Bartle Doo Article Archives

Francis marks anniversary of John Paul II death

April 2, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

Pope Francis has prayed before the tomb of Pope John Paul II on the eighth anniversary of the much-beloved pontiff’s death.

In his three weeks as pope, Francis has jolted the Catholic Church with several gestures that broke with tradition, including renouncing certain liturgical vestments and washing the feet of a Muslim woman during a Holy Thursday ritual re-enacting Jesus Christ‘s washing of his apostles’ feet.

But the Vatican said his visit Tuesday evening to St. Peter’s Basilica to pray before John Paul‘s tomb and those of Popes John XXIII and Pius X was evidence of his “profound spiritual continuity” with popes past.

On Monday, Francis visited the necropolis underneath the basilica where, according to tradition, St. Peter is buried.

Francis was elected pope March 13.

Pope visits St. Peter's tomb under Vatican

April 1, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

Pope Francis on Monday took an emotional, close-up look at the tomb of Peter, the church’s first pontiff, buried beneath St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican said.

By doing so, Francis became the first pontiff to visit the necropolis, where pagans and early Christians were buried, since extensive archaeological excavations were conducted at the ancient site decades ago, the Vatican said.

The 45-minute “visit of devotion to the tomb of St. Peter” was private, the Vatican said, but it later released a video of it.

The basilica was built over the location where early Christians would gather in secret, at a time of persecution in ancient Rome, to pray at an unmarked tomb believed to be that of Peter, the apostle Jesus chose to lead his church.

The Vatican first said Francis would pray at Peter’s tomb, but later said he prayed instead in the basilica.

The new pope `’paused in silent prayer, in profound and emotional meditation” in the Clementine Chapel in the vast basilica that is `’the closest place (in the basilica) to the tomb of the Prince of the Apostles,” it said.

During a tour of the necropolis conducted by its director and an Italian cardinal, the pope “climbed up a bit, got closer to the place where the tomb of St. Peter lies, exactly under the central altar and the dome of the basilica,” the Vatican said.

Francis walked down the entire main street of the ancient city of the dead, the statement said. The streets of the necropolis are similar to those of ancient Rome, only they are flanked by tombs instead of shops and apartments.

The Vatican said Francis walked to the necropolis entrance from the hotel on the Vatican grounds where he lives, took the tour and later — after paying homage at the tombs of several popes in another underground level known as the grottoes, including Pius XII, Paul XVI and John Paul I — strolled back to his residence.

The underground excursion was a sharp departure from how popes in past years often spent the day after Easter, known in Italy as `’little Easter.” Those pontiffs would head to Castel Gandolfo, the Vatican palace in the Alban Hills, a short drive from Rome.

But that oasis of sprawling gardens and strolling paths in the quaint hill town is occupied by the predecessor of Francis, Benedict XVI, who spent the last hours of his papacy there before becoming the first pope in 600 years to retire. Benedict is staying in Castel Gandolfo until a monastery at the Vatican in Rome can be readied for him.

Many Italians spend `’little Easter” by having a picnic lunch in the countryside or in city parks, and Francis told Romans and tourists who gathered in St. Peter’s Square at noon Monday to see him to `’have a good lunch.” Francis said he was praying that Easter would inspire the faithful so that `’hatred gives way to love, lies to truth,” and that it would especially comfort those in `’most need of trust and hope.”

He spoke to them from …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News

By The Huffington Post News Editors

Pope Francis To Pray At St. Peter’s Tomb At Vatican (VIDEO) (PHOTOS)

April 1, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis will pray at the tomb of St. Peter, the church’s first pontiff, during a visit to the necropolis under St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.

The Vatican said Francis will go into the vast excavation later Monday, a post-Easter holiday at the Holy See.

Office Vatican text of pope's speech

Following is the official English language translation provided by the Vatican of Pope Francis’ Easter Sunday message, delivered in Italian from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.

___

Dear brothers and sisters in Rome and throughout the world, Happy Easter! Happy Easter!

What a joy it is for me to announce this message: Christ is risen! I would like it to go out to every house and every family, especially where the suffering is greatest, in hospitals, in prisons.

