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Pope Francis leads a mass for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe at St Peter’s basilica on Dec. 12 in The Vatican. (Photo: AFP)

By Justin McLellan, OSV News
Published: December 13, 2023 05:16 AM GMT

The iconic image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which has become a cultural and spiritual symbol for Latin America, cannot be used to promote any kind of ideology, but must maintain its message of simple love, Pope Francis said.

The Marian image that appeared on the cloak of St. Juan Diego “frees us from so many social and political ideologies that so often use this ‘Guadalupan’ reality to base themselves in, to justify themselves and to earn money,” he said Dec. 12 during Mass on the feast of our Lady of Guadalupe.

“The message of Guadalupe does not tolerate any ideology of any kind,” he said at the Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, without specifying any ideology in particular.

The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, which displays the cloak on which Mary’s image appeared, draws some 20 million pilgrims each year.

The pope said the Marian image “remains impressed on the simplicity of who we are and what we have, which is of little value, but which will become something great in God’s eyes.”

Spanish speakers filled St. Peter’s Basilica for the papal Mass. Many wore shawls or scarves with an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe and others brought framed portraits of the image to be blessed.

U.S.-born Cardinal Robert Prevost, prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, was the main celebrant at the altar.

In his homily, the pope highlighted part of the story of St. Juan Diego, who Mary asked to pick roses during winter to show to the local bishop as a sign of her appearance.

Flowers “signify that the virtues which the Lord instills in the heart are not our own work,” he said. “The act of collecting them reveals to us that God wants us to accept that gift, that we ‘perfume’ our weak reality with good works, driving out hatred and fears.”

Although he spoke without any sign of difficulty, Pope Francis skipped much of his prepared text. He recently canceled a trip to the United Arab Emirates due to a bronchial infection, and aides read his speeches on his behalf several times in the past week.

The pope recalled the words that Mary spoke to St. Juan Diego during one of her apparitions to him: “Am I not here, I, who am your mother?”

He said that Mary’s presence is “permanently impressed” in the lives of Christians just as on the cloak St. Juan Diego, “perfumed by virtues gathered in a world that seems incapable of producing them.”

“Virtues,” he said, “that fill our poverty in the simplicity of small acts of love, that illuminate our cloak, without us knowing it, with the image of a church that carries Christ in its womb.” To end Mass, the choirs of the Pontifical Mexican College and the Pontifical Latin American College, joined by the thousands in the basilica, sang “La Guadalupana,” a celebratory song that tells of the special bond between Our Lady of Guadalupe and the people of Mexico.

By Ronald O. Reyes
Published: December 11, 2023 10:40 AM GMT

Members of Filipino faith-based groups, non-government organizations, and multi-sectoral alliances joined in a mass action for climate justice held simultaneously in 55 places across the country on Dec. 9. (Photo: Jimmy Domingo)

Organizers of street mobilizations across the nation said they aimed to pressure governments and decision-makers at COP28

The Catholic Church and local faith-based groups in the Philippines have joined global calls for climate justice and reparations as COP28 in Dubai enters crucial final days of negotiations.

Thousands of members of grassroots movements, faith-based groups, non-government organizations, and multi-sectoral alliances joined in mass actions held simultaneously in 55 places across the country on Dec. 9.

Organizers of the street mobilizations said they aim to contribute to the “chorus of global voices” putting pressure on governments and decision-makers at the COP28.

“Pope Francis in Laudate Deum eloquently reminds us that our planet is a gift, a delicate tapestry woven with the threads of biodiversity, beauty, and interconnectedness. Yet, this tapestry is being destroyed before our eyes due to the wounds inflicted by human irresponsibility,” said Pablo Virgilio David, bishop of Kalookan and president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

David urged Filipinos to join the global call for climate justice.  “We are called not merely to witness but to be stewards of change,” he said in a statement.

“Let us heed the call to care for our common home, not as passive observers but as active agents of transformations. May our collective efforts echo the profound message of Laudate Deum, igniting a global movement towards ecological stewardship and justice,” he added.

