Sean-Patrick Lovett who heads the English Programme of Vatican Radio is currently in Rio de Janeiro reporting on the Apostolic visit of Pope Francis to the Brazilian nation on the occasion of the XXVIII World Youth Day. Like everyone else in Rio, Sean has been inundated by rain, which has affected everyone’s travel, including that of the Pope. He reflected on how the rain symbolizes the problems that often have to be overcome to achieve things in Brazil.

And the rain just keeps on falling. It’s been falling constantly for the past three days. WYD organizers are beginning to worry about the state of the Campus Fidei venue at Guaratiba, scheduled to host the Youth Vigil and closing Mass, because significant stretches of the area, 35 kilometres to the south of Rio, are already flooded (as are parts of the room in which our Vatican Radio studio is situated here in the Media Centre. Even as I write, volunteers are running back and forth with mops and buckets and plastic sheeting to stop the water from seeping in under the doors). 

Heavy rain prevented the Pope from visiting the shrine of Christ the Redeemer up on Corcovado. Rain forced him to fly by plane and then by helicopter to Aparecida. And the rain just keeps on falling. But it did nothing to dampen the spirits of the staff, patients and participants at the encounter with the Pope at the Hospital of Sao Francisco de Assis – a Franciscan-run structure dedicated especially to treating pathologies associated with drug and alcohol abuse. Huddling beneath plastic raincoats and dripping umbrellas, they cheered and listened intently to Pope Francis as he told them they are not alone. The Pope had words of consolation for those who suffer – and words of condemnation for those he called the “dealers of death”: the scourge of drug-trafficking, he said, requires an act of courage from society. Liberalization is not the answer: we have to confront the problems underlying drug abuse through education, closeness, affection and love.
Education, closeness, affection and love are the keys to the success of the “Betania” project – fruit of the inspiration and dedication of an unassuming woman religious by the name of Sr Elci Zerma PDDM. It was in Rio’s notorious slum known as the Cidade de Deus, that Sr Elci recognised a need – and acted accordingly. What began as a ramshackle safe-house for drug addicts beside a rubbish dump thirteen years ago, is today a complex multidisciplinary program that succeeds in recuperating over 300 people a year. Under the slogan “Change is Possible”, the Friends of Betania Association offers concrete and loving assistance to the most vulnerable, emarginated and forgotten members of society – from battered women and orphans to Aids sufferers and those trying to recover from various forms of chemical abuse. The young man with the Betania heart logo on his T-shirt who addressed the Pope at the Hospital of St Francis, is one of them.
The rain, meanwhile, keeps on falling.

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Among the many pilgrims in Rio de Janeiro for World Youth Day celebrations is a group of 169 Zimbabweans from the African continent. Our correspondent in Rio, Sean Patrick Lovett, spoke to some of them about their visit and the difficulties facing young people in their country. He began by asking Patience, from the Zimbabwean capital, Harare, how she and her group got to Rio in the first place…

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The Metropolitan Archbishop of Krakow, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz has welcomed Pope Francis’ decision to hold the next World Youth Day celebrations in his city in 2016.

In a statement from Rio de Janeiro where Blessed Pope John Paul II’s former secretary is currently attending this year’s WYD celebrations, Cardinal Dziwisz says he and the whole Church in Poland “rejoice” in the Holy Father’s acceptance of their invitation especially because 2016 will mark the 1050th anniversary of the Baptism of Poland. He also attributes to John Paul II the institution of World Youth Days.

Below, we publish the text of Cardinal Dziwisz’s statement:
It is with great joy that I received the message announced today by Pope Francis that the next World Youth Day will take place in Poland in the year 2016. It is a joy, an honour and a great responsability for us. In that year we will also celebrate the 1050th anniversary of the Baptism of Poland.

Together with the whole Church in Poland, I rejoice that the Holy Father has accepted the invitation addressed to him by the highest authorities of the Republic of Poland and by the Polish Episcopate. In this, he has responded to the desires of so many young people who have long wished to celebrate their faith in the country and the city of Karol Wojtyła, who set off for the Eternal City from Kraków in October 1978, and who, as John Paul II, Bishop of Rome, instituted World Youth Days.

Among the many pastoral initiatives of John Paul II, World Youth Days has undoubtedly been among the most successful, far-reaching and fruitful. The Blessed Pope, since the beginning, saw in young people the “morning watchmen (Isaiah 21:11-12), keeping vigil at the dawn of the Third Millennium” (Tor Vergata, 19 August 2000).

Today Poland and Kraków open wide their hearts, so that in three years time they may welcome young pilgrims under the leadership of Pope Francis.

We express our gratitude to the Holy Father for his decision to visit the country of the Blessed (soon to be Saint) John Paul II, and look forward to keeping vigil with the “morning watchmen” at the festivities in Kraków.

