In visit to Naples, Pope Francis urges Mafia members to convert: “A corrupt society stinks like a rotting corpse,” Francis said in Scampia, a Mafia-infested neighborhood in the southern Italian city of Naples. “And a Christian that becomes corrupt isn’t Christian, [he] stinks!”
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Sunday, November 30, 2014
In visit to Naples, Pope Francis urges Mafia members to convert
ISTANBUL (AP) — Pope Francis and the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians demanded an end to the persecution of religious minorities in Syria and Iraq on Sunday and called for dialogue with Muslims, capping Francis' three-day visit to Turkey with a strong show of Christian unity.
Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I issued a joint declaration urging leaders in the region to intensify help to victims of the Islamic State group, and especially to allow Christians who have had a presence in the region for 2,000 years to remain on their native lands.
"The terrible situation of Christians and all those who are suffering in the Middle East calls not only for our constant prayer but also for an appropriate response on the part of the international community," they wrote.
The statement was issued at the end of Francis' first trip to Turkey during which he prayed in one of Istanbul's most important mosques alongside the Grand Mufti of Istanbul, Rahmi Yaran. He was also set to meet with a few of the 1.6 million refugees who have crossed into Turkey to flee the IS assault in neighboring Syria and Iraq.
Francis, who represents the 1.2 billion-strong Catholic Church, and Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the world's 300 million Orthodox Christians, called for "constructive dialogue" with Islam "based on mutual respect and friendship."
"Inspired by common values and strengthened by genuine fraternal sentiments, Muslims and Christians are called to work together for the sake of justice, peace and respect for the dignity and rights of every person, especially in those regions where they once lived for centuries in peaceful coexistence and now tragically suffer together the horrors of war," they said.
Later Sunday, Francis was to meet with a few dozen young refugees who are being educated by the Salesian religious order. The Vatican had downplayed the meeting, perhaps because of organizational glitches or to not distract from Francis' ecumenical activities which were the main reason for the visit. But just before the trip began, the Vatican revealed that he would indeed deliver a speech to the youths.
"Inspired by common values and strengthened by genuine fraternal sentiments, Muslims and Christians are called to work together for the sake of justice, peace and respect for the dignity and rights of every person, especially in those regions where they once lived for centuries in peaceful coexistence and now tragically suffer together the horrors of war," they said.
Later Sunday, Francis was to meet with a few dozen young refugees who are being educated by the Salesian religious order. The Vatican had downplayed the meeting, perhaps because of organizational glitches or to not distract from Francis' ecumenical activities which were the main reason for the visit. But just before the trip began, the Vatican revealed that he would indeed deliver a speech to the youths.
Francis kicked off his final day in Turkey with a liturgy alongside Bartholomew in the Orthodox Church of St. George, where incense mingled with hypnotic chants on an important feast day for the Orthodox Church.
The Catholic and Orthodox churches split in 1054 over differences on the primacy of the papacy, and there was a time when patriarchs had to kiss popes' feet. At the end of a joint prayer service Saturday evening, Francis bowed to Bartholomew and asked for his blessing "for me and the Church of Rome," a remarkable display of papal deference to an Orthodox patriarch that underscored Francis' hope to end the schism.
In his remarks Sunday, Francis assured the Orthodox faithful gathered in St. George's that unity wouldn't mean sacrificing their rich liturgical or cultural patrimony or "signify the submission of one to the other, or assimilation."
"I want to assure each one of you gathered here that, to reach the desired goal of full unity, the Catholic Church does not intend to impose any conditions except that of the shared profession of faith," he said.
The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, acknowledged the novelty in Francis' message. While experts from both churches continue to debate theological divisions between them, Francis and Bartholomew are "pushing with incredible strength toward union" through their frequent and warm personal contacts, Lombardi said.
"The theological dialogue and other aspects can go forward better or sooner if there is a strong attitude" on the part of two leaders, he said. "I cannot say that this is the solution to the problem, but this is surely a strong impulse."
Bartholomew, for his part, noted that Christians are being persecuted across the Mideast regardless of their particular confession.
Bartholomew, for his part, noted that Christians are being persecuted across the Mideast regardless of their particular confession.
"The modern persecutors of Christians do not ask which church their victims belong to," he said. "The unity that concerns us is regrettably already occurring in certain regions of the world through the blood of martyrs."
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Suzan Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey.
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Suzan Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey.
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WikicommonsPope Francis seen here in Brazil greeting crowds on World Youth Day 2013.
Pope Francis is ready to help improve ties between Belarus and the European Union, a senior papal official said Saturday in the latest sign of a developing thaw in relations between Brussels and Minsk.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, also said discussions were under way for a visit to Vatican City by President Alexander Lukashenko. Roman Catholics make up just over 10 percent of the majority Orthodox Belarusians.
"One can speak of the Belarusian authorities' intentions for great openness in their relations with the EU and the whole world. The Holy See is ready to offer its contribution to this process," Parolin, second in the Vatican hierarchy to Pope Francis, told journalists in Minsk.
EU diplomats say talks have begun on how to improve ties with Lukashenko, who recently hosted international talks aimed at securing a peace deal in eastern Ukraine.
