VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXVI - # 10
DATE 18-01-2016

Summary:
- The Pope receives in audience Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco
- To the Finnish ecumenical delegation: Christians are called upon to be
credible witnesses to unity and artisans of peace and reconciliation
- Francis thanks public security personnel in the Vatican
- Francis visits the Great Synagogue of Rome
- Angelus: Jesus responds to the promises of joy that fill our hearts
- The Pope prays for the victims of the attacks in Indonesia and Burkina Faso,
and urges migrants not to let themselves be robbed of hope
- The Pope advocates a new humanism of work
- The Pope begins his "Fridays of mercy"
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts

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 The Pope receives in audience Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco
 Vatican City, 18 January 2016 (VIS) - Today the Holy Father received in
audience His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, accompanied by Her
Serene Highness Princess Charlene. The Prince subsequently met with Cardinal
Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher,
secretary for Relations with States.
 During the cordial discussions, the existing good bilateral relations were
emphasised and reference was made to the historical contribution of the
Catholic
Church to the life of the Principality. Attention then turned to various
matters
of common interest, such as the protection of the environment, humanitarian aid
and the integral development of peoples.
 Finally, the parties considered some issues affecting the international
community, such as peace and security, the acceptance of migrants and the
general situation in the Mediterranean region and the Middle East.

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 To the Finnish ecumenical delegation: Christians are called upon to be
credible
witnesses to unity and artisans of peace and reconciliation
 Vatican City, 18 January 2016 (VIS) - This year, as is traditional, an
ecumenical delegation from Finland, led this year by the Lutheran bishop of
Helsinki, Irja Askola, came to visit the bishop of Rome for the feast day of
St.
Henry of Uppsala, patron of the country.
 "Your ecumenical pilgrimage is an eloquent sign of the fact that, as
Lutherans,
Orthodox and Catholics, you have recognised what unites you and together you
wish to bear witness to Jesus Christ, Who is the foundation of unity", said the
Pope, expressing his joy at their visit.
 "In a special way, we can thank the Lord for the fruits of the dialogue
between
Lutherans and Catholics", he continued. "Here I think in particular of the
common document on 'Justification in the Life of the Church'. Building on these
foundations, our dialogue is making promising progress towards a shared
understanding, on the sacramental level, of Church, Eucharist and Ministry.
These steps forward, made together, lay a solid basis for a growing communion
of
life in faith and spirituality, as our relations develop in a spirit of serene
discussion and fraternal sharing".
 Although in this dialogue, differences still remain in doctrine and in
practice, "This must not discourage us, but instead spur us along our journey
towards ever greater unity, not least by working to overcome old ideas and
suspicions. In a world frequently torn by conflict and marked by secularism and
indifference, we are called to join in professing our faith in Jesus Christ,
and
thus to become ever more credible witnesses of unity and promoters of peace and
reconciliation", concluded the Holy Father.

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 Francis thanks public security personnel in the Vatican
 Vatican City, 18 January 2016 (VIS) - This morning the Holy Father received in
audience in the Clementine Hall the members of the General Inspectorate for
Public Security in the who serve in the Vatican. The agents also accompany the
Pope on his pastoral visits in Italy, and the Pope also thanked them for their
service in this role.
 During his address to the security personnel, Francis affirmed that his
meeting
with them was very important this year in the context of the Holy Year of
Mercy,
an event of spiritual significance which has already brought tens of thousands
of pilgrims from around the world to Rome in this first month alone. The
managers, officials and agents of the public security service are therefore
required to make even greater efforts "to ensure that the celebrations and
events connected with the extraordinary Jubilee take place in a regular and
fruitful way. External order, over which you keep careful watch, can only
benefit inner order, permeated with serenity and peace".
 "We have just concluded Christmas time, but in many places, as in St. Peter's
Square, the nativity remains on display, and invites us to protect within us,
following the example of Our Lady, the mystery we have celebrated. Mary offered
us Jesus as the beginning of a new life. The Child is the true consoler of
hearts, the true light that illuminates our life, conquering the darkness of
sin. In Him we have contemplated the face of the mercy of God the Father, and
we
have received a renewed invitation to convert to love and forgiveness. May this
spiritual experience accompany us throughout the entire Holy Year, and may the
Jubilee of Mercy be for all of us a time that is strong for the spirit, a time
of reconciliation with God and with our brothers", concluded the Holy Father.

