Who transforms persons, society, and the Church herself".
Francis exhorted the young to play a "decisive role ... in confronting the challenges of our times: certainly material challenges, but more so those which
concern the vision of the human person. In fact, along with economic problems, difficulty in finding work and the consequent uncertainty regarding the future,
there is a crisis of moral values and a diminished sense of the purpose of life.
Faced with this critical situation, some may give in to the temptation to flee,
to avoid problems, becoming self-absorbed, taking refuge in alcohol, drugs, or ideologies which preach hatred and violence. These are realities which I know well because they were unfortunately also present in Buenos Aires, where I come
from. Thus I encourage you not to let yourselves be overcome by the difficulties, but to let the strength that comes from your being human and Christian flourish without fear; you will be then be able to sow seeds of a more
just, fraternal, welcoming and peaceful society. Together with Christ, you young
men and women are the vitality of the Church and society. If you let Christ form
you, if you are open to dialogue with him in prayer, by reading and meditating upon the Gospel, you will become prophets and witnesses to hope.
"You are called to this mission: to reclaim the hope in your present circumstances of being open to the wonders of living; the hope which you have to
overcome the way things are; hope to prepare for the future marked by a more dignified social and human environment; hope to live in a more fraternal world which is more just and peaceful, more genuine, worthier of the measure of mankind. My hope is that you will be always more aware that you are sons and daughters of this earth which has given life to you. This earth asks you to love
her and to help her rebuild, to grow spiritually and socially, also with the help of your ideas and your work. To overcome every trace of pessimism, you will
need the courage to offer yourselves joyfully and with dedication to the building of a welcoming society, a society which is respectful of all differences and oriented towards a civilisation of love. An great example of this way of living is seen in Blessed Ivan Mert. St. John Paul II Beatified him
in Banja Luka. May he always be an example for you and be your protector.
"The Christian faith teaches us that we are called to an eternal destiny, to be
sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters in Christ, who create fraternity
for the love of Christ. I am so pleased by the ecumenical and interreligious works taken up by you, young Catholics and Orthodox, with the involvement of Muslim young people as well. The John Paul II Youth Centre plays a central role
in this important work, with initiatives that deepen mutual understanding and solidarity, allowing the various ethnic and religious groups to coexist peacefully together. I encourage you to continue this work, dedicating yourselves to common projects with real gestures that show your closeness and support to the poorest and most in need.
"Dear young people, your joyful presence, your thirst for truth and high ideals
are signs of hope! Being young does not mean being passive, but rather means being tenacious in your efforts to achieve important goals, even if this comes at a price. Being young does not mean closing your eyes to difficulties: instead, it requires a refusal to compromise or be mediocre. It does not mean escaping or fleeing, but engaging rather in solidarity with everyone, especially
the weakest. The Church counts on you and will continue to count on you who are
generous and capable of great energy and noble sacrifices. For this reason, together with your pastors I ask you: do not isolate yourselves, but rather be ever more united among yourselves so that you may enjoy the beauty of fraternity
and be always more fruitful in your actions.
"Everyone will see that you are Christians by how you, young Christians of Bosnia and Herzegovina, love one another and how committed you are to service. Be not afraid; do not flee from reality; be open to Christ and to your brothers
and sisters. You are a vital part of that great people who make up the Church: universal people, a people in whom all nations and cultures can receive God's blessing and can discover the path to peace. With this people, each of you is called to follow Christ and to give your life to God and to your brothers and sisters, in the way that the Lord will reveal to you, or perhaps is revealing to
you now! Will you respond? Do not be afraid. We are not alone. We are always in
the presence of God our heavenly Father, with Jesus our Brother and Lord, in the
Holy Spirit; and we have the Church and Mary our Mother. May She protect you and
always give you the joy and courage to witness to the Gospel".
Following the meeting, the Pope greeted a number of sick young people and appeared at the terrace of the Centre to bless the faithful gathered outside. Shortly after 7.30 p.m. he transferred by car to Sarajevo airport where he was greeted by the Croatian member of the Tripartite Presidency, Dragan Covic, and at 8 p.m. he departed for Rome, where he arrived an hour and a half later.

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The Pope interviewed by journalists during return flight from Sarajevo
Vatican City, 6 June 2015 (VIS) - Medjugorje, a possible visit to Croatia, the
need to make peace and not merely to talk about it, and the use of new technologies by young people were some of the issues the Pope reflected upon as
he conversed with the journalists who accompanied him on the return flight to Rome following his apostolic trip in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
With regard to Medjugorje, which is located in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Francis
recalled that Benedict XVI had instituted a commission of theologians and specialists, chaired by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, which had studied the matter in
depth and, although the definitive final meeting has not yet taken place, it is
expected that the results will be communicated shortly.
In relation to Croatia, he mentioned that during his first trip in Europe, in Albania, he had said that he would like to visit the continent starting from its
smallest countries. "In the Balkans, there are martyred countries which have suffered greatly and this is why my preference is here".
"It is not enough to talk about peace, peace must be made. To speak about peace
without making it is contradictory, and those who speak about peace while promoting war, for example through the sale of weapons, are hypocrites. It is very simple", he said in response to a question linked to his meeting with the young in which he spoke about the fomentation of a climate of war.
Finally, with reference to virtual communication, he affirmed that virtual language is "a reality that we cannot deny: we must lead it onto a virtuous path, as it is a form of progress for humanity. But when this draws us away from
life together, from family life, as well as from sport and art, and stay attached to the computer, this is a psychological malady".

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Pilgrimage is a symbol of life
Vatican City, 8 June 2015 (VIS) - As in previous years, the Pope has sent a message to participants in the 37th nocturnal pilgrimage on foot from Macerata to Loreto, Italy, gathered in the Helvia Recina stadium of Macerata during the night of 6 June to attend the opening Mass celebrated by Cardinal George Pell. This time, due to his apostolic trip to Sarajevo, the Holy Father's message was
recorded in advance and broadcast on the occasion.
"Pilgrimage is a symbol of life", says Francis. "It makes us think of life as walking, as a path. If a person does not walk, but instead stays still, this is
not useful; it accomplishes nothing. Think of water: when water is not in the river, it does not course, but instead it remains still and stagnates. A soul that does not walk in life doing good, doing many things that one must do for society, to assist others, or who does not walk through life seeking God and inspiration from the Holy Spirit, is a soul that finishes in mediocrity and in spiritual poverty. Please: do not stand still in life!"

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Cardinals Menichelli and Macario do Nascimento Clemente to take possession of their titular churches
Vatican City, 8 June 2015 (VIS) - The Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the
Supreme Pontiff today communicated that the following cardinals will take possession of their titles in the coming days:
On Friday, 12 June at 7.00 p.m., Cardinal Edoardo Menichelli, archbishop of Ancona-Osimo, Italy, will take possession of the title of Sacri Cuori di Ges* Maria a Tor Fiorenza (Via Poggia Moiano, 12).
On Sunday, 14 June at 5 p.m., Cardinal Manuel Jose Macario do Nascimento Clemente, Patriarch of Lisbon, Portugal, will take possession of the title of Sant'Antonio in Campo Marzio (Via dei Portoghesi, 2).

