THE HOLY SEE WILL PARTICIPATE WITH A PAVILION AT EXPO MILAN 2015

Vatican City, 27 February 2014 (VIS) – This morning in the Holy See Press Office the protocol was presented for the participation of the Holy See at Expo Milan 2015. The general theme of the event will be “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”.

Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, Commissioner General for the Holy See for Expo Milan 2015, and Giuseppe Sala, Sole Commissioner Delegate of the Italian Government for Expo Milan 2015, signed the Protocol this morning in the Sala Regia of the Vatican Apostolic Palace, and spoke at the press conference.

Expo Milan 2015 will begin on 1 May 2015 and will continue until 31 October; 140 countries will participate with their respective pavilions. The theme of the Holy See's pavilion will be “Not by bread alone”, and aims to “highlight, above all, the inner, religious and cultural dimension that affects both the person and his relationships at all levels. Inner nourishment is just as necessary as that which responds to more immediate needs”.

From the universal value of sharing and solidarity to the protection of the Earth's resources that must not be squandered or plundered, the Holy See's pavilion will promote profound reflection on the concept of “nourishment”, and will do so by presenting four areas.

The first is a garden to preserve, which relates to the protection of Creation, with all its resources, a gift given by the Creator to all humanity, and a patrimony that must not be wasted, plundered or destroyed. The second will be food to share; the Gospel account of the multiplication of bread will provide the guiding image and will underline the universal value of sharing and solidarity, expressed in the Christian context of the many institutions that have implemented this commandment of brotherly love. The third is a meal that educates, and emphasizes that education is fundamental for forming young generations in the context of a culture of human relations focused on the essentials and not on consumerist waste (of both goods and human beings); and the fourth is bread that makes God present in the world, based on the typically religious and Christian dimension of the Eucharist, the Word and Bread of life, the source and culmination of all Christian existence.

Per ulteriori informazioni consultare:   www.visnews.org

Il servizio del VIS viene inviato soltanto agli indirizzi di posta elettronica che ne fanno richiesta. 

Per cambiamenti di indirizzo, cancellazione dell'invio ed altri commenti cliccare qui. 

Le notizie contenute nei servizi del Vatican Information Service possono essere riprodotte parzialmente o totalmente citando la fonte: 

V.I. S. - Vatican Information Service - www.visnews.org

Copyright © VIS - Vatican Information Service - 00120 Città del Vaticano 

History of the Empire: The Electorate of Trier

4 FEBRUARY 2014 (ORCNS) - The Electorate of Trier, located in modern-day Germany on the banks of the Moselle River, was an important state of the Holy Roman Empire. Trier itself was once a Roman provincial capital known as Augusta Treverorum. Already an episcopal seat during the time of the Merovingian Dynasty, Charlemagne granted the bishops of Trier independence from local secular government. It was also during the reign of Charlemagne that the See was raised to the dignity of Archdiocese.

Map by de Wit of the Electorate of Trier

The territory was founded as an Electorate in 898, giving the Archbishop a vote in electing the Holy Roman Emperor. The Prince Archbishop also held the high Imperial office of Arch-Chancellor of Gaul, giving him administrative authority in the name of the Emperor over those lands. Other Prince Archbishop Electors included Mainz, Salzburg, and Cologne.

Prince Clemens of Sazony, last reigning
Prince Archbishop of Trier

The State continued until 1801, when it was annexed by Napoleon as part of France. After Napoleon crowned himself Emperor, Trier was part of the Napoleonic Empire until it fall in 1815. Part of the electoral territory was also secularized and annexed in 1803 by the Princely County of Nassau-Weilburg. Today the Diocese of Trier is a spiritual See with no temporal or territorial jurisdiction. The titular Prince Archbishopric under the Holy Roman Empire continues as a part of the patrimony of the See of St. Stephen. The city of Trier itself remains peacefully in the Moselle River valley, about 15 km from the border with the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Several ancient Roman ruins remain, and the city boasts several museums. It is also home to the University of Trier, founded in 1473.

