tell the others (cf. Mt 28:8-10). by him, others will take notice. They may even be rection, Jesus let himself be seen by his disciples Only because we have been chosen and singled astonished. The joy that radiates from those at- and not by those who had crucified him, conclud- out can we bear witness to the glory of the risen tracted by Christ and by his Spirit is what can ing that Jesus did not want to give the impression Christ before the entire world. make any missionary initiative fruitful. of “challenging his killers in some way. For Jesus, it was actually more important to teach humility In every human context witnesses are those Gratitude and Gratuitousness. The joy of pro- to his friends, rather than uphold the truth before who vouch for what someone else has done. In claiming the Gospel always shines brightly his enemies” (Sermon 284, 6). this sense, and only in this sense, can we be wit- against the backdrop of a grateful memory. The nesses of Christ and his Spirit. As described in Apostles never forgot the moment that Jesus To facilitate, not to complicate. Another authentic the conclusion of the Gospel of Mark, after the touched their hearts: “It was about four in the af- feature of missionary work is its imitation of the Ascension the apostles and disciples “went forth terno on” (Jn 1:39). The reality of the Church patience of Jesus, who always showed mercy to and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked shines forth whenever gratitude is manifested others as they continued to grow. A small step with them and confirmed the forward in the midst of great hu- word through accompanying man limitations can be more signs” (16:20). By his Spirit, pleasing before God than the Christ testifies to himself great strides made by those who through the works that he fulfils go through life without great in and with us. As Saint Au- difficulties. A missionary heart gustine explains, the Church recognizes the real condition of would not pray to the Lord to real people, with their own lim- ask that faith be given to those its, sins and frailties in order to who do not know Christ unless become “weak among the weak” she believed that it is God him- (cf. 1 Cor 9:22). “Going forth” self who directs and draws our on mission to reach human peri- wills towards himself. The pheries does not mean wander- Church would not make her ing without direction and mean- children pray to the Lord to per- ing, like those frustrated vendors severe in the faith of Christ if who complain that people are she did not believe that it is the too unsophisticated to be inter- Lord himself who possesses our ested in their wares. Sometimes hearts. Indeed, if she asked him this means slowing our pace in for these things, but thought order to lead a person who is that she could give them to her- still by the wayside. At times this self, it would mean that all her means imitating the father in the prayers would be empty words, parable of the prodigal son, who rote formulas or platitudes im- leaves the doors open and looks posed by ecclesiastical custom out each day awaiting the return rather than authentic prayer (cf. of his son (cf. Lk 15:20). The On the Gift of Perseverance. To Church is not a customs office Prosper and Hilary, 23, 63). and anyone who participates in Unless we realize that faith is the mission of the Church is a gift of God, even the prayers called not to impose unnecessary which the Church raises to God burdens on people already worn are meaningless. Nor do they re- out or to require demanding flect a sincere passion for the programmes of formation in or- happiness and salvation of others and for those within her by the free initiative of God, for “he der to enjoy what the Lord gives easily, or to erect who do not recognize the risen Christ, however loved us” first (1 Jn 4:10) and “it is only God obstacles to the will of Jesus, who prays for each much time we may spend on planning for the who gives the growth” (1 Cor 3:7). The loving of us and wants to heal and save everyone. conversion of the world to Christianity. predilection of God surprises us, and surprise by its very nature cannot be owned or imposed by Proximity to life “in progress”. Jesus met his first If we recognize that the Holy Spirit ignites and disciples on the shore of the Sea of Galilee while preserves the faith in our hearts, everything us. One cannot be “necessarily surprised”. Only in this way can the miracle of gratuitousness, the they were focused on their work. He did not meet changes. Indeed, the Spirit enkindles and en- them at a convention, a training workshop, or in gratuitous gift of self, blossom. Nor can mission- livens the Church’s mission, bestowing all those the Temple. It has always been the case that the ary fervour ever be obtained as the result of reas- individual accents and styles that make the pro- proclamation of Jesus’ salvation reaches people oning or calculation. To be “in a state of mission” clamation of the Gospel and the confession of the right where they are and just how they are in the Christian faith something different from all polit- is a reflection of gratitude. It is the response of midst of their lives in progress. Amid the needs, ical, cultural, psychological or religious forms of one who by gratitude is made docile to the Spirit hopes and problems of everyday life we find the p ro s e l y t i s m . and is therefore free. Without a recognition of the place where one who has acknowledged the love I considered many of these features of mission predilection of the Lord, who inspires gratitude in of Christ and received the gift of the Holy Spirit in my Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, us, even knowledge of the truth and of God him- can offer an account of his or her faith, hope, and and here I shall recall a few of them. self would, presented as a goal to be achieved by charity to those who ask for it. By journeying to- our own efforts, in fact become a “letter that gether with others, alongside everyone. Especially At t ra c t i v e n e s s . The mystery of the Redemption brings death” (cf. 2 Cor 3:6), as Saint Paul and given the times in which we live, this has nothing entered into and continues to work in the world Saint Augustine were the first to point out. Only to do with designing “sp ecialized”training pro- through an attraction that can draw the hearts of in the freedom of gratitude can one truly know grammes, creating parallel worlds, or constructing men and women because it is and appears more the Lord, whereas it is useless and above all im- “slogans” that merely echo our own thoughts and alluring than the seductions which appeal to the proper to insist on presenting missionary activity concerns. I have elsewhere spoken of those in the selfishness that is a result of sin. As Jesus says in and the proclamation of the Gospel as if they Church who proclaim loudly that “this is the the Gospel of John, “No one can come to me un- were a binding duty, a kind of “contractual oblig- hour of the laity”, while in the meantime the less the Father who sent me draw him” (6:44). ation” on the part of the baptized. clock seems to have stopped. The Church has always insisted that this is the reason why we follow Jesus and proclaim his H u m i l i t y. Since truth and faith, happiness and The “sensus fidei” of the People of God. There is Gospel: through the force of attraction wrought salvation are not our own possessions, a goal one reality in the world that has a kind of “feel” number 22, Friday, 29 May 2020 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 9 Giving oneself in service to the Church for the Holy Spirit and his workings. It is the tionship between the Missionary Societies and the People of God, called and loved by Jesus, who infallible sensus fidei in credendo of the faithful for their part continue to seek him amid the diffi- People of God. culties of their lives. The People of God beg for the gift of his Spirit: entrusting their expectation — The Missionary Societies, since their beginning, to the simple words of their prayers and never en- have moved along two “tracks”, or better along tertaining the presumption of their own self-suffi- two parallel channels, that in their simplicity have ciency. The holy People of God are gathered to- always been close to the heart of the People of gether and anointed by the Lord, and in virtue of God: those of p ra y e r and of charity in the form of this anointing are made infallible “in credendo”, as almsgiving which “saves from death, and purges the Tradition of the Church teaches. The working all sin” (To b 12:9), the “intense love” that “covers of the Holy Spirit equips the faithful People with a multitude of sins” (1 Pet 4:8). The founders of an “instinct” of faith, the sensus fidei, which helps the Mission Societies, beginning with Pauline them not to err when believing