Price € 1,00. Back issues € 2,00 L’O S S E RVATOR E ROMANO WEEKLY EDITION IN ENGLISH Unicuique suum Non praevalebunt Fifty-third year, number 17 (2.644) Vatican City Friday, 24 April 2020 The Holy Father at the Church of Santo Spirito in Sassia for the feast of Divine Mercy Against the virus of ‘selfish indifference’ Mercy and salvation means waiting for those left behind ANDREA MONDA In his homily on Sunday, during the Mass cel- ebrated in the Church of Santo Spirito in Sas- sia, Shrine of Divine Mercy, the Pope recalled “Mercy does not abandon those who stay be- hind”. To this, we may add, it is mercy that makes us human. Instead, in a group of migrat- ing animals if one stops because it is tired, sick, or crippled, the others do not wait for it, they do not care, they abandon it. This is unlike us human beings. At the moment when someone falls, something kicks in that is manifested in the soul and in action, that something is hu- man, yet more than human at the same time and that accords another direction, another di- mension on the chain of natural facts. It hap- pens that we stop to wait for the other. This hu- man — yet more than human “thing” —, is mercy: which shows man’s greater face; a divine face. On almost every page in the Gospels, we can find accounts of this face, the face of Christ, the true God and true man, who shows what men are like, like Him, even if they too often forget it. In the Gospel, Jesus mostly walks, and does so with an urgent, pressing rhythm, moving from city to city to preach (Inspired by Mat- thew’s text, the film by Pier Paolo Pasolini is exemplary in this regard) and many try to keep up with him, but they do not succeed; they struggle or, worse, they try to overcome him by harnessing him to their petty projects for power. In Simone Bariona’s incipit, a beautiful story dedicated to the memories of Saint Peter as an old man, the Italian writer Ferruccio Parazzoli has the protagonist say: “A little more patience, Lord, I know I was always late”. In fact, Jesus’ rhythm is difficult to maintain, not least be- cause it is unsettling, paradoxical, and he al- ways escapes ideological temptations by going “e l s e w h e re ” continuously, as written at the be- ginning of the Gospel of Mark; however, if he sees that one of his sheep has lost its way, he al- ways stops and comes back to recover him. CONTINUED ON PA G E 4 F E A T U R E D No future without sustaining the environment General Audience Pope Francis’ re f l e c t i o n s At the General Audience on nerable in our midst”. In Wednesday, 22 April, 50th Go d’simage we are called “to Domus Sanctae Marthae Earth Day, the Holy Father have care and respect for all called for ecological conver- c re a t u re s ” he continued. But PAGE 6 sion that can lead to concrete if we continue in our selfish- actions in a deeper “commit- ness; if we continue to fail to ment to love and care for our care for the earth, if we des- Interview with Msgr Jozef Bart common home and for the troy the very environment weaker members of our hu- that sustains us, we will have Mercy as medicine man family” and “by showing no future. solidarity with one another GORI ON PA G E 8 and embracing the most vul- SEE PA G E 3 page 2 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 24 April 2020, number 17 Rodríguez, Archbishop of San Cris- tóbal de La Habana, Cuba; Bishop Paulo Cezar Costa of São Carlos, Brazil. VAT I C A N NECROLO GY printed books department of the Bishop Miguel Ángel D’Annibale of Vatican Apostolic Library (20 Apr.). San Martín, Argentina, at age 61 (14 BULLETIN A p r. ) Archbishop Aldo di Cillo Pagotto, PONTIFICAL COMMISSION FOR CHANGES IN EP I S C O PAT E Delegate to the Arabian Peninsula SSS, Archbishop emeritus of Paraíba, (17 Apr.). LAT I N AMERICA Brazil, at age 70 (14 Apr.) The Holy Father appointed Bishop The Holy Father appointed as Bienvenu Manamika Bafouakoua- On Monday, 20 April, the Holy Bishop Gérard Mulumba Kalemba, Apostolic Nuncio to Samoa Arch- Bishop emeritus of Mweka, Demo- hou as Coadjutor Archbishop of bishop Novatus Rugambwa, titular Father appointed as members of the Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo. Pontifical Commission for Latin cratic Republic of the Congo, at age Archbishop of Tagaria, Apostolic 85 (15 Apr.) Until now he has served as Bishop Nuncio to New Zealand, Fiji, Palau, America the following: Cardinal Ál- of Dolisie, Democratic Republic of Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, varo Leonel Ramazzini Imeri, Bish- Bishop Dorick McGowan Wright, the Congo (18 Apr.). Tonga and Apostolic Delegate to the op of Huehuetenango, Guatemala; Bishop emeritus