(Vatican Radio) The Permanent Representative of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva, Archbishop Ivan Jurkovič on Wednesday addressed the Executive Committee Meeting of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
The Vatican diplomat said the international community “must not lose [its] resolve” in the face of the “seemingly insurmountable challenges” of 65.3 million forcibly displaced people around the world.
“We have an urgent social, political and ethical duty to address these issues and their root causes in a spirit of cooperation and solidarity,” Archbishop Jurkovič said.
“The Holy See, while assuring its firm commitment to work with all interested parties to assist the needs of refugees and migrants, wishes to reiterate a strong appeal for the implementation of the existing provisions contained in the Refugee Convention,” – he continued – “From its inception, the UNHCR has been actively involved in promoting protection for refugees and finding solutions to their problems. This is the very reason the three durable solutions were developed: voluntary repatriation, reintegration and resettlement.”
Archbishop Jurkovič said there is also urgent need for action on the underlying causes, the so-called “push-factors”, be they domestic or international, of large-scale movements of refugees.
“International support is needed to strengthen good governance and the rule of law, and to address structural inequalities,” – the Archbishop said – “The Holy See wishes to reiterate its urgent appeal for political and multilateral efforts to confront the root causes of large movements and forced displacement of populations.”
The full statement is below
Intervention by H.E. Archbishop Ivan Jurkovič, Permanent Representative of the Holy See to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva
at the 67th Executive Committee Meeting of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Geneva, 4 October 2016
Mr. President,
Appreciating the opportunity to address the Executive Committee of UNHCR this year, my Delegation would like to express its serious concern over the increasingly difficult challenges presented by the various refugee crises in different parts of the world. At the present time we are witnessing the highest levels of displacement ever recorded, with some 65.3 million people who have been forcibly displaced. Of these suffering individuals, a staggering 21.3 million refugees – the majority of them being minors under the age of 18, who, as we know, are frequently victims of modern forms of slavery including trafficking do not have access to education or are imprisoned in dreadful situations. In addition, there are also some 10 million stateless people who have been denied a nationality and access to basic rights. While we must not lose our resolve in the face of these seemingly insurmountable challenges, we must also acknowledge that the increasing trend shows no sign of slowing down. The scale and nature of refugee displacement today “requires us to act in a comprehensive and predictable manner in large-scale refugee movements”. These movements are often the result of old conflicts not yet effectively addressed – we think of many situations in Africa, for example – nevertheless the International Community is still convinced that: “Through a comprehensive refugee response based on the principles of international cooperation and on burden- and responsibility-sharing, we are better able to protect and assist refugees and to support the host States and communities involved.”1
We have an urgent social, political and ethical duty to address these issues and their root causes in a spirit of cooperation and solidarity.
The recent New York Declaration is a positive sign that there remains a willingness on the part of the International Community to address the grave refugee crises unfolding in our world. The Declaration tasks the UNHCR to develop a Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework, setting out a blueprint for a stronger system with more reliable funding and early engagement of development actors to help those forced to flee their homes and the communities hosting them. With these encouraging developments, we must also be realistic about implementation. Repeated promises and pledges have been made, but effective and durable implementation has been sorely lacking and the rights of refugees, as laid out in various international instruments, continue to be violated. Such violations constitute wounds to the international order, which risk provoking cynicism and the slide towards a true “globalization of indifference.”
Mr. President,
The Holy See, while assuring its firm commitment to work with all interested parties to assist the needs of refugees and migrants, wishes to reiterate a strong appeal for the implementation of the existing provisions contained in the Refugee Convention. From its inception, the UNHCR has been actively involved in promoting protection for refugees and finding solutions to their problems. This is the very reason the three durable solutions were developed: voluntary repatriation, reintegration and resettlement.
In fact, however, in many countries refugees are not allowed to work, while their movements are limited to the immediate surroundings of camps, often located in remote regions. Refugees have become dependent on food supplies, many times insufficient or reduced for budgetary reasons, while at the same time the food basket is not sufficiently varied. The present situation has led to malnutrition in camps that for years have been administrated by the United Nations.
