Archbishop's tribute to Pope Francis

On the news of the death of Pope Francis, we will all have various reactions.

Personally, I knew him and worked with him, so it’ll take a while for me to sort out my own memories of him.

When he was elected, I remember his first day in the office, welcoming him into the library where the popes receive the great and the good in the Apostolic Palace.

He had never worked in the Vatican before that, so he had it all to learn.

Because there had been no time to brief him beforehand, I was asked to put before him a couple of draft speeches for his official meetings that morning, with the College of Cardinals, Christian leaders from all over the world, and so on.

He dutifully sat down in the big chair, picked up a draft speech, read a few lines and then put it down.

Another priest and I waited to see if he wanted something but, instead, he looked up and gazed silently towards the other end of the room, where there is a serene painting of Christ by Perugino.

And he took a minute to be still and to pray instead.

It felt like he was still absorbing what had just happened to him, and was calmly getting ready for what was next – the rest of his life as the Bishop of Rome.

He never looked afraid.

In fact, I always found Pope Francis warm, confident, personable, and always humorous.

He had to meet fellow heads of state and heads of government, he had to meet endless numbers of VIPs, but his real warmth and passion was always for people, not personages.

He was interested in real people, their welfare, their sufferings.

Pope Francis was a man of our times, and through his closeness to the poor and the weak, he made us ask again whether we want a world governed by mere self-interest or one built on care and respect for each other as fellow pilgrims.

May the Lord show mercy to this merciful man.

A Requiem Mass for Pope Francis will be celebrated by Archbishop Cushley at St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh on Monday 28 April at 12:45pm.

Requiem Mass for Pope Francis

Archbishop Cushley will celebrate a Requiem Mass for Pope Francis at St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh on Monday 28 April, 12:45pm. All welcome.

'He wanted to bless our broken world'

Father Gerard Maguiness, who met Pope Francis in February, writes in The Scotsman about what the first Jesuit to be Supreme Pontiff meant to him. Father Maguiness is the general secretary of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland and a priest of the Diocese of Motherwell.

***

It was with great sadness but not surprise that I heard the news of the passing of Pope Francis on this Easter Monday morning.

I was blessed to meet Pope Francis at his last general audience on February 12, just two days before he was admitted to hospital – he was a very ill man (see title image).

These past few weeks struggling with illness and the frailty of old age summarised the determination and commitment of Pope Francis; even yesterday on the balcony of St Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis made an appearance to bless the city and the world, urbe et orbe.

Father Gerard Maguiness, right, met Pope Francis in February in Rome.

Despite the burden of his illness weighing on him, he wanted to bless our broken world and invite all of us to pray for peace and healing.

In a world characterised by polarisation and conflict, Pope Francis was a unifying figure who reached out to all Catholics, all Christians, to the Jewish people, to Muslims, and all the major world religions.

None should be excluded

He was a great believer that nobody is excluded from the loving mercy of Jesus Christ and this extended to those who don't have an explicit belief in God and those distant from the Church because of the failings of members of the Church.

Where did this vision of Pope Francis have its roots? Pope Francis was the first Jesuit Pope. The Company of Jesus or Jesuits were formed by St Ignatius of Loyola in the 16th century to reach out to a world that was changing rapidly due to the Reformation.

The motto of the Jesuits is ad maiorem Dei gloriam, meaning for the greater glory of God. Pope Francis endeavoured to make the glory of God present in our world, a glory that is revealed by the love of Christ crucified on the cross.

From a crucifix, Jesus spoke to the young Saint Francis and told him to rebuild His church in the 13th century. Undoubtedly Pope Francis, in choosing this name, saw his role to rebuild the Church in our time, especially given the crisis of faith caused by abuse.

His response to the challenges facing the Church and also our world was not despondent. The first letter published by Pope Francis was The Joy of the Gospel. Our world needs the Good News of the Gospel, it needs joy, it needs light in the darkness, it needs healing and a way to look forward.