the things of Jaricot, did not invent the prayers and works to God, even if they do not know the theological ar- which they entrusted their hopes for the proclam- guments and formulas that define the gifts they ation of the Gospel. They simply drew them from experience. The mystery of the pilgrim people, the infinite treasury of those familiar and habitual who with their popular piety travel to shrines and gestures of the People of God on its pilgrimage entrust themselves to Jesus, Mary and the , through history. draws from this and shows that it is connatural to the free and gratuitous initiative of God, apart — The Mission Societies, which arose spontaneously from our pastoral planning. from the life of the People of God, in their simple and concrete configuration were recognized by A special care for the little ones and the poor. Any the Church of Rome and her Bishops, who in the missionary impulse, if derived from the Holy last century sought to adopt them as a unique ex- Spirit, manifests predilection for the poor and pression of their own service to the universal vulnerable as a sign and reflection of the Lord’s Church. Hence the title “Pontifical” was con- own preference for them. Those directly involved ferred upon these Societies. From that time on, with the Church’s missionary initiatives and struc- the PMS have always shown themselves to be an tures should never justify their lack of concern for instrument of service in support of the particular PI T FA L L S TO AV O I D the poor with the excuse, widely used in particu- Churches in the work of proclaiming the Gospel. S e l f - a b s o rp t i o n . Church organizations and agen- lar ecclesiastical circles, of having to concentrate In this same way, the Pontifical Mission Societies cies, quite apart from the good intentions of their their energies on certain priorities for the mission. have readily served the Church as part of the uni- individual members, sometimes end up turning in For the Church, a preference for the poor is not versal ministry exercised by the Pope and by the on themselves, devoting energy and attention optional. Church of Rome, which “presides in charity”. In primarily to promoting themselves and to advert- All these demands and approaches are part of this way, carrying out their work and without be- ising their own initiatives. Some seem to be dom- the Church’s mission, guided by the Holy Spirit. coming embroiled in complex theological dis- inated by an obsession to continually redefine Normally, in ecclesiastical language and speech, putes, the PMS have countered the claims of their own importance and their own bailiwicks the necessity of the Holy Spirit as the source of those who, also in ecclesiastical circles, wrongly within the Church, under the guise of relaunch- the Church’s missionary activity is acknowledged contrast charisms and institutions, reading their ing their specific mission. In this way, as Cardinal and affirmed. Yet this acknowledgement can at relationship through the lens of a fallacious “dia- Joseph Ratzinger once said, they can foster the times be reduced to a type of “ceremonial nod” to lectic of principles”. For in the Church even per- misleading idea that a person is somehow more the Most Holy , a stock introductory pre- manent structural elements, such as the sacra- Christian if he or she is occupied with intra-eccle- face to our theological discussions and pastoral ments, the priesthood, and sial structures, whereas in reality nearly all the plans. There are many situations in the Church are continuously to be recreated by the Holy baptized are daily living lives of faith, hope, and where the primacy of grace appears to be no Spirit and are not simply realities at the Church’s charity, without ever participating in Church com- more than a theoretical concept or an abstract disposal (cf. CA R D. J. RAT Z I N G E R , The Theological mittees or concerned for the latest news about ec- formulation. Instead of leaving room for the Locus of Ecclesial Movements, Address given at the clesiastical politics (cf. Una compagnia sempre ri- working of the Holy Spirit, many initiatives and World Congress of Ecclesial Movements, Rome, formanda, Speech at the IX Meeting in Rimini, 1 entities connected to the Church end up being 27-29 May 1998). September 1990). concerned only with themselves. Many ecclesiast- Control anxiety. Institutions and agencies some- ical establishments, at every level, seem to be — The Missionary Societies, since their initial dif- times set out to help ecclesial communities by swallowed up by the obsession of promoting fusion, have been structured as a widespread network employing the gifts generated in them by the themselves and their own initiatives, as if that spread throughout the People of God, wholly Holy Spirit, yet over time they presume to exer- were the objective and goal of their mission. anchored and indeed “immanent” in the network of preexisting institutions and realities in the cise supremacy and control over the very com- To this point, I have sought to reiterate criteria C h u rc h ’s life, such as dioceses, parishes, and reli- munities they are meant to serve. This attitude is and starting points for the missionary activity of gious communities. The particular vocation of almost always accompanied by the claim that they the Church that I explained in greater detail in persons engaged in the Missionary Societies has are exercising the role of “overseers” called to de- my Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium.I never been lived or perceived as an alternative termine the legitimacy of other groups. They end have done so because I believe that for the PMS path, a relationship “external” to the ordinary up acting as if the Church was a product of our it is beneficial and fruitful — and indeed urgently forms of the life of the particular Churches. The own calculations, plans, agreements and de- necessary — to discuss these criteria and sugges- summons to pray and gather resources for the cisions. tions in this stage of their journey. missions has always been exercised as a service to Elitism. An elitist feeling, the unspoken notion ecclesial communion. of belonging to an aristocracy, takes hold at times among those who are part of groups and organ- THE PMS AT THE PRESENT TIME. — The Missionary Societies, which in time became ized institutions in the Church: a superior class of TALENTS TO D E V E L O P, T E M P TAT I O N S AND a network spread throughout the world, mirror in specialists who strive to increase their own influ- MALADIES TO AV O I D their own configuration the variety of accents, ence in collusion or in competition with other ec- clesiastical elites, and train their members accord- Where should we look in considering the situations, problems, and gifts that characterize ing to secular notions of activism or technical- present and future of the PMS? What are the the life of the Church in the various parts of the professional competence, but always with the dead weights that risk burdening the journey? world. This plurality can serve as a safeguard against ideological homogenization and cultural main goal of promoting their own oligarchic priv- The identity of the Pontifical Mission Societies unilateralism. In this sense, the PMS reflect the ileges. has certain hallmarks. In a manner of speaking, mystery of the universality of the Church, in Isolation from the people. The elitist temptation some are genetic, whereas others have developed which the incessant work of the Holy Spirit cre- in some organizations connected to the Church through a lengthy historical process and are often ates harmony from different voices, even as the can be accompanied at times by a sentiment of overlooked or taken for granted. Yet these fea- Bishop of Rome, in his service of charity, exer- superiority and of intolerance towards the rest of tures can safeguard and enhance, above all in the cised also through the Pontifical Mission Societ- the baptized, towards the people of God who present time, the contribution of this “network” ies, safeguards unity in faith. to the universal mission to which the entire may attend parishes and visit shrines, but are not Church is called. All the characteristics described above can help “activists” busy in Catholic organizations. The the Pontifical Mission Societies to avoid certain People of God is viewed as an inert mass, always — The Missionary Societies arose spontaneously pitfalls and pathologies on their journey and that in need of being awakened and mobilized from missionary fervour expressed by the faith of of many other ecclesial institutions. Let me the baptized. There has always been a deep rela- present a few of these. CONTINUED ON PA G E 10 page 10 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 29 May 2020, number 22 Message to the Pontifical Mission Societies

