(Vatican Radio) A major international conference sponsored by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences is hosting a conference this weekend looking at the 25 th anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II’s landmark social encyclical letter Centesimus annus .
Centesimus annus was itself an anniversary marker: celebrating the 100 th anniversary of the seminal Papal piece of writing on social matters in the modern world, Rerum novarum , by Pope Leo XIII in 1891.
Centesimus annus was written at a moment of massive change and upheaval in politics and economics in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union, and in the midst of an unprecedented increase in wealth and standards of living across the globe that were threatened by corrupt and exploitative interests. Its purpose was to welcome a vision of morally ordered liberty in the service of the human person. Now, scholars, policymakers and political leaders from around the world are gathered in the Vatican to take stock of political, economic and cultural changes since the release of Centesimus annus , and offer a critical appraisal of Catholic social doctrine’s engagement with the world over the same period and into the future.
Presidents Evo Morales of Bolivia and Rafael Correa of Ecuador are among the participants, as is US Senator Bernie Sanders, the Democratic Socialist independent from Vermont who is seeking the nomination of the Democratic Party as its candidate in the November presidential election in the United States.
An external advisor to Pope St. John Paul II on Centesimus annus who has worked closely with the the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences for many years, and a participant in the Centesimus annus , Jeffrey Sachs of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, told Vatican Radio the time is ripe for a new and vigorous dialogue. “The Church has always emphasized – especially since Rerum novarum in 1891 – that the market economy – the kind of economic system in which we live – must be operated within a moral framework,” Sachs said. “In 1991, when Centesimus annus was issued by Pope [St.] John Paul II, that was the moment of the revolutionary chenges in Eastern Europe – going from Communisim to market economies – and Pope John Paul II said very clearly, ‘Yes!’ [to the] market economy, but it must have a moral framework,” he continued. “Unfortunately,” Sachs continued, “his message was not heeded adequately.”
Click below to hear Prof. Jeffrey Sachs’ extended conversation with Vatican Radio’s Alessandro Gisotti
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Monsignor Janusz S. Urbańczyk, Permanent Representative of the Holy See to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), on Thursday said “a weakening of the freedom of religion” has led to the “discrimination and intolerance against Christians within the OSCE region.”
He was speaking during a meeting on “Policies and Strategies to Further Promote Tolerance and Non-Discrimination” taking place in the 57-nation security organization’s Vienna headquarters.
“Particularly worrisome is the fact that across the OSCE region a sharp dividing line seems to be drawn between religious belief and religious practice: Christians are frequently reminded in public discourse or even in the courts, that they can believe whatever they like in private, and worship as they wish in their own churches, but they simply cannot act on those beliefs in public,” – Msgr. Urbańczyk said. – “This is a deliberate twisting and limiting of what religious freedom, which holds also for Christians, actually means.”
The Vatican diplomat said this is “not the freedom that was enshrined in the OSCE commitments,” beginning with the Helsinki Final Act.
“The media and public discourse are not always free from attitudes of intolerance and, sometimes, of actual denigration of Christians and members of other religions, with Christians being the easiest target,” Msgr. Urbańczyk said.
He added “advocacy of ‘politically correct’ issues all too often provides sufficient justification to label and denigrate Christians as bigoted or intolerant.”
The full statement by Msgr. Urbańczyk is below
STATEMENT
BY MSGR. JANUSZ URBAŃCZYK, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE HOLY SEE, AT THE SUPPLEMENTARY HUMAN DIMENSION MEETING ON “POLICIES AND STRATEGIES TO FURTHER PROMOTE TOLERANCE AND NON-DISCRIMINATION”
Vienna, 14 April 2016
Working Session 1:
Challenges to Realizing Tolerance and Non-Discrimination: Root Causes and Consequences
Mr. Moderator,
As it is the first time the Delegation of the Holy See takes the floor, allow me to express our gratitude to the German OSCE Chairmanship for convoking this most timely Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting. I also thank Mr. Ioannis Dimitrakopoulos and Ms. Yana Salakhova for their thought-provoking presentations.
My Delegation also takes this opportunity in order to renew its satisfaction with the reappointment of Rabbi Baker and the appointment of Prof. Grib and Prof. Senay as Personal Representatives of the Chairmanship-in-Office and welcomes them to this meeting. The Holy See is convinced of the importance that the institution of the three Personal Representatives brings to the promotion of tolerance and non-discrimination.
We are most pleased that a session has been set aside to study and discuss the root causes and consequences of intolerance and discrimination, as without an adequate understanding of the origins and causes of the problem any attempted solution could very easily become only a partial – or indeed an unhelpful – solution. As the emphasis of the Supplementary Human Dimension Meetings are practical and concrete, and the causes of one form of intolerance and discrimination may clarify the picture also regarding others, I would like – albeit briefly – to touch on a root cause of discrimination and intolerance against Christians within the OSCE region. In short it may be summarized as a weakening of the freedom of religion or belief, or, to be more precise: a troubling limitation of what this fundamental freedom actually entails.
