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Fifty-third year, number 49 (2.675) Vatican City Friday, 4 December 2020

Pope Francis created 13 new cardinals in the 7th Consistory of his Pontificate

On the road with JesusVisit to Benedict XVI and concelebration of Mass on the First Sunday of Advent

To Ecumenical Patriarch

The primary duty ofdialogue

PAGE 4

Sunday Angelus

For the populations ofCentral America

PAGE 12

General Audience

The world needsblessings

PAGE 3

CONTINUED ON PA G E 11

u n . o rg

The Holy Father’s Message for theInternational Day of Persons withDisabilities was released on Thursday,3 December. This year’s theme is:“Building Back Better: Toward aDisability-inclusive, Accessible andSustainable post-Covid-19 World”.The following is the English text ofthe Pope’s Message.

Dear brothers and sisters,This year’s celebration of the Inter-national Day of Persons with Disabil-ities is an occasion to express mycloseness to those experiencingsituations of particular difficultyduring the crisis caused by the pan-demic. All of us are in the sameboat in the midst of a turbulent seathat can frighten us. Yet in thissame boat, some of us are strug-gling more; among them are per-sons with serious disabilities.

The theme of this year’s celebra-tion is “Building Back Better: To-ward a Disability-inclusive, Accessibleand Sustainable post-COVID-19Wo rl d . ” I find the expression “build-ing back better” quite striking. Itmakes me think of the Gospel par-able of the house built on rock orsand (cf. Mt 7:24-27; Lk 6:46-49).So I take this special occasion toshare some reflections based onthat parable.

1. The threat of the throwaway culture

In the first place, the “rain”, the“rivers” and the “winds” thatthreaten the house can be identifiedwith the throwaway culture wide-spread in our time (cf. EvangeliiGaudium, 53). For that culture,“some parts of our human family, itappears, can be readily sacrificedfor the sake of others considered

worthy of a carefree existence. Ulti-mately, persons are no longer seenas a paramount value to be caredfor and respected, especially whenthey are poor and disabled” (Fra -telli Tutti, 18).

Pope Francis’ Message for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Frailty is part of everyone’s life

Let us “pass from beingoff the road to journeyingon God’s road”: PopeFrancis advised this atti-tude of conversion to the13 new Cardinals createdin the Ordinary PublicConsistory held in theVatican Basilica on Sat-urday afternoon, 28November. The rite —which bore the signs ofthe health emergency thatprevented two of thenewly appointed cardinalsfrom being present andrequired measures such asphysical distancing to pre-vent the spread of infec-tion — was ce lebrated atthe Altar of the Chair,rather than the Altar ofConfession, and after-wards Francis accompan-ied the 11 new Cardinalsto the Mater EcclesiaeMonastery in the Vaticanto visit Benedict XVI whoblessed the new Cardinalsafter the recitation of the“Salve Regina”.

The following day theyconcelebrated Mass withPope Francis for the FirstSunday of Advent.

SEE PA G E S 5-10

L’OSSERVATORE ROMANOWEEKLY EDITION

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page 2 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 4 December 2020, number 49

VAT I C A NBULLETIN

AUDIENCES

Monday, 23 November

Mr Carmelo Barbagallo, Presidentof the Financial Information Au-thority (AIF)Delegation of Fairtrade InternationalDelegation of the “National Basket-ball Players Association”Cardinal-elect Marcello Semeraro,Prefect of the Congregation for theCauses of Saints

Thursday, 26 November

Cardinal Edoardo Menichelli, Arch-bishop emeritus of Ancona-Osimo,ItalyMsgr Bruno Marie Duffé, Secretaryof the Dicastery for Promoting In-tegral Human DevelopmentFr Tomaž Mavrič, CM, SuperiorGeneral of the Congregation of theMission (Lazarists)Friday, 27 November

Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle,Prefect of the Congregation for theEvangelization of PeoplesCardinal Angelo Bagnasco, Arch-bishop emeritus of Genoa, Italy

Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turk-son, Prefect of the Dicastery for Pro-moting Integral Human Develop-mentH.E. Mr Majid Al-Suwaidi, Ambas-sador of the Emirates to Spain

CHANGES IN EP I S C O PAT E

The Holy Father appointed FrWayne Lawrence Lobsinger as Aux-iliary Bishop of the Diocese ofHamilton, Canada, assigning himthe titular episcopal See of Gemellaein Numidia. Until now he hasserved as episcopal vicar for consec-rated life and parish priest of SaintThomas the Apostle, Waterdown, inthe same diocese (21 Nov.).

Bishop-elect Lobsinger, 54, wasborn in the Waterloo Region,Canada. He was ordained a prieston 7 May 1994. He holds a Masterof Divinity.

The Holy Father accepted the resig-nation presented by Bishop PeterKang U-il from the pastoral care ofthe Diocese of Cheju, Korea. He issucceeded by Bishop Pius MoonChang-woo, coadjutor of the saidDiocese (22 Nov.).

Bishop Moon Chang-woo, 57, wasborn in Cheju, Korea. He was or-dained a priest on 10 February 1996.He was ordained a bishop on 15 Au-gust 2017, subsequent to his appoint-ment as coadjutor Bishop of Cheju.

The Holy Father accepted the resig-nation presented by Bishop KevinPatrick Dowling, CSSR, from the pas-toral care of the Diocese of Rusten-burg, South Africa (25 Nov.).The Holy Father appointed FrRobert Mogapi Mphiwe as Bishopof Rustenburg. Until now he hasserved as vicar general (25 Nov.).

Bishop-elect Mogapi Mphiwe, 48,was born in Pretoria, South Africa.He was ordained a priest on 1November 1997. He studied philo-sophy and theology and holds a li-cence in liturgy.

The Holy Father appointed BishopXolelo Thaddaeus Kumalo as Bish-op of Witbank, South Africa. Untilnow he has served as Bishop ofEshowe, South Africa (25 Nov).

Bishop Kumalo, 66, was born inGogela, South Africa. He was or-dained a priest on 10 October 1991.He was ordained a bishop on 7 June

2008, subsequent to his appointmentas Bishop of Eshowe.

The Holy Father appointed Fr JacekGrzybowski as Auxiliary Bishop ofthe Diocese of Warszawa-Praga, Po-land, assigning his the titular epis-copal See of Nova. Until now hehas served as director of the dioces-an office for university pastoral min-i s t r y,

Bishop-elect Grzybowski, 47, wasborn in Wołomin, Poland. He wasordained a priest on 30 May 1998.He studied philosophy and theo-logy; he holds a doctorate in philo-s o p h y.

The Holy Father appointed as Aux-iliary Bishops of the MetropolitanArchdiocese of Guadalajara, Mexico:Fr Manuel González Villaseñor, as-signing him the titular episcopal Seeof Ploaghe. Until now he has servedas parish priest of San FranciscoJavier de Las Colinas; Fr EduardoMuñoz Ochoa, assigning him thetitular episcopal See of Satafis. Untilnow he has served as formator at theMajor Seminary (27 Nov.).

— Bishop-elect Villaseñor, 56, wasborn in Guadalajara, Mexico. Hewas ordained a priest on 19 May1991.

— Bishop-elect Muñoz Ochoa, 52,he was born in Guadalajara, Mex-ico. He was ordained a priest on 22May 1997. He holds a licence indogmatic theology; and in philo-s o p h y.

The Holy Father accepted the resig-nation presented by Archbishop An-thony Mancini from the pastoralcare of the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth, Canada. He is succeededby Archbishop Brian Joseph Dunnas Coadjutor of the said Archdiocese(27 Nov.).

Archbishop Dunn, 65, was bornin Saint John’s, Newfoundland,Canada. He was ordained a prieston 28 August 1980. He was ordaineda bishop on 9 October 2008, sub-sequent to his appointment as titularBishop of Munatiana and Auxiliaryof Sault Sainte Marie, Canada. On21 November 2009 he was appointedBishop of Antigonish. He was ap-pointed coadjutor Archbishop ofHalifax-Yarmouth, Canada, on 13April 2019.

NECROLO GY

Bishop Jožef Smej, Auxiliary Bishopemeritus of Maribor, Slovenia, titu-lar Bishop of Tzernicus, at age 98(21 Nov.)Bishop Damián Iguacén Borau,Bishop emeritus of Tenerife, Spain,at age 104 (24 Nov.)Bishop Benjamín Jiménez Hernán-dez, Bishop emeritus of Culiacán,Mexico, at age 82 (26 Nov.)

Communiqué

Bishop ordained inPRC

On 24 November, in response toquestions from journalists, MrMatteo Bruni, Director of theHoly See Press Office, confirmedthe following:

“With regard to the news ofthe recent episcopal ordination inQingdao (Province of Shandong,PRC), I can confirm that the Rev.Thomas Chen Tianhao is thethird Bishop appointed and or-dained within the normativeframework of the Provisional Ac-cord between the Holy See andthe People’s Republic of Chinaregarding the appointment ofBishops. I can also add that cer-tainly, in the future other epis-copal consecrations are foreseen,because various processes are un-derway for the new episcopal ap-p ointments”.

