(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Wednesday spoke about God’s mercy throughout history, and in our own day.Listen to Christopher Wells' report: In his weekly General Audience, Pope Francis noted that the Lord always accompanied the people of Israel, and showed how God continues to work in our own time as well.He pointed to the story of Joseph and his brothers as an example of grace and reconciliation, and said the Jubilee Year of Mercy was a good opportunity to reconcile with family members.The example of Moses, who led the Israelites from slavery to freedom, shows that “mercy cannot remain indifferent in the face of the suffering of the oppressed, the cry of those subject to violence, reduced to slavery, condemned to death.” Suffering is a reality in every age, a reality that can make us feel impotent, and tempt us to indifference. But, Pope Francis said, “God is not indifferent, He never looks away from human suffering.” The God of mercy hea...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Wednesday spoke about God’s mercy throughout history, and in our own day.
Listen to Christopher Wells' report:
In his weekly General Audience, Pope Francis noted that the Lord always accompanied the people of Israel, and showed how God continues to work in our own time as well.
He pointed to the story of Joseph and his brothers as an example of grace and reconciliation, and said the Jubilee Year of Mercy was a good opportunity to reconcile with family members.
The example of Moses, who led the Israelites from slavery to freedom, shows that “mercy cannot remain indifferent in the face of the suffering of the oppressed, the cry of those subject to violence, reduced to slavery, condemned to death.” Suffering is a reality in every age, a reality that can make us feel impotent, and tempt us to indifference. But, Pope Francis said, “God is not indifferent, He never looks away from human suffering.” The God of mercy hears the groaning of the poor and intervenes to save them, especially by “raising up men and women able to hear the cries of the suffering, and working in favour of the oppressed.”
As Moses was God’s instrument leading the people of Israel to freedom, we too, especially in this Year of Mercy, can be mediators of God’s mercy. “There are so many good things we can do!” the Pope said.
Turning again to the history of the people of Israel, Pope Francis spoke of how God made a covenant with the people, creating a special, privileged relationship with them. This special relationship, brought to fulfilment through the Blood of Christ, “destroys our sin through forgiveness, and makes us definitively children of God.” Pope Francis concluded his address with the hope that, in this Year of Mercy, we too, precisely because of the mercy God has shown us, might cooperate with God in accomplishing works of mercy.
null / ShutterstockCNA Staff, Apr 25, 2024 / 10:52 am (CNA).Following a recent Vatican declaration on human dignity, the Catholic bishops of England and Wales condemned medical and social transgenderism while encouraging a "sensitive" response in a pastoral reflection released on Wednesday.The Vatican's doctrinal office came down strongly against gender ideology, stating that "all attempts to obscure reference to the ineliminable sexual difference between man and woman are to be rejected."The Catholic bishops of England and Wales followed the Vatican's lead in their April 24 statement, "Intricately Woven by the Lord," which encouraged rooting pastoral care in "acceptance … of the body as created." "We cannot encourage or give support to reconstructive or drug-based medical intervention that harms the body," they wrote. "Nor can we legitimize or uphold a way of living that is not respectful of the truth and vocation of each man and each woman, called to ...
null / ShutterstockCNA Staff, Apr 25, 2024 / 11:30 am (CNA).Louisiana State Police have obtained a new search warrant to collect documents from the Archdiocese of New Orleans as part of an ongoing investigation into Church abuse in that state.State police spokesman Jacob Pucheu confirmed to CNA on Thursday that the bureau had obtained the warrant as part of its investigation into "numerous complaints of child sexual abuse" leveled at the archdiocese. The inquiry was first launched in 2022, he said."As part of the ongoing investigation, on Monday, April 22, 2024, SVU investigators obtained an additional search warrant to collect information and documents from the Archdiocese of New Orleans," Pucheu told CNA."The archdiocese is cooperating with investigators to fulfill the terms of the search warrant," he said. "This investigation remains ongoing with no further information available at this time."Pucheu declined to directly provide a copy of the warrant, saying that "since it is...
Pope Francis speaks to the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, Sept. 25, 2015. / L'Osservatore Romano.Rome Newsroom, Apr 25, 2024 / 07:22 am (CNA).Pope Francis is reportedly considering returning to the United States in September to speak before the United Nations General Assembly.The news was initially reported by the French Catholic newspaper La Croix and has not yet been officially confirmed by the Vatican. A source from the Vatican Secretariat of State, meanwhile, told CNA this week that "a formal invitation has arrived from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and Pope Francis seems inclined to respond positively."If the New York trip occurs, the pope would visit the United Nations during its "Summit of the Future," which the international body will convene from Sept. 22 to 23.The possible trip to the United States could change the pope's already-busy September travel schedule. The Holy See Press Office has announced that Pope Francis will be in Indonesia...