Almost in exile during Argentina’s dictatorship

As the Jesuit priest Jorge Bergoglio, Pope Francis experienced personal difficulties during the dictatorship in Argentina. He found himself almost exiled to Germany to study theology. Fortunately in that difficult period, Pope Francis also discovered a prayer, a devotion to Mary, the mother of Jesus, known as ‘Our Lady, untier of knots’.

He was able to untie the knots of his ministry and see that life is never so desperate that the loving mercy of Jesus Christ cannot overcome the problems that we cause through our human failures. He would go on in the Joy of the Gospel to describe the Church and the world as a field hospital.

Human beings are wounded and hurting and the role of a follower of Jesus is to bring healing, not condemnation. He warned the clergy that they are not guardians of the grace of God but channels of God’s grace and forgiveness.

Joint trip with Kirk Moderator

Pope Francis would develop this openness to others through his pastoral visits to countries with small Catholic communities, such as Iraq and Mongolia, and also through his letter Fratelli Tutti – we are all brothers and sisters.

Furthermore, Pope Francis realised that – as well as the need for Christians to work together, expressed particularly for us through his joint trip with the Moderator of the Church of Scotland and the Archbishop of Canterbury to South Sudan, and the desire for dialogue with others of all faiths and none – our planet, our common home needs all men and women of good will to work together, as summed up in his letter, Laudato si’.

Pope Francis will be remembered as the Pope who loved our world, who loved people especially the young, the elderly, the frail and the wounded. He would not allow anyone to limit the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ.

A shepherd with the smell of the sheep, who reminded his flock not to be miserable but to be merciful, to be joyful and to always look for the way forward when we are lost.

'He shared Christ's mercy to all'

The Vatican has announced the death of Pope Francis at the age of 88.

Archbishop Cushley said: "I am deeply saddened to hear of The Holy Father's death this morning.

"He shared Christ's mercy and compassion to all, especially the poor and the vulnerable.

"He emphasised our duty to protect God’s creation for future generations and he worked tirelessly, often through illness and infirmity, to seek unity in a divided world.

"Through the synods held during his Pontificate he wished us to learn again to listen to each other as children of God and heirs to the same life of grace.
Archbishop Cushley with Pope Francis at the Vatican in September 2023.

"He called for peace on earth: may the living Lord now grant him the peace of eternal rest."

The Holy Father died at his residence in the Vatican's Casa Santa Marta on Easter Monday morning.

A Requiem Mass for Pope Francis will be celebrated by Archbishop Cushley at St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh on Monday 28 April at 12:45pm.

 

Pope's prayers as new photo released

The Vatican has released the first photo of Pope Francis since he was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital last month.

It shows the Holy Father in prayer in the private chapel on the 10th floor of Rome's Gemelli Hospital in a photo from the Holy See Press Office  after concelebrating the Eucharist on Sunday morning.

In a written address released for the Sunday Angelus, he said: "I am facing a period of trial, and I join with so many brothers and sisters who are sick: fragile, at this time, like me.

"Our bodies are weak but, even like this, nothing can prevent us from loving, praying, giving ourselves, being for each other, in faith, shining signs of hope.

"How much light shines, in this sense, in hospitals and places of care! How much loving care illuminates the rooms, the corridors, the clinics, the places where the humblest services are performed!

"That is why I would like to invite you, today, to join me in praising the Lord, who never abandons us and who, in times of sorrow, places people beside us who reflect a ray of His love.

"I thank you all for your prayers, and I thank those who assist me with such dedication. I know that many children are praying for me; some of them came here today as a sign of closeness. Thank you, dearest children! The Pope loves you and is always waiting to meet you."

Main image: The Holy See Press Office.

World Communications Day

In his message for the 58th World Day of Communications, Pope Francis urges humanity to cultivate wisdom of the heart in the age of artificial intelligence.

Celebrated on Sunday 12 May, this year's theme is closely linked to the Pope’s message for the World Day of Peace, which was devoted to the development of systems of artificial intelligence (AI).

Bishop Joseph Toal (Motherwell Diocese), President of  National Communications Commission has released this letter highlighting the themes of the Holy Father's message, (Pope Francis' message can be read at the bottom of this article).

