SCRANTON – As he acknowledged and again apologized for the pain of survivors of sexual abuse on April 8, 2021, Bishop Joseph C. Bambera recommitted to creating safe environments across the Diocese of Scranton.

“I pledge to continue to do all within my power to keep our Churches and schools safe for our children and for all of our people to worship, to pray, to learn and to grow in their faith,” Bishop Bambera said.

The bishop’s pledge came during a Healing Mass for Survivors of Abuse held at 12:10 p.m. at the Cathedral of Saint Peter. During the Mass, the bishop prayed for God’s healing and peace for all survivors of sexual abuse and particularly for those abused by members of the clergy and Church workers.

“While we have celebrated this Mass in a very public way for three years now, it is more vital today than ever that we continue to pray for survivors of abuse. Why? Because there is still pain,” the bishop said. “A few years of public prayer can’t change a lifetime of suffering. So many survivors continue to be burdened by nightmares of inhuman behavior on the part of those who should have been trustworthy but were not.”

Since his ordination, Bishop Bambera has met with numerous survivors of abuse who have shared their pain and taught him great lessons.

“They’ve taught me that if the Church is truly intent upon creating safe environments for its children and all of God’s people, the Church – and especially Church leaders – must never forget or allow time to numb us to the pain that was so willfully inflicted on innocent lives by those who postured themselves as God’s representatives and ministers of his love and mercy,” the bishop explained.

The month of April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. It is a time to recognize the importance of families in communities working together to prevent child mistreatment.

The Healing Mass for Survivors of Abuse took place on the Thursday in the Octave of Easter. During the Easter Octave, the Church celebrates Jesus’ victory over suffering and death through the Resurrection. As the bishop reminded the faithful, there was overwhelming pain after Jesus’ death.

“Today’s scripture passages remind us of the pain and suffering so unfairly inflicted upon Jesus – a good, innocent, loving presence consumed by a broken, sinful world. They also remind us, however, that sin and death did not have the final word in Jesus’ experience,” the bishop said. “God overcame the powers of evil and raised Jesus from the dead. We who gather in his name at this time of prayer are ‘witnesses’ to the saving, healing presence of God, not just in Jesus’ life, but in our world and in our lives as well.”

In moments of desperation, the bishop said faith can help all of us come to understand how God works.

“When we have nowhere else to turn – when we’re no longer capable of fixing the things that have gone awry in our lives – God is finally given room to step into our lives and to carry us when we can no longer walk on our own,” he explained.

As he ended his homily, the bishop again asked for healing.

“May the risen Jesus heal us of our pain, fill us with His love and strengthen us to walk together in faith and so reflect His life and love to a world so desperately in need of it,” Bishop Bambera said.

To read Bishop Bambera’s full homily from the Healing Mass for Survivors of Abuse on April 8, visit dioceseofscranton.org.

 

This image of the Divine Mercy painted in 1943 by Felician Sister Mary Fabia Szatkowska and housed at the Felician Sisters’ motherhouse in Livonia, Mich., is believed to be the first of its kind painted in North America. Masses for Divine Mercy Sunday, celebrated on the Sunday after Easter, are expected to be livestreamed in Catholic churches throughout the United States amid the coronavirus pandemic. (CNS photo/Dan Meloy, The Michigan Catholic)

Each year, on the Second Sunday of Easter, the Church celebrates the Sunday of Divine Mercy.

Mankind’s need for the message of Divine Mercy took on dire urgency in the 20th century, when civilization began again to lose the understanding of the sanctity and inherent dignity of every human life.

In the 1930s, Jesus chose a humble Polish nun, Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, to receive private revelations concerning His Divine Mercy that were recorded in her Diary.

Saint Faustina’s Diary records 14 occasions when Jesus requested that a Feast of Mercy be observed.

On May 5, 2000, five days after the canonization of Saint Faustina, the Vatican decreed that the Second Sunday of Easter would henceforth be known as the Sunday of Divine Mercy.

Divine Mercy Sunday focuses on the gift of mercy and love given through Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. As Pope John Paul II stated, “Divine Mercy reaches human beings through the heart of Christ crucified.”

