Photo: Catholic News Agency Advent is a time to purify Faith – Pope Francis
As Pope Francis blessed children’s nativity scene figurines Sunday, the Pontiff said that the Advent season is a time of conversion to make space in one’s heart for Christ to come and fill it with joy.
“Advent, a time of grace, tells us that it is not enough to believe in God: it is necessary to purify our faith every day,” Pope Francis said in his Angelus address on December 15.
“It is a matter of preparing to welcome – not a fairy-tale character – but the God who calls us, involves us, and before whom a choice is imposed,” he said in St Peter’s Square.
Italian children gathered in St Peter’s Square before the Angelus prayer, shouted and cheered as they awaited the papal blessing of their Nativity scene figurines of the infant Jesus, called ‘Bambinelli’ in Italian.
This 50 year-old Vatican tradition of the blessing the infant Jesus figurines on Gaudete Sunday began in 1969 with St Pope Paul VI at the initiative of the Roman Oratori Centre. The tradition has since spread throughout the world each year on the third Sunday of Advent.
CDF official says no link between clerical celibacy and abuse
A senior official at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has defended clerical celibacy in the wake of the abuse crisis.
In an essay published in a Spanish magazine, Fr Jordi Bertomeu Farnós [pictured] said that there is “no evidence” celibacy has any relation to instances of sexual abuse, and warned that priests have been unfairly branded a suspect class.
In the essay, published in Palabra, Fr Farnós laid out the context of sexual abuse by Catholic priests, noting that the high-profile nature of the scandals has resulted in a number of mistaken presumptions about the causes of abuse.
“Although unfortunately, in all social classes, professions, ethnic groups and, of course, religions, there is the phenomenon of child abuse, Catholic priests are seen or even increasingly treated as ‘suspects’ of having committed this horrible crime.”
He added: “There is no evidence that priestly celibacy directly causes any deviant sexual addiction, as evidenced by those cases of men or women who, due to life’s circumstances, must live as celibate.”
Vatican releases Pope’s Christmas season schedule
Pope Francis’ 2019-20 Christmas season celebrations will include the usual liturgies and traditions. Releasing the Pope’s schedule last week, the Vatican said he would:
— Celebrate Christmas Mass in St Peter’s Basilica at 9.30pm on December 24.
— Address the crowds gathered in St Peter’s Square and give his blessing urbi et orbi (to the city and the world) at noon on Christmas Day.
— Celebrate evening prayer on December 31 in St Peter’s Basilica at 5pm and lead the singing of the ‘Te Deum’ to thank God for the year that is ending.
— Celebrate Mass at 10am on January 1, the feast of Mary, Mother of God, and the World Day of Prayer for Peace, in St Peter’s Basilica.
— Celebrate the feast of the Epiphany on January 6 with a Mass at 10am in St Peter’s Basilica.