Pope Francis spoke of this worrying trend which, while giving lip-service to freedom of religion or belief, seeks to remove religion, especially Christianity, from the public sphere, allocating it to the private, unseen and hidden one, as he said last summer in Philadelphia: “In a world where various forms of modern tyranny seek to suppress religious freedom, or try to reduce it to a subculture without right to a voice in the public square, or to use religion as a pretext for hatred and brutality, it is imperative that the followers of the various religions join their voices in calling for peace, tolerance, and respect for the dignity and rights of others.”
Particularly worrisome is the fact that across the OSCE region a sharp dividing line seems to be drawn between religious belief and religious practice: Christians are frequently reminded in public discourse or even in the courts, that they can believe whatever they like in private, and worship as they wish in their own churches, but they simply cannot act on those beliefs in public. This is a deliberate twisting and limiting of what religious freedom, which holds also for Christians, actually means. This is not the freedom that was enshrined in the OSCE commitments, beginning with the Helsinki Final Act.
Another aspect of this re-interpreted and limited freedom of religion is the rejection of the possible influence of religious faith and belief in shaping public discourse or policy. A Christian will, by his or her very faith, feel obliged to contribute to the common good, to build and seek out a society that will protect the poor and the weak, educate the young and heal the sick, as well as prevent conflict and discord. However, this too in many places is not tolerated. The media and public discourse are not always free from attitudes of intolerance and, sometimes, of actual denigration of Christians and members of other religions, with Christians being the easiest target. Advocacy of “politically correct” issues all too often provides sufficient justification to label and denigrate Christians as bigoted or intolerant.
The Holy See is confident that this important SHDM will prove to be an important step forward in defending the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Christians in the OSCE region. Discrimination against Christians, even where they are a majority, must be faced as a serious threat to the whole of society – and therefore should be fought without any improper or selective approach.
These causes and consequences are nowhere near the terrible atrocities committed with impunity against Christians outside the OSCE region. However, they are a grave concern as they reflect a change in how societies perceive the freedom of religion or belief. To counteract this departure from decades of agreed commitments, it is the firm hope of my Delegation that this year could finally see a Ministerial Council declaration on discrimination against Christians.
Thank you, Mr. Moderator.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday received the President of Bolivia, Juan Evo Morales Ayma, who subsequently met with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Secretary for Relations with States.
A statement from the Holy See Press Office said:
“During the discussions, which took place in a cordial atmosphere, various themes were considered regarding the current socio-economic situation of the Country, with special attention to social policy. The parties focused on the relations between Church and State, evoking Bolivia’s long Christian tradition and the decisive contribution of the Church to the life of the Nation. Reference was also made to questions of common interest, such as education, healthcare and assistance to the poor. Attention then turned to various international situations.”
President Morales came to Rome to attend a conference sponsored by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences marking the 25th anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II’s social encyclical “Centesimus Annus.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) God always gives His grace and dignity to the hardened heart which choses to open itself with meekness to God’s Spirit. That was Pope Francis’ message during his Friday morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta.
Listen to Devin Watkins’ report:
Pope Francis commented on the biblical passage of the day which recounts the conversion of St. Paul, saying zeal for holy things does not mean one’s heart is open to God.
Pope Francis gave the example of a man extreme in his fidelity to the principles of his faith, Paul of Tarsus, but whose heart was totally deaf to Christ, so much so that he even agreed to persecute Jesus’ followers who lived in Damascus.
Humility which opens the heart
All Paul’s plans and zeal take a sudden turn on the road to Damascus, the Pope affirmed, so that his story becomes “the story of a man who allows God to change his heart.” Paul is wrapped in a powerful light, hears a voice calling him, falls down, and is momentarily blinded.
“Saul the strong, the confident, was on the ground,” the Holy Father said. In that condition, “he understood his truth, that he was not the man whom God wanted him to be, because God has created all of us to stand on our feet, to hold our head high.” The voice from heaven not only asked him, ‘why are you persecuting me?’ but also invited Paul to rise.
“Get up and you will be told. You have yet much to learn,” the Pope said. “And when he started to get up, he was not able because he recognized his blindness. In that moment he lost his sight. ‘And he let himself be led.’ His heart, began to open itself. Thus, taking him by the hand, the men with him led him to Damascus and for three days he stayed there, blind, and took neither food nor drink. This man had hit his low-point but he realized immediately that he must accept this humiliation. And the true path towards opening one’s heart is humiliation. When the Lord sends us humiliations or allows them to visit us, it is exactly for this reason: that the heart be open, docile; that the heart convert itself to the Lord Jesus.”
Protagonist is the Holy Spirit
Paul’s heart is opened. In those days of loneliness and blindness, his interior vision is changed. Then God sends him Ananias, who lays his hands on Saul and his eyes are opened. But there is an aspect to this dynamic which, Pope Francis said, must be taken into consideration: the action of the Holy Spirit.
“We must remember that the protagonist in these stories is neither the doctors of the law, nor Stephen, nor Phillip, nor the eunuch, not even Saul… The real protagonist is the Holy Spirit. The protagonist of the Church is the Holy Spirit who guides the people of God. And immediately scales fell from his eyes and he recovered his sight. He got up and was baptized. The hardness of Paul’s heart becomes docility to the Holy Spirit.”