 

 

“It is the joy of simplicity, the joy experienced daily by those who care for what truly matters: faithful closeness to God and to our neighbor. How good it would be if the same atmosphere, simple and radiant, sober and hopeful, were to pervade our seminarians, religious houses and presbyteries,” Pope Francis said on the upcoming occasion of the 58th Anniversary of World Day of Prayer for Vocations.

He continued, “I pray that you will experience this same joy, dear brothers and sisters who have generously made God the dream of your lives, serving him in your brothers and sisters through a fidelity that is a powerful testimony in an age of ephemeral choices and emotions that bring no lasting joy. May Saint Joseph, protector of vocations, accompany you with his fatherly heart!”

The Diocese of Scranton celebration will be held on the Fourth Sunday of Easter, April 25, at 5:00 p.m. at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, Peckville, with Bishop Joseph C. Bambera as celebrant.

“We made the decision to celebrate this year’s World Day of Prayer for Vocations at Sacred Heart,” Father Alex Roche, Diocesan Director of Vocations and Seminarians, said. “Their pastor, Father Andy Kurovsky, was pastor at my home parish of Saint Ann’s in Williamsport when I decided to enter seminary. His passion and energy were influential in my discernment so it was a natural choice to host my first WDPV as Vocation Director in Peckville.”

In addition to the Diocesan celebration, parishes are encouraged to have vocation-based homilies, vocation-themed youth ministry nights, lessons in religious education programs, recitation of the Rosary for Vocations and Holy Hours.

For more information, contact the Vocation Office at (570) 207-1452 or email vocations@dioceseofscranton.org.

 

 

SCRANTON – “Mercy is love’s second name.” These powerful words were spoken by Saint John Paul II.

In his book Divine Mercy Explained, Father Michael Gaitley explains that Divine Mercy is a particular kind of love, a particular mode of love when it encounters suffering, poverty, brokenness, and sin. Divine Mercy is when God’s love meets us and helps us in the midst of our suffering and sin.

“Speaking the truth in love all the time” are the words Catholic Women’s Conference Keynote speaker Theresa Bonopartis uses when speaking about healing from abortion and the profound effect abortion has not just on mothers, but fathers, siblings, friends and families.

Bonopartis came to her life’s work the hard way, through experiencing abortion as a teenager. Guilt, shame and regret threatened to consume her life, and for a time they did.

It was only in discovering God’s infinite mercy and capacity to forgive even the most grievous sins that she came to learn how to forgive herself.

She was inspired to reach out to others and speak openly about the most devastating moment in her life. In doing so, she discovered how to love herself again and how to embrace her faith and live her life in God’s love.

She partnered with the Sisters of Life to co-found Entering Canaan Ministry: Healing After Abortion.

Bonopartis has told her story on radio, television and before an almost countless number of audiences. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops highlighted her testimony in a nationally distributed pro-life mailing.

Little would she know that the secret tragedy of her abortion would one day be known by so many. Yet, it would not be the shame and guilt of the abortion which would send her out on her mission, but rather her dramatic healing.

In short, she tells us, “I was healed by the Divine Mercy of God.”

Taking the long road, while not the theme of this year’s conference, applies not only to Theresa Bonopartis but also to featured speaker, Father Chris Alar, a priest with the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception.

After attaining a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering and then his MBA, Father Alar worked in the automotive industry in Detroit and owned his own consulting firm before answering the call of God and entering the priesthood.

Father Alar is the author of numerous works including Explaining the Faith: Understanding Divine Mercy.

In his writing, Father Alar explores the legacy and teachings of Saint Faustina Kowalska and the diary in which she reveals her visions of Jesus and what it means to accept God’s Divine Mercy.

Father Alar tackles the difficult questions we all ask including, “Why does a merciful God allow so much suffering?” He experienced the death of his grandmother by suicide and explores the role of Divine Mercy in healing those affected when a loved one takes their own life.

Join this year’s conference and experience Divine Mercy and the restoration of your soul. In addition to Theresa Bonopartis and Father Alar, Sister Virginia Joy of the Sisters of Life will also speak of God’s healing love.

The day will include Eucharistic Adoration, Recitation of the Rosary, and Mass celebrated by Bishop Joseph C. Bambera.