sign that faith itself is fading. In such cases, the attempt to revive the flame by strategies and speeches will end up only weakening it all the more, causing the desert to expand. 4) The service undertaken by the PMS natur- ally brings its staff into contact with countless realit- ies, situations and events that are part of the great ebb and flow of the life of the Church on every continent. In this contact, we may encounter nu- merous problems and forms of inertia that can mark ecclesial life, but also the gratuitous gifts of healing and consolation that the Holy Spirit dis- seminates in daily life, in what might be called the “middle class of holiness”. Rejoice and savour these encounters that you experience thanks to the work of the PMS, and let yourselves be as- tonished by them. I think of the reports of many miracles that happen to children, who perhaps encounter Jesus thanks to the initiatives proposed by the Holy Childhood. Yours is a labour that can never be reduced to an exclusively bureau- cratic-professional scope. When it comes to mis- sion, bureaucracies or functionaries should never exist. Your gratitude can in turn become a gift and witness for all. With the means that you have at your disposal, and quite naturally, you can re- CONTINUED FROM PA G E 9 ficial to seek a greater “immersion” in the reality count the comforting story of persons and com- of people’s lives. Following Jesus means emerging munities in which the miracle of faith gratuitously through a “consciousness-raising” consisting in ar- from our own problems and concerns. It would shines with hope and charity. guments, appeals and teachings. As if the cer- be worthwhile to enter into concrete circum- 5) Gratitude for the wonders worked by the tainty of faith was the consequence of persuasive stances and conditions, while seeking to reinteg- Lord among his chosen ones, the poor and the speech or training methods. rate the capillary effect of actions and contacts of little ones to whom he reveals those things hid- the PMS within the greater network of Church den from the wise (cf. Mt 11:25-26), can make it Ab s t ra c t i o n . Once they become self-absorbed, institutions (dioceses, parishes, communities, and easier for you too to avoid the pitfalls of self-absorp- institutions and entities connected to the Church groups). By prioritizing your specific presence in tion and leave yourselves behind as you follow Je- lose contact with reality and fall prey to abstrac- the People of God, with its bright spots and diffi- sus. The very notion of a self-centred missionary tion. They needlessly multiply instances of stra- culties, you can better elude the pitfall of abstrac- tegic planning in order to produce projects and effort, which spends time contemplating and cel- tion. One must provide answers to real questions ebrating its own initiatives, would be absurd. Do guidelines that serve only as means of self-promo- and not just formulate and multiply proposals. tion for those who come up with them. They take not waste time and resources, then, in looking at Perhaps concrete contact with real life situations, yourself in a mirror, devising plans centred on in- problems and dissect them in intellectual laborat- and not just discussions in boardrooms or theor- ories where everything has been domesticated and ternal mechanisms, functionality and the effi- etical analyses of our own internal dynamics, will ciency of your own bureaucracy. Look outside. is viewed through the lens of their own ideology. generate useful insights for changing and improv- Everything, even references to the faith or verbal Do not look at yourselves in the mirror. Break ing operating procedures and adapting them to every mirror in the house! The criteria employed appeals to Jesus and the Holy Spirit, once taken different contexts and circumstances. outside of their proper context, can thus end up in implementing programmes should aim not at rigidified and unreal. 2) I suggest proceeding in such a way that the burdening the network of the PMS but at making essential structure of the PMS remains bound to structures and procedures more flexible. National Fu n c t i o n a l i s m . Self-absorbed and elitist organiz- the practice of prayer and of gathering resources for Directors, for example, should be working to ations, even within the Church, often end up mission, in all its simplicity and practicality. This identify potential successors, taking as their sole staking everything on the imitation of secular would clearly demonstrate the relationship of the criterion proposing persons with great missionary models of worldly efficiency, like those rooted in PMS to the faith of the People of God. With all zeal, not just members of their own small group. competition, whether economic or social. Opting necessary flexibility and adaptations, this basic for functionalism gives the illusion of being able 6) Regarding the collection of resources to help design of the PMS should neither be forgotten to “sort matters out” in a balanced way, keeping the missions, I have already spoken during our nor distorted. Asking the Lord to open hearts to things under control, maximizing one’s own relev- past gatherings about the risk of turning the the Gospel and asking everyone to tangibly sup- ance, and improving the everyday management of PMS into an NGO, where everything is devoted port missionary work: these are simple and prac- existing structures. However, as I already said to to locating and appropriating funds. This de- tical things that everyone can readily do in this you at our 2016 meeting, a Church afraid of en- pends more on the attitude with which things are present time when, even amid the scourge of this trusting herself to the grace of Christ and focus- done than the goals that are achieved. It can cer- pandemic, there is a great desire to encounter and ing on the efficiency of her bureaucracy is already tainly be advisable and even appropriate when remain close to the heart of the Church’s life. So dead, even if structures and programmes that fa- fundraising to use creativity and even updated seek new paths, new forms of service, but try not vour the interest of “self-absorb ed”clergy or lay methods for seeking funding from potential and to complicate what in reality is quite simple. people linger for centuries. worthy sources. However, if in some areas the col- lection of donations lessens, even because of the 3) The PMS are and must be experienced as an waning of Christian memory, the temptation may instrument of service for the mission of the particu- arise to resolve the problem ourselves by “cover- RE C O M M E N D AT I O N S lar Churches, against the backdrop of the mission ing up” the situation and gambling on some bet- FOR THE JOURNEY of the universal Church. This is the ever-precious ter fundraising system developed by groups spe- Looking at the present and towards the future, contribution that the Societies make to the spread cializing in large donors. Our pain at the loss of and considering the resources needed for the of the Gospel. All of us are called to nurture by faith and the reduction of resources should not be PMS to overcome the pitfalls of the journey and means of love and gratitude, as well as by our covered up but rather placed in the hands of the move forward, I would like to offer a few sugges- works, the seeds of divine life that the Spirit of Lord. In any case, asking for offerings for the tions as an aid for your discernment. Since you Christ causes to blossom and grow where he wills, missions should continue to be directed first and have undertaken your own process of re-evalu- even in the deserts. Please, in your prayer ask foremost to the larger body of the baptized, also ation of the PMS, which you would like to be above all that the Lord make everyone better pre- through different ways of taking up the collection guided by the thinking of the Pope, I offer for pared to recognize the signs of his activity, in or- for the missions carried out in every country in your attention some general criteria