Most of all, I would like it to enter every heart, for it is there that God wants to sow this Good News: Jesus is risen, there is hope for you, you are no longer in the power of sin, of evil! Love has triumphed, mercy has been victorious! The mercy of God always triumphs!

We too, like the women who were Jesus’ disciples, who went to the tomb and found it empty, may wonder what this event means (cf. Lk 24:4). What does it mean that Jesus is risen? It means that the love of God is stronger than evil and death itself; it means that the love of God can transform our lives and let those desert places in our hearts bloom. The love God can do this!

This same love for which the Son of God became man and followed the way of humility and self-giving to the very end, down to hell – to the abyss of separation from God – this same merciful love has flooded with light the dead body of Jesus, has transfigured it, has made it pass into eternal life. Jesus did not return to his former life, to earthly life, but entered into the glorious life of God and he entered there with our humanity, opening us to a future of hope.

This is what Easter is: it is the exodus, the passage of human beings from slavery to sin and evil to the freedom of love and goodness. Because God is life, life alone, and we are his glory: the living man (cf. Irenaeus, Adversus Haereses, 4,20,5-7).

Dear brothers and sisters, Christ died and rose once for all, and for everyone, but the power of the Resurrection, this passover from slavery to evil to the freedom of goodness, must be accomplished in every age, in our concrete existence, in our everyday lives. How many deserts, even …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News

Pope Francis leads first Easter Mass as pontiff in St. Peter's Square

Pope Francis celebrated his first Easter Sunday Mass as pontiff in St. Peter’s Square, packed by joyous pilgrims, tourists and Romans and bedecked by spring flowers.

Wearing cream-colored vestments, Francis strode onto the esplanade in front of St. Peter’s Basilica and took his place at an altar set up under a white canopy.

Faithful had already filled the square hours before the Mass began in mid-morning, and throughout the service streams of people kept flocking there for his speech and blessing, traditionally delivered after the Mass from the central balcony of the basilica.

By mid-ceremony, some 250,000 people had turned out, the Vatican said.

Francis bowed his head in reflection as the Gospel was sung in Latin, recounting what Christians believe is the central mystery of their faith — the resurrection of Jesus after this death by crucifixion.

After heavy rain battered Rome during the night, more was forecast. But Sunday saw sunny skies alternate with clouds.

With Rome‘s chilly, rainy winter postponing the blossoming of many flowers until recently, the square was a welcome riot of floral color in the city. Sprays of yellow forsythia and daffodils and white lilies — the colors of the Vatican flag — dominated, but there were also bursts of lavender and pink, from potted azalea, rhododendron, wisteria and other plants.

Pope’s Easter speech has been used by past pontiffs to reflect on the world’s conflicts and ills.

Since Francis was elected pope on March 13, becoming the first Latin American and first Jesuit pontiff ever, he has put concern for the poor and others on the margins of society at the heart of his attention to set an example for his flock.

Francis Celebrates 1st Easter

Pope Francis celebrated his first Easter Sunday Mass as pontiff in St. Peter’s Square, packed by joyous pilgrims, tourists, and Romans and bedecked by spring flowers. Wearing cream-colored vestments, Francis strode onto the esplanade in front of St. Peter’s Basilica and took his place at an altar set up under… …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Newser – Home

Pope leads Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square

Pope Francis is celebrating his first Easter Sunday Mass as pontiff in St. Peter’s Square, which is packed by joyous pilgrims, tourists and Romans.

Francis strode onto the flower-bedecked esplanade in front of St. Peter’s Basilica. Tens of thousands of faithful had already filled the square hours before the Mass began in mid-morning. Francis bowed his head in reflection as the Gospel was sung in Latin, recounting what Christians believe is the central mystery of their faith — the resurrection of Jesus after this death by crucifixion.

A white canopy sheltered the altar on the steps. After heavy rain battered Rome during the night, more was forecast. But Sunday saw sunny skies alternate with clouds.

After Mass ends, Francis will give his blessing and speech from the basilica’s balcony.