Any rapprochement between Belarus and the West is likely to be gradual, however.
Lukashenko, who has ruled the former Soviet republic for over 20 years and is known in the West as "Europe's last dictator," has shown no haste in addressing western complaints over electoral and human rights abuses in Belarus.
Because of his country's rights record, he and some 200 of his supporters banned from travelling to the EU since 2011. He remains broadly aligned with Russia.
His last visit to the Vatican City, his first trip to Western Europe after a hiatus of many years, was in 2009. Hopes for warmer relations between Belarus and the West were soon dashed after that visit.
Parolin, an experienced Church diplomat before Francis chose him for the post equivalent to a prime minister, was officially in Minsk to bless the cornerstone for a new Vatican embassy.
"For Vatican diplomacy, Belarus is a helpful country, especially in the context of the events in Ukraine," he told Vatican Radio on Thursday.
MINSK (Reuters) - Pope Francis is ready to help improve ties between Belarus and the European Union, a senior papal official said on Saturday in the latest sign of a developing thaw in relations between Brussels and Minsk.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, also said discussions were under way for a visit to Vatican City by President Alexander Lukashenko. Roman Catholics make up just over 10 percent of the majority Orthodox Belorussians.
"One can speak of the Belarussian authorities' intentions for great openness in their relations with the EU and the whole world. The Holy See is ready to offer its contribution to this process," Parolin, second in the Vatican hierarchy to Pope Francis, told journalists in Minsk.
EU diplomats say talks have begun on how to improve ties with Lukashenko, who recently hosted international talks aimed at securing a peace deal in eastern Ukraine.
Any rapprochement between Belarus and the West is likely to be gradual, however.
Lukashenko, who has ruled the former Soviet republic for over 20 years and is known in the West as "Europe's last dictator," has shown no haste in addressing western complaints over electoral and human rights abuses in Belarus.
Because of his country's rights record, he and some 200 of his supporters banned from traveling to the EU since 2011. He remains broadly aligned with Russia.
His last visit to the Vatican City, his first trip to Western Europe after a hiatus of many years, was in 2009. Hopes for warmer relations between Belarus and the West were soon dashed after that visit.
Parolin, an experienced Church diplomat before Francis chose him for the post equivalent to a prime minister, was officially in Minsk to bless the cornerstone for a new Vatican embassy.
"For Vatican diplomacy, Belarus is a helpful country, especially in the context of the events in Ukraine,” he told Vatican Radio on Thursday.
(Reporting by Andrei Makhovsky; Writing by Alexander Winning; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
Lukashenka's gift to Pope Francis (Photo: Belta)
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, second in line in the Vatican hierarchy to Pope Francis, called an internationally ostracised Belarus a "model for our world".
Visiting Minsk on 12-15 March, he also denounced the West's policy of isolation and promised to provide the Holy See's help in improving Minsk's relations with Europe.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenka's trip to the Vatican is now all but settled. Pope Francis' visit to Minsk remains less probable as the Holy See would avoid further alienating Russia.
Vatican Envoy Gets Exclusive Reception
Pietro Parolin, the Holy See's Secretary of State, received a welcome in Minsk that many heads of state would envy. The cardinal met with all of the country's senior officials, including the president, prime minister, chairman of the parliament's upper house, and foreign minister.
To date, the Catholic Church is the second-largest confession in Belarus after the Russian Orthodox Church. About 15% of Belarusians associate themselves with the former. Interestingly, the share of regular church-goers is much higher among Catholics than among Orthodox believers.
Parolin: Belarus is a model for our world suffering from conflicts
In this context, Cardinal Parolin has certainly taken comfort in Lukashenka's reassurance that Belarus "would prevent any attempts to favour one church over the others".
The Belarusian ruler can hardly complain about a lack of reciprocity. Meeting reporters in Minsk, Pietro Parolin called Belarus "an example of harmonious coexistence of different cultural and religious traditions". Such statements certainly hearten the much-maligned regime.
Holy See Against Isolating Belarus
Alexander Lukashenka has long sought support of the influential Catholic hierarchy for his attempts to normalise relations with the West. In June 2008, he received Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Pietro Parolin's predecessor, and announced forthcoming talks on the concordat between Belarus and the Holy See.
In April 2009, Pope Benedict XVI held a private audience with Alexander Lukashenka, accompanied by his youngest son Mikalai, in the Apostolic Palace, an event that was seen as a breakthrough in contesting Lukashenka's diplomatic isolation.
Despite some international criticism, the Apostolic capital remains committed to its policy of engagement with Belarus. Pietro Parolin said in Minsk that the Holy See was ready to help the Belarusian authorities improve their ties with the EU. The Vatican envoy has also denounced the EU's policy of isolating Belarus:
The isolation of a nation, its marginalisation, albeit for reasons which may seem understandable or even noble, is the defeat of diplomacy…
Lukashenka: "We Have Some Issues, Not Problems"
In return, the Holy See is seeking to improve the Catholic Church's situation in Belarus.
At his meeting with Cardinal Parolin, Lukashenka boasted of having transferred about 300 religious buildings to the Catholic Church. Indeed, the number of Catholic parishes has increased fourfold in the last 20 years.