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Audiences
Vatican City, 8 June 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father received in audience:
- Seven prelates of the Puerto Rican Episcopal Conference, on their "ad Limina"
visit:
- Archbishop Roberto Octavio Gonzalez Nieves, O.F.M., of San Juan de Puerto Rico, with former auxiliary Bishop Hector Manuel Rivera Perez;
- Bishop Daniel Fernandez of Arecibo;
- Bishop Ruben Antonio Gonzalez Medina, C.M.F., of Caguas;
- Bishop Eusebio Ramos Morales of Fajardo-Humacao;
- Bishop Alvaro Corrada del Rio, S.J., of Mayaguez; and
- Bishop Felix Lazaro Martinez, Sch.P., of Ponce.

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Other Pontifical Acts
Vatican City, 8 June 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father has appointed:
- Bishop Heiner Koch of Dresden-Meissen as metropolitan archbishop of Berlin (area 31,200, population 5,680,705, Catholics 407,060, priests 421, permanent deacons 35, religious 668), Germany,
- Fr. Benito Adan Mendez Bracamonte as military ordinary for Venezuela. The bishop-elect was born in Menegrande, Venezuela in 1962 and was ordained a priest
in 1990. He holds a bachelor's degree from the Javierian University of Bogota and specialised in bioethics at the Pontificial Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum, Rome. He has served in a number of pastoral roles in the diocese of Trujillo, including chaplain, vice rector of the diocesan seminary, director of the diocesan newspaper and parish priest, and in the military ordinary of Venezuela
as military chaplain, director of formation of the seminary and vicar general.

___________________________________________________________

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poor shake a cup which never runs over by itself. Welfare programs geared to certain emergencies can only be considered temporary responses. They will never
be able to replace true inclusion, an inclusion which provides worthy, free, creative, participatory and fraternal work.
"Along this path, popular movements play an essential role, not only by making
demands and lodging protests, but even more basically by being creative. You are
social poets: creators of work, builders of housing, producers of food, above all for people left behind by the world market. I have seen at first hand a variety of experiences where workers united in cooperatives and other forms of community organisation were able to create work where there were only crumbs of
an idolatrous economy. Recuperated businesses, local fairs and cooperatives of paper collectors are examples of that popular economy which is born of exclusion
and which, slowly, patiently and resolutely adopts fraternal forms which dignify
it. How different this is than the situation which results when those left behind by the formal market are exploited like slaves!
"Governments which make it their responsibility to put the economy at the service of peoples must promote the strengthening, improvement, coordination and
expansion of these forms of popular economy and communitarian production. This entails improving the processes of work, providing adequate infrastructures and
guaranteeing workers their full rights in this alternative sector. When the state and social organisations join in working for the three 'L's', the principles of solidarity and subsidiarity come into play; and these allow the common good to be achieved in a full and participatory democracy.
"The second task is to unite our peoples on the path of peace and justice. The
world's peoples want to be artisans of their own destiny. They want to advance peacefully towards justice. They do not want forms of tutelage or interference by which those with greater power subordinate those with less. They want their culture, their language, their social processes and their religious traditions to be respected. No actual or established power has the right to deprive peoples
of the full exercise of their sovereignty. Whenever they do so, we see the rise
of new forms of colonialism which seriously prejudice the possibility of peace and justice. For 'peace is founded not only on respect for human rights but also
on respect for the rights of peoples, in particular the right to independence'.
The peoples of Latin America fought to gain their political independence and for
almost two centuries their history has been dramatic and filled with contradictions, as they have striven to achieve full independence.
"In recent years, after any number of misunderstandings, many Latin American countries have seen the growth of fraternity between their peoples. The governments of the region have pooled forces in order to ensure respect for the
sovereignty of their own countries and the entire region, which our forebears so
beautifully called the 'greater country'. I ask you, my brothers and sisters of
the popular movements, to foster and increase this unity. It is necessary to maintain unity in the face of every effort to divide, if the region is to grow in peace and justice.
"Despite the progress made, there are factors which still threaten this equitable human development and restrict the sovereignty of the countries of the
'greater country' and other areas of our planet. The new colonialism takes on different faces. At times it appears as the anonymous influence of mammon: corporations, loan agencies, certain 'free trade' treaties, and the imposition of measures of 'austerity' which always tighten the belt of workers and the poor. The bishops of Latin America denounce this with utter clarity in the Aparecida Document, stating that 'financial institutions and transnational companies are becoming stronger to the point that local economies are subordinated, especially weakening the local states, which seem ever more powerless to carry out development projects in the service of their populations'. At other times, under the noble guise of battling corruption, the
narcotics trade and terrorism - grave evils of our time which call for coordinated international action - we see states being saddled with measures which have little to do with the resolution of these problems and which not infrequently worsen matters.
"Similarly, the monopolising of the communications media, which would impose alienating examples of consumerism and a certain cultural uniformity, is another
one of the forms taken by the new colonialism. It is ideological colonialism. As
the African bishops have observed, poor countries are often treated like 'parts
of a machine, cogs on a gigantic wheel'.
"It must be acknowledged that none of the grave problems of humanity can be resolved without interaction between states and peoples at the international level. Every significant action carried out in one part of the planet has universal, ecological, social and cultural repercussions. Even crime and violence have become globalised. Consequently, no government can act independently of a common responsibility. If we truly desire positive change, we
have to humbly accept our interdependence. Interaction, however, is not the same
as imposition; it is not the subordination of some to serve the interests of others. Colonialism, both old and new, which reduces poor countries to mere providers of raw material and cheap labour, engenders violence, poverty, forced
migrations and all the evils which go hand in hand with these, precisely because, by placing the periphery at the service of the centre, it denies those
countries the right to an integral development. That is inequality, and inequality generates a violence which no police, military, or intelligence resources can control.
"Let us say 'no' to forms of colonialism old and new. Let us say 'yes' to the encounter between peoples and cultures.0 Blessed are the peacemakers.
"Here I wish to bring up an important issue. Some may rightly say, 'When the Pope speaks of colonialism, he overlooks certain actions of the Church'. I say this to you with regret: many grave sins were committed against the native peoples of America in the name of God. My predecessors acknowledged this, CELAM
has said it, and I too wish to say it. Like St. John Paul II, I ask that the Church 'kneel before God and implore forgiveness for the past and present sins of her sons and daughters'. I would also say, and here I wish to be quite clear,
as was St. John Paul II: I humbly ask forgiveness, not only for the offences of
the Church herself, but also for crimes committed against the native peoples during the so-called conquest of America.
"I also ask everyone, believers and non-believers alike, to think of those many
bishops, priests and laity who preached and continue to preach the Good News of
Jesus with courage and meekness, respectfully and pacifically; who left behind them impressive works of human promotion and of love, often standing alongside the native peoples or accompanying their popular movements even to the point of
martyrdom. The Church, her sons and daughters, are part of the identity of the peoples of Latin America. An identity which here, as in other countries, some powers are committed to erasing, at times because our faith is revolutionary, because our faith challenges the tyranny of mammon. Today we are dismayed to see
how in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world many of our brothers and sisters are persecuted, tortured and killed for their faith in Jesus. This too needs to be denounced: in this third world war, waged piecemeal, which we are now experiencing, a form of genocide is taking place, and it must end.
"To our brothers and sisters in the Latin American indigenous movement, allow me to express my deep affection and appreciation of their efforts to bring peoples and cultures together in a form of coexistence which I would call polyhedric, where each group preserves its own identity by building together a plurality which does not threaten but rather reinforces unity. Your quest for an
interculturalism, which combines the defence of the rights of the native peoples
with respect for the territorial integrity of states, is for all of us a source
of enrichment and encouragement.
"The third task, perhaps the most important facing us today, is to defend Mother Earth. Our common home is being pillaged, laid waste and harmed with impunity. Cowardice in defending it is a grave sin. We see with growing disappointment how one international summit after another takes place without any significant result. There exists a clear, definite and pressing ethical imperative to implement what has not yet been done. We cannot allow certain interests - interests which are global but not universal - to take over, to dominate states and international organisations, and to continue destroying creation. People and their movements are called to cry out, to mobilise and to demand - peacefully, but firmly - that appropriate and urgently-needed measures
be taken. I ask you, in the name of God, to defend Mother Earth. I have duly addressed this issue in my Encyclical Letter 'Laudato Si''.
"In conclusion, I would like to repeat: the future of humanity does not lie solely in the hands of great leaders, the great powers and the elites. It is fundamentally in the hands of peoples and in their ability to organise. It is in
their hands, which can guide with humility and conviction this process of change. I am with you. Let us together say from the heart: no family without lodging, no rural worker without land, no labourer without rights, no people without sovereignty, no individual without dignity, no child without childhood,
no young person without a future, no elderly person without a venerable old age.
Keep up your struggle and, please, take great care of Mother Earth. I pray for you and with you, and I ask God our Father to accompany you and to bless you, to
fill you with His love and defend you on your way by granting you in abundance that strength which keeps us on our feet: that strength is hope, the hope which
does not disappoint. Thank you and I ask you, please, to pray for me".
Today, Friday 10 July, the Holy Father will visit the detainees in Palmasola prison and will meet privately with the bishops of Bolivia. At 12.45 p.m. local
time (6.45 p.m. Italian time) he will arrive at Viru Viru airport in Santa Cruz
de la Sierra, where he will depart by air for Paraguay, the final stage of his apostolic trip.