A special collection will take place at all Masses for the apostolate of communications to fund the Catholic Media Office which represents the Church in a challenging media context in Scotland.

The Archdiocese

Matt Meade is the Communications Director for the Archdiocese of St Andrews & Edinburgh. He helps parishes on all matters of communications. Please do not hesitate to contact him for  help or advice: matthew.meade@staned.org.uk | 07833 208 211.

The Archdiocese recently hosted an online workshop for those who help their parish with social media/newsletters/website. The next one takes place on  Saturday 12 October, 10:00am - 11:30am. To register email matthew.meade@staned.org.uk

There are a range of ways we keep people in touch with news and events across the Archdiocese. 

Website: Find out the latest news from the Archdiocese and beyond at archedinburgh.org/news-events

Mailing List: Receive monthly updates by subscribing to our mailing list at archedinburgh.org/news-events

Calendar:  On our news page archedinburgh.org/news-events scroll down to view our events calendar.

YouTube: Our channel features talks, Zoom events, news, playlists and more. Visit bit.ly/ArchYouTube

Facebook: facebook.com/EdinburghRCdiocese

Twitter: @archedinburgh

Instagram: @standrewsedinburgh

***

The Holy Father's message for World Communications Day

Dear brothers and sisters!

The development of systems of artificial intelligence, to which I devoted my recent Message for the World Day of Peace, is radically affecting the world of information and communication, and through it, certain foundations of life in society.

These changes affect everyone, not merely professionals in those fields. The rapid spread of astonishing innovations, whose workings and potential are beyond the ability of most of us to understand and appreciate, has proven both exciting and disorienting.

This leads inevitably to deeper questions about the nature of human beings, our distinctiveness and the future of the species homo sapiens in the age of artificial intelligence. How can we remain fully human and guide this cultural transformation to serve a good purpose?

Starting with the heart

Before all else, we need to set aside catastrophic predictions and their numbing effects. A century ago, Romano Guardini reflected on technology and humanity. Guardini urged us not to reject “the new” in an attempt to “preserve a beautiful world condemned to disappear”.

At the same time, he prophetically warned that “we are constantly in the process of becoming. We must enter into this process, each in his or her own way, with openness but also with sensitivity to everything that is destructive and inhumane therein”.

Pope Francis will take part in the upcoming G7 session on Artificial Intelligence.https://t.co/RwwZETT96m

— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) April 26, 2024

And he concluded: “These are technical, scientific and political problems, but they cannot be resolved except by starting from our humanity. A new kind of human being must take shape, endowed with a deeper spirituality and new freedom and interiority”.[1]

At this time in history, which risks becoming rich in technology and poor in humanity, our reflections must begin with the human heart.[2]Only by adopting a spiritual way of viewing reality, only by recovering a wisdom of the heart, can we confront and interpret the newness of our time and rediscover the path to a fully human communication.

In the Bible, the heart is seen as the place of freedom and decision-making.

It symbolises integrity and unity, but it also engages our emotions, desires, dreams; it is, above all, the inward place of our encounter with God. Wisdom of the heart, then, is the virtue that enables us to integrate the whole and its parts, our decisions and their consequences, our nobility and our vulnerability, our past and our future, our individuality and our membership within a larger community.

This wisdom of the heart lets itself be found by those who seek it and be seen by those who love it; it anticipates those who desire it and it goes in search of those who are worthy of it (cf.Wis6:12-16). It accompanies those willing to take advice (cf.Prov  13:10), those endowed with a docile and listening heart (cf.1 Kg3:9). A gift of the Holy Spirit, it enables us to look at things with God’s eyes, to see connections, situations, events and to uncover their real meaning.

Without this kind of wisdom, life becomes bland, since it is precisely wisdom – whose Latin rootsapere  is related to the noun sapor– that gives “savour” to life.

