Vatican Radio REPORT: Christians are called to be courageous in their weakness. We must recognize that we are weak and that, at times, we have to flee from sin without nostalgia, without looking back. We must not let temptation or fear keep us from God. Instead we must learn that ‘he who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day!’ This was the lesson at the heart of Pope Francis’ homily at morning Mass on Tuesday.Acting with hesitancy, always looking back, being afraid to turn to the Lord, the grace of the Holy Spirit. Pope Francis took his cue from the daily readings to dwell on four "possible attitudes in conflict situations, in difficult situations." The first attitude is that of the "slowness" of Lot. He decided to leave the city before it was destroyed, but he does so slowly. The angel tells him to run away, but he carries within an '"inability to detach himself from evil and sin." The Pope noted that we want to go out, we are determined, "but there is something that pulls us back," and so Lot begins to negotiate even with the angel.
"It’s so hard to cut ties with a sinful situation. It is hard! Even in a temptation, it's hard! But the voice of God tells us this word: 'Escape! You cannot fight there, because the fire, the sulfur will kill you. Escape!' St. Therese of the Child Jesus taught us that sometimes, in some temptations, the only solution is to escape and not be ashamed to escape; to recognize that we are weak and we have to escape. And our popular wisdom, in its simplicity, says as much, somewhat ironically: 'he who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day.' Escaping to go forward along the path of Jesus."
The Pope continued that the angel then says "do not look back," to escape and keep your eyes faced forward. Here, he said, is some advice on how to overcome our nostalgia of sin. Think of the People of God in the desert, he stressed: "They had everything, promises, everything." And yet "they were nostalgic for the onions of Egypt" and this "longing made them forget that they ate those onions on the table of slavery." There was the "longing to go back, to return." And the advice of the angel, the Pope observed, "is wise: Do not look back! Move ahead!" We must not do as Lot's wife, we must "leave behind all nostalgia, because there is also the temptation of curiosity."
"Faced with sin, we must escape without any nostalgia. Curiosity does not help, it hurts! 'But, in this sinful world, what can we do? What is this sin like? I would like to know . . . ' No, do not! This curiosity will hurt you! Run away and do not look back! We are weak, all of us, and we must defend ourselves. The third situation is on the boat: it is fear. When there is great upheaval at sea, the boat was covered with the waves. 'Save us, Lord, we are lost!' they say. Fear! Even that is a temptation of the devil: to be afraid to move forward on the path of the Lord.”
There is a temptation that says it is "better to stay here," where I'm safe. "But this – warned the Pope - is the slavery of Egypt." "I fear moving forward - the Pope said - I'm afraid of where the Lord will bring me.” Fear, however, "is not a good counselor." Jesus, he added, "so many times, said: 'Do not be afraid.' Fear does not help us." The fourth attitude "is the grace of the Holy Spirit." When Jesus calms the agitated sea, the disciples on the boat are filled with awe. "Faced with sin, nostalgia, fear," he said, we must always turn to the Lord.
"Looking to the Lord, contemplating the Lord. This gifts us the beautiful wonder of a new encounter with the Lord. 'Lord, I am being tempted: I want to stay in this situation of sin, Lord, I am curious to know about these things, Lord, I'm afraid.' And they looked to the Lord: 'Save us, Lord, we are lost!' And wonder at a new encounter with Jesus followed. We must not be naive nor lukewarm Christians, but brave, courageous. We are weak, but we must be courageous in our weakness. And often our courage must be expressed in escaping without looking back, so as not to fall into the trap of wicked nostalgia. Do not be afraid and always look to the Lord! ".
Mass was concelebrated by Cardinal Manuel Monteiro de Castro and Archbishop Beniamino Stella, and was attended by a group of priests and employees of the Tribunal of the Apostolic Penitentiary, and a group from the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy.