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Other Pontifical Acts
Vatican City, 10 July 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father has appointed:
- Bishop Dominique Lebrun of Saint-Etienne, France, as metropolitan archbishop
of Rouen (area 4,228, population 868,500, Catholics 652,000, priests 135, permanent deacons 19, religious 218), France.
- Fr. George Bugeja, O.F.M., as coadjutor of the apostolic vicariate of Tripoli
(area 1,000,000, population 6,204,000, Catholics 50,000, priests 1, religious 11), Libya. The bishop-elect was born in Xaghara, Malta in 1962, gave his solemn
vows in 1983, and was ordained a priest in 1986. He holds a diploma in journalism and has served in a number of pastoral and administrative roles including guardian of the communities of Hamrun, Rabat, Gozo and Sliema; parish
priest in Sliiema; auditor of the ecclesiastical tribunal and official in the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples. He is currently guardian of the
convent of St. Anthony of Padua in Ghajnsielem, Gozo.

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Notice
Vatican City, 10 July 2015 (VIS) - Tomorrow, Saturday 11 July, an extraordinary
edition of the Vatican Information Service bulletin will be transmitted due to the Pope's apostolic trip to Latin America.

___________________________________________________________

For more information and to search for documents refer to the site: www.visnews.org and www.vatican.va

Copyright (VIS): the news contained in the services of the Vatican
Information Service may be reproduced wholly or partially by quoting
the source: V. I. S. - Vatican Information Service. http://www.vatican.va/news_services/press/vis/vis_en.html