My Delegation believes that it would make all the difference if the existing rights of refugees were guaranteed, with additional economic and financial investments, and especially political will. Then refugees would become ‘agents of development’ even in their host country and not just recipients of aid or merely tolerated guests.
Closely related to respecting the existing rights of refugees is the urgent need for action on the underlying causes, the so-called “push-factors”, be they domestic or international, of large-scale movements of refugees.
Priority should be given to addressing the root causes of displacement and to preventing them. Early warning and response systems that can foster reconciliation are needed when tensions emerge. International support is needed to strengthen good governance and the rule of law, and to address structural inequalities. The Holy See wishes to reiterate its urgent appeal for political and multilateral efforts to confront the root causes of large movements and forced displacement of populations. As Pope Francis has said, this “would mean rethinking entrenched habits and practices, beginning with issues involving the arms trade, the provision of raw materials and energy, investment, policies of financing and sustainable development, and even the grave scourge of corruption.”2
Prevention, protection and solutions are strongly interlinked, to the extent that if one fails, the others will not be able adequately to deliver. Political will and leadership, both at the national and the global level, are essential for the effectiveness in these three areas.
Mr. President,
[ I am particularly glad to mention a decision that further emphasizes Pope Francis’ concern for uprooted peoples. In instituting the new Dicastery for promoting Integral Human Development in September last, Pope Francis placed pro tempore under his personal guidance the section that specifically oversees matters concerning refugees and migrants.]
Refugees need our solidarity, compassion and protection. In seeking to respond effectively to the challenges posed by unprecedented movements of refugees, while respecting the legitimate concerns of societies and countries, let us never lose sight of the real men, women and children involved in this human drama.
Thank you, Mr. President.
1 New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, doc. A/71/L.1, Annex I, par.1
2 Pope Francis, Address to the Members of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See for the traditional exchange of New Year greetings. Vatican, 11 January 2016
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) The Vatican on Wednesday told the United Nations General Assembly there are “no ideological, political, philosophical, racial, ethnic, or religious reasons to justify or excuse” terrorism.
Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, was speaking at a UN General Assembly session discussing Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism.
“As terror knows no border, the international community as a whole must deny terrorists access to cyber technologies to recruit new adherents from many parts of the world, finance their activities and coordinate terror attacks,” said the Vatican diplomat.
“No one should be permitted to finance or to provide arms and ammunitions to terrorists,” – Archbishop Auza continued – “Those who abet violent extremism or shelter members of terrorist groups must be held accountable before a court of law. Similarly, all violations of international humanitarian law and crimes against humanity committed by terror groups must be vigorously pursued.”
The full statement is below
Statement by H.E. Archbishop Bernardito Auza
Apostolic Nuncio, Permanent Observer of the Holy See
Seventy-first Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Sixth Committee
Agenda Item 108: Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism
Mr. Chair,
At the outset, let me congratulate you on your election as Chair of the Sixth Committee. My delegation looks forward to collaborate with you during this session.
Mr. Chair,
The Holy See wishes to remember the victims of terrorism as well as those communities and individuals who continue to suffer due to terrorism. Their memory and pain must give a renewed sense of urgency and momentum to the important work of this Committee.
The Holy See’s condemnation of terrorism is absolute: there are no ideological, political, philosophical, racial, ethnic, or religious reasons to justify or excuse it. Terrorism violates fundamental human dignity and rights; the terrorists disdain for life and fundamental freedoms, their unspeakable crimes against women and girls, and the utter barbarity of their acts cannot leave us indifferent.
Terrorism can only be countered by more cohesive measures at the international level. As terror knows no border, the international community as a whole must deny terrorists access to cyber technologies to recruit new adherents from many parts of the world, finance their activities and coordinate terror attacks. No one should be permitted to finance or to provide arms and ammunitions to terrorists. Those who abet violent extremism or shelter members of terrorist groups must be held accountable before a court of law. Similarly, all violations of international humanitarian law and crimes against humanity committed by terror groups must be vigorously pursued.