By The Huffington Post News Editors

Pope Francis Holds First Easter Vigil Service In St. Peter’s Basilica

March 30, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis celebrated a trimmed back Easter Vigil service Saturday after having reached out to Muslims and women during a Holy Week in which he began to put his mark on the Catholic Church.

Francis processed into a darkened and silent St. Peter’s Basilica at the start of the service, in which the faithful recall the period between Christ’s crucifixion on Good Friday and resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Pope presides over Easter Vigil service

March 30, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

Pope Francis is celebrating a trimmed back Easter Vigil service after having reached out to Muslims and women during a Holy Week in which he has begun to put his mark on the Catholic Church.

Francis processed into a darkened and silent St. Peter’s Basilica at the start of the Saturday service, which recalls the period between Christ’s crucifixion on Good Friday and resurrection on Easter Sunday. One of the most dramatic moments of the Easter Vigil service — when the pope would share the light of his candle with others until the entire basilica twinkled — was shortened this year as were some of the Old Testament readings.

The Vatican has said these provisions are in keeping with Francis’ aim to not have his Masses go on too long.

Pope presides over trimmed Easter Vigil service

March 30, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

Pope Francis is celebrating a trimmed back Easter Vigil service after having reached out to Muslims and women during a Holy Week in which he has begun to put his mark on the Catholic Church.

The Vatican has said these provisions are in keeping with Francis’ aim to not have his Masses go on too long.

Pope's foot-washing final blow for traditionalists

March 29, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

Pope Francis has won over many hearts and minds with his simple style and focus on serving the world’s poorest, but he has devastated traditionalist Catholics who adored his predecessor, Benedict XVI, for restoring much of the traditional pomp to the papacy.

Francis’ decision to disregard church law and wash the feet of two girls — a Serbian Muslim and an Italian Catholic — during a Holy Thursday ritual has become something of the final straw, evidence that Francis has little or no interest in one of the key priorities of Benedict’s papacy: reviving the pre-Vatican II traditions of the Catholic Church.

One of the most-read traditionalist blogs, “Rorate Caeli,” reacted to the foot-washing ceremony by declaring the death of Benedict’s eight-year project to correct what he considered the botched interpretations of the Second Vatican Council‘s modernizing reforms.

“The official end of the reform of the reform — by example,” ”Rorate Caeli” lamented in its report on Francis’ Holy Thursday ritual.

A like-minded commentator in Francis’ native Argentina, Marcelo Gonzalez at International Catholic Panorama, reacted to Francis’ election with this phrase: “The Horror.”

Gonzalez’s beef? While serving as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Francis’ efforts to revive the old Latin Mass so dear to Benedict and traditionalists were “non-existent.”

As a result, no one should have been surprised when Francis emerged from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica on the night of March 13 without the ermine-rimmed red velvet cape, or mozzetta, used by popes past for official duties, wearing instead the simple white cassock of the papacy.

Nor should they have blinked when he received the cardinals’ pledges of obedience after his election not from a chair on a pedestal as popes normally do but rather standing, on their same level. Or when he called for “intensified” dialogue with Islam — gestures that rankled some traditionalists to the core since they view interfaith dialogue as a sign of religious relativism.

Francis also raised traditional eyebrows when he refused the golden pectoral cross offered to him right after his election by Monsignor Guido Marini, the Vatican’s liturgy guru who under Benedict became the symbol of Benedict’s effort to restore the Gregorian chant and heavy silk brocaded vestments of the pre-Vatican II liturgy to papal Masses.

Marini has …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News

Pope reluctant to be pope: What does it mean?

March 27, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

He still goes by “Bergoglio” when speaking to friends, seems reluctant to call himself pope and has decided to live in the Vatican hotel rather than the grand papal apartment in the Apostolic Palace.

It might seem as if Pope Francis is in a bit of denial over his new job as leader of the world’s 1.2-billion Catholics. Or perhaps he’s simply changing the popular idea of what it means to be pope, keeping the no-frills style he cultivated as archbishop of Buenos Aires in ways that may have broad implications for the church.

The world has already seen how Francis has cast aside many trappings of the papacy, refusing to don the red velvet cape Benedict XVI wore for official occasions and keeping the simple, iron-plated pectoral cross he used as bishop and archbishop.

