By Vatican News staff writer

Marking the Solemnity of Christ the King on the last Sunday of the liturgical year, Pope Francis reflected on the parable that, he said, unfolds the mystery of Christ.

Addressing the faithful during the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square, the Pope said “He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end of history” and he explained that today’s liturgy focuses on the “Omega”, that is, on the final goal. 

“The meaning of history is understood by keeping its culmination before our eyes: the goal is also the end,” he said. 

Taking his cue from the Gospel according to Matthew (25:31-46) that places Jesus’s discourse on the universal judgement at the end of His earthly life, the Pope observed that “He, the one whom men are about to condemn is, in reality, the supreme judge.”

The King of the Universe is filled with meekness and mercy

“In His death and resurrection, Jesus will manifest Himself as the Lord of History, the King of the Universe, the Judge of all. But the Christian paradox is that the Judge is not vested in the fearful trappings of royalty, but is the shepherd filled with meekness and mercy,” he said.

The Pope explained that Jesus, in this parable of the final judgement, uses the image of a shepherd, recalling the prophecy of Ezekiel who had spoken of God’s intervention in favour of His people against the evil pastors of Israel. They had been cruel exploiters, he said, preferring to feed themselves rather than the flock.

Therefore, he continued, “God Himself promises to personally take care of His flock, defending them it from injustice and abuse.”

The Pope said that this promise God made on behalf of His people is fully accomplished in Jesus  Christ, who says of Himself: “I am the good shepherd” (Jn 10:11, 14). 

“In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus identifies Himself not only with the king-shepherd, but also with the lost sheep, that is, with the least and most in need of His brothers and sisters,” he said.

We will be judged according to love ‘given or denied’

What’s more, “He thus indicates the criterion of the judgement: it will be made on the basis of concrete love given or denied to these persons, because He Himself, the judge, is present in each one of them.”

Quoting from the Gospel reading, the Pope recalled that Jesus says “what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.”

“We will be judged on love, not on feelings, no: on works, on compassion that becomes nearness and kind help,” he said.

At the end of the world, Pope Francis explained, “the Lord will inspect the flock, and he will do so not only from the perspective of the shepherd, but also from the perspective of the sheep, with whom He has identified Himself.”

And He will ask us, he added: “Were you a little bit like a shepherd as myself?” 

This, he stressed, is the question that the Gospel puts in our hearts today as the criterion of the judgement: “That time when I was experiencing difficulty, were you able to lose a bit of time to take care of me? With my grace, were you able to go out of yourself a bit to realize I needed help? Did your heart soften before my wounds, my loneliness, my discomfort?” 

This will be the criterion with which Christ, the King of the Universe, who made himself a lamb in order to save us, will inspect and judge us, he said.

The Pope concluded exhorting the faithful to ask the Virgin Mary to teach us to reign by serving: 

“Let us learn from her to enter God’s Kingdom even now through the door of humble and generous service.”

View of a fountain, Vatican Gardens, photo by Nik Barlo jr © Musei Vaticani

“The earth herself, burdened and laid waste,
is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor; she ‘groans in travail’.
We have forgotten that we ourselves are dust of the earth;
our very bodies are made up of her elements,
we breathe her air and we receive life and refreshment from her waters.”

(Pope Francis – Laudato si’)

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By Lisa Zengarini

The recent Report from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) and a new Independent Review of Safeguarding Structures and Arrangements in the Catholic Church in England and Wales, known as the “Elliot Report”,  were the main items discussed by the Bishops of England and Wales during their Plenary Assembly that met from November 16-20.

The IICSA Report was published by the British Government on November 10. It examines the extent of institutional failings by the Catholic Church in England and Wales to protect children from sexual abuse over the past 50 years and the Church’s current safeguarding regime, drawing from the victims’ accounts.

During their Plenary session, the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW) confirmed it had accepted its seven recommendations to improve the Church’s response to abuse. The CBCEW also accepted the final proposals and recommendations of the “Elliot Report”, an independent review they commissioned in order to shape the safeguarding. The review was carried out by Mr Ian Elliott, an experienced safeguarding professional who has worked across the world in this area.