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Msgr. Duarte Nuno Queiroz De Barros Da Cunha, secretary general of the Consilium Conferentiarum Episcoporum Europae (C.C.E.E.), Portugal
Mr. Leopold Djogbede, professor at the University of Abomey-Calavi and at the Higher Institute Specialist Teacher Training, Benin
Fr. Bruno Esposito, O.P., ordinary professor of canon law at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, Italy
Dr. John Grabowski, Spain, professor of moral theology at the School of Theology and Religious Studies, Catholic University of America, United States of
America
Fr. Jose Granados, D.C.J.M., deputy director of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family
Fr. Maurizio Gronchi, ordinary professor of dogmatic at the Pontifical Urban University in Rome, Italy
Dr. John Kleinsman, director of the Nathaniel Centre for Bioethics, New Zealand
Catholic Bishops' Conference, New Zealand
Fr. Sabatino Majorano, C.SS.R., professor of systematic moral theology at the Alphonsianum Academy in Rome, Italy
Msgr. Michele Giulio Masciarelli, lecturer in dogmatic theology at the Marianum
Faculty in Rome, and in fundamental theology at the Theological Institute of Abruzzo and Molise in Chieti, Italy
Professor Pia Matthews, lecturer at St. Mary's University College, London, Great Britain
Professor Paolo Moneta, former lecturer in canon and ecclesiastical law at the
Faculty of Law of the University of Pisa, Italy
Fr. Antonio Moser, O.F.M., professor emeritus of moral and ethical theology at
the Franciscan Theological Institute of Petropolis, Brazil
Fr. Aimable Musoni, S.D.B., Rwanda, lecturer in systematic theology, ecclesiology and ecumenism at the Pontifical Salesian University in Rome
Fr. Georges Henri Ruyssen, S.J., Belgium, lecturer in the Faculty of Canon Law
at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome
Fr. Peter Paul Saldanha, India, lecturer in ecclesiology at the Pontifical Urban University in Rome
Fr. Pierangelo Sequeri, director and lecturer in theology at the Theological Faculty of Northern Italy, member of the International Theological Commission, Italy
Mr. and Mrs Miano, Italy:
Professor Giuseppina De Simone in Miano, lecturer in philosophy at the Theological Faculty of Southern Italy in Naples
Professor Francesco Miano, lecturer in moral philosophy at the University of Rome (Tor Vergata).
II. AUDITORS
Mr. Jacob Mundaplakal Abraham, advisor for the Apostolate of the Family and Lay
Organisations in the dioceses of Kerala, India
Dr. Anca Maria Cernea, physician at the Victor Babes Centre for Diagnosis and Treatment and president of the Association of Catholic Doctors of Bucharest, Romania
Ms. Sharron Cole, president of the Parents Centres New Zealand, New Zealand
Ms. Agnes Offiong Erogunaye, national president of the Catholic Women's Organisation of Nigeria, Nigeria
Fr. Garas Boulos Garas Bishay, pastor of the Virgin Mary Queen of Peace parish,
Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt
Professor Giovanni Giacobbe, member of the Union of Italian Catholic Jurists, Italy
Ms. Maria Gomes, head of parish family pastoral ministry in Dubai, United Arab
Emirates
Ms. Maria Harries, national director for family pastoral care and preparation for marriage; member of the National Commission for Abuse of Minors, Australia
S. Maureen Kelleher, religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, member of the International Union of Superiors General (U.I.S.G.), United States of America
Mr. Brenda Kim Nayoug, pastoral worker for young people and young married couples, Korea
Professor Maria Marcela Mazzini, lecturer in theology at the Faculty of Theology of the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina, Argentina
Ms. Moira McQueen, director of the Canadian Catholic Institute of Bioethics, Canada
Ms. Therese Nyirabukeye, advisor and formator for the African Federation of Family Action (FAAF), Rwanda
S. Berta Maria Porras Fallas, head of Family Pastoral Care of the Tertiary Capuchin Sisters of the Holy Family, Member of the International Union of Superiors General (U.I.S.G.), Costa Rica
S. Carmen Sammut, S.M.N.D.A., president of the International Union of Superiors
General (U.I.S.G.), Malta
Professor Lucia Scaraffia, former lecturer in contemporary history at the University of Rome La Sapienza; coordinator of the monthly of the L'Osservatore
Romano "Donne Chiesa Mondo", Italy
Dr. Edgar Humberto Tejada Zeballos, physician and specialist in bioethics; member of the Episcopal Commission for the Family of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference, Peru.
Mr. and Mrs. Bajaj, India
Mrs. Penny and Mr. Ishwar Bajaj, Hindu-Christian couple from the diocese of Mumbai, India
Mr. and Mrs. Buch, Germany
Sig.ra Petra Buch, diocesan family pastoral worker
Dr. Aloys Johann Buch, professor of moral theology at the Interdiocesan Major Seminary of St. Lambert; permanent deacon of the diocese of Aachen
Mr. and Mrs. Diaz Victoria, Colombia
Mrs. Isabel Botia de Diaz and Mr. Humberto Diaz Victoria, members of the National Commission for the Family of the Episcopal Conference; pastoral directors of the Hombres y Mujeres de futuro Foundation
.
Mr. and Mrs. Galindo, Mexico
Mrs. Gertrudiz Clara Rubio De Galindo and Mr. Andres Salvador Galindo Lopez, executive secretaries of the Episcopal Commission for the Family of the Episcopal Conference; secretaries of CELAM for the Mexico-Central America zone
Mr. and Mrs. Gay Montalvo, Spain
Mrs. Mar0a Monserrat Rosell Torrus De Gay Montalvo, member of the marriage group of the parish of St. Francis de Sales in Barcelona
Mr. Eugenio Gay Montalvo, former Magistrate of the Constitutional Court of Spain; former member of the diocesan Pastoral Council of Barcelona
Mr. and Mrs. Kola, Cameroon
Mrs. Aicha Marianne Kenne Sob Kola and Mr. Irenee KOLA, members of the African
Federation of Family Action (FAAF); marriage and family counsellors
Mr. and Mrs. Marqus Odeesho, Iraq
Mrs. Suhaila Salim Toma and Mr. Wisam Marqus Odeesho, pastoral workers in the Chaldean parish of St. George in Baghdad
Mr. and Mrs. Matassoni, Italy
Mrs. Marialucia Zecchini and Mr. Marco Marassoni, members of the Commission for
family pastoral care in the archdiocese of Trento
Mr. and Mrs. Mignonat, France
Mrs. Nathalie Mignonat and Mr. Christian Mignonat, members of the movement Equipes Reliance for remarried divorcees, founder members of the group SEDIRE for receiving and accompanying civilly married couples
Mr. and Mrs. Nkosi, South Africa
Mrs. Buysile Patronella Nkosi and Mr. Meshack Jabulani Nkosi, members of the Advisory Committee for the National Family Desk of the Southern African Episcopal Catholic Bishops' Conference.
Mr. and Mrs. Paloni, Italy
Mrs. Patrizia Calabrese and Mr. Massimo Paloni, couple involved in family missionary pastoral work
Mr. and Mrs. Pulikowski, Poland
Mrs. Jadwiga Pulikowska and Mr. Jacek Pulikowski, advisors of the Council for Family Pastoral Care of the archdiocese of Poznan
Mr. and Mrs. De Rezende, Brazil
Mrs. Ketty Abaroa De Rezende and Dr. Pedro Jussieu De Rezende, lecturers at the
Universidade Estadual de Campinas, engaged in family pastoral work
Mr. and Mrs. Rojas, Colombia
Mrs. Maria Angelica Rojas, engaged in family pastoral work, and Mr. Luis Haydn
Rojas Martinez, director of the department of Ethics and Humanity at the La gran
Colombia University
Mr. and Mrs. Salloum, Lebanon
Mrs. Souheila Rizk Salloum, lecturer in psychology at the USEK.
Mr. Georges Fayez Salloum, expert on the Maronite Patriarchal Synod
Mr. and Mrs. Villafania, Philippines
Mrs. Mar0a Socorro Ocampo Villafania, former lecturer in theology at the Assumption College; collaborator with the Salesian Sisters in the preparation of
catechists
Mr. Nelson Silvestre Villafania, collaborator with the Evangelion Foundation in
Manila
Mr. and Mrs. Witczak, United States of America
Mrs. Catherine Wally Witczak and Mr. Anthony Paul Witczak, directors of Worldwide Marriage Encounter International Ecclesial Team.
III. GENERAL SECRETARIAT OF THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS
Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, general secretary of the Synod of Bishops
Bishop Fabio Fabene
Msgr. John Anthony Abruzzese
Msgr. Etienne Brocard
Msgr. Daniel Estivill
Fr. Ambrogio Ivan Samus
Fr. Raffaele Lanzilli, S.J.
Fr. Pasquale Bua
Ms. Paola Volterra Toppano
Dr. Federica Vivian
Mr. Pietro Camilli
Mr. Andrea Cimino
COLLABORTORS OF THE GENERAL SECRETARIAT
Msgr. Zvonimir Sersic of the diocesis of Krk, Croatia
Fr. Giuseppe Deodato of the diocesis of Rome, Italy
ASSISTANTS
Fr. Edouard Akom, Cameroon
Sem. Francesco Argese, Italy
Fr. Emmanuel Ayo, Philippines
Fr. Alexis Bavugamenshi, Burundi
Fr. Diac. Jean-Baptiste Bienvenu, France
Fr. Zvonko Brezovski, Croatia
Fr. Diac. Vincent Chretienne, France
Fr. Emmanuel De Ruyver, Belgium
Fr. Gabriele Di Martino, Italy
Fr. William Donovan, United States of America
Fr. Kim D'Souza, Canada
Fr. Georges Eko, Cameroon
Fr. Edgar Estrada, Mexico
Fr. Jonathan Flemings, L.C., United States of America
Fr. Cesar Garcia Salazar, Mexico
Fr. Javier Gaxiola Loustaunau, L.C., Mexico
Fr. Tiago Gurgel Do Vale, Brazil
Fr. Juan Iniesta Saez, Spain
Fr. Miroslaw Juchno, Poland
Fr. Thomas Kallikat, India
Fr. P. Laurent Mazas, F.S.J., France
Fr. Boniface Mungai, Kenya
Fr. Brian Needles, United States of America
Fr. Stephen Prisk, United States of America
Fr. Luis Ramirez Almanra, L.C., Mexico
Fr. Carlos Rodriguez Blanco, Spain
Fr. Roberto Secchi, Italy
Sem. Mattia Seu, Italy
Fr. Jhonny Tannoury, Lebanon
Sem. Liviu-Nicolae Ursu, Romania
Sem. Gabriele Vecchione, Italy
Fr. Biasgiu Virgitti, France.
IV. HEADS OF NEWS COMMUNICATION
Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., director of the Holy See Press Office, Vatican City
Fr. Ciro Benedettini, C.P., deputy director of the Holy See Press Office, Vatican City
English
Fr. Thomas Rosica, C.S.B., Chief Executive Officer of the Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation, Canada
French
Ms. Romilda Ferrauto, director of the French Section of Vatican Radio
German
Fr. Bernard Hagenkord, S.J., director of the German Section of Vatican Radio
Spanish
Fr. Manuel Dorantes, parish priest, archdiocese of Chicago, United States of America.
C. LIST OF FRATERNAL DELEGATES
Ecumenical Patriarchate
His Eminence Stephanos, Primate of the Orthodox Church of Estonia, Estonia
Patriarchate of Moscow
His Eminence Hilarion, Metropolitan of Volokolamsk, president of the Department
for External Relations of the Patriarchate of Moscow, Russian Federation
Serbian Patriarchate
His Eminence Andrej, Metropolitan of Austria-Switzerland, Austria
Orthodox Church of Romania
His Eminence Iosif, Metropolitan of Western Europe, France
Orthodox Church of Albania
Bishop Andon of Kruja, Albania
Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria
His Eminence Bishoy, Metropolitan of Damietta, Kafr Elsheikh and Elbarari, Egypt
Syriac-Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East
His Eminence Mar Youstinos Boulos, archbishop of Zahle and Bekaa, Lebanon
Anglican Communion
The Very Reverend Timothy Thornton, Bishop of Truro, Great Britain
World Lutheran Federation
The Very Reverend Ndanganeni Petrus Phaswana, bishop emeritus of the Evangelical Church in South Africa, South Africa
World Methodist Council
Rev. Dr. Tim MacQuiban, director of the ecumenical office of the Methodist Church in Rome, Italy
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Rev. Dr. Robert K. Welsh, president of the Council of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), United States of America
World Baptist Alliance
Rev. Dr. A. Roy Medley, general secretary of the Baptist Churches in the United
States of America, United States of America
Ecumenical Council of Churches
Rev. Dr. Walter Altmann, Brazil
World Evangelical Alliance
The Very Reverend Thomas Schirrmacher, president of the Theological Commission
of the World Evangelical Alliance, Germany.