Christmas tree arrives in Saint Peter’s Square

From the forrests of Slovenia

From the area of Novi Lazi andKočevska Reka, in southeasternSlovenia, a red spruce (Picea abies)has arrived in Saint Peter’s Squareto be decorated for Christmas.Staff members of the Vatican’s gar-dens and environmental servicesraised the tree on Monday morn-ing, 30 November, after its arrivalthe night before. The 75-year-oldspruce stands at an imposing 30metres (98.5 feet) high, 67 centi-metres in diameter and weighssome seven tons. The lighting cere-mony will take place at 4:30 pm onFriday, 11 December, respectinghealth regulations for the contain-ment of the pandemic. CardinalGiuseppe Bertello and BishopFernando Vérgez Alzaga, respect-ively the President and SecretaryGeneral of the Vatican City StateGovernorate, will preside over theceremony. The tree and Nativityscene will remain on display inSaint Peter’s Square until Sunday,

10 January, Feast of the Baptism ofthe Lord, which concludes theChristmas season.

number 49, Friday, 4 December 2020 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 3

The world needs blessingsAn essential dimension of prayer

As he continued his series of catecheses on prayer at the GeneralAudience on Wednesday morning, 2 December, Pope Francisreflected on the importance of blessings, pointing out that “c u rs e scannot come out of a blessed heart”. The following is a translationof the Holy Father’s words which he offered in Italian from theprivate library of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,Good morning!Today we will reflect on an essen-tial dimension of prayer: b l e s s i n g.We are continuing the reflectionson prayer. In the creation ac-counts (cf. Gen 1-2), God con-tinually blesses life, always. Heblesses the animals (1:22); heblesses the man and the woman(1:28); finally, he blesses the Sab-bath, the day of rest and the en-joyment of all of creation (2:3). Itis God who blesses. In the firstpages of the Bible, there is a con-tinual repetition of blessings.God blesses, but men give bless-ings as well, and soon they dis-cover that the blessing possesses a

to bless and the fact of beingblessed. God did not make a mis-take with creation nor with thecreation of man. The hope of thew o rl d lies entirely in God’s bless-ing: he continues to love us, towish us well; he is the first, as thepoet Péguy said, to continue tohope for our good (The Porticoof the Mystery of the Second Vir-tue, first ed. 1911).

Go d’s great blessing is JesusChrist; his Son is God’s greatestgift. He is a blessing for all ofhumanity. He is the blessing thatsaved us all. He is the eternalWord with which the Father

A sinner can remain in error for along time, but God is patient tillthe end, hoping that [the sin-ner’s] heart will eventually openand change. God is like a goodfather and like a good mother —he is also a good mother: theynever stop loving their child, nomatter what he or she may dowrong, always. What comes tomy mind is the many times that Ihave seen people queue to enter aprison.

Many mothers queue up to seetheir imprisoned child: they donot stop loving their child andthey know that the peoplepassing by on the bus are think-ing: “Ah, that is a prisoner’smother”. Yet they are not embar-rassed about this; or better yet,they are embarrassed but they goahead, because their child is moreimportant than their embarrass-ment. Thus we are more imp or-tant to God than all of the sinsthat we can commit, because he isa father, he is a mother, he ispure love, he has blessed usforever. And he will never stopblessing us.

It is an impressive experienceto read these biblical texts ofblessing in a prison, or in a re-habilitation group. To let thesepeople feel that they are stillblessed, notwithstanding theirgrave errors, that the heavenlyFather continues to desire theirgood and to hope that they willopen themselves to the good, inthe end. Even if their closest rel-atives have abandoned them sinceby now they judge them to be ir-redeemable, they are always chil-dren to God. God cannot erasein us the image of sons anddaughters; each one of us is hisson, his daughter. At times we seemiracles happen: men and wo-men who are reborn because theyfind this blessing that has anoint-ed them as children. For God’sgrace changes lives: he takes us aswe are, but he never leaves us aswe are.

Let us think about what Jesusdid with Zacchaeus (cf. Lk 19:1-10), for example. Everyone sawevil in him; instead, Jesus spots aglimmer of good, and from that— from his curiosity to see Jesus

— He allows the mercy that savesto pass through. Thus, first Zac-chaeus’ heart was changed, andthen his life. Jesus sees the in-delible blessing of the Father inthe people who are rejected andrepudiated. Zacchaeus was a pub-lic sinner; he had done so manyawful things, but Jesus saw thatindelible sign of the Father’sblessing and because of that, hehad compassion. That phrase thatis repeated often in the Gospel,“He was moved with compas-sion”, and that compassion leadsHim to help him and to changehis heart. What’s more, Jesuscame to identify himself withevery person in need (cf. Mt25:31-46). In the passage aboutthe final protocol on which all ofus will be judged, Matthew 25,Jesus says: “I was hungry, I wasnaked, I was in prison, I was inhospital, I was there...”.

To God who blesses, we too re-spond by blessing — God hastaught us how to bless and wemust bless — through the prayerof praise, of adoration, of thanks-g i v i n g. The Catechism writes:“The prayer of blessing is man’sresponse to God’s gifts: becauseGod blesses, the human heart canin return bless the One who isthe source of every blessing” (n.2626). Prayer is joy and thanks-giving. God did not wait for usto convert before beginning tolove us, but he loved us long be-fore, when we were still in sin.

We cannot just bless this Godwho blesses us; we must blesseveryone in him, all people, blessGod and bless our brothers andsisters, bless the world: this is theroot of Christian meekness, theability to feel blessed and theability to bless. If we were all todo this, wars would surely not ex-ist. This world needs blessings,and we can give blessings and re-ceive blessings. The Father lovesus, and the only thing that re-mains for us is the joy of blessinghim, and the joy of thanking him,and of learning from him not tocurse, but to bless. Here, just one

GENERAL AU D I E N C E

Appeal for NigeriaI wish to assure my prayers for Nigeria, where blood has un-fortunately been spilled once more in a terrorist attack. LastSaturday, in the northeast of the country, more than 100 farm-ers were brutally killed. May God welcome them into hispeace and comfort their families; and may he convert thehearts of those who commit similar atrocities which gravelyoffend his name.

special power that accompaniesthose who receive it throughouttheir entire life, and disposesman’s heart to allow God tochange it (cf. Second VaticanCouncil Constitution S a c ro sanc-tum Concilium, 61).

At the world’s beginning, thereis thus God who “speaks good-ness” [dice-bene], he blesses [bene-dice], he speaks goodness [dice-bene]. He sees that every work ofhis hands is good and beautiful,and when he creates man, andcreation is complete, he recog-nizes that it is “very good” (Gen1:31). Shortly thereafter, thebeauty that God had imprintedwithin his work will change, andthe human being will become adegenerate creature, capable ofspreading evil and death in theworld; but nothing will ever takeaway God’s original imprint, animprint of goodness that Godplaced in the world, in humannature, in all of us: the capacity


blessed us “while we were yet sin-ners” (Rom 5:8), Saint Paul says,the Word made flesh and offeredfor us on the cross.

Saint Paul proclaims God’splan of love with emotion. Andhe says it like this: “Blessed bethe God and Father of our LordJesus Christ, who has blessed usin Christ with every spiritualblessing in the heavenly places,even as he chose us in him beforethe foundation of the world, thatwe should be holy and blamelessbefore him. He destined us inlove to be his sons through JesusChrist, according to the purposeof his will, to the praise of hisglorious grace which he freely be-stowed on us in the Beloved”(Eph 1:3-6). There is no sin thatcan completely erase the image ofChrist present in each one of us.No sin can erase that image thatGod has given us — the image ofChrist. Sin can disfigure it, butnot remove it from God’s mercy.

L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 4 December 2020, number 49

Message of the Holy Father to Ecumenical Patriarch for the Feast of Saint Andre w

The primary duty of dialogue

FEAST OF THE APOSTLE ANDREW

Photos © Nikolaos Manginas

To His All HolinessBARTHOLOMEW

Archbishop of ConstantinopleEcumenical Patriarch

On the feast of the Apostle An-drew, beloved brother of SaintPeter and patron saint of the Ecu-menical Patriarchate, I joyfullyconvey my spiritual closeness toYour All Holiness once againthrough the delegation. I joinyou in giving thanks to God forthe rich fruits of divine provid-ence manifest in the life of SaintA n d re w.

I likewise pray that through hispowerful intercession our Lord,who called him to be among hisfirst disciples, will abundantlybless you, your brothers in theepiscopate and members of theHoly Synod, and all the clergy,monks and lay faithful gatheredfor the Divine Liturgy celebrated

in the Patriarchal Church of SaintGeorge at the Phanar. Calling tomind the charity, apostolic zealand perseverance of Saint An-drew is a source of encourage-ment in these difficult and criticaltimes. Giving glory to God alsostrengthens our faith and hope inthe one who welcomed into etern-al life the holy martyr Andrew,whose faith endured in time oftrial.

I recall with great joy the pres-ence of Your All Holiness at theinternational meeting for peaceheld in Rome on 20 October last,with the participation of repres-entatives of various Churches andother religious traditions. Togeth-er with the challenges posed bythe current pandemic, war contin-ues to afflict many parts of theworld, while new armed conflictsemerge to steal the lives of count-less men and women. Un-doubtedly all initiatives taken bynational and international entitiesaimed at promoting peace areuseful and necessary, yet conflictand violence will never cease untilall people reach a deeper aware-ness that they have a mutual re-sponsibility as brothers and sis-ters. In light of this, the ChristianChurches, together with other re-ligious traditions, have a primaryduty to offer an example of dia-logue, mutual respect and practic-al cooperation.

With profound gratitude toGod, I have experienced this fra-ternity at first hand in the variousencounters we have shared. Inthis regard, I acknowledge thatthe desire for ever greater close-ness and understanding betweenChristians was manifest in theEcumenical Patriarchate of Con-stantinople before the CatholicChurch and other Churches en-gaged themselves in dialogue.This can be seen clearly in theencyclical letter of the Holy Syn-od of the Ecumenical Patriarchateaddressed to the Churches world-wide exactly one hundred yearsago. Indeed, its words remain rel-evant today: “When the severalChurches are inspired by love,and place it before everythingelse in their judgment of the oth-ers and in relation towards eachother, they will be able, instead ofincreasing and widening the exist-ing dissentions, to lessen and di-minish the same as far as pos-sible; and by promoting a con-stant brotherly interest in the con-dition, the stability, and theprosperity of the other Churches,by their eagerness in watchingwhat is happening in thoseChurches, and by obtaining amore accurate knowledge ofthem, and by their readiness togive, whenever occasion arises, ahand of help and assistance, theythen will do and achieve many

good things to the glory andprofit both of themselves and ofthe whole Christian body, and tothe advance of the matter of theunion”.