One of his key proposals of this second Report, which was issued on November 20, is the creation of a national body with powers of effective audit and oversight of safeguarding in both Dioceses and Religious Orders. Mr Elliot also suggested the creation of an independent tribunal dealing with the canonical issues related to abuse, a closer cooperation with the survivors and the creation of a second authority for the prevention of abuses in Religious Orders.  

Gratitude towards survivors

In their final statemement, the Bishops of England and Wales, once again, expressed their “sorrow and contrition” for the abuse inflicted on children in the Catholic Church and committed “to listen more intently to those who have been abused so as to learn from them and benefit from their wisdom. It is through learning from their testimony that hearts are changed. We are grateful to those survivors”, they said.

According to the Bishops, the new recommendations are a further step towards the goal “to be a Church in which every child and vulnerable person is not only safe but nurtured into human flourishing”. They assured that the work of implementation will begin immediately and will be carried out in close cooperation with the Religious Orders.

Noting that the “Elliott Report” builds on all that has been achieved in the Church safeguarding ministry in the past 20 years, achievements also recognised in the IICSA Report, the Bishops acknowledged “without hesitation”, their failings, mistakes, and lack of adequate cooperation, expressing “deep sorrow” and asking “forgiveness, especially from victims and survivors.” “We affirm our resolve to effect the next step in our work of safeguarding and care for survivors”, the statement concludes.

Apologies from Cardinal Nichols

In a second statement, the president of the CBCEW Cardinal Vincent Nichols apologized on his part for letting people down “in many ways, in different times, in different places, for different reasons”, describing abuse in the Church as “a terrible wickedness”.

The Elliot Review” is the third independent enquiry commissioned by the CBCEW on Church Safeguarding Structures against abuse, after the “Nolan Report” del 2001 e la “Cumberlege Review” del 2007.

By Christopher Wells

At the conclusion of the Holy Mass for the Solemnity of Christ the King, Pope Francis announced that he has decided to transfer the diocesan celebration of World Youth Day (WYD) from Palm Sunday to Christ the King Sunday.

Christ at the centre

In announcing the change, the Holy Father said, “The centre of the celebration remains the Mystery of Jesus Christ the Redeemer of Man, as Saint John Paul II, the initiator and patron of WYD, always emphasized.”

Dioceses celebrate World Youth Day in the years between the major, intercontinental edition of the event, which takes place every 2-3 years in a location chosen by the Pope. The most recent international WYD was held in Panama City in 2019, with the next, in Lisbon, scheduled to take place in 2022. WYD Lisbon, however, has been moved back to 2023 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Cry out that Christ reigns

The announcement of the changed date came ahead of the ceremony of the passage of the WYD Cross and the icon of Our Lady Salus Populi Romani, the symbols of the World Youth Days. On Sunday, a delegation of young people from Panama handed off the Cross and icon to their counterparts from Lisbon, in what Pope Francis described as “a significant ceremony.”

In his remarks prior to the ceremonial passage of Cross and icon, Pope Francis said, “Dear young people, cry out with your life that Christ lives and reigns,” while recalling Christ’s words from the Gospel: “If you keep silent, the very stones will cry out!”

By Christopher Wells

Pope Francis celebrated Mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica for the Solemnity of Christ the King, observed annually on the last Sunday of the liturgical year.

The Holy Father used the day’s Gospel, with Jesus’ discourse on the Last Judgement, as the starting point for his homily. “Before pouring out His love for us on the Cross, Jesus shares his final wishes,” the Pope said. “He tells us that the good we do to one of our least brothers and sisters – whether hungry or thirsty, a stranger, in need, sick or in prison – we do to Him.”

Making God’s dreams come true

We can all ask ourselves whether we put these works into practice, the Pope continued, emphasising Jesus’ words “I am here”; that is, Jesus is present in “the least of these.”

Speaking especially to young people, Pope Francis said, “Let us not give up on great dreams. Let us not settle only for what is necessary.” He reminded them that we are created “to make God’s dreams come true in this world.

