(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday met with the Italian National Council of the Order of Journalists, telling them that truth, professionalism and respect for human dignity were essential elements in their work.
Listen to Lydia O’Kane’s report
Meeting with the assembled Italian journalists in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall on Thursday, Pope Francis told them that there were few professions that have “so much influence on society like that of journalism.” He noted that they are usually the ones who are there to record what he called, the “first draft of history”, “the building of the news agenda and introducing people to the interpretation of events.”
He also noted that the journalistic profession was one that was continually adapting to changes in the way people digest news through new forms of media.
In his discourse the Pope stressed three essential elements in the work of a journalist, that he said, could serve to “improve the society in which we live”: To love the truth, to embody professionalism and to respect human dignity.
Truth
He said that loving the truth meant not only stating it, but living it and bearing witness to it in their work, adding, even in journalism we must be able to discern between shades of grey surrounding the events that we are called to tell.”
Speaking about the second element, professionalism, Pope Francis underlined that when there was professionalism, journalists remained “a cornerstone, a fundamental element for the vitality of a free and pluralistic society.”
Respecting human dignity
On the subject of human dignity, the Pope stressed the importance of responsible journalism and he reiterated earlier comments he made about rumours being a form of “terrorism”, and how you can kill a person with language. The Holy Father went on to say that “journalism cannot become a ” weapon of destruction “of people and even nations.” Criticism, is legitimate, he added, “as well as the denunciation of evil, but this must always be done respecting the other, his life, his affections”.
Holy See communications
Pope Francis during his discourse also commented on the changing communication’s environment of the Holy See. He said that it was experiencing a renewal process from which journalists should benefit, adding “the Secretariat for Communication will be the natural point of reference for your valuable work.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis contrasted the anxiety that comes from the Holy Spirit and the anxiety that comes from a dirty conscience. During his homily during the daily Mass at the Casa Santa Marta, he also spoke about vanity, which “masks” life, making it look like something it is not.
Listen to Christopher Wells’ report:
Two forms of anxiety
The Gospel of the day describes King Herod (Antipas) as being perplexed or anxious because, having had John the Baptist killed, he now felt threatened by Jesus. He was worried just as his father, Herod the Great, was troubled after the visit of the Magi. There can be two different kinds of anxiety in the soul, Pope Francis said, a “good” anxiety, which “the Holy Spirit gives us” and which “makes the soul restless to do good things”; and a “bad” anxiety, “that which is born from a dirty conscience.” The two Herods tried to resolve their anxiety by killing, going forward over “the bodies of the people”:
These people who had done such evil, who does evil and has a dirty conscience and cannot live in peace, because they live with a continual itch, with a continual rash that does not leave them in peace… These people have done evil, but evil always has the same root, any evil: greed, vanity, and pride. And all three do not leave the conscience in peace; all three do not allow the healthy restlessness of the Holy Spirit to enter, but bring you to live like this: anxiously, with fear. Greed, vanity, and pride are the roots of all evils.
Vanity, the osteoporosis of the soul
The day’s first Reading, taken from Ecclesiastes, speaks about vanity:
The vanity that makes us swell up. The vanity that does not have long life, because it is like a soap bubble. The vanity that does not give us true gain. What profit comes to the person for all the effort he puts into worrying? He is anxious to appear, to pretend, to seem. This is vanity. If we want to speak simply: vanity is covering up real life. And this makes the soul sick. Because in the end, if they cover up their real life in order to appear or to seem a certain way, all the things they do to pretend… What is gained? Vanity is like an osteoporosis of the soul: the bones seem good on the outside, but within they are totally ruined. Vanity makes us a fraud.
