(Vatican Radio) Judges from across the globe gather in the Vatican this week to discuss ways to combat human trafficking, mafias, drug trafficking, and the exploitation of prostitution and of minors, migrants and displaced persons.
Organized and promoted by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences , the event entitled “ Summit of Judges on human trafficking and organized crime ” is scheduled to take place on June 3 and 4.
Among the problems identified are the gaps in national and international legislation designed to combat organized crime at the global level and its “structures of sin.”
Participants are also scheduled to be received in audience by Pope Francis.
Invited to give life to the event are over one hundred magistrates, prosecutors, representatives of judicial organizations and institutions around the world, who are engaged in the fight against various criminal activities.
Discussions in the Casina Pio IV venue will focus on a number of current topics that are related to the increasing scourge of human trafficking, all topics which Pope Francis has emphasized many times, calling for the attention of the international community.
In the text accompanying the convocation of the summit by the Vatican Academy, Bishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo , theologian and Chancellor of the Institution, remarks on the current culture of society to seek to profit on everything, a culture, he says, has generated an infinite number of those who are marginalized and excluded.
“In a world based on pure profit, Bishop Sanchez Sorondo says, the world’s declared gross domestic product includes the ‘informal’ earnings received by international mafia organizations and organized crime, which is estimated to represent 10% of the global GDP.”
Please find below Bishop Sanchez Sorondo’s full text for the convocation of the Summit:
As Isaiah prophesised long ago, “Peace is the fruit of justice” (cf. Is 32:17). The main task that human society has given its judges since the beginning of time is to establish justice in each particular case: to each his own (unicuique suum). Without it, there is no real peace in society.
Responding to this call of society, rejecting the ever-present pressure from governments, private institutions and, of course, organised crime, Pope Francis wishes to see judges fully empowered and made fully aware of their irreplaceable mission in dealing with the challenges of the ‘globalization of indifference’.
The globalised society seeking profit above all else — producing a ‘throwaway culture’, as Pope Francis denounced it in Evangelii Gaudium and Laudato si’ — has generated innumerable marginalised and excluded people. In a world geared towards profit alone, the informal revenues of international mafia and other organised crime syndicates are responsible for an estimated 10% of global GDP. Although countries do not officially recognise revenues coming from organised crime, some of them nevertheless do include this data in their GDP.
It is estimated that 40 million people are victims of the modern forms of slavery and trafficking in terms of forced labour, prostitution, organ trade and drug trafficking. The 60 million displaced persons and 130 million refugees created as a consequence of war, terrorism and climate change, are a breeding ground for traffickers. While, for the time being, uncorrupted institutions and international agents do not have the appropriate legal instruments to meet the challenges posed by global indifference to the extreme forms indicated, traffickers and the mafia take advantage of these gaps in international law and governance to juggle globally with national and international “structures of sin”, which are very apt at facilitating the making of money by enslaving the most vulnerable.
Justice has come a long way — but not far enough — in this globalised world. The violence that has become pervasive in contemporary society is proof of this. It is sadly common — but all too superficial — to reduce violence to pure physical aggression. New forms of slavery, wounded bodies and souls, organ procurement, forced labour, kidnapping, terrorism and wars based on dishonest motives and other spurious interests are all strong manifestations of revenge and prevarication. In other words, violence is born of the presumption of individuals or groups taking the law into their own hands and when human beings possess other human beings as their own property. Essentially, justice combats not only blunt violence, but also the many hidden forms of subtle violence that I have mentioned above. In short, justice combats revenge and prevarication, which are the most dramatic simulations of justice: that is to say, wanting to take the law into one’s own hands or the act of considering other people as simply a means to one’s own advantage. In this sense, the fundamental act that defines a society grounded on justice is the virtue by which society impedes the capability and the right of individuals and groups to take the law into their own hands — or better, the act by means of which society empowers judges to apply the law. The great prophet Isaiah had already recognised that the final goal of the act of passing judgment was social peace rather than safety or security. The final goal of social peace reveals something deeper in society — something that has to do with reciprocal understanding, recognition, reconciliation and even love and forgiveness.
The global society needs a new beginning rooted in justice. No instance of justice can tolerate the violence of slavery or of organised crime, and no power must be allowed to corrupt justice. Judges are called to be fully aware of this challenge, share their experiences and work together to open up new paths of justice and promote human dignity, freedom, responsibility, happiness and peace.
We would like to hear from judges how they deal with the issues of sex trafficking, slave labour, organ trade, drug trafficking and organised crime; how their own judicial systems could better incorporate our humanitarian values; and how capacity-building could enhance Judges’ appreciation of the needs of victims and not merely the penalization of traffickers. One question without an adequate answer that keeps coming up in our meetings is: how many human traffickers, pimps, and drug traffickers are caught and how many ill-gotten gains have been confiscated and directed towards former victims and society? Judges will have a few minutes each to present a specific case they have worked on and share their opinion of what will be (or ought to be) required in the future.
Presidents of law courts and lawyers who have addressed this issue are also asked to present a general overview of this distressing problem and suggest possible solutions at the national and international level. We intend to conclude with a collective call to justice in order to save the victims of slavery and organised crime, and thereby further the cause of social peace.
Just as in Greece, in Pythagoras’ time, great thinkers were called “lovers of wisdom” or philosophers, in the Christian era Jesus Christ demands that Christians be and be called “lovers of justice”: “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness; Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness; Blessed are the peacemakers”. The reward is worthy of the challenge, “for they will be satisfied; they will be called children of God; they will see God” (cfr Mt 5: 6-9).
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) At the General Audience Wednesday, Pope Francis recalled that Friday, 3 June, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus which he said this year “is enriched by the Jubilee for Priests.”
