Francis Tag

By Juan Zaforas, Sarah-Leah Pimentel and Maria Fischer • A year has gone by, making it a good time remember what Pope Francis told us during the meeting with the Schoenstatt Movement on the centenary of its founding. It became one of the main projects that the Schoesntatt.org team began to work on immediately after the audience: to copy, edit, correct, translate, publish the audience text on Schoenstatt.org, as a well-designed pamphlet and as a book and e-book – the latter in collaboration with Nueva Patris, Santiago – to spreadRead More
FRANCIS AT THE SYNOD • Vatican, 25 October 2015, one year after the Audience to celebrate the jubilee of the Covenant of Love. A year of calling the entire Schoenstatt Family to accompany families, body to body, to give witness to life and to commit to the culture of encounter that is a covenant culture and creates solidarity. At the solemn closing Mass for the Synod, Pope Francis was surrounded by the 270 synod fathers. The mass at the end of a mini council. Bergoglio gave thanks for the “pathRead More
By Sarah-Leah Pimentel, South Africa, member of Schoenstatt.org`s editorial board • There is not a lot of good news these days. Turn on the television and you hear about Syrian refugees being denied entry to Europe, civil strife in Palestine, Burundi, and Burkina Faso, families torn apart by gang and drug violence in Mexico and South Africa, extremist terrorist groups laying waste to parts of the Middle East and Africa, human rights abuses in Myanmar, Paraguay, and Angola. How do you find hope and joy? The question that the SchoenstattRead More
FRANCIS IN ROME • “The radiant witness of these new saints inspires us to persevere in joyful service to our brothers and sisters.” These were the Pope’s words during the homily during the Mass for the canonisation of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, St. Vincent Grossi and Sts. Luis Martine and Maria Celia Guérin on 18 October during the Synod of Bishops. In his homily, Francis gave particular emphasis to one of the key phrases of his pontificate: True power is in service. “Jesus is the Servant of theRead More
FRANCIS IN ROME • “Then, suddenly, the Spirit blew over Paul VI Hall. With all of the synod fathers and during the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Synod of Bishops, Pope Francis announced the urgency of a “healthy decentralisation” of the Church that results in a “conversion of the papacy” and the authority of the Church, where first and foremost, the people of God are heard,” who “participate in Christ’s prophetic office.” One of the many comments in the international press on Pope Francis’ speech during the ceremonyRead More
ROME, BELMONTE, by Maria Fischer • It was in the evening of 7 September, during the conference of the General Council of the Schoenstatt Institute of Diocesan Priests in Belmonte, that a decision was taken not to wait any longer for someone to suggest a name for the third and hence last “unnamed” seminar room in the Father Kentenich House. The other two had already been named after Fr Franz Reinisch and Gertraud von Bullion on the initiative of the Friends of Fr Reinisch and the Schoenstatt Women’s Federation. TheRead More
FRANCIS IN ROME • In this Wednesday’s general audience, Pope Francis asked forgiveness for the recent “scandals” in Rome and the Vatican and highlighted the value of bringing a child to life. “Before beginning the catechesis, on behalf of the Church, to ask for your forgiveness for the scandals that have happened in recent times both in Rome and in the Vatican. I ask your forgiveness,” the Pontiff stated during the general audience in St. Peter’s Square. The Pope dedicated his catechesis to a reflection on the “promises we makeRead More
SYNOD OF BISHOPS • Francis today (9 October) urged the Synod participants gathered in the Vatican to pray for reconciliation and peace in the Middle East and also in Africa, and called on the international community to help resolve the conflicts in the region. “In resuming this morning the work of the General Congregation, I invite you to dedicate the prayer of the Third Hour to the intention of reconciliation and peace in the Middle East. We are painfully struck and we follow with great concern what is happening inRead More
FRANCIS IN ROME • The books containing Pope Francis’ Wednesday weekly catechesis on the family are already available, for example at the Libreria Editrice Vaticana, with the titles: The Family: The World’s generating force and The family, God’s masterpiece [not yet available in English]. It seems that there will be a another book, because during the general audience on the first Wednesday of October in St. Peter’s Square before thousands of Catholics and pilgrims from numerous countries, Pope Francis continued with his weekly catechesis on the family, this time focusingRead More
By Sarah-Leah Pimentel, South Africa • One of my favourite church hymns has this chorus: “And they’ll know we are Christians by our love.” This reminds me of its antithesis. Mahatma Ghandi was once quoted as saying that he had great respect for Christ but did not have great regard for Christians. Ghandi’s comment touches the heart of what where we have often failed to be truly Christian. To be a Christian is not about the number of Masses we attend, the number of rosaries we pray or being involvedRead More