Holy Father Francis, we look forward to your coming and to the arrival of so many of our young friends, with great anticipation and joy.
Stanislaw Card. Dziwisz
Archbishop Metropolitan of Kraków

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From the Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida to the “shrine of human suffering” that is the St Francis of Assisi hospital, located in the run-down Tijuca district of northern Rio de Janeiro. That was how Pope Francis himself described his visit on Wednesday afternoon to the hospital, run by young Franciscan friars and sisters who care for the poorest and most marginalized slum dwellers. During the visit, the Pope blessed a new wing of the hospital dedicated to the rehabilitation of drug users, saying he embraced every single person struggling with drug addiction.

It’s not easy to talk about years of drug abuse, desperation and life on the streets, especially if you’re talking to the Pope in person. But that’s exactly what two former addicts did, receiving in return an emotional embrace from the Holy Father.

In his address to patients and staff, the Pope said a reduction in drug addiction will not be achieved by a liberalization of drug use, as is currently being proposed in various parts of Latin America. Rather, he said, it is necessary to confront the problems underlying the drug use, promoting greater justice, educating young people in the values that build up life, accompanying them in their difficulties and giving them hope for the future.

Pope Francis condemned the selfishness of what he called ‘dealers of death’, urging society as a whole to act with courage to stamp out the scourge of drug trafficking.
Speaking directly to those who have fallen into ‘the darkness of dependency’, the Pope said the Church offers outstretched hands to help you on the long and difficult journey, but he stressed ‘no one is able to stand up in your place’. ‘Look ahead,’ he urged and ‘do not let yourself be robbed of hope!’
Speaking to the hospital staff, the Pope said we all have to learn to embrace those in need, just as his namesake St Francis reached out to embrace the leper. He thanked all the medical professionals for their love and concern, reaching out to people in difficulty because in them we see the face of the suffering Christ.

Listen to Philippa Hitchen’s report

Hundreds of thousands of young people from across the globe are in Rio de Janeiro to celebrate World Youth Day with Pope Francis. Our French colleague, Olivier Tosseri, is in Rio and caught up with several pilgrims from countries marred by interfaith and ethnic violence. He asked them how it feels to be a Christian in Rio for WYD celebrations.

Fr. Jude is a Catholic priest from the Archdiocese of Abuja, Nigeria. “It’s very cold; I’m already shivering!” he said, speaking of the drop in temperatures as crowds gathered on Copacobana beach.

“We have a large Catholic community in Nigeria and we have come, about one hundred of us priests and lay faithful, young people, who have represented Nigeria to come here and share in this very awesome and inspiring experience of a very large number of people who have gathered to celebrate Jesus, to celebrate our youth as one people, one body united by one faith in Jesus Christ.”

Christians in Nigeria have been attacked because of their faith in some parts of the country.
“Recently there’s some kind of tension in the northern part, the far northern part, of Nigeria. It is not the same thing in all of our Nigeria. But sometimes when you listen to the news you’ll be tempted to feel that in all of Nigeria there is tension. But it’s not like that because Nigeria is a very large society, very very big. With diverse people, diverse cultures, diverse ethnic groups.”

Terrorism, he says, is a global problem not just limited to Nigeria. “It is the extremists, the fanatics who are involved in that. There are Muslims who live peacefully together so it’s not a general problem. It a problem of extremists… if you go to the western part of Nigeria, from one family you can have a priest, a Catholic priest and you have others who are practicing Muslims and they live very happily together.”

Maan and Rowaid came from Baghdad, Iraq say they are proud to be Christians joining in the World Youth Day events in Rio:

“I feel very proud to be Christian in Baghdad also but here …it’s a very good experience to our soul and our personalities. It adds a lot to our personalities because there’s a different social, different countries, societies (represented here). So we are so happy to meet this big (crowd of) people here and meet the Pope.”

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The Brazilian press reports on Pope Francis’ visit to Rio de Janeiro with a wide spectrum of articles ranging from how the people are reacting, how the transport system is bearing up, how the weather is behaving…

Our correspondent travelling with the Pope, Sean Patrick Lovett, sends this press review…

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Please find below the homily of Pope Francis during Holy Mass on the third day of his Apostolic Journey to Brazil, to attend the XXVIII World Youth Day in Brazil.

Homily of the Holy Father
Holy Mass
(Aparecida – National Shrine, 24 July 2013)

My Brother Bishops and Priests,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,

What joy I feel as I come to the house of the Mother of every Brazilian, the Shrine of our Lady of Aparecida! The day after my election as Bishop of Rome, I visited the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, in order to entrust my ministry as the Successor of Peter to Our Lady. Today I have come here to ask Mary our Mother for the success of World Youth Day and to place at her feet the life of the people of Latin America.

There is something that I would like to say first of all. Six years ago the Fifth General Conference of the Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean was held in this Shrine. Something beautiful took place here, which I witnessed at first hand. I saw how the Bishops – who were discussing the theme of encountering Christ, discipleship and mission – felt encouraged, supported and in some way inspired by the thousands of pilgrims who came here day after day to entrust their lives to Our Lady. That Conference was a great moment of Church. It can truly be said that the Aparecida Document was born of this interplay between the labours of the Bishops and the simple faith of the pilgrims, under Mary’s maternal protection. When the Church looks for Jesus, she always knocks at his Mother’s door and asks: “Show us Jesus”. It is from Mary that the Church learns true discipleship. That is why the Church always goes out on mission in the footsteps of Mary.

