(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday noted there was a strong growth in vocations to the priesthood and religious life from among the gypsy people, holding out an Indian bishop from among them as case in point. “Today we have with us Bishop Devprasad Ganawa, a son of this people,” Pope Francis said, pointing to the first bishop from among the gypsies appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh, in 2009 and then to Udaipur, Rajasthan, in 2012. The remark of Pope Francis came in his meeting with some 7000 gypsies from around the world who on Monday ended a 4-day pilgrimage to Rome, to commemorate 50 years of the historic visit of Blessed Pope Paul VI to a gypsy camp in Pomezia, near Rome.
“Dear consecrated people, your brothers and sisters look up to you with trust and hope for your role and all you are able to do for reconciliation within society and the Church,” the Pope told the religious and priests from among the nomadic people. He urged them to accompany their people not only in their spiritual journey but also in their daily life with all their struggles, joys and preoccupations.
Noting that the nomadic people are subject to discrimination, Pope Francis said, “No one must feel isolated and no one is entitled to trample on the dignity and the rights of others.” adding, “Time has come to uproot secular prejudice, preconceived ideas and the reciprocal diffidence that are often at the base of discrimination, racism and xenophobia,” the Pope stressed.
The Pope’s meeting with Gypsies wore a carnival look with music and dance. At the end, the Pope crowned a statue of the Virgin Mary with Jesus.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a telegram to the head of the Slovak Bishops’ Conference expressing his condolences on the death of Cardinal Ján Chryzostom Korec, S. J., Bishop emeritus of Nitra, Slovakia. Cardinal Korec died on Saturday 24 October 2015 in Nitra. He was 91 years old.
In the telegram, addressed to Archbishop Stanislav Zvolenský of Bratislava, Pope Francis described the late Cardinal as a “zealous and generous pastor who, during his long ecclesial ministry showed himself to be a fearless witness of the Gospel and a strenuous defender of the Christian Faith and the rights of the human person.” The Holy Father noted that Cardinal Korec was imprisoned during Soviet Communist rule in what was then Czechoslovakia – but although he was impeded for many years from exercising his episcopal ministry, the Pope said, “he was never intimidated” but always gave “a luminous example of strength and confidence in the divine providence, as well as of fidelity to the See of Peter.”
Pope Francis offered thanks to God for His gift of Cardinal Korec to the Church, and prayed that the Lord might welcome him into “His eternal joy, after so many sufferings.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Bishops from around the world have appealed to the COP 21 meeting in Paris to create a “fair, legally binding, and truly transformational” climate agreement. The bishops are the presidents of several regional episcopal bodies representing every continent on earth, and presented their appeal on Monday in the Holy See Press Office. The Paris meeting taking place from 7- 8 December will bring together leaders from governments, business and finance, the United Nations, NGOs, and other members of civil society to help create an agreement to protect the environment. Citing Pope Francis’ encyclical letter, Laudato si’, the bishops reaffirm “the natural environment is a collective good, the patrimony of all humanity and the responsibility of everyone.” The full text of the appeal is below. APPEAL TO COP 21 NEGOTIATING PARTIES The following appeal is issued by Cardinals, Patriarchs and Bishops from across the globe representing the continental groupings of national episcopal conferences. It is addressed to those negotiating the COP 21 in Paris and it calls on them to work toward the approval of a fair, legally binding and truly transformational climate agreement. Representing the Catholic Church from the five continents, we Cardinals, Patriarchs and Bishops have come together to express, on our own behalf and on behalf of the people for whom we care, the widely-held hope that a just and legally binding climate agreement will emerge from the negotiations of the COP 21 in Paris. We advance a ten-point policy proposal, drawing on the concrete experience of people across the continents, and linking climate change to social injustice and the social exclusion of the poorest and most vulnerable of our citizens. Climate Change: challenges and opportunities In his encyclical letter, Laudato si’ (LS), addressed ‘to every person living on this planet’ (LS 3), Pope Francis claims that ‘climate change represents one of the principal challenges facing humanity today’ (LS 25). The climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all (LS 23). The natural environment is a collective good, the patrimony of all humanity and the responsibility of everyone (LS 95). Whether believers or not, we are agreed today that the earth is essentially a shared inheritance, whose fruits are meant to benefit everyone. For believers, this becomes a question of fidelity to the Creator, since God created the world for everyone. Hence every ecological approach needs to incorporate a social perspective which takes into account the fundamental rights of the poor and the underprivileged (LS 93). Damage to climate and environment has enormous repercussions. The problem arising from the dramatic acceleration of climatic change is global in its effects. It challenges us to re- define our notions of growth and progress. It poses a lifestyle question. It is imperative that we find a solution that is consensual, because of the scale and global nature of the climate’s impact, it invites a solidarity that is universal, a solidarity that is ‘intergenerational’ and ‘intragenerational’. (LS 13, 14, 162) The Pope defines our world as ‘our common home’ and, in the exercise of our stewardship, we must keep in mind the human and social degradation which is a consequence of a damaged environment. We call for an integral ecological approach, we call for social justice to be placed centre stage ‘so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor’ (LS 49). Sustainable development must include the poor While deploring the dramatic impact of rapid climate change on sea levels, extreme weather events, deteriorating ecosystems and the loss of biodiversity, the Church is also witness to how climate change is affecting vulnerable communities and peoples, greatly to their disadvantage. Pope Francis draws our attention to the irreparable impact of unrestrained climate change in many