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Other Pontifical Acts
Vatican City, 15 September 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father has appointed Bishop James Vann Johnston of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, United States of America, as
bishop of Kansas City-Saint Joseph (area 39,361, population 2,524,329, Catholics
130,500, priests 171, permanent deacons 62, religious 276), United States of America.

___________________________________________________________

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"dreamers" (those who follow the American dream), adult or unaccompanied minors
migrating from Latin America (69 per cent), refugees from Africa or the Middle East, and also African Americans (22 per cent). The school forms part of a network of six Catholics schools in the Harlem and South Bronx neighbourhoods, financed and managed by the Catholic charitable initiative Partnership, coordinated by the archdiocese of New York, to whom the premises belong. The foundation was formally instituted in 2010, and aims to break the vicious circle
of poverty.
The Pope arrived at the School of Our Lady Queen of Angels yesterday shortly after 4 p.m. (10 p.m. in Rome) to meet with the pupils, their families and the teachers who awaited him in the gymnasium. It was an informal meeting in which the Pope asked forgiveness from the teachers for taking some minutes away from the lesson and commented that one of the most beautiful characteristics of the school was the fact that some of the pupils come from other places and many from
other countries. "That is nice", he added. "Even though I know it is not easy to
have to move and find a new home, new neighbours and new friends. At the beginning it can be hard. Often you have to learn a new language, adjust to a new culture, even a new climate. There is so much to learn! And not just at school; so many other things".
"The good thing is that we also make new friends", he continued. "And this is very important. ... We meet people who open doors for us, who are kind to us. They
offer us friendship and understanding, and they try to help us not to feel like
strangers. ... Although at times we dream of our homelands, we meet good people
who help us to feel at home. How nice it is to feel that school is a second home. This is not only important for you, but also for your families. School then ends up being one big family where ... we learn to help one another, to give
the best of ourselves, to work as a team, which is so important, and to pursue our dreams".
"Very near here is a very important street named after a man who did a lot for
other people. I want to talk a little bit about him. He was the Reverend Martin
Luther King. One day he said, 'I have a dream'. His dream was that many children, many people could have equal opportunities. His dream was that many children like you could get an education. He dreamed that many men and women, like you, could hold their heads high, with the dignity of one who earns a living. It is beautiful to have dreams and to be able to fight for them. Do not
forget".
"Today we want to keep dreaming. We celebrate all the opportunities which enable you, and us adults, not to lose the hope of a better world with greater possibilities. ... I know that one of the dreams of your parents and teachers is
that you can grow up and be happy. ... It is not always easy. In every home there
are problems, difficult situations, illness, but never stop dreaming that you can live with joy. Dear children, you have a right to dream and I am very happy
that here in this school, in your friends and your teachers, you can find the support you need. Wherever there are dreams, there is joy, Jesus is always present".
Before leaving, the Pope asked the children if he could give them some homework. "It is just a little request, but a very important one", he said. "Please don't forget to pray for me, so that I can share with many people the joy of Jesus. And let us also pray so that many other people can share the joy like yours, when you feel supported, helped and advised, even when there are problems".

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Mass in Madison Square Garden: God is living in our cities
Vatican City,26 September 2015 (VIS) - The Pope concluded his day in New York with a Holy Mass for peace and justice in Madison Square Garden, a place synonymous with the city, as Francis recalled: "The site of important athletic,
artistic and musical events" representing "both the variety and the common interests of so many different people". It isa place where "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light", as yesterday's reading from the prophet Isaiah tells. The Holy Father dedicated his homily to this light.
"The people who walked - caught up in their activities and routines, amid their
successes and failures, their worries and expectations - have seen a great light", affirmed the Pontiff, remarking that the People of God is invited in every historical age to contemplate this light, since one of the special qualities of the faithful is the capacity to see, amid the shadows, the light that Christ comes to bring. "With the prophet today we can say: the people that
walks, breathes, lives amid the smog, has seen a great light, has experienced the air of life".
"Living in a big city is not always easy", commented the Pope. "A multicultural
context presents many complex challenges. Yet big cities are a reminder of the hidden riches present in our world: in the diversity of its cultures, traditions
and historical experiences. ... Big cities bring together all the different ways
which we human beings have discovered to express the meaning of life, wherever we may be. But big cities also conceal the faces of all those people who don't appear to belong, or are second-class citizens. In big cities, beneath the roar
of traffic, beneath 'the rapid pace of change', so many faces pass by unnoticed
because they have no 'right' to be there, no right to be part of the city. They
are the foreigners, the children who go without schooling, those deprived of medical insurance, the homeless, the forgotten elderly. These people stand at the edges of our great avenues, in our streets, in deafening anonymity. They become part of an urban landscape which is more and more taken for granted, in our eyes, and especially in our hearts".
However, "knowing that Jesus still walks our streets, that he is part of the lives of his people, that he is involved with us in one vast history of salvation, fills us with ... hope which liberates us from the forces pushing us to
isolation and lack of concern for the lives of others, for the life of our city.
... A hope which makes us see, even in the midst of smog, the presence of God as
he continues to walk the streets of our city".
"The prophet Isaiah can guide us in this process of 'learning to see'", continued Francis. "He presents Jesus to us as 'Wonderful Counsellor, the Mighty
God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace'". The Pope went on to explain
each of these appellations.
"Wonderful Counsellor. The Gospels tell us how many people came up to Jesus to
ask: 'Master, what must we do?' The first thing that Jesus does in response is to propose, to encourage, to motivate. He keeps telling his disciples to go, to
go out. He urges them to go out and meet others where they really are, not where
we think they should be. ... The Mighty God: In Jesus, God himself became Emmanuel, God-with-us, the God who walks alongside us. ... The Everlasting Father: Go out and proclaim, go out and show that God is in your midst as a merciful Father who himself goes out, morning and evening, to see if his son has
returned home and, as soon as he sees him coming, runs out to embrace him. ... Prince of Peace: Go out to others and share the good news that God, our Father,
walks at our side. He frees us from anonymity, from a life of emptiness and selfishness, and brings us to the school of encounter. He removes us from the fray of competition and self-absorption, and he opens before us the path of peace. That peace which is born of accepting others, that peace which fills our
hearts whenever we look upon those in need as our brothers and sisters".
"God is living in our cities. The Church is living in our cities, and she wants
to be like leaven in the dough", concluded Pope Francis. "She wants to relate to
everyone, to stand at everyone's side, as she proclaims the marvels of the Wonderful Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Eternal Father, the Prince of Peace. 'The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light'. And we ourselves are witnesses of that light".
Today, 26 September, the Holy Father travels to Philadelphia where he will celebrate Mass with the clergy and religious of Pennsylvania in the Basilica of
St. Peter and St. Paul, attend a meeting with the Hispanic community and other immigrants in Independence National Historical Park, and will pronounce a discourse in Benjamin Franklin Parkway on the eve of the World Meeting of Families.