of Belize City-Bel- Archbishop Bafouakouahou, 55, Pacific Ocean (17 Apr.). Cardinal Juan de la Caridad García mopan, Belize, at age 74 (15 Apr.) was born in Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was or- dained a priest on 29 August 1993. PONTIFICAL ACADEMY OF He was ordained a bishop on 25 Au- SO CIAL SCIENCES gust 2013, subsequent to his ap- Congregation for the Eastern Churches pointment as Bishop of Dolisie. The Holy Father appointed as Or- dinary Member of the Pontifical The Holy Father appointed Fr Academy of Social Sciences Mr emergency fund Niraja Gopal Jayal, Professor at the Robert W. Marshall as Bishop of Al- As many brothers and sisters of the possible to support some relief ef- Centre for the Study of Law and exandria, USA . Until now he has Eastern Churches are celebrating the forts, also drawing on the Collec- served as vicar general and parish Governance of the Jawaharlal Nehru Sacred Triduum of the Passion, tion for the Holy Land, postponed priest of the Cathedral of the Im- University of New Delhi, India (17 A p r. ) . Death and Resurrection of Our this year to Sunday 13 September, maculate Conception in Alexandria, Lord and on the eve of the feast of Tennessee (21 Apr.). which normally guarantees sub- Divine Mercy, the Congregation for sidies for the life of the Churches in Bishop-elect Marshall, 60, was AD M I N I S T R AT I O N OF THE the Eastern Churches has set up the the East. The Dicastery for the Pro- born in Memphis, USA . He holds a PAT R I M O N Y OF THE Fondo Emergenza CEC, an emer- motion of Integral Human Devel- degree in history and a doctorate in gency fund responding to the invita- APOSTOLIC SEE opment and the General Secretariat law. He was ordained a priest on 10 tion of the Holy Father not to aban- of Caritas Internationalis will be June 2000. The Holy Father appointed as don the suffering, especially the kept informed of every intervention. Member of the Administration of poorest, in facing the global crisis In concrete, thanks to the sug- the Patrimony of the Apostolic See caused by the pandemic Covid-19. gestions of the Apostolic Nunci- RE L AT I O N S WITH STAT E S Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, Arch- Thanks to the active collabora- atures, it was decided immediately tion of the C N E WA (Catholic Near bishop of Bologna, Italy (18 Apr.). to guarantee the following dona- East Welfare Association) — PMP The Holy Father appointed as as tions in the name of the Holy (Pontifical Mission for Palestine) Apostolic Nuncio to Guatemala Fa t h e r : Archbishop Francisco Montecillo VAT I C A N APOSTOLIC LIBRARY central offices both in New York — SYRIA: 10 ventilators, in collab- Padilla, titular Archbishop of and in Canada, as well as their loc- Nebbio. Until now he has served as The Holy Father appointed as Vice al offices, and in constant connec- oration with AV S I , to be shared in Apostolic Nuncio to Kuwait, Prefect of the Vatican Apostolic Lib- tion with the other Agencies that the three structures for which the Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, rary Mr Timothy James Jans, compose the ROACO (Riunione project “Open Hospitals” contin- Qatar and Yemen, and Apostolic Scriptor graecus and director of the Opere Aiuto Chiese Orientali), it is ues — HOLY LAND: 3 ventilators for St Joseph’s Hospital in Jerusalem, the purchase and supply of dia- gnostic kits for Gaza and an ex- Prayer intention for the month of April traordinary contribution for the work of the Holy Family Hospital at Bethlehem. To help and accompany people suffering from addiction Other suggestions coming from other countries are being studied. In his prayer intention for the month of April, Pope front of the computer looking at websites for adults; or Despite the economic uncer- Francis asks everyone to pray for those who suffer from a woman laying in bed looking obsessively at her mo- tainty, the Congregation will assure addiction, especially addiction to gambling, porno- bile phone are shown. Forms of “addiction” that lead in- the aid it annually sends to schools graphy, and the internet so that they may be properly to a tunnel where to exit on ones own is very difficult. helped and accompanied. The video message was pos- and Catholic universities, as well as Let us “pray”, the Pope says, “that those suffering assistance to the displaced in Syria ted on ‘thep op evideo.org’ through which the Pope en- from addiction may be properly helped and accompan- trusts his prayer intentions to the Worldwide Prayer and Iraq and the refugees in Le- ied” supported “by the ‘Gospel of Mercy’ we can allevi- banon and Jordan, likewise in col- Network.