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COMMISSION IN THE NEWS REFLECTIONS
  Vatican Covid-19 Commission  Reflections
English

Reflections
Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?
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 A section dedicated to spiritual, philosophical, and theological reflection and
meditations in this time of pandemic and post-pandemic, that serve the soul to find
strength and motivation to go joyfully into the future.

Following what the Holy Father told us on March 27, 2020: " finding the courage to
create spaces where everyone can recognize that they are called, and to allow new
forms of hospitality, fraternity and solidarity. By his cross we have been saved in
order to embrace hope and let it strengthen and sustain all measures and all
possible avenues for helping us protect ourselves and others. Embracing the Lord in
order to embrace hope: that is the strength of faith, which frees us from fear and
gives us hope".

The content of the proposed reflections is not necessarily shared by the Commission
nor does it imply its direct responsibility.

Pope Francis

ENCYCLICAL LETTER ON FRATERNITY AND SOCIAL FRIENDSHIP

"Fratelli tutti"

We publish in this section the Encyclical Letter "Fratelli tutti", signed by Pope
Francis in Assisi on 3 October.

It proposes fraternity and social friendship as the ways indicated to build a better,
more just and peaceful world, with the commitment of all: people and institutions. The
Encyclical is in continuity with the previous Laudato si' of 2015, in which the Holy
Father - after denouncing the evils that afflict the common home also due to the
activities of people - proposes integral ecology as an instrument of love and respect
for all (and among all) and for creation. In "Fratelli tutti" the Pope emphasizes that in
the common home we all live as one family and proposes concrete actions to restore
the world and overcome the ills generated by the pandemic crisis, which has now
become a health, economic, social, anthropological and political crisis: peace, because
no work will be possible if nations and peoples continue to fight each other; dialogue,
because each finds its completeness in the other; the strengthening of multilateralism
and no to any kind of war; the fight against the globalization of indifference and the
promotion of social inclusion.
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 As Pope Francis
said on Sunday,
October 4,
2020, when he
presented it to
the world
during the
Angelus, "I
offered the
Encyclical to
God at the
tomb of St.
Francis, from
whom I drew
inspiration, as I
did for the
previous
Laudato si'. The
signs of the
times clearly
show that
human
fraternity and
care for
creation form
the only way
towards
integral
development
and peace,
already indicated by the Holy Popes John XXIII, Paul VI and John Paul II".

It is clear the message of inclusion that the Encyclical wants to highlight and propose
from the very first lines. Indeed:

1. “FRATELLI TUTTI”.[1] With these words, Saint Francis of Assisi addressed his
brothers and sisters and proposed to them a way of life marked by the flavour of
the Gospel. Of the counsels Francis offered, I would like to select the one in which he
calls for a love that transcends the barriers of geography and distance, and declares
blessed all those who love their brother “as much when he is far away from him as
when he is with him”.[2] In his simple and direct way, Saint Francis expressed the
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 essence of a fraternal openness that allows us to acknowledge, appreciate and love
each person, regardless of physical proximity, regardless of where he or she was born
or lives.

2. This saint of fraternal love, simplicity and joy, who inspired me to write the
Encyclical Laudato Si’, prompts me once more to devote this new Encyclical to
fraternity and social friendship. Francis felt himself a brother to the sun, the sea and
the wind, yet he knew that he was even closer to those of his own flesh. Wherever he
went, he sowed seeds of peace and walked alongside the poor, the abandoned, the
infirm and the outcast, the least of his brothers and sisters.

"Fratelli tutti" is available in different languages

(AR - DE - EN - ES - FR - IT - PL - PT); it can be downloaded from the website of
the Libreria Editrice Vaticana .

Pope Francis, preface by Card. Michael Czerny, SJ

"Life a"er the pandemic"

The book published by the Librería Editora Vaticana contains eight interventions by
the Pope in the first months of the year marked by the coronavirus pandemic. The
reading is guided by the preface of Cardinal Michael Czerny, Under-Secretary of the
Dicastery's Migrants Section for the Service of Integral Human Development, which
illustrates the Pope's unitary thinking, his vision of the future of humanity, full of love
and hope.

"Life after the Pandemic" is the new book published by the Vatican Publishing House,
available free of charge in digital format on the Publishing House's website and on
the landing page of Vatican News. It contains the reflections of Pope Francis - written
and spoken texts - on the coronavirus pandemic that has spread in the human family,
outlining the guidelines for a new beginning that has the taste of a rebirth.

Eight texts, dated 27 March to 22 April, which could be read as a unique development
of his thought and as a rich message to humanity. The preface is signed by Cardinal
Michael Czerny, SJ, Under-Secretary of the Section of Migrants and Refugees of the
Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development. It highlights the two
objectives of this collection: "to suggest a direction, keys to reading and guidelines for
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 rebuilding a better world
that could be born out of
this crisis of humanity"
(p. 3) and to sow hope in
the midst of so much
suffering and
bewilderment. These
eight texts, writes
Cardinal Czerny, "show
the warm and inclusive
approach of Pope
Francis, which does not
reduce people to units to
be counted, measured
and administered, but
altogether in the
common humanity and
spirit" (P5).

The book is available in

5

languages (IT/EN/FR/ES/PT) and can be downloaded from the website Librería

Editora Vaticana

Papa Francisco, preface by Card. Peter K.A. Turkson

"To Heal the World. Catechesis on the

Pandemic"
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 The book (E-Book)
published by
the Librería Editora
Vaticana gathers the
nine Catecheses of
Pope Francis on the
Covid-19 Pandemic
during his General
Audiences from August
5, 2020, to September
30, 2020.