On Thursday, his belief that a pope’s job is to serve the world’s lowliest will be on display when he washes the feet of a dozen young inmates at a juvenile detention center in Rome. Previous popes have celebrated the Holy Thursday ritual, which re-enacts Christ’s washing of his disciples’ feet before his crucifixion, by washing the feet of priests in one of Rome‘s most ornate basilicas.

Such moves hint, even at this early stage, only two weeks into his papacy, at an apparent effort by Francis to demystify the office of pope.

Unlike his predecessors, he doesn’t sign his name “Pope Francis,” ending his official correspondence simply “Francis.”

To those closest he is still Bergoglio, and this week, Italian state radio broadcast a voice mail he left wishing a friend Happy Birthday. “It’s Bergoglio,” the pope said, using the surname he was born with.

Even on Day One, Francis didn’t acknowledge he was pope.

Speaking on the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica after his election the night of March 13, Francis told the tens of thousands gathered there that the cardinals’ task during the conclave had been to “give Rome a bishop.”

And bishop of Rome is the title he has emphasized repeatedly ever since — not vicar of Christ, or any of his other official titles.

“I do think there is something about trying to reduce the awesomeness, the grandeur and majesty …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News

New pope opens Holy Week at Vatican on Palm Sunday

March 24, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

Pope Francis is celebrating Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square, which is filled with thousands of people waving olive branches and palm fronds.

The new pontiff arrived in an uncovered vehicle to start solemn Holy Week ceremonies, which lead up to Easter, Christianity’s most important day.

Francis wore bright red robes over a white cassock and presided over the Mass from an altar sheltered by a canopy on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica.

Cardinals, many of them among the electors who on March 13 chose the Roman Catholic church’s first Latin American pope, sat in rows for the ceremony held under hazy skies on a breezy day.

By The Huffington Post News Editors

Pope Francis To Hold Holy Thursday Mass In Casal Del Marmo Youth Jail

March 21, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

Of all places one would expect to find Pope Francis celebrating a major ceremony before Easter, a youth prison probably ranks pretty low on the list.

Yet that’s precisely where Pope Francis will celebrate Holy Thursday next week, washing and kissing prisoners’ feet at Rome’s Casal del Marmo jail for minors.

The move breaks from tradition set by Pope Francis‘ predecessors, who typically have held the Mass of the Lord’s Supper in either St. Peter’s Basilica or the Basilica of St. John Lateran, reports Catholic News Service.

''Unpredictable" pope worries security team

March 20, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

Forgive Pope Francis’ security team for looking a bit nervous.

One pope was shot in St. Peter’s Square while riding in an open vehicle. Another was tackled by a woman with mental problems in St. Peter’s Basilica. So in the early days of Francis’ pontificate, as the pope delights the flock by wading into crowds and pressing the flesh, it’s only natural that chief Vatican cop Domenico Giani seems on edge.

Just consider some of Francis’ acts of papal outreach, which have all made for a refreshing change from the reserved style of his predecessor Benedict XVI, but present a huge headache for a security detail attached to one of the planet’s most high-profile people.

The day after his election, Francis eschewed the Vatican’s armored limousine and traveled through the chaotic streets of Rome in an ordinary car to pick up his things at a downtown hotel.

At his first Sunday Mass as pontiff, Francis caused a stir by mingling with bystanders at a Vatican gate, shaking hands and even allowing himself to be grabbed by the shoulder, all while people jostled to get closer.

Then on inauguration day, Francis stood for nearly 30 minutes Tuesday in an open vehicle that circled the vast square, kissing babies handed up to him and at one point jumping out to bless and kiss a disabled man in the crowd.

It’s not for nothing that Francis has quickly been dubbed the “unpredictable” pope. And for a bodyguard, unpredictable means trouble.

Giani looked particularly worried by the crowd that gathered after the Sunday Mass. La Stampa newspaper quoted an aide at the scene as saying that things “better get back to normal or we’re in trouble.”

Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said last week that the Vatican was well aware of Francis’ informal and open style and that “proper security measures” would be taken, even if that hasn’t happened immediately.