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 Francis visits the Great Synagogue of Rome
 Vatican City, 17 January 2016 (VIS) - Yesterday, following in the footsteps of
St. John Paul II and Pope emeritus Benedict XVI, Pope Francis visited the Great
Synagogue of Rome to greet the Jewish community of the capital, the
longest-established in the world. The Holy Father was received by the president
of the Community of Rome, Ruth Dureghello, the president of the Union of
Italian
Jewish Communities, Renzo Gattegna and the Chief Rabbi of Rome, Riccardo Di
Segni, who gave a welcome address.
 "Toda rabba", (thank you), responded Francis, who then went on to speak about
the importance that he has always attributed to the relationship between Jews
and Christians ever since his days in Buenos Aires, when he met with the
Argentine Jewish community and closely followed its celebrations and
ceremonies.
"In Jewish-Christian dialogue, there is a unique and special bond, by virtue of
the Jewish roots of Christianity: Jews and Christians should consider
themselves
brothers, united by the same God and by a rich common spiritual heritage on
which we base and continue to build the future". In this respect, he recalled
that on 13 April 1986 St. John Paul II, during his visit to the same synagogue,
coined the expression "elder brothers" to describe Jews in relation to
Christians, and indeed, he affirmed "you are our elder brothers and sisters in
faith. We all belong to the same family, the family of God, Who accompanies us
and protects us as His people".
 Francis noted that 2015 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the conciliar
Declaration "Nostra aetate", which enabled systematic dialogue between the
Catholic Church and Judaism, transforming the relationship between Christians
and Jews. "From enemies and strangers, we have become friends and brothers. ...
'Yes' to the rediscovery of the Jewish roots of Christianity, 'no' to any form
of anti-Semitism, and condemnation of every injustice, discrimination and
persecution that may derive from it". The Pope also highlighted the theological
dimension of this dialogue, affirming that "Christians, to understand
themselves, cannot but refer to these Jewish roots, and the Church, while
professing salvation through faith in Christ, acknowledges the irrevocable
nature of the Old Covenant and God's constant, faithful love for Israel".
 However, alongside the theological questions, the Pope also spoke about the
challenges that today's world must face, beginning with that of the integral
ecology that both Jews and Christians must respond to by offering "to humanity
as a whole the Bible's message regarding care for creation. Conflicts, wars,
violence and injustice open up deep wounds in humanity, and we are called upon
to strengthen our commitment to peace and justice. Man's violence against man
contradicts any religion worthy of the name, and in particular, the three great
monotheistic religions. Life is sacred, as a gift from God. The fifth
Commandment of the Decalogue says: 'Thou shalt not kill'. God is the God of
life, and wishes always to promote it and defend it; and we, created in His
image and semblance, are required to do likewise. Every human being, as a
creature of God, is our brother, regardless of his origin or his religious
belief. ... Neither violence nor death will have the final word before God, Who
 is
the God of love and life. We must pray ceaselessly so that in Europe, the Holy
Land, the Middle East, Africa and every other part of the world He may help us
to practice the logic of peace, reconciliation, forgiveness and life".
 The ceremony was also attended by the last Italian survivors of the Shoah, and
the bishop of Rome spoke to them of how "the Jewish people, throughout their
history, have suffered violence and persecution, up to the extermination of
European Jews during the Shoah. Six million people, just because they belonged
to the Jewish people, were victims of the most inhuman barbarism perpetrated in
the name of an ideology that sought to substitute man for God".
 "On 16 October 1943, more than a thousand men, women and children of the
Jewish
community of Rome were deported to Auschwitz", he recalled. "Today I wish to
remember them with the heart in a special way: their suffering, their anguish,
their tears must never be forgotten. And the past must serve as a lesson for
the
present and for the future. The Shoah teaches us that it is necessary to
maintain the highest vigilance, so as to intervene promptly in defence of human
dignity and peace. I would like to express my closeness to every living witness
of the Shoah, and I greet in particular those of you who are present here".
 "In the last fifty years, mutual understanding and trust, and friendship, have
grown and deepened between us", concluded the Holy Father. "Let us pray
together
to the Lord so that He might lead us on a path to a better future. God has
plans
for our salvation".

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 Angelus: Jesus responds to the promises of joy that fill our hearts
 Vatican City, 17 January 2016 (VIS) - Today, World Day of Migrants and
Refugees, the Pope appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic
Palace to pray the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square,
including seven thousand people from various ethnic communities on a pilgrimage

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