Paulina Guzik
@Guzik_Paulina • 9,141 subscribers
journalist, intl editor @osvnews, fr anchor @ReligiaTVP, dr hab. @UPJP2, research scholar 2021 @CatholicProj, comms coach @iesebschool, wife, mom of 2
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In what will certainly become one of the most fundamental speeches of his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV told the Spanish Parliament, before receiving a 7-minute standing ovation: "The defense of human life is neither a partisan issue nor a confessional interest: it is a goal of civilization." "If life ceases to be recognized as a fundamental value, what future can our societies have?" he said, speaking to a gathering of politicians, many supporting abortion and euthanasia. "Can a community that casts into the shadows the unborn child, the elderly, the sick, those who suffer in silence, or those who depend entirely on the care of others be called fully just?" "Every human life must be recognized and safeguarded from conception to its natural end, in every circumstance of its existence. When this certainty is obscured, the most vulnerable are the first victims, and the law loses its deepest meaning: to serve and protect every person." "For this reason, the moral greatness of a nation is manifested, above all, in its capacity to accompany, protect and love those lives that are most fragile," he said, repeating what John Paul II emphasized decades ago. Starting his speech he commented that Church's is the "message offered in the spirit of service to the human person." "When the Church addresses anything concerning public life, she does so while respecting the proper mission of institutions and the legitimate responsibility of those who have received the mandate to legislate," Pope Leo said, emphasizing "the Church offers a reflection born of the desire to serve the common good." He hailed Spain as country that "has known how to view the human being as more than just a cog in the social, economic or political order. It has recognized the human being as a creature open to truth, endowed with freedom, and driven by a thirst for eternity that no temporal reality can quench -- in a word, as someone whose dignity takes precedence over all utility and to whose service legislative action is subject." He said it was Catholic orders that "helped to shape a legal and moral consciousness capable of remembering that authority always entails responsibility and that every human being must be recognized as a subject of rights and duties." "That aspiration continues to resonate today: that dignity, justice and the common good should be the measure of social relations, both at the national and international levels." Referring multiple times to his "Magnifica Humanitas" encyclical, he said: "When the common good ceases to be a shared horizon, public action runs the risk of fragmenting into partial interests, incapable of safeguarding what belongs to all." "In this context, the family — the primary human reality and the natural foundation of the community — takes on particular importance," Pope Leo said. "The family will always be the first school of humanity, where one learns, before anywhere else, the basic grammar of living together: welcoming life, caring for others, forgiving, serving and belonging." "Human life can never be treated as a commodity," the pope said. "A law does not attain its true greatness merely by having been formally enacted; it attains it when, in addition to being valid in form, it can stand before the dignity of the person and pass that test without shame." "I invite you, then, to lift your gaze to the world around you, not to turn away from reality, but to remember that every decision by public authorities affects real people, especially those who have less power to make their voices heard." "The expanse of one’s vision consists precisely in looking more deeply at what is at stake in every public decision. This is why, alongside technical solutions and legal reforms, a moral renewal is also needed." Video: Vatican Media (fragment of speech follows)
Paulina Guzik180,578 Aufrufe • vor 13 Stunden
Queen Letizia clearly enjoys chatting with Pope Leo XIV in her home - the Royal Palace of Madrid. Princess Leonor, the future Queen, and Infanta Sofía - younger daughter of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, also greeted the pope in the Palacio Real, wearing black, as the "privilège du blanc" is designated to female royalty. Video: Vatican Media
Paulina Guzik141,247 Aufrufe • vor 2 Tagen
Antonio Banderas, representing the world of culture, was on cloud nine to chat with Pope Leo after his speech. To the applause of the packed giant sports and event arena in Madrid, Banderas affirmed: „The relationship between the Catholic Church and art has not only been fruitful: it has been decisive.” „We are not afraid to say that the Church has been the greatest producer of art in the history of humanity.” „At the heart of this creative impulse is the one who transcends centuries, styles, and cultures, and who has certainly been the most represented figure in the history of art: Jesus Christ,” Banderas said tonight. In a meeting that seeks to answer what does it mean to the world today to „Lift up your eyes” - the theme of the trip to Spain, Banderas said that „Art must be an alternative to all forms of violence.” „Just as Christ himself did, the artist must act with courage and not abandon being a critical voice to society, to art itself, and to religion itself.” Video: Vatican Media
Paulina Guzik56,273 Aufrufe • vor 1 Tag
Amazing scenes in Madrid, Spanish capital of 3,5 mln people, 7 mln in the metropolitan area, where 1,5 mln witness Eucharistic procession with Pope Leo XIV carrying the Blessed Sacrament in the heart of the city, with First Communion girls laying flower petals en route. Video: Vatican Media
Paulina Guzik41,484 Aufrufe • vor 1 Tag
Catholic King Felipe VI of Spain, welcoming the pope on behalf of The Queen and their daughters: Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía, the Government and "the entire Spanish people," said that "For all Spanish speakers, it is a privilege that you understand and regularly use the language we share, thanks to your years of missionary life and pastoral work in Peru, alongside the Order of Saint Augustine. And we feel fortunate that everything that Latin America represents is also very close to your hearts." "You are arriving in a country where part of your roots lie," the king said. "You are welcomed by a people you know well: vibrant and spirited, supportive and tolerant; also creative and cosmopolitan." "The Catholic faith is deeply rooted in our country, and without it -- as you well know -- our history and culture would be incomprehensible," the king said, invoking Spain's giants of faith St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila. "In these times, we run the risk of forgetting what truly matters, of slipping into the mistaken belief that -- with many of our points of reference swept away by the tide of current events -- anything goes, everything is permissible, negotiable, and justifiable. And that is not the case," the king said. "Human dignity, human rights, democratic values, and international law must remain our prime numbers... Because in them -- in their myriad combinations -- lies the arithmetic of freedom, equality, and justice; the kind that adds and multiplies, not the kind that subtracts and divides."