developing countries across the world. Moreover, in his address to the United Nations the Pope said the misuse and destruction of the environment are also accompanied by a relentless process of exclusion.1 Courageous Leaders seeking enforceable agreements The building and maintenance of a sustainable common home requires courageous and imaginative political leadership. Legal frameworks are required which clearly establish boundaries and ensure the protection of the ecosystem (LS 53). Reliable scientific evidence suggests that accelerated climate change is the result of unrestrained human activity, working to a particular model of progress and development, and that excessive reliance on fossil fuels is primarily responsible. The Pope and Catholic Bishops from five continents, sensitive to the damage caused, appeal for a drastic reduction in the emission of carbon dioxide and other toxic gases. We join the Holy Father in pleading for a major break-through in Paris, for a comprehensive and transformational agreement supported by all based on principles of solidarity, justice and participation.2 This agreement must put the common good ahead of national interests. It is essential too that the negotiations result in an enforceable agreement that protects our common home and all its inhabitants. We, Cardinals, Patriarchs and Bishops, issue a general call and make ten specific policy proposals. We call on COP 21 to forge an international agreement to limit a global temperature increase to within those parameters currently suggested from within the global scientific community to avoid catastrophic climatic impacts, especially on the poorest and most vulnerable communities. There is, we agree, a common but also differentiated responsibility of all nations. Different countries have reached a different stage on the development spectrum. The need to work together in a common endeavour is imperative. Our ten calls: to keep in mind not only the technical but particularly the ethical and moral dimensions of climate change as indicated in Article 3 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). to accept that climate and atmosphere are global common goods that are belonging to all and meant for all. to adopt a fair, transformational and legally binding global agreement based on our vision of the world that recognises the need to live in harmony with nature, and to guarantee the fulfilment of human rights for all, including those of Indigenous Peoples, women, youth and workers. to strongly limit a global temperature increase and to set a goal for complete decarbonisation by mid-century, in order to protect frontline communities suffering from the impacts of climate change, such as those in the Pacific Islands and in coastal regions. to ensure that the temperature threshold is enshrined in a legally binding global agreement, with ambitious mitigation commitments and actions from all countries recognising their common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDRRC), based on equity principles, historical responsibilities, and the right to sustainable development. to secure that the emissions reductions by governments are in line with the decarbonisation goal, governments need to undertake periodic reviews of the pledges they make and of the ambition they show. And to be successful these reviews need also to be based on science and equity and shall be mandatory. to develop new models of development and lifestyles that are climate compatible, address inequality and bring people out of poverty. Central to this is to put an end to the fossil fuel era, phasing out fossil fuel emissions, including emissions from military, aviation and shipping, and providing affordable, reliable and safe renewable energy access for all. to ensure people’s access to water and to land for climate resilient and sustainable food systems, which give priority to people driven solutions rather than profits. to ensure inclusion and participation of the poorest, most vulnerable and impacted at all levels of the decision-making process. to ensure that the 2015 agreement delivers an adaptation approach that adequately responds to the immediate needs of the most vulnerable communities and builds on local alternatives. to recognise that adaptation needs are contingent on the success of mitigation measures taken. Those responsible for climate change have responsibilities to assist the most vulnerable in adapting and managing loss and damage and to share the necessary technology and knowhow. to provide clear roadmaps on how countries will meet the provision of predictable, consistent, and additional finance commitments, ensuring a balanced financing of mitigation actions and adaptation needs. All this would call for serious ecological awareness and education (LS 202-215). Prayer for the Earth God of love, teach us to care for this world our common home. Inspire government leaders as they gather in Paris: to listen to and heed the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor;
to be united in heart and mind in responding courageously;
to seek the common good and protect the beautiful earthly garden you have created for us, for all our brothers and sisters, for all generations to come. Amen. _________________ 1 Address of the Holy Father, United Nations Headquarters, New York, Friday 25 September 2015. 2 Address of the His Holiness Pope Francis to the Environment Ministers of the European Union, Vatican City, 16 September 2015. BISHOP SIGNATORIES TO THIS DECLARATION: HIS EMINENCE OSWALD CARDINAL GRACIAS Archbishop of Bombay, India
President of FABC (Asia) HIS GRACE ARCHBISHOP GABRIEL MBILINGI Archbishop of Lubango, Angola
President of SECAM (Africa) HIS EMINENCE PÉTER CARDINAL ERDŐ Archbishop of Esztergom –Budapest
President of CCEE (Europe) HIS GRACE ARCHBISHOP JOSEPH KURTZ Archbishop of Louisville
President of USCCB (USA) HIS EMINENCE REINHARD CARDINAL MARX Archbishop of Munich, Germany
President of COMECE (Europe) HIS GRACE ARCHBISHOP JOHN RIBAT Archbishop of Port Moresby, PNG
President of FCBCO (Oceania) HIS EMINENCE RUBEN CARDINAL SALAZAR GÓMEZ Archbishop of Bogota, Colombia
President of CELAM (Latin America) HIS EXCELLENCY BP. DAVID DOUGLAS CROSBY OMI Bishop of Hamilton, Canada
President of CCCB-CECC (Canada) HIS BEATITUDE BECHARA BOUTROS CARDINAL RAI Patriarch of Antioch (Maronite)
President of CCPO (Council of Catholic Patriarchs of the Orient) Written in collaboration with our Catholic networks CIDSE and Caritas Internationalis and with the sponsorship of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. (from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has called on Gypsies to “turn the page” and give life to a new chapter in the history of the traditionally nomadic people.