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Other Pontifical Acts
Vatican City, 26 September 2015 (VIS) - The Holy Father has appointed:
- Archbishop Paolo Rocco Gualtieri, apostolic nuncio in Madagascar, as apostolic nuncio in the Seychelles.
- Bishop Robert Francis Prevost, O.S.A., as bishop of Chiclayo (area 15,647, population 1,275,215, Catholics 1,132,202, priests 113, religious 171), Peru. Bishop Prevost is currently apostolic administrator of the same diocese.
- appointed Fr. Zbigniew Zielinski as auxiliary of Gdansk, (area 2,500, population 965,077, Catholics 900,608, priests 748, religious 689), Poland. The
bishop-elect was born in Gdansk, Poland in 1965 and was ordained a priest in 1991. He holds a doctorate in pastoral theology from the Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University of Warsaw and has served in a number of pastoral and academic roles, pastor of the St. Michael parish and of the Cathedral of Gdansk-Oliwa and lecturer in sociology of religion at the state University of Gdansk. He is currently pastor of the con-Cathedral, lecturer in pastoral theology in the major seminary, and member of the Commission for canonical visits in the parishes, the presbyteral council, and the college of consultors.
In 2007 he was named Chaplain of His Holiness.
- appointed Cardinal Carlo Caffarra, metropolitan archbishop of Bologna, and Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, as
members of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

___________________________________________________________

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changes and real conversions have taken place in the lives of young people who have encountered this simple bare cross! Perhaps you have asked yourselves the question: what is the origin of the extraordinary power of the cross? Here is the answer: the cross is the most eloquent sign of God's mercy! It tells us that
the measure of God's love for humanity is to love without measure! Through the cross we can touch God's mercy and be touched by that mercy! Here I would recall
the episode of the two thieves crucified beside Jesus. One of them is arrogant and does not admit that he is a sinner. He mocks the Lord. The other acknowledges that he has done wrong; he turns to the Lord saying: 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom'. Jesus looks at him with infinite mercy and replies: 'Today you will be with me in Paradise'. With which of the two do we identify? Is it with the arrogant one who does not acknowledge his own
mistakes? Or is it with the other, who accepts that he is in need of divine mercy and begs for it with all his heart? It is in the Lord, Who gave his life for us on the cross, that we will always find that unconditional love which sees
our lives as something good and always gives us the chance to start again.
3. The amazing joy of being instruments of God's mercy
The Word of God teaches us that 'it is more blessed to give than to receive'. That is why the fifth Beatitude declares that the merciful are blessed. We know
that the Lord loved us first. But we will be truly blessed and happy only when we enter into the divine 'logic' of gift and gracious love, when we discover that God has loved us infinitely in order to make us capable of loving like Him,
without measure. St. John says: 'Beloved, let us love one another, because love
is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love... In this is love: not that we
have loved God, but that he He loved us and sent His Son as expiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another'.
After this very brief summary of how the Lord bestows his mercy upon us, I would like to give you some suggestions on how we can be instruments of this mercy for others.
I think of the example of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati. He said, 'Jesus pays me a visit every morning in Holy Communion, and I return the visit in the meagre
way I know how, visiting the poor'. Pier Giorgio was a young man who understood
what it means to have a merciful heart that responds to those most in need. He gave them far more than material goods. He gave himself by giving his time, his
words and his capacity to listen. He served the poor very quietly and unassumingly. He truly did what the Gospel tells us: 'When you give alms, do not
let your left hand know what your right is doing,so that your almsgiving may be
secret'. Imagine that, on the day before his death when he was gravely ill, he was giving directions on how his friends in need should be helped. At his funeral, his family and friends were stunned by the presence of so many poor people unknown to them. They had been befriended and helped by the young Pier Giorgio.
I always like to link the Gospel Beatitudes with Matthew 25, where Jesus presents us with the works of mercy and tells us that we will be judged on them.
I ask you, then, to rediscover the corporal works of mercy: to feed the hungry,
give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, assist the sick, visit the imprisoned and bury the dead. Nor should we overlook the spiritual works of mercy: to counsel the doubtful, teach the ignorant, admonish
sinners, comfort the sorrowful, forgive offences, patiently bear with troublesome people and pray to God for the living and the dead. As you can see,
mercy does not just imply being a 'good person' nor is it mere sentimentality. It is the measure of our authenticity as disciples of Jesus, and of our credibility as Christians in today's world.
If you want me to be very specific, I would suggest that for the first seven months of 2016 you choose a corporal and a spiritual work of mercy to practice each month. Find inspiration in the prayer of St. Faustina, a humble apostle of
Divine Mercy in our times:
"Help me, O Lord,
...that my eyes may be merciful, so that I will never be suspicious or judge by
appearances, but always look for what is beautiful in my neighbours' souls and be of help to them;
... that my ears may be merciful, so that I will be attentive to my neighbours'
needs, and not indifferent to their pains and complaints;
... that my tongue may be merciful, so that I will never speak badly of others,
but have a word of comfort and forgiveness for all;
... that my hands may be merciful and full of good deeds;
... that my feet may be merciful, so that I will hasten to help my neighbour, despite my own fatigue and weariness;
... that my heart may be merciful, so that I myself will share in all the sufferings of my neighbour" (Diary, 163).
The Divine Mercy message is a very specific life plan because it involves action. One of the most obvious works of mercy, and perhaps the most difficult to put into practice, is to forgive those who have offended us, who have done us
wrong or whom we consider to be enemies. 'At times how hard it seems to forgive!
And yet pardon is the instrument placed into our fragile hands to attain serenity of heart. To let go of anger, wrath, violence, and revenge are necessary conditions to living joyfully'.
I meet so many young people who say that they are tired of this world being so
divided, with clashes between supporters of different factions and so many wars,
in some of which religion is being used as justification for violence. We must ask the Lord to give us the grace to be merciful to those who do us wrong. Jesus
on the cross prayed for those who had crucified Him: 'Father, forgive them, they
know not what they do'. Mercy is the only way to overcome evil. Justice is necessary, very much so, but by itself it is not enough. Justice and mercy must
go together. How I wish that we could join together in a chorus of prayer, from
the depths of our hearts, to implore the Lord to have mercy on us and on the whole world!
4. Krakow is expecting us!
Only a few months are left before we meet in Poland. Krakow, the city of St. John Paul II and St. Faustina Kowalska, is waiting for us with open arms and hearts. I believe that Divine Providence led us to the decision to celebrate the
Youth Jubilee in that city which was home to those two great apostles of mercy in our times. John Paul II realised that this is the time of mercy. At the start
of his pontificate, he wrote the encyclical Dives in Misericordia. In the Holy Year 2000 he canonised Sister Faustina and instituted the Feast of Divine Mercy,
which now takes place on the Second Sunday of Easter. In 2002 he personally inaugurated the Divine Mercy Shrine in Krakow and entrusted the world to Divine
Mercy, in the desire that this message would reach all the peoples of the earth
and fill their hearts with hope: 'This spark needs to be lighted by the grace of
God. This fire of mercy needs to be passed on to the world. In the mercy of God
the world will find peace and mankind will find happiness'.
Dear young people, at the Shrine in Krakow dedicated to the merciful Jesus, where He is depicted in the image venerated by the people of God, Jesus is waiting for you. He has confidence in you and is counting on you! He has so many
things to say to each of you. Do not be afraid to look into His eyes, full of infinite love for you. Open yourselves to His merciful gaze, so ready to forgive
all your sins. A look from Him can change your lives and heal the wounds of your
souls. His eyes can quench the thirst that dwells deep in your young hearts, a thirst for love, for peace, for joy and for true happiness. Come to Him and do not be afraid! Come to him and say from the depths of your hearts: 'Jesus, I trust in You!'. Let yourselves be touched by His boundless mercy, so that in turn you may become apostles of mercy by your actions, words and prayers in our
world, wounded by selfishness, hatred and so much despair.
Carry with you the flame of Christ's merciful love - as St. John Paul II said in every sphere of your daily life and to the very ends of the earth. In this mission, I am with you with my encouragement and prayers. I entrust all of you to Mary, Mother of Mercy, for this last stretch of the journey of spiritual preparation for the next WYD in Krakow. I bless all of you from my heart".

