(ANS - Vatican City) - Acknowledge and welcome one's own vulnerability in order to know how to bow to those of others. This is the message that Pope Francis left yesterday, May 5, to the Superiors General gathered in Rome for the XII Plenary Assembly of the UISG (International Union of Superiors General): a message he was not afraid to exemplify in the first person, arriving at the meeting in a wheelchair, due to persistent knee pain.
(ANS - Vatican City) - Just as after a fast one eats more to recover lost energy, so St. Peter's Square, after abstinence from crowded celebrations due to the pandemic, was filled yesterday, Easter Monday, April 18, 2022, with a flood of Italian teenagers - about 100,000, according to estimates - who came on pilgrimage to Rome from all the dioceses of the peninsula. It was Pope Francis himself, with the simple and engaging language he uses with teens, who used the metaphor of fasting at the opening of his friendly and fatherly address to the participants.
(ANS - Civitavecchia) - For the sixth time in his pontificate, and for the first time since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Pope Francis celebrated Holy Thursday Mass in Coena Domini in a prison. Yesterday, April 14, 2022, after presiding over the Chrism Mass in St. Peter's Basilica in the morning, he did so at the Borgata Aurelia Penitentiary in Civitavecchia. In the course of the homily, delivered off the cuff, the Pontiff recalled that "God forgives everything and always", and that we are all called to mutual service and "without interest", personal gain or advantage.
(ANS - Valletta) - It was made in the footsteps of the Apostle Paul, the 36th apostolic journey of the Successor of Peter, Pope Francis, to Malta. A short trip, the time of a weekend, but full of appointments, meetings, moments of great meaning and value; as well as clear words on many issues: hospitality, evangelization, care for one's roots, and all that is happening in these days in the world.
Malta - April 2022 - From April 2 to 3, Pope Francis made his 36th Apostolic Journey abroad, visiting the archipelago of Malta. Pope Francis is the third Pontiff, after St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI, to travel to this island, which represents the heart of the Mediterranean. They were two intense days for the Holy Father who, during these two days, touched on numerous themes: prayer, the joy of the Gospel, welcoming and protecting the human dignity of migrants. Also during this trip, the Pope's thoughts went to the war in Ukraine, to the "humanitarian tragedy" of a "martyred" country, inviting everyone to never tire of praying and helping those who suffer because of this war.
(Foto: © Servizio Fotografico Vatican Media)
On April 2 and 3, Pope Francis will be in Malta for his 36th Apostolic Journey. On this occasion, the Holy See Press Office has published statistics on the Maltese Catholic Church.
PHOTO GALLERY
INTERVIEWS
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RMG – “Do Elderly Salesians have a role in the Digital Culture?”The answer in the letter “Sharing wisdom and hope in digital culture” from the General Councillor for Social Communication
(ANS – Rome) – In view of the current digital reality, and due to the presence, especially in some regions of the Salesian world, of a large number of elderly Salesians, the General Councillor for Social Communication, Fr Gildasio Mendes, has decided to dedicate a special letter to them, entitled: "Sharing wisdom and hope in digital culture". Here is how he explains to ANS readers today the origins, significance and perspectives of this document.
EDITORIAL
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Myanmar – Tragedy of Innocent Children in the midst of Armed Conflicts(ANS – Naypyidaw) - Myanmar finds itself immersed in profound grief and anguish as innocent lives, particularly those of children, continue to be mercilessly lost in the enduring armed conflicts. Families are left devastated by the tragic loss of their loved ones while the relentless violence shows no signs of abating. This week, a heartfelt plea from Myanmar reached our community, shedding light on the heart-wrenching death of a young girl Juliet in a military airstrike, prompting a unified call for prayers and action.
EVENTS
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Italy – Artificial Intelligence and "The Oratory". Two events for reflection and debate at UPS(ANS – Rome) – The Faculty of Social Communication Sciences (FSC) of the Pontifical Salesian University (UPS), based in Rome, is promoting two events in May, the month in which the World Day of Social Communications is celebrated (this year, Sunday 12th) as well as the anniversary of the charismatic Letter from Rome by Don Bosco (10 May). They will explore the dimension of communication in its current and future panorama and the continuing relevance of the Salesian presence among young people at risk. These issues will be addressed through the presentation of a book on "Artificial Intelligence. In search of humanity", Thursday 16 May 2024, and the screening of the film "The Oratory", Friday 17th.
SPECIAL REPORTS
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RMG – 16 May 1887: Don Bosco's weeping, the Sacred Heart and unwavering faith in Divine Providence(ANS – Rome) – On 16 May 1887, Don Bosco celebrated his first and only Mass at the altar of Mary Help of Christians at the church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at the Castro Praetorium, in Rome, the church whose construction cost him so much effort and suffering in the last years of his life. In that Mass, interrupted by tears 15 times, Don Bosco, now close to the end of his mortal life, had the grace to understand the entire journey made in the thousand apostolates and in the infinite initiatives for young people throughout his life, and his childhood Dream suddenly became clear to him, thus also giving fulfilment to the prophetic affirmation of that dream: "In due time you will understand everything".
MESSAGES OF THE RECTOR MAJOR
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MARY HELP OF CHRISTIANS FROM HERE TO THE WORLDTHE MESSAGE OF THE RECTOR MAJOR, Card. Ángel Fernández Artime
Dear readers of the Salesian Bulletin,
My affectionate and cordial greetings during this Easter season. In a world in turmoil, agitated by armed conflicts and no small amount of violence, we continue to declare, announce, and proclaim that Jesus is Lord, raised by the Father, and that he LIVES. We strongly need His Presence in hearts willing to welcome Him.