Paulina Guzik52,089 Aufrufe • vor 2 Tagen
Christopher Olah, a Canadian billionaire businessman and researcher who co-founded AI giant Anthropic, sitting in the Synodal Hall and speaking next to Pope Leo said, closing his speech: "I'd like to close with a request. We need more of the world - religious communities, civil society, scholars, governments - to do what His Holiness has done here: to take this seriously, to look closely, and to push events in a better direction. We need informed critics who will tell the labs when we are failing. We need moral voices that the incentives cannot bend. Today is just the beginning - the start of a long collaboration between those of us who are building this and those who can see what we, from inside, cannot. Today is a powerful illustration of the form this global project of good will might take. Let it also be a decisive first step toward a hopeful future for magnificent humanity."
Paulina Guzik167,364 Aufrufe • vor 14 Tagen
Pope Leo XIV was expected to reflect on pressing social issues and to refer - in his addresses to the Spanish society - to his groundbreaking "Magnifica Humanitas" encyclical. He did not disappoint. If you need Pope Leo's "Magnifica Humanitas" soundbite, here it comes: " We must avoid humiliating or antagonistic words, opting rather for a clarity that sheds light and a frankness that unlocks new possibilities. We cannot condone naïve enthusiasms, nor fuel unfounded fears. Instead, let us establish standards for discernment -- the dignity of the human person, the universal destination of goods, the preferential option for the poor, care for our common home and peace -- and let us translate these standards into practices such as responsible planning, the assessment of human and social impact, the inclusion of the most vulnerable, the promotion of digital literacy and guiding research and industry toward justice and peace." (Magnifica Humanitas, 14).
Paulina Guzik23,165 Aufrufe • vor 2 Tagen
Pope Leo just gave a major catechesis on the place of religion in the public square in Spain -- celebrating Mass in front of the city's town hall, Palacio Cibeles -- and the impact that Catholic heritage of the Spanish people can have on the common good and human relationships. This is precisely what Spaniards were hoping for, which we learned in Madrid before the papal trip -- that Pope Leo would encourage Catholics in the country to be signs of hope and have courage to speak up about their faith in public. During his homily Pope Leo emphasized that a remedy for Spain's problems and wounds today is the Catholic faith lived truly and publicly by Spanish people. "The task of Spain today and in the future," Pope Leo said, is "to ensure that the religiosity which has shaped and defined this country for centuries is not a museum of the past to be visited, but a school of faith from which to draw even today." He said it's a "school that teaches us to kneel before God and before our neighbor, because no one can kneel before the Lord and despise their brother; A school that teaches us of the gratuitousness of love that becomes a gift, so that it may flow among us and break the chains of all selfishness; A school from which we learn that God is a real presence and that we too are called to be present in the realities and challenges of society, not shying away, but personally committing ourselves to the building of the common good." The historical memory of the Corpus Christi processions, he said, "is not confined to wistful nostalgia." "Instead, it stands as an invitation in the present moment, in our daily lives, in our relationships, in society, and in the building of the future," Pope Leo said before he will take to the streets to walk with the monstrance on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi in Spain. "It is not merely a matter of bringing out the monstrance, but of allowing ourselves to be brought out of our selfishness and indifference, of a comfortable, private faith, so as to respond to his invitation to conversion, to change our perspective, and to welcome his presence which transforms us and makes us builders of a new world," Pope Leo said. "Here in Madrid, as in many other parts of Spain, Corpus Christi is more than just another celebration on the liturgical calendar. It is a way of returning to the heart of the faith to renew our love and fidelity to God." "It is a profession of faith in the presence of the risen Lord, who is alive and continues to walk among us, who becomes bread to satiate our hunger for life, and visits the recesses of our hearts and history, even those shrouded in darkness." "Just as Christ gives himself as food in the Eucharistic celebration," he said, "the procession shows that he is not confined to the church, but comes out to meet us." "Jesus travels the streets, crosses the squares and visits our neighborhoods, dwelling in the settings of our daily lives. He is a God who is close to us, who walks with his people, the Lord of history. He is comfort to the weak, light for families, hope for the sick and peace for those who suffer. The Christ who processes through the streets in the monstrance is the same one who identifies with the poor, the downtrodden, those who are alone and forsaken. It is no coincidence that the Church here in Spain has long combined the Solemnity of Corpus Christi with the Day for Charity," Pope Leo said at Plaza de Cibeles. The appeal he gave at the end of Mass is in the video below: "Let us drink anew from this Eucharistic spring, which does not enclose us in private devotion, but sends us out to refresh our brothers and sisters, our families, the poor, the suffering, and those who have lost hope. Eucharistic grace transforms us and makes us protagonists of the transformation of history, a sign of hope for those we meet." "May the Lord Jesus, present in the Eucharist, transform you into bread that is broken, given, and offered, so that a life of fullness may spring forth for you, for your families, and for your country." Video: Vatican Media.