“Time has come, he said, to uproot secular prejudice, preconceived ideas and the reciprocal diffidence that are often at the base of discrimination, racism and xenophobia” he said.
“No one must feel isolated” the Pope continued, and “no one is entitled to trample on the dignity and the rights of others”.
Pope Francis was speaking to some 7000 Gypsies gathered in the Paul VI Hall in the Vatican for an audience marking the 50th anniversary of the Blessed Paul VI’s historic meeting with Roma people in a gypsy camp near Rome.
And highlighting the fact that every person has the right to a dignified life and a dignified job with access to education and health care, he told those present that they have the responsibility of building bridges with the rest of society in the name of a “peaceful co-habitation” in which different cultures and traditions can safeguard their values with an attitude of openness, with dialogue and integration.
“We do not want to have to witness any more family tragedies in which children die from cold or are burnt in fires” he said.
Nor – he continued – do we want to see children who are used like objects by depraved persons, or young people and women implicated in the trafficking of drugs or people.
Pope Francis exhorted the Roma, Sinti and other itinerant peoples to become protagonists of fraternity and sharing in our cities in which there is so much individualism.
“You can do this if you are good Christians, avoiding all that is not worthy of this name: lies, frauds, swindles, altercations” he said.
And the Pope held up the example of the Blessed Zeffirino Giménez Malla as a model of life and religiosity.
And urging those present to avoid giving the media and public opinion occasions to speak badly of Gypsies, he told them to be protagonists of their present and of their future.
And speaking of future Pope Francis said “children are your most precious treasure” and he pointed out that education is at the base of the healthy development of the person.
It is known, he said, that an insufficient level of education of many young Gypsy people represents the main obstacle in entering the world of work.
“Your children have the right to go to school, do not stop them from doing so!” he said.
And noting that it is the responsibility of adults to make sure their children obtain an education that will enable them to become citizens who can fully participate in the social, political and economic life of the country, Pope Francis also asked civil institutions to guarantee adequate formation courses for young Gypsies, giving those families most in need the possibility of being integrated in educational and labour programmes.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday (Oct. 26) addressed the members of the Synod of the Chaldean Church, reminding them that “the only authority is the authority of service, the only power is the power of the Cross”.
Listen to Devin Watkins’ report:
Pope Francis, in his address to the Chaldean bishops, spoke about the responsible use of authority in the Church, saying “journeying together is an easy concept to put into words, but not so easy to put into practice”.
The Holy Father urged them to “keep always before you the image of the Good Shepherd who is concerned for the salvation of his sheep … May you imitate him: zealous in seeking the salus animarum of priests as well as laity, realizing full well that the exercise of communion sometimes demands a genuine kenosis, a self-basement and self-spoliation.”
The Holy Father lamented the situation caused by hatred sowed through terrorism, saying it has created “a great hemorrhage of faithful who leave the lands of their fathers”.
In this vein, he said “this state of affairs clearly undermines the vital Christian presence in that land which witnessed the beginning of the journey of the Patriarch Abraham, heard the voice of the Prophets who called Israel to hope during the Exile, and saw the foundation of the first Churches upon the blood of many martyrs”.
The Pope affirmed the “complete support and solidarity of the Apostolic See in favour of the common good of the entire Chaldean Church”, as many Christians are displaced by violence.
Recognizing the Chaldean Church’s support of its members in the diaspora, the Holy Father called them to “work tirelessly as builders of unity in all the provinces of Iraq, fostering dialogue and cooperation among all those engaged in public life”.
