Can negative situations be turned around and transformed into something good? Pope Francis says yes, as long as you turn to Jesus and His Mother.
During his meeting with Uganda's young people gathered at Kololo Air Strip in the African nation's capital of Kampala this afternoon, the Pope listened to the testimonies of a young man and woman and, putting aside his prepared script, reflected how both had had bad experiences, but assured that bad experiences can serve for something in life.
Winnie Nansumba, who lost both her parents by age 7, told Pope Francis about living with HIV and her work to fight AIDS, discrimination and depression. In her testimony, she told her peers, "Take charge of your life and know your (HIV) status. HIV is real." She reminded them that your body is a temple, saying to beware of STDs, and don't live in sin. Also, a young man, Emmanuel Odokonyero, shared his tragic story of being in captivity for three months as hostage of the Lord's Resistance Army when they stormed into the Sacred Heart Minor Seminary, abducting 41 children, including him. He recounted how he managed to escape and spoke on his sorrow for those who died and the impact of his ordeal.
Despite what may seem to be insurmountable challenges, the Pope reminded the young people in response to the testimonies, Jesus makes it clear that that he can work great miracles, transforming walls into horizons, which open to the future. Before a negative experience, he said, acknowledging how many of those in the audience had suffered negative experiences, there is hope.
Not magic, but Jesus
When bitterness and sadness are turned into hope, Francis stressed, "This is not magic, it is a work of Jesus. Because Jesus is Lord! Jesus can do anything! Jesus suffered the most negative experience of history and was insulted, was cast out, and was assassinated. But Jesus with the power of God is risen; He can make each of us have the same outcome with every negative experience because Jesus is Lord."
Anglican Arch Bishop Ntagali in purple called pope Francis a prophet of God
Through this "death" of experiencing difficult situations, the Pope noted, there is a life, a life for everyone. "If I transform the negative into the positive, I'm a winner. But this can be done only by the grace of Jesus," he said.
"Are you sure about this? I cannot hear you!," he said in dialogue with the crowd of young people. "Are you willing to make in life all the negative things into positive things? Are you willing to turn hate into love? To transform war into peace? You should be aware that you are a people of martyrs. In your veins flows the blood of the martyrs and for that, you have faith and life."
"They say that the microphone does not work well. Sometimes we also do not function well and when we do not function well, to whom do we go for help? Don't I feel ... stronger ... in Jesus! Jesus can change your life. Jesus can break down all the walls in front of you. Jesus can make it so, that your life is service to others."
"Some of you may ask: 'So there is a magic wand?' If you want Jesus to change your life you have to ask Him for help. You must pray. You got it, right? Pray! I ask you: Do you pray? Are you sure? Pray to Jesus because He is the Savior. Never stop praying. Prayer is the most powerful weapon that a young man has. Jesus loves us. I ask you, Jesus loves some, yes, and some no? Jesus loves everyone, doesn't He? Does Jesus wants to help everyone?"
Open hearts
If you believe this is true, the Pope urged, "open the door of your heart to Jesus and let Him enter into your lives to combat the struggles." "Are you ready to fight? Are you ready to wish the best for yourself? Are you willing to ask Jesus to help you in the fight?" he asked. He also pointed out a third element, that we all belong to the Church, and the Church has a mother: Mary. "When a child falls, he gets hurt and starts crying, he goes looking for his mother. When we have a problem, the best thing we can do is go where our Mother is and pray to Mary, our Mother. Do you agree? You pray to the Virgin, to our Mother? And I ask you: Do you pray to Jesus and the Virgin Mary, our Mother? (Yesss ...)" So these are the three things, he said, namely to overcome the difficulties, transforming the negative into a positive, and prayer. "Prayer to Jesus who can do anything, Jesus who enters into our hearts and changes our lives. Jesus came to save and to give His life for me," and also prayer to our Mother Mary. The Pope concluded, thanking them for listening to him and for their interest in changing the negatives in their lives into positives, with Jesus' and Mary's help. He invited them to pray together because our Mother protects us. We agree? All together? The Holy Father is making an Apostolic Visit to Africa, Nov. 25-30. He arrived in Uganda's capital of Kampala yesterday, after having been in Kenya's capital of Nairobi. Tomorrow, he leaves for Central African Republic's capital of Bangui, where he will visit a refugee camp and open the Holy Door for the Jubilee Year. *** On ZENIT's Web page: Full Translation: http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/full-text-pope-s-off-the-cuff-address-to-ugandan-youth
