BY CINDY WOODEN
CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
VATICAN CITY (CNS) - The COVID-19 pandemic has been tough on fami- lies, but with extra patience and faith, bonds can grow stronger, Pope Francis wrote in a letter released on the feast of the Holy Family. "Marriage, as a vocation, calls you to steer a tiny boat - wave-tossed yet stur- dy, thanks to the reality of the sacra- ment - across a sometimes stormy sea," he told couples in the letter published Dec. 26. Like the disciples who were founder- ing on the Sea of Galilee, couples must keep their eyes fixed on Jesus, he said. "Only in this way, will you find peace, overcome conflicts and discover solu- tions to many of your problems. Those problems, of course, will not disappear, but you will be able to see them from a different perspective." Reciting the midday Angelus prayer with visitors in St. Peter's Square Dec. 26, Pope Francis said he had written the letter as a "Christmas gift" to married couples during the celebra- tion of the "Amoris Laetitia Family" Year, a year dedicated to re-reading his 2016 exhortation on marriage and family life. In his Angelus talk, the pope com- mented on the day's Gospel reading about a 12-year-old Jesus staying be- hind in Jerusalem and making Mary and Joseph frantic. "In the Gospel, we see that even in the Holy Family things did not all go well: There were unexpected problems, anxiety, suffering. The Holy Family of holy cards does not exist," he said. When Mary and Joseph find Jesus in the temple and ask him why he wor- ried them so, he tells them, "Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" Mary and Joseph do not understand, the pope said. "They need time to learn to know their son. That's the way it is with us as well: Each day, a family needs to learn how to listen to each other to understand each other, to walk together, to face conflicts and difficulties." In his letter to families, like in "Amo- ris Laetitia," Pope Francis paid tribute to the strength and tenacity of couples as they face real difficulties together on the journey of life. Like Abraham, called by God to set out to an unknown land, he wrote, with the pandemic "we, too, have ex- perienced uncertainty, loneliness, the loss of loved ones; we, too, have been forced to leave behind our certain- ties, our 'comfort zones,' our familiar ways of doing things and our ambi- tions, and to work for the welfare of our families and that of society as a whole, which also depends on us and our actions."
BY CINDY WOODEN
CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
VATICAN CITY (CNS) - Before giving his Christ- mas blessing to the city of Rome and to the world, Pope Francis drew atten- tion to the many places around the globe and with- in human hearts in need of Jesus, the prince of peace. "In the cold of the night, he stretches out his tiny arms toward us: He is in need of everything, yet he comes to give us ev- erything," the pope told people gathered in a rain- washed St. Peter's Square. "On this festive day, let us implore him to stir up in the hearts of everyone a yearning for reconcilia- tion and fraternity," Pope Francis said Dec. 25 before giving his blessing "urbi et orbi" (to the city and the world). Cardinal Renato Martino, 89, the protodeacon of the College of Cardinals, an- nounced that the solemn blessing included a plenary indulgence for the people in the square, everyone watching on television, lis- tening by radio or follow- ing on their computers. Jesus came into the world "like a whisper, like the murmur of a gentle breeze, to fill with wonder the heart of every man and woman who is open to this mystery," the pope said in his Christmas message. "The Word became flesh in order to dialogue with us," he insisted. "God does not desire to carry on a monologue, but a dialogue. For God himself - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - is dialogue, an eternal and infinite communion of love and life." But all too often in too many places, dialogue is precisely what is miss- ing, he said, as he offered specific prayers for people struggling to survive amid war or the threat of war, violence, oppression or crushing poverty in Syria, the Holy Land, Yemen, South Sudan, Ukraine, Myanmar and Ethiopia. The impact of the ongo- ing COVID-19 pandemic on health care and the economy, but also on the way individuals live and interact was part of the pope's prayer as well. With the pandemic, the pope said, "our capacity for social relationships is sorely tried; there is a growing tendency to with- draw, to do it all by our- selves, to stop making an effort to encounter others and do things together." "On the international level too, there is the risk of avoiding dialogue, the risk that this complex crisis will lead to taking shortcuts rather than setting out on the longer paths of dialogue," he said. "Yet only those paths can lead to the resolution of conflicts and to lasting benefits for all." Pope Francis said he knows people get weary watching or reading the news, but attention is needed or "we risk not hearing the cry of pain and distress of so many of our brothers and sisters." In addition to "the con- tinuing tensions between Israelis and Palestinians that drag on without a resolution, with ever more serious social and political consequences," he said, people should not forget Bethlehem, "the place of Jesus' birth, which is ex- periencing hardship also from the economic reper- cussions of the pandemic. And, the pope said, "let us listen to the cry of children arising from Yemen, where an enormous tragedy, over- looked by everyone, has silently gone on for years,
Pope names Cardinal Czerny to lead dicastery
VATICAN CITY (CNS) - Thanking Cardinal Peter Turk- son for his five years of service as prefect of the Dicast- ery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Pope Francis has decided to name new leadership for the of- fice, said a Vatican communique. Beginning Jan. 1 and for a limited time, Canadian Cardinal Michael Czerny will serve as prefect and Salesian Sister Alessandra Smerilli will continue to serve as interim secretary, Mat- teo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, said in a statement Dec. 23. In August 2016, Pope Francis had announced the formation of the dicastery by merging the former pontifical councils for Justice and Peace, Cor Unum, Migrants and Travelers, and Health Care Minis- try. The dicastery began operations Jan. 1, 2017, under statutes approved for a five-year experimental period. The pope tapped Cardinal Turkson, who had led the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace since 2009, to lead the office for that five-year period.