In reality, the authorities' attitudes towards Catholics remain far from cosy. In 2013, Uladzislau Lazar, a Catholic priest, spent six months in prison after being accused of espionage. The KGB later dropped the charges.
Lukashenka: Opening a theological seminary was my idea
In January 2015, Lukashenka and another senior official accused Polish-born priests of meddling in domestic politics. The Catholic hierarchy called these accusations "a baseless insult… an incitement of ethnic and religious hatred". Following this flare up, Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei had tointerfere to defuse tension.
After many decades of government-imposed atheism, Catholics in Belarus have experienced a serious shortage of local-born clergy. At the same time, they have spent many months trying to register a theological seminary in Minsk. This bureaucratic heel dragging never prevented Lukashenka from taking credit for this idea.
The government also hinders the development of a small, yet vibrant community of Eastern-rite Catholics, successors of the Uniate Church, which once dominated in the country. Since the country's independence, they have not been able to secure a plot of land to build a church in Minsk.
Concordat Put on Hold
The Vatican's envoy and its Belarusian hosts also preferred keep mum on the issue of a concordat. The parties have accepted that the talks on the matter have stalled.
The Holy See has been seeking an end to negotiations for this international agreement in order to ensure the Church's rights in religious education, appointment of priests and bishops, etc.
The Orthodox Church and Russian ambassador have fought against a concordat
According to Belarus Digest's sources in the Catholic hierarchy, the authorities struggled to water down the first draft and to subordinate it to Belarusian law.
The same sources affirm that the Russian Orthodox Church and Russia's ambassador in Belarus, Alexander Surikov, have been making every effort to prevent the concordat from happening.
As a result, it has become abundantly clear that the concordat is not going to happen anytime soon. The Belarusian authorities have suggested substituting it with specific-area agreements concluded with the local Catholic authorities, thus downgrading the legal framework of relations.
Pope Francis Invited to Belarus
It is now safe to say that Pope Francis, like his immediate predecessor, will give a private audience to President Lukashenka. According to Belarus Digest's sources, the visit is most likely to take place in September, in the midst of Lukashenka's re-election campaign.
However, whether Pope Francis will come to Belarus remains unclear.
Senior Belarusian officials have invited the Pope to visit Minsk. The explicit and repetitive nature of these invitations indicate a well thought-out plan and not merely a formal gesture.
Most experts agree that Moscow will put more pressure on Minsk in order to prevent the Papal visit from happening. The Russian Orthodox Church regards Belarus as its "canonical territory". They feargrowing influence of the Catholic Church in the countries with predominately-Orthodox population.
Indeed, Metropolitan Pavel, the head of the Belarusian Orthodox Church, who received a courtesy call from Cardinal Parolin, declared already that the Papal visit was "not on the agenda".
The Vatican fears to alienate Russia
However, Alexander Lukashenka is perfectly capable of disregarding Moscow's opposition. Despite popular belief, the Orthodox Church has limits to its influence in Belarus. They cannot afford a serious quarrel with the country's secular authorities.
Ironically, the real opposition to the Papal visit will come from within the Roman curia. It has many influential people who believe in possibility of a successful ecumenical dialogue with the Russian Orthodox. They will be strongly against putting it at stake by allowing the Pope to go to an insignificant "Orthodox" country.
Notwithstanding what happens to the Papal visit, the parties will remain interested in maintaining warm and constructive relations. Minsk needs the Vatican's mediation in its relations with Europe and seeks domestic PR benefits. The Apostolic Capital will continue to seek further improvement of the Church's operating conditions in Belarus.
Igar Gubarevich is a senior analyst of the Ostrogorski Centre in Minsk. For a number of years he has been working in various diplomatic positions at the Belarusian Foreign Ministry.
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Rome — For a man who desires nothing from the material world, it was perhaps the perfect birthday present.
Shortly after Pope Francis blew out the candles on a cake presented to him in St Peter’s Square for his 78th birthday, it emerged that he had something else to celebrate – the crucial role he and theVatican played in the historic rapprochement between the United States and Cuba.
The Vatican hosted secret talks between Cuban and American officials in October. And Pope Francis – the first Latin American pontiff in history – personally sent letters to President Barack Obama andRaul Castro, the Cuban president, urging them to end their 50-year history of enmity and distrust. The Holy See’s role also involved pushing for the release of Alan Gross, the American contractor who had been in jail for five years after being accused of spying by the Cubans.
Announcing the thawing of relations between the two countries, Mr. Obama said he wanted to “in particular” thank the pope. The president praised his “moral example, showing the world as it should be, rather than simply settling for the world as it is.”
In a statement released shortly after, the Vatican confirmed the role played by the pope, saying he had invited the two sides “to resolve humanitarian questions of common interest, including the situation of certain prisoners, in order to initiate a new phase in relations between the two parties.”
It was a huge diplomatic coup for the Holy See. But as the back-room details of the months of negotiations emerged Thursday, Vatican insiders said that not only Pope Francis deserved credit for the dramatic thawing of relations. They said the Jesuit pope had built on years of quiet Vatican diplomacy and on the efforts of Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict, both of whom visited Cuba during their tenures.
