Tag Archives: Pope Francis

The poor and vulnerable side by side with Pope Francis

Caritas Rome provides accommodation through its shelters to poor and vulnerable individuals needing a place to sleep. Some people staying at the shelters have written the below letter to Pope Francis following Lenten reflections. The letter was presented to the Holy Father by the director of Caritas Rome, Msgr Enrico Feroci.

Your Holiness,

We are guests at Caritas shelters in Rome. Even though you have been Bishop of Rome for very little time, we feel a sense of respect and solidarity which makes us feel very close to you and gives us the impression that we’ve always known you.

The choice of your name and what you say in your speeches which we have reflected on during Lent show us daily the essence of the Christian faith: that God is love.

Our difficult situation allows us to know firsthand how important a gesture of solidarity can be and the comfort a hug or a handshake can bring. We also know the hurt caused by indifference and certain annoyed looks and attitudes.

When you were elected you asked us all to pray to the Lord to give you the strength to face the difficulties linked to your service. You can be sure that as we promised emeritus Pope Benedict XVI when he came to visit us at our hostel in February 2010, our prayers will always be with you. We will be beside you and we thank the Lord for having given us some like you.

Thank you for everything and for having given up a little time to read our message.

With fraternal affection and devotion

Guests at Caritas Rome shelters

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“The shaft of light breaking through the heavy clouds”: Pope Francis’s inaugural mass

Pope Francis drives through as sea of flags, cameras and smart phones ahead of his inaugural mass. Credit: Caritas/Michelle Hough

Pope Francis drives through a sea of cameras and smart phones ahead of his inaugural mass. Credit: Caritas/Michelle Hough

By Michelle Hough, communications officer with Caritas Internationalis

It’s been a week of lots of coffee, very little rest and some very bad, unhealthy food mostly eaten standing up. But it’s also been a week that I’ll tell my grandchildren about: the week Pope Francis was elected and conventional wisdom about what a Pope is supposed to be like was turned on its head.

This morning was Pope Francis’s inaugural mass in St Peter’s Square. It would have been nice to have moseyed on over there at 9am and got a seat at the front ready for the 9.30am mass, but that would have been about as likely as meeting the Pope himself (maybe not so unlikely considering the way things are going with him). So I got there at 6.30am, got a good place half way between the obelisk and St Peter’s and prepared myself for a five hour stand in a very large crowd. Continue reading

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“Truth, beauty and goodness”. A week with Pope Francis

Lenses from across the world are trained on the papal apartment for Pope Francis's first Sunday angelus. Credit: Caritas/Michelle Hough

Lenses from across the world are trained on the papal apartment for Pope Francis’s first Sunday angelus. Credit: Caritas/Michelle Hough

By Michelle Hough, communications officer for Caritas Internationalis

I’ve seen Pope Francis three times in six days, starting with the night he was elected. Every time I’ve had to wear the highest heels I own just to see over the heads of the massive crowds. I could also have done with a pair of binoculars.

On Sunday, I arrived at St. Peter’s around 11.15am for the midday Angelus. The square was already packed and a massive crowd of hundreds, if not thousands were waiting to get in. I decided to use my press pass to go up to the roof area between St Peter’s and the colonnade (Braccio Carlo Magno) as it didn’t even look as though I’d be able to get into the square. On the roof there were dozens of TV and photo journalists with many more camped under temporary gazebos on buildings near-by.

A new Pope is always a massive event, but Pope Francis is really giving journalists “bang for their buck”. One thing is his complete unpredictability. Popes generally stick to set texts that have been carefully written for their speeches. Pope Francis has departed from his set text on every public occasion so far – much to the delight of his audience. Continue reading

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There’s something about Francis

What’s in a name? Since the Holy Father chose to be the first Pope Francis in history, many people have been speculating about the significance of this.

Francisco Gearóid Ó Conaire OFM is a co-executive secretary of the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Commission of the Union of Superiors General (USG/UISG) and he is based in Rome. He reflects upon St Francis of Assisi and Pope Francis – and throws in a bit of St Francis Xavier for good measure. Interview by Michelle Hough.

saint-francis-of-assisi-detail.jpg!Blog

St Francis of Assisi

“St Francis saw the whole of creation as one big family under God. If we and the whole of creation are all from the same Father, we’re related to each other. If you’re connected to and are related to each other, you have a responsibility to each other,” said Francisco.