Opportunity and danger

Such wisdom cannot be sought from machines. Although the term “artificial intelligence” has now supplanted the more correct term, “machine learning”, used in scientific literature, the very use of the word “intelligence” can prove misleading. N

o doubt, machines possess a limitlessly greater capacity than human beings for storing and correlating data, but human beings alone are capable of making sense of that data. It is not simply a matter of making machines appear more human, but of awakening humanity from the slumber induced by the illusion of omnipotence, based on the belief that we are completely autonomous and self-referential subjects, detached from all social bonds and forgetful of our status as creatures.

Human beings have always realised that they are not self-sufficient and have sought to overcome their vulnerability by employing every means possible. From the earliest prehistoric artifacts, used as extensions of the arms, and then the media, used as an extension of the spoken word, we have now become capable of creating highly sophisticated machines that act as a support for thinking.

🎥VIDEO | Pope Francis discusses the impact of AI on humanity in his World Communications Day message, emphasizing the need for a heart-led approach to technology. He calls for ethical regulation, transparency, and the use of AI to foster equality and human communication. pic.twitter.com/bEqd3t9euU

— EWTN Vatican (@EWTNVatican) February 7, 2024

Each of these instruments, however, can be abused by the primordial temptation to become like God without God (cf.Gen3), that is, to want to grasp by our own effort what should instead be freely received as a gift from God, to be enjoyed in the company of others.

Depending on the inclination of the heart, everything within our reach becomes either an opportunity or a threat. Our very bodies, created for communication and communion, can become a means of aggression.

So too, every technical extension of our humanity can be a means of loving service or of hostile domination. Artificial intelligence systems can help to overcome ignorance and facilitate the exchange of information between different peoples and generations. For example, they can render accessible and understandable an enormous patrimony of written knowledge from past ages or enable communication between individuals who do not share a common language.

Yet, at the same time, they can be a source of “cognitive pollution”, a distortion of reality by partially or completely false narratives, believed and broadcast as if they were true.

We need but think of the long-standing problem of disinformation in the form of fake news,[3]which today can employ “deepfakes”, namely the creation and diffusion of images that appear perfectly plausible but false (I too have been an object of this), or of audio messages that use a person’s voice to say things which that person never said. The technology of simulation behind these programmes can be useful in certain specific fields, but it becomes perverse when it distorts our relationship with others and with reality.

Starting with the first wave of artificial intelligence, that of social media, we have experienced its ambivalence: its possibilities but also its risks and associated pathologies. The second level of generative artificial intelligence unquestionably represents a qualitative leap. It is important therefore to understand, appreciate and regulate instruments that, in the wrong hands could lead to disturbing scenarios.

Like every other product of human intelligence and skill, algorithms are not neutral. For this reason, there is a need to act preventively, by proposing models of ethical regulation, to forestall harmful, discriminatory and socially unjust effects of the use of systems of artificial intelligence and to combat their misuse for the purpose of reducing pluralism, polarising public opinion or creating forms of groupthink. I once more appeal to the international community “to work together in order to adopt a binding international treaty that regulates the development and use of artificial intelligence in its many forms”.[4]At the same time, as in every human context, regulation is, of itself, not sufficient.

Growth in humanity

All of us are called to grow together, in humanity and as humanity. We are challenged to make a qualitative leap in order to become a complex, multi-ethnic, pluralistic, multireligious and multicultural society.

We are called to reflect carefully on the theoretical development and the practical use of these new instruments of communication and knowledge. Their great possibilities for good are accompanied by the risk of turning everything into abstract calculations that reduce individuals to data, thinking to a mechanical process, experience to isolated cases, goodness to profit, and, above all, a denial of the uniqueness of each individual and his or her story.

The concreteness of reality dissolves in a flurry of statistical data.

The digital revolution can bring us greater freedom, but not if it imprisons us in models that nowadays are called “echo chambers”. In such cases, rather than increasing a pluralism of information, we risk finding ourselves adrift in a mire of confusion, prey to the interests of the market or of the powers that be.

It is unacceptable that the use of artificial intelligence should lead to groupthink, to a gathering of unverified data, to a collective editorial dereliction of duty. The representation of reality in “big data”, however useful for the operation of machines, ultimately entails a substantial loss of the truth of things, hindering interpersonal communication and threatening our very humanity.