On the other hand, all measures to combat terrorism must scrupulously respect human rights and international humanitarian law. In this regard, the recent decisions of the European Court of Human Rights in the Al-Dulimi case and of the Court of Justice of the European Communities in the Kadi case deserve a close study.
Moreover, there can be no conflict between the effective implementation of measures to contrast terrorism and the provision of humanitarian assistance, directed to protect the fundamental human rights to life and health. Thus, the contrast of terrorist activities should not inhibit nor limit the capacity of governmental, non-governmental and religiously-inspired organizations to provide humanitarian aid to vulnerable groups or persons, such as emergency relief to refugees and displaced persons and medical services to the wounded.
P a g e | 2
Mr. Chair,
Measures to counter terrorism must address those social and political conflicts that fuel violence or deepen hatred among the various communities. In effect, the persecution of social or national groups, deep social injustices, the violation of fundamental rights and freedoms, ethnic and religious discrimination, as well as gaping social and economic inequalities create the conditions that may foster radicalization. Pope Francis has emphasized that, whenever justice and the common good are violated, violence always ensues.1 Thus, all governments should engage with civil society to address the challenges faced by those individuals and communities most at risk of radicalization and recruitment, with a view to fostering their social integration.
1 Laudato Si’ 159.
The fight against terrorism begins with the hearts and minds of those young people who are most vulnerable to radicalization and ideological brainwashing. Education thus plays a crucial role in the prevention of terrorism. In this regard, the Catholic Church is privileged to be entrusted each year with the education of around fifty million primary and secondary school children worldwide and millions more at the tertiary level. This education is offered as a service for the children and the young of all faiths and no faith, and from every economic stratum, with a particular preference for those whose educational opportunities are limited or even non-existent. In performing this service, Catholic educational institutions strengthen societies by forming responsible and peace-loving citizens.
Furthermore, religious leaders must take the lead in rejecting the narratives and ideologies that engender radicalization, hatred and extremism. Religions must unite in confronting all forms of religious bigotry, stereotyping and disrespect for what people hold sacred. It is therefore a primary duty of religious leaders to refute and denounce the tendentious ideologies of terror purportedly inspired by religious injunctions or texts.
Pope Francis continues to advocate the practice of encounter, of dialogue, of building bridges as antidotes to radicalization and extremist violence. Refusal to dialogue is in fact one of the defining characteristics of fundamentalism. The Holy See believes therefore that, no matter how grave the threats that terrorism poses to our collective security, any effective, lasting response to this crime cannot be achieved solely through military and security means, but rather through a culture of encounter that fosters mutual acceptance and promotes peaceful and inclusive societies.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis spoke to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the Primates of the Anglican Communion in a Vatican audience on Thursday.
The Holy Father recalled the historic meeting between Blessed Paul VI and Archbishop Michael Ramsey 50 years ago, which has led to a gradual rapprochement based on theological dialogue.
He then reflected with them on the three themes of ‘prayer, witness, and mission’ as a basis for ‘our continuing common journey’.
Below is the official English text of Pope Francis’ address:
Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Primates of the Anglican Communion
Thursday, 6 October 2016
Your Grace,
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Thank you for your presence. It is a beautiful sign of fraternity to see the Primates of so many Provinces of the Anglican Communion joining you here in Rome. We have solemnly celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the historic meeting between Blessed Paul VI and Archbishop Michael Ramsey. That meeting has produced many fruits: we need think only of the opening of the Anglican Centre in Rome, the appointment of the Archbishop’s permanent representative to the Holy See, and the start of our theological dialogue, represented by the volume containing five documents from the second phase of ARCIC (1982-2005). In sharing together these fruits, we remember that they come from a tree which has its roots in that meeting of fifty years ago.
Reflecting on our continuing common journey, three words come to mind: prayer, witness, mission.
Prayer: yesterday evening we celebrated Vespers, and this morning you prayed here at the tomb of the Apostle Peter. Let us never grow tired of asking the Lord together and insistently for the gift of unity.