Pope Francis prays at Anglican shrines
Pope Francis visits martyrs’ shrine
Ugandan martyrs 'continue to proclaim Jesus Christ, power of his cross'
Pope Francis and Archbishop Stanley Ntagali at the Anglican Shrine to the Ugandan Martyrs in Namugongo. Photo: Petero Buyondo and Francis Emorut
[Anglican Communion News Service] Pope Francis has made a visit to the Anglican shrine to the Ugandan Martyrs in Namugongo, and spoke of the “ecumenism of blood”. The Pope looked visibly pained and shocked as Archbishop Stanley Ntagali, primate of the Anglican Church of Uganda, explained how the martyrs were put to death on the orders of the King of Buganda in the late 19th Century for refusing to renounce their faith. Later, in a sermon during a Papal Mass outside the Catholic shrine, Pope Francis spoke of the sacrifice of the 45 men – 23 Anglicans and 22 Roman Catholics – saying that their “witness of love for Christ and his Church has truly gone ‘to the end of the earth.’ “We remember also the Anglican martyrs whose deaths for Christ testify to the ecumenism of blood. All these witnesses nurtured the gift of the Holy Spirit in their lives and freely gave testimony of their faith in Jesus Christ, even at the cost of their lives, many at such a young age. “The gift of the Holy Spirit is a gift which is meant to be shared. It unites us to one another as believers and living members of Christ’s mystical Body. We do not receive the gift of the Spirit for ourselves alone, but to build up one another in faith, hope and love.” He said that the Ugandan Martyrs “had tended to their faith and deepened their love of God, they were fearless in bringing Christ to others, even at the cost of their lives. Their faith became witness; today, venerated as martyrs, their example continues to inspire people throughout the world. They continue to proclaim Jesus Christ and the power of his Cross.
“Like the Apostles and the Uganda martyrs before us, we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit to become missionary disciples called to go forth and bring the Gospel to all. At times this may take us to the end of the earth, as missionaries to faraway lands. This is essential to the spread of God’s Kingdom, and I ask always for your generous response to this need. But we do not need to travel to be missionary disciples. In fact, we need only to open our eyes and see the needs in our homes and our local communities to realize how many opportunities await us. “Here too the Uganda martyrs show us the way. Their faith sought the good of all people, including the very King who condemned them for their Christian beliefs. Their response was to meet hatred with love, and thus to radiate the splendour of the Gospel. They did not simply tell the King what the Gospel does not allow, but showed through their lives what saying ‘yes’ to Jesus really means. It means mercy and purity of heart, being meek and poor in spirit, and thirsting for righteousness in the hope of an eternal reward.” During the tour of the new Uganda Martyrs Museum at the Anglican Shrine, Pope Francis and Archbishop Stanley paused at the fire pit where the twenty-three Anglicans and twenty-two Roman Catholic converts to Christianity were brutally martyred on 3rd June 1886. “This is ecumenism,” Pope Francis told Archbishop Stanley.
Pope Francis and Archbishop Stanley Ntagali enter the Anglican Shrine to the Ugandan Martyrs in Namugongo. Photo: Petero Buyondo and Francis Emorut
“The Roman Catholic martyrs died for the same Jesus Christ as the Anglican martyrs,” Archbishop Stanley said. “Together, they suffered; together, they sacrificed; together, they sang. Together, their blood has been the seed of the church in Uganda.” It is a message that echoed Pope Francis’ words in July this year in St peter’s Square in Rome as he anticipated his visit to Uganda. “The blood of the martyrs makes us one,” he said. “We know that those who kill Christians in hatred of Jesus Christ, before killing, do not ask: ‘Are you an Evangelical, or [Anglican], or Orthodox?’ They say: ‘You are Christian,’ and behead them.”
Last week, the same message was repeated by the Preacher to the Papal Household, Father Raniero Cantalamessa, in a sermon at Westminster Abbey ahead of the Church of England’s General Synod: “In many parts of the world people are killed and churches burned not because they are Catholic, or Anglican, or Pentecostals, but because they are Christians,” he said. “In their eyes we are already one! Let us be one also in our eyes and in the eyes of God.” Alluding to a traditional African proverb, Archbishop Stanley said, “If we want to go fast, let us go alone. As the wider Christian community in Uganda, however, if we want to go far, let us go together. This is why we were very happy to welcome the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church to the [Anglican] Church of Uganda.” During the Pope’s brief visit to the Anglican Martyrs’ Shrine, he also emphasised the importance of prayer by kneeling at the torture tree and offering a personal prayer.