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World Youth Day and the Year of Mercy coincide to make "a Youth Jubilee at world level"
Vatican City, 28 September 2015 (VIS) - Pope Francis' third message to the young, for World Youth Day (WYD), like the first two, is dedicated to the theme
of the Beatitudes and is intended to accompany young people throughout the world
on their long and challenging spiritual journey to Krakow, where in July next year World Youth Day will be held.
According to a press release from the Pontifical Council for the Laity, issued
today, the WYD is a precious heritage left by St. John Paul II, and over the past thirty years it has become a powerful instrument of evangelisation of young
people and a wonderful opportunity for dialogue between the Church and the younger generations. This spiritual adventure has already mobilised millions of
young people from all continents. WYD has moved many of them to make big changes
in their lives, and has led them to the discovery of a call, one that is an intrinsic part of being young: many are the vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life following each WYD, and many young people, after sharing this experience, have chosen to join with another as a couple in the sacrament of marriage.
In his message, the Holy Father remarked that the theme of the 31st World Youth
Day places the event in the heart of the Holy Year of Mercy, and this makes it 'a Youth Jubilee at world level'. As the Successor of Peter reminds us, it is the third time that an international gathering of young people coincides with Jubilee Year. It happened during the Holy Year of Redemption (1983/1984) when St. John Paul II invited young people from around the world for Palm Sunday for
the first time. Then, during the Great Jubilee of 2000, more than two million young people from about 165 countries met in Rome for the 15thWorld Youth Day. Pope Francis says, "I am sure that the Youth Jubilee in Krakow will be, as on those two previous occasions, one of the high points of this Holy Year!".
The Pope goes on to explain to young people how God revealed his mercy in the Holy Scriptures by showing his untiring loyalty and eternal love, always ready to forgive. In the New Testament, mercy is presented to us as"a synthesis of the
work that Jesus came to accomplish in the world in the name of the Father [...]
Everything in Jesus speaks of mercy. Indeed, he himself is mercy".
The Holy Father invites young people to have firsthand experience of the Lord's
mercy. He says: "When I was seventeen years old, it happened one day that, as was about to go out with friends, I decided to stop into a church first. I met priest there who inspired great confidence, and I felt the desire to open my heart in Confession. That meeting changed my life! I discovered that when we open our hearts with humility and transparency, we can contemplate God's mercy in a very concrete way".
After explaining how God shows us his mercy, the Pope invites young people to become, in turn, instruments of that mercy towards others. He suggests a very concrete way of responding to this call: "I would suggest that for the first seven months of 2016 you choose a corporal and a spiritual work of mercy to practice each month".
At the end of his message, Pope Francis renews his warm invitation to young people: "Only a few months are left before we meet in Poland. Krakow, the city of St. John Paul II and St. Faustina Kowalska, is waiting for us with open arms
and hearts. I believe that Divine Providence led us to the decision to celebrate
the Youth Jubilee in that city which was home to those two great apostles of mercy in our times. [...] At the Shrine in Krakow dedicated to the merciful Jesus, where He is depicted in the image venerated by the people of God, Jesus is waiting for you [...].Come to Him and say from the depths of your hearts: aJesus, I trust in You'".

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faithfulness to the See of Peter", Francis writes.
"I thank the Lord for having given His Church this eminent priestly and episcopal figure, and raise fervent prayers to God that He might welcome in His
eternal joy, after so much suffering, this good and faithful servant". The Pope
concludes by offering his apostolic blessing to the archbishop, the Slovakian episcopate, the presbytery, religious communities and all the faithful of the diocese of Nitra, whom the cardinal loved and served, as a sign of Christian faith and hope in the Resurrected Lord.

