He told the Italian army's Transports and Materials Corps last Thursday that he was delighted they shared a devotion to the martyr St Christopher - he carries him everywhere and the Corps has had him as their patron since 1954.

"I always carry a medallion of St Christopher because it helps me to go forward" he said.

What having a patron means

Having the high patronage of a martyr saint who gave his life to bear witness to Christ comes with a few requirements, Francis told the Corps.

Firstly, it means acknowledging that there is no profession or state of life that does not need to be anchored to true values and does not need divine protection.

In fact, the more your work involves supporting, protecting, saving or losing lives, the more important it is to "maintain a high ethical code and an inspiration that draws from above".

Being proud of having a patron saint means committing oneself to working in a way that prioritises human dignity - as we are images of God.

This style is distinguished for its defence of the weakest and those who find themselves in danger, whether through wars, natural disasters or pandemics.

Honouring your patron also means it is important to recognise your colleagues' abilities and characteristics.

But it doesn't stop there. It is also important that we "implore from Heaven that supplement of Grace, which is indispensable to best accomplish the missions we undertake.

"It means, in short, recognising that we are not omnipotent, that not everything is in our hands, and that we need divine blessing" Francis said.

Understanding St Christopher's role in their work will help when the Corps is called upon to help with peacekeeping operations, natural disasters, civil protection tasks and indispensable logistical activities.

Service

Francis commended the Corps for their service to others.

"Service involves placing oneself at the disposal of the common good, not sparing energy and effort..." he said.

"Service, serving, and service gives us dignity. What is your dignity? I am a servant: that is the great dignity!" Francis said.

His patronage means that even when we are unaware, we "carry the style of Christ, who came to serve, not to be served" Francis said.

St Christopher

St Christopher was removed from the General Roman Calendar in 1969 as part of the liturgical reforms following the Second Vatican Council.

This change was made because there is no evidence for the historical authenticity of Christopher.

However, the Catholic Church still recognises St Christopher as a saint, and his feast day (traditionally 25 July) can still be celebrated in local and particular calendars.

In practice, he remains a popular saint, especially as the patron of travellers, and many Catholics continue to venerate him.

Source

• Vatican communications
• katholisch.de
• Britannica

On Sunday morning, instead of attending their regular church service, the congregation shared breakfast of bacon sandwiches and coffee before being anointed with oil and the words from Matthew 10, "freely you have received, so freely give".

And with that, they left the building to serve the neighbourhood.

In an initiative called "Go! Sunday", vicar Tim Bustin sent out five groups to serve in different areas of Nelson, while the remaining church members stayed behind in a service of prayer for the city. Read more

Belgium is consistently rated as one of the world's most secular societies, but Francis insisted that doesn't mean we can stop trying to follow our template of service, mission and joy.

"We have moved from a Christianity located within a welcoming social framework to a ‘minority' Christianity, or better, a Christianity of witness" he said.

"This requires the courage to undertake an ecclesial conversion for enabling those pastoral transformations that concern our habitual ways of doing things, the language in which we express our faith, so that they are truly directed to evangelisation."

It's also important to appreciate diversity, he added. "Unity in the Church is not uniformity, but rather finding harmony within diversity!"

Priests role

Priests have a special role in transforming the Church, Francis said.

They will need to step forward courageously, away from past legacies and show they are "in love with Jesus Christ and are attentive to responding to the often implicit demands of the Gospel as they walk with God's holy people" Francis explained.

"In doing so, they are sometimes ahead of their people, sometimes in their midst and sometimes behind them" he said.

Catholic Luxembourg

During his one-day visit to Luxembourg last Thursday, Pope Francis addressed the Catholic community and spoke again about service, mission and joy.

"The spirit of the Gospel is a spirit of welcoming, of openness to everyone. It does not admit any kind of exclusion" he said.

"What drives us to be missionaries is our desire to make known to as many brothers and sisters as possible the joy of encountering Christ.

"Love moves us to proclaim the Gospel, which opens us to others ... This is a beautiful, healthy, joyful dynamism that we would do well to cultivate in ourselves and among those around us ..."

"Faith is full of joy" he told the Catholic community.

"It is a 'dance' because we know that we are children of a God who is our friend, who wants us to be happy and united, who rejoices above all in our salvation."

We should show our happiness and joy in the Gospel, which makes us believe and grow so much, Francis said.

Source

• Catholic Culture
• Crux

Francis sounded warnings against the dangers of arrogance and power in religious leadership.