We can thank God that rela-tions between the CatholicChurch and the Ecumenical Patri-archate have grown much overthe past century, even as we con-tinue to yearn for the goal of therestoration of full communion ex-pressed through participation atthe same Eucharistic altar. Al-though obstacles remain, I amconfident that by walking togeth-er in mutual love and pursuingtheological dialogue, we willreach that goal. This hope isbased on our common faith in Je-sus Christ, sent by God the Fath-er to gather all people into onebody, and the cornerstone of theone and holy Church, God’s holytemple, in which all of us are liv-ing stones, each according to ourown particular charism or min-istry bestowed by the Holy Spirit.

With these sentiments, I renewmy warmest best wishes for thefeast of Saint Andrew, and ex-change with Your All Holiness anembrace of peace in the Lord.

Rome, Saint John Lateran,30 November 2020

FRANCIS

In the context of the traditional exchange of Delegations for the respectiveFeast Days of Patron Saints — 29 June in Rome for the celebration ofSaints Peter and Paul, and 30 November in Istanbul for the celebrationof Saint Andrew — Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the PontificalCouncil for Promoting Christian Unity, led the Delegation of the HolySee for the celebration of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. He wasaccompanied by the Dicastery's Secretary, Bishop Brian Farrell, and

Undersecretary, Msgr Andrea Palmieri. The Delegation was joined inIstanbul by Archbishop Paul F. Russell, Apostolic Nuncio to Turkey. TheHoly See's Delegation took part in the solemn Divine Liturgy presided byEcumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I in the Patriarchal Church of SaintGeorge at the Phanar. Cardinal Koch consigned to the EcumenicalPatriarch a Message signed by the Holy Father. The following is theEnglish text of the Message.


Cardinal Grech’s address to the Holy Father at the Consistory

Synodality as a pattern andstyle of the Church

The Cardinal’s address with all references maybe found at: http://www.synod.va/content/sy-no d/en/news/address-of-h-e--mario-cardinal-g re c h - t o - t h e - h o l y - f a t h e r - d u r i n g - t . h t m l

Pope Francis creates 13 new Cardinals

Rome, 28 NovemberOn Saturday afternoon, 28November, in Saint Peter’s Ba-silica, the Supreme Pontiff Francisheld an Ordinary Public Consist-ory for the creation of 13 new Car-dinals, the imposition of the bi-retta, the consignment of the ring

and the assignment of the title ord e a c o n r y.

The Holy Father entered theBasilica at 4:00 pm. in processionand took his place at the Altar ofthe Chair in Saint Peter’s Basilica.He was greeted by the SecretaryGeneral of the Synod of Bishops,the first of the new Cardinals.Having said the initial prayer, thePope delivered his Address afterthe proclamation of the Gospel.He then read out the formula forthe creation of Cardinals, readingout their names:

— Mario Grech, Bishop emerit-us of Gozo, Secretary General ofthe Synod of Bishops;

— Marcello Semeraro, Prefect ofthe Congregation for the Causesof Saints, Apostolic Administratorof Albano, Italy;

— Antoine Kambanda, Arch-bishop of Kigali, Rwanda;

— Wilton Daniel Gregory, A rc h -bishop of Washington, USA;

— Jose Fuerte Advincula, Arch-bishop of Capiz, Philippines;

— Celestino Aós Braco, Arch-bishop of Santiago de Chile,Chile;

— Cornelius Sim, titular Bishopof Putia in Numidia, VicarApostolic of Brunei;

— Augusto Paolo Lojudice,Archbishop of Siena - Colle di Vald’Elsa - Montalcino, Italy;

— Mauro Gambetti, titularArchbishop of Thisiduo;

— Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel,Archbishop emeritus of San Cris-tóbal de Las Casas, Mexico;

— Silvano Maria Tomasi, titularArchbishop of Asolo, ApostolicNuncio, Special Delegate to theSovereign Military Order ofMalta;

— Raniero Cantalamessa,Preacher of the Papal Household;

— Enrico Feroci, titular Arch-bishop of Cures Sabinorum.

Due to Covid restrictions MsgrAdvincula and Msgr Sim were un-able to attend the ceremony.

The imposition of the biretta onthe new Cardinals, the consign-ment of the ring and the assign-ment of the title or deaconry fol-lowed. The ceremony concludedwith the Apostolic Blessing thatthe Holy Father imparted toeveryone present and the singing ofthe Salve Regina.

At the beginning of the Consistory on Saturday after-noon, 28 November, at the Altar of the Chair inSaint Peter’s Basilica, the Holy Father was greetedby Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of theSynod of Bishops, the first of the new Cardinals. Thefollowing is a translation of the Cardinal's address,which was given in Italian.

Your Holiness,Called together in a Consistory during such a

grave time for all of humanity due to the currentpandemic, we wish to extend our thoughts to allof our brothers and sisters who are suffering. Thedramatic circumstances that the Church and theworld are living, challenge us to offer a reading ofthe pandemic that might help each and every per-son to see also in this tragedy an opportunity to“rethink our styles of life, our relationships, theorganization of our societies and, above all, themeaning of our existence”.

As a “sacrament or as a sign and instrumentboth of a very closely knit union with God and ofthe unity of the whole human race”, the Church iscalled to open ways, or better she herself needs toset out anew on the journey. This is the lessonfrom the Second Vatican Council in the secondchapter of Lumen Gentium that recovers the idea ofthe People of God on a journey. According to theNew Testament, the condition of the Christian isthat of a pilgrim, who lives in the world as astranger, well aware that fulfilment can only bereached in the Kingdom of God. Once again, atthe beginning of a new millennium, the Spiritseems to be saying to us that we must return to be-ing “those who belong to The Way” (cf. Acts 9:2).

A Church that journeys is a Church that “jour-neys together”. The People of God are not a sumof individuals; rather they are “Go d’s faithful,holy people”. If they walk ‘together’ they will nottake the wrong road because as all of the faithfulpossess the capacity of ‘infallibility in credendo,’the sensus fidei that you often invite us to is listen-ing in order to discern “that which the Spirit issaying to the Church”. These were the solicita-tions you gave, your holiness, on the occasion ofthe 50th anniversary of the institution of the Syn-

od, when you traced the profile of the Church asconstitutively synodal.

A synodal Church is a “Church that listens”.Mutual listening, as listening to the Holy Spirit,is perhaps the truest realisation of that “open orincomplete thought, always open to the maius ofGod and the Truth, always developing”, whichyou, Your Holiness, emphasise as the dispositionof a good philosopher, a good theologian, andevidently also of a ‘good bishop’. One here is notspeaking of some form of relativism. Rather, whatone understands here is the dynamism of Tradi-tion itself, by virtue of which “the Church con-stantly moves forward toward the fullness of di-vine truth until the words of God reach theircomplete fulfilment in her”.

Within this dynamism is clarified the profile ofthe synodal Church and synodality as a patternand style of the Church. This is the vision thatyou, Holy Father, strongly propose to us. TheConstitution Episcopalis communio seeks to imple-ment it, interpreting the Synod of Bishops not asan event anymore, but as a process in which thePeople of God, the College of Bishops and theBishop of Rome are involved in synergy, each ac-cording to its proper function. I would like toemphasise the indispensable role that the Peopleof God play in this process. In this way, thesensus fidei recuperates its active function, allow-ing it to practice listening as the principle of aChurch that is truly and completely synodal.

Synodality introduces every aspect of theC h u rc h ’s life and mission in a dynamic of circularfruitfulness. The particular Churches, theprovinces and ecclesiastical regions, the Churchuniversal, in which even the College of Cardinalsoffers its part, all are inserted in that synodal pro-cess which manifests “a dynamism of communionwhich inspires all ecclesial decisions”.

This is the basis of the task that together weare called to carry out, and which the Secretariatof the Synod seeks to serve. It can collaborate infacilitating the connection between the variouslevels of the exercise of synodality. Its primarycontribution is specifically that of listening. Ihave already written to all the bishops, offeringour availability, and many, from every part of the

world, confirmed the importance of mutual listen-ing. But I believe and desire that the Secretariatmay be able to do more, for example, supportingthe bishops and the episcopal conferences inmaturing in a synodal style, without interfering,but accompanying the processes underway at vari-ous levels in the Church’s life.

This could be the way in which the Secretariatof the Synod can participate in the dynamism ofthe “Church which goes forth” in a world that, inthe dramatic circumstances in which we are living,has even more need that the Church truly be the“universal sacrament of salvation”.

Sustaining us is hope, the Holy Spirit’s gift fordifficult times. In The Portal the Mystery of Hope,Charles Péguy imagines hope as “a girl fromn o w h e re ”, the smallest of the sisters, betweenfaith, compared to a bride, and charity, viewed asa mother. He concludes:

“The Christian people don’t pay attention, ex-cept the two older sisters. The first and the last…They are blind who cannot see otherwise. That itis she in the middle who leads her older sistersalong”.

“Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed ofhop e”! May Mary, Star of the Sea, whom weMaltese venerate under the title of Madonna Ta’Pinu, grant us this hope.

To you, Holy Father, who desired to choose usfor a more direct service to the Church, we askthat you bless us.