In the preface, Card.

Peter K. A. Turkson,
Prefect of the Dicastery
for the Service of
Integral Human
Development states the
following: "In his
catecheses, delivered in
the Wednesday public
audiences of August
and September 2020,
Pope Francis wished to
address the Church and
the world with words of
comfort, proposing
inspiring alternatives to
our old lifestyles, habits
and social structures
that the pandemic has
revealed as lacking in justice, unsustainable and requiring drastic reforms to preserve
the central value of the human person. The normality to which the Pope would like us
to aspire as missionary disciples is that of God's Reign of justice, peace, and equality
among sisters and brothers who have God as their Father, which we must anticipate
on earth through our actions, policies, and decisions.

In this e-book, after each chapter, we include some points of reflection in order to
work on each text in a more profound way, both individually and in parishes,
groups, families, etc.
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 The book is now available in 5 languages (IT/EN/FR/ES/PT) and can be downloaded
free of charge from Librería Editora Vaticana

“Heal the World - Catechesis Covid-19 -

Pope Francis

07 October 2020 30 September 23 September 16 September

2020 2020 2020
To Heal
the Preparing Subsidiarity Care of
World. the future and virtue the
Catechesis together of hope common
on the with #CatechessiCovidhome and
Pandemic Jesus who contemplative
saves and dimension
heals READ ALL #CatechesisCovid
READ ALL
#CatechesisCovid
READ ALL
READ ALL

1 2 3

Pray the Holy Rosary in times of pandemic and illness with the new Crisis & Health
Rosary

Crisis & Health Rosary

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 The Coronavirus has
caused a global
humanitarian crisis all
over the world. All plans,
strategies and desires
have been stopped and
now the world has a
time of deep reflection.
This moment in history
causes a change in
human lives that needs
to be transformed into
action.

Brothers and sisters are

turning back their eyes
to God, to trust in his
infinite mercy and ask
for his assistance in
healing the wounds
caused by this
pandemic. Furthermore,
there is an urgent need
to stop all the diseases
that have hurt recently:
the economic
inequalities, the plight of
the poor, the
environmental abuse
against our own
Common House.

The Pope invitation during this time is to heal the world through prayer. It is the most
powerful way to let the Lord to transform our heart and open ourselves to take care
of others. As Pope Francis says: “Reflect and work together, as followers of the
healing Jesus, to build a better world full of hope for future generations”.

The Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network has been working on an initiative to respond
to this call of the Church, too. As a result, a new rosary for this time of pandemic and
illnesses has been launched: The Crisis & Health Rosary. The Vatican's COVID-19
Commission, have elaborated the content. The writers, members of the Commission,
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 intended to guide the prayer by linking some of the painful and struggling stories of
people from all over the world with the contemplation of the different mysteries of the
Rosary.

This rosary wants to strengthen the prayer for the world. For this purpose, real
testimonies related to the COVID-19 can be found in each mystery. For example the
story of David, who is confined to bed in his home for the elderly, after having tested
positive for coronavirus. These are life experiences that will help to rediscover the
Gospel lit up by the pandemic situation.

The Crisis & Health Rosary is available for Amazon Kindle and in the Google Play
Books store. Furthermore, the Rosary can be downloaded for free as an EPUB, MOBI
or PDF through the website www.popesprayer.va and also on this website, here
below.

In addition, this new rosary will be also launched for the app Click To Pray eRosary on
October 7, day of Our Lady of the Rosary. It can be downloaded totally for
free for iOS and Android in five languages: english, italian, french, portuguese and
spanish. An audio guide will lead the user through the mysteries and it will help them
to contemplate the Gospel while listening to the testimonies of those affected by the
pandemic. Background music and special content are also available to aid them in
their spiritual concentration.

Reflections Mons. Bruno-Marie Duffé

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 Mgr Bruno Marie Duffé, Secretary of the Department for the Service of Integral
Human Development, offers us a reflection on the situation we are experiencing
and which is linked above all to the work of the Vatican Commission COVID-19
(Download them in PDF by clicking on each of the titles below).

2020-03-29- URGENCY OF CARE AND SOLIDARITY: THE MISSION OF THE

CHURCH AS JESUS CHRIST GAVE IT TO HIS DISCIPLES
2020-04-27-OPEN LETTER TO THE PROTAGONISTS OF THE FUTURE
2020-05-04-A MESSAGE OF HOPE AND LUCIDITY
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 Reflections

07 October 2020 07 October 2020 30 September 23 September

2020 2020
To Heal Crisis and
the Health Preparing Subsidiarity
World. Rosary the future and virtue
Catechesis together of hope
on the with #CatechessiCovid
Pandemic Jesus who
READ ALL
saves and
heals READ ALL
READ ALL
#CatechesisCovid

READ ALL

1 2 3 4

Living beyond the Crisis - Fr Federico

Lombardi
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 All reflections by Father Federico Lombardi, published on Vatican News in the section
"Beyond the crisis", are an opportunity to meditate on the period of the pandemic, on
the profound meanings that the coronavirus requires us to read in the events that are
happening and on the prospects for the future, beyond the crisis.

VATICAN NEWS - BEYOND THE CRISIS

Marcelo Figueroa
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 Marcelo Figueroa, theologian and biblical scholar, director of the Argentinian edition
of the L'Osservatore Romano, reflects on the COVID-19 pandemic times.

1st of MAY Working in a time of pandemic

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