and starting der then to reveal them to the whole world. Even October on the occasion of World Mission Day. points, without entering into details, not least be- this can be helpful: to ask that, in the depths of The Church continues to advance thanks to the cause different situations may require adaptations our own hearts, our prayer to the Holy Spirit may widow’s mite and the contributions of innumer- and modifications. not be reduced to a mere formality in our meet- able people healed and consoled by Jesus, who ings and homilies. It is not helpful to theorize for this reason, overflowing with gratitude, donate 1) To the best of your ability, and without un- about super-strategies or mission “c o re whatever they have. due speculation about the future, preserve or recov- guidelines” as a means of reviving missionary er the role of the PMS as part of the larger People of spirit or giving missionary patents to others. If, in 7) The use of the donations received is always to God from which they arose. It would prove bene- some cases, missionary fervour is fading, it is a be evaluated with an appropriate sensus Ecclesiae number 22, Friday, 29 May 2020 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 11 Freely giving oneself in service to the Church regarding the distribution of funds in support of cultures that have not yet received the Christian changes to make in procedures, it is good that structures and projects capable of advancing the message, a specific cultural form must not be im- these point towards unburdening rather than in- apostolic mission and the preaching of the Gos- posed along with the preaching of the Gospel. creasing the load, aiming at operational flexibility pel in various ways and in diverse parts of the Today, also in the work of the PMS, there is no and not producing more rigid bureaucracies that world. Attention should always be paid to the need for extra baggage but rather the effort to involve the threat of introversion. An excessive most fundamental necessities of communities value differences and relate them to the essentials centralization, rather than helping, can complicate while at the same time avoiding a welfare culture, of the faith we share. Any attempt to standardize missionary outreach. Even a purely national or- which instead of assisting missionary zeal ends up the form of our message may obscure the univer- ganization of initiatives can jeopardize the nature making hearts lukewarm and feeding phenomena sality of the Christian faith, even promoting of the PMS network, as well as the exchange of of parasitic dependency, also within the Church. clichés and slogans fashionable in certain circles gifts between the Churches and local communit- Your contribution should aim at giving concrete and in particular countries that are culturally and ies lived as the tangible fruit and sign of charity answers to objective needs, without squandering politically dominant. In this regard, the special among brothers and sisters in communion with resources in initiatives marked by abstraction, relationship that unites the PMS to the Pope and the Bishop of Rome. self-absorption or generated by clerical narcissism. to the Church of Rome represents a resource and In any event, always demand that every consid- Do not yield to inferiority complexes or the a support for freedom from fleeting fads, certain eration regarding the operational aspect of the temptation to imitate those super-functional or- unilateral schools of thought or the cultural ho- PMS be illuminated by the one thing necessary: a ganizations that collect funds for good causes and mogenization associated with neo-colonialism. spark of true love for the Church as a reflection then use a good percentage of them to finance These are phenomena that, regrettably, are not of love for Christ. Yours is a service rendered to their own bureaucracy and to publicize their absent from ecclesiastical contexts. apostolic fervour, namely to that impulse of brand name. Even publicity can at times become Christian life which only the Holy Spirit can a way of promoting one’s own interests by show- 10) The PMS are not an autonomous entity in the bring about within the People of God. Think ing how one works for the poor and those in C h u rc h , acting in a vacuum. Among their distinct- about doing your work well, “as if everything de- need. ive features always to be cultivated and renewed is the special bond uniting them to the Bishop of pended on you, while knowing that everything in 8) As for the p o o r, you too must not forget them. the Church of Rome, which presides in charity. It fact depends on God” (Saint Ignatius of Loyola). This was the recommendation at the Council of is comforting to know that this bond manifests it- As I already mentioned to you in one of our en- Jerusalem that the apostles Peter, James and John self in a work carried out joyfully, without seeking counters, imitate the ready spirit of Mary. When passed on to Paul, Barnabas and Titus, who came applause or staking claims. A work that precisely she visited Elizabeth, Mary did not do so on her to discuss their mission among the uncircumcised: in its gratuitousness is intertwined with service to own: she went as a servant of the Lord Jesus, “Only, we were to be mindful of the poor” (Gal the Pope, the servant of the servants of God. I whom she carried in her womb. She said nothing 2:10). Following that recommendation, Paul or- would ask that the distinctive sign of your close- about herself, but simply brought her Son and ganized collections for the benefit of the brethren ness to the Bishop of Rome be precisely this: the praised God. It was not about her. She went as of the Church of Jerusalem (cf. 1 Cor 16:1). The sharing of the love of the Church, a reflection of the servant of the One who is the sole protagonist preferential option for the poor and the little ones her own love for Christ, experienced and ex- of missionary activity. Nonetheless, she wasted no has always been present since the origins of the pressed quietly, without pride or a concern for time, going in haste and doing what was needed mission of proclaiming the Gospel. Works of spir- “turf wars”. Daily efforts born of charity and the to look after her kinswoman. She teaches us this itual and corporal charity on their behalf are ex- mystery of gratuitousness, which support count- same readiness, the haste born of fidelity and ad- pressions of a “divine preference” that serves as a less persons who remain deeply thankful, yet per- oration. constant challenge to the faith of all Christians, haps even unaware of whom to thank, since they May Our Lady watch over you and the Ponti- who are called to have the same attitude as that may never have heard of the PMS. The mystery fical Mission Societies, and may her Son, the of Jesus (cf. Phil 2:5). of charity, within the Church, works in this way. Lord Jesus Christ, bless you. For before ascend- 9) The PMS, in their worldwide network, re f l e c t We continue to advance together, even amid tri- ing to heaven, he promised to be with us always, the rich variety of the “people with a thousand faces”, als, thanks to the gifts and the consolations of the to the end of time. gathered together by the grace of Christ and Lord. In the meantime, and at every step, we joy- marked by missionary fervour. That zeal is not al- fully acknowledge that all of us are useless ser- vants, beginning with myself. Given in Rome, at Saint John Lateran, ways intense and lively in the same way every- the 21st of May 2020, where. Even so, the same urgency of confessing the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. Christ dead and resurrected finds expression in a CONCLUSION variety of accents and adapts to diverse contexts. The revelation of the Gospel is not identified Move forward with enthusiasm! There is much with any one culture and when it encounters new to do on the journey that awaits you. If there are page 12 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 29 May 2020, number 22 storytelling WORD OF THE YEAR