The Dignity to Rise
The Holy Father concluded his reflection, saying “It is beautiful to see how the Lord is capable of changing hearts, turning a hardened, stubborn heart into one docile to the Holy Spirit. All of us have a hardened heart. All of us. Let us ask the Lord that He make us see that hardness of heart leaves us on the ground. Let us ask Him to give us the grace and – if necessary – the humiliations not to remain on the ground but to rise, with the dignity with which God created us, that is, the grace of a heart open and docile to the Holy Spirit.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
“Rise and go”, the Lord said to Saul, who
had fallen to the ground on the road to Damascus, and He sent Ananias to
baptize the converted persecutor. “Rise and go”, the Pope said, is also a call
to each of us, because a Christian “must be on his feet with his head held
high”, while “a man with a closed heart is a man who is down”. For Mass at
Santa Marta on Friday, 15 April, with a meditation on the biblical account of
the conversion of Saul, taken from the Acts of the Apostles (9:1-20), Pope
Francis continued to discuss the importance of docility to the action of the
Holy Spirit, and to reflect “on the attitude of those people who have a closed
heart, a hard heart, an arrogant heart”.
The
liturgy of the preceding day had highlighted how both the Apostle Philip and
the queen’s minister had their hearts open to the voice of the Spirit”. This
Friday of the Third Week of Easter, then brings us the story of Saul, “the
story of a man who lets God change his heart: the transformation from a closed,
hard, misguided heart to a man with a heart docile to the Holy Spirit”.
Saul,
the Pontiff explained, “was present at the martyrdom of Stephen” and “agreed”.
He was “a strong, brave young man, zealous in his faith, but with a closed
heart”. In fact not only “did he not want to hear about Jesus Christ” but he
went even further and began “to persecute Christians”. Thus, confident, he
asked permission to “do the same” in Damascus.
While
he was travelling, the Pope continued, “suddenly a light from heaven flashed
about him”. Then “he fell to the ground and heard a voice”. This man, “the
strong, confident Saul, was on the ground”, in other words, he was “down”. And
as he was down, Francis continued, he “understood his truth; he understood that
he was not a man as God wanted, because created us, all of us, to be on our
feet, heads held high”.
At
this point the Lord said “a key phrase, the same one he had said to Philip in
giving him the mission to go and find the Ethiopian proselyte: ‘You, rise and
go!’”. Moreover, the Lord said to Saul, a confident man who knew it all: “enter
the city, and you will be told what you are to do”. It was as if to say: “You
still have to learn”. It was humiliation, and that’s not all.
Rising
from the ground Saul “realized he was blind” and thus “let himself be guided”.
Here, the Pope remarked, “his heart began to open”, as he was compelled to be
led by the hand to Damascus. “This man was down”, and he “understood
immediately that he had to accept this humiliation”. In this regard the Pontiff
explained that “humiliation” is “precisely the path to open the heart”. Indeed,
“when the Lord sends us humiliation or allows humiliation to come to us, it is
precisely for this reason: so the heart may be opened, may be docile” and “ be
converted to the Lord Jesus”.
The
narrative then moves on to Ananias. To him too, the Lord said: “Go. Rise and
go”. So the disciple “departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on
him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord has sent me that you may regain your sight
and be filled with the Holy Spirit”. It is a key phrase which embraces a
fundamental detail: “the main character in these stories”, Francis pointed out,
“is not the doctors of the law, nor Stephen, nor Philip, nor the eunuch, nor
Saul… it is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a protagonist of the Church
who leads the People of God”.
At
this point in the Acts we read that “something like scales fell” from Saul’s
eyes “and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized”. His “hardness
of heart”, with the experience of humiliation, became “docility to the Holy
Spirit”. He, “who believed that he was the one with the truth, and who
persecuted Christians, received the Lord’s grace to see and understand his
truth: ‘You are a man down and you must rise!’”.
It
is a lesson for everyone: “it is beautiful”, the Pope said, “to see that the
Lord is able to change hearts and make a hard, stubborn heart become a heart
docile to the Spirit”. However, Francis added, it is important that “we not
forget those key words”. First and foremost: “Rise”, because “a Christian must
be on his feet with his head held high”. Then: “Go”, because “a Christian must
go, must not be closed in on himself”. Finally, “let yourself be led”, as did
Paul who “let himself be led like a child; entrusted himself to the hands of
another, whom he did not know”. There is, in all of this, the Pontiff
explained, “the work of the Holy Spirit”.
We
are all affected by this message, because we all “have hardness in our heart”:
he “who doesn’t have it”, the Pope added, “raise your hand, please!”.
Therefore, Francis suggested, “let us ask the Lord to make us see that this
hardness knocks us to the ground; may he send us the grace and also — if
necessary — humiliation so as not to remain down but rise, with the dignity
with which God created us, which is the grace of a heart open and docile to the
Holy Spirit”.
…