The meeting at Dili Cathedral came during the Pope's September 9-11 visit to East Timor.

"The priest is an instrument of blessing. He must never take advantage of his role. He must always bless, comfort, be a servant of compassion and a sign of God's mercy" said the pope.

He reminded clergy that their elevated status should not distance them from the people.

"You come from the people! You were born of mothers of the people! You grew up among the people!" Francis said.

"Don't forget the culture of the people you have received."

Continuing the conversation, Francis also addressed the temptations that come with power, sharing a personal anecdote.

"My grandmother always told me that the devil gets in through your pockets" he said.

He called on them to be vigilant against corruption which can infiltrate even Catholic communities.

"The tasks of the clergy are to proclaim the Gospel, to serve the poor and to work for justice and against corruption" Francis emphasised, encouraging church leaders to be "passionate, prepared and creative" in their mission of evangelisation.

Francis recalled the Gospel passage where Mary poured expensive perfume over Jesus's feet at the house of Lazarus, Martha and Mary.

"You are the fragrance of the Gospel in this country" he said, calling on the clergy to spread the "perfume" of the Gospel to those in need, especially the poor.

"It means being vigilant about ourselves because a lukewarm spiritual mediocrity is always lurking" he said.

Sources

• Crux
• Katholisch.de

She made the comments to Dr Joe Grayland from Tubingen University, Germany. in an interview for CathNews.

Deacons bring Gospel into action

Zagano, a leading scholar on the diaconate, argues that women deacons could be a tonic for the Church, revitalising it by bringing the gospel into action.

Asked why the Church needs deacons at all, Zagano said "The diaconate is really about bringing the gospel in action to the people of God".

Temporal and spiritual

Clarifying that the role of a deacon is both temporal and spiritual, Zagano said that historically deacons managed charity and performed weddings, baptisms and funerals.

She told Grayland that deacons' actions were crucial in spreading the gospel and restoring the diaconate, especially for women, and that they could help the Church address modern challenges.

"If we recover the diaconate today, I think the deacon would be the one to help get the chequebook out of the pastor's hands, spread the wealth around and take care of the poor" she said.

Diaconate - not an apprenticeship for priesthood

Zagano however has some reservations about the role of transitional deacons, those ordained as a step before priesthood, as they were serving as apprentices.

Questioning the necessity for this, she said there is one diaconate and that many people have said there's no reason to ordain anyone a deacon before that person is ordained a priest.

Clarifying, Zagano said being a deacon is about service and is the opposite of having power.

"I was asked the other day about power and women asking to be deacons so they could have power.

"My answer is simply that if you want to be ordained to have power, you should probably do something else.

Grayland asked Zagano whether having power is the issue. Zagano said that it is, but an individual will not get much or any power.

"Certainly an individual who comes to be a deacon just because he or she can't be a priest or a bishop will be shown the door; they are two separate questions."

A global perspective

Zagano acknowledges cultural differences within the global Church.

She acknowledges that some regions may be more receptive to the idea of women deacons while others face different challenges.

"If your territory does not need or wish for women in the diaconate, it will not have it" she says.

"But if Austria and Germany find that the diaconate can include women and the Church can accept it, and there is a need for it, then that's what it is."

She argues that the Church's mission should include all its people and that justice for women in the Church means recognising their equal humanity and ability to proclaim the gospel.

Zagano's advocacy for women deacons continues to spark significant debate within the Catholic Church.

Her call for justice and equality resonates with many, but the path forward remains contentious.

As discussions continue, the Church must balance tradition and modernity in its mission to spread the gospel and serve its global community.

Personal journey and advocacy

Zagano's interest in the diaconate stems from her own experience.

Archbishop Jean Jadot, Papal Nuncio to the US, encouraged her to pursue her studies and advocacy despite challenges.

During their conversation Jadot told her "Don't quit".

Today she continues her advocacy, emphasising the historical precedent and modern necessity of women deacons.

Read more on deacons in the Church

What is a Deacon?

Ten-year-old Beth asks her parents about the new deacon in the parish.

They explain the diaconate and she is surprised.

She quickly finds out that her classmates do not know what a deacon is or what a deacon does.

She and her and her friend Carol ask their CCD teacher, who explains what a deacon is today and helps them to begin to think about the future.

What is a Deacon by Irene Kelly

Just Church

Just Church engages the reader in the synodal pathway to a "Just Church" that can and should reflect its social teaching.