Homily at the Ordinary Public Consistory for the creation of 13 new Cardinals

On the road

US Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Washington (right)

On Saturday afternoon, 28 November, Pope Francispresided at the Ordinary Public Consistory held inSaint Peter’s Basilica for the creation of 13 newcardinals. The following is the English text of theHoly Father’s homily, which he gave in Italian.

Jesus and his disciples were on the road. The roadis the setting for the scene just recounted by theEvangelist Mark (10:32-45). It is always the set-ting, too, for the Church’s journey: the road oflife and history, which is salvation history insofaras it is travelled with Christ and leads to hispaschal mystery. Jerusalem always lies ahead ofus. The cross and the resurrection are part of ourhistory; they are our “to day” but also and alwaysthe goal of our journey.

This Gospel passage has often accompaniedconsistories for the creation of new Cardinals. Itis not merely a “b a c k d ro p ” but also a “road sign”for us who today are journeying together with Je-sus. For he is our strength, who gives meaning toour lives and our ministry.

Consequently, dear brothers, we need carefullyto consider the words we have just heard.

Mark emphasizes that, on the road, the dis-ciples were “amazed” and “afraid” (v. 32). Why?Because they knew what was ahead of them inJerusalem. They not only had a sense of it; theyknew well what was ahead, because, more thanonce, Jesus had already spoken to them openlyabout it. The Lord knew what his followers wereexperiencing, nor was he indifferent to it. Jesusnever abandons his friends; he never neglectsthem. Even when it seems that he is going hisown way, he is always doing so for our sake. Allthat he does, he does for us and for our salvation.In the specific case of the Twelve, he did this toprepare them for the trials to come, so that theycould be with him, now and especially later, when

he would no longer be in their midst. So thatthat they could always be with him, on his road.

Knowing that the hearts of his disciples weretroubled, Jesus “once more” called the Twelve andtold them “what was to happen to him” (v. 32).We have just heard it ourselves: the third an-nouncement of his passion, death and resurrec-tion. This is the road taken by the Son of God. Theroad taken by the Servant of the Lord. Jesus identi-fies himself with this road, so much so that hehimself is the road. “I am the way” (Jn 14:6), hesays. This way, and none other.

At this point, a sudden shift takes place, whichenables Jesus to reveal to James and John – butreally to all the Apostles, and to us – the fate instore for them. Let us imagine the scene: afteronce again explaining what will happen to him inJerusalem, Jesus looks the Twelve squarely in theeye, as if to say: “Is this clear?” Then he resumeshis journey, walking ahead of the group. Two ofhis disciples break away from the others: Jamesand John. They approach Jesus and tell him whatthey want: “Grant us to sit, one at your righthand and one at your left, in your glory” (v. 37).They want to take a different road. Not Jesus’road, but a different one. The road of those who,perhaps even without realizing it, “use” the Lordfor their own advancement. Those who – as SaintPaul says – look to their own interests and notthose of Christ (cf. Phil 2:21). Saint Augustinespeaks of this in his magnificent sermon on shep-herds (n. 46). A sermon we always benefit fromrereading in the Office of Readings.

Jesus listens to James and John. He does notget upset or angry. His patience is indeed infinite,also towards us. He tells the two: “You do notknow what you are asking” (v. 38). In a way, heexcuses them, while at the same time reproachingthem: “You do not realize that you have gone offthe road”. Immediately after this, the other tenapostles will show by their indignant reaction tothe sons of Zebedee how much all of them w e retempted to go off the road.

Dear brothers, all of us love Jesus, all of uswant to follow him, yet we must always be carefulto remain on the road. For our bodies can be withhim, but our hearts can wander far afield and solead us off the road. We can think of so manykinds of corruption in the priestly life. The scarletof a Cardinal’s robes, which is the colour ofblood, can, for a worldly spirit, become the col-our of a secular “eminence”. In that case, you willno longer be a shepherd who is close to hispeople. You will simply think that you are an“eminence”. Once you feel that way, you arealready off the road.

In this passage of the Gospel, we are alwaysstruck by the sharp contrast between Jesus and hisdisciples. Jesus is aware of this; he knows it and he

accepts it. Yet the contrast is still there: Jesus ison the road, while they are off the road. Two roadsthat cannot meet. Only the Lord, through hiscross and resurrection, can save his strayingfriends who risk getting lost. It is for them, aswell as for all the others, that Jesus is journeyingto Jerusalem. For them, and for everyone, will helet his body be broken and his blood shed. Forthem, and for all, will he rise from the dead, andforgive and transform them by the gift of theSpirit. He will at last put them back on his road.

Saint Mark – like Matthew and Luke – in-cluded this story in his Gospel because it containsa saving truth necessary for the Church in everyage. Even though the Twelve come off badly, thistext entered the canon of Scripture because it re -veals the truth about Jesus and about us. For ustoo, in our day, it is a message of salvation. Wetoo, Pope and Cardinals, must always seeourselves reflected in this word of truth. It is asharpened sword; it cuts, it proves painful, but italso heals, liberates and converts us. For conver-sion means precisely this: that we pass from beingoff the road to journeying on God’s road.

May the Holy Spirit give us this grace, todayand for ever.

The Pope and the newCardinals visit Benedict XVI

Following the celebration of Saturday afternoon’s OrdinaryPublic Consistory, the Holy Father and the 11 new Cardinals

present in Rome visited Benedict XVI in the chapel of theMater Ecclesiae Monastery inside the Vatican during which the

Cardinals were introduced individually to the Pope emeritus.Benedict XVI expressed his joy for the visit and blessed the new

Cardinals after the recitation of the “Salve Regina”.


Mass with the new Cardinals on the First Sunday of Advent

Closeness and watchfulnessOn Sunday morning, 29 November,the first Sunday of Advent, PopeFrancis celebrated Mass in SaintPeter’s Basilica with the newly createdCardinals. The following is the Englishtext of the Holy Father’s homily, whichhe shared in Italian.

To day’s readings propose two keywords for the Advent season: close-ness and watchfulness. God’s close-ness and our watchfulness. Theprophet Isaiah says that God isclose to us, while in the GospelJesus urges us to keep watch in ex-pectation of his return.

Closeness. Isaiah begins by speak-ing personally to God: “You, OLord, are our father” (63:16). “Neverhas anyone heard”, he continues,“[of] any God, other than you, whohas done so much for those whotrust in him” (cf. 64:3). We are re-minded of the words of Deutero-nomy: who is like the Lord ourGod, so close to us whenever we callupon him? (cf. 4:7). Advent is theseason for remembering that closenessof God who came down to dwell inour midst. The prophet goes on toask God to draw close to us oncemore: “O that you would tear openthe heavens and come down!” (Is64:1). We prayed for this in today’sresponsorial psalm: “Turn again…come to save us” (Ps 80:15.3). Weoften begin our prayers with the in-

ends with this prayer: “Come, LordJesus”. We can say that prayer at thebeginning of each day and repeat itfrequently, before our meetings, ourstudies and our work, before makingdecisions, in every more importantor difficult moment in our lives:Come, Lord Jesus! It is a little prayer,yet one that comes from the heart.Let us say it in this Advent season.Let us repeat it: “Come, Lord Je-sus!”

If we ask Jesus to come close tous, we will train ourselves to bewatchful. Today Mark’s Gospelpresented us with the end of Jesus’final address to his disciples, whichcan be summed up in two words:“Be watchful!” The Lord repeatsthese words four times in five verses(cf. Mk 13:33-35.37). It is importantto remain watchful, because onegreat mistake in life is to get ab-sorbed in a thousand things and notto notice God. Saint Augustine said:“Timeo Iesum transeuntem” (Sermons,88, 14, 13), “I fear that Jesus willpass by me unnoticed”. Caught upin our own daily concerns (how wellwe know this!), and distracted by somany vain things, we risk losingsight of what is essential. That iswhy today the Lord repeats: “To all,I say: be watchful!” (Mk 13:37). Bewatchful, attentive.

Having to be watchful, however,means it is now night. We are not

living in broad day-light, but awaitingthe dawn, amid dark-ness and weariness.The light of day willcome when we shallbe with the Lord. Letus not lose heart: thelight of day willcome, the shadows ofnight will be dis-pelled, and the Lord,who died for us onthe cross, will arise tobe our judge. Beingwatchful in expecta-tion of his comingmeans not lettingourselves be over-come by discourage-ment. It is to live inhope. Just as beforeour birth, our lovedones expectantlyawaited our coming

vocation: “God, come to my assist-ance”. The first step of faith is totell God that we need him, that weneed him to be close to us.

This is also the first message ofAdvent and the liturgical year: weneed to recognize God’s closenessand to say to him: “Come close tous once more!” God wants to drawclose to us, but he will not imposehimself; it is up to us to keep sayingto him: “Come!” This is our Adventprayer: “Come!” Advent reminds usthat Jesus came among us and willcome again at the end of time. Yetwe can ask what those two comingsmean, if he does not also come intoour lives today? So let us invite him.Let us make our own the traditionalAdvent prayer: “Come, Lord Jesus”(Rev 22:20). The Book of Revelation

into the world, so now Love in per-son awaits us. If we are awaited inHeaven, why should we be caughtup with earthly concerns? Whyshould we be anxious about money,fame, success, all of which will passaway? Why should we waste timecomplaining about the night, whenthe light of day awaits us? Whyshould we look for “p a t ro n s ” to helpadvance our career? All these thingspass away. Be watchful, the Lordtells us.