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On Wednesday evening Pope Francis visits the Saint Francis of Assisi hospital where he will inaugurate a hospital wing specializing in the treatment of those suffering from drug and alcohol addiction. Among those present at the meeting with the Holy Father will be 10 recovering addicts from the inner-city Betania centre, in the favela known as the “City of God.” As many as 1,700 people have received treatment at the centre over the last 13 years.

Carlos Melo is the Assistant director at the Betania centre. He spoke with our on-the-ground correspondent Seàn Patrick Lovett about the important work that they do:

“Betania is a place where we care for people who are addicted to alcohol, drugs……unfortunately because of ther addiction they lose everything they had – their family, dignity, documents, everything, so on the streets they’re like beggars.

They ask us for our help so they live with us for at least 9 months, they have a lot of activities – handcrafts, working in the kitchen, the laundry – and they learn to get their lives back again……”

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This Sunday’s Gospel of the story of Martha and Mary (Lk 10:38-42) often results in people rallying to support poor Martha who is chided by Jesus for being anxious about many things. Too often, the figures of Martha and Mary are seen as representing the contemplative (Mary) and active (Martha) lives. Folks who are accustomed to handling details concerning hospitality rush to Martha’s aid saying that, if it were not for her and people like her, nothing would ever get done. I understand the sentiment behind that but the problem is, it misreads the Gospel story.

Jesus is not setting up a contrast between the contemplative and active lives. He does not chide Martha for paying attention to the details of hospitality but for “being anxious about many things” and he commends Mary for choosing “the one thing that is better.” Jesus wants us to direct our attention in this story to what Mary has chosen over Martha’s anxiety. In other words, in this story, Martha is simply in the wrong. Period.

Now if that bothers you, recall how many times Peter was simply in the wrong. Or for that matter, Thomas. Or James and John. Martha is in good company. She is a big girl and can take care of herself, thank you!

What seems to bother so many of us is that Martha’s “job” is a lot like the work that many of us find ourselves doing either at home, in ministry, or at work, so it seems as though Jesus’ criticism is hitting a little too close to home. Jesus, however, is criticizing Martha’s attitude. Jesus spoke in general terms about not being anxious in his conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 6:25-34). We all love that “birds of the air” and “lilies of the field” stuff but we get a bit uncomfortable when we hear Jesus so pointedly direct the same wisdom at Martha, because we are so much like her. Perhaps we need to approach this story in another way.

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by BETH M. KNOBBE

This is a guest post by Beth Knobbe.

conference roomThere is a never-ending committee meeting that rattles in my mind. It sounds like this:

Don’t forget to pick up apples at the grocery store….I wonder what Sam thought about that conversation we had earlier today. I bet he thought I was too hard on him….How many apples do I have left in the refrigerator? Maybe I don’t need to stop at the store….Do I owe Sam an apology? Maybe I should call him. Never mind, that would be awkward….I’ll just wait and stop at the grocery store tomorrow.

From the mundane to the interpersonal, it is rarely quiet inside my head. There are many voices who sit at my proverbial conference room table-Jealousy, Anxiety, Gratitude, Hope, Forgiveness, Fear, Pride, Lust, Humor, Love. In the midst of all the chatter, one of the great gifts of Ignatian spirituality is the ability to discern the voice of God.

Silence

The voice of God speaks most clearly when I make room for silence. Like Elijah in the cave, I have learned to trust the still, small voice, which often takes the form of a quiet nudge or a fleeting moment of clarity. When I’m committed to spending time with God in silence, I’m better able to recognize and trust those flashes of insight (“Just pick up the phone and call Sam.”) in the midst of the chaos.

Consolation and Desolation

Thanks to the Ignatian exercises, I am more profoundly aware of the movements of consolation and desolation, even in my small daily decisions. Ignatius describes consolation as water falling on a sponge. When our hearts are aligned toward God, words of consolation gently fall onto our hearts and draw us deeper into the heart of Christ. Although stopping at the grocery store may seem insignificant, I feel better when I make healthy food choices, and I have more energy to do the work to which God has called me.

Desolation, on the other hand, draws our attention away from God and distracts us from doing God’s will. Ignatius says spiritual desolation sounds like water hitting rock. It is jarring, and it slowly erodes my sense of right judgment. Even when I take my conversation with Sam into prayer, I have the propensity to imagine the worst-case scenario! I get anxious about all the horrible things Sam might say, and I fear that I’ve been a bad friend. (That’s desolation!)

Examen

It is often at the end of the day, when I sit down with God and review my “meeting notes,” that clarity reigns. I first ask God, “Show me this day from your perspective.” Then without judgment, God and I walk back through the day. I hear God’s voice calling me to greater friendship, forgiveness, and good health. I also hear myself giving in to anxiety and fear. I am grateful for all of these insights and most grateful for God’s love despite my shortcomings.

And then, for one day at least, the committee is adjourned!