An important measure of justice is an ecclesiology open to participation by others beyond celibate clerics, especially in consideration of competing Catholic ecclesial bodies and methods of membership.

Just Church study guide - Phyllis Zagano's free Study Guide.

What is given today is for the gain of all. For Jesus Christ announced a Kingdom in which the poor and oppressed are freed from the chains of injustice.

The blind see. The bruised and broken-hearted are healed.

That Kingdom sets the aims of all righteous government, all authority.

And the Kingdom also sets the means of all government and authority. For Jesus doesn't grasp power or hold onto status.

The King of Kings, Jesus Christ, was anointed not to be served but to serve.

He creates the unchangeable law of good authority: with the privilege of power comes the duty to serve.

Service is love in action.

We see active love in our care for the most vulnerable, the way we nurture and encourage the young, in the conservation of the natural world. We have seen those priorities in the life of duty lived by our King.

Today we have the honour of being in this Abbey with so many who show such love; you work with charities and organisations, you build community, you serve the nation in Armed Forces, in emergency services, and so many other ways.

Next door are 400 or more extraordinary young people in St Margaret's Church, whose lives speak of service.

Around the world in the Realms and Commonwealth are so many more.

You live your lives for the sake of others.

The unity you show, the example you give, is what binds us together and offers societies that are strong, joyful, happy and glorious.

They bear heavy weights for us.

And the weight of the task given today, Your Majesties, is only bearable by the Spirit of God, who gives us the strength to give our lives to others.

With the anointing of the Holy Spirit, the King is given freely what no ruler can ever attain through will, or politics, or war, or tyranny: the Holy Spirit draws us to love in action.

This is promised by Jesus who put aside all privilege, because, as the first reading tells us, God will give all things for our sake, even His own life.

His throne was a Cross.

His crown was made of thorns.

His regalia were the wounds that pierced his body.

Each of us is called by God to serve.

Whatever that looks like in our own lives, each of us can choose God's way today.

We can say to the King of Kings, God Himself, as does the King here today, ‘give grace that in thy service I may find perfect freedom'.

In that prayer, there is promise beyond measure, joy beyond dreams, hope that endures.

By that prayer, for every King, every ruler, and, yes, for every person for all of us, we are opened to the transforming love of God.

• Justin Welby is Archbishop of Canterbury
• Homily delivered at the Coronation of King Charles III. First published by the Archbishop of Canterbury

The pope is asking Bishops to overcome "nostalgia for the past" and take bold steps to be a consoling presence in places where hardship is abound.

Parishes, he added, should become training centres for Christian life and "schools of service to others," in such a way that humility and tenderness shine forth.

In concluding his message, Francis expressed his appreciation for the initiative, which should help Bishops create projects and attitudes to help people discover "the love of the encounter with Jesus."

Bishops from dioceses in Piedmont, Umbria, Lazio, Abruzzo, Molise, Campania, Puglia, Basilicata, and Calabria are holding a two-day meeting in the city of Benevento.

Source: Vatican News

The origins of the phrase are complex, but it enters mainstream Catholic discourse with the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy in this sentence:

Indeed, the liturgy is the summit (culmen) towards which the activity of the Church is directed; it is also the fountain (fons) from which all her power flows (n.10).

That was in 1963 and it is now a piece of stock wisdom.

Like all such snippets of wisdom it is more often parroted than thought about. For most of the people who quote it, it is just another way of saying that ‘the Mass is what is most important' or a striking metaphor to say that prayer is what must come first in the life of a Christian. It is - when read through the so-called ‘hermeneutic of continuity'- simply a new formulation of the tag: ‘it's the Mass that matters.'

But that reading fails to note that it is also far more that a restatement: it is a different theological vision that is based on a dynamic understanding of the life of the Church as the living, moving witness to the gospel in the world.

Two-way street or perhaps a round-about

The image implies of a series of stages that lead up to the summit. Liturgy does not simple happen: it must be prepared for by a whole range of activities that fall in every area of our lives. Likewise, liturgy is not something that after it has happened, we leave to get on with the rest of life. There is no simple division of Sunday / Monday; the religion bit in the church / the rest of life outside. There is no neat border separating the sacred and the profane.

If liturgy is real, it expresses what is happening in our lives before God in worship.

If liturgy is real, it expresses what is happening before God in worship in our lives.

