Vatican approves miracle attributed to Paul VI

(CNA/EWTN News).- The beatification cause of Pope Paul VI has advanced with the Congregation for the Causes of Saints giving unanimous approval to an unborn child’s miraculous healing attributed to his intercession.

According to Vatican Insider, Pope Francis is expected to publish a decree soon that recognizes the miracle and officially sets a beatification date.

The attributed miracle took place in the 1990's in California.

Click here to read more.

“Vatican’s administrative bodies need a change in mentality,” says Pope Francis

(Vatican Insider; Andrew Tornelli) The Church’s assets need to be managed showing a special concern for the poor and the Holy See administration needs to adopt “a new mentality” of evangelical service. These were Francis’ key messages in the brief speech he gave at this morning’s meeting with the Council for the Economy, coordinated by the Cardinal of Munich, Reinhard Marx and made up of a group of cardinals and lay people. The body has the task of steering the Vatican’s administrative and financial policies.

The Pope recalled that the Council for the Economy, the Secretariat for the Economy and the general Reviser office were established last February and given a “very important mission”: “the Church’s awareness of the responsibility it has to protect and carefully manage its assets according to the mission of evangelization, showing special care for the poor.” Francis stressed that “We must not stray from this path, transparency, efficiency … That’s what all this is aimed at.”

“The Holy See is called to carry out this mission, bearing in mind especially its responsibility towards the universal Church.  Furthermore, these changes will reflect the wish to implement a much-needed Curia reform, in order to better serve the Church and Peter’s mission. This is a big challenge which requires faith and prudence.”

The Curia reform process “is not going to be simple and requires courage and determination. The Holy See’s administrative bodies need to adopt a new mentality of evangelical service,” the Pope said. “The Council for the Economy has an important role to play in this reform process; it has the task of overseeing the management of the Holy See’s economic, administrative and financial affairs; it works closely with the Secretariat for the Economy.”

Francis thanked Cardinal George Pell, the Vatican’s new “finance minister” for his work. 

“The Council represents the universal Church: eight cardinals from various local Churches, seven lay people of different nationalities who contribute to the wellbeing of the Church and its mission with their personal experience. The Council’s lay members are full members, they do not play a secondary role,” Francis pointed out.

“The Council’s work is influential and of great importance and its contribution will be vital to the service carried out by the Roman Curia and the Holy See’s various administrative bodies. Good luck with your work and thank you very much for what you are doing and will do in due course. Thank you so much. And pray for me: I need it!”

Francis has again pointed to careful use of financial resources and attention to the poor as priorities. He also emphasized the need for a change in mentality in the Holy See’s administrative bodies.

120,000 pilgrims in one morning?!? Neanche per sogno! (Not happening!)

Writing for CNA, Estefania Aguirre reports that Pentecost at the Vatican is going to be packed.  According to CNA, over 50k people will be in attendance, in addition to the 70k that was already planned for.  Outlining the events for the weekend when Church movements will be represented by the faithful from "150 different ecclesial realities", Aguirre notes that the whole shebang will start Saturday with a pilgrimage to St. Peter's tomb.  

"Aha!" I thought.  "Begin a weekend of evangelization, worship and communion with a pilgrimage; of course!"  And so 50 - by - 50 the groups will embark upon their short but profound pilgrimage.

  
Something tells me, however, that in groups of 50, not all 120k pilgrims to Rome are going to make it.  That would be 2,400 groups at 15-30 minutes each.  Not gonna happen because that doesn't even figure in the typical Italian reposo (siesta).  But who knows, maybe this particular Pentecost the Holy Spirit will give the Scavi guides the energy they need to make it through without a reposo.  Alla como viene, viene.

Now, whether the pilgrims will simply be viewing the tomb from the traditional place or air-locking it through the Scavi is not clear.  My guess is that the fastidious, very fastidious, custodians of the Scavi Tour would have nervous breakdowns of apocolyptic proportions if the former held true.  No, seriously.  

...they will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say, "Alas! alas! thou great city, thou mighty city, Babylon!  In one hour has thy judgment come." (Revelation 18:10)

Our good Italian friends at times have a flare for the dramatic.  

Little story about the Scavi: My second pilgrimage to Rome saw the opening of the "new room" of the Scavi Tour.  The new room allowed pilgrims to see the bonafide bones of St. Peter from a closer locale.  It was quite moving actually.

For those who have not been on the Scavi Tour, "it's a trip!"  You move from one air-locked chamber to the next, passing through laser sensors that prevent the thick, clear, sliding doors from closing unless everyone has exited the chamber. You feel like you're in a spaceship.  

I was a little skeptical, being a realist, that the experience was going to be worth the intimidation and scowls of the Scavi officials throughout the tour.  But one look at St. Peter's bones, protected in the NASA-constructed plexiglass box was enough to bring me to my knees.  Literally.  I found my soul saying within me, "Peter.  Peter.  Peter."  And I heard my soul hearing from without, "Jesus.  Jesus.  Jesus."  St. Peter re-focusing my attention on who was most important- I'd chalk that one up to a legitimate spiritual experience of authentic and orthdox faith.  But, hey, you don't have to.  No one needs to believe in private revelations of/to the saints, right?  And I'm no saint.  

The long and short of it is... when you take a pilgrimage to Rome (hopefully with Tekton), make sure you get in on the Scavi Tour.  It's worth every "Silenzio!" that's screamed in full falsetto from our nervous custodian friends in the "excavations".

Best wishes and safe travels to our Pentocost pilgrims in Rome!  Ora pro nobis peccatoribus.

Actually, it was 802 saints canonized- the largest ever

I thought John Paul II was making a big splash when he canonized 120 Chinese martyrs.  But who in the world is going to be strong enough to carry the Martyrologium Romanum (Roman Martyrology, the book of officially canonized Catholic saints) after this past Sunday?  

Pope Francis canonized the largest number of men/women in the Church's history on May 12, 2013, when he proclaimed 802 of them witnesses to the Faith.  Two of them were women, one from Mexico and one from Columbia.  The other 800, the Martyrs of Otranto, were Italian Catholics who were beheaded by the Turks in 1480 AD.  

Rome is seeing no small series of events these days.  From pilgrims happening to be at the Vatican when the white smoke appeared announcing our new pope to the largest number of saints declared at one time, things at the Vatican aren't having any time to gather dust.  

To watch the video from the Vatican, click here.