“The deal reached between Havana and Washington has to be seen in the context of a long process,” says a senior Vatican insider. “Pope Francis really made it happen, but the Holy See has always had relations with Cuba; not always great relations – Castro was not exactly friendly to the Church – but we always kept the lines open.”
“There are lots of things going on quietly around the world that we don’t always get credit for,” says the Vatican official. “With Cuba, we have been honest brokers. We recognized they had legitimate complaints about the embargo, though we were not naive about the situation.”
The Castro regime saw the Vatican, to some extent, as an ally in its decades-long confrontation with the US. “The Holy See has always been against embargoes because we think they hurt the poorest and most vulnerable, not the people they are aimed at,” the official said.
Kenneth Hackett, the US ambassador to the Holy See, said Washington was grateful for “the key role” played by the Vatican in helping to bring more than a year of secret talks “to a successful conclusion.”
A crucial component of the diplomatic effort was Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State – effectively the prime minister of the tiny sovereign nation. Until last year he was the Vatican’s “nuncio,” or ambassador, to Venezuela, a long-time ally of Cuba, and has extensive knowledge of Latin America.
The fact that Pope Francis comes from the continent, and speaks Spanish, also helped smooth talks between the former foes.
“It wasn’t a game-changer, but it was certainly helpful that he knows the culture and the language. He feels very Latin,” says the Vatican insider.
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In his congratulation letter to the newly elected Pope Francis, Alexander Lukashenka invited the Pontiff to visit the "friendly Belarusian land".
Although two previous Popes declared the wish to come to Minsk, neither actually had a chance to meet the millions of Belarusian Catholics. Whereas Minsk remains unwanted in the West, the Vatican appears an important mediator between both sides. However, for the first non-European Pope in a hundreds of years, Belarus could be too exotic to make it a priority and visit the country.
Lukashenka has repeated on many occasions that he welcomes the Pope to Belarus. During a meeting with the Vatican's Nuncio in April 2012, he expressed the will to strengthen both the Catholic and Orthodox Church in Belarus. Pope John Paul II never received an invitation to visit Belarus. But in 2002, Vatican officials conducted discussions with Minsk on the issue. However, as happened with Moscow, the visit never materialised.
A breakthrough in Belarus-Vatican relations took place with the new Pope Benedict XVI who met with Alexander Lukashenka and his youngest son Mikalai in the Vatican in 2009. Significantly, it broke for a moment the diplomatic isolation of Minsk in the West. It also turned out to be Lukashenka's first trip to Western Europe since his 1999 visa ban was implemented. However, the Pope could not reciprocate the visit to Belarus. Instead, the Vatican’s Secretary, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, visited Belarus in 2009.
Support for Society
The Holy See has always supported the independent post-Soviet states. John Paul II in one of his audiences said to the representatives of the Belarusian Catholic clergy that “Belarus is the former Soviet republic that has undergone the least change since the fall of Communism, and is the least integrated into the rest of Europe”.
In May 2008, when Pope Benedict XVI addressed the new ambassador of Belarus to the Vatican, he said: ‘Please be assured that the Holy See will continue to support your nation in its efforts to affirm proper and legitimate aspirations for freedom and in her labours to foster the democratic process as a part of the great family of free and sovereign European nations.’
On 1 March 2008 Minsk was included in a special video link of Belarusian youth with the Pope. For the first time Belarusian Catholics could take part in the event. After the common prayer, the Pope made a speech to the Belarusian youth. Belarusian state media broadcasted the event.
Concordat: Still to Be Concluded
A possible concordat remains an unresolved issue between Belarus and the Vatican. A concordat is a special document concluded between a church and secular authorities to regulate bilateral relations, including the right to religious education and protection of religious freedoms.
The leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church, nominally the largest religious group in Belarus, have already signed a number of agreements with the Belarusian authorities and view the initiative of a concordat with the Vatican with suspicion. The Patriarch of Moscow, Kiril, during his meeting with Lukashenka in September 2009 said that ‘Belorussia is not a bridge, nor a gateway, but a Western part of the Saint Rus, historical Rus’.
The 2009 visit of Lukashenka to the Holy See might have heralded a conclusion of the document. Nonetheless, until now the two sides have failed to conclude it. According to the head of Belarusian Catholics, Archbishop Kondrusiewicz, the conclusion of the concordat would enhance the prestige of both the Roman-Catholic Church and Belarus in the international arena.
Concordats with countries where Catholics are in a minority are not unusual. For example, Montenegro was the first country with a majority of Orthodox citizens to conclude a concordat with the Vatican, in June 2012. During the act of conclusion of the agreement, Benedict XVI confirmed his support for the European integration ambitions of that country.
Through Vatican to the West?
Lukashenka’s 2009 visit to the Holy See remains remarkable for a few reasons. Ten years of isolation of Minsk might have given its leadership hope for improving the relationship with the West. Whereas the West spurns Lukashenka, he finds himself more comfortable with the East.
For Lukashenka, the visit to the Vatican was particularly prestigious at the moment when nobody in Europe wanted to do it. This was probably one of the reasons why the Apostolic nuncio in Belarus was the only diplomat who could visit the Belarusian prisoners of conscience.