Uplifting and inspirational music will be performed by Cleveland-born, Christian music artist Taylor Tripodi and her band.

Participants can also enjoy a continental breakfast, lunch and shopping at the Catholic Vendor Marketplace. Cost to attend the conference is $40 for in-person and $20 for virtual. Student tickets are $20, and women religious are welcome free of charge.

Volunteers are always needed and those who sign up for four hours at the conference will receive a free ticket. For more information and to register, visit cwcnepa.com.

 

Pope Francis leads his general audience in the library of the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican April 7, 2021. The pope said Christians are never alone in prayer but instead are accompanied by countless saints who have preceded them. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Christians are never alone in prayer but instead are accompanied by myriad saints who protect them and seek God’s intercession, Pope Francis said.

Whenever men or women open their hearts to God, they will always be in the “company of anonymous and recognized saints who pray with us and who intercede for us as older brothers and sisters who have preceded us on this same human adventure,” the pope said April 7 during his weekly general audience.

Continuing his series of talks on prayer, the pope reflected on the connection between prayer and the communion of saints who are “not far from us” and are a reminder of Jesus Christ because they have also “walked the path of life” as Christians.

“In the church, there is no mourning that remains solitary, no tear that is shed in oblivion, because everything breathes and participates in a common grace,” he said.

The tradition of having graveyards around churches is a sign of that sharing, he said. It is “as if to say that every Eucharist is attended in some way by those who have preceded us. There are our parents and grandparents, our godfathers and godmothers, our catechists and other educators,” who have not only transmitted faith but also “the way of praying.”

The saints, he explained, are “witnesses that we do not adore — that is understood, we do not worship these saints -– but whom we venerate and who in thousands of different ways bring us to Jesus Christ, the only Lord and mediator between God and human beings.”

Departing from his prepared remarks, the pope said the lives of saints also serve as a reminder that “even in our lives, though weak and marked by sin, holiness can blossom.”

“In the Gospels, we read that the first ‘canonized’ saint was a thief and he was ‘canonized’ not by a pope, but by Jesus himself,” he said. “Holiness is a path of life, of encounter with Jesus, whether long or short, or in an instant, but always a witness” of God’s love.

The pope also highlighted the need for Christians to pray for one another, which is “the first way of loving” others.

In times of tension, he said, “one way to dissolve the conflict, to soften it, is to pray for the person with whom I am in conflict. Something changes with prayer; the first thing that changes is my heart, my attitude. The Lord changes it to make an encounter possible, a new encounter, and prevents the conflict from becoming a war without end.”

Pope Francis said the first thing people must do in times of anguish is to ask “our brothers and sisters, the saints above all, to pray for us” because they will “give us hand to obtain from God the graces we need most.”

Christians who “have not reached the breaking point” and persevere in times of trial perhaps owe it to the intercession of the saints who are not only in heaven, but also the holy men and women here on earth, the pope added.

“They don’t know it, neither do we, but there are saints, everyday saints, hidden saints or as I like to say the ‘saints next door,’ those who live in life with us, who work with us, and lead a life of holiness,” he said.

 

A Walgreens health care professional prepares a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTec COVID-19 vaccine in Evanston, Ill., Feb. 22, 2021. (CNS photo/Kamil Krzaczynski, Reuters)

WASHINGTON (CNS) — On World Health Day, April 7, a new group of 31 U.S. Catholic organizations encouraged people to get the COVID-19 vaccine as an act of charity and solidarity with others.

The group also emphasized the need for vaccine equity in the United States and around the world.

“This is a clarion call for us to act,” said Mercy Sister Mary Haddad, president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association, noting the significance of announcing formation of the group on World Health Day and stressing the role faith-based providers can play as the world makes initial steps to recover from the global pandemic.

She said the pandemic has shown us that “we are so interconnected as a global community; we can’t just act in isolation.”

Sister Haddad said this new coalition represents all social ministries of the church coming together and is a chance to elevate the work they do and to show how they serve everyone, not just the Catholic population.

She also said it is a way for ministries to respond to this ongoing pandemic at a time when people, other than those in health care ministries, are looking for ways they can help.

“Our faith propels us to act and here is our chance to do that,” she told Catholic News Service April 7.