“I would like to devote this year’s Message to the theme of storytelling, because I believe that, so as not to lose our bearings, we need to make our own the truth contained in good stories. Stories that build up, not tear down; stories that help us rediscover our roots and the strength needed to move forward together”. (Message of the Holy Father for the World Day of Social Communications 2020)

“Commentary on the Apocalypse” by Beatus of Liébana (detail, XI century)

Social distancing in our relationship with God The continuous struggle against ‘shap eless’time

TIMOTHY RAD CLIFFE, OP ruthless power that only the Lord of touched by this during a visit to at the Last Supper over a com- life and death can overthrow. Every Rwanda in 1993, as the genocide was munity which is already disintegrat- On January 22nd and 23rd, 2020, pandemic carries a hint of the apo- beginning to ignite. I was due to ing. In the garden of Gethsemane, the director general of the World calypse, of ‘the pale green horse! Its visit the Dominican sisters in the his disciples sleep while he struggles Health Organisation presided over rider’s name was Death, and Hades north when the Belgian Ambassador alone to face his destiny. He is a sol- an Emergency Committee to con- followed with him’ (Rev 6:8). came and warned us to stay at home itary figure as he stands before the sider whether the outbreak of a new Plagues have frequently cast the since the country was on fire, but we judgment of the high priests and virus in Wuhan constituted a public shadow of death over humanity but went anyway. After a day charged Pontius Pilate, and then he attains health emergency of international never before have we been so aware with violence, with rebels and sol- the utter solitude of the cross, made concern. The committee was unable of a global menace. I read every day diers, with children maimed by unutterably worse by the baying to agree. The following day, January of how many victims there have mines, I went to visit my Dominican mob below. So one way to bear the 24th, Pope Francis published his been in every country of the world. sisters. What could I say in the isolation which is imposed on bil- message for the 54th World Com- What story of hope can Christianity midst of such horror? I was lost for lions is as a sharing in the loneliness munications Day, on the art of offer today faced with Covid-19? words. Then I remembered that I of Jesus which he bore so that we storytelling. The world was on the The Jewish Passover was a re- had a memory and a promise to re- might belong to each other in him. verge of waking up to a new global membrance of the plagues that led enact, which defied death, and In Rwanda, and then more re- plague. What stories can we tell to the liberation of the Israelites which promised communion when cently in Syria within hearing dis- faced with a pandemic? from the slavery of Egypt. This humanity was scattered. This is the tance of the front line with ISIS, the The Pope asserts that we need memory shaped the Lord’s confront- story with which we challenge the pregnant hope of our simple stories ‘so as not to lose our bear- ation with the ultimate enemy of hu- menace of plague, which is why it is Eucharistic story was unveiled for ings… stories that help us rediscover manity, death on the night before deeply sad that most of us cannot me. This is the narrative which no our roots and the strength needed to his betrayal. This is the story with gather together to celebrate it but pestilence can subvert. And yet for move forward together.’ Our stories, which we can find our bearings in a must watch on-line. millions of people going to Mass is communal and individual, shape our time of pestilence. On that night, all Pope Francis’ message for World experienced simply as boring. For sense of time so that we can navig- that gave bearing and direction to Communication Day is an invitation many, it does not touch their ima- ate towards a future with hope. But the disciples collapsed. Everything to remember that even in the isola- gination but is a dreary duty to be in this time of lockdown, the usual on which they had staked their hope tion of our own homes we can sus- e n d u re d . calendars that give us a sense of fu- was about to crumble. Ahead lay tain communion in ways that were It is paradoxical that one of the ture are collapsing. Family gather- only betrayal, denial, desertion, the never possible before. We respond most popular stories of the twentieth ings for weddings and funerals are collapse of their little community, to a global crisis with a global com- century, The Lord of the Rings by not possible; we cannot come to- and the suffering and death of the munion. The number of people at- J.R.R Tolkien is an exploration of gether to celebrate the great feasts of one who called them his friends. As tending the daily Eucharist on-line his belief in the Eucharist. He wrote the liturgical year; even the sporting the disciples on the road to Emmaus at my priory in Oxford is three to his son Michael, just before his calendar no longer gives us a sense said, ‘We had hoped that he was the times the number who came to first communion, ‘I put before you of anticipation. Our time has be- one to redeem Israel’ (Lk 24:21). church here before Covid-19. I am the one great thing to love on earth: come shapeless. A pandemic leaves The cross seemed to be not just the receiving a tsunami of emails and the Blessed Sacrament. There you us without any bearings. We need death of one person, but the victory phone calls. I skype and zoom as will find romance, glory, honour, fi- stories that shape our lives in a time of death itself. never before. delity and the true way of all your of plague. So Jesus’ gesture in taking the Yet the physical isolation gnaws at loves upon earth.’ It appears strange Providentially, the Pope’s message bread, blessing it and declaring it to our humanity. We need the nourish- that a romance that touched the begins with a quotation — “That you be his body, and the wine to be his ment of each other’s faces and the imagination of the world is Euchar- may tell your children and grand- blood, was a gesture pregnant with a sustenance of gentle touch. If we are istic, and yet the Eucharist itself of- c h i l d re n ” (Ex 10:2) — that directly hope beyond all their imagining. It deprived of these our humanity is ten fails to do so. How can the refers to the plagues inflicted on the did not just grapple with his death starved. Grandparents are unable to beauty of its narrative become evid- Egyptians. The blood of lambs on the next day, but with the reign of embrace their children, and we find ent? the doorposts of the Hebrews saved death, reaching forward to the vic- ourselves separated from people Pope Francis identifies heroism as them from the final plague, the tory of Easter Day. whom we love. Zoom and Skype are a characteristic of compelling stories: death of all the first born males. One glimpses the splendour of not enough. How can we bear it? ‘The stories of different ages all have Plagues in the Bible confront us the drama of that last night in situ- The story of the Last Supper tells a common “lo om”: thethread of with death, not just as the inevitable ations when death casts its dark of a communion that is born of Je- fate of every living thing, but as a shadow over peoples. I first was sus’ deepening isolation. He presides CONTINUED ON PA G E 13 number 22, Friday, 29 May 2020 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 13 Why we pray during a global pandemic

