(Vatican Radio) Paris remains on high alert, in the wake of a coordinated series of terror attacks at different venues across the city that claimed at least 128 lives on Friday evening. Pope Francis condemned the violence, calling it “a piece” of the “piecemeal Third World War,” of which he has spoken on several occasions. The Holy Father’s statement came during the course of a live interview with the television station of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, Tv2000.
The Holy Father has also sent a telegram expressing his condolences to the Archbishop of Paris, Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, in which he promised prayers for the victims and their families, as well as first responders and the whole people of France.
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The Director of the Press Office of the Holy See, Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ, also issued a statement calling the violence, “[A]n attack on the peace of all mankind, which calls for a resolute and unified response on all our parts, in order that we might thwart the spread of murderous hatred in all its forms.” Fr. Lombardi returned to the point in an impromptu press conference at the Sala Stampa on Saturday, during which he said, “Murderous hatred is something that does not have an explanation. It is a negation of rationality, a negation of humanity, and there can be therefore no explanation for such [phenomena], save that of a profound wound, a completely erroneous vision of reality.”
The Archbishop of Paris has called for two days of prayer , and promised to celebrate Mass for the victims and for the French nation on Sunday evening in the Paris cathedral of Notre Dame. “Faced with the violence of men,” said Cardinal Vingt-Trois in a statement issued on Saturday, “may we receive the grace of a firm heart, without hatred. May the moderation, temperance and control that have been shown so far, be confirmed in the weeks and months to come; let no one indulge in panic or hatred. We ask that grace be the artisan of peace. We need never despair of peace if we build on justice.”
The terrorist organization calling itself the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks.
France’s President Francois Hollande addressed the nation shortly after the terror attacks began. “In these difficult moments,” he said, “we must – and I’m thinking of the many victims, their families and the injured – show compassion and solidarity. But we must also show unity and calm. Faced with terror, France must be strong, it must be great and the state authorities must be firm. We will be.”
Visiting the Bataclan theatre, where the deadliest single attack took place, Hollande said, “[W]e are going to lead a war which will be pitiless. Because when terrorists are capable of committing such atrocities they must be certain that they are facing a determined France, a united France, a France that is together and does not let itself be moved, even if today we express infinite sorrow.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) There is no justification, no explanation, for such acts of violence as were committed in Paris on Friday evening, for they are basically irrational and therefore offensive to human dignity. This was the message of the Director of the Press Office of the Holy See, Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ, who spoke briefly with journalists in the Sala Stampa on Saturday afternoon, fielding questions in connection with the Paris attacks.
“Murderous hatred is something that does not have an explanation. It is a negation of rationality, a negation of humanity, and there can be therefore no explanation for such [phenomena], save that of a profound wound, a completely erroneous vision of reality,” said Fr. Lombardi.
Asked whether the attacks in Paris were attacks against Catholicism, Fr. Lombardi responded, “No: they were attacks against humanity.”
Fr. Lombardi went on to say that questions regarding increased security in and around the Vatican and the Holy Father would need to be addressed by those responsible.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a telegram to Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, Archbishop of Paris, assuring victims, their families and emergency personnel that he is united with them in prayer. Signed by the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the telegram condemns this and all acts of violence, and asks God to inspire thoughts of peace and solidarity. Below, please find Vatican Radio’s English translation of the telegram ***************************** Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, Archbishop of Paris Informed of the horrific terrorist attacks that occurred in Paris and at the Stade de France , killing a great number of people and wounding many others, His Holiness Pope Francis joins in prayer with the suffering of families affected by the drama and the pain of the French people. He invokes God, Father of mercy, asking that He welcome the victims into the peace of His light and bring comfort and hope to the injured and their families. He assures them, and all of the personnel participating in aid efforts, of his spiritual closeness. Once again, the Holy Father vigorously condemns violence, which cannot solve anything, and he asks God to inspire thoughts of peace and solidarity in all and to impart on families in this trial and on all of the French people, the abundance of His Blessings. Cardinal Pietro Parolin Secretary of State of His Holiness (from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis addressed the Jesuit Refugee Service on Saturday, telling them the “decision to be present in areas of greatest need, in conflict and post-conflict zones, has brought you international recognition for your closeness to people and your ability to learn from this how better to serve.”
“I think especially of your groups in Syria, Afghanistan, the Central African Republic and the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where you accept men and women of different religious beliefs who share your mission,” Pope Francis said.