The coalition includes the CHA, Catholic Charities USA, Catholic Relief Services and Jesuit Refugee Service along with religious orders and groups representing church ministries in education, chaplaincy, advocacy and mission work.

It aims to spread the word about the importance of the COVID-19 vaccine through each group’s social media platforms and also on the coalition’s website: www.catholiccares.com, which has resources from Catholic social teaching, words of Pope Francis and statements from the U.S. Catholic bishops about the moral responsibility to get vaccinated.

The group also is emphasizing the need to make sure the vaccine gets to everyone, particularly communities of color, those in rural areas and places with limited vaccine availability. It also is stressing the urgency of vaccine access in developing countries and among refugees and displaced persons.

Leaders of Catholic organizations that are part of this coalition issued statements about its importance in press materials issued April 7.

Sean Callahan, president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services, said the pandemic and its “shadow pandemics of hunger and poverty are ravishing many countries around the world” and said the most vulnerable “deserve the same access to life saving vaccines that we have.”

He also said the common good “requires that we make vaccine access equitable globally since we can only defeat this virus here if we defeat it everywhere.”

CRS is the U.S. bishops’ overseas relief and development agency.

Dominican Sister Donna Markham, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, noted the early Christians demonstrated a “profound sense of community and concern for those in need,” which are just as important today “especially during this challenging moment as we seek to emerge from the pandemic.”

“Each of us plays a part by getting vaccinated and practicing safety measures for the good of all, and by doing everything we can to ensure that those who are most in need have access to the vaccine and protective equipment,” she said.

Sister Haddad pointed out that early on, even in the previous White House administration, she had been involved in Zoom calls about how faith groups could respond with the expected vaccine rollout amid a reported vaccine hesitancy.

Now, further in the vaccine rollout, she noted there is not just hesitancy about the COVID-19 vaccine, “but downright resistance.”

Looking at how to break through that and change behaviors, she said, often means tapping into belief systems and asking: “What does our faith call us to do? How do we care for others?”

The Mercy sister at the helm of an organization with more than 2,200 Catholic hospitals, nursing homes, long-term care facilities, systems, sponsors and related organizations in the United States, was part of a roundtable discussion on this very topic March 31 with faith leaders and Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Everyone is talking about this, not just Catholics, but this is our opportunity to rise to the occasion,” she said.

 

 

SCRANTON – By defeating death through the power of the resurrection, Jesus provides hope and a way forward amid the pain and struggles in our lives.

That is the message Bishop Joseph C. Bambera provided to the faithful during Easter Sunday Mass, April 4, at the Cathedral of Saint Peter.

“Through their encounter with the risen Jesus, the lives of those who ventured to his tomb were changed forever,” Bishop Bambera said. “Their lives were changed because God had redirected the course of human history through the resurrection of his Son. By embracing our humanity, Jesus gave us hope by identifying with us in his life, suffering and death.”

Just like the first followers of Jesus, the bishop noted that many people had uncertainty, pain and confusion at the beginning of the current COVID-19 pandemic just one year ago. Despite the challenges associated with the virus, many healthcare workers, first responders, clergy, religious and essential workers not only consoled frightened individuals but also inspired them.

“Like the women who ventured to the tomb of Jesus on that first Easter day, these selfless souls would not allow themselves to be paralyzed. Instead, they worked tirelessly to keep the flame of hope burning in our lives,” Bishop Bambera explained. “And so did all of you! More than you might realize, you provided hope. In so many and different ways, you responded to the needs of others and you served generously and selflessly by telephoning shut-ins. You delivered food, helped teach your children and grandchildren, you shared from your bounty with those less fortunate.”

The bishop also emphasized the words of Pope Francis, in his most recent encyclical letter, Fratelli tutti, which said, “No one is saved alone; we can only be saved together.”

“This Easter Day, more than any other, reminds us that although wounded and broken, we are loved and have reason to hope because Jesus has triumphed over sin and death. For such great gifts, may we simply give thanks. And may we trust that the risen Lord, who has won for us the fullness of life, will grasp hold of our hands and lead us to peace,” the bishop said as he ended his homily.

