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| Pope Francis Beatifies Pope Paul VI | Pope Francis Beatifies Pope Paul VI |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Sunday beatified Pope Paul VI, who died in 1978 after shepherding the church through a period of internal reform amid an era of social and political change and growing challenges to the church’s traditional teachings. | VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Sunday beatified Pope Paul VI, who died in 1978 after shepherding the church through a period of internal reform amid an era of social and political change and growing challenges to the church’s traditional teachings. |
| The ceremony closed a two-week assembly of bishops, known as a synod, convened by Francis to discuss how the church can best offer guidance to its flock in light of the complexities faced by many families today. | The ceremony closed a two-week assembly of bishops, known as a synod, convened by Francis to discuss how the church can best offer guidance to its flock in light of the complexities faced by many families today. |
| The message that emerged from the synod report approved Saturday evening is that the church will move forward. But the tumultuous closed-door discussions suggested that many bishops are challenged by efforts to change traditional church teaching, such as the offering of communion to divorced and civilly remarried Catholics, cohabitation and same-sex couples. | The message that emerged from the synod report approved Saturday evening is that the church will move forward. But the tumultuous closed-door discussions suggested that many bishops are challenged by efforts to change traditional church teaching, such as the offering of communion to divorced and civilly remarried Catholics, cohabitation and same-sex couples. |
| In his homily Sunday, the pope cited the words of Pope Paul VI, who concluded the work of the historic Second Vatican Council, which introduced significant reforms and changed how the church dialogued with other faiths — and nonbelievers, the faithful and the modern world. | |
| “By carefully surveying the signs of the times, we are making every effort to adapt ways and methods … to the growing needs of our time and the changing conditions of society,” the pope said, quoting from a 1965 apostolic letter written by Paul VI. | “By carefully surveying the signs of the times, we are making every effort to adapt ways and methods … to the growing needs of our time and the changing conditions of society,” the pope said, quoting from a 1965 apostolic letter written by Paul VI. |
| Change, Pope Francis said, is not to be feared. “God is not afraid of new things! That is why he is continually surprising us, opening our hearts and guiding us in unexpected ways,” he said in a message to 70,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the beatification and to the roughly 200 bishops and clerics who participated in the synod and were attending the Mass. | |
| Giovanni Battisti Montini, cardinal of Milan, was elected Pope Paul VI in 1963 following another reformist, Pope John XXIII, who became a saint this year along with Pope John Paul II. | |
| Paul VI was a pope of many firsts, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re told reporters last week. He was the first pope to stop wearing a papal tiara “to show that the authority of the pope is not tied to temporal power,” and when he sold the tiara to raise funds, “he gave these to the poor, a sign of his commitment to social justice.” | Paul VI was a pope of many firsts, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re told reporters last week. He was the first pope to stop wearing a papal tiara “to show that the authority of the pope is not tied to temporal power,” and when he sold the tiara to raise funds, “he gave these to the poor, a sign of his commitment to social justice.” |
| Aside from the reforms instituted by the Second Vatican Council, he cleaned house, abolishing the pontifical court and simplifying the Curia, the Vatican’s administrative arm, which Pope Francis is also trying to reform. | Aside from the reforms instituted by the Second Vatican Council, he cleaned house, abolishing the pontifical court and simplifying the Curia, the Vatican’s administrative arm, which Pope Francis is also trying to reform. |
| Paul VI understood the importance of the arts for the church and inaugurated the Vatican Museum’s collection of modern art. | |
| He promoted Christian unity and ecumenical dialogue. He was the first pope to travel to Israel before the Vatican officially recognized the state, and the first pope to visit six continents during his 15-year papacy. | He promoted Christian unity and ecumenical dialogue. He was the first pope to travel to Israel before the Vatican officially recognized the state, and the first pope to visit six continents during his 15-year papacy. |
| He is also remembered for his forthright 1968 encyclical “Humanae Vitae” (Of Human Life), which reaffirmed the church’s opposition to artificial birth control. | |
| The beatification followed the certification in May of a miracle attributed to Paul’s intercession, the healing in 2001 of an unborn fetus whom doctors expected to be born with a number of birth defects. The boy, now 13, is a healthy American teenager whose identity is being protected at the request of his parents. | The beatification followed the certification in May of a miracle attributed to Paul’s intercession, the healing in 2001 of an unborn fetus whom doctors expected to be born with a number of birth defects. The boy, now 13, is a healthy American teenager whose identity is being protected at the request of his parents. |
| A second miracle would be required for Paul VI to become a saint. | A second miracle would be required for Paul VI to become a saint. |
| In his papacy, Paul VI tried to find common ground between the church’s progressive and conservative elements, and after the Second Vatican Council he instituted the Synod of Bishops to foster continued dialogue among clerics and the Vatican. | In his papacy, Paul VI tried to find common ground between the church’s progressive and conservative elements, and after the Second Vatican Council he instituted the Synod of Bishops to foster continued dialogue among clerics and the Vatican. |
| Beyond a personal affinity with Pope Paul VI, the current pope has chosen to bring closer to sainthood a man “who had the ability to open a climate of important discussion” on many issues, said Alberto Melloni, a Vatican expert and church historian. “He is beatifying the idea that Paul VI acted in a holy way when he opened discussion, instead of saying, ‘Stop, this can’t be debated,'” he added. |