The Conference of Major Superiors of the Philippines reminded that for decades, the scientific communities have been sounding the alarm.

“We are now in a climate emergency. Extreme weather events such as storms, floods, heatwaves, sea level rise, and biodiversity loss have caused untold suffering and losses of human lives and properties,” the religious group said.

In 2022 alone, tropical cyclones in the Philippines caused around 25.03 billion pesos of damages, while environmental defenders and indigenous people fighting against development aggression are subjected to persecution, harassment, red-tagged and sometimes killed, according to the group.

“We continue to long for concrete actions in the face of climate emergency. Time is running out,” it said.

The faith-based groups emphasized that the Philippine government and global leaders must be called to uphold the 1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement, “lest we face a more catastrophic future where tragedies even worse than Haiyan are the norm.”

Lidy Nacpil, coordinator of the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development said it is civil society’s duty “to escalate pressure to compel governments at the COP28 negotiations to take forward real solutions to the climate crisis.”

LiCAS News | November 22, 2023

The Vatican has renewed its call for fair and sustainable practices with the global fishing industry to mark the observance of World Fisheries Day.

In an event co-organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization, the Holy See underscored the critical inseparable link between social and environmental sustainability in the fisheries sector.

Sr. Alessandra Smerilli, secretary of the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development, cited Pope Francis’s recent Apostolic Exhortation “Laudate Deum,” pointing out the dangers of intensive industrial fishing, which poses threats to marine biodiversity and the livelihoods of smaller fishers.

“Destructive fishing in the marine ecosystem takes advantage of the work of the fishers, who know better how important the care of the sea is for the future of their livelihood,” she said.

Sr. Smerilli emphasized the necessity to counter the “arrogance of the strong” and urged a concerted effort to listen to the voices of fishers, whose wisdom emerges from the margins.

She called for collective action to reimagine the world’s future, reaffirming the Church’s commitment to upholding human dignity and environmental stewardship.

Monsignor Fernando Chica Arellano, the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to FAO, echoed Sr. Smerilli’s sentiments in his concluding remarks.

He affirmed the Holy See’s enduring support for fishery workers, particularly those less fortunate, advocating for their fundamental right to decent and dignified work in a healthy and sustainable environment.

Msgr. Arellano commended the FAO for implementing regulations that promote new fishing models, ensuring quality catches, environmental respect, and fair sector development.

He reiterated Pope Francis’s call for an “ecological conversion,” emphasizing the need for a corporate strategy of social responsibility that prioritizes solidarity over profit.

The Holy See stressed that an ethical approach respecting individuals would enhance the well-being of port workers.

Msgr. Arellano envisioned ports as spaces of integration, fraternity, and loyal collaboration, where true solidarity becomes a path to overcome selfishness and indifference.

Highlighting the Church’s ongoing work for seafarers, Msgr. Arellano acknowledged the efforts of Stella Maris, the Catholic Church, and the Holy See in providing human and spiritual care to those working or transiting in ports, advocating for their well-being, and supporting initiatives to ensure that no one is left behind.

Cardinal Michael Czerny, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, conveyed a message during the FAO session.

He called for an “integral ecology,” emphasizing the need to safeguard the environment, jobs, and fishing communities facing new challenges threatening their survival.

Cardinal Czerny expressed gratitude to fishermen for their valuable work, acknowledging them as sentinels of delicate balances and pioneers of integral ecology.

He recognized the often unacknowledged and exhausting nature of their work, emphasizing the importance of societal recognition for their contributions.

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Francis asks for prayers for peace in the world and in the Holy Land, that “the difficulties resolve themselves in dialogue and negotiation and not with a mountain of dead.” The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network proposes a novena.

(ZENIT News / Rome, 11.22.2023).- Francis has asked the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network to organize a campaign of special prayer for  peace in the world and in the Holy Land. “Let us pray – he says in a video made in Spanish and available  with subtitles also in English, French, Portuguese, Italian, Arabic and Hebrew – that the difficultiesresolve  themselves in dialogue and negotiation and not with a mountain of dead on each side.”