The 10:00 a.m. Mass on Easter was televised by CTV: Catholic Television of the Diocese of Scranton. It was also livestreamed on the Diocese of Scranton website, YouTube channel and social media platforms.

More than 150 people attending the Mass wore face masks and were at social distances from one another in alternating pews, in accordance with COVID-19 safety protocols. The Mass opened with the joyful song, “Jesus Christ Is Risen Today.”

During the Mass, prayers were offered for those afflicted by the coronavirus.

After celebrating Easter last year at home on television or via livestream, many parishioners were thrilled to be back at Mass in person this Holy Week and Easter.

“I’m really excited. I’m happy that the churches are finally open and allowing people to be safe, socially distant and take precautions but actually be back at church,” parishioner Tara Marta said.

“It was really hard last year not being able to come here and worship,” Laura Welde of Archbald said. “I’m very happy. It feels very good.”

“It’s the holiest time of the Christian calendar. It is very important to be in church. Unfortunately, everybody can’t fit in here but they do show everything on television and people do like to watch from home but it’s not like being here in person. Nothing beats it,” Bernadette Hopkins of Throop added.

“It just felt too unnatural not to be able to come to church. You don’t realize it until you can’t come,” Ann Atanasoff of Clarks Summit explained. “It is not the same as being here in person!”

 

 

Holy Week 2021:  Stirring a Deeper Sense of Community!

Our Lady of the Snows Parish in Clarks Summit has been reaching out and staying connected to the elder population of parishioners since the pandemic started over a year ago with its Calls of Kindness program.   Some 1,200 phone calls have been made by over 25 volunteers throughout this past year.  These same volunteers are now among those individuals delivering surprise Easter Loaves of Joy to the senior members of our parish throughout and beyond the Abington Hills.

We are now reaching out to over 300 parishioners who are 80 years of age or older with Easter Loaves of Joy, by delivering a basket with a fresh home-baked loaf of bread to them for Easter.

For this baked bread project, the talents and expertise of a group of over 25 volunteer bakers were coordinated by one of our long-involved parishioners, Donna Coleman. They baked a variety of breads such as banana-nut, cinnamon-raisin, blueberry, carrot, chocolate-zucchini and many more.

Over twenty 7th and 8th Grade students in our Religious Ed program then joined the adult volunteers and helped in many ways, from putting together the handmade baskets to helping in delivery of them with the support of their parents.  Their involvement was part of completing their community service hours for their upcoming Confirmation celebration in May.

In addition to the students and parents, some 25 volunteers made deliveries throughout the parish community this week.

Some of the thankful and happy reactions from our parishioners were: “This is a special little hug from God”; “How nice to be remembered by our parish”.  All were very visibly moved by the outreach efforts of their parish community.

The volunteers also felt great joy while delivering the baskets.  One driver commented; “What a joy it is bringing smiles to their faces”!

“The entire project is a reflection of the compassionate care that has always been a hallmark of this vibrant parish” said Msgr. Joseph G. Quinn, pastor of Our Lady of the Snows Parish. 

 

Pope Francis lights the paschal candle at the start of the Easter Vigil in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican April 3, 2021. The Easter Vigil was celebrated in a near empty basilica for the second year in a row as Italy continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The Easter liturgies — with the fire, sharing of light from the paschal candle, the renewal of baptismal promises and the proclamation that Jesus has risen – assure people that it is never too late to start again, Pope Francis said.

“It is always possible to begin anew, because there is a new life that God can awaken in us in spite of all our failures,” the pope said April 3 during his celebration of the Easter Vigil.

With Italy in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Pope Francis celebrated a pared-down vigil at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica with an estimated 200 people present and returned the next morning with a similarly small congregation for Easter Mass and to give his blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the city and the world).

The vigil was simpler than usual, but there still was the blessing of the fire, which blazed at the foot of the basilica’s main altar, and the lighting of the Easter candle. Then, the darkened basilica slowly began to glow with the light of candles being shared by the concelebrants and the faithful present.

Pope Francis celebrates the Easter Vigil in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican April 3, 2021. The Easter Vigil was celebrated in a near empty basilica for the second year in a row as Italy continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

In his homily at the vigil, the pope said the Gospel proclamation of the resurrection and the angel’s invitation to the women at Jesus’ tomb to “go to Galilee” was a call to return to “the place where the Lord first sought them out and called them to follow him.”