The Vatican still appears as an important mediator, but also as a promoter of Western values. At the same time, the Pope with his moral authority is in a good position to improve the image of the West in Minsk, which is a subject of frequent attacks by Belarusian propaganda.
It is too early to speculate over the politics of the newly elected Pope. Most likely the new Pope does not have any special links or emotional attachment to Belarus. He was born and grew up in Argentina where most people are most likely not sure where Belarus is.
The two previous European Popes - John Paul II and Benedict XVI - carried a ‘regional historical burden’: both witnessed the atrocities of WWII and were aware of the post-war and transformation difficulties Eastern European societies faced.
However, the new Pope may wish to continue their activities and strengthen the position of the Church in the region as the previous leaders of the Holy See did. It will be an important event for Belarusian Catholics and for Belarus, but may raise concerns for those who will regard the visit as tacit support for "Europe's last dictatorship".
Paula Borowska is an analyst of the Ostrogorski Centre. Originally from Bialystok, she studied at the University of Gdansk and the University of Bologna.
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MINSK Sat Mar 14, 2015 12:06pm EDT
MINSK (Reuters) - Pope Francis is ready to help improve ties between Belarus and the European Union, a senior papal official said on Saturday in the latest sign of a developing thaw in relations between Brussels and Minsk.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, also said discussions were under way for a visit to Vatican City by President Alexander Lukashenko. Roman Catholics make up just over 10 percent of the majority Orthodox Belorussians.
"One can speak of the Belarussian authorities' intentions for great openness in their relations with the EU and the whole world. The Holy See is ready to offer its contribution to this process," Parolin, second in the Vatican hierarchy to Pope Francis, told journalists in Minsk.
EU diplomats say talks have begun on how to improve ties with Lukashenko, who recently hosted international talks aimed at securing a peace deal in eastern Ukraine.
Any rapprochement between Belarus and the West is likely to be gradual, however.
Lukashenko, who has ruled the former Soviet republic for over 20 years and is known in the West as "Europe's last dictator," has shown no haste in addressing western complaints over electoral and human rights abuses in Belarus.
Because of his country's rights record, he and some 200 of his supporters banned from traveling to the EU since 2011. He remains broadly aligned with Russia.
His last visit to the Vatican City, his first trip to Western Europe after a hiatus of many years, was in 2009. Hopes for warmer relations between Belarus and the West were soon dashed after that visit.
Parolin, an experienced Church diplomat before Francis chose him for the post equivalent to a prime minister, was officially in Minsk to bless the cornerstone for a new Vatican embassy.
"For Vatican diplomacy, Belarus is a helpful country, especially in the context of the events in Ukraine,” he told Vatican Radio on Thursday.
(Reporting by Andrei Makhovsky; Writing by Alexander Winning; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
Pope Francis heads deep into mafia territory Saturday with a one-day trip to Naples to visit jailbirds and the poor, amid heightened security against a possible attack by Islamist militants.
Up to 800,000 people are expected to gather in the southern Italian city to welcome the Argentine pontiff, who declared war on organised crime last year by "excommunicating" all mafiosi from the Catholic Church.
Security will be tight: apart from risks posed by gangsters with a grudge, the pope has been threatened by the Islamic State group and trips outside the Vatican are considered prime opportunities for assassination attempts.
After a massacre at a Tunisian museum this week claimed by the IS group, all eyes with be on the elderly pontiff's safety, with 3,000 extra policemen deployed along the route he will take, including snipers on the rooftops.
Francis will begin the day at the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, before taking a helicopter to the violent, poverty and crime-ridden Scampia neighbourhood in Naples, where he will meet with local residents.
He will then hold mass in the Piazza del Plebiscito in the historic centre, a stone's throw from the Gulf of Naples, before visiting the city's overcrowded Poggio Reale jail, where 2,500 prisoners are squeezed into a space for 1,400.
Corruption, drugs, extortion
The pope, self-proclaimed defender of the downtrodden, will lunch with 90 of the inmates, including a dozen transsexuals, homosexuals and AIDS sufferers, according to the Catholic TV2000 television channel.
In Naples' Cathedral he will pray in front of the relics of the city's patron saint Januarius, where some of the former bishop's blood in a vial is said to miraculously liquefy three times a year, according to popular legend.
The visit will wind up with a sea-front concert of Neapolitan songs performed for the 78-year-old pope by youngsters.
Last year the pope expelled all unrepentant mafia members from the Church
Francis is expected to speak about the ills weighing upon the region, from endemic corruption to drug addiction, sky-high unemployment and environmental pollution in an area scarred by the illegal burning of toxic rubbish.
His fiercest words will be kept for the Camorra, the notorious Naples mafia dissected and exposed in journalist Roberto Saviano's award-winning novel "Gomorrah" and the acclaimed 2008 film of the same name.
Last year the pope expelled all unrepentant mafia members from the Church and condemned them to Hell in the afterlife in a move which sparked fears of retaliation from the underworld.
