(Vatican Radio) Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher is wrapping up a week-long visit to Japan during which he met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and celebrated Mass in the city of Hiroshima.
The Vatican Secretary for Relations with States confirmed the Holy See’s cooperation with Japan regarding the elimination of nuclear weapons.
On Wednesday Archbishop Gallagher held a ‘Lectio Magistralis’ at the Jesuit-run University of Sophia in Tokyo, dedicated to the promotion of a culture of peace.
During his lesson, Gallagher spoke of the important contribution made by a Catholic University which takes into account a global and not merely intellectual formation of the whole person.
Quoting Pope Francis he said that “if the university becomes no more than an academy of ideas or an assembly line of professionals, or its structure is determined by a business mentality, then it has truly lost its way”.
He said that one must never tire of looking at the world, with its events and actors, critically but also constructively, asking us not to “exclude” and appealing for “necessary dialogue” as a method proper to cultural and educational processes.
Referring to the core message of his lesson, Gallagher said “the question of peace involves more than politics or diplomatic activity; it is directly linked to culture and to the sphere of ethics and moral conscience that can generate much apprehension, yet is so greatly needed in international relations”.
He pointed out that the “vision of peace proposed by the magisterium of the Catholic Church does not necessarily coincide with that current in the community of the nations, as summarized, for example, by the contents of the UN Charter. The difference does not simply have to do with issues involving the use of force or the obligations incumbent upon states, but with the conviction that peace calls first and foremost for preventing the causes that lead to war. “To bring about true peace, it is necessary to bring people together concretely so as to reconcile peoples and groups with opposing ideological positions. It is also necessary to work together for what persons, families, peoples and nations feel is their right, namely to participate on a social, political and economic level in the goods of the modern world”.
Thus, Gallagher said, peace on earth is thus the result of any number of factors, of which a culture of peace is the vehicle.
He said Pope speaks of “a war being fought piecemeal” as a way of perceiving, among the many possible causes of conflict (selfish interests, poverty, lack of development, territorial dominion, spheres of influence…), the one that is essential.
Working for peace, he said, demands returning to the bases of human relationships and thus recovering the bases of the internal order of nations and the international order.
“As Pope Francis sees it, this means that true peace cannot come about “without the recognition of certain incontestable natural ethical limits and without the immediate implementation of those pillars of integral human development”. A true culture of peace, then, calls for concrete commitments requiring solid and structured foundations: exactly the opposite of the frequently heard idea that “a single theoretical and aprioristic solution will provide an answer to all the challenges”.
Archbishop Gallagher’s long lesson goes on to illustrate tools that are at the disposal of world leaders, he talks about the culture of peace and the threat to peace which today “comes not only from traditional wars and hostilities, whether domestic or international, but also from other problems”.
He talks of a return to the vision of just peace which includes religious freedom in its varied forms, among which is conscientious objection and points out that a culture of peace can also make a huge contribution to anti-terrorism strategies.
Archbishop Gallagher talked about the goals to be achieved, the use of dialogue, discussion and negotiation as well as “the language of the magisterium, this involves a correct and consistent application of the principle of subsidiarity”.
He reflected on the areas of development and international cooperation, on the more general fight against poverty which “presupposes a common agreement that can only be the result of an effective solidarity between states”.
“This would involve a greater appreciation of the role of intellectual property, an area in which a consistent culture of peace is called to recognize the right of researchers and producers to just compensation, so that new developments can truly be at the service of the common good of the human family” he said.
Gallagher concluded calling for a “prophetic vision that can bring together the human, cultural and religious aspects and thus offer our contemporary world a firm common witness to the service of goodness, the service of dialogue and the service of peace. In this context, the university has a fundamental task as a place of encounter between faith and reason, between memory of the past and scientific development towards the future, and as a place of encounter and discussion between different visions of life, technology, politics and religious convictions. That task is to prepare the way for a future of peace, an attainable future, a future for all”.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) The exploitation and enslavement of children is the focus of a week of activities leading up to the February 8th world day of prayer for an end to human trafficking.
Three years ago, Pope Francis asked women and men religious to organize a day, on the feast of the Sudanese saint Josephine Bakhita, to raise awareness of the plight of millions of victims of human trafficking.
At a press conference on Wednesday sisters from the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) announced initiatives taking place in countries around the world, with a focus this year on the theme of children in slavery.