He extended the call to the entire international community to sow seeds of peace in war-torn countries, “so that the life-giving breeze of love will once more be felt in places which have always been a crossroads for peoples, cultures and nations”.
Below, please find the official English translation of Pope Francis’ address:
Address of His Holiness Pope Francis
to Members of the Synod of the Chaldean Church
Monday, 26 October 2015
Your Beatitude,
Dear Brother Bishops,
I welcome you with joy and I thank His Beatitude Patriarch Louis Raphaël I Sako for his kind words. I take this occasion to reach out, through you, to the faithful and all those dwelling in the beloved lands of Iraq and Syria in this particularly troubled and sensitive moment, with a message of comfort and Christian solidarity. With the approach of the Jubilee Year, may God’s mercy soothe the wounds of war afflicting the heart of your communities, that no one may feel discouragment in this time when the outcry of violence seems to drown out our heartfelt prayers for peace.
Today the situation in your lands of origin is gravely compromised by the fanatical hatred sown by terrorism, which continues to cause a great hemorrhage of faithful who leave the lands of their fathers, where they grew up firmly rooted in the furrow of tradition. This state of affairs clearly undermines the vital Christian presence in that land which witnessed the beginning of the journey of the Patriarch Abraham, heard the voice of the Prophets who called Israel to hope during the Exile, and saw the foundation of the first Churches upon the blood of many martyrs. There too Christians bore witness to the fullness of the Gospel, made their specific contribution to the growth of society over centuries of peaceful coexistence with our Islamic brothers and sisters. Sadly, these are times which are instead marked by countless examples of persecution, and even martyrdom.
The Chaldean Church, which suffers from the war, is also conscious of the needs of the faithful in the diaspora, who are desirous to maintaining their solid roots while becoming part of new situations. So I confirm, today more than ever, the complete support and solidarity of the Apostolic See in favour of the common good of the entire Chaldean Church. I pray that Christians will not be forced to abandon Iraq and the Middle East – I think especially of the sons and daughters of your Church, and their rich traditions.
I urge you to work tirelessly as builders of unity in all the provinces of Iraq, fostering dialogue and cooperation among all those engaged in public life, and contributing to healing existing divisions while preventing new ones from arising.
Your visit enables me to renew my heartfelt appeal to the international community to adopt every useful strategy aimed at bringing peace to countries terribly devastated by hatred, so that the life-giving breeze of love will once more be felt in places which have always been a crossroads for peoples, cultures and nations. May the peace for which we all hope arise on the horizon of history, so that the grievous tragedies caused by violence may yield to a climate of mutual coexistence.
The Synod which you are celebrating these days in Urbe, is a “journeying together”, a favorable moment of exchange amid the diversities which enrich your fraternal communion under the gaze of Christ, the Good Shepherd. As I had occasion to say in commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Synod of Bishops, “Journeying together is an easy concept to put into words, but not so easy to put into practice… Let us never forget this! For the disciples of Jesus, yesterday, today and always, the only authority is the authority of service, the only power is the power of the cross. As the Master tells us: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave” (Mt 20:25-27). It shall not be so among you: in this expression we touch the heart of the mystery of the Church, and we receive the enlightenment necessary to understand our hierarchical service” (Address for the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Synod of Bishops, 17 October 2015).
I ask, then, to take up the Apostle Paul’s exhortation to have among you the mind of Christ (cf. Phil 2:5), acting with mercy, humility, patience and a mutual acceptance which gives rise to communion.
May the work of the Synod reflect a sense of responsibility, participation and service. Keep always before you the image of the Good Shepherd who is concerned for the salvation of his sheep, and is especially concerned for those who have strayed. May you imitate him: zealous in seeking the salus animarum of priests as well as laity, realizing full well that the exercise of communion sometimes demands a genuine kenosis, a self-basement and self-spoliation.
I encourage you to be a father to your priests and all consecrated men and woman, who are your primary collaborators, and, in respect for tradition and canonical norms, to be accepting of them, benevolent and understanding of their needs, discerning ways to help them be ever more aware of the demands of their ministry and service to the faithful. In doing so, you will bridge distances and discern the response to be given to the pressing needs of the Chaldean Church today, in your native lands and in the diaspora. In this way the reflections which emerge from your discussions will be able to provide fruitful solutions to your current needs and points of convergence for resolving liturgical and more general issues.
As I urge you to carry on your pastoral responsibilities with fraternal communion and a missionary spirit, I ask all of you, their pastors, to bring my words of encouragement to the faithful of the Chaldean Church. May they echo on your lips as a caress from the Pope which warms their hearts.
Entrusting the Chaldean Church to the maternal protection of the Virgin Mary, I impart to you, your priests and religious, and all the faithful, my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of hope and consolation in the love of our Merciful God.
(from Vatican Radio)…