The Eucharist - the highest expression of our worship - has to be seen not as an island, but a point along a road: there is a road of thankfulness and reconciliation leading up to it, and a road of generosity and thankfulness leading on-wards in our lives.

Perhaps the image of a roundabout is better as a dynamic image of how liturgy relates to the rest of our lives.

Liturgy is a roundabout

All the roads of our lives - relationships, family, work, social engagement, politics, sport, entertainment … … … should flow towards it as we express our lives in the presence of God. From that expression, the roads flow outwards into those same areas of our lives, but, hopefully with a new vision and a new energy to bring them towards their finality in God.

It is the replacement of a static image of worship with this dynamic one, embracing the whole of life, that is the real achievement of the Second Vatican Council - and the reason why, in the face of pushback, Pope Francis has said that there is no place of those who reject Vatican II.

When the Pope met the Grand Imam

But if the Eucharist is the summit, what do some of the lower slopes look like?

Well, we have a good view of one of those slopes in a small event that took place when the Pope met the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyeb, and co-wrote the Document on Human Fraternity, which they presented to the world in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 4, 2019.

At an earlier meeting in the Vatican, on 6 November 2017, the two had lunch. At the outset the Pope asked the Grand Iman to pray for humanity and peace. Then the Pope took up a piece of bread, cut it in half, gave the Grand Iman one half, and both ate their share. It was a real sharing of one piece of bread, and a message to all of us about sharing and reconciliation.

Reconciliation in shared food at table with others is at the heart of our human experience.

Reconciliation in shared food at table with others and with God is at the heart of our eucharistic experience.

One does not get to the summit without traversing the lower slopes!

President-elect Biden at the Foodbank

If the Eucharist is the fountain of Christian life, then what should blossom with the water flowing from that fountain?

On 18 January, just before his inauguration, Joe Biden went and volunteered at a food bank.

He had, no doubt, much office work to do and many to see - so it was a symbolic gesture analogous to that of the pope with the grand iman. But why use his time in this way?

If we have shared with one another in the Lord's banquet, then we must also be conscious of the needy. The Lord is generous with us, we express that in our generosity with others. Biden's action put sharing our food - a fundamental and real image of all our resources - with the poor as close to the centre of his presidency.

Service involves sharing.

Riches involve service.

Taking a turn at working in a foodbank is, within the Christian vision, not simply just a generous human action, it is a statement that all our riches are a gift. And God's gifts must be shared if we are to bear fruit. Biden's action is full of eucharistic significance.

At a Eucharist we become recipients of God's gifts.

At a Foodbank we become distributors of God's gifts.

What we discover at a foodbank can enrich our liturgy.

What we discover at liturgy can stock and staff a foodbank.

Liturgy is the roundabout of our humanity.

• Thomas O'Loughlin is a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Arundel and Brighton, emeritus professor of historical theology at the University of Nottingham (UK) and director of the Centre of Applied Theology, UK. His latest award-winning book is Eating Together, Becoming One: Taking Up Pope Francis's Call to Theologians (Liturgical Press, 2019).

The pope was quoting a comment made by former Salvationist leader General Andre Cox during a 2014 papal audience.

During the audience, Francis also recalled the first lesson he ever received in ecumenism.

He was four years old and met several members of the Salvation Army while with his grandmother.

As an impressionable young boy, he recalled that despite his grandmother having a bias against Protestants in general, she praised the Salvationists as being good people.

"The example of humble service to the least of our brothers and sisters spoke louder than any words," he said.

"The holiness that shows itself in concrete acts of goodness, solidarity, and healing speaks to the heart and testifies to the authenticity of our discipleship."

The pope urged Catholics and Salvationists to work well together on this basis, saying, loving acts of service and charity help build the Kingdom of God, they attract and influence others.

Young people, in particular, need to witness Christians helping others "since in many cases it is absent from their daily experience," he said.

"In a world where selfishness and divisions abound, the noble fragrance of genuine self-giving love can offer a much-needed antidote and open minds and hearts to the transcendent meaning of our existence," the pope said.

Thanking the Salvationists for their mission and witness, Pope Francis made special mention of their work caring for the homeless in Rome and their efforts in fighting against human trafficking and other forms of modern-day slavery.

"The holiness that shows itself in concrete acts of goodness, solidarity and healing speaks to the heart and testifies to the authenticity of our discipleship," said Francis.

Francis met Friday with a delegation from the Salvation Army, led by its international representative and CEO, General Brian Peddle.