During times of great uncertainty, small mo- people we are called to be. As Mother Teresa ments of meaning inevitably emerge that invi- once said: “Prayer in action is love and love te us to think differently about our present si- in action is service.” tuation. As religious leaders of diverse faiths, prayer One of those moments was captured in a helps reveal answers to questions that weigh recent photo of two men praying. Look closer on us. Admittedly, the answers we seek some- and you see that one man is a Jew, the other a times are not readily clear. When this hap- Muslim and both are paramedics in Israel. pens, our prayers continue. And through our One can hardly discern the crushing pressure prayers, we realize that a straight line seldom and unbearable sorrow these two professionals exists between the questions we are confron- likely have experienced. But there they are to- ted with and the answers we desire. What be- gether, united in a shared mission, and cente- comes important is to stand there in prayer. red in a place of peace before they voluntarily As people across the nation research lists on resume another heartbreaking day on the job. the Internet to keep them busy while shelte- It is not unusual for people to turn to pra- ring in place, it is our earnest desire that pra- yer during hard times. A University of Cope- nhagen economist recently found that more yer helps show people how to live out their ti- people are practicing “religious coping” as In- me on Earth, part of which includes acting in ternet searches for prayers set a five-year re- solidarity to give aid and comfort to those cord last month. Hard times certainly are not who are suffering. The Muslim and Jewish paramedics seen the exclusive province of prayer. Many people prop, desiring merely an outward appearance praying in the photo never imagined delive- pray with gratitude for the abundance in their of piety; others have used it as a bludgeon to ring their services during a global pandemic. lives including a good job, a healthy body, a question the piety of those they’ve never met. And yet they find the courage to get up every close group of friends. Indeed, if prayer is confined to a mere specta- While we encourage the practice of prayer morning and continue to serve those in need. tor’s sport, its meaning, purpose and benefits to God every day, we nonetheless welcome They run the risk of getting sick, and even never will be known or realized. the resurgence in prayer — even if driven by dying. But they find the grace to pray and the A good way to understand prayer is to see hard times. It’s often during adversity when strength to do the work. They know that peo- it as a prism in that something truly unique is prayer becomes most valuable to its practitio- ple are depending on them. discovered depending on how it’s observed. ners. When the walls seem to be closing in, For these two paramedics, and all first re- Prayer helps us to get to know ourselves bet- forcing us to reckon with our mortality, prayer sponders, for medical workers, for elected of- ter and helps us work on our many flaws. But can free us by creating space allowing us to ficials, for the sick and their families, for those prayer also helps us turn away from ourselves find peace about how we should live out the who died, we continue to pray. time we have on this Earth. While the phrase to focus on the needs of others. It helps hum- ble us through acceptance of the reality that “D on’t just stand there, do something!” is Ca rd i n a l BLASE J. CUPICH we have much less control over events in life true, we believe the inverse also is true: Archbishop of Chicago than we realize. It also reminds us that, while “D on’tjust do something, stand there in pra- Church yer!” we are free thinking and free acting indivi- As an age-old practice, prayer is both wide- duals, our choices can and do impact the Metrop olitan NAT H A N A E L SYMEONIDES ly recognized and, at the same time, deeply broader community to which we belong. Cru- of the Metropolis of Chicago misunderstood. Some have used prayer as a cially, prayer helps us to act and become the Greek Orthodox Church

The continuous struggle against ‘shap eless’time

CONTINUED FROM PA G E 12 gramophone the music of Swan ferers from the virus, Lake. Nothing is said. We just see even though it means their narrative involves “hero es”, in- their faces, filled with sorrow at the leaving his com- cluding everyday heroes, who in fol- suffering that lies ahead and with munity. But I lowing a dream confront difficult joy that they will share in the story struggle to imagine situations and combat evil, driven by of the last days of their Lord. It is how the Church can a force that makes them courageous, the utter beauty of a Eucharistic make clear the hero- the force of love. By immersing heroism, quiet and without preten- ism of our great story ourselves in stories, we can find reas- sion. faced with Covid-19. ons to heroically face the challenges How can we live this present situ- Self-isolation may be of life.’ The Lord of the Rings is the ation heroically and so touch the necessary but it does story of plodding little beings, who imagination of our contemporaries? not look heroic! fear adventure but become heroes. In earlier plagues, such as the Black Maybe it is with a If we can see the drama of our Death, Christians went out and min- sort of holy realism, Eucharist as story of heroism, it may istered to the sick risking death. The looking death in the The cast members from “Des hommes et des Dieux” ignite our imagination. Two ex- heroes of our plague are the nurses face, acknowledging amples spring to mind. The first is and doctors who labour on the front the unique drama the early English poem, ‘The Dream line. Many of them do so as an ex- that each victim undergoes, but re- the publication of his message, the of the Rood’ which may date to the pression of their Christian faith, but fusing to panic, for we believe that Pope urged the faithful to confess seventh century. It portrays Jesus as how can the Church explicitly live death’s rule is over. their sins to God if no priest is ‘a young hero’ who mounts the cross out the drama of the Eucharistic There is a final theme in the available. This need not just be a re- to do battle like a knight. The story now, when churches are closed, Pop e’s message which has become cital of sins but, as the Pope’s mes- second is the film Des hommes et des and many hospitals, at least in the unexpectedly relevant in today’s sage suggests, the sharing of one’s Dieux, directed by Xavier Beavois, UK, do not let chaplains enter? which won the Grand Prix at the I have come to accept, with diffi- crisis. Francis stresses the beauty of story with God, with its dramas, fail- Cannes film festival in 2010. It culty, the wisdom and rightness of telling our own stories to God. ‘To ures and triumphs. Thomas Aqui- touched the imagination of millions the decision to self-isolate the clergy. tell our story to the Lord is to enter nas, in his Scriptum super librum IV because it is the true story of ordin- Otherwise we would become instru- into his gaze of compassionate love Sententiarum, goes further and says ary timid becoming heroes. ments of contagion ourselves. There for us and for others. We can re- that when there is no priest, one can It tells of a small community of are some examples of heroism: Don count to him the stories we live, recite one’s sins to another lay per- Trappist monks in Algeria in the Giuseppe Berardelli, the 72 year old bringing to him the people and the son, who cannot give absolution but 1990s who are caught up in a rising priest who gave up his ventilator so situations that fill our lives. With who is a sort of minister of the sac- tide of violence. Should they stay that a young person could live and him we can re-weave the fabric of rament ‘by necessity’. So in this and risk death or go? The most who died as a result, or I think of life, darning its rips and tears.’ crisis, we can all represent the merci- moving scene is their Last Supper. an American Dominican working in Many people this Easter have ful ear of God, attending to the Old brother Luke produces a couple New York who has moved into a been unable to receive the sacrament drama of each other’s lives, reassur- of bottles of wine and puts on the hospital to be of service to the suf- of reconciliation. Two months after ing each other of love’s final victory. page 14 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 29 May 2020, number 22

REGINA CAELI

Chinese Catholics are an “integral part” of the Universal Church, who shares their hopes and supports them in life’s trials, Pope Francis said on Sunday, 24 May, after reciting the Regina Caeli from the library of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace. The following is a translation of the Holy Father’s address which was dedicated to Sunday’s Solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord.