Staying awake is not easy; it isreally quite hard. At night, it is nat-ural to sleep. Even Jesus’s disciplesdid not manage to stay awake whentold to stay awake “in the evening,or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or atdawn” (cf. v. 35). Those were thevery times they were not awake: in

the evening, at the Last Supper, theybetrayed Jesus; at midnight, theydozed off; at the cock’s crow, theydenied him; in the morning, they lethim be condemned to death. Theydid not keep watch. They fell asleep.But that same drowsiness can alsoovertake us. There is a dangerouskind of sleep: it is the slumber of me-d i o c r i t y. It comes when we forget ourfirst love and grow satisfied with in-difference, concerned only for anuntroubled existence. Without mak-ing an effort to love God daily andawaiting the newness he constantlybrings, we become mediocre, luke-warm, worldly. And this slowly eatsaway at our faith, for faith is thevery opposite of mediocrity: it is ar-dent desire for God, a bold effort tochange, the courage to love, con-stant progress. Faith is not waterthat extinguishes flames, it is firethat burns; it is not a tranquilizer forpeople under stress, it is a love storyfor people in love! That is why Jesusabove all else detests lukewarmness(cf. Rev 3:16). God clearly disdainsthe lukewarm.

How can we rouse ourselves fromthe slumber of mediocrity? With thevigilance of prayer. When we pray, welight a candle in the darkness. Pray-er rouses us from the tepidity of apurely horizontal existence andmakes us lift our gaze to higherthings; it makes us attuned to theLord. Prayer allows God to be closeto us; it frees us from our solitudeand gives us hope. Prayer is vital forlife: just as we cannot live withoutbreathing, so we cannot be Christi-ans without praying. How much weneed Christians who keep watch forthose who are slumbering, wor-shipers who intercede day and night,bringing before Jesus, the light ofthe world, the darkness of history.How much we need worshipers. Wehave lost something of our sense ofadoration, of standing in silent ador-ation before the Lord. This is me-diocrity, lukewarmness.

There is also another kind of in-terior slumber: the slumber of indiffer-ence. Those who are indifferent seeeverything the same, as if it werenight; they are unconcerned aboutthose all around them. When

everything revolves around us andour needs, and we are indifferent tothe needs of others, night descendsin our hearts. Our hearts grow dark.We immediately begin to complainabout everything and everyone; westart to feel victimized by everyoneand end up brooding abouteverything. It is a vicious circle.Nowadays, that night seems to havefallen on so many people, who onlydemand things for themselves, andare blind to the needs of others.

How do we rouse ourselves fromthe slumber of indifference? Withthe watchfulness of charity. To awakenus from that slumber of mediocrityand lukewarmness, there is thewatchfulness of prayer. To rouse usfrom that slumber of indifference,there is the watchfulness of charity.Charity is the beating heart of theChristian: just as one cannot livewithout a heartbeat, so one cannotbe a Christian without charity. Somepeople seem to think that beingcompassionate, helping and servingothers is for losers. Yet these are theonly things that win us the victory,since they are already aiming to-wards the future, the day of theLord, when all else will pass awayand love alone will remain. It is byworks of mercy that we draw closeto the Lord. This is what we askedfor in today’s opening prayer:“Grant [us]… the resolve to run forthto meet your Christ with righteousdeeds at his coming”. The resolve torun forth to meet Christ with goodworks. Jesus is coming, and the roadto meet him is clearly marked: itpasses through works of charity.

Dear brothers and sisters, prayingand loving: that is what it means tobe watchful. When the Church wor-ships God and serves our neighbour,she does not live in the night.However weak and weary, she jour-neys towards the Lord. Let us nowcall out to him. Come, Lord Jesus,we need you! Draw close to us. Youare the light. Rouse us from theslumber of mediocrity; awaken usfrom the darkness of indifference.Come, Lord Jesus, take our distrac-ted hearts and make them watchful.Awaken within us the desire to prayand the need to love.


C a rd i n a l sThe following are abridged biographies of the 13 new Cardinals created during theConsistory held on Saturday, 28 November. Coming from eight countries, Ital y,Malta, the USA, Brunei, the Philippines, Mexico, Rwanda and Chile, the 13 re-flect the universal nature of the Church.

ANTOINE KAMBANDA

Archbishop of Kigali, Rwanda

WI LT O N DANIEL GREGORY

Archbishop of Washington, USA

MARIO GRECH

Bishop emeritus of GozoSecretary General

of the Synod of Bishops

the National Shrine of the BlessedVirgin of Ta’ Pinu in Gozo. Heserved as: parish priest in the par-ishes of Ta’ Kerċem and of SaintLawrence; as Judicial Vicar of thediocese and of the EcclesiasticalTribunal of Malta; as a teacher ofcanon law at the seminary and as amember of the College of Con-sultors, of the Presbyteral Counciland of the diocesan commissions fortheology, family and social commu-nications.

On 26 November 2005 Pope Be-nedict XVI appointed him Bishop ofGozo, a role he held until 2019.Between 2008 and 2009 he launchedthe diocesan mission and made sev-eral pastoral visits to the Maltesecommunities in the USA, Albania,Canada, Brazil, Australia and Peru.On 2 October 2019, Pope Francisappointed him Pro-Secretary Gener-al of the Synod of Bishops. On 28April 2020, he was appointed amember of the Pontifical Councilfor Promoting Christian Unity andon 15 September of that same year,Secretary General of the Synod ofBishops.

MARCELLO SEMERARO

Prefect of the Congregation for theCauses of Saints

Apostolic Administrator ofAlbano, Italy

completed his studies at the Facultyof Theology of the Pontifical Later-an University in Rome, where heobtained a license and degree intheology. He was ordained a prieston 8 September 1971. He taughttheology in various institutes andthen ecclesiology at the PontificalLateran University until he was ap-pointed Bishop of Oria on 25 July1998.

In 2001, he served as Special Sec-retary of the Tenth General As-sembly of the Synod of Bishops on“The Bishop: Servant of the Gospelof Jesus Christ for the hope of theworld”. On 1 October 2004, he wasappointed Bishop of Albano. Heserved first as member then as Pres-ident of the Commission for theDoctrine of the Faith, Proclamationand Catechesis of the Italian Epis-copal Conference, and was appoin-ted a member of the Congregationfor the Causes of Saints on 31 Janu-ary 2009.

On 13 April 2013 he was app oint-ed secretary of the “Council of Car-dinals” to assist the Holy Father ingoverning the universal Church. On4 November 2013, he was appointedApostolic Administrator ad nutumSanctae Sedis of the Territorial Ab-bey of Santa Maria in Grottaferrata,Italy, and on 4 April 2016, PapalDelegate for the Italian Basilian Or-

Following his ordination he servedas an English professor and as Pre-fect of Saint Vincent Minor Semin-ary of Ndera, Kigali from 1990 to1993, and then studied from 1993 to1999 at the Alfonsiana Academy andthe Saint Paul Pontifical College inRome, obtaining a degree in moraltheology. From 1999 to 2005 heserved as: director of the diocesanCaritas in Kigali; director of the dio-cesan Commission for Justice andPeace; professor of moral theologyat the Major Theology Seminary inNyakibanda; and spiritual director atthe Major Seminary of Rutongo. Hethen served as rector of the MajorPhilosophical Seminary of Kabgayifrom 2005 to 2006; and from 2006he served as rector of the SaintCharles Major Seminary ofNyakibanda, in the Diocese of Bu-tare. On 7 May 2013 he was appoin-ted Bishop of Kibungo and servedin that role until 19 November 2018,when Pope Francis appointed himArchbishop of Kigali.

Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, 72, wasborn in Chicago, Illinois, USA . Hestudied philosophy at Niles Collegeof Loyola University and theology atSaint Mary of the Lake Seminary inMundelein, Illinois. He was or-dained a priest for the Archdioceseof Chicago on 9 May 1973. Heearned a doctorate in Liturgy at thePontifical University of Sant’An-selmo in Rome.

He served as parish vicar at OurLady of Perpetual Help Parish; pro-fessor of liturgy at Saint Mary of theLake Seminary; a member of thearchdiocesan Office for the Liturgy;master of ceremonies for ArchbishopJohn Cody of Chicago and his suc-cessor Joseph Louis Bernardin from1980 to 1983. He was appointed titu-lar Bishop of Oliva and Auxiliary ofChicago on 18 October 1983, andwas installed as Bishop of Bellevilleon 10 February 1994. He was ap-pointed Metropolitan Archbishop ofAtlanta on 9 December 2004. Heserved first as Vice-president (1998-2001) and then as President (2001-2004) of the US Conference of Cath-olic Bishops (USCCB). Throughoutthe duration of his mandate, thecrisis brought on by the sexual ab-use carried out by some members ofthe clergy worsened, and under hisguidance, the national episcopatepromoted concrete initiatives aimedat providing a response to the tragicphenomenon. Within the USCCB heserved as: member of the Executiveand Administrative Committees, theCommittee on Doctrine, and theCommittee on International Policy;Chair of: the Committee on Person-nel, the Committee for Divine wor-ship, the Committee on the ThirdMillennium/Jubilee Year 2000 (1998-2001) and the Committee on Liturgy(1991-1993). On 4 April 2019 PopeFrancis appointed him MetropolitanArchbishop of Washington.

der of Grottaferrata. He is a memberof the Dicastery for Communicationand consultor of the Congregationfor Oriental Churches. He was ap-pointed Prefect of the Congregationfor the Causes of Saints ten days be-fore the announcement of his ap-pointment as Cardinal.

Cardinal Mario Grech, 63, was bornin Qala, Malta. He completed hisstudies in philosophy and theologyat the Sacred Heart Seminary ofGozo, and was ordained a priest on26 May 1984. He then studied inRome, where he obtained a licensein canon and civil law at the LateranUniversity and a doctorate in canonlaw at the Angelicum.

