Funeral of Dr. Fabrizio Soccorsi Jan. 26, 2021. Credit: Vatican Media/CNA.
Vatican City, Jan 26, 2021 / 02:00 pm (CNA).- Pope Francis on Tuesday afternoon attended the Vatican funeral of his personal doctor, Fabrizio Soccorsi, who died earlier this month.
Soccorsi, 78, had been receiving treatment for cancer at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital. He died from complications related to the coronavirus Jan. 9.
Pope Francis had named Soccorsi, an expert in hepatology, the digestive system, and immunology, his personal physician in August 2015.
The funeral Mass for the doctor took place in the Mary Queen of the Family Chapel, located inside the Governorate building at the Vatican. The Mass was said by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of State.
Soccorsi trained in medicine and surgery at Rome’s La Sapienza University. In addition to being the papal doctor, he did consulting for the health and hygiene office of the Vatican City State and was part of the council of medical experts at the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints.
As Francis’ personal physician, Soccorsi traveled with the pope on his international trips. During the papal visit to Fatima, Portugal in May 2017, Pope Francis laid two bunches of white roses before the statue of the Virgin Mary for Soccorsi’s daughter, who was critically ill, and died the following month.
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The flags of the People’s Republic of China and of Vatican City. / FreshStock/Shutterstock.
Vatican City, Feb 11, 2022 / 08:30 am (CNA).
According to Vatican sources, the establishment of diplomatic relations with Beijing is not on the horizon,… […]
Vatican City, Mar 11, 2020 / 11:19 am (CNA).- Cardinal Peter Turkson sent a message Wednesday encouraging Catholics to see the sacrifices required to slow the spread of coronavirus as a chance to deepen their relationships with God and their neighbors.
“Prayer is our strength, prayer is our resource. Here then is the favorable moment to rediscover the fatherhood of God and our being children,” Turkson said in the March 11 message.
He encouraged “the most tested communities” to not experience “everything as a privation.”
For those who cannot gather for the celebration of Mass, he said, “we are called to an even more deeply rooted journey on what sustains the spiritual life: prayer, fasting, and charity.”
“If we cannot meet in our assemblies to live our faith together, as we usually do, God offers us the opportunity to enrich ourselves, to discover new paradigms, and to find personal relationships with Him again,” he said.
The prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Turkson addressed his letter to health workers, chaplains, the sick and their families, volunteers, civil authorities, bishops in charge of pastoral work in healthcare, the heads of bishops’ conferences, and all people of good will.
His message was sent as countries around the world increase measures to fight the spread of coronavirus.
In Italy, public Masses were canceled starting March 8. Most dioceses in Japan have also suspended public Masses.
Worldwide, there are 109,577 confirmed cases of coronavirus, and 3,809 deaths.
The new strain of coronavirus causes a respiratory disease, COVID-19, and has a fatality rate of roughly 3%. The vast majority of cases and deaths have been in China.
In his message, the cardinal reminded Catholics of Christ’s words in Matthew’s Gospel: “when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.”
He also recalled the many times Pope Francis has encouraged Catholics to keep the Bible nearby and to pray with scripture.
“The effort made to contain the spread of Coronavirus is accompanied by the commitment of each individual faithful for the greater good: the reconquest of life, the defeat of fear, the triumph of hope,” he said.
The cardinal noted the importance of solidarity during this time and asked people to think of their “neighbor, office colleague, school friend, but above all the doctors and nurses who risk contamination and infection to save the infected.”
Turkson asked political and economic authorities to not neglect social justice amid the new economic crisis caused by the virus and to continue to look for ways to support health workers all over the world, especially in the places in most difficulty.
“So let us pray to God the Father to increase our faith, help the sick in healing and support health workers in their mission,” the cardinal said.
“We ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate the efforts of scientists, health workers and governments, and we entrust all the populations affected by the contagion to the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Mother of humanity.”
Pope Francis praying in St. Peter’s Basilica on All Souls’ Day, Nov. 2, 2022. / Vatican Media
Rome Newsroom, Nov 2, 2022 / 06:53 am (CNA).