On World Communications Day, Pope Francis remembers Our Lady of Sheshan Closeness and support to Catholics in China Appeal for the care of creation and the weakest on the fifth anniversary of ‘Laudato Si’’

Dear Brothers and Sisters, them before ascending to Heav- of the Risen One, that is a After praying the Regina Caeli, the Good Morning, en: “I am with you always, to the presence that is revealed in the Holy Father continued: close of the age” (v. 20). Word, in the Sacraments and in Today, in Italy and in other coun- Let us join spiritually with the the constant and interior action tries, the Solemnity of the Ascen- This promise ensures the con- Catholic faithful in China, who of the Holy Spirit. The Feast of sion of the Lord is being celeb- stant and consoling presence of today celebrate with particular the Ascension tells us that al- rated. The Gospel reading (cf. Jesus among us. But how is this devotion the Feast of the Blessed though Jesus ascended to Heaven Mt 28:16-20) shows us the presence realised? Through His Mary, Help of Christians to dwell gloriously at the right Apostles who gather in Galilee, at Spirit, who leads the Church to and Patroness of China, wor- “the mountain to which Jesus had walk through history as the com- hand of the Father, he is still and shipped in the Shrine of Sheshan directed them” (v. 16). The Lord’s panion of every person. That always among us: this is the in Shanghai. Let us entrust to the final encounter with his followers Spirit sent by Christ and the source of our strength, our per- guidance and protection of our takes place here, on the moun- Father, who works the remission severance and our joy, from the Heavenly Mother the Pastors and tain. The “mountain” has a strong of sins and sanctifies all those very presence of Jesus among us faithful of the Catholic Church in symbolic and evocative charge. who are repentant and open with the strength of the Holy that great country, so that they Jesus proclaimed the Beatitudes themselves with confidence to his Spirit. may be strong in faith and stead- on the Mount (cf. Mt 5: 1-12); He gift. With the promise to remain May the Virgin Mary accom- fast in fraternal union, joyful wit- withdrew to the mountains to with us until the end of time, Je- pany our journey with her mater- nesses and promoters of charity pray (cf. Mt 14:23). He welcomed sus inaugurates the style of his nal protection. May may we learn and fraternal hope, and good cit- the crowds there and healed the presence in the world as the Ris- from her the gentleness and cour- izens. sick (cf. Mt 15:29). However this en One. Jesus is present in the age to be witnesses in the world Dearest Catholic brothers and time on the mountain, he is no world but with another style, the of the Risen Lord. sisters in China, I wish to assure longer the Master who acts and you that the universal Church, of teaches, but rather the Risen One which you are an integral part, who asks the disciples to take ac- shares your hopes and supports tion and to proclaim, entrusting you in your trials of life. She ac- to them the mandate to continue companies you with prayer for a his work. God of love, show us our place in this world new outpouring of the Holy Spir- He assigns to them the mis- as channels of your love for all the creatures it, so that the light and beauty of sion to all the peoples. He says: of this earth, for not one of them is forgotten in the Gospel, God’s power for the “Go, therefore, and make dis- salvation of whoever believes, ciples of all the nations, baptiz- your sight. Praise be to you! may shine within you. In express- ing them in the name of the ing to you all once again my Father, and of the Son, and of (@Pontifex) great and sincere affection, I im- the Holy Spirit, teaching them to part a special Apostolic Blessing. observe all that I have com- May Our Lady keep you always! manded you” (vv. 19-20). The Finally, let us entrust to the in- contents of the mission entrusted tercession of Mary Help of Chris- to the Apostles are the following: tians all the Lord’s disciples and to proclaim, baptize, teach and all the people of good will who walk the path traced by the Mas- in this difficult time, in every part ter, that is, the living Gospel. of the world, passionately and This message of salvation first of committedly work for peace, for all implies the duty of witness — dialogue between nations, for ser- one cannot proclaim without wit- vice to the poor, for the care of ness — to which we too, today’s creation and for the victory of hu- disciples, are called to explain manity over every disease of our faith. Faced with such a de- body, heart and soul. manding task, and thinking of Today is World Social Com- our weaknesses, we feel inad- munications day, dedicated this equate, as the Apostles them- year to the theme of storytelling. selves surely felt. But we must May this event encourage us to not be discouraged, remembering tell and share constructive stories the words Jesus addressed to that help us to understand that we are all part of a story that is larger than ourselves, and we can

CONTINUED ON PA G E 15 number 22, Friday, 29 May 2020 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 15

Remembering the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis’ D ocument Laudato Si’, Encyclical to help us look to the future after the pandemic