Information cannot be separated from living relationships. These involve the body and immersion in the real world; they involve correlating not only data but also human experiences; they require sensitivity to faces and facial expressions, compassion and sharing.

Here I think of the reporting of wars and the “parallel war” being waged through campaigns of disinformation. I think too of all those reporters who have been injured or killed in the line of duty in order to enable us to see what they themselves had seen. For only by such direct contact with the suffering of children, women and men, can we come to appreciate the absurdity of wars.

The use of artificial intelligence can make a positive contribution to the communications sector, provided it does not eliminate the role of journalism on the ground but serves to support it. Provided too that it values the professionalism of communication, making every communicator more aware of his or her responsibilities, and enables all people to be, as they should, discerning participants in the work of communication.

Questions for today and for the future

In this regard, a number of questions naturally arise. How do we safeguard professionalism and the dignity of workers in the fields of information and communication, together with that of users throughout the world?

How do we ensure the interoperability of platforms? How do we enable businesses that develop digital platforms to accept their responsibilities with regard to content and advertising in the same way as editors of traditional communications media?

How do we make more transparent the criteria guiding the operation of algorithms for indexing and de-indexing, and for search engines that are capable of celebrating or cancelling persons and opinions, histories and cultures?

How do we guarantee the transparency of information processing? How do we identify the paternity of writings and the traceability of sources concealed behind the shield of anonymity?

How do we make it clear whether an image or video is portraying an event or simulating it? How do we prevent sources from being reduced to one alone, thus fostering a single approach, developed on the basis of an algorithm? How instead do we promote an environment suitable for preserving pluralism and portraying the complexity of reality?

How can we make sustainable a technology so powerful, costly and energy-consuming? And how can we make it accessible also to developing countries?

The answers we give to these and other questions will determine if artificial intelligence will end up creating new castes based on access to information and thus giving rise to new forms of exploitation and inequality.

Or, if it will lead to greater equality by promoting correct information and a greater awareness of the epochal change that we are experiencing by making it possible to acknowledge the many needs of individuals and of peoples within a well-structured and pluralistic network of information. If, on the one hand, we can glimpse the spectre of a new form of slavery, on the other, we can also envision a means of greater freedom; either the possibility that a select few can condition the thought of others, or that all people can participate in the development of thought.

The answer we give to these questions is not pre-determined; it depends on us. It is up to us to decide whether we will become fodder for algorithms or will nourish our hearts with that freedom without which we cannot grow in wisdom. Such wisdom matures by using time wisely and embracing our vulnerabilities.

It grows in the covenant between generations, between those who remember the past and who look ahead to the future. Only together can we increase our capacity for discernment and vigilance and for seeing things in the light of their fulfilment. Lest our humanity lose its bearings, let us seek the wisdom that was present before all things (cf.Sir 1:4): it will help us also to put systems of artificial intelligence at the service of a fully human communication.

Rome, Saint John Lateran, 24 January 2024

FRANCIS

1]Letters from Lake Como.
[2]The 2024 Message for the World Day of Social Communications takes up the preceding Messages devoted to encountering persons where and how they are(2021), to hearing with the ear of the heart(2022) andspeaking to the heart(2023).
[3]Cf.“The Truth Will Make You Free” (Jn 8:32). Fake News and Journalism for Peace, Message for the 2018 World Day of Social Communications.
[4] Message for the 57th World Day of Peace, 1 January 2024, 8.

 

SSVP man Richard honoured by Pope Francis

Congratulations to Richard Steinbach who has been honoured with the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice medal.

The award is given to those who have shown distinguished service to the Church and the papacy and is the highest medal that the Pope can award to a layperson.

Elaine and Richard at St Michael's in Linlithgow, where Archbishop Cushley presented the award at the annual Archdiocesan SSVP Mass on Saturday.
Richard, a parishioner at Ss John and Columba in Rosyth was recognised for his dedication to the Church and the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SSVP) which he joined in 1998, later becoming diocesan president and national vice president.