Upon returning to Malta he exer-cised his ministry at the Basilica of

Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, 72, wasborn in Monteroni di Lecce, Italy.He received his initial formation atthe Pontifical Regional Seminary ofApulia “Pius XI” in Molfetta, and

Cardinal Antoine Kambanda, 62, wasborn in Nymata, Rwanda. All mem-bers of his family, except for onebrother, were killed during the war of1994. He studied philosophy andtheology in Kenya before returningto his native Rwanda to complete histheological studies at the Major Sem-inary of Nyakibanda, in the Dioceseof Butare. He was ordained a prieston 8 September 1990 by Saint JohnPaul II, during the Holy Father’s pas-toral visit to Rwanda.

The new


Cardinal Celestino Aós Braco, 75,was born in Artaiz, Spain. Afterstudying philosophy in Zaragozaand theology in Pamplona heobtained a license in psychologyfrom the University of Barcelona.

He professed his temporary reli-gious vows as a Capuchin Friar on15 August 1964 and his perpetual

JOSE FUERTE ADVINCULA

Archbishop of Capiz, PhilippinesMAU R O GAMBETTI

Titular Archbishop of Thisiduo

FELIPE ARIZMENDI ESQUIVEL

Archbishop emeritus ofSan Cristóbal de Las Casas, Mexico

Cardinal Jose Fuerte Advincula, 68,was born in Dumalag, Philippines.After studying philosophy at SaintPius X Seminary in Roxas City, hestudied theology at Saint ThomasUniversity in Manila. He was or-dained a priest for the Archdioceseof Capiz on 4 April 1976 and wasappointed spiritual director of SaintPius X Seminary, where he alsoserved as professor and Dean ofStudies. Afterwards he studied psy-chology at De la Salle University inManila and then canon law, both atSaint Thomas University in Manilaand at the Angelicum in Rome, ob-taining a license in canon law.

After returning to his country heworked at the Immaculate Concep-tion School of Theology in Vigan,Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia andthen at Saint Joseph Regional Sem-inary of Iloilo in the Diocese ofJaro. He was appointed rector ofSaint Pius X Seminary of Capiz in1995, and became Defender of theBond, Promotor of Justice andlastly, Judicial Vicar in Capiz. In1999 he served as the first rector ofthe newly established Major Semin-ary of Capiz. One year later heserved as parish priest of SaintThomas of Villanova Parish in Dao.On 25 July 2001 he was appointedBishop of San Carlos, and receivedhis episcopal ordination on 8September 2001. On 9 November2011 he was appointed Archbishopof Capiz. Within the Catholic Bish-ops’ Conference of the Philippines,he has served as a member of theCommissions for the Doctrine of theFaith, for Social Action, for Justiceand Peace and for InternationalEucharistic Congresses. He also ledthe Committee for IndigenousPe o p l e s .

Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, 55, wasborn in Castel San Pietro Terme,Bologna, Italy. After obtaining a de-gree in mechanical engineering atthe University of Bologna, inSeptember 1992 he officially beganhis journey with the Order of FriarsMinor Conventual for whom, after anovitiate year, he professed his tem-porary vows on 29 August 1995, andhis perpetual vows on 20 September1998. He obtained a degree in theo-logy at the Theological Institute ofAssisi, and then a license in theolo-gical anthropology at the Theologi-cal Faculty of Central Italy inFlorence. He was ordained a prieston 8 January 2000, and served asanimator of youth and vocationalministry for Emilia-Romagna and,from 2005 to 2009 as custos of theConventual Franciscan communityin the Shrine of the Very Holy Cru-cifix in Longiano. In 2009 he waselected Provincial Minister of theProvince of Saint Anthony of Padua.On 22 February 2013 he becameGeneral Custodian of the GeneralCustody of the Sacred Convent ofSaint Francis in Assisi, a four yearterm which was reconfirmed in 2017.He was appointed episcopal vicarfor pastoral ministry of Saint FrancisPapal Basilica and of other places ofworship run by the Friars MinorConventual in the same diocese. Hewas elected President of the Inter-Mediterranean Federation of Provin-cial Ministers of his Order inSeptember 2017.

Biographies of the new Cardinals

CELESTINO AÓS BRACO

Archbishop of Santiagode Chile, Chile

vows on 16 September 1967. He wasordained a priest on 30 March 1968.

As a priest he served as a teacherand professor in Lecaroz, Navarraand Pamplona, and as vicar inTudela and Zaragoza.

AUGUSTO PAOLO LOJUDICE

Archbishop of Siena - Colle di Vald’Elsa - Montalcino, Italy

Mother of the Redeemer Parish inTor Bella Monaca, spiritual directorat the Pontifical Roman Major Sem-inary (2005-2014), and parish priestof San Luca Evangelista alPrenestino. On 6 March 2015, hewas appointed titular Bishop of Al-ba Marittima and Auxiliary Bishopof Rome, receiving his episcopal or-dination the following 23 May. He isthe Secretary of the Episcopal Com-mission for Migration of the ItalianEpiscopal Conference (CEI). On 6May 2019 Pope Francis appointedhim Archbishop of Siena-Colle diVal d’Elsa-Montalcino.

Cardinal Arizmendi Esquivel, 80,was born in Chiltepec, Mexico. Hestudied humanities and philosophyat the seminary of Toluca and theo-logy at the Pontifical University ofSalamanca, Spain, where he ob-tained a license in dogmatic theo-logy and later also specialized inliturgy. He was ordained a priest on25 August 1963. Within the Dioceseof Toluca he served as parish vicarin San Bernardino; prefect of philo-sophy and teacher at the seminary;parish vicar at Coatepec Harinas


In 1983 he was sent to Chile,where he served as parish vicar ofthe Parish of Longaví, Superior ofhis Community in Santa María deLos Angeles, parish priest of SaintMichael Parish in Viña del Mar, Su-perior of the community in Recreo,and episcopal vicar for female insti-tutes of consecrated life in the Dio-cese of Valparaíso. In 2008 he wasappointed parish vicar of SaintFrancis of Assisi Parish in LosAngeles in the Diocese of SantaMaría de Los Ángeles. He has alsoserved as provincial treasurer of theCapuchins in Chile, Promotor ofJustice of the ecclesiastic Tribunal ofValparaíso, Judge and psychologistof the interdiocesan Tribunal of theArchdiocese of Concepción, andTreasurer of the Chilean Associationof Canon Law. He was appointedBishop of Copiapó on 25 July 2014and received his episcopal ordina-tion the following 18 October.

On 23 March 2019 he was ap-p ointed Apostolic Administrator sedevacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis ofthe Archdiocese of Santiago deChile. On 27 December 2019 PopeFrancis appointed him Archbishopof Santiago de Chile.

Cardinal Augusto Paolo Lojudice,56, was born in Rome, Italy. He pre-pared for the priesthood at the Pon-tifical Roman Major Seminary andstudied philosophy and theology atthe Pontifical Gregorian Universityfrom 1983 to 1989, obtaining a li-cense in theology with a specializa-tion in fundamental theology. Hewas ordained a priest on 6 May 1989for the Diocese of Rome.

He served as parish vicar of theparish of Saint Mary of GoodCounsel, parish vicar of San VigilioParish, parish priest of Holy Mary

Cardinal Cornelius Sim, 69, wasborn in Seria, Brunei. After obtain-ing a degree in engineering at Dun-

CORNELIUS SIM

titular Bishop of Putia in NumidiaVicar Apostolic of Brunei

dee University, Scotland, UK, heworked in the oil industry until atthe death of his father, he decidedto pursue an adult vocational jour-ney that led him to complete a mas-ter’s in theology at the FranciscanUniversity of Steubenville, Ohio,USA . He was ordained a priest on 26November 1989. After serving invarious parishes, in 1995 he was ap-pointed Vicar General of the Territo-ry of Brunei of the Eastern Dioceseof Malaysia, and Apostolic Prefecton 21 November 1997. On 20 Octo-ber 2004 Saint John Paul II elevatedhim to the rank of Apostolic Vicarin the Apostolic Vicariate of Brunei,appointing him as the first ApostolicVicar and assigning him the titularepiscopal See of Putia in Numidia.Since 2017, he has been Vice-presi-dent of the Episcopal Conference ofMalaysia, Singapore and Brunei andalso served for two years as its Gen-eral Secretary.


from 1967 to 1981, and director ofdiocesan catechism for three years.Between 1968 and 1970 he served asa member of the first presbyteralcouncil, becoming council secretaryfrom 1974 to 1976 and then councilpresident from 1977 to 1979.

He served as spiritual director(1970-1979) and as prefect of studies(1970-1972) at the minor seminary.He also served as: professor ofliturgy and pastoral theology at themajor seminary (1968-1991); diocesancoordinator for vocational ministry(1974-1981) and for the commissionfor social communications (1975-1976); and vicar general (1989-1991).He has served in various organiza-tions on the national level. On 7February 1991 he was appointedBishop of Tapachula and was or-dained a bishop the following 7March. During this period he servedas Secretary General of the LatinAmerican Episcopal Council. On 31March 2000 he was appointed Bish-op of San Cristóbal de Las Casas.

SI LVA N O MARIA TOMASI

Titular Archbishop of AsoloApostolic Nuncio

Special Delegate to the SovereignMilitary Order of Malta

RANIERO CA N TA L A M E S S A

Preacher of the Papal Household

Cardinal Silvano M. Tomasi, 80,was born in Casoni di Mussolente,Italy. He was educated in Italy andin the USA, where he studied theo-logy and was ordained a priest on 31May 1965 in the Congregation of theMissionaries of Saint Charles — Sca-labrinians. He obtained a bachelor’sdegree in social sciences and a doc-torate in sociology at Fordham Uni-versity in New York, and was an as-sistant professor of sociology at theCity University of New York and atthe New School for Social Research(1970-1974). As the founding directorof the Center for Migration Studies,Inc., he established and edited thequarterly journal “International Mi-gration Review”, and served as Su-perior Provincial of his Congregation.