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Cardinals, patriarchs and bishops from all over the world launch an appeal to the negotiators of COP 21
Vatican City, 26 October 2015 (VIS) - This morning in the Holy See Press Office
a press conference was held to present the Appeal by by Cardinals, Patriarchs and Bishops from across the globe representing the continental groupings of national episcopal conferences, to the negotiators of the COP 21 in Paris (Conference of Parties), to be held from 30 November to 11 December this year. The initiative was promoted by the Pontifical Council "Justice and Peace", inspired by the Holy Father's Encyclical "Laudato si'".
The speakers were Cardinal Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Bombay, India, president of the FABC (Asia); Cardinal Ruben Salazar Gomez, archbishop of Bogota, Colombia, president of the CELAM (Latin America), Archbishop John Ribat
of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, president of the Federation of Episcopal Conferences of Oceania (FCBCO) and Bishop Jean Kockerols of Mechelen-Brussels, first vice-president of the Commission of the Episcopates of the European Community (COMECE) and, as special envoy, Professor Jean-Pascal van Ypersele de
Strihou of the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, former vice-president of
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Before the beginning of the Conference, the Appeal was signed by various representatives of the episcopate from around the world, in the presence of Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council "Justice and Peace", and His Beatitude Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai, O.M.M., Patriarch of Antioch (Maronites) and president of CCPO (the Council of Catholic
Patriarchs of the East), Archbishop Gabriel Mbilingi, C.S.Sp., of Lubango, Angola, president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), Archbishop Richard William Smith of Edmonton, Canada, former
president of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Canada, Msgr. Duarte Nuno Queiroz de Barros de Cunha, general secretary of the Council of Episcopal Conferences of Europe and Msgr. Ronny E. Jenkins, general secretary of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and Bernd Nilles, general
secretary of CIDSE (International Alliance of Catholic Development Agencies).
The appeal is issued by Cardinals, Patriarchs and Bishops from across the globe
representing the continental groupings of national episcopal conferences and it
is addressed to those negotiating the COP 21 in Paris, calling on them to work toward the approval of a fair, legally binding and truly transformational climate agreement.
"Representing the Catholic Church from the five continents, we Cardinals, Patriarchs and Bishops have come together to express, on our own behalf and on behalf of the people for whom we care, the widely-held hope that a just and legally binding climate agreement will emerge from the negotiations of the COP 21 in Paris. We advance a ten-point policy proposal, drawing on the concrete experience of people across the continents, and linking climate change to social
injustice and the social exclusion of the poorest and most vulnerable of our citizens.
Climate Change: challenges and opportunities
In his encyclical letter, Laudato si', addressed ato every person living on this planet', Pope Francis claims that aclimate change represents one of the principal challenges facing humanity today'. The climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all. The natural environment is a collective good, the patrimony of all humanity and the responsibility of everyone.
Whether believers or not, we are agreed today that the earth is essentially a shared inheritance, whose fruits are meant to benefit everyone. For believers, this becomes a question of fidelity to the Creator, since God created the world
for everyone. Hence every ecological approach needs to incorporate a social perspective which takes into account the fundamental rights of the poor and the
underprivileged.
Damage to climate and environment has enormous repercussions. The problem arising from the dramatic acceleration of climatic change is global in its effects. It challenges us to re- define our notions of growth and progress. It poses a lifestyle question. It is imperative that we find a solution that is consensual, because of the scale and global nature of the climate's impact, it invites a solidarity that is universal, a solidarity that is aintergenerational'
and aintragenerational'.
The Pope defines our world as aour common home' and, in the exercise of our stewardship, we must keep in mind the human and social degradation which is a consequence of a damaged environment. We call for an integral ecological approach, we call for social justice to be placed centre stage aso as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor'.
Sustainable development must include the poor
While deploring the dramatic impact of rapid climate change on sea levels, extreme weather events, deteriorating ecosystems and the loss of biodiversity, the Church is also witness to how climate change is affecting vulnerable communities and peoples, greatly to their disadvantage. Pope Francis draws our attention to the irreparable impact of unrestrained climate change in many developing countries across the world. Moreover, in his address to the United Nations the Pope said the misuse and destruction of the environment are also accompanied by a relentless process of exclusion.
Courageous leaders seeking enforceable agreements
The building and maintenance of a sustainable common home requires courageous and imaginative political leadership. Legal frameworks are required which clearly establish boundaries and ensure the protection of the ecosystem.
Reliable scientific evidence suggests that accelerated climate change is the result of unrestrained human activity, working to a particular model of progress
and development, and that excessive reliance on fossil fuels is primarily responsible. The Pope and Catholic Bishops from five continents, sensitive to the damage caused, appeal for a drastic reduction in the emission of carbon dioxide and other toxic gases.
We join the Holy Father in pleading for a major break-through in Paris, for a comprehensive and transformational agreement supported by all based on principles of solidarity, justice and participation. This agreement must put the
common good ahead of national interests. It is essential too that the negotiations result in an enforceable agreement that protects our common home and all its inhabitants.
We, Cardinals, Patriarchs and Bishops, issue a general call and make ten specific policy proposals. We call on COP 21 to forge an international agreement
to limit a global temperature increase to within those parameters currently suggested from within the global scientific community to avoid catastrophic climatic impacts, especially on the poorest and most vulnerable communities. There is, we agree, a common but also differentiated responsibility of all nations. Different countries have reached a different stage on the development spectrum. The need to work together in a common endeavour is imperative.
Our ten calls:
1. to keep in mind not only the technical but particularly the ethical and moral dimensions of climate change as indicated in Article 3 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
2. to accept that climate and atmosphere are global common goods that are belonging to all and meant for all.
3. to adopt a fair, transformational and legally binding global agreement based
on our vision of the world that recognises the need to live in harmony with nature, and to guarantee the fulfilment of human rights for all, including those
of Indigenous Peoples, women, youth and workers.
4. to strongly limit a global temperature increase and to set a goal for complete decarbonisation by mid-century, in order to protect front-line communities suffering from the impacts of climate change, such as those in the Pacific Islands and in coastal regions.
- to ensure that the temperature threshold is enshrined in a legally binding global agreement, with ambitious mitigation commitments and actions from all countries recognising their common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDRRC), based on equity principles, historical responsibilities, and the right to sustainable development.
- to secure that the emissions reductions by governments are in line with the decarbonisation goal, governments need to undertake periodic reviews of the pledges they make and of the ambition they show. And to be successful these reviews need also to be based on science and equity and shall be mandatory.
5. to develop new models of development and lifestyles that are climate compatible, address inequality and bring people out of poverty. Central to this
is to put an end to the fossil fuel era, phasing out fossil fuel emissions, including emissions from military, aviation and shipping, and providing affordable, reliable and safe renewable energy access for all.
6. to ensure people's access to water and to land for climate resilient and sustainable food systems, which give priority to people driven solutions rather
than profits.
7. to ensure inclusion and participation of the poorest, most vulnerable and impacted at all levels of the decision-making process.
8. to ensure that the 2015 agreement delivers an adaptation approach that adequately responds to the immediate needs of the most vulnerable communities and builds on local alternatives.
9. to recognise that adaptation needs are contingent on the success of mitigation measures taken. Those responsible for climate change have responsibilities to assist the most vulnerable in adapting and managing loss and
damage and to share the necessary technology and knowhow.
10. to provide clear roadmaps on how countries will meet the provision of predictable, consistent, and additional finance commitments, ensuring a balanced
financing of mitigation actions and adaptation needs.
All this would call for serious ecological awareness and education.
Prayer for the Earth
God of love, teach us to care for this world our common home. Inspire government leaders as they gather in Paris to listen to and heed the cry of the
earth and the cry of the poor; to be united in heart and mind in responding courageously; to seek the common good and protect the beautiful earthly garden you have created for us, for all our brothers and sisters, for all generations to come. Amen".
Bishop Signatories to this Declaration:
Cardinal Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Bombay, India, president of FABC (Asia);
Cardinal Peter Erdo, archbishop of of Esztergom -Budapest, president of CCEE (Europe); Cardinal Reinhard Marx, archbishop of Munich, Germany, president of COMECE (Europe); Cardinal Ruben Salazar Gomez, archbishop of Bogota, Colombia, president of CELAM (Latin America); Archbishop Gabriel Mbilingi of Lubango, Angola, president of SECAM (Africa); Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, president of USCCB (United States of America), Archbishop John Ribat of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, president of FCBCO (Oceania), and Bishop David Douglas Crosby, O.M.I., of Hamilton, Canada, president of CCCB-CECC (Canada).
The document was written in collaboration with the Catholic networks CIDSE and
Caritas Internationalis, and with the sponsorship of the Pontifical Council "Justice and Peace".

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