"I do not see myself as something special, I am a sinner and am fallible."

"We must not forget that the idealisation of a person is always a subliminal kind of aggression. When I am idealised, I feel attacked," he said in conversation with the German newspaper, Die Zeit, which took place in the Vatican at the end of February.

Speaking of the spiritual crises that everyone has in their lives, Pope Francis sees such moments as part of growing and maturing in the faith.

"A faith that does not fall into crisis remains childish…I have spoken of the dark moments... and the empty moments. I also know the empty moments."

And he offered some good spiritual advice on dealing with them: "You cannot grow without crises in human life."

Die Zeit asked Pope Francis about the appearance of posters in Rome accusing him of not being merciful toward his perceived enemies.

The pope laughed and noted that the posters were in the Roman dialect, the romanaccio that he describes ruefully as "beautiful."

He admitted that he prays every day for the ability to laugh, including a prayer by St. Thomas More to be granted a sense of humour.

The pope says the prayer every day and has recommended it to the members of the Roman Curia:

Prayer for Good Humor
by St. Thomas More

Grant me, O Lord, good digestion, and also something to digest.
Grant me a healthy body, and the necessary good humor to maintain it.
Grant me a simple soul that knows to treasure all that is good
and that doesn't frighten easily at the sight of evil,
but rather finds the means to put things back in their place.
Give me a soul that knows not boredom, grumblings, sighs and laments,
nor excess of stress, because of that obstructing thing called "I."
Grant me, O Lord, a sense of good humour.
Allow me the grace to be able to take a joke to discover in life a bit of joy,
and to be able to share it with others.

Source

• zeit.de
• rt.com
• ncregister.com
• Image: thetrentonline.com

"Faith in God, sustained by divine grace, is therefore a very important element for living in mutual dedication and conjugal fidelity," he said.

The Pope was speaking to members of the Roman Rota, the Vatican tribunal responsible for marriage cases.

He said contemporary culture "poses serious challenges to the person and the family" and calls into question "the very capacity of human beings to bond themselves to another and whether a union that lasts an entire life is truly possible".

Modern culture, he said, promotes the idea that people can "become themselves while remaining ‘autonomous' ", leading to the widespread mentality that relationships "can be interrupted at any time".

The Pope said he was not suggesting a simple, automatic link between a lack of faith and the invalidity of a marital union.

Rather, he hoped "to draw attention to how such a lack may, although not necessarily, also harm the goods of marriage", given that a reference to the natural order willed by God "is inherent in the covenant of marriage".

"The indissoluble covenant between man and woman does not require, for the purpose of sacramentality, the personal faith of those to be married," he said.

What is required, as the minimum condition, he added, is the intention to "do what the Church does" when it declares a marriage to be a sacrament.

While the question of intent should not be confused with the question of the individuals' personal faith, "it is not always possible to completely separate them".

The Pope quoted Blessed John Paul II's speech to the Roman Rota in 2003, in which he said "an attitude on the part of those getting married that does not take into account the supernatural dimension of marriage can render it null and void only if it undermines its validity on the natural level on which the sacramental sign itself takes place".

Sources:

Catholic News Service

Catholic News Agency

Zenit

Image: Catholic Register

Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization, said he wants the Year of Faith to reach out to all baptised Catholics, including lapsed believers and those who "have the desire of God but cannot find signs of faith".

"We are not hiding the fact that there is a crisis of faith, but it is only when one becomes completely aware of a crisis that one can find ways to remedy it," the archbishop said.

The Year of Faith, intended to give momentum to a new evangelisation, will run from October 11, 2012, to November 24, 2013.

Among key events are:

• October 11 will see the opening liturgy in St Peter's Square, on the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Second Vatican Council, with about 35 "Council fathers" expected to be present.
• On May 18, Catholic movements and lay associations, both old and new, will gather in Rome.
• On the feast of Corpus Christi, June 2, simultaneous adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is planned at sites all around the world.
• On June 22, Archbishop Fisichella promised a "huge concert" in St Peter's Square, led by a well-known (but unnamed) conductor.
• On July 7, seminarians and religious novices from around the world will arrive in Rome at the end of a pilgrimage.
• September 29 will be dedicated to catechists, and a multilingual pastoral guide to assist with catechesis will be published.

Sources:

• CNA
• CNS
• Year of Faith website
• Image: Scottish Catholic Observer