Source

• Vatican News

The Pontiff told the crowd that "service is never ideological".

Speaking in a plaza dominated by a towering portrait of revolutionary Che Guevara, the Pope told the crowd they should "serve people, not ideas".

He added that the faithful "are called by virtue of our Christian vocation to that service which truly serves, and to help one another and not to be tempted by a 'service' which is really 'self-serving'".

Francis added: "There is a way to go about serving which is interested in only helping 'my people', in the name of 'our people'," he said.

"This service always leaves 'your people' outside, and gives rise to a dynamic of exclusion."

His words appear to take aim at President Raul Castro and the communist regime which many Cubans still complain have control over almost every aspect of life.

Anyone who steps out of line or is perceived as being disloyal in Cuba is at risk of losing their benefits.

But even as the Pope spoke, reports emerged that dozens of activists were being arrested.

Hundreds of thousands of people had turned out to watch the Pontiff's service this morning, including the current President Castro and the president of Argentina, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.

Later that day, the Pope met with Fidel Castro and his wife and family.

The Pontiff presented the former president, 89,

The Pontiff presented the former president, 89, with copies of "Laudato Si'" and "Evangelii Gaudium" as well as a book on happiness and the spiritual life by Italian priest Fr Alexandro Pronzato.

Castro, the nation's former dictator, gave Francis a collection of his own conversations about religion with Brazilian cleric Frei Betto.

Vatican spokesman Fr Frederico Lombardi, SJ, said the half hour meeting had been a "very informal conversation".

Sources

• Daily Mail
• Catholic News Agency
• Image: Telesurtv

The aim is to emphasise the Curia's role of service to the universal Church and the local churches "in terms of subsidiarity, rather than the exercise of centralised power", Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said in a media briefing.

Currently the Curia operates under an apostolic constitution called Pastor Bonus (The Good Shepherd), drawn up by Pope John Paul II when he reformed the Curia in 1988.

Father Lombardi said a new constitution can be expected — not a "simple upgrade".

"The cardinals have made it clear that they do not intend to make cosmetic retouches or minor modifications to Pastor Bonus," he said.

Father Lombardi said the Pope and the eight cardinals also considered the role of the Vatican Secretariat of State and believed it should be reoriented to be "the secretariat of the Pope". This orientation would be part of the guidelines given to the newly appointed Secretary of State, Archbishop Pietro Paroli, who takes office on October 15.

In addition, a separate figure acting as a "Moderator of the Curia" could be appointed to co-ordinate relations between the Pope and the heads of the various Vatican departments and offices.

Father Lombardi said one of the topics mentioned most often in the suggestions received from around the world was concern for the role of the laity in the Church and in the world.

The Pope and his cardinal advisers talked about "how to ensure that this dimension of the Church's reality is more adequately and effectively recognised and followed in the governance of the Church," Father Lombardi said.

He said the Pontifical Council for the Laity is "very active", but does not have the profile or authority of a Vatican congregation, such as those for bishops, for priests and for religious.

Sources:

Catholic News Service

Vatican Radio

Image: Salt and Light TV

The Pope then went on to identify three preconditions for a priest's life to ensure its conformity to Christ: "the aspiration to collaborate with Jesus in spreading the Kingdom of God, the gratuitousness of pastoral commitment, and an attitude of service".

Continue reading the Holy Father's talk to seminarians, Priests: Commitment to God, service and exemplary life

Image: The Latin Mass Society

"With your service, you have shown the face of kindness, friendliness and commitment to others," the the 84 year old pope said.

"I want to stop and thank you with all my heart for your invaluable service."

"Everyone did his or her best, by work and prayer, to weave, stitch by stitch, the magnificent, colorful tapestry of this World Youth Day," the Holy Father said.

Hundreds of volunteers, many wearing their green T-shirts, waved and cheered as the Popemobile entered the building. Several stood on the shoulders of friends to get a better look.

Volunteers gave up participating directly in the events to help make things run smoothly.

"At every event in which I took part, you were there: some were highly visible, while others stayed in the background, helping to ensure that everything took place in an orderly fashion," he said.

"This sacrifice was itself a beautiful and evangelical way to take part in the celebrations: you gave yourselves to others," Pope Benedict said.

"To love means to serve," he said, "and service increases love."

"Thank you for looking after the Pope."

Sources

• AFP
• CNA
• CNS
• Madrid11