Paulina Guzik13,978 Aufrufe • vor 1 Tag
Absolute euphoria in Spain to receive Pope Leo after 15 years without a papal visit🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇻🇦🇻🇦🇻🇦
Paulina Guzik22,750 Aufrufe • vor 2 Tagen
46 lat różnicy między nagraniami. Tradycja Via Crucis wciąż niezmienna. Jan Paweł II niósł samodzielnie krzyż w l. 1980-1994, kiedy pozwalało mu zdrowie. Papież Leon wznawiając niesienie krzyża przez papieża przez całą Drogę Krzyżową chciał „nieść także te cierpienia” innych w swojej modlitwie.
Paulina Guzik270,052 Aufrufe • vor 2 Monaten
African Church vibes during Papal Mass in Yaoundé, Cameroon Video: Vatican Media
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Pontifex comes to Cameroon as a messenger of peace in a country divided by internal conflict. The separatist alliance announced a 3-day ceasefire for the papal visit so people can safely participate. Pope Leo is welcomed by a voice of little-girl-speaker at the airport.
Paulina Guzik88,002 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat
Pope John Paul II was shot on St. Peter's Square 45 years ago, on May 13, 1981. He was rushed to Gemelli clinic, with ambulance desperately trying to make it on time through the Roman traffic. Operation lasted 4 hours, with what Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz later described as a last minute arrival to the clinic before it was too late. Days after the assassination attempt the pope started to study the coincidence of dates and realized -- and believed since -- that the bishop in white "shot" in the Third Secret of Fatima was himself and that he was saved by Our Lady 64 years after she appeared to the Portuguese little shepherds. A year after the assassination attempt, he traveled to Fatima, where he suffered another assassination attempt -- from an unstable ex-priest. The bullet that should have killed him on May 13, 1981, according to Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca, was placed in the crown of Our Lady of Fatima. "Why didn't you die" Agca reportedly asked John Paul in prison, when the pope visited him in 1983 and granted him personal forgiveness. He is "a brother whom I have pardoned," the pope later said of the man who didn't kill him, but changed his life forever as the pope's health deteriorated following the attack and he suffered greatly through the rest of his life. Video: CBS News
Paulina Guzik43,484 Aufrufe • vor 26 Tagen
Tommaso and Pina gave a testimony today in front of Pope Leo in Pompei - one that should be a lesson for the whole world. A leason of unconditional love. They are married for 24 years and are parents of two children: a 17-year-old and a 4-year-old. After a few years of marriage they learned that they can’t have biological children but they said „the Lord transformed this fragility of ours into a vocation.” In 2008, they learned through a report in the media „that an unrecognized newborn, without limbs, had been left in a hospital in Campania; he had been named Matteo, a gift from God.” „We didn't hesitate to contact the hospital,” Tommaso said today, on the feast of Our Lady of Pompei, adding that once the documentation in the juvenile court was completed „We were the ones who received that gift: Matteo became our son!” „On his first birthday, we decided to entrust Matteo to Our Lady of Pompeii with a Mass celebrated right here.” In 2022, on the occasion of World Family Day, Tomasso and Pina were invited to Pompeii for the Regional Family Meeting. On that occasion, a married couple, Roberta and Alfredo, responsible for the "Oasi Vergine del Sorriso" family home at the Shrine of Pompeii, shared their experience. They had a newborn baby with them, Tomasso said, adding: „we looked at her and immediately understood that she was a special child. We went to meet the baby several times at the family home; there, Roberta told us that Maria had been abandoned in the hospital at birth.” Maria was suffering from what doctors diagnosed as terminal illness, giving her a year of life. „For these reasons, there was no family willing to adopt her. Maria cannot see or hear; she has a tracheostomy and eats through a feeding tube. We decided to be her parents and we gave our all.” Sadly, the Juvenile Court's initial decision was negative: „we were already parents of a special child and, out of caution, we couldn't adopt another.” Then, a few weeks later, on November 13, 2022, on the occasion of the descent of the painting of the Madonna, Roberta, the caregiver of a child, took the little girl and brought her right in front of Our Lady, „placing her little hand on the painting.” Two days later, the court summoned Tommaso and Pina again, „giving us the necessary consent for the adoption.” In June 2022, Maria received Holy Baptism, with baptismal name "Rosaria." Maria Rosaria turned 4 in February. On the video Pope Leo blesses the whole family with much affection. Video: Vatican Media