Witness: these past fifty years of encounter and exchange, as well as reflection and common texts, speak to us of Christians who, for faith and with faith, have listened to one another and shared their time and energy. The conviction has grown that ecumenism is never an impoverishment, but a richness; the certainty has deepened that what the Spirit has sown in the other yields a common harvest. Let us treasure this inheritance and know that we are called each day to offer to the world, as Jesus asked, the witness of our love and unity (cf. Jn 15:12; 17:21).
Mission: there is a time for everything (cf. Eccles 3:1) and now is the time in which the Lord challenges us, in a particular way, to go out from ourselves and our own environs, in order to bring his merciful love to a world thirsting for peace. Let us help one another to keep at the centre the demands of the Gospel and to spend ourselves concretely in this mission. Thank you.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis and the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby on Wednesday presided at the celebration of Vespers in the Rome church of St Gregory on the Caelian Hill to mark the 50th anniversary of Anglican-Catholic relations.
During the liturgy the two leaders signed a common declaration and sent out on mission together 19 pairs of Anglican and Catholic bishops from countries around the world.
Please find below the text of the Common Declaration of Pope Francis and the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby
Fifty years ago our predecessors, Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Michael Ramsey met in this city hallowed by the ministry and blood of the Apostles Peter and Paul. Subsequently, Pope John Paul II with Archbishop Robert Runcie, and later with Archbishop George Carey, and Pope Benedict XVI with Archbishop Rowan Williams, prayed together here in this Church of Saint Gregory on the Caelian Hill from where Pope Gregory sent Augustine to evangelise the Anglo-Saxon people. On pilgrimage to the tombs of these apostles and holy forebears, Catholics and Anglicans recognize that we are heirs of the treasure of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the call to share that treasure with the whole world. We have received the Good News of Jesus Christ through the holy lives of men and women who preached the Gospel in word and deed and we have been commissioned, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, to be Christ’s witnesses “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1: 8). We are united in the conviction that “the ends of the earth” today, is not only a geographical term, but a summons to take the saving message of the Gospel particularly to those on the margins and the peripheries of our societies.
In their historic meeting in 1966, Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Ramsey established the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission to pursue a serious theological dialogue which, “founded on the Gospels and on the ancient common traditions, may lead to that unity in truth, for which Christ prayed”. Fifty years later we give thanks for the achievements of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission, which has examined historically divisive doctrines from a fresh perspective of mutual respect and charity. Today we give thanks in particular for the documents of ARCIC II which will be appraised by us, and we await the findings of ARCIC III as it navigates new contexts and new challenges to our unity.
Fifty years ago our predecessors recognized the “serious obstacles” that stood in the way of a restoration of complete faith and sacramental life between us. Nevertheless, they set out undeterred, not knowing what steps could be taken along the way, but in fidelity to the Lord’s prayer that his disciples be one. Much progress has been made concerning many areas that have kept us apart. Yet new circumstances have presented new disagreements among us, particularly regarding the ordination of women and more recent questions regarding human sexuality. Behind these differences lies a perennial question about how authority is exercised in the Christian community. These are today some of the concerns that constitute serious obstacles to our full unity. While, like our predecessors, we ourselves do not yet see solutions to the obstacles before us, we are undeterred. In our trust and joy in the Holy Spirit we are confident that dialogue and engagement with one another will deepen our understanding and help us to discern the mind of Christ for his Church. We trust in God’s grace and providence, knowing that the Holy Spirit will open new doors and lead us into all truth (cf. John 16: 13).
These differences we have named cannot prevent us from recognizing one another as brothers and sisters in Christ by reason of our common baptism. Nor should they ever hold us back from discovering and rejoicing in the deep Christian faith and holiness we find within each other’s traditions. These differences must not lead to a lessening of our ecumenical endeavours. Christ’s prayer at the Last Supper that all might be one (cf. John 17: 20-23) is as imperative for his disciples today as it was at that moment of his impending passion, death and resurrection, and consequent birth of his Church. Nor should our differences come in the way of our common prayer: not only can we pray together, we must pray together, giving voice to our shared faith and joy in the Gospel of Christ, the ancient Creeds, and the power of God’s love, made present in the Holy Spirit, to overcome all sin and division. And so, with our predecessors, we urge our clergy and faithful not to neglect or undervalue that certain yet imperfect communion that we already share.
