Pope Francis: ‘Every vocation is animated by hope’

Vatican City, Mar 25, 2018 / 04:09 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Jesus was the first target of “fake news” spread by those who wanted spin and twist his message for their own benefit, Pope Francis said Palm Sunday, but stressed that despite the pride and skepticism of some, nothing can dampen the joy of Christ’s message or his Resurrection.

On the cross, Jesus died “crying out his love for each of us: young and old, saints and sinners, the people of his times and of our own,” the Pope said March 25.

“We have been saved by his cross,” and despite the coldness and skepticism of some, “no one can repress the joy of the Gospel; no one, in any situation whatsoever, is far from the Father’s merciful gaze.”  

Pope Francis spoke to pilgrims present for his Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square. He began the liturgy at the obelisk in the center of the square, where he blessed the palms and olives to be used in the celebration. He then processed to the main altar and began Mass.

Palm Sunday also coincided with the diocesan celebration of World Youth Day, which this year holds the theme “Do not be afraid Mary, for you have found favor with God.”

It also marked the end of the March 19-24 pre-synodal meeting in Rome, which gathered some 300 youth from around the world and drew participation from an additional 15,000 on social media. The event served as a precursor for the October synod of bishops on “Young people, faith and the discernment of vocation.”

At the end of Sunday’s liturgy, young people presented Pope Francis with their conclusions, which were complied into a 16-page final document based on discussions held throughout the week.

Listening to the reading of the Passion of the Lord #PopeFrancis #PalmSunday pic.twitter.com/K5yfW2d78v

— Catholic News Agency (@cnalive) March 25, 2018

In his homily, Pope Francis said the account of Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem evokes a range of different and at times contradictory sentiments, including love and hatred, self-sacrifice and indifference; the joy of those who welcome Jesus and the bitterness of those who want him crucified.

The sense of love and joy conveyed in the passage is reminiscent of all those “living on the edges” of society or who have been “left behind and overlooked,” but who have also been touched, healed or forgiven by God in some way.

In contrast, this joy, Francis said, is a source of “scandal” for those who consider themselves faithful to the law and its precepts, and it is “unbearable for those hardened against pain, suffering and misery.”

“How hard it is for the comfortable and the self-righteous to understand the joy and the celebration of God’s mercy! How hard it is for those who trust only in themselves, and look down on others, to share in this joy.”

The cry of those who shout “crucify him!” the pope said, is the voice “armed with disparagement, slander and false witness. It is the voice of those who twist reality and invent stories for their own benefit, without concern for the good name of other.”

Francis said people with this attitude have no problem “spinning facts” and making Jesus look like a criminal. As a result “hope is demolished, dreams are killed, joy is suppressed; the heart is shielded and charity grows cold.”

However, faced people who have this attitude, the best remedy, the pope said, “is to look at Christ’s cross and let ourselves be challenged by his final cry,” which Jesus made as he died for each and every person.

Looking to the cross means to challenge and question oneself about one’s actions and choices, including the sensitivity to those who are experiencing difficulty, the pope said, asking: “Where is our heart focused? Does Jesus Christ continue to be a source of joy and praise in our heart, or does its priorities and concerns make us ashamed to look at sinners, the least and forgotten?”

Speaking directly to the young people present, Pope Francis said that like the Pharisees who told Jesus to “rebuke your disciples,” there are also people who try to silence and exclude the youth.

“There are many ways to silence young people and make them invisible. Many ways to anesthetize them, to make them keep quiet, ask nothing, question nothing. There are many ways to sedate them, to keep them from getting involved, to make their dreams flat and dreary, petty and plaintive,” he said.

However, pointing to Jesus’ response that “if these were silent, the very stones would cry out,” Francis told youth not to give into the pressure to stay quiet, because “you have it in you to shout.”

“It is up to you not to keep quiet,” he said, and “even if others keep quiet, if we older people and leaders keep quiet, if the whole world keeps quiet and loses its joy, I ask you: Will you cry out?”

