VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Portugal's newest cardinal-designate is known as a humble man of faith and culture who is also a strong communicator working hard to reach out to the excluded. Portuguese Patriarch Manuel Macario do Nascimento Clemente of Lisbon has been characterized as a "good shepherd," who is in touch with his flock and is aware and sensitive to their needs. Pope Francis first put the 66-year-old cardinal-designate in the limelight when he appointed him patriarch of Lisbon in 2013, just a few months after he was elected pope. At the time, it was the new pope's second such major episcopal appointment to a nation's capital, after naming his own replacement in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Lisbon-native had been auxiliary bishop of Lisbon since 2000 before being appointed bishop of Porto in 2007. When he was transferred back to Lisbon in 2013, the clergy and faithful in Porto were full of accolades for their departing pastor, praising him as a "man of faith and culture." "His closeness to the people and the church and his extraordinary ability to read the pulse of society" made him an important point of reference for the church and social and cultural groups, said a written statement signed by the diocesan clergy in May 2013. They said that in his six years as bishop, he had won "a place in the heart" of the people and "opened doors," earning people's respect and admiration. The then-departing bishop was described as "wise and prudent," a man who "captivated" people with his humility and simplicity, said Auxiliary Bishop Joao Pimentel Lavrador of Porto. He is a "person of exceptional culture who knows how to interpret the signs of the times we live in," who believes in people and who "fights for dialogue as the best way to achieve the good of society," the auxiliary bishop wrote in a 2013 communique. In 2009, Cardinal-designate Clemente was named Person of the Year by the major Portuguese weekly, Expresso, making him the first "man of the church" to win the prestigious award that recognizes a standout national figure. He was distinguished for his work as a historian and for his civic involvement, "defense of dialogue and tolerance" as well as for his work fighting social exclusion and boosting the church's role in social assistance. The award also underlined his exceptional communication skills and noted he was the first Portuguese bishop to use YouTube to broadcast the church's annual Christmas message. Cardinal-designate Clemente was elected president of the national bishops' conference in 2013 when he was named patriarch of Lisbon, and he was re-elected to serve a full three-year term as president in April 2014. He attended the Synod of Bishops for the new evangelization at the Vatican in 2012 and the recent extraordinary Synod on the Family in 2014. The defense of the family should be the highest priority in all of society: from political to economic programs and from community to individual action, he said in his 2014 Christmas message. Born July 16, 1948, in the coastal city of Torres Vedras near Lisbon, he was ordained a priest in after earning degrees in history, theology and historical theology. He served as rector of the country's major seminary and professor of theology at the Catholic University of Portugal. He has served as president of the national bishops' conference's commission for culture and social communications and was made a member of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications in 2012.
【鹽與光傳媒資訊】2025年7月10日,聖座發布教宗良十四世第五屆世界祖父母和年長者日文告,主題為「不失望的人是有福的」(參閱:德訓篇14:2)。這項慶祝活動於每年最接近耶穌祖父母聖若亞敬及聖亞納慶日的主日舉行,而今年將於7月27日主日舉行。教宗在文告中寫道:「無論年齡多大,希望永遠是喜樂的泉源。當這份希望經歷了長年累月如烈火般的淬鍊,更成為深切幸福的根源。」
【鹽與光傳媒資訊】加沙聖家天主堂堂區主任司鐸羅馬內利神父(Father Gabriel Romanelli),在早前遭以色列軍隊襲擊時,腿部與側腹受了輕傷。這次襲擊造成三人死亡,多位信友重傷。以下是由《梵蒂岡觀察報》記者切特拉(Roberto Cetera)向《梵蒂岡新聞網》提供羅馬內利神父的採訪報導。
教宗:「致我親愛的中東基督徒兄弟姊妹:面對這嚴峻的局勢,你們或許常感到自己無能為力,對此,我深表同理與關懷。請你們知道,你們常存於教宗的心中,也常存於整個普世教會的心中。感謝你們為信仰作出的見證。願至聖童貞瑪利亞,黎凡特(Levant)之母、那位在歷史中升起的新太陽的曙光,常常護佑你們,並陪伴這世界邁向和平的黎明。」
【鹽與光傳媒資訊】2025年7月20日,教宗良十四世在岡道爾夫堡夏宮度過第三個主日,於鄰近的阿爾巴諾聖龐加爵主教座堂(Cathedral of San Pancrazio)主持了常年期第十六主日彌撒。教宗反省了款待、服事與聆聽,強調這些是建立與天主及他人關係的核心要素。
【鹽與光傳媒資訊】2025年7月18日,聖座新聞室發出公告表示,教宗良十四世於當天早上在岡道爾夫堡夏宮與以色列國總理內塔尼亞胡進行了電話通話。教宗再次呼籲各方重啟談判、促成停火並終結戰爭。