Wider and deeper than our differences are the faith that we share and our common joy in the Gospel. Christ prayed that his disciples may all be one, “so that the world might believe” (John 17: 21). The longing for unity that we express in this Common Declaration is closely tied to the desire we share that men and women come to believe that God sent his Son, Jesus, into the world to save the world from the evil that oppresses and diminishes the entire creation. Jesus gave his life in love, and rising from the dead overcame even death itself. Christians who have come to this faith, have encountered Jesus and the victory of his love in their own lives, and are impelled to share the joy of this Good News with others. Our ability to come together in praise and prayer to God and witness to the world rests on the confidence that we share a common faith and a substantial measure of agreement in faith.
The world must see us witnessing to this common faith in Jesus by acting together. We can, and must, work together to protect and preserve our common home: living, teaching and acting in ways that favour a speedy end to the environmental destruction that offends the Creator and degrades his creatures, and building individual and collective patterns of behaviour that foster a sustainable and integral development for the good of all. We can, and must, be united in a common cause to uphold and defend the dignity of all people. The human person is demeaned by personal and societal sin. In a culture of indifference, walls of estrangement isolate us from others, their struggles and their suffering, which also many of our brothers and sisters in Christ today endure. In a culture of waste, the lives of the most vulnerable in society are often marginalised and discarded. In a culture of hate we see unspeakable acts of violence, often justified by a distorted understanding of religious belief. Our Christian faith leads us to recognise the inestimable worth of every human life, and to honour it in acts of mercy by bringing education, healthcare, food, clean water and shelter and always seeking to resolve conflict and build peace. As disciples of Christ we hold human persons to be sacred, and as apostles of Christ we must be their advocates.
Fifty years ago Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Ramsey took as their inspiration the words of the apostle: “Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3: 13-14). Today, “those things which are behind” – the painful centuries of separation –have been partially healed by fifty years of friendship. We give thanks for the fifty years of the Anglican Centre in Rome dedicated to being a place of encounter and friendship. We have become partners and companions on our pilgrim journey, facing the same difficulties, and strengthening each other by learning to value the gifts which God has given to the other, and to receive them as our own in humility and gratitude.
We are impatient for progress that we might be fully united in proclaiming, in word and deed, the saving and healing gospel of Christ to all people. For this reason we take great encouragement from the meeting during these days of so many Catholic and Anglican bishops of the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM) who, on the basis of all that they have in common, which generations of ARCIC scholars have painstakingly unveiled, are eager to go forward in collaborative mission and witness to the “ends of the earth”. Today we rejoice to commission them and send them forth in pairs as the Lord sent out the seventy-two disciples. Let their ecumenical mission to those on the margins of society be a witness to all of us, and let the message go out from this holy place, as the Good News was sent out so many centuries ago, that Catholics and Anglicans will work together to give voice to our common faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, to bring relief to the suffering, to bring peace where there is conflict, to bring dignity where it is denied and trampled upon.
In this Church of Saint Gregory the Great, we earnestly invoke the blessings of the Most Holy Trinity on the continuing work of ARCIC and IARCCUM, and on all those who pray for and contribute to the restoration of unity between us.
Rome, 5 October 2016
HIS GRACE JUSTIN WELBY HIS HOLINESS FRANCIS
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Wednesday urged Anglicans and Catholics to work together to promote the unity of Christians and the unity of the human family. His words came as he presided at Vespers, together with the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby in the church of St Gregory on the Caelian Hill.
The ecumenical prayer service took place, symbolically, on the site from where Pope Gregory the Great sent Augustine out on mission to evanglise the English at the end of the 6th century. During the liturgy Pope Francis presented the Anglican leader with a replica of the pastoral staff of St Gregory, while the Archbishop gave the Holy Father a silver Cross of Nails as a symbol of their partnership in the urgent work of reconciliation.
Leading the singing of the psalms, anthems and well known hymns was the choir from Canterbury Cathedral, alongside the Sistine Chapel choir. Among the packed congregation were pairs of Anglican and Catholic bishops from around the world who are in Rome this week to celebrate 50 years of ecumenical dialogue and to recommit themselves to partnership in mission.