The full text of Pope Francis’ prepared remarks are below
Address of His Holiness Pope Francis
Meeting with the Jesuit Refugee Service
14 November 2015
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I am happy to receive you on this, the thirty-fifth anniversary of the establishment of the Jesuit Refugee Service envisaged by Father Pedro Arrupe, then the Superior General of the Society of Jesus. The profound impact made on him by the plight of the South-Vietnamese boat people, exposed to pirate attacks and storms in the South China Sea, was what led him to undertake this initiative.
Father Arrupe, who had lived through the atomic bomb explosion at Hiroshima, realized the scope of that tragic exodus of refugees. He saw it as a challenge which the Jesuits could not ignore if they were to remain faithful to their vocation. He wanted the Jesuit Refugee Service to meet both the human and the spiritual needs of refugees, not only their immediate need of food and shelter, but also their need to see their human dignity respected, to be listened to and comforted.
The phenomenon of forced migration has dramatically increased in the meantime. Crowds of refugees are leaving different countries of the Middle East, Africa and Asia, to seek refuge in Europe. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has estimated that there are, worldwide, almost sixty million refugees, the highest number since the Second World War. Behind these statistics are people, each of them with a name, a face, a story, an inalienable dignity which is theirs as a child of God.
At present, you are active in ten different regions, with projects in forty-five countries, through which you provide services to refugees and peoples in internal migrations. A group of Jesuits and women religious work alongside many lay associates and a great number of refugees. In all this time, you have remained faithful to the ideal of Father Arrupe and to the three basic goals of your mission: to accompany, to serve and to defend the rights of refugees.
The decision to be present in areas of greatest need, in conflict and post-conflict zones, has brought you international recognition for your closeness to people and your ability to learn from this how better to serve. I think especially of your groups in Syria, Afghanistan, the Central African Republic and the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where you accept men and women of different religious beliefs who share your mission.
The Jesuit Refugee Service works to offer hope and prospects to refugees, mainly through the educational services you provide, which reach large numbers of people and is of particular importance. Offering an education is about much more than dispensing concepts. It is something which provides refugees with the wherewithal to progress beyond survival, to keep alive the flame of hope, to believe in the future and to make plans. To give a child a seat at school is the finest gift you can give. All your projects have this ultimate aim: to help refugees to grow in self-confidence, to realize their highest inherent potential and to be able to defend their rights as individuals and communities.
For children forced to emigrate, schools are places of freedom. In the classroom, they are cared for and protected by their teachers. Sadly, we know that even schools are not spared from attacks instigated by those who sow violence. Yet they are places of sharing, together with children of other cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds; places which follow a set pace and a reassuring discipline, places in which children can once more feel “normal” and where parents can be happy to send them.
Education affords young refugees a way to discover their true calling and to develop their potential. Yet all too many refugee children and young people do not receive a quality education. Access to education is limited, especially for girls and in the case of secondary schools. For this reason, during the approaching Jubilee Year of Mercy, you have set the goal of helping another hundred thousand young refugees to receive schooling. Your initiative of “Global Education”, with its motto “Mercy in Motion”, will help you reach many other students who urgently need an education which can help keep them safe. I am grateful to the group of supporters and benefactors and the international development group of the Jesuit Refugee Service who are with us today. Thanks to their energy and support, the Lord’s mercy will reach any number of children and their families in the future.
As you persevere in this work of providing education for refugees, think of the Holy Family, Our Lady, Saint Joseph, and the Child Jesus, who fled to Egypt to escape violence and to find refuge among strangers. Remember too the words of Jesus: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Mt 5:7). Take these words with you always, so that they can bring you encouragement and consolation. As for me, I assure you of my prayers. I ask you also, please, do not forget to pray for me.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has called the attacks in Paris “a piece” of the “piecemeal Third World War.”
In a telephone interview on Saturday with the Italian Bishops’ Conference official television network – TV2000 – Pope Francis said the attacks are “not human.”
“I am close to the people of France, to the families of the victims, and I am praying for all of them,” Pope Francis said. “I am moved and I am saddened. I do not understand, these things hard to understand.”
When asked if this is part of the “piecemeal Third World War” the Holy Father has mentioned many times before, Pope Francis said “this is a piece of it,” adding “there is no religious or human justification for it.”
(from Vatican Radio)…