A face like an image in a picture, but the truth is otherwise
It’s like con men who “mark the cards” in order to win, the Pope continued. But “this victory is a fiction, it’s not true. This is vanity: living to pretend, living to seem, living to appear. And this makes the soul restless.” Pope Francis recalled the strong words Saint Bernard had for the vain: “Think of what you will be: food for worms.” Following on the saint’s thought, the Pope said, “All this ‘putting make-up’ on life is a lie, because the worms will eat you and you will be nothing.” What power does vanity have? he asked. Driven by pride to wickedness, it does not allow you to see your mistakes, “it covers everything, everything is covered”:
How many people do we know that appear one way: ‘What a good person! He goes to Mass every Sunday. He makes great donations to the Church.’ This is how they appear, but the osteoporosis is the corruption they have within. There are people like this – but there are also holy people! – who do this. This is vanity: You try to appear with a face like a pretty picture, and yet your truth is otherwise. And where is our strength and security, our refuge? We read it in the psalm between the readings: ‘Lord, you have been our refuge from generation to generation.’ And before the Gospel we recalled the words of Jesus: ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life.’ This is the truth, not the cosmetics of vanity. May the Lord free us from these three roots of all evil: greed, vanity, and pride. But especially from vanity, that makes us so bad.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, called for ‘the enhancement of infection prevention and control, including good sanitation and hygiene both in health care settings and in communities’ in response to the danger of antimicrobial resistance. His comments came in an address to a high-level meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance at the UN headquarters in New York during the General Assembly. Cardinal Parolin warned against the potential causes of an increasing resistance to antibiotics and current medical methods. ‘These causes include inappropriate use of antimicrobial medicines in human, animal, food, agriculture and aquaculture sectors; lack of access to health care services, including diagnostics and laboratory tests; and the contamination of soil, water and crops with antimicrobial residues.’ He concluded his address by reminding world leaders of the need to leave no one behind in regard to universal health care access. ‘On behalf of these hundreds of millions of people who have no access to health care and are most susceptible to diseases related to antimicrobial resistance, the Holy See appeals to the International Community to take their concerns and basic needs into greater consideration, without viewing them as burdens supported merely out of duty, or as problems raised as an afterthought. Leaving no one behind means giving greater attention to these persons who are left farthest behind.’ Cardinal Parolin’s full address is below: 21 September 2016 Mr. President, The Holy See shares the deep concern repeatedly expressed by the United Nations General Assembly and by the governing bodies of the relevant Specialized Agencies with regard to the prevalence and impact of antimicrobial resistance in all parts of the world. With tens of thousands of health care centers and institutions of higher medical education in many parts of the world, the Catholic Church is deeply and extensively engaged in health care and in preventive health education. Thus the Holy See is keenly aware of the catastrophic situation that could develop if effective measures to control this global health threat are not adequately taken by the international community, and thus calls for the enhancement of infection prevention and control, including good sanitation and hygiene both in health care settings and in communities. Experts have pointed to the interrelated causes of this complex public health challenge. These causes include inappropriate use of antimicrobial medicines in human, animal, food, agriculture and aquaculture sectors; lack of access to health care services, including diagnostics and laboratory tests; and the contamination of soil, water and crops with antimicrobial residues. In this regard, Pope Francis has warned that “the degree of human intervention, often in the service of business interests and consumerism, is actually making our earth less rich and beautiful, ever more limited and grey, even as technological advances and consumer goods continue to abound limitlessly.” [1] The Political Declaration rightfully points out that antimicrobial resistance makes it more difficult to safeguard the health and well-being of people most vulnerable to life-threatening infections, especially women giving birth, newborns, patients with certain chronic diseases, and those undergoing chemotherapy or surgery. Insufficient attention seems to be paid, however, to those who are socially and economically deprived, including the poor, marginalized and minority populations, refugees, migrants, and those internally displaced. Their lack of access to quality health care drives them to buy medicines on informal markets, where they are vulnerable to being sold false or counterfeit products. Mr President, My Delegation earnestly hopes that public health measures, medical research and diagnostic development will provide accessible and equitable solutions leading to, as Pope Francis has emphasized, “a genuine service… to care for our common home and the integral development of persons, especially those in greatest need”. [2] On behalf of these hundreds of millions of people who have no access to health care and are most susceptible to diseases related to antimicrobial resistance, the Holy See appeals to the International Community to take their concerns and basic needs into greater consideration, without viewing them as burdens supported merely out of duty, or as problems raised as an afterthought. [3] Leaving no one behind means giving greater attention to these persons who are left farthest behind. Thank you, Mr. President. [1] Pope Francis, Laudato Si’, 34. [2] Pope Francis, Address during Visit to the United Nations Office at Nairobi, Kenya, 26 November 2015. [3] Pope Francis, Laudato Si’, 49. (from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis urged the faithful to be as merciful as the Lord, because – he said – that is the best way to be “a sign, a channel, a witness of His love”.