Pope Francis prays at the torture tree at the Anglican Shrine to the Ugandan Martyrs in Namugongo. Photo: Petero Buyondo and Francis Emorut
When he emerged from his private tour of the museum, he was welcomed by a very large, enthusiastic, and ululating crowd. He responded by inviting everyone to pray The Lord’s Prayer together. The assembled congregation then received a double apostolic blessing with Pope Francis and Archbishop Stanley together conferring on everyone the Blessing of God Almighty: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The House of Bishops of the Church of Uganda, along with the Provincial Heads of Laity and Clergy, the Provincial President of Mother’s Union, and several thousand Anglican clergy and laity arrived at the Martyrs’ Shrine at sunrise to prepare to welcome the Pope.
Pope Francis laying a wreath at the burial site of the Uganda Martyrs.
Retired Archbishop Livingstone Mpalanyi Nkoyoyo has spearheaded the development of the Uganda Martyrs’ Museum to ensure their legacy for future generations. Pope Francis unveiled a dedication stone and offered a prayer that the Uganda Martyrs would continue to inspire generations of youth to follow Christ. Later in the afternoon he met thousands of Ugandan youth in Kampala to encourage them to pray and be faithful to Christ.
Pope Francis in personal prayer at the burial site of the Uganda Martyrs.
The President of Uganda and the First Lady were also present at the Anglican Martyrs’ Shrine. Pope Francis is the third Pope to visit the Anglican shrine. Paul VI visited on 2nd August 1969; five years earlier, in 1964, he had canonized the Roman Catholic martyrs. Pope John Paul II visited on 7th March 1993.
“This is ecumenism,” Pope Francis told the Most Rev. Stanley Ntagali, Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, while being led on a private tour through the new Uganda Martyrs Museum at the Anglican Shrine in Namugongo, Uganda, on 28th November 2015.
The Pope’s comment came as they stopped to meditate at the fire pit where twenty-three Anglicans and twenty-two Roman Catholic converts to Christianity were brutally martyred on 3rd June 1886. Pope Francis visited Uganda from 27th– 28th November 2015 as one of three countries during his first visit to the continent of Africa. Pilgrimage to the sites of Christian martyrdom from 1885 to 1886 was a major focus for the Pope’s visit to Uganda. Forty-five of the forty-six martyrs on 3rd June 1886 were killed at the site of the Anglican shrine.
Pope Francis is the third Pope to visit the Anglican shrine. Pope Paul VI visited on 2nd August 1969; five years earlier, in 1964, he had canonised the Roman Catholic martyrs. Pope John Paul II visited on 7th March 1993.
Immediately after visiting the Anglican Shrine, Pope Francis conducted a Mass at the Roman Catholic Martyrs Shrine, where one of the forty-six converts was martyred on 3rd June 1886. In July 2015, during a gathering of 50,000 Roman Catholic Charismatics in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis anticipated his visit to Uganda.
“The blood of the martyrs makes us one,” he told them. “We know that those who kill Christians in hatred of Jesus Christ, before killing, do not ask, ‘But are you an Evangelical or [Anglican] or Orthodox?’ They say, ‘You are Christian,’ and behead them…”
Archbishop Stanley reflected, “The Roman Catholic martyrs died for the same Jesus Christ as the Anglican martyrs.” Together, they suffered; together, they sacrificed; together, they sang. Together, their blood has been the seed of the church in Uganda.
Pope Francis referred to this as the “ecumenism of blood.” He said, “[It is the] unity of the blood of martyrs that makes us one.”
Alluding to a traditional African proverb, Archbishop Stanley said, “If we want to go fast, let us go alone. As the wider Christian community in Uganda, however, if we want to go far, let us go together. This is why we were very happy to welcome the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church to the [Anglican] Church of Uganda.”
During the Pope’s brief visit to the Anglican Martyrs’ Shrine, he also emphasised the importance of prayer by kneeling at the torture tree and offering a personal prayer.
When he emerged from his private tour of the museum, he was welcomed by a very large, enthusiastic, and ululating crowd. His response? He invited everyone to pray together The Lord’s Prayer – “Our Father…”
The assembled congregation then received a double apostolic blessing with Pope Francis and Archbishop Stanley together conferring on everyone the Blessing of God Almighty: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The House of Bishops of the Church of Uganda, along with the Provincial Heads of Laity and Clergy, the Provincial President of Mother’s Union, and several thousand Anglican clergy and laity arrived at the Martyrs’ Shrine at sunrise to prepare to welcome the Pope.
Retired Archbishop Livingstone Mpalanyi Nkoyoyo has spearheaded the development of the Uganda Martyrs’ Museum to ensure their legacy for future generations.