In his words to them, Pope Francis said “We recognize ourselves as brothers who belong to different traditions, but are driven by the same Gospel to undertake the same mission in the world.” Therefore he said, “it would be always good, before embarking on any activity, for you to put these questions to yourselves: Why ought not we do this together with our Anglican brothers?; Can we bear witness to Jesus by acting together with our Catholic brothers?”
Referring to the pastoral staff of St Gregory which contains a carved ivory lamb, the Pope urged the bishops of both traditions to follow the example of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, telling them that “It is in sharing the difficulties and joys of ministry that we once again grow close to each other.”
He urged them to be “promoters of a bold and real ecumenism, always on a journey in search of opening new paths.” This is always and above all, he said, a matter of following the example of Our Lord, his pastoral methodology, of which the prophet Ezekiel reminds us: to seek out the lost one, bring back the stray, bandage the wounded, heal the sick. Only thus, the Pope said, “shall the scattered people be brought together”
Please find below Vatican Radio’s unofficial translation of the Pope’s words at Vespers, followed by those of the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby
The prophet Ezekiel, with an eloquent image, describes God as a shepherd herding his scattered sheep. They were separated from each other “in the day of clouds and thick darkness” (Ez 34,12). The Lord seems thus, through the Prophet, to turn to us with a twofold message. First, a message of unity: God, as Shepherd, desires the unity of His people, and he especially desires those appointed as Shepherds under him to spend themselves in pursuit of unity. Second, the reason we are told of the divisions in the flock: in the days of clouds and thick darkness, we lost sight of the brother who stood beside us, we became unable to recognize and rejoice in our respective gifts and in the graces we’ve received. This happened because the darkness of incomprehension and suspicion and, overhead, the dark clouds of disagreements and disputes, gathered around us – often formed for historical and cultural reasons and not only for theological reasons.
But we have the firm belief that God loves to dwell among us, who are his flock and precious treasure. He is a tireless pastor who continues to act (cf. Jn 5:17), encouraging us to walk towards greater unity, which can only be achieved with the help of His grace. Therefore we remain confident, because in us, even though we are fragile earthen vessels (cf. 2 Cor 4,7), God loves to pour out his grace. He is convinced that we can move from darkness to light, from dispersion to unity, from wanting to plenitude. This path of communion is the path of all Christians and is your particular mission, for you are the shepherds of the International Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission.
It’s a great vocation, that which is to work as instruments of communion always and everywhere. This means promoting at the same time the unity of the Christian family and the unity of the human family. The two areas are not only not opposed but are mutually enriching. When, as disciples of Jesus, we offer our services jointly, each opening and the meeting, overcoming the temptation of closures and insulation, we work both at the same time when we work side-by-side, when we promote the unity of Christians as well as that of the human family. We recognize ourselves as brothers who belong to different traditions, but are driven by the same Gospel to undertake the same mission in the world. Then it would be always good, before embarking on any activity, for you to put these questions to yourselves: Why ought not we do this together with our Anglican brothers?; Can we bear witness to Jesus by acting together with our Catholic brothers?
It is in sharing the difficulties and joys of the ministry that we once again grow close to each other. May God grant you to be promoters of a bold and real ecumenism, always on a journey in search of opening new paths, which will benefit in the first place that your brothers in the Provinces and the Episcopal Conferences. This is always and above all a matter of following the example of the Lord, his pastoral methodology, of which the prophet Ezekiel reminds us: to seek out the lost one, bring back the stray, bandage the wound, heal the sick (cf. v. 16). Only thus shall the scattered people be brought together.
I would like to refer to our common journey in the footsteps of Christ the Good Shepherd, inspired by the pastoral staff of St. Gregory the Great, which might well symbolize the great ecumenical significance of this meeting. Pope Gregory, from this wellspring of mission, chose and sent St. Augustine of Canterbury and his monks to the Anglo-Saxon nations, inaugurating a great chapter in evangelization, which is our common history, and binds us inseparably. Therefore it is right that this pastoral staff be a symbol of our shared journey of unity and mission.