Here in Rome, activities include a seminar at the Gregorian University, a film evening, a prayer vigil at the Rome parish of Ognissanti on the Via Appia and participation in the Pope’s general audience.
To find out more about the focus for this year’s event, Philippa Hitchen spoke to the president of the UISG, Sr Carmen Sammut …..
Listen:
Sr Carmen recalls that the sisters asked the pope for a world day against slavery on the Church’s calendar and he entrusted them with the duty to organize a commemoration of trafficking victims.
She notes that ‘Talitha Kum’, the international network of religious against human trafficking, is present in around 80 countries where members mark the day of prayer as an important annual event.
Speaking of this year’s focus on trafficked children, Sr Carmen says it’s “the most horrible of things to think that a child is not given the possibility to be a child” but is taken instead into slavery for forced labour, sexual abuse or organ harvesting. She describes it as “really heartbreaking” but adds that the phenomenon is growing, due in part to growing poverty.
She recounts her experience of Filipino Cardinal Luis Tagle telling her, tearfully, that he sees families and parents selling their children out of poverty. Also she notes that because of increasing numbers of migrants, there are also more unaccompanied children.
Talking about solutions, Sr Carmen says the media must create greater awareness that this is a problem happening in every single country, though very often we choose to ignore it. Secondly, she says, if demand for the products made from slave labour is removed, there’s a possibility of less demand for trafficked children.
Sr Carmen quotes Pope Francis’ words that “purchasing is not only an economic but also a moral action”, adding that we need to realise that we can make a difference by not buying certain products. The same with sexual exploitation, she says, if there’s “not so much demand for sexual services, especially from children”.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) The Vatican supermarket is supporting those affected by the earthquakes in central Italy by offering goods for sale made by local farmers in the region, especially the small town of Amatrice, which was hit hardest by the quake on 24 August 2016.
The Vatican supermarket can be used by employees, retirees, and others affiliated with the Vatican who are provided with a special card providing them access.
Immediately after the earthquake, Pope Francis sent members of the Vatican fire department to aid in rescue efforts, and medical personnel working at the Vatican also volunteered to help.
Nearly 300 people died in the August quake, and dozens of others have died in subsequent tremors.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Wednesday asked people to pray for all those in Religious and Consecrated Life, who have been called to profess the evangelical counsels. He was speaking on Wednesday during his General Audience , in anticipation of Thursday’s celebration of the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, which is also the World Day of Consecrated Life. “I ask you to pray for the priests, sisters, and brothers belonging to contemplative and apostolic Religious Institutes,” Pope Francis said. “Their life dedicated to the Lord, and their charismatic service, will bear abundant fruit for the good of the faithful, and for the evangelizing mission of the Church.” The Holy Father asked the faithful to pray that “through their witness of life, they may radiate to the world the love of Christ and the grace of the Gospel.” Pope Francis is scheduled to celebrate Mass for the World Day of Consecrated Life on Thursday afternoon in St. Peter’s Basilica. (from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Wednesday invited Christians to “wear the hope of salvation like a helmet (1 Thess 5:8), in the knowledge that, because Christ is risen, the object of our hope is certain.” The Holy Father was quoting from Saint Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians during his weekly General Audience in the Paul VI Hall where he continued his catechesis on Christian hope. Listen to Lydia O’Kane’s report
The Pope recalling the freshness and beauty of this first Christian proclamation described the community of Thessalonica at the time as one “ rooted in faith which celebrated with enthusiasm and joy the resurrection of the Lord Jesus”, despite its difficulties and the many trials. Pope Francis noted how this letter of St Paul is more timely than ever because, “before the mystery of death, and the loss of our loved ones, we Christians are challenged to hope more firmly in the Lord’s promise of eternal life.” Christian hope, the Pope continued, “is the expectation of something that has already been accomplished, and that will certainly be realized for each of us.” Giving an example, he spoke of the woman who when realizing she is pregnant, waits every day for the arrival of her baby. In that same hope, and in the communion of the Church, he added, “we pray too that those who have gone before us will live forever in Christ.” Concluding his catechesis, Pope Francis said, St. Paul writes: “Jesus died for us so that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him”. These words, he underlined, “are always a source of great consolation and peace.” Greeting pilgrims at the end of the audience, the Pope thanked the delegation from the World Catholic Movement for climate for their commitment to caring for our common home at a time of, what he called, a “serious socio-environmental crisis.” He also encouraged them to continue to build networks so that ‘the local churches respond with determination to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. ” (from Vatican Radio)…