In his homily for the opening of the Jubilee Year of Mercy last Tuesday, Pope Francis said: “To pass through the Holy Door means to rediscover the infinite mercy of the Father who welcomes everyone and goes out personally to encounter each of them. This will be a year in which we grow ever more convinced of God’s mercy.
“How much wrong we do to God and His grace when we speak of sins being punished by His judgment before we speak of their being forgiven by His mercy! But that is the truth. We have to put mercy before judgment, and in any event, God’s judgment will always be in the light of His mercy.
“In passing through the Holy Door, then, may we feel that we ourselves are part of this mystery of love. Let us set aside all fear and dread, for these do not befit men and women who are loved. Instead, let us experience the joy of encountering that grace which transforms all things.”
PwC to audit the Vatican
For the first time ever all assets of the Vatican will be audited by an outside firm, Pricewaterhouse-Coopers. This decision, taken by the Council for the Economy, is in line with its policy for transparency in Vatican finances.
Cardinal George Pell, prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, has pressed for more rigorous accounting of Vatican financial affairs, especially in light of complaints that Vatican assets have been undervalued.
Church schools should be ‘truly Catholic’
Pope Francis called upon parents to help ensure that Catholic schools are “truly Catholic” transmitting an “integral, not ideological culture.” He was speaking to the Association of Catholic School Parents.
The Pope emphasised that Catholics schools should be “inclusive”, not elitist, and thus “open to all”. At the same time, he said Catholic schools should focus more on quality than on numbers of students.
Mass to be celebrated in North Korea
According to Catholic news agency Asia News, a delegation of the Korean Bishops’ Conference has returned after four days in Pyongyang, North Korea, and announced that priests can celebrate Mass in Changchung cathedral, the only Catholic church in North Korea.
The bishops said a delegation of South Korean priests “will be sent on a regular basis to North Korea to celebrate the major Catholic festivities. Moreover, channels of dialogue have been opened to improve religious exchanges between the two sides of the border in the coming years”, the spokesman for the South Korean Bishops’ Conference announced.
Papal message to charismatic movement
Pope Francis called upon members of the charismatic movement to “walk in the newness of life, and, made fruitful by personal and communitarian charismatic prayer, contribute with the renewing power of the Gospel to the Christian animation of the secular city”.
In his message the Pope said he “invokes the abundant gifts of the divine Spirit” on all the groups, communities, and the entire movement.
The message was sent through Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, to participants at the 39th conference of the Rinnovamento nello Spirito Santo (Renewal in the Holy Spirit), an Italian Catholic charismatic association.
(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)