Pope Francis, at the beginning of his private tour of the new Martyrs Museum, unveiled a dedication stone and offered a prayer that the Uganda Martyrs would continue to inspire generations of youth to follow Christ. Later in the afternoon he met thousands of Ugandan youth in Kampala to encourage them to pray and be faithful to Christ.
The President of Uganda and the First Lady were also present at the Anglican Martyrs’ Shrine. Note: Photos of Pope Francis’ visit to the Anglican Shrine of the Uganda Martyrs can be found on the Church of Uganda’s website at this link. (Photo credits: Petero Buyondo and Francis Emorut.)
Pope Francis prays with Imam in CAR, says Christians and Muslims are brothers and sisters
The Pope said his trip to Africa "would not be complete" without visiting the Muslim community.
In the wake of violence between Christians and Muslims in the country, Pope Francis today prayed with an Imam during a visit to the Grand Mosque of Koudoukou in Bangui, Central African Republic. On his last day in the country, the Pope was greeted by the Grand Imam Nehedi Tidjani, along with four other Muslim leaders, with whom he stood and prayed.
In his speech he said Muslims and Christians should work together and be "men and women of peace". "My pastoral visit to the Central African Republic would not be complete if it did not include this encounter with the Muslim community," he said.
"Christians and Muslims are brothers and sisters. We must therefore consider ourselves and conduct ourselves as such. We are well aware that the recent events and acts of violence which have shaken your country were not grounded in properly religious motives."
He added: "Those who claim to believe in God must also be men and women of peace. Christians, Muslims and members of the traditional religions have lived together in peace for many years. They ought, therefore, to remain united in working for an end to every act which, from whatever side, disfigures the Face of God and whose ultimate aim is to defend particular interests by any and all means, to the detriment of the common good.
"Together, we must say no to hatred, no to revenge and no to violence, particularly that violence which is perpetrated in the name of a religion or of God himself. God is peace, God salam." Francis praised the solidarity shown between Christians and Muslims in the CAR, which has been rocked by sectarian violence in recent years.
The country has struggled to manage discord since the majority-Muslim Séléka drove out President Francois Bozizé in a coup in March 2013. Though the group has since disbanded, they continued to target towns and villages across the country, which caused the uprising of an opposing Christian faction, the Anti-Balaka. Tens of thousands of Muslims were violently expelled, many fleeing to neighbouring countries.
Pope Francis prays alongside Grand Mufti in Istanbul's Blue Mosque | World news | The Guardian
Both groups have only loose ties with their religious affiliations, however, and Muslim and Christian leaders from CAR have united to condemn the conflict. These leaders have "played an important role in re-establishing harmony and fraternity among all," the Pope said.
"Dear friends, dear brothers, I invite you to pray and work for reconciliation, fraternity and solidarity among all people, without forgetting those who have suffered the most as a result of recent events. "May God bless you and protect you! Salam alaikum!" Following his address, the Pope visited a refugee camp next to the mosque and then gave a homily at a mass at the Barthélémy Boganda Stadium in Bangui. He has now boarded a plane back to Rome.
Pope in Kenya: Interreligious dialogue not an option, but a necessity
Pope Francis walks with Pres. Uhuru Kenyatta at the State House in Nairobi, Kenya on Nov. 26, 2015. Credit Martha Caldero?n/CNA
Nairobi, Kenya, Nov 26, 2015 / 02:15 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In light of recent terror attacks in Kenya and abroad, Pope Francis began the second day of his trip to Africa stressing the need for interreligious leaders to work together for peace.
In a morning meeting on Nov. 26 with interreligious and ecumenical leaders at the apostolic nunciature in Nairobi, Kenya, Pope Francis said while ecumenical relationships can be demanding, they are not optional.
“…ecumenical and interreligious dialogue is not a luxury. It is not something extra or optional, but essential, something which our world, wounded by conflict and division, increasingly needs,” the Pope said. Not only is it essential for peace, he added, but interreligious dialogue can be a rich source of enlightenment and becomes an “important service to the common good.”
His comments come just two weeks after six coordinated attacks in Paris, perpetrated by ISIS, left at least 128 people dead. The Pope’s address also falls seven months after terrorists killed 147 students at Garissa University College in Garissa, Kenya, and four months after gunmen killed 14 quarry workers in Mandera. In 2013, 67 people were killed when terrorists attacked shoppers at the Westgate Mall in Nairobi.Each of these attacks were carried out by al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda affiliate operating out of the neighboring country of Somalia. “I know that the barbarous attacks on Westgate Mall, Garissa University College and Mandera are fresh in your minds,” he said. “All too often, young people are being radicalized in the name of religion to sow discord and fear, and to tear at the very fabric of our societies.” “How important it is that we be seen as prophets of peace, peacemakers who invite others to live in peace, harmony and mutual respect!” The Holy Father also stressed the importance of never committing violence in the name of God, and prayed for the conversion of heart of all those who perpetrated violence in the name of religion.
