Denver Catholic

6 I WORLD/NATION OCTOBER 23, 2013 I DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER Pope blesses newlywed Denver photographers CREDIT: SERVIZIO FOTOGRAFICO/L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO NEWLY married Denver photojournalists Daniel Petty and Anya Semenoff, who both work for The Denver Post and freelance for the Denver Catholic Register, get a blessing from Pope Francis at his Oct. 16 general audience in Vatican City. The pope told the couple to "Pray for me." Pope Francis praises special roles of women BY KERRI LENARTOWICK VATICAN CITY (CNA/ EWTN News)—Pope Francis met with experts on women's issues Oct. 12 in Rome, affirming that the Church must continue to work for a more profound understanding of women and their roles. "Also in the Church it is important to ask ourselves: what presence does woman have? Can it be valued more?" the pope asked. He met with experts who had participated in a seminar marking the 25th anniversary of Blessed John Paul II's apostolic letter, "On the Dignity and Vocation of Women." The three-day seminar was sponsored by the Pontifical Council of the Laity. Pope Francis said the presence of women in the Church is "a reality that is very much on my heart." He said he wanted to meet the seminar participants "and bless you and your task." He noted that John Paul II's apostolic letter teaches that "God entrusts man, the human being, to woman in a special way." "What does this 'special entrustment' mean?" asked Pope Francis. "I think it is evident that my predecessor refers to motherhood," he explained. "And this is not simply a biological fact, but it involves a wealth of implications both for woman herself, for her way of being, and for her relationships, for a way of extending respect for human life and for life in general." The pope then warned of two ever-present dangers, "two extreme opposites that degrade woman and her vocation." "The first is to reduce motherhood to a social role, to a task, however noble, but in fact sets apart woman with her potential, not fully valuing her in the construction of the community," he noted. The second peril is that of "promoting a type of emancipation that, in order to occupy the space stolen by the masculine, abandons the feminine with its priceless elements." He said women can help provide better insight into the nature of God. "Woman has a particular sensibility for the 'things of God', above all in helping us to understand the mercy, the tenderness, and the love that God has for us," he emphasized. Pope Francis then abandoned his prepared remarks to convey his sadness at the situation of women who are reduced to roles of mere "servitude," distinguishing it from the "servanthood" to which all Christians are called. "I suffer—speaking truthfully!—when I see in the Church or in some ecclesial organizations that the role of service that we all have, and that we must have—but that the role of service of the woman becomes role of 'servitude'." He then encouraged the experts to continue their work in order to better understand the role of women in the Church. "Let us move forward together!" he exclaimed. "May most holy Mary—a great woman, eh?—the mother of Jesus and of all God's children, accompany us. Thank you!" The pope then took the time to greet each person in the hall, including the families of the experts present. Pope cheers on faith and sports For over 113 years your advertisers have helped support the Denver Catholic Register! The Denver Catholic Register 1909 The Denver Catholic Register 2013 The Denver Catholic Register 1964 That's right, they're your advertisers, too. Without their support, we couldn't have brought you the Denver Catholic Register for over 113 years. Help your advertisers by supporting them. Whenever you need goods or services for your home or family, check the Denver Catholic Register first. With the help of our advertisers and your support, we'll be around for at least another 100 years! www.DenverCatholicRegister.org Support Your Advertisers! St. Peter's Square and Via della Conciliazione, the primary access route to it, was transformed into a sports track for a "100-meter sprint for faith" Oct. 20. The sprint relay was organized by the Pontifical Council for Culture and the Italian Sports Centre as a Year of Faith initiative. It concluded with the Angelus and a greeting from Pope Francis, who is known to have an affinity for sports, particularly soccer. Denver-area Catholic, Linda Del Rio, the wife of Denver Broncos' defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, attended the relay and participated in an ensuing seminar: "Believers in the World of Sports" where she was part of a roundtable that analyzed the relationship between sports and faith. The roundtable of 25 included heads of professional sports and Catholic sporting associations, and featured a talk from council president Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi "In the Beginning Was Play." Del Rio represented Alexandria, Va.based Catholic Athletes for Christ and Varsity Catholic, a division of Golden, Colo.-based FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students). Del Rio helps mentor college student-athletes through Varsity Catholic. "I tell the athletes the window of their platform—(where) God gave them the grace of their athletic ability—is very small, so they need to do something with it," she told the Denver Catholic Register Oct. 15. "(I encourage them) to live a life of virtue and character, and tell them: 'Even though you may not want the attention, you got the attention; so try to do something great with it and make a difference." According to the council, the events were intended to emphasize the importance of sport as a cultural asset of education and spiritual value, and to draw attention to the formative role sports can play in Christian catechesis. Movement 3. We must respond with unconditional love for him and for each other (Matt 5:48). 4. The call is universal: All the faithful of whatever state, are called to holiness ("Lumen Gentium," Chapter 5). 5. We are called to live with an extraordinary measure of love in the ordinary days of our daily life. 6. The saint is the one who believes in the love of God, listens to the invitation of Christ and the exhortation of the Church to love and to be holy (Bishop Giaquinta). From Page 5 sidelines, but to those who work to conquer it," Bishop Giaquinta said. Pro Sanctity's theological and spiritual foundation is built upon the following principles: 1. God who is love, loves us to the maximum (1 John 4:16). 2. He desires our total response in love for him and for each other (John 13:34).

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