Vatican removes 'La Repubblica' interview from its website

Vatican City, Nov 17, 2013 / 08:07 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Holy See's press officer announced Nov. 15 that the Vatican had chosen to take down the text of Pope Francis' interview in La Repubblica, which had been featured among his speeches, from it's website.

“The information in the interview is reliable on a general level but not on the level of each individual point analyzed: this is why it was decided the text should not be available for consultation on the Holy See website,” Fr. Federico Lombardi told journalists Nov. 15.

“Its removal is a final update on the nature of this text. Some mistakes were made regarding its value, which was questioned.”

The interview was conducted by Eugenio Scalfari, editor of the Italian publication La Repubblica  and an atheist. In additio n to its publication in Scalfari's newspaper Oct. 1, the text appeared in the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano and on the Vatican's website.

The accuracy of the text was quickly met with skepticism; several sources suggested that the printed text, while overall faithful to the Pope's thought, may not have captured his exact words.

On Oct. 3, staff at La Repubblica told Jean-Marie Guén ois, deputy editor of the French daily Le Figaro, that “the interview was not recorded, nor were notes taken. What is reflected in the interview is fruit of the memory of that which the Pope and Scalfari said during their encounter.”

It later emerged that Pope Francis was aware that his reported words in the interview could be misunderstood, and took measures concerning this.

Antonio Socci, a Catholic columnist for the Italian newspaper Libero, wrote Oct. 27 that after the publication of the interview, Pope Francis was fully aware of the risk of misunderstanding of some of his words, particularly those on conscience.

The Pope's knowledge that he could be misunderstood is why, according to Socci, Fr. Lombardi, was “told to maintain that the text of the interview had not been revised by Pope Francis and that it was penned by Scalfari after an informal chat.”

Fr. Lombardi had also underlined that “the interview is not part of Pope Francis' Magisterium.”

According to Socci, Pope Francis “regretted” the publication of the interview in L’Osservatore Romano and “complained of it to the director, Gian Maria Vian, in Assisi on Oct. 4.”

On Friday, Fr. Lombardi indicated that “the Secretariat of State took the decision” to remove the text from the Vatican's website, and not the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, as was rumored.

Pope Francis at Angelus: Don’t be tricked by false saviours who try to substitute Jesus: Pray for the many persecuted Christians.

(Vatican Radio) At his Angelus address Pope Francis warned the faithful not to be taken in by false saviours or leaders in our world who seek to influence the minds of people, especially the young. He also urged solidarity with the many Christians undergoing persecution throughout the world, praising their courage and testimony.


The Pope’s Angelus reflections were taken from this Sunday’s gospel reading where Jesus warns his disciples of the future trials and tribulations they will face along with the false prophets they will encounter en route. The Pope said the two main messages contained here are: “Firstly, do not be taken in by false messiahs and don’t be paralysed by fear . Secondly, live this time of waiting as a time of witness and perseverance.”

He told the faithful that this message from Jesus is just as valid in our present time and encourages us to show "discernment. " “Nowadays,” he continued, “there are many false saviours who try to substitute Jesus, leaders in this world, fake saints and personalities who wish to influence the hearts and minds of people, especially the young.” But Jesus warns us, said the Pope: “Don’t follow them.” At the same time, Jesus also helps us not to be afraid when faced with "wars, revolutions and natural disasters."

Quoting from Christ’s warning to his disciples about “the painful trials and persecutions” facing Christians , the Pope said these trials are an opportunity for witness and stressed they should not cause us to move away from the Lord. Let us spare a thought, he continued, for "our many Christian brothers and sisters who suffer persecution because of their faith. There are so many of them. Maybe, many more than in the early centuries.” “We admire their courage and testimony.”

In his address after the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis noted that Sunday was the World Day in memory of the Victims of Road Accidents and urged drivers to be prudent and respect the rules, saying this helps to protect both the driver and other road users. He concluded by holding up a small box containing 59 threaded beads of the rosary and urging those in the crowd to collect a box from the volunteers distributing it as they left St. Peter’s Square. The Pope described it as “a spiritual medicine,” saying it helps “our souls” and helps “to spread love, forgiveness and fraternity.” 

Pope: missionary outreach is paradigm for pastoral action

(Vatican Radio) Missionary outreach is “the paradigm for all pastoral action,” said Pope Francis in his remarks on Saturday in a video message to participants at a four-day pilgrimage-encounter in Mexico. The conference, held 16-19 November, was organized by the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

The Pope spoke about the need for creativity and about the missionary impulse in the evangelizing work of the Church, making reference to the conclusions of the Fifth General Conference of Latin American Bishops, held in 2007, commonly referred to as Aparecida.

“Aparecida,” he said, “proposes to put the Church in a permanent state of mission… And this, in the certainty that missionary outreach, more than being one activity among others, is a paradigm, that is, the paradigm for all pastoral action.”

The intimacy of the Church with Jesus is an “itinerant intimacy,” he said, which calls people out of themselves to reach out to others.