ANDREA TORNIELLI departure from the blind trust repre- frequently ignoring or forgetting the gardless, thinking we would stay sented by the “technocratic para- reality in front of us”. Thus, “the ti- healthy in a world that was sick”. ecalling the five years of digm” which, the Pope affirms, fo- me has come to pay renewed atten- Also during that intense moment of Laudato Si’ is not a ritual llowing in the footsteps of Romano tion to reality and the limits it impo- prayer to invoke the end of a pande- celebration. The week and Guardini, “has paradoxically ended ses; this in turn is the condition for mic that made us reawaken to all the year dedicated to the up prizing technical thought over a more sound and fruitful develop- our fragility and helplessness, Fran- EncyclicalR represent a sort of verifi- reality, since ‘the technological mind ment of individuals and society”. cis noted that we are called to “seize cation to gather initiatives, ideas, ex- sees nature as an insensate order, as The crisis we are experiencing due this time of trial as a time of choo- periences and good practices. They a cold body of facts’”. Men and wo- to the pandemic has rendered all s i n g... a time to choose what matters are a way of sharing what the docu- men, we also read in the Encyclical, this even more evident: “we have go- and what passes away, a time to se- ment set in motion in communities “have constantly intervened in natu- ne ahead at breakneck speed”, the parate what is necessary from what and in territories, throughout the re, but for a long time this meant Pope stated during the Statio Orbis is not”. Laudato Si’ guides us in ret- world, and to reflect on its timeli- ness in the present moment, as the entire world is combatting the Co- vid-19 pandemic. One of the merits of the extensive Papal text, which begins with the fundamentals of the relationship between creatures and Creator, is to make us understand that everything is connected: no environmental issue exists apart from the social one, and climate change, migration, wars, po- verty and underdevelopment are ma- nifestations of a unique crisis that even before being ecological is, at its root, an ethical, cultural and spiri- tual crisis. It is about a profoundly realistic gaze. Laudato Si’ was not born out of nostalgia to turn back the clock of history and return to pre-industrial forms of life, but rat- her, it identifies and describes the processes of self-destruction trigge- red by the search for immediate pro- fit and for the deified market. The root of the ecological problem, Pope A photograph by Yann Arthus-Bertrand Francis writes, lies precisely in the fact that there is a “certain way of understanding [that] human life and being in tune with and respecting on 27 March, “feeling powerful and hinking society where human life, activity has gone awry, to the serious the possibilities offered by the things able to do anything. Greedy for pro- especially that of the weakest, is de- detriment of the world around us”. themselves. It was a matter of recei- fit, we let ourselves get caught up in fended; where everyone has access to Starting over from reality means ving what nature itself allowed, as if things, and lured away by haste... care, where people are never discar- objectively accounting for the hu- from its own hand. Now, by con- we were not shaken awake by wars ded and nature is not indiscrimina- man condition, beginning with the trast, we are the ones to lay our han- or injustice across the world, nor did tely plundered but rather cultivated recognition of the limitations of the ds on things, attempting to extract we listen to the cry of the poor or of and safeguarded for those who will world and its resources. It means a everything possible from them while our ailing planet. We carried on re- come after us.

VAT I C A N BULLETIN Regina Caeli

CONTINUED FROM PA G E 2 President and Founding Director of Closeness to Catholics in China the Broad Institute of Massachusetts served as parish priest of Blessed Institute of Technology and Harvard CONTINUED FROM PA G E 14 soon as possible. I will go there, Eusebio parish in Târgu Secuiesc Cambridge, USA (25 May). for sure! (26 May). look to the future with hope if we And today is also the fifth an- truly care for one another as broth- Bishop-elect Kerekes, 51, was born niversary of the Encyclical Laudato NECROLO GY ers and sisters. in Ghelinţa, Romania. He com- Si’, which sought to draw attention pleted his theological studies and Bishop Andrea Jin Daoyuan, Bishop Today, on the day of Mary Help to the cry of the earth and of the obtained a licence in Canon Law “without jurisdiction” of the Diocese of Christians, I address an affec- poor. Thanks to the initiative of and a doctorate at Saint Paul Cath- of Changzhi/Luan, in Shanxi, in tionate and cordial greeting to the the Dicastery for Promoting Integ- olic University in Ottawa. He was Mainland China, at age 90 (20 Nov. Salesians. I recall with gratitude ral Human Development, the ordained a priest on 16 May 1993. 2019) the spiritual formation I received “Laudato Si’ We e k ” we have just from the sons and daughters of celebrated will blossom into a spe- Bishop Czesław Stanula, CSSR, Bish- Don Bosco. cial Year of the anniversary of RE L AT I O N S WITH STAT E S op emeritus of Itabuna, Brazil, at Laudato Si’, a special year to reflect age 80 (14 May) Today I was supposed to go to on the Encyclical, from 24 May The Holy Father appointed Msgr Acerra to support the faith of that Bishop Vincent Malone, titular Bish- this year until 24 May next year. I Ante Jozić, titular Archbishop-elect population and the commitment of op of Abora and Auxiliary Bishop invite all people of good will to of Cissa, as Apostolic to Be- those who are working to counter emeritus of Liverpool, Great Britain, participate, in order to take care of larus (21 May). at age 88 (18 May) the drama of pollution in the so- our common home and our most called “Land of Fire”. My visit has fragile brothers and sisters. The OF Bishop Johann Weber, Bishop emer- been postponed. However, I send prayer dedicated to this Year will itus of Graz-Seckau, Austria, at age SCIENCES my greetings, my blessing and my be published on the site. It will be 93 (23 May) encouragement to the Bishop, the beautiful to pray it. The Holy Father appointed as mem- Bishop Óscar Lino Lopes Fernandes priests, the families and the entire I wish you all a good Sunday. ber of the Pontifical Academy of Braga, Bishop emeritus of Benguela, diocesan community, as we look Please do not forget to pray for Sciences Prof. Eric Steven Lander, Angola, at age 88 (26 May) forward to meeting each other as me. Enjoy your lunch. Ar r i v e d e rc i ! page 16 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 29 May 2020, number 22

Prayer for the special year of the anniversary of Laudato Si’ Listen to the cry of the earth and of the poor

The following is a translation of the special prayer to accompany the celebration of the fifth anniversary of the Encyclical “Laudato Si’: On the Care for Our Common Home”, announced by the Holy Father after praying the Regina Caeli, on Sunday, 24 May. The Pope also invited the faithful to take part in the “Laudato Si’ Ye a r ”. Loving God, Creator of Heaven, Earth, and all therein contained. Open our minds and touch our hearts, so that we can be part of Creation, your gift. Be present to those in need in these difficult times, especially the poorest and most vulnerable. Help us to show creative solidarity as we confront the consequences of the global pandemic. Make us courageous in embracing the changes required to seek the common go o d. Now more than ever, may we all feel i n t e rc o n n e c t e d and interdependent. Enable us to succeed in listening and resp ondingto the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor. May their current sufferings become the birth-pangs of a more fraternal and sustainable world. We pray through Christ our Lord, under the loving gaze of Mary Help of Christians. Amen.

A Jubilee Year for the Earth

“Care for nature is part of a lifestyle which includes the capacity for living together and communion. Jesus reminded us that we have God as our common Father and that this makes us brothers and sisters”. With this tweet on Saturday, 23 May, the Holy Father announced the “Special Year” initiat- ive dedicated to the Encyclical on “Care for Our Common Home”, which began on Sunday, 24 May, the fifth anniversary of the signing of Laudato Si’'. In the days leading up to his announcement, he had reminded his followers that “each year sees the disap- pearance of thousands of plant and animal species which we will never know, which our children will never see”, and that “b e- cause of us, thousands of species will no longer give glory to God by their very exist- ence. We have no such right” (22 May). Promoted by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, the year dedicated to Laudato Si’ will end on 24 May 2021. During this time several initiatives will be hosted at all levels — national and inter- national. Let us remember, as the Holy Father noted, that “when we can see God reflected in all that exists, our hearts are moved to praise the Lord for all his creatures and to worship him in union with by Mr Zhu Weiran (Shengzhi) them” (May 22).