New Cardinals to be Created in Rome

VATICAN CITY 2 November 2013 (ORCNS) - The Press Office of the Holy See announced that a public Consistory will be held February 2014 during which new Cardinals of the Roman Communion will be appointed. According to Rev. Federico Lombardi, SJ, head of the Press Office, Pope Francis indicated his intention to create new Cardinals earlier this month, The Consistory will take place on the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, 22 February 2014.

The Holy Father has not yet announced who the new Cardinals will be. Father Lombardi also did not comment on this subject in his official statement. In previous Consistories, the names of the new Cardinals typically were made public a few weeks prior to the event.

In Memoriam Count Robert Clark

October 2013 (ORCNS) - The Patriarchal See is sad to report the death of one of its most distinguished friends and supporters, Count Robert L. Clark, in October of 2013. A resident of Albuquerque, New Mexico, he was reported missing from his cabin in the Apache Springs Ranch area in late September. After an intense search and rescue effort, he was found in the wilderness on 3 October.

Robert Clark's life was one of accomplishment and adventure. He was known for his inquisitive mind, his sense of loyalty, and great personal honor. Clark graduate in 1968 from Virginia Institute of Technology and served in the Vietnam War as a Captain in U.S. Army Explosive Ordinance Disposal. He flew private aerobatic aircraft for some years. In civilian life, he worked as a CPA and wrote a book, Crossing Wall Street - The Road to Independent Financial Security, in which he hoped to help people gain financial independence and not to be manipulated by the corporate system and financial marketplace. Clark was also a man of very high intelligence. He was a long-time member of the International Society for Philosophical Enquiry and served as its ninth President. Clark was a hereditary Companion of the Most Honorable Legion of the Eagle and an Italian Count.

The coat of arms of Count Robert L. Clark.

Friends of Clark knew him to be dedicated, loyal, and always up for a good intellectual discussion. He was someone who always loved to learn something new and from whom others could learn a great deal. He was not one to stand by idly as others behaved dishonorably. He was always quick to rise to the defense of the falsely maligned. His words carried great weight wherever he went, and many people followed his excellent example.

Shortly before his death, Clark came to Catholicism and believed in the benefits of the rosary. He had begun the initial stages of discerning a possible vocation to the priesthood. As a scientist himself, he was particularly interested in the Saints and clergy who were involved in making scientific contributions.

Two of Clark's quotes were "War is hell" and "Man is a fragile commodity." He was equally qualified to comment on both accounts.

Fr. Anthony Giunta continues animal blessing tradition

COLUMBIA S.C. 4 October 2013 (ORCNS) - The Very Rev. Anthony Giunta, TOR Mar., a priest of the Anglican Rite Roman Catholic Church, continued the centuries-old tradition of blessing animals on the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi. (Who does't know and love the images of St. Francis surrounded by animals?)

Fr. Giunta is a former police officer and now a police chaplain, so it is no surprise that the blessing was held at the Columbia Police Department. After all the animals were blessed, a reception was held at police headquarters. This is a particularly special blessing for Fr. Giunta, because he is a Franciscan, the order founded by Saint Francis of Assisi himself.

Video of the Blessing (WISTV Columbia, SC)

THE CHURCH IS HOLY, AND OPEN TO ALL, NOT ONLY THE PURE

Vatican City, 2 October 2013 (VIS) – The holiness of the Church was the theme chosen by Francis for his catechesis during today's general audience, which took place in St. Peter's Square and was attended by more than 50,000 people.

In the Creed, after professing that the Church is “one”, the Pope said, “we also confess that she is 'holy'; we thus affirm the holiness of the Church, and this is a characteristic that has been present ever since the beginning in the conscience of the first Christians, who called themselves simply 'the holy', as they were certain of the action of God, of the Holy Spirit who sanctifies the Church”.

“But”, he asked, “How can we say that the Church is holy, if we see that the Church throughout history, during her long journey through the centuries, has experienced many moments of darkness? How can a Church be holy if she is made up of human beings, of sinners? Of men who are sinners, women who are sinners, priests who are sinners, nuns who are sinners, bishops who are sinners, cardinals who are sinners, popes who are sinners? Everyone. How can a Church like this be holy?”