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| PROGRAMME OF THE POPE'S TRIP TO LAMPEDUSA Vatican City, 2 July 2013 (VIS) – The programme of Pope Francis' trip to Lampedusa onMonday 8 July was announced today. The Holy Father will depart from Rome's Ciampino military airport at 8.00 a.m., landing at Lampedusa airport at 9.15 a.m., where he will be welcomed by Archbishop Francesco Montenegro of Agrigento and Giuseppina Nicolini, mayor of Lampedusa. The Holy Father will then go on by car to Cala Pisana, where he will board a boat in order to reach Lampedusa by sea. He will be accompanied by fisherman in their boats, and will commit a wreath to the sea in memory of those who lost their lives in the shipwreck. He will arrive at the port of Punta Favarolo at 9.30 a.m., where he will greet the groups of immigrants awaiting him at the dock. He will then go on to the “Arena” sports camp in the Salina quarter, where he will celebrate Mass at 10.00 a.m. At 11.30 a.m., following the celebration of the Eucharist, the Pope will continue by car to the parish of San Gerlando, where he will make a brief stop. He will leave the parish at12.30 p.m. and will be transported to Lampedusa airport by car. At 12.45 p.m. the papal aeroplane will depart from Rome, where it is expected to land at Ciampino airport at 1.45 p.m.The Holy Father will return immediately to Vatican City. |
| DIRECTOR AND DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE IOR RESIGN Vatican City, 2 July 2013 (VIS) – A communique was issued in English by the Holy See Press Office late yesterday afternoon, the full text of which is given below: “IOR-Director Comm. Paolo Cipriani and Deputy Director Dott. Massimo Tulli have offered their resignations from their current positions. After many years of service both have decided that this decision would be in the best interest of the Institute and the Holy See. The Oversight Council and the Commission of Cardinals have accepted their resignations and asked President Ernst von Freyberg to assume the functions of the General Director ad interim with immediate effect. The Vatican regulator AIF has been informed accordingly. The Special Commission appointed on June 26 2013 has acknowledged the decision. “Ernst von Freyberg will be supported by Rolando Marranci as acting Deputy Director and Antonio Montaresi in the newly created position as acting Chief Risk Officer with the remit of overseeing compliance and special projects. Previously Rolando Marranci served as Chief Operating Officer at a leading Italian bank in London. Antonio Montaresi has served as Chief Risk and Chief Compliance Officer with various banks in the US. “'In the name of the Oversight Council I thank Mr. Cipriani and Mr. Tulli for their personal dedication over the past years,' said President Ernst von Freyberg. 'I welcome Rolando Marranci and Antonio Montaresi as outstanding professionals,' he said. 'Since 2010 the IOR and its management have been working hard to bring structures and processes in line with international standards for anti-money laundering. While we are grateful for what has been achieved, it is clear today that we need new leadership to increase the pace of this transformation process. Our progress is in no small measure due to the continued support from the governing bodies of the Institute and its personnel.' “The Oversight Council has also initiated a selection process with the aim of appointing a new General Director and Deputy Director in the near future. “Elizabeth McCaul, Partner-in-charge of the New York Office and Chief Executive Officer of Promontory Europe and Raffaele Cosimo, Chief Operating Officer of Promontory Europe were mandated this past May by the President of the Oversight Council to strengthen the Institute’s anti-money laundering program in seven work streams including conducting a forensic review and screening its client relationships. Mr von Freyberg has also asked Elizabeth McCaul and Raffaele Cosimo to serve as Senior Advisors to support the management. Previously, Ms. McCaul served as New York Superintendent of Banks and is considered a leader in regulatory circles. Mr. Cosimo is an expert in bank governance and operations.” About the IOR “The 'Istituto per le Opere di Religione' (IOR) is an institute founded in 1942 by Papal Decree. The IOR’s purpose is to serve the Holy See and in the Catholic Church throughout the world, as set out in its Statutes. The IOR safeguards the assets of a clearly defined group of legal and natural persons that have an affiliation to the Catholic Church defined by Canonical or Vatican Law. A Cardinals’ Commission, a Prelate, an Oversight Council and a Directorate constitute the IOR’s corporate governance structure. The IOR, which has 114 employees, is exclusively situated on the sovereign territory of the Vatican City State.” |
| AUDIENCES Vatican City, 2 July 2013 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father received in audience: - Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches - Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy |
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