Avere avere --- He comes, ever comes...

Sunitha Krishnan: The fight against sex slavery

Filmed Nov 2009 • Posted Dec 2009 • TEDIndia 2009

Ted talk: Hyeonseo Lee: My escape from North Korea

A Week of Firsts - Pope Francis

A Week of Firsts The “Bergoglio comeback” and insights from Vatican-watchers into what we can expect from Pope Francis By Michael Severance Certainly, last Wednesday was not the first time many faithful had personally witnessed the exciting Habemus Papam! pronounced from St. Peter’s loggia. Many folks, just like me, were right there in St. Peter’s Square only eight years ago when a shy Benedict appeared before a spill-over crowd. Still others, now graying and with grandchildren, were there on John Paul I’s or John Paul II’s first day nearly 35 years ago. We now have the first Jesuit pope. And the first pope named Francis. He is the first non-European pope since Gregory III, an eighth-century Syrian. And we now have the very first pope from the Americas. Read “A Week of Firsts” The Pope and the Poor A Jesuit reflects on the new pontificate and the problem of poverty By James V. Schall, SJ The day following the election of the archbishop of Buenos Aires to the papacy, I must have received fifty e-mails from friends and family asking if I knew the man or had any comment on him. What struck me was how little we knew about him. If he has a paper trail (the previous three popes had extensive ones), it is yet to reach us, though I did read the following comment from a statement in Buenos Aires a couple of years ago: “We hope legislators, heads of state, and health professionals, conscious of the dignity of human life and the rootedness of the family in our peoples, will defend and protect it from the abominable crimes of abortion and euthanasia, that is their responsibility.” I presume Ignatius Press is busily translating and preparing what we do have for English publication. What we do have are actions taken and gestures made while he was Jesuit provincial and a bishop in Argentina. He rides the bus, leads a simple life, and loves the poor. Read “The Pope and the Poor” Pope Francis and Secularist Stereotypes Don't be surprised that the honeymoon lasted just a few hours. By Michael Coren The Catholic Church looks neither right nor left but up. In other words, the Church is not a vehicle for conservatism or liberalism, capitalism or socialism, but a vehicle for Catholicism. Anyone who thinks and believes otherwise has surely misunderstood the teaching and purpose of the institution left us by Christ Jesus. I say this because within hours of Pope Francis taking to the balcony in Rome, commentators were trying to shape the man in their own image. It’s an outrageous, but inevitable, thing to do. Pope Francis the friend of the poor, Pope Francis the defender of marriage; Pope Francis the Jesuit, Pope Francis the orthodox cleric; Pope Francis the critic of unbridled globalization, Pope Francis the fighter for the unborn. The real answer is that he’s not some of these, but all of these. Read “Pope Francis and Secularist Stereotypes” Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio's "Letter On the Year of Faith" An exclusive English translation of Cardinal Bergoglio's October 2012 letter marking the start of the Year of Faith The following Letter On the Year of Faith was presented by Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, S.J., now Pope Francis, on October 1, 2012, the Feast of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, to the Catholics of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires. This exclusive English translation is published with the express permission of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires. Read “Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio's Letter On the Year of Faith” Pope Francis and the Humility of Orthodoxy The newly elected pontiff demonstrates how Catholicism is both consistently compelling and often very unpredictable. By Carl E. Olson For many people, including many Catholics, the Catholic Church is too old-fashioned, staid, and boring, supposedly failing to be "relevant" and "with the times." And yet, the ancient traditions and venerable institutions of the Church—especially the papacy—continue to fascinate and even transfix the world at large. And today's events in Rome demonstrate this fact, showing that Catholicism, far from being dull and predictable, is both consistently compelling and often very unpredictable. Pope Francis is Exhibit A through Z. First, the unpredictable. Although the Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was reportedly a runner-up in the 2005 papal election, he wasn't on most short lists for this conclave, largely because he is 76 years old, just two years younger than was Cardinal Ratzinger eight years ago. While the possibility of a pope from the Americas seemed more likely than ever before, the names mentioned were mostly from North America, especially Cardinals Dolan and O'Malley. Read “Pope Francis and the Humility of Orthodoxy” Catholic World Report

Pope: Homily for inaugural Mass

1.  Pope: Homily for inaugural Mass of Petrine Ministry [full text]

(Vatican Radio) Homily of the Holy Father at the Inauguration of his Papal Ministry 19 March 2013:

Dear Brothers and Sisters, I thank the Lord that I can celebrate this Holy Mass for the inauguration of my Petrine ministry on the solemnity of Saint Joseph, the spouse of the Virgin Mary and the patron of the universal Church. It is a significant coincidence, and it is also the name-day of my venerable predecessor: we are close to him with our prayers, full of affection and gratitude.

I offer a warm greeting to my brother cardinals and bishops, the priests, deacons, men and women religious, and all the lay faithful. I thank the representatives of the other Churches and ecclesial Communities, as well as the representatives of the Jewish community and the other religious communities, for their presence. My cordial greetings go to the Heads of State and Government, the members of the official Delegations from many countries throughout the world, and the Diplomatic Corps.

In the Gospel we heard that “Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife” (Mt 1:24). These words already point to the mission which God entrusts to Joseph: he is to be the custos, the protector. The protector of whom? Of Mary and Jesus; but this protection is then extended to the Church, as Blessed John Paul II pointed out: “Just as Saint Joseph took loving care of Mary and gladly dedicated himself to Jesus Christ’s upbringing, he likewise watches over and protects Christ’s Mystical Body, the Church, of which the Virgin Mary is the exemplar and model” (Redemptoris Custos, 1).

Of white smoke and black popes

Of white smoke and black popes

(By Francis Gonsalves)

 “Habemus papam: Franciscum.” These early-morning words on Thursday hit me like a torpedo. It took me time to realise that the new Pope — Jorge Mario Bergoglio — was assuming an unused papal name, Francis, mine! More shocking were realisations that this man in white was Argentinean, and, yes, a Jesuit, like me!

The Superior Generals who head the Jesuits are traditionally and teasingly nicknamed “black popes” because of their black cassocks and their unswerving loyalty to Popes. First non-European Pope in 1,300 years, first Argentinean Pope in a 2,000-year Christian history, first Jesuit Pope in a history of over 450 years, and first Pope Francis ever. These firsts promise newness and change — even if Francis, aged 76, seems a tad too old to bring newness and broker change. But he is steady and steely, too.