African bishop concerned about peace, stability
NAIROBI, Kenya (CNS) - In Christmas and New Year's messages, Catholic bishops and religious leaders across Africa expressed deep concerns about the severe chal- lenges that threaten peace and stability throughout much of the continent. The messages took on a common theme as they urged government leaders and opposing factions to come together to end confrontation and seek reconcili- ation so that local communities can confront dire pov- erty, climate change and other dangers. In Chad, the country's bishops focused on the need for dialogue among the political parties in the country because discussions to date have not yet achieved the goal of peace. "The demand for an inclusive national dialogue by the majority of Chadians expresses their desire to change the dark page of their history and to look to the future with optimism," the Chadian bishops' confer- ence said in its message ahead of Christmas. In Sudan, Bishop Yunan Andali of El Obeid, president of the Sudan Catholic Bishops' Conference, called on the faithful to pray for peace and justice in the country, which saw its path toward sustainable democratic rule sidetracked by a military coup Oct. 25.
Even the Holy Family felt stress, pope tells families Pope prays Christmas will bring yearning for peace, dialogue
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THE CATHOLIC FREE PRESS DECEMBER 31, 2021
Vatican mandates vaccination for employees
VATICAN CITY (CNS) - With a view toward staying open and protecting people from a new increase in COVID-19 infections, the Vatican mandated that all em- ployees be vaccinated against the coronavirus or show proof of having recovered from it. The previous Vatican rule, requiring a negative COVID-19 test every 48 hours for unvaccinated employees, was not part of the new rules published by the Vatican Secretariat of State Dec. 23 and with immediate effect. Vatican employees who cannot prove they have been vaccinated or have recov- ered from the coronavirus will not be allowed to go to work and will not be paid, although their benefits and family allowances will continue, according to the text signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state. The Vatican, which runs its own health service for employees, does recognize that some employees have a medical reason for not being able to be vaccinated. Other than that, "the evaluation of the elements for possible exemption" from the mandate will be evalu- ated by the Vatican Secretariat of State in consultation with the health service.
Desmond Tutu dies at age 90
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (CNS) - Anglican Archbish- op Desmond Tutu's compassion and sense of humor, as well as his commitment to justice and processes of peace, were among the many reasons he was an icon, said Bishop Kevin Dowling of Rustenburg. The retired Anglican archbishop of Cape Town - who in 1984 won the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his efforts to bring about a peaceful transition to a society with equal rights for all - died in Cape Town Dec. 26 at the age of 90. When he was asked at a meeting of young people why he was always so positive, Archbishop Tutu told them, "I'm a prisoner of hope," Bishop Dowling said. "That sums up his life," the bishop said in a Dec. 26 telephone inter- view.
September 2022 set for John Paul I beatification
VATICAN CITY (CNS) - Pope Francis will beatify Pope John Paul I Sept. 4 at the Vatican, according to Stefa- nia Falasca, a journalist and vice postulator of the late pope's sainthood cause. In October, Pope Francis had signed a decree recognizing a miracle attributed to the intercession of Pope John Paul I, clearing the way for his beatification. At the time, a date for the ceremony was not announced. Writing Dec. 23 in Avvenire, the daily newspaper owned by the Italian bishops' conference, Falasca said the date had been set. Pope John Paul I, an Italian who was born Albino Luciani, served only 33 days as pontiff; he died in the papal apartments Sept. 28, 1978, three weeks shy of his 66th birthday, shocking the world and a church that had just mourned the death of St. Paul VI.
CNS PHOTO PAUL HARING
Children carry flowers at the start of Pope Francis' celebration of Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Dec. 24.
CNS PHOTO VATICAN MEDIA
Pope Francis delivers Christmas blessing "urbi et orbi" (to the city and the world) from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Dec. 25.
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Tutu causing deaths every day." In a troubled world, he said, Christmas celebrates hope. "Today, 'the love that moves the sun and the other stars,' as Dante says, became flesh. He came in human form, he shared in our plight, and he broke down the wall of our indif- ference." In the form of a prayer to the newborn Lord, Pope Francis pleaded not only for peace between nations at war, but for all the suf- fering people in the city and the world and for the suffering Earth itself. "Eternal Word become flesh," he prayed, "make us attentive to our common home, which is suffering from the carelessness with which we so often treat it. Inspire political leaders to reach effective agreements, so that future generations can live in an environment respectful of life." He prayed for women who have been victims of domestic violence, "which has increased in this time of pandemic," for the conso- lation of elderly people who are alone and for the seren- ity and unity of families. He prayed for the sick, those who care for them and for a greater effort to make COVID-19 vaccines available to all.
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