“It is vital for the Church not to close in on itself, not to feel already satisfied and sure with what it has accomplished,” he said. “If this happens, the Church will get sick, it will get sick with imaginary abundance… in a certain sense it will ‘get indigestion’ and will weaken.”

All pastoral activity is oriented by the missionary impulse to reach everyone, he continued. “It is necessary to go out of one’s community and to have the boldness to go to the existential peripheries, which need to feel God’s closeness,” he said.

Evangelization is not exclusive and it considers the circumstances in which people find themselves. Christians must share the joy of having encountered Christ and not impose new obligations, reprimand others or complain about that which they consider to be lacking.

“The work of evangelization demands much patience,” he said. It also presents the “Christian message in manner that is serene and gradual… as did the Lord”.

It privileges that which is “essential and most necessary, that is, the beauty of the love of God, communicated in Christ, who died and resurrected.”

He urged Christians to step outside of their usual ways of doing things. “We must force ourselves to be creative in our methods,” he said. “We cannot remain confined in our common space of ‘it was always done this way’.”

THE TEMPTATION OF CLERICALISM
The Pope also addressed the role of clerics and religious in the Church. He said a bishop leads the pastoral life of the Church with tenderness and patience, “manifesting the maternity of the Church and the mercy of God”. The attitude of the true pastor must not be that of a prince or of a bureaucrat. Instead, a bishop must care for his people, knowing how to discern the movement of the Holy Spirit.

Pope Francis also addressed the need to deal with clericalism. “The temptation of clericalism, which does much damage to the Church in Latin America, is an obstacle to the development of maturity and Christian responsibility of a good part of the laity,” he said.

He described clericalism as a “group attitude” that is “self-referential” and which impoverishes encounter with Christ, which is what creates disciples.

“Therefore, I believe it is important, urgent, to form ministers capable… of encounter, who know how to enflame the hearts of people, walk with them, enter into dialogue with their hopes and fears,” he said.

He added that today’s culture requires good priestly formation, and he questioned whether the Church had “sufficient capacity to be self-critical in order to evaluate the results of very small seminaries, which have a shortage of formative staff”.

The Pope also said consecrated life is leaven for the Church and urged consecrated men and women to be faithful to their communities’ charisms, which are a “great prophecy… for the good of the Church”.

The Pope concluded by urging his listeners to live their baptismal call in faith and to share it with others. 

Pope Francis: God's only weakness is our prayer

(Vatican Radio) The Lord is a fierce warrior in defence of His people – the prayers of His people are His only weakness. These were the words of Pope Francis during Mass on Saturday morning in the Vatican’s Santa Marta.




Pope Francis focused his homily on the strength of the Lord as saviour of His chosen people, and on the strength which His people can find in prayer.


Jesus tells His disciples a parable about the necessity of praying without ever becoming weary, like the widow who insistently petitioned a dishonest judge for justice, until she eventually obtained it. God “will secure the rights of His chosen ones who call out to him day and night”, Pope Francis said, just as He did when Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt.


When God calls Moses, He says to him: “I have heard the cry, the lament of my people”. The Lord listens, Pope Francis said: His “all-powerful word from heaven’s royal throne bounded, a fierce warrior”. That’s what the Lord is like, the Pope explained, when He defends His people: He is a fierce warrior, He saves His people.


This is the strength of God, Pope Francis continued, but what is our strength? Ours is the strength of the widow: to knock at the heart of God, to knock, to lament our many problems, many pains, to ask the Lord to free us from these pains, from these sins, from these problems. Our strength is prayer, the Pope said, and the prayer of a humble person is the weakness of God. The Lord is weak only in this one sense: He is weak before the prayers of His people.


You are like the widow, Pope Francis said to those present, you must pray, ask, knock at the heart of God every day. The widow never tired, she was always brave. And the Lord listens to His people’s prayer. You, Pope Francis concluded, are the privileged representatives of the people of God, and you must pray to the Lord for the many needs our Church and of humanity. 

New Secretary of State arrives at Vatican

(Vatican Radio) Archbishop Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s new Secretary of State, arrived in the Vatican on Saturday and will be in his office at the Apostolic Palace as of Monday.

Archbishop Parolin was installed as Secretary of State in absentia on 15 October, due to an unexpected surgical procedure he had to undergo that day.

Fr. Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See Press Office, made the announcement and said the archbishop thanks the Pope and those who were close to him in this period.

The archbishop will reside at the Casa Santa Marta for the time being. 

Pope ordains bishop in Saint Peter’s Basilica

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis ordained Fernando Vérgez Alzaga bishop on Friday afternoon in Saint Peter’s Basilica. Bishop Alzaga serves as the Secretary of the Governatorate of Vatican City State. The homily delivered by Pope Francis was the one proposed by the ritual for ordination of bishops, with a few personal remarks added by the Holy Father. “In the name of the Church I thank you,” the Pope said, for “a humble and quiet service, a filial and fraternal service