City of 'many wounds'
During a visit to territory controlled by the powerful 'Ndrangheta organisation in the southern Italian Calabria region, he described the mafia as "the adoration of evil and contempt for common good."
"This evil must be beaten, expelled," he said, calling for historic ties between organised crime and the Church to be severed -- an appeal he is likely to repeat in Naples.
Numerous priests fight against Italy's big three -- the Cosa Nostra in Sicily, the 'Ndrangheta in Calabria and the Camorra in Naples -- sometimes paying for their bravery with their lives.
But the Italian Church also has a darker side. Mafia dons have historically attended mass, often receiving lavish funerals and presenting themselves as Catholic benefactors, aiding local residents where the state has failed.
Priest Luigi Ciotti, who has dedicated his life to the fight against the mafia, said the pope's visit would mean a huge amount to a city he described as "marvellous but bitter, generous, but living with many wounds."
"We ask the Holy Father to pray for our dead," he said in reference to those killed by the mafia, "so that their memories will stay alive and serve to imprint into everyone's minds the desire for justice."
AFP
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· · · ·
Pope Francis leads a mass in Naples. Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/ AFP
Pope Francis on Saturday told crowds of tens of thousands of people that "corruption stinks" as he headed deep into mafia territory, visiting jailbirds and the poor in Naples amid heightened security.
The pontiff arrived in the poor, crime-ridden Scampia area of the city in a popemobile and was immediately plunged into a crowd of children and young people, two of whom managed to pose for a selfie with the pontiff.
"Corruption stinks, corrupt society stinks," he told residents, adding that "we all have the potential to be corrupt and to slip into criminality".
Up to 800,000 people were expected to turn out throughout the day in the southern Italian city to greet the Argentine pontiff, who last year declared war on organised crime by "excommunicating" all mafiosi from the Catholic Church.
Security was tight for the visit: apart from risks posed by gangsters with a grudge, the pope has been threatened by the Islamic State group and trips outside the Vatican are considered prime opportunities for assassination attempts.
After a massacre at a Tunisian museum this week claimed by the IS group, all eyes with be on the elderly pontiff's safety, with 3,000 extra policemen deployed along the route he will take, including snipers on the rooftops.
Before his arrival in Scampia, Pope Francis began the day at the ancient Roman city of Pompeii.
He was later due to hold mass in the Piazza del Plebiscito in Naples' historic centre, a stone's throw from the Gulf of Naples, before visiting the city's overcrowded Poggio Reale jail, where 2,500 prisoners are squeezed into a space for 1,400.
Corruption, drugs, extortion
Corruption, drugs, extortion
The pope, self-proclaimed defender of the downtrodden, will lunch with 90 of the inmates, including a dozen transsexuals, homosexuals and AIDS sufferers, according to the Catholic TV2000 television channel.
In Naples' Cathedral he will pray in front of the relics of the city's patron saint Januarius, where some of the former bishop's blood in a vial is said to miraculously liquefy three times a year, according to popular legend.
The visit will wind up with a sea-front concert of Neapolitan songs performed for the 78-year old pope by youngsters.
Francis is expected to speak about the ills weighing upon the region, from endemic corruption to drug addiction, sky-high unemployment and environmental pollution in an area scarred by the illegal burning of toxic rubbish.
His fiercest words will be kept for the Camorra, the notorious Naples mafia dissected and exposed in journalist Roberto Saviano's award-winning novel "Gomorrah" and the acclaimed 2008 film of the same name.
Last year the pope expelled all unrepentant mafia members from the Church and condemned them to Hell in the afterlife in a move which sparked fears of retaliation from the underworld.
City of 'many wounds'
During a visit to territory controlled by the powerful 'Ndrangheta organisation in the southern Italian Calabria region, he described the mafia as "the adoration of evil and contempt for common good."
During a visit to territory controlled by the powerful 'Ndrangheta organisation in the southern Italian Calabria region, he described the mafia as "the adoration of evil and contempt for common good."
"This evil must be beaten, expelled," he said, calling for historic ties between organised crime and the Church to be severed -- an appeal he is likely to repeat in Naples.
Numerous priests fight against Italy's big three -- the Cosa Nostra in Sicily, the 'Ndrangheta in Calabria and the Camorra in Naples – sometimes paying for their bravery with their lives.
But the Italian Church also has a darker side. Mafia dons have historically attended mass, often receiving lavish funerals and presenting themselves as Catholic benefactors, aiding local residents where the state has failed.
Priest Luigi Ciotti, who has dedicated his life to the fight against themafia, said the pope's visit would mean a huge amount to a city he described as "marvellous but bitter, generous, but living with many wounds."
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· · ·
Pope Francis Saturday morning visited the famed marian shrine of
Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii
, before heading to Naples for a highly anticipated one-day visit aimed at showing solidarity with the poor, afflicted and imprisoned in a city notorious for organized crime.
The Pope departed the Vatican this morning at 7:15am and travelled by helicopter to the southern Italian basilica, arriving at the nearby heliport at 8:00am. There he was greeted by Archbishop Tomaso Caputo of Pompeii, the pontifical delegate for the Sanctuary and several local dignitaries.