From 1983 to 1987 he served asfirst director of the Office for thePastoral Care of Migrants and

Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, 86,was born in Colli del Tronto, Italy.He obtained a doctorate in theologyin Freiburg, Switzerland, and a de-gree in classic literature at the Cath-olic University of the Sacred Heartof Milan. He was ordained a prieston 19 October 1958. Following hisstudies he became a professor of his-tory of Christian origins and directorof the department of religious sci-ences at the University of the SacredHeart in Milan. He was a memberof the International TheologicalCommission from 1975 to 1981, andserved as a member of the Catholic

Biographies of the new Cardinals

ENRICO FERO CI

Titular Archbishop ofCures Sabinorum

Parish priest of Holy Mary of theDivine Love in Castel di Leva, Italy

Cardinal Enrico Feroci, 80, was bornin Pizzoli, Italy. He studied at thePontifical Roman Minor Seminaryand then at the Roman Major Semi-nary. After studying philosophy,theology and law at the PontificalLateran University, he obtained aMaster’s degree in community edu-cation and in psychology from thePontifical Salesian University andRome’s Sapienza University. He wasordained a priest on 13 March 1965,and served as prefect in the commu-nity at the Pontifical Roman MinorSeminary and then assistant andtreasurer at the Major Seminary(1966-1968). In 1968 he returned to

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Titles and Deaconries— Mario Grech, Deaconry of Santi Cosma e Damiano— Marcello Semeraro, Deaconry of Santa Maria in Domnica— Antoine Kambanda, Title of San Sisto— Wilton Daniel Gregory, Title of Immacolata Concezione di Maria aG ro t t a ro s s a— Jose F. Advincula, Title of San Vigilio— Celestino Aós Braco, Title of Santi Nereo ed Achilleo— Cornelius Sim, Title of San Giuda Taddeo Apostolo— Augusto Paolo Lojudice, Title of Santa Maria del Buon Consiglio— Mauro Gambetti, Deaconry of Santissimo Nome di Maria al ForoTr a i a n o— Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel, Title of San Luigi Maria Grignion deMontfort— Silvano Maria Tomasi, Deaconry of San Nicola in Carcere— Raniero Cantalamessa, Deaconry of Sant’Apollinare alle Terme Ner-oniane-Alessandrine— Enrico Feroci, Deaconry of Santa Maria del Divino Amore a Casteldi Leva.

Refugees (PCMR) of the US Epis-copal Conference. From 1989 toJune 1996 he served as secretary ofthe Pontifical Council for the Pas-toral Care of Migrants and ItinerantPeople. On 27 June 1996 he was ap-pointed titular Archbishop of Cer-cina and Apostolic Nuncio inEthiopia and Eritrea, Apostolic del-egate in Djibouti and Observer at

delegation for dialogue with thePentecostal Churches for 12 years. In1979 he left the field of education todedicate himself full-time to theministry of the Word. He was ap-pointed Preacher of the PapalHousehold by John Paul II in 1980,and confirmed in this position byBenedict XVI in 2005, and by PopeFrancis in 2013. In this role, eachweek during Advent and Lent, heoffers a meditation to the Bishop ofRome and the Curia. Because of hisparticular Apostolic vocation, he hasbeen asked to preach in many coun-tries throughout the world, often bymembers of other Christian denom-inations.

He has received honorary degrees,in law from the University of NotreDame in South Bend, Indiana, incommunication science from theUniversity of Macerata, and in theo-logy from the Franciscan Universityin Steubenville, Ohio. In addition tobooks and writings of a scientificnature, he has published numerousbooks on spirituality, resulting fromhis preaching to the Papal House-hold, translated into some 20 lan-guages.

Oblate Sons of Our Lady of DivineLove, entrusting him with the respo-nsibility of rector of the Marian Shri-ne and Rector of the Seminary ofOur Lady of Divine Love (1 Septem-ber 2018). He was appointed Canonand Camerlengo of the Papal Late-ran Basilica. On 1 September 2019 hewas appointed parish priest of HolyMary of Divine Love in Castel di Le-va. He was ordained a bishop on 15November 2020 subsequent to hisappointment as titular Archbishop ofCures Sabinorum.

and then at Zacualpan and parishpriest of San Andrés Cuexcontitlánin the Otomí indigenous com-munity. He also served as a memberof the diocesan Liturgy Commission

the African Union. On 24 April 1999he was appointed Archbishop of thetitular See of Asolo and on 23December 2000 was appointedApostolic Nuncio in Djibouti. On10 June 2003 he was appointed Per-manent Observer of the Holy See tothe Office of the United Nationsand Specialized Institutions inGeneva and Permanent Observer tothe World Trade Organization, arole he fulfilled until 13 February2016. On 9 April 2016 Pope Francisappointed him a member of thethen Pontifical Council for Justiceand Peace, now the Dicastery forPromoting Integral Human Devel-opment.

the Minor Seminary as vice-rector.In 1976 he became associate parishpriest of San Frumenzio ai Prati Fis-cali and in 1981, parish priest of thesame parish. He has served as: Pre-fect of the IX Prefecture; Secretary ofthe Northern Sector; member of thePresbyteral Council, of the Councilfor economic affairs, and of the Col-lege of Consultors of the diocese.

He left San Frumenzio on 1 July2004 to serve as parish priest ofSant’Ippolito until 1 September2009, when the Cardinal Vicar ap-pointed him director of the diocesanCaritas. As Caritas director he wasalso nominated as president of the“Caritas Roma” foundation and ofthe antiusury foundation “Salus Po-puli Romani”. He then served as pre-sident of the “Rome Solidarity Coo-p erative” and Consultor of the Pon-tifical Council of Pastoral Care ofMigrants and Itinerant People. On10 November 2017 the Cardinal Vi-car appointed him president of thepublic clerical association of the


Blessings are an essential dimension of prayerCONTINUED FROM PA G E 3

Message for the International Day of Persons with DisabilitiesCONTINUED FROM PA G E 1

Photo credit: United Nations Social Development Network (unsdn.org)

That culture affects especially themost vulnerable, among whom arethe persons with disabilities. In thelast fifty years, important steps for-ward have been taken on both thecivil and ecclesial levels. Awarenessof the dignity of each person hasgrown, and this has resulted in cour-ageous decisions to promote the in-clusion of those experiencing physi-cal and psychological limitations.Yet, on the cultural level, much stillstands in the way of this trend. Wesee it in attitudes of rejection, duealso to a narcissistic and utilitarianmentality, that give rise to marginal-ization that ignores the inevitablefact that frailty is part of everyone’slife. Indeed, some with even severedisabilities, despite great challenges,have found the way to a beautifuland meaningful life, whereas many“able-b o died” people feel dissatisfiedor even desperate. “Vulnerability isintrinsic to the essential nature ofhumanity” (Address to the Conference“Catechesis and People with Disabilit-ies”, 21 October 2017).

Consequently, it is important, onthis Day, to promote a culture of lifethat constantly affirms the dignity ofevery person and works especially todefend men and women with disab-ilities, of all ages and social condi-tions.

2. The “ro c k ” of inclusion

The present pandemic has furtherhighlighted the disparities and in-equalities widespread in our time,particularly to the detriment of themost vulnerable. “The virus, while itdoes not distinguish between peo-ple, has found, in its devastatingpath, great inequalities and discrim-ination. And it has only made themworse” (Catechesis at the GeneralAudience of 19 August 2020).

For this reason, inclusion shouldbe the first “ro ck” on which to buildour house. Although this term is attimes overused, the Gospel parableof the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:25-37)continues to be timely. Along theroad of life, we often come acrosswounded people, and these can in-clude persons with disabilities andparticular needs. “The decision toinclude or exclude those lyingwounded along the roadside canserve as a criterion for judging everyeconomic, political, social and reli-gious project. Each day we have todecide whether to be Good Samarit-ans or indifferent bystanders” (Fra -telli Tutti, 69).

Inclusion should be the “ro ck” onwhich to build programmes and ini-tiatives of civil institutions meant toensure that no one, especially thosein greatest difficulty, is left behind.The strength of a chain dependsupon the attention paid to its weak-est links.

As for ecclesial institutions, I reit-erate the need to make availablesuitable and accessible means forhanding on the faith. I also hopethat these can be made available tothose who need them, cost-free tothe extent possible, also through thenew technologies that have proven

so important for everyone in themidst of this pandemic. I also en-courage efforts to provide all priests,seminarians, religious, catechists andpastoral workers with regular trainingconcerning disabilities and the useof inclusive pastoral tools. Parishcommunities should be concerned toencourage among the faithful a wel-coming attitude towards people withdisabilities. Creating a fully access-ible parish requires not only the re-moval of architectural barriers, butabove all, helping parishioners todevelop attitudes and acts of solidar-ity and service towards persons withdisabilities and their families. Ouraim should be to speak no longerabout “them”, but rather about “us”.

3. The “ro c k ” of active participation

To help our society to “build backbetter”, inclusion of the vulnerablemust also entail efforts to promotetheir active participation.

Before all else, I strongly reaffirmthe right of persons with disabilities

to receive the sacraments, like all othermembers of the Church. All litu rgi-cal celebrations in the parish shouldbe accessible to them, so that, to-gether with their brothers and sis-ters, each of them can deepen, cel-ebrate, and live their faith. Specialattention should be paid to peoplewith disabilities who have not yet re-ceived the sacraments of Christianinitiation: they should be welcomedand included in programmes of cat-echesis in preparation for these sac-raments. No one should be excludedfrom the grace of these sacraments.

