For Immediate Release From Vatican News!
(A Ten-Minute Read)
Pope Calls Singaporean Youth to Unity During Interreligious Dialogue
During an interreligious meeting at Singapore's Catholic Junior College, Pope Francis urges young people to work toward unity, to become responsible citizens, and to pass down what they have learned to future generations. By Deborah Castellano Lubov
On Friday, Pope Francis took part in an interreligious dialogue with young people, urging them to commit themselves to unity and hope among the youth of various faiths in Singapore.
Some 600 participants from more than 50 schools and interfaith and religious organisations attended the event.
This marked Pope Francis' final event before his departure from Asia to Rome after his four-nation 45th Apostolic Journey abroad, which also brought him to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Timor-Leste.
The Pledge of the Young People
During the event, the young people committed themselves to the “Pledge of the Future Generation to work for Unity and Hope.”
After the Pope’s speech and before a moment of silent prayer, the young people recited, "We, the future generation, pledge to be a beacon of unity and hope by promoting cooperation and friendships that nurture the harmonious co-existence between people of diverse beliefs."
The Holy Father was greeted with testimonies of a young Hindu, Sikh, and Catholic, to whom he encouraged their personal faith journey, but appealed for them to walk together and toward the common good.
'Dictatorships Take Away Dialogue'
In a spontaneous exchange with the young people, the Holy Father invited them to leave their comfort zones, and have the courage to move forward and offer constructive criticism.
"If you dialogue as young people," the Holy Father said, "then you will be able to do so as citizens and as members of a community."
“If you dialogue as young people, then you will be able to do so as citizens and as members of a community.”
Throughout history, the Holy Father pointed out, "the first thing a dictatorship does is take away dialogue."
Do Not Be Afraid
In his remarks, the Pope told them to take risks and to engage the world. "Do not be afraid," he said, noting that fear is a dictatorial attitude that "can paralyze you."
He acknowledged that young people, like everyone else, will inevitably make mistakes.
"It is normal to make mistakes," but what matters more, he suggested, is recognizing it, and starting over.
Turning to technology, and other forms of social media, which came up during the testimonies, the Holy Father called these tools useful, but warned against becoming enslaved by them.
All Children of God
The Holy Father went on to invite those gathered to join him in praying together for one another.
"May God bless all of us, and when time passes and you are not young people, but older, and become grandparents," he urged. "Pass this on."
God For All
"God is God for all, and if God is God for all," he said, "then we are all sons and daughters of God."
“We are all sons and daughters of God.”
"All religions are paths to reach God," said Pope Francis. "They are—to make a comparison—like different languages, different dialects, to get there. But God is God for everyone."
The Holy Father thanked the young people for engaging in interreligious dialogue, for respecting one another, and reassured them of his prayers.
See,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dDlMe2r0k... ********
Unforgettable Journey of Missionary Pope to The Ends ofTthe Earth
At the conclusion of Pope Francis' pilgrimage to Asia and Oceania, our Editorial Director offers his thoughts on the images and experiences that are destined to remain in the heart and mind of everyone involved. By Andrea Tornielli
At the end of Pope Francis' longest Apostolic Journey, which took him to Asia and Oceania, there are several images destined to remain in the mind and heart.
The first is that of the "tunnel of fraternity" that the Pope blessed alongside the Grand Imam of Jakarta. At a time when tunnels are associated with images of war, terrorism, violence, and death, this underground walkway connecting Indonesia's largest mosque to the Catholic cathedral is a sign and a seed of hope. The gestures of friendship and affection exchanged by the Bishop of Rome and the Grand Imam touched many in the world’s most-populous Muslim country.
The second image is that of Pope Francis boarding the Australian Air Force C-130 to travel to Vanimo, in the northwest of Papua New Guinea, to visit three Argentine missionaries and their people, bringing with him a ton of aid and gifts.
The Pope, who as a young man had dreamed of becoming a missionary to Japan, had long wanted to make this visit to the most remote periphery of the world, where he was embraced by men and women in their colorful traditional attire. Being a missionary means, first of all, sharing the lives, the many problems, and the hopes of these people living in precarious conditions, immersed in exuberant nature. It means witnessing to the face of a God who is tenderness and compassion.
The third image is that of President José Manuel Ramos-Horta, who, at the conclusion of the official speeches at the presidential palace in Dili, Timor-Leste, bent down to help the Pope adjust his feet on the wheelchair pedals. In the most Catholic country in the world, faith is a strongly defining element, and the role of the Church was decisive in the process that led to independence from Indonesia.
