The bishop consecrated the chrism and blessed the sacred oils, used in the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Anointing of the Sick, and Holy Orders, in the presence of all the priests of the vicariate who renewed their priestly promises. Bp Paolo addressed especially the priests with words of exhortation, encouragement and thanks, and asked all the faithful to always pray for them.
On the fifth anniversary of the Apostolic Exhortation ‘Christus vivit’, Pope Francis invites young people to “make their voices heard” as they “bear witness before everyone to the joy born of friendship with Christ.”
With this celebration, we solemnly begin the Holy Week, which leads us to the heart of our Christian faith - the Paschal mystery. For us Christians, these are the most important days of the year. We celebrate the foundation of our faith, the origin of our hope; the greatest love is revealed to us.
St Joseph, Patron of our cathedral, the silent, faithful, and humble man. Saint Joseph is a humble sign of the fatherhood of God. Bp Paolo gives St Joseph as an example for all of us, and addresses especially the husbands and fathers who can learn and ask help from him.
Bp Paolo celebrated Confirmation Mass during his Pastoral visit to St John the Baptist's church in Al Dhannah : "With the gift of the Holy Spirit, you will receive a new knowledge about life, and you will be able to understand your life as a vocation; you are called to discover your own mission in this world."
Bishop Paolo gave a talk at St Francis church, Abrahamic Family House, on March 8, inviting us to reflect during this time of Lent on what it means to be a witness and martyr, through the Word of God, and through examples of witnesses who preceded us, and of how we can be witnesses in our turn.
Asia News relayed the Pastoral letter of Bp Paolo "Not slaves but Children" stressing the necessity of Christian formation renewal in our region and how it could be done
We, too, are called to transfigure our lives. Here is an essential question the bishop asks you today: is our faith transfiguring our lives? Are we witnesses of Jesus with our transfigured life? Let us put the Word of God at the center. If we listen to Jesus, our life, day after day, will also be transfigured by the love of God, which was manifested in the Paschal Mystery.
On the occasion of the inauguration of the Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi, Bp Paolo was invited to give a speech on harmony during the celebration of the Day of Harmony on February, 15, where other religious leaders were present.
The word of God today helps us to reflect deeply on our conversion. The Gospel tells us about the temptations of Jesus in the desert; he overcame them. This gives us courage that with Jesus, we, too, can face every temptation in life, knowing that we are not alone. We are together with Jesus, who conquered the world.
Lent is a time for purification of hearts, forgiveness of sins, and profound conversion. There is a fundamental condition to rightly live the season of Lent, that is, recognizing our sins and having a sincere desire to be reconciled with God.
Lent is a journey of Hope because God wants our salvation and offers us his abundant forgiveness and mercy. We are called to move from the slavery of sin to the Freedom of being children of God: to conversion, a profound change of life.
Pope Francis invites us to “pause” for prayer and listen to the cry of those in need. To live it as a “season of grace, a time of conversion” where the desert can become “a place where our freedom can mature in a personal decision not to fall back into slavery”.
A sick person needs not only medical care but the closeness of the loved ones. The patient needs to feel loved and to discover that his life is not simply a burden or useless. We must also remember that what truly heals is the heart with love. God's love heals and restores not only the body but all of life.
We have many reasons for joy. We remember the 5th anniversary of the Apostolic visit of Pope Francis to Abu Dhabi. The Carmelite sisters and the Missionaries of Charity celebrate their Golden Jubilee. All the consecrated people here present today, will now renew their vows.
The memory of those days still fills our hearts with gratitude and awakens us with a profound sense of responsibility for the Church and the whole world.
Our Apostolic Vicariate could not exist concretely without the dedication of consecrated people. Your spirituality and the different charisms are an immeasurable wealth for our local Church. Thank you above all for what you are even before what you do. Thank you for your testimony of life consecrated to God.
This festival is also called the celebration of the meeting because it celebrates the meeting between God and humanity. God in Jesus comes to meet the world wounded by evil and closed in the darkness of sin. People who wish to be freed from the chains of evil come to meet the Lord to welcome in him the light of the world and salvation.
There is nothing more beautiful than to be surprised by the Gospel, by the encounter with Christ and to follow him. All the people of God are invited to rediscover their baptismal vocation, the vocation to the perfection of love and to be witnesses of the joy of the gospel in the world.