He was speaking on Wednesday morning during the weekly General Audience in St. Peter’s Square.
Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni :
Reflecting on the reading from the Gospel of Luke on being merciful, “just as your Father is merciful”, Pope Francis said that is not a mere slogan, but a commitment for life.
That reading he observed, is where the motto of the Holy Year of Mercy comes from.
And pointing out that Jesus’ call to humanity to be as merciful as the Father can appear daunting, he said Jesus is not referring to “quantity” because of course it would be impossible for us to tend towards God’s absolute perfection, he is just asking us to try and be like Him: full of love, compassion and mercy.
Pope Francis also quoted from the passage which says “Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven”.
“All Christians – he said – must forgive! Why? Because all of us, each one of us here in the Square, has been forgiven. During our lives we have all been in need of the Lord’s forgiveness – and if God can forgive me – Francis continued – why should I not forgive the other? Am I greater than God?”
He also explained that by forgiving one another we express the free gift of God’s love and respond to Jesus’s invitation to give freely of our own love, because – he said: “all we have has been freely given to us by God, and we will receive only in the measure that we freely give to others”.
So don’t forget – the Pope concluded – mercy and gift, forgiveness and gift – that’s how to make your hearts bigger and full of love.
And after the catechesis and greetings in various languages, the Pope recalled the XXII World Alzheimer Day marked today on the theme “Remember me”.
He invited all those present to ‘remember’ those who are affected by the disease and their families with the care of Mary and with the tenderness of Jesus making them feel we are close to them.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) A press conference was held on Wednesday at Vatican Radio to launch the 2016 UNCTAD Trade and Development Report, lead by Fr. Michael Czerny, S.J., spokesman for the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
Listen to Devin Watkins’ report:
In a speech prepared by Cardinal Peter Turkson, who heads the Council but was unable to be present at the launch, Fr. Michael Czerny launched the UNCTAD report entitled ‘Structural Transformation for Inclusive and Sustained Growth’.
In the speech, Cardinal Turkson said there was a ‘significant resonance between the Council’s mission and the work of UNCTAD’.
The Holy See is a member of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, which helps developing countries diversify their economy to benefit from the globalized economy more fairly and effectively.
During the launch, Cardinal Turkson said economic developments ‘should help to overcome the immense hardships of humankind; and that such development should promote progress, which today must be integral human development.’
He said the Holy See was present at the founding meeting of the UNCTAD in 1964 in the person of Blessed Pope Paul VI, who ‘identified the ultimate horizon towards which UNCTAD at its best would always be working, when he declared: “Development [is] the new name of peace.”’
Cardinal Turkson noted the advances in technology since that time, but said the fundamental question remains: ‘What kind of trade, growth and development are going to meet the pervasive challenges of poverty, of inequality and lack of progress? Pope Paul VI defined true development with perfect clarity: true development must foster the development of every person and of the whole person. This means each individual person (man, woman and child), each human group, and humanity as a whole.’
In conclusion, Cardinal Turkson said fair trade among nations promotes the sharing of the riches given by God.
‘Our world is abundant with riches, thanks to the generous Creator. Human survival and prosperity are also thanks to the coordinated human efforts to produce and to trade throughout history and around the globe. Trade is certainly a key driver of development, and fair trade will do much to promote authentic human development.’
Below is the full text of Cardinal Turkson’s press conference:
Press Conference to launch the 2016 UNCTAD Report
Sala Marconi, Vatican Radio
Rome, 21 September 2016
Cardinal Peter K.A. Turkson, President
The UNCTAD 2016 Trade and Development Report is entitled “Structural Transformation for Inclusive and Sustained Growth”. Its launch is a meaningful and hopeful occasion. I am happy, as President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, to host this event as an expression of the significant resonance between the Council’s mission and the work of UNCTAD.
Ours is the younger of the two bodies, founded in 1967 at the request of the II Vatican Council. The Council was deeply concerned with “the immensity of the hardships which still afflict the greater part of mankind today.” Therefore Vatican II wanted a Church body “to stimulate the Catholic community to promote progress in needy regions and international social justice.” [1] Everyone would surely agree, that such development should help to overcome the immense hardships of humankind; and that such development should promote progress, which today must be integral human development.