Although his followers often misunderstood Jesus and even abandoned him “in the face of the cross,” he still urges them to “begin anew,” the pope said.

“In this Galilee,” the pope said, “we learn to be amazed by the Lord’s infinite love, which opens new trails along the path of our defeats.”

The pope said the call to return to Galilee also means to set out on a new path, away from the tomb and from indulging in grief.

Like those at the tomb, he said, “many people experience such a ‘faith of memories,’ as if Jesus were someone from the past, an old friend from their youth who is now far distant, an event that took place long ago, when they attended catechism as a child.”

“Let us go to Galilee, then, to discover that God cannot be filed away among our childhood memories, but is alive and filled with surprises,” he said. “Risen from the dead, Jesus never ceases to amaze us.”

The call to go to Galilee — a region inhabited by “those farthest from the ritual purity of Jerusalem” — is a reminder for Christians to go out to the peripheries and imitate Jesus who brought the presence of God to those who were excluded.

“The Risen Lord is asking his disciples to go there even now, to the settings of daily life, the streets we travel every day, the corners of our cities,” the pope said. “There the Lord goes ahead of us and makes himself present in the lives of those around us, those who share in our day, our home, our work, our difficulties and hopes.”

Pope Francis said Jesus calls on all Christians today to “overcome barriers, banish prejudices” and to recognize the Lord “here in our Galilees, in everyday life.”

“If on this night, you are experiencing an hour of darkness, a day that has not yet dawned, a light dimmed or a dream shattered,” he said, “open your heart with amazement to the message of Easter: ‘Do not be afraid, he has risen! He awaits you in Galilee.'”

As is customary, Pope Francis did not preach at the Easter morning Mass, which featured the chanting of the Gospel in both Latin and Greek.

With Italy on another lockdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the pope gave his Easter blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the city and the world) standing inside St. Peter’s Basilica rather than from the balcony overlooking a full St. Peter’s Square.

“The Easter message does not offer us a mirage or reveal a magic formula,” the pope said before giving the blessing. “It does not point to an escape from the difficult situation we are experiencing. The pandemic is still spreading, while the social and economic crisis remains severe, especially for the poor.”

The pope offered prayers for the sick and those who have died of COVID-19 and for the doctors and nurses who have made “valiant efforts” to care for the pandemic’s victims.

And he had special words of Easter hope for young people struggling in isolation from their friends. “Experiencing real human relationships, not just virtual relationships, is something that everyone needs, especially at an age when a person’s character and personality is being formed,” he said.

“I express my closeness to young people throughout the world and, in these days, especially to the young people of Myanmar committed to supporting democracy and making their voices heard peacefully, in the knowledge that hatred can be dispelled only by love,” he said.

Pope Francis prayed for many places in the world where the need to fight the pandemic has not silenced the weapons of war and violence.

“This is scandalous,” he said. “Armed conflicts have not ended and military arsenals are being strengthened.”

The Gospel witnesses to the Resurrection, he said, “report an important detail: the risen Jesus bears the marks of the wounds in his hands, feet and side. These wounds are the everlasting seal of his love for us. All those who experience a painful trial in body or spirit can find refuge in these wounds and, through them, receive the grace of the hope that does not disappoint.”

“May the light of the risen Jesus be a source of rebirth for migrants fleeing from war and extreme poverty,” he prayed. “Let us recognize in their faces the marred and suffering face of the Lord as he walked the path to Calvary. May they never lack concrete signs of solidarity and human fraternity, a pledge of the victory of life over death that we celebrate on this day.”

And, while the pandemic restrictions meant simpler and smaller Vatican celebrations of Easter, Pope Francis noted that in many places the limitations are stricter and even prevent people from going to church.

“We pray that those restrictions, as well as all restrictions on freedom of worship and religion worldwide, may be lifted and everyone be allowed to pray and praise God freely,” he said.

Calling again for a fair and speedy distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, the pope said that “in embracing the cross, Jesus bestowed meaning on our sufferings, and now we pray that the benefits of that healing will spread throughout the world.”