After Mass Pope Francis led pilgrims in praying the Angelus, asking that Mary would help each person to live Holy Week well. “From her we learn the interior silence, the gaze of the heart and loving faith to follow Jesus on the path of the cross, which leads to the joyful light of the Resurrection.”

<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-lang=”en”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>&quot;Dear young people, you have it in you to shout. It is up to you to opt for Sunday’s 'Hosanna!', so as not to fall into Friday’s 'Crucify him!'&quot; <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/PopeFrancis?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#PopeFrancis</a> <a href=”https://t.co/6IaPjO5hGY”>pic.twitter.com/6IaPjO5hGY</a></p>&mdash; Catholic News Agency (@cnalive) <a href=”https://twitter.com/cnalive/status/977837199315099648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>March 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>

[…]

Pope Francis received Ukraine’s ambassador to the Holy See, Andrii Yurash, on April 7, 2022 / Vatican Media

Vatican City, Apr 7, 2022 / 07:25 am (CNA).

Pope Francis on Thursday received the new Ukrainian ambassador to the Holy See, Andrii Yurash.

Yurash, 53, arrived in Rome in March. He presented his credential letters to Pope Francis at the Vatican on April 7. Their meeting also included the exchanging of gifts.

The presentation is done by every diplomat to the Holy See at the beginning of his or her service.

The ambassador wrote on Twitter that it was an “incredible honor and privilege” to present his credentials to Pope Francis. He also said he had an “inspiring and extremely motivating conversation” with Francis and with Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

The Holy See, Yurash said, is a sincere partner of Ukraine, “doing everything possible to stop the war.”

Yurash took his post just weeks after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Since his arrival, he has participated in Catholic liturgies, spoken about the war, given interviews to media, and held meetings with other diplomats and Vatican officials.

The Ukrainian ambassador was also present in St. Peter’s Basilica for Pope Francis’ consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on March 25.

Yurash’s most recent post, held from 2020-2022, was in the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, where he was head of the division for religions, guarantee of the citizens’ right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

The ambassador, who is married with three children, has a degree in journalism and a doctorate in political science. He worked in the communications office of the National University of Lviv, where he also taught classes in the radio and television department.

From 2014-2020, he was vice director and then director of the department for religions and nationalities in Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture.

Ukraine’s former Vatican ambassador was Tetyana Yizhevska. She held the post since 2007. The Ukrainian Embassy to the Holy See opened in 2000.

[…]

Vatican City, Jul 13, 2019 / 08:37 am (CNA).- The Vatican has found two ossuaries believed to maybe belong to the German noblewomen whose tombs were found empty earlier this week.

According to Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti, the ossuaries will be opened for testing July 20, in order to determine if they belong to Princess Sophie von Hohenlohe and Duchess Charlotte Frederica, who both died in the 19th century.

The women’s tombs and monuments, located in the Teutonic cemetery on Vatican extra-territorial property adjacent to Vatican City State, were opened July 11 in an attempt to find a clue to the 1983 disappearance of an Italian teen, Emanuela Orlandi.

That the tombs were found empty of any human remains, including the women supposedly buried there, was considered an unseen twist in the mystery of the missing Orlandi.

Gisotti said July 13 documents had been found confirming that in the 1960s and 1970s an extensive renovation of the Teutonic College and the cemetery was carried out.

Staff examined the rooms of the college adjacent to the empty tombs, finding two ossuaries placed under the pavement via hatches in the floor.

“These were immediately sealed for subsequent examination and detection of the bone materials lying therein,” Gisotti stated. The ossuaries are scheduled to be opened on the morning of July 20, in the presence of scientific experts.

Emanuela Orlandi was the daughter of an envoy of the Prefecture of the Pontifical House and a citizen of Vatican City State. Her disappearance at age 15 has been one of Italy’s biggest unsolved mysteries and the subject of international intrigue, including suspicion about the Vatican’s role, since it occurred.

[…]