(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has decided to scrap a previously scheduled official discourse to Polish bishops on the first day of his apostolic journey to Poland, in favour of a private encounter with them during which the Pope and the bishops will be able to listen to each other and converse in total freedom.Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni: Speaking to Vatican Radio, Father Federico Lombardi SJ, Director of the Holy See Press Office, explained that the Pope wants the occasion to be as spontaneous and authentic as possible: a moment in which the bishops and the Pope will be at ease and free to exchange opinions and ask questions.Lombardi pointed out that in fact there have been no real changes to the schedule; rather, he said, the Pope has made it clear that the formula he prefers in these occasions – and it is the one he has most often resorted to during his apostolic journeys – is that of a “familiar encounter and of dialogue”.Thus, Lombardi said, P...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has decided to scrap a previously scheduled official discourse to Polish bishops on the first day of his apostolic journey to Poland, in favour of a private encounter with them during which the Pope and the bishops will be able to listen to each other and converse in total freedom.
Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni:
Speaking to Vatican Radio, Father Federico Lombardi SJ, Director of the Holy See Press Office, explained that the Pope wants the occasion to be as spontaneous and authentic as possible: a moment in which the bishops and the Pope will be at ease and free to exchange opinions and ask questions.
Lombardi pointed out that in fact there have been no real changes to the schedule; rather, he said, the Pope has made it clear that the formula he prefers in these occasions – and it is the one he has most often resorted to during his apostolic journeys – is that of a “familiar encounter and of dialogue”.
Thus, Lombardi said, Pope Francis has no intention of addressing the bishops with a grand speech: he wants to talk to them, listen to what they have to say and possibly answer the questions they will be asking in a climate of absolute serenity.
This is the reason, he explained, it has been decided there will be no live television broadcast of the event which will be conducted in a fraternal atmosphere.
Lombardi also recalled that the Pope made exactly the same choice during his visits to the United States, to Mexico, to the African and Latin American countries he visited, when he was in Cuba and even when speaking to his brothers of the Italian Episcopal Conference.
Finally, Lombardi pointed out: “it is not that he is afraid of the media; that we know for sure!” We can all see how available he is to speak to journalists, even on the airplane…
So, Lombardi concluded, it’s a question of being very attentive to the occasion: “when he wants a climate of total familiarity, when he wants to make sure people are at ease, he prefers to meet with them in the absence of the media. It’s the same, he pointed out, at morning Mass in Casa Santa Marta.
A Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish procession honoring the patroness of Cuba on Sept. 7, 2023. / Credit: Sacred Heart of Jesus parish in Havana, CubaACI Prensa Staff, Mar 28, 2024 / 16:00 pm (CNA).The regime of President Miguel Díaz-Canel in Cuba has prohibited several Holy Week processions in different cities of the country, including the El Vedado area of Havana as well as in Bayamo, a town that was the scene of major protests earlier this month.Last week, ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, reported on the prohibition of processions in the Diocese of the Most Holy Savior located in the Bayamo-Manzanillo area in the province of Granma, due to the regime's fear that new protests would break out. The prohibition has been extended to the capital, Havana, according to a Catholic priest.In a March 25 Facebook post, Father Lester Zayas, pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in the El Vedado business district of Havana, reported that the day before he had been notifie...
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The Oregon State Capitol in Salem. / Credit: Zack Frank/ShutterstockWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 28, 2024 / 15:00 pm (CNA).The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is reporting a significant rise in assisted suicide prescriptions and deaths in the state, a move that comes after authorities in 2022 began allowing out-of-state residents to access the lethal services.Since the state's passage of the "Death with Dignity Act" in 1997, assisted suicide numbers have been generally rising there, with a markedly sharp uptick since 2013. OHA on March 20 released its 2023 assisted suicide data summary that reported a considerable increase in suicide prescriptions in 2023. The study found that assisted suicide prescriptions in the state rose from 433 in 2022 to 560 last year.Of those 560 prescriptions, 367 people are known to have died from ingesting the suicide "medications." This is up from the 304 who died from assisted suicide drugs in Oregon in 2022.Over half, or 56%, of the assisted ...