In his request, Francis recalls, “We all feel the pain of the wars,” and that “there are two very near that  force us to react: Ukraine and the Holy Land.” What is going on in the Holy Land, he adds, “is very painful.”  In addition, he remarks, “the Palestinian people, the people of Israel” are “two fraternal peoples” and  “have the right to peace, have the right to live in peace.”

This is not the first time that the Pope has made a call for peace. Not a week passes that he does not ask  for prayers insistently for peace in war-torn Ukraine, or for so many other countries, as most recently for  Sudan. And how many times has he denounced war and the conflicts that are born in the hearts of men  and women and in fear? “Understand that terrorism and war never lead to a solution. War is a defeat.  Every war is a defeat!” How often, on the contrary, in the midst of a divided and fragmented world, has  Francis asked for the promotion of the values of peace, living together and the common good?

Today he invites us again to pray with ever more insistence for peace in the world and in the Holy Land.  Francis asks us to pray for the grave situation in Palestine and in Israel, where very many persons have  lost their lives. How often, with pain, has he asked that spaces be opened to guarantee humanitarian  assistance and that the hostages be released?

On 17 October, he invited all believers to unite with the Church in the Holy Land and to dedicate the day  to prayer and fasting, since “prayer is the meek and holy force to oppose the diabolical force of hatred,  terrorism and war.” As we now approach Advent, the hope of the birth of the Prince of Peace, Jesus, he  again invites us to pray.

Where can the Novena for Peace be downloaded?

Novena for Peace on Click To Pray: https://clicktopray.org/campaigns/902

Novena for Peace Booklet: EN: https://issuu.com/popesprayernet/docs/novena_-_blessed_are_the_peacemakers_en

Address at the General Audience of November 22, on the second aspect of the proclamation: universality

(ZENIT News / Vatican City, 22.11.2023).- The Wednesday General Audience began at 09:00 am on November 22, during which Pope Francis developed the second aspect of the Christian proclamation: the fact that “it is for everyone” (the previous week he developed the first aspect and then he anticipated that three aspects would be addressed). This would be the penultimate catechesis dedicated to “The Passion for Evangelization: The Apostolic Zeal of the Believer,” which with this Wednesday’s makes it the 27th catechesis on the subject.

Here is the text of the Pope’s address, translated from the Italian original into English by the Holy See.

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Dear brothers and sisters,

After having seen, last time, that the Christian proclamation is joy, today let us focus on a second aspect: it is for everyone, the Christian proclamation is a joy for everyone. When we truly meet the Lord Jesus, the wonder of this encounter pervades our life and demands to be taken beyond us. He desires this, that His Gospel is for everyone. Indeed, in it there is a “humanizing power,” a fulfilment of life that is destined for every man and woman, because Christ was born, died, and rose again for everyone. For everyone: no-one excluded.

In Evangelii Gaudium we read that everyone has “a right to receive the Gospel. Christians have the duty to proclaim the Gospel without excluding anyone. Instead of seeming to impose new obligations, they should appear as people who wish to share their joy, who point to a horizon of beauty and who invite others to a delicious banquet. It is not by proselytizing that the Church grows, but ‘by attraction’” (no. 14).

Welcome and congratulations to the incoming Board of Trustees of the Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas who will serve from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2025. Here is the complete roster of the new officers.

President- Francisco Xavier Padilla
Executive Vice-President- Albert A. Loteyro
Vice-President for Ecclesiastical Province of Manila- Gertrudes Bautista
Vice-President for Luzon- Armin Leonardo F. Ibarra
Vice-President for Visayas- Dr. Rene Josef C. Bullecer
Vice-President for Mindanao- Atty. Proculo Sarmen
Secretary- Mayette H. Bugaoan
Treasurer- Ma. Lourdes de Guzman
Auditor- Nancy Abcede
PRO- Michael Bukuhan
TRUSTEES:
Dr. Noe D. Bataga
Danilo Billedo
Rene de Jesus
Arch. Edric Marco Florentino
Dr. Divina Lupe Lazaro