The fourth image is the moving embrace of the Pope with the children with disabilities who are cared for by the sisters of the Irmãs Alma school. He exchanged gestures, looks, and few words that were deeply evangelical, to remind us that these children, who rely on others for everything, by allowing themselves to be cared for, teach us to allow ourselves to be cared for by God. The question of why children suffer is a blade that cuts deep, a sore that does not heal. Pope Francis' response was closeness and a fatherly embrace.
The fifth image is that of the people of Timor-Leste, who waited for hours under the scorching sun for the Pope on the Taci Tolu plain. More than 600,000 people were present, practically one out of every two Timorese. Pope Francis was moved by this reception and warmth in a country that, after hard-won independence from Indonesia, is slowly building its future. Sixty-five percent of the population is under 30 years old, and the roads traveled by the popemobile were overflowing with young men and women with their very small children. This experience was a sign of hope for the Church, hope for the world.
Read the full article HERE!:
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city... ********
Pope Calls Singaporean Youth to Unity During Interreligious Dialogue
During an interreligious meeting at Singapore's Catholic Junior College, Pope Francis urges young people to work toward unity, to become responsible citizens, and to pass down what they have learned to future generations. By Deborah Castellano Lubov
On Friday, Pope Francis took part in an interreligious dialogue with young people, urging them to commit themselves to unity and hope among the youth of various faiths in Singapore.
Some 600 participants from more than 50 schools and interfaith and religious organisations attended the event.
This marked Pope Francis' final event before his departure from Asia to Rome after his four-nation 45th Apostolic Journey abroad, which also brought him to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Timor-Leste.
The Pledge of The Young People
During the event, the young people committed themselves to the “Pledge of the Future Generation to work for Unity and Hope.”
After the Pope’s speech and before a moment of silent prayer, the young people recited, "We, the future generation, pledge to be a beacon of unity and hope by promoting cooperation and friendships that nurture the harmonious co-existence between people of diverse beliefs."
The Holy Father was greeted with testimonies of a young Hindu, Sikh, and Catholic, to whom he encouraged their personal faith journey, but appealed for them to walk together and toward the common good.
Read the full article HERE!:
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/20... ********
Pope Francis Urges Singapore’s Clergy To Be United And Close To People
Pope Francis holds a private meeting with the clergy and consecrated religious of Singapore, and urges nuns to always express the motherhood of the Church. By Vatican News
On the final day of Pope Francis’ Apostolic Journey to Signapore, the Holy Father met with the bishop, priests, and religious men and women serving in the country.
The roughly 20-minute encounter was held privately at the St. Francis Xavier Retreat Centre.
According to the Holy See Press Office, the Pope mentioned some characteristic traits of priests, who should be “among the people, united with God, brothers among themselves, and united with the bishop.”
Speaking to women religious, Pope Francis encouraged them to remember their identity. “Do not forget to express the motherhood of the Church,” he said.
Read the full article HERE!:
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/20... ********
Pope In Singapore: 'Elderly And Sick, Your Prayers Are Very Important to God'
Pope Francis visits with a group of elderly and sick people at St. Theresa's Home in Singapore and tells them their prayers "are very important to God." By Deborah Castellano Lubov
"I ask you to pray for the Church and for humanity. Your prayers are very important to God.."
This was the comforting reminder Pope Francis offered the elderly and sick people he visited in Singapore's St. Theresa's Home on Friday morning, as he told them, "God is happy to hear your prayers."
After a warm welcome and greeting those before him, the Holy Father reassured them of his prayers, and asked them likewise to pray for him.
Saint Theresa’s Home, founded 90 years ago by the Little Sisters of the Poor, today cares for 200 elderly residents and is managed by Catholic Welfare Services (CWS), a non-profit, social service agency.
In the chapel, Pope Francis blessed around 60 wheelchair-bound seniors from the three nursing homes run by CWS: Saint Theresa’s, Saint Joseph’s Home, and Villa Francis Home.
Read the full article HERE!:
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/20... VISIT HIGHLIGHTS OF 13-DAY APOSTOLIC JOURNEY HERE!:
https://www.facebook.com/vaticannews ENJOY PIXVERSATIONS HERE!:
https://www.pinterest.com/levineoliverpub/...
Posted By: agnes levine
Monday, September 16th 2024 at 1:06PM
You can also
click
here to view all posts by this author...
