THE COMMUNITY DIMENSION OF FORGIVENESS OF SINS

Vatican City, 20 November 2013 (VIS) – The forgiveness of sins, with reference to the so-called “power of the keys”, biblical symbol of the mission Jesus gave to the Apostles, was the theme of the Pope's catechesis during today's general audience in St. Peter's Square this morning.

“The agent of the forgiveness of sins is the Holy Spirit”, said Pope Francis, explaining that in his first appearance before the Apostles, the risen Christ performed the gesture of breathing on to them, saying “'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained'. Jesus, bodily transfigured, is now a new man, who offers the Paschal gifts, the fruit of his death and resurrection: peace, joy, forgiveness of sins, the mission, and above all the Holy Spirit that is the source of all this. The breath of Jesus … indicates the transmission of life, the new life regenerated by forgiveness. But before this gesture … Jesus shows the wounds on his hands and his side: these wounds represent the price of our salvation. The Holy Spirit brings us God's forgiveness, 'passing through' Jesus' wounds”.

In turn, the Church is “the depository of this power. God forgives all men in his sovereign mercy, but He Himself wishes for them to belong to Christ and His Church, receiving pardon through the ministers of the Community. … In this way, Jesus calls us to experience the ecclesial and community dimension of reconciliation. … The Church … accompanies us along the path of conversion throughout our lives. The Church is not the 'owner' of the power of the keys, but is rather the servant of the ministry of mercy”.

“Many people nowadays perhaps do not understand the ecclesial dimension of forgiveness, as individualism and subjectivism dominate”, observed the Pope. “Certainly, God forgives every repentant sinner, personally, but the Christian is bonded with Christ, and Christ is united to the Church. For us, as Christians, it is an extra gift, but it is also an extra commitment; to pass humbly through ecclesial ministry. We must value this. … I go to my brother priest and say, 'Father, I have done this...' and he answers, 'But I forgive you; God forgives you'. In that moment I am sure that God has forgiven me”.

The Pope's final point of reflection was the figure of the priest as a 'tool' in the forgiveness of sins. “The priest, a man who, like us, is in need of mercy, truly becomes an instrument of mercy, bringing us the limitless love of God the Father. … At times we hear of those who claim to confess directly to God … yes, as I said before, God always listens, but in the Sacrament of Reconciliation he sends a brother to bring forgiveness to you, the certainty of forgiveness, in the name of the Church”.

The service that the priest offers as a minister of God in forgiving sins requires that “his heart is at peace; that he does not mistreat the faithful, but rather is humble, benevolent and merciful; that he knows how to sow hope in hearts and, above all, is aware that the brother or sister who seeks the Sacrament of Reconciliation seeks forgiveness and does so in the same way that many people sought Jesus, in order that he might cure them. When a priest who does not have this disposition of spirit it is better if, until this is corrected, he does not administer this Sacrament. The penitent faithful have the right to find, in priests, the servants of God's forgiveness”.

“Let us not forget that God never tires of forgiving us; through the ministry of the priest he holds us in a new embrace that regenerates us and enables us to get up again and continue anew on our path”, the Holy Father concluded.

POPE'S APPEAL TO CLOISTERED LIFE AND THE RURAL FAMILY

Vatican City, 20 November 2013 (VIS) – Following today's general audience, Pope Francis greeted the pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square. He recalled the victims and families of those affected by the floods that have claimed many lives on the Italian island of Sardinia.

The Pontiff commented that “Pro Orantibus Day”, will be celebrated tomorrow, 21 November, the liturgical memory of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Temple and a day on which the Church also remembers cloistered monks and nuns. He encouraged those present to support both spiritually and materially those who are called to the cloistered life, to assist them in carrying out the important task entrusted to them. “It is a good occasion to thank the Lord for the gift of the many people who, in monasteries and hermitages, dedicate themselves to God in prayer and constructive silence”.

He went on to mention that on 22 November the United Nations will inaugurate the “International Year of the Family Farming”. “In work, too, the family is a model of fraternity, for living an experience of unity and solidarity between all its members, with greater sensitivity towards those who are most in need of care or assistance, and stemming social conflict at source”, said the Holy Father, who expressed his wish that this initiative might contribute to promoting “the innumerable benefits that the family brings to the economic, social, cultural and moral growth of the entire human community”.

THE POPE PRAYS FOR THE ISLAND OF SARDINIA , STRICKEN BY FLOODS

Vatican City, 20 November 2013 (VIS) – Archbishop Pietro Parolin, secretary of State, has sent a telegram on behalf of Pope Francis to Archbishop Arrigo Miglio of Cagliari, president of the Sardinian Episcopal Conference, following the floods that struck the island of Sardinia, Italy, claiming lives and causing numerous injuries and extensive material damage.

“It is with great sadness that the Supreme Pontiff has learned of the floods that have affected the island of Sardinia, causing loss of human life, injury and enormous damage and discomfort to many families. His Holiness wishes to extend to all some affectionate words of comfort and encouragement, assuring his special prayers for those who have lost their lives and for all those affected by this grave disaster. The Holy Father expresses his hope that the solidarity and necessary assistance in facing this difficult moment will be forthcoming, and imparts his heartfelt apostolic benediction”.

OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS

Vatican City, 20 November 2013 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father appointed Msgr. Armando Antonio Ortiz Aguirre of the clergy of Leon, Mexico, as bishop of Ciudad Lazaro Cardenas (area 14,800, population 846,000, Catholics 787,000, priests 43, religious 82), Mexico. The bishop-elect was born in Guanajuto, Mexico in 1952 and was ordained a priest in 1977. He has served in a number of pastoral roles within the archdiocese of Leon, including formator, prefect of discipline, spiritual director and head of the preparatory course in the minor seminary; vice rector and professor at the major seminary; chaplain of the “Sanatorio Moderno Pablo de Anda” and spiritual director of the faculty of theology of the seminary of Leon. He is currently priest of the parish of “San Maximiliano Koolbe” and co-ordinator general of the diocesan presbyteral commission.

THE CHURCH IN THE SERVICE OF SICK ELDERLY PEOPLE

Vatican City, 19 November 2013 (VIS) – “The Church at the Service of Sick Elderly People: Care for People with Neurodegenerative Pathologies” is the theme of the 28th International Conference of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers (Health Care Pastoral) scheduled to take place in the Vatican's New Synod Hall from 21 to 23 November. In a press conference held in the Holy See Press Office this morning, the initiative was presented by Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski, president of the dicastery, accompanied by by Msgr. Jean-Marie Mupendawatu and Fr. Augusto Chendi, M.I., respectively secretary and under-secretary of the same dicastery, along with Dr. Gabriella Salvini Porro, president of the Alzheimer Federation, Italy, and Dr. Gabriele Carbone, head of the Dementia Centre – Alzheimer Unit, Italian Hospital Group, Guidonia, Italy.

“The four cardinal points” of the conference are “in-depth study, dialogue and exchange of experiences, reflection and prayer, with the aim of improving health care as far as possible, in the form of pastoral service to the sick and suffering”, explained Archbishop Zimowski. The work of the conference “will be inaugurated with a Holy Mass at the Chair of St. Peter, and will culminate on Saturday 23 November in an encounter of reflection and prayer prior to the audience with Pope Francis. ... There will be almost 700 participants, including researchers, doctors, ecclesial and health-care workers, professionals and volunteers, all engaged in the care of elderly people, and they come from over 57 countries, in all five continents”.

“This year's theme was chosen, bearing in mind its current and future importance, the needs to which it gives rise in terms of pastoral care, and the importance, as Pope Francis has reaffirmed on numerous occasions, of promoting a more inclusive society, in which even the weakest sectors of the population may be fully integrated, respected and valued”. The archbishop went on to explain that nowadays the various forms of senile dementia – of which Alzheimer's is the most widespread, diagnosed in over fifty percent of recorded cases – is on the increase, affecting 35 million people worldwide at a rate of 7,700,000 new cases each year. “According to these estimates”, he continued, “by 2030 the number of cases could exceed 65 million. The impact of such pathologies is enormous: on the person directly affected, but also on the family, the community and, more extensively, at a social and national level. Therefore in many states, institutional efforts are decisive, but as the work of this Conference will demonstrate, an indispensable contribution is to be made by those close to the patient, as well as parishes, communities, ad hoc religious and lay structures, non-governmental associations and entities: all of which not infrequently 'make all the difference' in the care of elderly sick people”.

“However, there is still much to be done. As the last International Day of Older Persons highlighted, those who are no longer young risk neglect, even on the part of the ecclesial community. … There are many opportunities for helping the elderly to spend their free time intelligently, and many proposals for helping them to be useful. But evangelisation is another thing entirely. Evangelising old age means discovering its innate and original possibilities, its true meanings, its intrinsic values … It is, first and foremost, a question of meanings, not of things or activities. Through solidarity between the young and the elderly, it can be seen how the Church is effectively the family of all generations. … When life becomes frail, in old age, it never loses its value and its dignity: everyone is wanted and loved by God, everyone is important and necessary”.

The Conference will consider the following themes: “The epidemiology and health-care policy of neurodegenerative illnesses: the silent epidemic of the third millennium”; “Research and treatment: current and future utility”; “The elderly person with neurodegenerative illnesses”; “Neurodegenerative illnesses and places of care: between the hospital and the local area”; “Preventive actions and potential advantages of technological progress”; “The theological and pastoral perspective” and “The action of the Church”.