At the center of the curved part of the staff is represented the Risen Lamb. Thus, while reminding us of the will of the Lord to gather the flock and go in search of the lost sheep, the staff also seems to show us the central content of the love of God in Jesus crucified and risen, the Lamb sacrificed and living. It is love that penetrated the darkness of the sealed tomb, and opened the doors to the light of eternal life. The love of the Lamb victorious over sin and death is the true innovative message to carry together to those who are lost today, and to those who still do not have the joy of knowing the compassionate face and merciful embrace of the Good Shepherd. Our ministry consists in illuminating the darkness with this gentle light, with the meek power of love that conquers sin and overcomes death. We have the joy to recognize and celebrate the heart of the faith. Let us once again make that our center and focus, without being distracted by that, which, enticing us to follow the spirit of the world, would detract from the original freshness of the Gospel. From there comes our shared responsibility, the one mission to serve God and humanity.
It was also pointed out by some authors that the pastoral staves, at the other end, often have a pointed tip. It may well think that the ministry not only recalls the vocation to lead and gather the sheep in the name of the Risen Christ, but also to prod those that tend to stand too close and shut in, urging them to get out. The mission of the pastors is to help the flock entrusted to them, that it be always out-going, on the move to proclaim the joy of the Gospel; not closed in tight circles, in ecclesial “microclimates” which would take us back to the days of clouds and thick darkness. Together we ask God for the grace to imitate the spirit and example of the great missionaries, through which the Holy Spirit has revitalized the Church, which is revived when she goes out of her own accord on the ways of the world to live and proclaim the Gospel. Let us remember what happened in Edinburgh, at the origins of the ecumenical movement: it was precisely the fire of mission that allowed us to begin to overcome the barriers and break down the fences that isolated us and made a common path unthinkable. Let us pray together for this: the Lord grant us that from here might arise a renewed élan for communion and mission.
Address by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby
The Israelites in the slave labour camps outside Babylon knew about fault and responsibility. In the passage just before this they hear from Ezekiel whom to blame for their exile; it is the bad shepherds, their failed leaders. In the following passage they are told that their desperate plight is also their own fault. There are bad sheep as well as bad shepherds.
In this passage, sandwiched between bad shepherds and bad sheep, it is God who says that He Himself will act. He seeks, he rescues, he feeds, he cares for the weak, but the fat and strong, who can only have become so by evil means, are to be destroyed. We are the sheep, and our Shepherd is God himself. In that sentence is all our hope, our certainty that the Church will live through all its struggles and vicissitudes, for the Good Shepherd finds, cares, judges, and restores. Yet in our confidence, we must not forget the warnings.
We cannot be bad shepherds, for they are rejected. When we fight, and when we lose the obligation of sharing mercy and forgiveness, we not only disobey the explicit prayer and command of Our Lord , but also we become shepherds who devour. The church becomes a circus for gladiatorial combat, in which the losers are shown no mercy. Augustine, commenting on Psalm 32, says of the Donatists, “Let us grieve for them, my friends, as though they were our own brothers and sisters. For that is what they are, whether they like it or not.” The wonderful power of the Year of Mercy is in its appeal to the merciful heart of God, in which we must be merciful to each other.
We cannot either be bad sheep, by becoming inward looking, and turning from the Saviour who has gone before us to the poor, the migrant, the slave and the refugee. The Good Shepherd is seeking his people, the fullness of our life is found when we seek with him. Last Christmas, in my chapel, we heard the testimony of a young, trafficked sex worker who had been found by Christians, and through them found the Good Shepherd. We all wept at hope renewed and a journey of healing begun.
While we rejoice that our Good Shepherd is the one who rescues, we also know that we are called to be his feet and hands and mouth. The mouth that calls, the hands that pick up, the feet that cross any obstacle to find the lost sheep and bring it home.
My prayer is always that as God’s family, we are those who look out into a world that is like sheep without a shepherd, where the weak, the unborn, the trafficked, the dying, are treated as inconveniences. Not only do we look, but we respond, saying to the Good Shepherd, “here we are, send us”.
(from Vatican Radio)…