The Church is holy because “she comes from God Who is holy, Who is faithful to her and never abandons her to the power of death and evil. She is holy because Jesus Christ, Saint of God, is indissolubly united to her; she is holy because she is guided by the Holy Spirit which purifies, transforms, and renews. She is not holy by our merits, but because God makes her holy”.

“You could say to me: but the Church is made up of sinners, we see this every day. And this is true: we are a Church of sinners, and we sinners are called to let ourselves be transformed … by God. Throughout history there has been the temptation to say: the Church is just the Church of the pure, of those who are entirely coherent, and the rest are to be cast aside. No! It's true! This is heresy... The Church is holy, she does not refuse sinners; on the contrary, she welcomes them, she is open even to those who are most distant, she calls to all to allow themselves to be surrounded by the mercy, tenderness, and forgiveness of the Father, Who offers to all the opportunity to encounter Him and to walk the path to holiness. … Is there anyone here who brings no sin with them? No, we all carry our sins with us.”

In the Church, the God we encounter “is not a ruthless judge, but is like the Father in the Gospel parable. … The Lord wants us to be part of a Church who knows how to extend her arms to welcome all, who is not the house of few, but the home of all, where everyone can be renewed, transformed and sanctified by His love; the strongest and the weakest, sinners, the indifferent, the discouraged and the lost. The Church offers to all the possibility of embarking on the road of holiness, which is the road of the Christian”.

“Do not be afraid of holiness”, concluded Francis, “of letting yourself be loved and purified by God. … Let us allow God's holiness be transmitted to us. Every Christian is called to holiness; and holiness does not consist, first and foremost, in doing extraordinary things, but rather in letting God act. It is the encounter between our weakness and the strength of His grace”.

Le notizie contenute nei servizi del Vatican Information Service possono essere riprodotte parzialmente o totalmente citando la fonte: 

V.I. S. - Vatican Information Service - www.visnews.org

Copyright © VIS - Vatican Information Service - 00120 Città del Vaticano 

FRANCIS: NO HUMAN LIFE IS MORE VALUABLE THAN ANOTHER

Vatican City, 20 September 2013 (VIS) – Today the Pope met with members of the International Federation of Catholic Medical Associations and Catholic gynaecologists, and spoke of the current paradoxical situation of the medical profession. “On the one hand we see progress in the field of medicine, thanks to the work of scientists who passionately and unreservedly dedicate themselves to the search for new cures. On the other hand, however, we also encounter the risk that doctors lose sight of their identity in the service of life”. He referred to the Encyclical Caritas in Veritate to explain that this paradoxical situation is seen also in the fact that, “while new rights are attributed to or indeed almost presumed by the individual, life is not always protected as the primary value and the primordial right of every human being. The ultimate aim of medicine remains the defence and promotion of life”. Faced with this contradictory situation, the Pope renewed the Church's appeal to the conscience of all healthcare professionals and volunteers, especially gynaecologists. “Yours is a singular vocation and mission, which necessitates study, conscience and humanity”, he said.

Again, Francis spoke of the “throwaway culture” that leads to the elimination of human beings, especially those who are physically and socially weakest. “Our response to this mentality is a 'yes' to life, decisive and without hesitation. 'The first right of the human person is his life. He has other goods and some are precious, but this one is fundamental – the condition for all the others'”.

Reiterating that in recent times, human life in its entirety has become a priority for the Magisterium of the Church, the Pope emphasised that “goods have a price and can be sold, but people have dignity, they are worth more than goods and have no price”.

Francis asked those present to “bear witness to and disseminate this 'culture of life' … remind all, through actions and words, that in all its phases and at any age, life is always sacred and always of quality. And not as a matter of faith, but of reason and science! There is no human life more sacred than another, just as there exists no human life qualitatively more meaningful than another”.

Le notizie contenute nei servizi del Vatican Information Service possono essere riprodotte parzialmente o totalmente citando la fonte:
V.I. S. - Vatican Information Service - www.visnews.org
Copyright © VIS - Vatican Information Service - 00120 Città del Vaticano