Paulina Guzik43,867 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat
Pope Leo XIV starts his homily addressing the cardinals in his native English: "I begin with a word in English and the rest is in Italian. But I want to repeat the words from the responsorial psalm 'I will sing a new song to the Lord, because he has done marvels,' and indeed not just with me, but with all of us, my brother Cardinals. As we celebrate this morning, I invite you to recognize the marvels that the Lord has done, the blessings that the Lord continues to pour out upon all of us. Through the ministry of Peter, you have called me to carry that cross and to be blessed with that mission, and I know I can rely on each and every one of you to walk with me as we continue as a Church, as a community of friends of Jesus, as believers, to announce the good news, to announce the Gospel." Video: Vatican Media
Paulina Guzik418,710 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr
Pope Leo XIV gave a powerful reflection in Spanish, a language he treats as his own, on ... power today in Equatorial Guinea's Malabo. Addressing the president of the nation -- who has held his office since August 3, 1979, gained power in a coup, and is the world's longest-serving ruler, often accused of nepotism -- Pope Leo reflected on St. Augustine's classic opus "The City of God." In it, St. Augustine describes two symbolic “cities” that exist side by side in history: one focused on self-love and worldly success, and the other on love of God and lasting peace. "You know that Saint Augustine interpreted events and history according to the model of two cities: the 'city of God,' eternal and characterized by God’s unconditional love (amor Dei), as well as love for one’s neighbor, especially the poor; and the 'earthly city,' which is a temporary dwelling place, where men and women live until death," Pope Leo said. "From this perspective, the two cities coexist until the end of time, and every human being, through the decisions he or she manifests day by day, belongs to one or the other of them." Malabo is a former capital of the country as officially the president changed its capital city from Malabo to Ciudad de la Paz, in Djibloho province, this January. "You have chosen to give it a name that seems to echo the biblical city of Jerusalem, Ciudad de la Paz," the pope said. "May such a decision prompt every person to ask themselves which city they wish to serve!" the pope continued, to big applause of those gathered in the presidential palace. Noting he already said that once to Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See in January, Pope Leo reminded that "the earthly city is centered upon the proud love of self (amor sui), on the lust for power and worldly glory that leads to destruction" while, by contrast, "Augustine holds that Christians are called by God to dwell in the earthly city while keeping their hearts and minds turned toward the heavenly city, their true homeland." "Every human being can benefit from the ancient realization of living on earth as a pilgrim. It is essential to discern the difference between that which lasts and that which passes, remaining free from the pursuit of unjust wealth and the illusion of dominion," Pope Leo said, reminding what he said in January's address: that “Christians living in the earthly city are not strangers to the political world, and, guided by the Scriptures, seek to apply Christian ethics to civil government." Reflecting on Pope Francis' past plea, he warned against the "economy of exclusion" - "Such an economy kills," Pope Francis said in Evangelii Gaudium. "In fact, it is even more evident today than in years past that the proliferation of armed conflicts is often driven by the exploitation of oil and mineral deposits, occurring with no regard for international law or the self-determination of peoples," Pope Leo said. Despite having one of the highest GDP per capita rates in Africa, Equatorial Guinea experiences high levels of poverty and instead of widespread prosperity -- vast natural wealth -- primarily oil and gas -- has fueled extreme wealth disparity, corruption, and systemic human rights abuses. "The destiny of humanity risks being tragically compromised without a change of direction in the assumption of political responsibility and without respect for institutions and international agreements." Pope Leo said. "God does not want this," he cried out. "His holy Name must not be profaned by the will to dominate, by arrogance or by discrimination; above all, it must never be invoked to justify choices and actions of death." "In a world wounded by arrogance, people hunger and thirst for justice," Pope Leo emphasized, encouraging the authorities: "Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, let us walk together, with wisdom and hope, towards the city of God, which is the city of peace." Video: Vatican Media
Paulina Guzik54,448 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat