Pope Francis appoints the Rector Major as a Cardinal
On July 9, 2023, during the Angelus, the Pope announced the convocation of a Consistory for September 30 to create new cardinals, including the then-Rector Major of the Salesians, Fr. Ángel Fernández Artime.
The Pope remembers Don Bosco at World Youth Day in Panama 2019
During the vigil with young people on Saturday, January 26, 2019, at World Youth Day in Panama, Pope Francis spoke about St. John Bosco, one of the patrons of WYD:
“I think, for example, of Don Bosco, who didn’t go anywhere special to look for young people. Let’s hear it from those who love Don Bosco… applause! Don Bosco didn’t go looking for young people in far-off or special places; he simply learned to see everything happening in the city with God’s eyes, and thus, his heart was moved by hundreds of abandoned children and young people, without education, work, or the support of a community. Many people lived in the same city; many criticized these young people but didn’t know how to look at them with God’s eyes. We must look at young people with God’s eyes.”
Pope Francis visits Valdocco, the Salesian Cradle
On June 21, 2015, Pope Francis traveled to Turin to visit the city’s cathedral, where the Shroud of Turin is kept. Taking advantage of the occasion, and in conjunction with the 200th anniversary of Don Bosco’s birth, the Holy Father visited the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Valdocco. The Successor of Peter was welcomed by the then-Rector Major, Fr. Ángel Fernández Artime, and in the Salesian cradle, he recalled his “Salesian roots” in Argentina and prayed before the relic of St. John Bosco. That day was a tremendous gift for the entire Salesian Family worldwide.
The Holy Father: "The Salesians helped me grow in Joy and Prayer"
Pope Francis has often recalled the great educational experience he had with the Salesians during his childhood in Argentina, at the “Vilfrid Barón” Institute in Ramos Mejía, where he completed the sixth year of his studies. The Argentine Pontiff spoke about this experience with deep gratitude in the preface of the book Evangelii Gaudium con Don Bosco, in which the Salesian Family analyzes the Pope’s Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel) from an educational-pastoral perspective.
Pope Francis learns about "Sueños," the New Musical about Don Bosco
In September 2023, Pope Francis received Toño Casado, a priest and director of the musical Sueños, in a private audience. On this occasion, Casado presented the theatrical work and the soundtrack of Sueños, centered on the figure of Don Bosco and created to commemorate the Bicentennial of Don Bosco’s famous Dream at Nine Years Old, celebrated in 2024. “This does a lot of good,” said Pope Francis upon learning about this initiative by the Salesians of Spain.
Pope Francis appoints Salesian Fr. Fabio Attard as Consultant for the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life
Pope Francis also appointed Fr. Fabio Attard, SDB—now Rector Major and, at the time, General Councillor for Youth Ministry—as a consultant for the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life. This dicastery, created on August 15, 2016, consolidated the functions and responsibilities of the Pontifical Council for the Laity and the Pontifical Council for the Family.
The Pope Makes a surprise visit to the Summer Oratory promoted by Salesians in the Vatican
For several years, the Salesian community in the Vatican has organized a summer oratory for the children of Vatican employees. Pope Francis has consistently shown his personal support for this initiative. On one such occasion, he made a surprise visit to the children and animators during their activities, sat among them, and “encouraged them to make new friends.” “People who only know how to have fun by themselves are selfish; to have fun, you need to be together with friends,” the Pope said.
Pope Francis creates Spanish Salesian, Cristóbal López Romero as a Cardinal
On October 5, 2019, during the Consistory for the creation of new cardinals, Pope Francis imposed the biretta and handed over the ring to the Archbishop of Rabat. In his homily, the Pope emphasized the testimony of compassion in the face of the widespread custom of indifference.
Other expressions of Esteem and Attention by Pope Francis… and Zatti’s canonisation
In addition to the aforementioned Fernández Artime and López Romero, during his 10 consistories, Pope Francis also created the following Salesian cardinals:
- Ricardo Ezzati Andrello, Metropolitan Archbishop of Santiago, Chile (2014);
- Charles Maung Bo, Metropolitan Archbishop of Yangon (2015);
- Daniel Fernando Sturla Berhouet, Metropolitan Archbishop of Montevideo (2015);
- Virgilio do Carmo da Silva, Metropolitan Archbishop of Dili (2022).
Additionally, in his apostolic journeys around the world, he often included significant stops at Salesian houses and works, such as his visit to the Salesian house in Baku, Azerbaijan (2016), and to Košice, in the Luník IX area of Slovakia (2021).
Without forgetting that Pope Francis will certainly also be remembered in the Salesian Family as the Pope who canonised the Salesian coadjutor Artemide Zatti on 9 October 2022.
Source: Salesianos.info