After spending several minutes in quiet prayer before the famous image of Our Lady of
the Rosary,
the Pope greeted the faithful, saying: “Thank you. Thank you so much for this warm welcome. We prayed to Our Lady, so that she might bless us all, you, me, and the whole world. We need Our Lady to watch over us. And pray for me, don’t forget. Now I invite you all to recite a Hail Mary to Our Lady and then I will give you the blessing.”
Pope Francis has often spoken of his love for the Virgin Mary and the importance of Marian shrines. Archbishop Caputo described Pope Francis’ visit to Pompeii as “an event of extraordinary ecclesial importance.”
“The filial and tender Marian devotion that the Pope continues to show is also at the root of the Church of Pompeii's strong commitment towards the humblest and neediest among us,” he said in a statement leading up to this morning's papal visit.
The archbishop added that "aside from our joy for his visit, we hope that Pope Francis will show us the path to take to be even closer to and more united with our people.”
Pope Francis met with several of the recipients of the good works of the shrine such as the homeless, the poor, and unwed mothers.
Pope St. John Paul II also visited Pompeii on October 21,1979, during his visit to Naples, and he returned there on October 7, 2003 for the conclusion of the Year of the Rosary.
Pope Benedict XVI presented his sixth
Golden Rose
to Our Lady at the shrine of Pompei, during the month dedicated to to the Rosary, on October 19, 2008.
Following his early morning stop in Pompeii, Pope Francis headed by helicopter to the city of Naples for a one-day visit that includes the celebration of Holy Mass, lunch with detainees at the city’s local prison, and an afternoon pilgrimage to the city’s Cathedral, where he will venerate the
relics of Naples’ patron, St. Gennaro
.
Diane Montagna is Rome correspondent for Aleteia’s English edition.
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· ·
By Inés San Martín
Vatican correspondent March 21, 2015
NAPLES — In a span of one morning on Saturday, Pope Francis blasted “the stink of corruption” and the “failures, delays, and omissions of bad politics,” urged the world to treat migrants as “equal citizens,” denounced underpaid labor as “slavery,” and blamed unemployment for increased delinquency.
He also addressed the Italian Mafia and its accomplices, inviting them to repent, and called on residents to react decisively against illegal organizations that use the drug trade to exploit and corrupt the young, the poor, and the weak.
“A corrupt society stinks like a rotting corpse,” Francis said in Scampia, a Mafia-infested neighborhood in the southern Italian city of Naples. “And a Christian that becomes corrupt isn’t Christian, [he] stinks!”
The pope’s mostly improvised comments on corruption came as he began a nine-hour rally through Naples, a southern Italian city notorious as the home of some of the country’s most infamous crime syndicates.
In welcoming Francis, Italian Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe said the pope made the trip because “when children call, a father comes.”
While admitting that life in the city, one of Europe’s most densely populated metropolitan areas, has never been easy, Francis said, it’s never been sad, either.
“Your joy is a treasure,” Francis said.
Addressing the high crime rate, the pope said that “whoever chooses the path of evil robs himself and others of hope,” and that although evil can steal even “a piece of hope,” it never has the last word.
“All of us have the opportunity to be corrupted,” Francis said, adding that no one can say with certainty “I’ll never be corrupt.”
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According to the pontiff, it’s easy to be tempted to “exploit and enslave” others by having them work 11 hours a day for $650 a month, to pay employees “under the table,” and to rob others of the dignity of putting bread on the table.
Answering a Filipino who asked the pope “in the name of so many migrants who don’t have a set place to live,” for words that would make them feel important and proud that he looks upon them so favorably, Francis said that migrants shouldn’t be treated as second-class humans, but as full citizen.
“We’re all God’s children,” the pontiff said, and, pointing to the sky, he added, “We’re all migrants, going to another nation. Hopefully, we’ll all get there, without leaving anyone behind!”
Talking to politicians in Pope John Paul II Square on the outskirts of Naples, Francis said the community can’t progress without their support, especially in times of crisis.
“Good politics is a service to people, which is firstly exercised at the local level, where the weight of failures, delays, and omissions is more direct and hurts deeply,” Francis said. “Good politics is one of the highest expressions of charity, service, and love.”
Referring to the beginning of springtime “that brings hope,” the pope said it’s also a time of redemption for Naples.
“The authorities, institutions, various social realities, and citizens, united and in accord, can build a better future,” Francis said.
After that stop, Francis headed to the Piazza del Plesbiscito, where he celebrated an open-air Mass. During his homily, he asked the faithful not to allow youth to be corrupted by drug traffickers and thugs.
“Humbly, with a brotherly heart, I ask you [criminals] to convert to love and justice,” Francis improvised. “Allow yourselves to be found by God’s mercy!”
Addressing the mothers present in the square, the pontiff asked them to do their best to keep their children away from crime.
In a city marred by corruption, criminal activity, drug dealing, and youth unemployment rates that reach 40 percent, Francis said that “having hope is resisting evil, placing all bets on God’s mercy.”
At noon, Francis visited the detention Center “Guiseppe Salvia,” where he was welcomed by 1,900 inmates, shook hands with 300, and had lunch (meat and potatoes) with 90 of them, including some from the pavilion for transsexual, gay, and HIV-positive prisoners.