Three years earlier, in 1964, the United Nations established its Conference on Trade and Development to deal with development issues, particularly international trade. The Holy See was present at the founding meeting, and Blessed Pope Paul VI identified the ultimate horizon towards which UNCTAD at its best would always be working, when he declared: “Development [is] the new name of peace.” [2]
Over the subsequent 52 years, new technologies have broken down traditional borders between nations and opened up new areas of economic opportunity. Moreover, a less polarized political landscape has provided new possibilities for worldwide trade. In addition, economic power has become more dispersed, mostly due to globalization and to industrialization and rapid growth in East Asia, with corresponding changes in the workings of the international trading system.
But the basic question remains: what kind of trade, growth and development are going to meet the pervasive challenges of poverty, of inequality and lack of progress?
Pope Paul VI defined true development with perfect clarity: true development must foster the development of every person and of the whole person. This means each individual person (man, woman and child), each human group, and humanity as a whole. [3]
Given the increasing environmental challenges, Pope Francis has extended this fundamental definition to include future generations. “The global economic crises have made painfully obvious the detrimental effects of disregarding our common destiny, which cannot exclude those who come after us. We can no longer speak of sustainable development apart from intergenerational solidarity. Once we start to think about the kind of world we are leaving to future generations, we look at things differently.” [4]
Human leadership or governance still seems to have a lot to learn about how to order economic affairs for the welfare of everyone and for the safeguarding of the environment. In the words of Pope Francis: “With due respect for the autonomy and culture of every nation, we must never forget that the planet belongs to all mankind and is meant for all mankind; the mere fact that some people are born in places with fewer resources or less development does not justify the fact that they are living with less dignity.” [5]
And world governance, including institutions of the U.N. family, need to appreciate the poor, as St John Paul II put it, “not as a problem, but as people who can become the principal builders of a new and more human future for everyone.” [6]
The launching of the 2016 Trade and Development Report takes place under the long shadow of the financial and monetary crisis dragging on since 2008. It results from a combination of ethical and technical breakdowns. Have the right lessons been learned yet? It is not evident that the organizations, institutions and decision-makers responsible for ethical and technical breakdowns have acknowledged their role, much less made the necessary repairs. We must do better. Our societies need to find ways of exercising greater corporate, financial and governmental responsibility for the economy and the environment. [7] The world economy has been marooned in growth doldrums for the past six years, and this state of affairs is in growing danger of becoming accepted as the ‘new normal’.
Dialogue and cooperation are not easy. But the ‘old normal’ of isolated sectors and competing institutions will not meet the challenges.
“A fair globalization will not come about only through disjointed decisions on trade, or finance, or labour, or education or health policies, conceived and applied independently. It is an integrated phenomenon: it takes integrated solutions and, obviously, integrated policies.” [8]
Integrated policies will require persistence and generosity, with quite different voices being heard: banking, finance, commerce, business, politics … as well as workers, the unemployed and migrants, youth and the old, and indeed the natural environment.
Nearly 50 years ago, Pope Paul VI enshrined the link between development and peace. Peace is not the mere absence of violence. It bespeaks human fulfilment, integral in all its aspects – material, social, spiritual. Trade and development must aim at the fullest human flourishing if we are ever to have real peace.
Our world is abundant with riches, thanks to the generous Creator. Human survival and prosperity are also thanks to the coordinated human efforts to produce and to trade throughout history and around the globe. Trade is certainly a key driver of development, and fair trade will do much to promote authentic human development.
Let us join in encouraging UNCTAD to fulfil its mission, in taking the 2016 Trade and Development Report on board. May the report assist UNCTAD and other institutions of international governance to face the great challenges of the coming decades.
[1] Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes, § 90. This “body” was to be the future Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
[2] Paul VI, Populorum Progressio, § 76.
[3] Paul VI, Populorum Progressio, § 14 quoted by Pope Francis in Evangelii Gaudium, § 181.
[4] Pope Francis, Laudato si’, § 159.
[5] Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, § 190.
[6] World Day of Peace, 2000, § 14.
[7] Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Towards reforming the international financial and monetary systems in the context of global public authority, 2011.
[8] Juan Somavía and Renato Martino, The challenge of a fair globalization, International Labour Organization, 2005, p. 41.
(from Vatican Radio)…