Making great choices

We can do this, the Pope said, “with great choices.” Returning to the Gospel, he said that Jesus will judge us based on our choices. If we choose hatred and evil we can never be happy; but “if we choose God, we grow daily in His love, and if we choose to love others, we find true happiness,” said Pope Francis.

The Holy Father acknowledge the “obstacles that can make our choices difficult,” including “fear, insecurity, unanswered questions.” Love, however, helps us move past these obstacles, to the point where we no longer ask, “Why am I alive?” but “For whom” do I live?

“Choosing life,” Pope Francis said, “means resisting the ‘throwaway culture’ and the desire to have everything now, in order to direct our lives towards the goal of heaven, towards God’s dreams.”

What is best for you?

Pope Francis had one final piece of advice for those striving for goodness and happiness. When making daily choices, we must ask ourselves not, “What do I feel like doing,” but rather, “What is best for me?” This, the Pope said, is the question the Holy Spirit places in hearts.

“This interior discernment can result either in frivolous choices, or in decisions that shape our lives,” Pope Francis said in conclusion. “Let us look to Jesus and ask Him for the courage to choose what is best for us, to enable us to follow Him in the way of love. And in this way, we discover joy.”

By Vatican News

“It is when Christianity takes root in the Gospel that it gives the best of itself to civilization,” while “it loses the best of itself when it ends up corrupting itself and identifying with worldly logic and structures,” writes Pope Francis in an unpublished text that appears in a new book entitled, “Il Cielo sulla terra: Amare e servire per trasformare il mondo” (Heaven on earth: loving and serving in order to transform the world.” The volume, which will be published next Tuesday, 24 November, by the Libreria Editrice Vaticana, is part of the ecumenical series “Exchange of Gifts.” Il Cielo sulla terra is a collection of Pope Francis’ statements on the theme of that faith that is transformed into charity towards others. The preface is by Martin Junge, Secretary General of the World Lutheran Federation.

The transforming power of Christianity

In the one new text, Pope Francis emphasizes the “transforming power of Christianity” throughout the centuries, starting from the consideration of the value of each individual person. A new, more just and fraternal world was born as a “free consequence of a faith lived simply.”

Christianity, he observes, “did not transform the ancient world with worldly tactics or ethical voluntarisms, but solely by the power of the Spirit of the Risen Jesus”:

“The whole river of small or large works of charity, a current of solidarity that has been flowing through history for two thousand years, has this unique source. Charity is born of emotion, amazement and grace.

From the very beginning, historically, the charity of Christians became attention to the needs of the most fragile people, the widows, the poor, the slaves, the sick, the marginalized… Compassion, suffering with those who suffer, sharing. It also became a denunciation of injustices and a commitment to combat them as far as possible. Because taking care of a person means embracing his or her whole condition and helping him or her to free himself or herself from what most oppresses and denies his or her rights.

“The primacy of Grace,” concludes the Pope, “does not lead to passivity, on the contrary, it increases energy a hundredfold and increases sensitivity to injustice”.

From conflict to communion

In his preface to the work, Martin Junge, the Secretary General of the World Lutheran Federation, recalls with “deep gratitude” the words of Pope Francis during Joint Commemoration of the Reformation in Lund in 2016: “Jesus reminds us: ‘Without me you can do nothing.’ He is the one who supports us and encourages us to seek ways to make unity an ever more evident reality.”

“In that memorable liturgy and sermon,” writes Junge, “Catholics and Lutherans together affirmed our commitment to a journey from conflict to communion. This journey is only possible because of Christ, who heals all wounds and memories, turning us away from the pain of past experiences to embrace the gift of reconciliation that Christ has placed in our midst.” It is a commitment, the Secretary General explains, that implies “looking at one another from the perspective of unity and not from the point of view of division” because “there is much more that unites us than divides us.” It is a commitment, too, that involves common service for the least among us and for the suffering: “Together we bear witness to God’s mercy both through the confession of faith and through our common service to the world.”