For lack of time, Francis didn’t deliver his speech to the inmates, but copies of it were distributed so they could read it. In improvised remarks, he told them that “being here, among you, I discover God.”
In the printed text, the pontiff said he knew of their suffering through the many letters he receives from prisoners from all over the world.
“Many times, prisoners are being held in conditions that are unworthy for the human person, and after [imprisonment] they fail to reintegrate into society,” the pope said.
He also thanked the executives, priests, educators, and pastoral workers who “know how to be close to the prisoners,” turning a place of marginalization into a place that moves society toward a more inclusive stance.
“There are some positive experiences of reintegration,” Francis said, calling for further efforts that have in their founding grounds the knowledge that “love always transforms a person.”
Before his return to Rome, Francis was scheduled to meet clergy and religious of the city, the sick, and young people.
Francis arrived in Naples after paying a 15-minute visit to the nearby city of Pompeii, where together with 700 people belonging to what the Argentinian pontiff calls “the outskirts of society” (the unemployed, disabled, migrants), he prayed in the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary.
One of the pope’s final appearances came in Naples’ cathedral, where Francis gave a blessing with the relics of St. Januarius, the city’s patron saint. Januarius is famous for the annual liquefaction of a small amount of his blood, contained within a relic, a phenomenon that dates to at least the 14th century and is believed to happen three times a year.
When Francis held the small vessel on Saturday, the blood appeared to liquefy, something considered miraculous by those on hand.
According to Sepe, this was the first time the liquefaction had happened in the presence of a pope.
The pontiff used to opportunity to demand more from the clergy and religious on hand, saying the fact that it was only a partial liquefaction meant “the saint expects more from us!”
Inés San Martín is the Vatican correspondent for Crux, stationed in Rome. More
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· · · · ·
- Ten gay, transgender inmates were among the 90 eating with Pope Francis
- Lunch was not originally planned during his trip to Naples but pontiff insisted
- The simple and 'frugal' meal was prepared by the prisoners of the Naples jail
- Pope also holding number of public events before returning to Vatican tonight
Published: 10:32 EST, 21 March 2015 | Updated: 12:46 EST, 21 March 2015
Pope Francis has had lunch with at least 10 gay, transgender and HIV-suffering inmates at a prison in Naples today, it has been reported.
They were among 90 prisoners invited to dine with the pontiff on his day-long trip to southern-Italy.
The stop-off at the Giuseppe Salvia Detention Centre in Poggioreale was not originally on his schedule, according to Italian TV station TV 2000.
But the Pope reportedly insisted on the meal which was prepared by the prisoners themselves.
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Breaking bread: Pope Francis (pictured) has had lunch with at least 10 gay, transgender and HIV-suffering inmates at a prison in Naples during his visit to the city
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Holy visit: The prison visit was not originally on his schedule but the pontiff insisted on the meal which was prepared by the inmates
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Adoration: Thousands of people turned out to cheer the Pope on his day-long visit to Naples where he will hold a number of events before returning to the Vatican tonight
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Lucky few: The 90 prisoners who dined with the Pope were selected by lottery from about 1,900 others at the Giuseppe Salvia Detention Centre (pictured)
The inmates who dined with the pope were chosen by lottery from around 1,900, the Vatican Insider website has reported.
And it was a very simple and 'frugal' because the Pope wants to take the time to get to know every prisoner personally, the head of a prison ministry told Vatican Radio.
The prison visit formed part of a very busy day for Pope Francis in the Italian city that lies 150 miles south of Rome.
Francis began praying at a sanctuary in Pompeii, before holding a string of events which include an outdoor mass and meetings with young people and the sick before heading back to the Vatican this evening.
Since his election two years ago, the Argentine pontiff has led a new and welcoming approach to gay and transgender people.
When asked whether a gay man could be a priest, he reportedly replied: 'Who am I to judge?'
And in late January, he had a private meeting in the Vatican with a Spanish transgender man who wrote to Francs about the rejection he was facing at his home parish.
On Holy Thursday next month, he will wash the feet of male and female inmates at a prison near Rome as part of his continued public outreach to detainees.
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Personal: It was a very simple and 'frugal' because the Pope wanted to take the time to get to know every prisoner, the head of a prison ministry has said
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Hectic: The prison visit formed part of a very busy day in Naples for the pontiff who was praying at a sanctuary in Pompeii this morning
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Support: People stood on their terraces to watch the Pope speak and hung a banner which read: 'Dignity can't be evicted'
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Divine: On Holy Thursday next month, he will wash the feet of male and female inmates at a prison near Rome as part of his continued public outreach to detainees
Before the lunch, Pope Francis called on members of organised crime to turn away from the violence to 'stop the tears of the mothers of Naples' in one of the city's most violent areas.
He was speaking in the shadow of a housing project known as Le Vele which is considered so dangerous that even the police are sometimes afraid to enter.
The blighted area has been a battleground for 'Camorra' clans fighting each other for control of drug trafficking and extortion rackets.
He urged the locals not to let criminals rob them of their hope and also said members of organised crime excommunicate themselves from the Church - but it would welcome them back if they repent.
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