On creating him Patron of Ecology in 1979, Blessed Pope John Paul II wrote: ‘The poor man of Assisi gives us striking witness that when we are at peace with God we are better able to devote ourselves to building up that peace with all creation which is inseparable from peace among all peoples’.” Continue reading

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Mensaje de la Caritas de América Latina y el Caribe. Elección del Papa Francisco

“MISERANDO ATQUE ELIGENDO” – Su Santidad Francisco

Todas las Caritas de América Latina y el Caribe, nos unimos al regocijo que experimenta el Pueblo Santo de Dios después de haber hecho oración al Padre, para que a través del Espíritu de su Hijo Jesucristo, llamara y eligiera a Francisco para vivir la comunión con El y predicar el Reino de Dios (cf. Mc., 3,13-19; Mt., 10,1-42).

Que el Señor lo conforte, lo proteja y lo llene de fortaleza, para que al igual que Pedro pueda llevar adelante la tarea de hacer discípulos del Resucitado a todos los pueblos, los santifique y los sirva en el nombre del Señor todos los días (cf. Mt., 28,16-20;Mc., 16,15; Lc., 24,45-48; Jn., 20,21-23) y así dilate a la Iglesia y la apaciente. (Cfr. LG 19)

Desde ya, las Cáritas de América Latina y el Caribe, nos sentimos animadas, fortalecidas y esperanzadas por su sencillez, humildad y espíritu de oración. Su testimonio refleja a Cristo Jesús, humilde y sencillo,  que efectuó la redención en la pobreza, y así nosotros como Iglesia, Pueblo de Dios, estamos llamados a seguir ese mismo camino para comunicar a los hombres y mujeres de hoy y de mañana, los frutos de la salvación.

Su gesto de pedirnos que oráramos por él antes de bendecirnos, nos  mostró a Cristo Jesús, que “existiendo en la forma de Dios, se anonadó a sí mismo, tomando la forma de siervo” (Fil., 2,69), y por nosotros, “se hizo pobre, siendo rico” (2Cor., 8,9). Nos llena de alegría y esperanza poder ver en él, aquella sentencia del Concilio Vaticano II de que la Iglesia, si bien para cumplir su misión necesita recursos, no está constituida para buscar la gloria de este mundo, sino para predicar la humildad y la abnegación incluso con el ejemplo. (cfr. LG 8)

Elevamos nuestro agradecimiento, a Dios Uno y Trino, que nos envía a Francisco para “evangelizar a los pobres y levantar a los oprimidos” (Lc. 4,18), “para buscar y salvar lo que estaba perdido” (Lc. 19,10); de manera que todo el Pueblo de Dios, la Iglesia, abracemos a todas las afligidas y afligidos por la debilidad humana, y podamos hoy como siempre reconocer en los pobres y en los que sufren la imagen de su Fundador pobre y paciente, y nos esforcemos en aliviar sus necesidades, transformar sus realidades de dolor y servir en ellos a Cristo. (cfr. LG 8)

Dado en El Vigía, el 14 de Marzo de 2013.

+José Luis Azuaje Ayala. Obispo de El Vigía San Carlos del Zulia. (Venezuela)

Presidente de Caritas de América Latina y el Caribe.

Pbro. Francisco Hernández Rojas.

Coordinador Regional de Caritas de América Latina y El Caribe.

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The night when Pope Francis was elected

Pope Francis as he blesses the crowd at St Peter's Square on his election. Caritas/Patrick Nicholson

Pope Francis as he blesses the crowd at St Peter’s Square on his election. Caritas/Patrick Nicholson

By Michelle Hough, communications officer for Caritas Internationalis

If I think of St Francis, I think of sandals… and a cord belt around a rough brown tunic, a bald pate and of course, a man surrounded by birds and squirrels. My  thoughts about him had never gone further than the usual clichés that I learnt about when I was five. That was until last night… Continue reading

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