St John the Baptist, who had been preaching and gathering followers, “goes from prophet to disciple,” Pope Francis said.
Yet, “he is not interested in having a following for himself, in gaining prestige and success, but he bears witness and then takes a step back, so that many would have the joy of meeting Jesus.”
The Holy Father, who had praised the Cardinal for keeping his faith “with perseverance even in the hour of trial,” arrived in St Peter’s Basilica at the end of the Mass to preside over the final rite of commendation, as he usually does for cardinals who die in Rome.
Welcome to Issue 38 of The Record Magazine. Firstly, we feature a special interview with Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB and America Magazine journalist, Gerard O’Connell, who tells of Archbishop Costelloe’s words to Pope Francis, “The church in Australia is alive!”
The interconnected “moral, social, political and economic crises” facing the world cannot be solved if individuals and nations continue to focus only on their own, immediate interests, Pope Francis said in his message for World Peace Day 2023.
Since late August, the Holy Father has been using his general audience talks to explain the process of spiritual discernment according to the teaching of St Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits.
Meeting Pope Francis on 28 November, Relator General of the Synod, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich of Luxemborg, said the synod process has faced “temptations” along the way. Particularly in the media, he said, there is a temptation to politicise the church, looking at it “with the logic of politics.”
Meeting some 600 schoolchildren, teens and their teachers, Pope Francis said he wanted to draw the students’ attention to two important witnesses to peace: St John and Rev King.
Thousands of people from all over the world who live and work in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries came by bus or car to the huge stadium in Awali for the Mass, Saturday 5 November.
Pope Francis thanked all those present for their “gentle and joyful witness to fraternity, for your being seeds of love and peace in this land.”
In their first private one-on-one conversation, Perth Archbishop and President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, the Most Reverend Timothy Costelloe SDB, told Pope Francis, “The church in Australia is alive!”
America Magazine journalist Gerard O’Connell recently spoke with Archbishop Costelloe via zoom.
Pope Francis has recently personally expressed his thanks to the four dozen people who read through hundreds of reports about the listening phase of the Synod of Bishops.
Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB, was in Rome for the occasion, which included reviewing the 112 syntheses submitted by national bishops’ conferences from around the world, as well as syntheses from the Eastern Catholic churches, religious orders, church organisations and movements, offices of the Roman Curia and individuals.