“There are a lot of nut cases out there,” said another Vatican official, who requested anonymity as he is not authorized to discuss security.

“But you can be sure that the security issues are being examined.”

Even Francis’ habit of …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News

St. Peter's Square springs to life with new pope

March 17, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

You don’t need to be Catholic to be awe-struck by the majesty of St. Peter’s Square, which becomes the stage for the world during times of papal transition.

It is the place of vigil and breathless anticipation before the announcement of the next pontiff. Now, with a new pope in the Vatican apartments above the cobblestone expanse, it becomes an open-air welcoming committee for the papacy and the changing tone of the Vatican with the first Latin American pontiff.

Ahead of Sunday’s blessing, street vendors were already selling trinkets with the face of the new pope to pilgrims and tourists as the piazza sprung back to life after the lull following Benedict XVI’s historic resignation. Even Pope Francis briefly stepped out of the Vatican City gates near the square to greet two priests in the crowd hours before his first appearance from the famed window of his residence.

Romans, who tend to avoid the square except for religious ceremonies, also have been coming down to soak up the festive atmosphere that seems to have lingered since Wednesday, when Argentine Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio emerged on the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica.

“Rome wouldn’t be the same without St. Peter’s and the Vatican,” said Valerio Ricci, a 33-year-old engineer strolling across the square Friday with his Peruvian friend, Janet Villanueva.

Ricci, whose family roots in Rome go back “many generations,” said some of his most profound memories were from St. Peter’s Square, including the emptiness he felt during vigils in connection with the death of the hugely popular John Paul II in 2005.

The recent two-week transition period, however, had the unexpected twist that the previous pope was still alive, a situation that hadn’t arisen in 600 years.

“Without the pope, I don’t know, it’s not the same,” Ricci said. “Rome, the Vatican and the pope — it’s a strong relationship.”

The centuries-old piazza was named after the Apostle Peter, considered the first pope by Catholics. Framed by the imposing basilica and two colonnades embracing it like arms of stone, the elliptical square has witnessed countless religious ceremonies and epic moments when pilgrims mourn the death of a pope or celebrate the election of a new one.

Each papacy has brought its own flavor to the square, reflecting the character of the pontiff …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News

Pope Francis: A humble image, but complex past

March 14, 2013 Bartle Doo Leave a comment

On the streets in Buenos Aires, the stories about the cardinal who has become the first pope from the Americas often include a very ordinary backdrop: The city bus during rush hour.

Tales are traded about chatting with Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio as he squeezed in with others for the commute to work. They sometimes talked about church affairs. Other times it could be about what he planned to cook for dinner in the simple downtown apartment he chose over an opulent church estate.

Or perhaps it was a mention of his affection for the tango, which he said he loved as a youth despite having one lung removed following an infection.

On the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica just after a rain shower Wednesday, wearing unadorned white robes, the new Pope Francis appeared to strike the same tone of simplicity and pastoral humility for a church desperate to move past the tarnished era of abuse scandals and internal Vatican upheavals.

While the new pontiff is not without some political baggage, including questions over his role during a military dictatorship in Argentina in the 1970s, the selection of the 76-year-old Bergoglio reflected a series of history-making decisions by fellow cardinals who seemed determined to offer a suggestion of renewal to a church under pressures on many fronts.

“He is a real voice for the voiceless and vulnerable,” said Kim Daniels, director of Catholic Voices USA, a pro-church group. “That is the message.”

A cousin back in Argentina said the new pope “has a good spirit” that will benefit Roman Catholicism.

“He is naturally humble and a pastor,” said cardiologist Hugo Bergoglio, adding: “Jorge never thought he would be pope, or even a cardinal. That’s why he ended up becoming pope.”

Francis, the first pope from Latin America and the first from the Jesuit order, bowed to the crowds in St. Peter’s Square and asked for their blessing in a hint of the humble style he cultivated while trying to modernize Argentina‘s conservative church and move past a messy legacy of alleged complicity during the rule of the military junta of 1976-83.

“Brothers and sisters, good evening,” he said before making a reference to his roots in Latin America, which accounts for about 40 percent of the world’s Roman Catholics.