He closed his address recalling the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second Vatican Council, saying that he hoped the Church continued her commitment to ecumenical dialogue and friendship. “As we look to the future, let us pray that all men and women will see themselves as brothers and sisters, peacefully united in and through our differences. Let us pray for peace!” This story is according to Pope Francis’ prepared remarks to interreligious leaders.
The Pope gave an universal message from “god” during a visit to a mosque in the Central African Republic.
The Pope bow his head, folds his hands as he joins Muslims in prayer inside a mosque.The is parts of a Vatican provided translation of the speech of the head of the Vatican: Dear Muslim friends, leaders and followers of Islam, It is a great joy for me to be with you and I thank you for your warm welcome. In a particular way I thank Imam Tidiani Moussa Naibi for his kind words of greeting. My Pastoral Visit to the Central African Republic would not be complete if it did not include this encounter with the Muslim community. Christians and Muslims are brothers and sisters. We must therefore consider ourselves and conduct ourselves as such. We are well aware that the recent events and acts of violence which have shaken your country were not grounded in properly religious motives. Those who claim to believe in Allah must also be men and women of peace. Christians, Muslims and members of the traditional religions have lived together in peace for many years. They ought, therefore, to remain united in working for an end to every act which, from whatever side, disfigures the Face of Allah and whose ultimate aim is to defend particular interests by any and all means, to the detriment of the common good. Together, we must say no to hatred, to revenge and to violence, particularly that violence which is perpetrated in the name of a religion or of Allah himself. Allah is peace, salam. Dear friends, I invite you to pray and work for reconciliation, fraternity and solidarity among all people, without forgetting those who have suffered the most as a result of recent events. May Allah bless you and protect you! [Vatican-provided translation] Source: Zenit.org My comment: Neither the name of Jesus, nor “Christ” was mentioned in the message of the Pope. But the Pontiff spoke about God. Therefor I took the artistic freedom to replace the word “God” with “allah”. And this is what I got.
Luke 9:26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.
No doubt that the message of the Pope fell in good soil among the Muslims. His message could have been copied in Friday sermons in every mosque all over the World. Written by Ivar
“Christians and Muslims are brothers and sisters,” the Pope said after a speech by Imam Tidiani Moussa Naibi.
The Pope inside the Mosque of Imam Tidiani Moussa Naibi.Pope Francis ventured into one of the world’s most dangerous neighbourhoods on Monday to beg Christians and Muslims to end a spiral of hate, vendetta and bloodshed that has killed thousands over the past three years. The neighbourhood has been cut off from the rest of the capital Bangui for the past two months by a ring of so-called anti-balaka militias, who block supplies from entering and Muslims from leaving.
The Pope sit a tell lies inside a mosque in Central Africa, deceiving both him self and all the present Muslims.“Christians and Muslims are brothers and sisters,” he said after a speech by Imam Tidiani Moussa Naibi, one of the local religious leaders trying to foster dialogue. “Those who claim to believe in God must also be men and women of peace,” he said, noting that Christians, Muslims and followers of traditional religions had lived together in peace for many years. He appealed for “an end to every act which, from whatever side, disfigures the face of God and whose ultimate aim is to defend particular interests by any and all means.” Source: Urdu Pakistani daily, The Dawn. My comment: This is reported by the BBC and the Urdu newspaper Dawn published in Pakistan. That Christians and Muslims are “brothers” is a false statement. Neither are we physically related, nor are we of the same mind and spirit. Islam simply reject that God has a begotten Son. If the Pope do not want to tell Muslims the truth, he should at least keep quiet. The problem is that the Jesuit Pope believe he has spoken he truth. The Pope believe there are many ways to “god”, and many holy books. In the Catechism of the Roman Catholic church, the Pope has granted Muslims salvation. This is the Pope’s promise to the Muslims, are quoted directly from the Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church: 841 The Church’s relationship with the Muslims. “The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind’s judge on the last day. Source: CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH The Pope proclaim that there is no need to believe that Jesus is God in the flesh, and that the Creator God has a begotten Son. In this way the Pope reject Biblical truth, and appears as an antichrist in the flesh.
“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Renounce the evils of the papacy. Repent or perish. Written by Ivar
Carey LodgeChristian Today Journalist