His work within the SSVP has been devoted to the good causes of assisting the vulnerable and needy, visiting sick and housebound, providing transport to Mass for limited mobility parishioners.

His care and compassion for others was expressed in many ways, including his active support for the SSVP Fife Furniture Project, and the Missionaries of Charity Project.

Richard and Elaine with their family, along with Archbishop Cushley, Canon Paul Kelly (right) and Deacon Douglas Robertson.

In the days leading up to Christmas, Richard would be delivering bags of groceries and gifts to those in need. He enthusiastically encouraged SSVP Youth activities, visiting schools and arranging visits for the SSVP Youth Development Co-ordinator.

No tribute to Richard would be complete without mentioning his wife, Elaine. Many SSVP members rely on the active support of their spouses and Elaine, herself an SSVP member, has always been available to assist him.

Over the years, Richard has quietly encouraged others to participate more fully in the life of the parish.  On the social side, he is an active supporter and worker for the family fun days and social events organised for the benefit of his parish.

He has fulfilled the role of Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist for many years, choir member and is currently one of the Lectors of the parish.

Richard has exercised his pastoral roles throughout these years with such modesty that the extent of his commitment and involvement within the parish would not be known by many parishioners.

Archbishop Cushley meets Pope Francis in Rome

Pope Francis welcomed Archbishop Cushley and Fr Mark Cassidy, rector of the Pontifical Scots College in Rome, to the Vatican last week.

Archbishop Cushley said: “It was a privilege to join Fr Mark for this informal meeting. When I met the Holy Father in February the first thing he asked me was ‘How is the college doing these days?’ So we were pleased to bring him up to date with recent developments.”

During his visit, Archbishop Cushley celebrated Mass with seminarians in the Chapel of the Partorienti in the Grottoes of St Peter’s inside the Vatican. The Mass has become the traditional way of marking the opening of the Academic Year.

A new location for the Scots College in Rome is being sought. Seminarians are currently residing at the Beda College in the city centre.

GALLERY: World Youth Day 2023

World Youth Day 2023 ended yesterday (Sunday) in Lisbon with Mass celebrated by Pope Francis -  attended by a staggering 1.5 million people.

Archbishop Cushley attended the five-day event along with fellow bishops, clergy and young people from across Scotland.

John Patrick Mallon, who covered the event with Sancta Familia Media, said: "1.5 Million young people - the largest gathered crowd in Portuguese history - joined Pope Francis for the final Mass of World Youth Day Lisbon 2023. The legacy of this great event will live on with all who were there."

It was announced that Seoul, South Korea, will be the next venue for the next event in 2027.

Gallery

All pics Sancta Familia, unless otherwise stated. More pics and coverage at Sancta Familia Media. Follow them on TikTok

Archbishop Cushley with pilgrims from St Albert's Chaplaincy, Edinburgh, in Lisbon (Archdiocese of St Andrews & Edinburgh).

Scotland’s Bishops congratulate Pope Francis

Scotland’s Catholic bishops have sent their congratulations to Pope Francis on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of his election.

Bishop Hugh Gilbert, President of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland, said: “We commemorate the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis and give thanks to God for the gift of his ministry.

"We are thankful to him for inviting the Church 'to embark on a new chapter of evangelism', for reminding us of the need for mercy and for urging us to care for our common home through the safe stewardship of our environment.

The Scottish Bishops are currently meeting at the Schoenstatt Retreat Centre outside Glasgow.

On Monday they were joined by Bishop Czeslaw Kozon of the Nordic Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski of the Ukrainian  Greek Catholic Church, Bishop Paul Mason, Bishop of the Forces and Mar Joseph Srampickal Bishop for the Syro-Malabar faithful.

Bishop Gilbert added: "Together with them we offered Mass for our Holy Father and his intentions. On behalf of Scotland’s Catholic community we offer the Holy Father our warmest congratulations and the promise of our prayers.”

Article from Scottish Catholic Media Office. Image @SCMO14