Pope Francis authorises decrees concerning nine causes for sainthood
Pope Francis has authorised the promulgation of several decrees regarding nine people who are on the path toward canonisation. The news came following a meeting between the Pope and Cardinal-elect Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
The Pope recognised three miracles, including the miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Giustino Maria Russolillo, Priest and Founder of the Society of Divine Vocations and the Congregation of the Sisters of Divine Vocations, and the miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God Maria Lorenza Requenses in Longo, Foundress of the Hospital of the Incurables in Naples and the Capuchin Nuns.
He also recognised the miracle, attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God Elżbieta Czacka, Foundress of the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters Handmaids of the Cross. She was born on October 22, 1876, in Bila Tserkva (Ukraine) and died in Laski (Poland) on May 15, 1961.
The decrees also recognised the martyrdom of four Servants of God: Léonard Melki, Thomas Saleh, Luigi Lenzini and Isabel Cristina Mrad Campos.
Finally, Pope Francis approved decrees related to the heroic virtues of two Servants of God: Roberto Giovanni and Maria Teresa of the Heart of Jesus.
Pope Francis prays for victims of Cameroon school shooting
Pope Francis, during the October 28 General Audience, expressed sorrow over the tragic murders of at least six students by unidentified gunmen in Kumba, southwest Cameroon, over the weekend.
“I share in the suffering of the families of the young students barbarically killed last Saturday in Kumba, in Cameroon,” the Pope said. “I feel great bewilderment at such a cruel and senseless act, which tore the young innocents from life while they were attending lessons at school.”
“May God enlighten hearts, so that similar gestures may never be repeated again,” Pope Francis added.
Turning his thoughts towards the long-running socio-political conflict in Cameroon, the Pope prayed that “the tormented regions of the north-west and south-west of the country may finally find peace.”
“I hope that the weapons will be silenced and that the safety of all and the right of every young person to education and the future can be guaranteed,” he said.
The Pope also expressed his nearness to the families, the city of Kumba and the whole of Cameroon, invoking upon them “the comfort that only God can give.”
New Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem receives pallium
Shortly before his General Audience in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, Pope Francis bestowed the pallium on His Beatitude Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the new Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.
A note from the Holy See Press Office said the short, simple and highly symbolic ceremony took place in the Santa Marta Chapel in the Vatican.
According to Canon Law, within three months from the reception of episcopal consecration or if he has already been consecrated, from the canonical provision, a metropolitan is obliged to request the pallium from the Roman Pontiff either personally or through a proxy. It represents the power which the metropolitan has by law in his province, in communion with the Roman Church.
Pallium is the Latin word for mantle or cloak. It is a woollen band that is bestowed by the Pope upon the shoulders of Metropolitans or Primates as a testimony of their communion with the Bishop of Rome.