On All Souls’ Day, Pope Francis urged Christians not to “compromise with the Gospel” but to take Jesus’ words seriously when he says we will be judged by how we treat the poor.
“Often, out of convenience or comfort, we tend to tone down Jesus’ message, to water down his words. Let’s face it, we have gotten pretty good at compromising with the Gospel,” the pope said in St. Peter’s Basilica on Nov. 2.
“From simple disciples of the Master we become masters of complexity, who argue a lot and do little, who seek answers more in front of the computer than in front of the Crucifix, on the internet rather than in the eyes of our brothers and sisters; Christians who comment, debate, and expound theories but do not know even a poor person by name, have not visited a sick person for months, have never fed or dressed someone, have never made friends with someone in need,’” he said.
On All Souls’ Day, Nov. 3, 2022, Pope Francis urged Christians not to “compromise with the Gospel,” but to take Jesus’ words seriously when he says we will be judged by how we treat the poor. Daniel Ibáñez / CNA
Pope Francis offered Mass on All Souls’ Day for the repose of the souls of more than 150 deceased bishops and cardinals who died in the past year.
In his homily, the pope reflected on Jesus’ words in the Gospel of Matthew: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.”
All Souls’ Day Mass at the Vatican
“May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.” pic.twitter.com/BVZCChYK5w
The pope said that these words in the Gospel help prepare for death and the final judgment. He said God is “waiting for us among the poor and wounded of the world.” Pope Francis warned that there is a continual risk to “put the expectations of the world before the expectation of God” and to end up “losing sight of what matters.”
“The best careers, the greatest achievements, the most prestigious titles and awards, the accumulated wealth and earthly gains, all will vanish in an instant, everything,” he said.
The pope said that All Souls’ Day is a good occasion to ask “if our desires have anything to do with heaven.”
Pope Francis offered Mass on All Souls’ Day for the repose of the souls of more than 150 deceased bishops and cardinals who died in the past year. Daniel Ibáñez / CNA
The Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica was offered for the 9 cardinals and 148 bishops and archbishops who died between Oct. 30, 2021, and Oct. 17, 2022.
Among the deceased cardinals listed in a booklet accompanying the Mass were Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the former Vatican secretary of state; Cardinal Claudio Hummes, the former archbishop of São Paulo, Brazil, who had a significant role in the 2019 Amazon Synod; and Cardinal Antonios Naguib, the former patriarch of Alexandria and head of the Coptic Catholic Church.
Bishops who died in the past year included Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Anthony Fiorenza of Galveston-Houston, Texas; Archbishop Emeritus Stanislaw Nowak of Czestochowa, Poland; Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Cheng Tsai-Fa of Taipei, Taiwan; and Bishop Emeritus Lawrence Donald Soens of Sioux City, Iowa.
Pope Francis blessing graves at the Vatican’s Teutonic Cemetery on All Souls’ Day, Nov. 2, 2022. Vatican Media
After the Mass, Pope Francis made a private visit to a cemetery inside Vatican City. The Teutonic Cemetery, located next to St. Peter’s Basilica, is the burial place of people of German, Austrian, and Swiss descent, as well as for people from other German-speaking nations, particularly members of the Archconfraternity of Our Lady.
The cemetery is built on the historic site of Nero’s Circus, where early Christians in Rome were martyred, including St. Peter.
On All Souls’ Day and throughout the month of November, the Church makes a special effort to remember, honor, and pray for the dead. There are many different cultural traditions around this period, but one of the most consistently honored is the practice of visiting cemeteries.
Last year, Pope Francis visited a military cemetery in Rome on All Souls’ Day. In 2018, Pope Francis offered Mass in a cemetery for deceased children and unborn babies called the Garden of Angels, located in the Laurentino Cemetery on the outskirts of Rome.
Respectful farewell to Fabrizio Soccorsi. Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord and let your perpetual light shine upon the departed soul. Strength and courage to all his loved ones.
Respectful farewell to Fabrizio Soccorsi. Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord and let your perpetual light shine upon the departed soul. Strength and courage to all his loved ones.