“In virtue of their baptism, all themembers of the People of God havebecome missionary disciples. All thebaptized, whatever their position inthe Church or their level of instruc-tion in the faith, are agents of evan-gelization” (Evangelii Gaudium, 120).People with disabilities, both in soci-ety and in the Church, also wish tobecome active subjects of our pastoralministry, and not simply its recipi-ents. “Many persons with disabilitiesfeel that they exist without belong-

ing and without participating. Muchstill prevents them from being fullyenfranchised. Our concern shouldbe not only to care for them, butalso to ensure their ‘active participa-tion’ in the civil and ecclesial com-munity. That is a demanding andeven tiring process, yet one that willgradually contribute to the forma-tion of consciences capable of ac-knowledging each individual as aunique and unrepeatable person”(Fratelli Tutti, 98). Indeed, the activeparticipation of people with disabil-ities in the work of catechesis cangreatly enrich the life of the wholeparish. Precisely because they havebeen grafted onto Christ in baptism,they share with him, in their ownparticular way, the priestly, prophet-ic, and royal mission of evangelizingthrough, with and in the Church.

The presence of persons with dis-abilities among catechists, accordingto their own gifts and talents, is thusa resource for the community. Ef-forts should be made to providethem with appropriate training, sothat they can acquire greater know-ledge also in the areas of theologyand catechesis. I trust that, in parishcommunities, more and more peoplewith disabilities can become cate-chists, in order to pass on the faitheffectively, also by their own witness(cf. Address at the Conference “Cat-echesis and People with Disabilities”,21 October 2017).

“Even worse than this crisis wouldbe the tragedy of squandering it”(Homily on the Solemnity of Pentecost,31 May 2020). For this reason, I en-courage all those who daily and of-ten silently devote themselves tohelping others in situations of fragil-ity and disability. May our commondesire to “build back better” give riseto new forms of cooperation be-tween both civil and ecclesial groupsand thus build a solid “house” re a d yto withstand every storm and cap-able of welcoming people with dis-abilities, because built on the rockof inclusion and active participation.

Rome, Saint John Lateran, 3December 2020

word for the people who have thehabit of cursing, people who alwayshave a bad word, a curse, on theirlips and in their hearts. Each of uscan think: do I have this habit ofcursing like this? And ask the Lordfor the grace to change this habitbecause we have a blessed heartand curses cannot come out of ablessed heart. May the Lord teachus never to curse, but to bless.

Today is the 40th anniversary ofthe death of four North Americanmissionaries killed in El Salvador:

Maryknoll Sisters Ita Ford andMaura Clarke, Ursuline SisterDorothy Kazel, and volunteer JeanDonovan. On 2 December 1980,they were kidnapped, raped and as-sassinated by a paramilitary group.They were serving in El Salvadorwithin the context of the civil war.With evangelical dedication, and atgreat risk, they brought food andmedicine to the displaced andhelped the poorest families. Thesewomen lived their faith with greatgenerosity. They are an example foreveryone to become faithful mis-sionary disciples.

SPECIAL GREETINGS

I cordially greet the English-speaking faithful. On our Adventjourney, may the light of Christ il-lumine our paths and dispel alldarkness and fear from our hearts.Upon you and your families I in-voke the joy and peace of our LordJesus Christ. God bless you!

Lastly, as usual, my thoughtsturn to the elderly, to young people, tothe sick and to newlyweds. I exhorteveryone to experience this periodof preparation for Christmas withan attitude of watchfulness andgenerous search for God’s will.


ANGELUS

At the end of the Angelus on Sunday morning, 29 November,Pope Francis expressed his closeness to the people of CentralAmerica who were affected by the recent strong hurricanes.Earlier, he had reflected on the Gospel passage of the FirstSunday in Advent. The following is a translation of the HolyFa t h e r ’s words which he offered in Italian.

For the populations of Central Americastruck by hurricanes

Pope Francis’ prayer on the First Sunday of Advent

Dear Brothers and Sisters,Good Morning,Today, the First Sunday of Ad-vent, a new liturgical year begins.In it, the Church marks the pas-sage of time with the celebrationof the main events in Jesus’ lifeand the story of salvation. In sodoing, as Mother, she illuminatesthe path of our existence, sup-ports us in our daily affairs andguides us towards the final en-counter with Christ. Today’sliturgy invites us to live the first“important Season”, which is thatof Advent, the first of the liturgic-al year, Advent, which preparesus for Christmas, and is thereforea time of expectation, it is a timeof hope. Expectation and hope.

Saint Paul (cf. 1 Cor 1:3-9) in-dicates the object of our expecta-tion. What is it? The “re v e a l i n gof our Lord” (v. 7). The Apostleinvites the Christians of Corinth,and we too, to focus our atten-tion on the encounter with Jesus.For a Christian the most import-ant thing is the continuous en-counter with the Lord, being withthe Lord. And in this way, accus-tomed to staying with the Lord oflife, we prepare ourselves for theencounter, for being with theLord for eternity. And this defin-itive encounter will come at theend of the world. However, theLord comes every day, so that,with his grace, we might accom-plish good in our own lives andin the lives of others. Our God isa God-who-comes, do not forgetthis: God is a God who comes,who continually comes. He doesnot disappoint our expectation.The Lord never disappoints. Hewill perhaps make us wait, he willmake us wait a few moments inthe dark to allow our expectationto ripen, but he never disap-points. The Lord always comes,He is always by our side. Attimes he does not make himselfseen, but he always comes. Hecame at a precise moment in his-tory and became man to take onour sins — the feast of the Nativ-

ity commemorates Jesus’ firstcoming in the historical moment—; He will come at the end oftimes as universal judge; He alsocomes a third time, in a thirdmanner: He comes every day tovisit his people, to visit everyman and woman who receiveshim in the Word, in the Sacra-ments, in their brothers and sis-ters. Jesus, the Bible tells us, is atthe door and knocks. Every day.He is at the door to our heart.He knocks. Do you know how tolisten to the Lord who knocks,who has come today to visit you,who knocks at your heart rest-lessly, with an idea, with inspira-tion? He came to Bethlehem, hewill come at the end of theworld, but every day he comes tous. Be attentive, look at what youfeel in your heart when the Lordkno cks.

We are well aware that life ismade up of highs and lows, oflights and shadows. Each one ofus experiences moments of disap-pointment, of failure and bewil-derment. Moreover, the situationwe are living in, marked by thepandemic, generates worry, fearand discouragement in manypeople; we run the risk of fallinginto pessimism, the risk of fallinginto closure and apathy. Howshould we react in the face of allthis? Today’s Psalm suggests:

of hope. And hope does not dis-appoint, that virtue that leads usahead, looking at the encounterwith the Lord.

Advent is a continuous call tohope: it reminds us that God ispresent in history to lead it to itsultimate goal, to lead it to its full-ness, which is the Lord, the LordJesus Christ. God is present inthe history of humanity, He is the“Go d-with-us”, God is not dis-tant, he is always with us, to theextent that very often he knockson the door to our heart. Godwalks beside us to support us.The Lord does not abandon us;He accompanies us through theevents of our lives to help us dis-cover the meaning of the journeythe meaning of everyday life, togive us courage when we are un-der duress or suffering. In themidst of life’s storms, God alwaysextends his hand to us and freesus from threats. This is beautiful!In the book of Deuteronomythere is a very beautiful passage,in which the Prophet says to thepeople: “For what great nation isthere that has a god so near to itas the Lord our God is to us?”.No-one, only we have this graceof having God close to us. Weawait God, we hope that hemanifests himself, but he toohopes that we manifest ourselvesto him!

May Mary Most Holy, womanof expectation, accompany oursteps at the beginning of this newliturgical year, and help us to ful-fil the task of Jesus’ disciples, in-dicated by the Apostle Peter: Andwhat is this task? To account forthe hope that is in us (cf. 1 Pet3:15).

After the Angelus the Holy Fathercontinued:

Dear brothers and sisters, Iwould like to express again mycloseness to the people of CentralAmerica, who were struck bystrong hurricanes. In particular Irecall the Islands of San Andrés,Providencia and Santa Catalina,as well as the Pacific coast of thenorth of Colombia. I pray for allthe countries that are sufferingdue to these disasters.

I renew my warm greeting toyou, the faithful of Rome and pil-grims from various countries. Inparticular, I greet those who, un-fortunately in very limited num-bers, have come on the occasionof the creation of the new Car-dinals, which took place yesterdayafternoon. Let us pray for thethirteen new members of the Col-lege of Cardinals.

I wish you all a happy Sundayand a blessed Advent journey. Letus try to bring out the good evenfrom the difficult situation thatthe pandemic imposes upon us:greater sobriety, discreet and re-spectful attention to our neigh-bours who may be in need, someprayer also within the family, withsimplicity. These three things willhelp us greatly: greater sobriety,discreet and respectful attentionto our neighbours who may be inneed, and, very importantly, somemoments of prayer within thefamily, with simplicity. Please, donot forget to pray for me. Enjoyyour lunch. Ar r i v e d e rc i .

“Our soul waits forthe Lord: he is ourhelp and shield. Yes,our heart is glad inhim, because wetrust in his holyname” (Ps 33:20-21).That is, the soulawaiting, confidentlywaiting for the Lord,allows us to findcomfort and couragein the dark momentsof our lives. Andwhat gives rise tothis courage and thistrustful pledge?Where do they comefrom? They are born

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