Pray the Sacred Heart of Jesus for your priests in June
“I invite everyone to pray the Heart of Jesus for the entire month of June and to support with closeness and affection your priests so that they always reflect the image of that Heart full of merciful love,” the Pope said.
The Jubilee for Priests falls on the 160° anniversary of the institution of the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, introduced in 1856 by Pope Pius IX.
To celebrate their Jubilee in Rome, on Wednesday clergy and seminarians from around the world began the first of three days of prayer and reflection 1-3 June with pilgrimages to the Jubilee churches: S. Salvatore in Lauro, S. Maria in Vallicella (Chiesa Nuova) and S. Giovanni Battista dei Fiorentini.
In a note, the Holy See Press Office said that some 6,000 priests and seminarians “are already present for this Jubilee” in Rome.
Events will provide opportunities for them to reflect and mediate together on the Word of God, to adore the Most Blessed Sacrament, to receive the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, and to make a pilgrimage through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Pope to offer mediations for televised spiritual retreat Thursday
On Thursday, Pope Francis will offer three meditations for a spiritual retreat on the theme of “the Good Shepherd: the priest as a minister of mercy and compassion, close to his people and servant of all.”
Pope Francis will take part in Thursday’s retreat with stops in the three Papal Basilicas: St. John Lateran, Saint Mary Major and Saint Paul’s Outside the Walls (10:00, 12:00 noon and 4pm respectively). The Basilicas will be connected via video link throughout the day so that priests present can follow the entire day’s meditations.
“The great novelty” of the Jubilee, said the Holy See Press Office, is that, thanks to the Vatican Television Center which will film the event, the public will be able to follow Pope Francis’ meditations for the clergy 2 June on major national and international Catholic television networks and in streaming on the official Jubilee of Mercy website: www.im.va . Streamed video will be offered in the original Italian and with simultaneous translations in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German and Polish.
Among Catholic stations to broadcast the event in the U.S. are EWTN and BCTV.
The Jubilee celebrations will conclude with a Holy Mass presided by the Holy Father on Friday 3 June in St. Peter’s Square.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Tens of thousands of pilgrims crowded St Peter’s Square Wednesday for Pope Francis’ weekly General Audience. In remarks to the English speaking faithful, Pope Francis said “true prayer is born of a heart which repents of its faults and failings, yet pleads for the grace to live the great commandment of love of God and neighbor.” And, we may receive God’s mercy if we are honest and humble.
Below, please find the text of the Holy Father’s remarks in English:
Dear Brothers and Sisters: In our continuing catechesis for this Holy Year of Mercy, we now turn to the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector ( Lk 18:9-14). Jesus contrasts the arrogance and self-righteousness of the Pharisee’s prayer with the tax collector’s humble recognition of his sinfulness and need for the Lord’s mercy. True prayer is born of a heart which repents of its faults and failings, yet pleads for the grace to live the great commandment of love of God and neighbour. Indeed, the proud disdain of the Pharisee for the sinner at his side prevents him from being righteous in God’s sight. To pray well, then, we need to look into our own hearts and there, in humble silence, let the Lord speak to us. The honesty and humility which God asks of us is the necessary condition for our receiving his mercy. The Blessed Virgin Mary is the model of such prayer. In her Magnificat , she tells us that God looks with favour on the humility of his servants, and hears their plea. May she, our Mother, help us to pray as we ought.
I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today’s Audience, particularly those from England, Ireland, Scotland, Norway, Sweden, Vietnam, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Nigeria, Canada and the United States of America. With prayerful good wishes that the present Jubilee of Mercy will be a moment of grace and spiritual renewal for you and your families, I invoke upon all of you joy and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Tuesday urged Christians to serve other people, without delay or hesitation, saying if we learnt how to reach out in this way, the world would be a very different place. His remarks came during his homily at the morning Mass in the Santa Marta residence where he used the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary for his reflections on the theme of Christians at the service of others.
Listen to this report by Susy Hodges:
May 31st was the final day of the month dedicated to Mary and the Pope used the day’s readings to illustrate Mary’s courage, her helping hand and concern for others and above all her joy, a joy, he said, that fills our hearts and gives meaning and a new direction to our lives. Referring to Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth, Pope Francis said this is a liturgy full of joy that arrives like “a breath of fresh air” to fill our lives.
Joy and a grimace
“Christians with a grimace or disgruntled expression on their faces, sad Christians, are a very ugly thing. It’s really ugly, ugly, ugly. However, they are not fully Christian. They think they are (Christians) but they are not fully so. This is the Christian message. And in this atmosphere of joy that today’s liturgy gives us like a gift, I would like to underline just two things: first, an attitude; second, a fact. The attitude is one of service or helping others.”
The Pope pointed out how the gospel describes Mary as setting off immediately and without hesitation to visit her cousin, despite being pregnant and despite the risk of meeting robbers along the route. This young girl of 16 or 17, he said, was courageous by getting up straightaway and setting out on her journey.
The Church’s courageous women
“The courage of women. The courageous women who are present in the Church: they are like Mary. These women who bring up their families, these women who are responsible for rearing their children, who have to face so many hardships, so much pain, women who look after the sick…. Courageous: they get up and help other people. Serving others is a Christian sign. Whoever doesn’t live to serve other people, doesn’t serve to live. Serving others and being full of joy is the attitude that I would like to underline today. There is joy and also service towards others.”
The second attitude whose importance was stressed by the Pope is reaching out and meeting other people. Referring once again to Mary’s meeting with her cousin, he noted that the two kinswomen greeted each other with joy and their encounter was very festive. In conclusion, Pope Francis said if we could learn these two things: to serve others and reach out to them, how much our world would change:
“Reaching out to others is another Christian sign. Persons who describe themselves as Christian and who are unable to reach out to others, to go and meet them are not totally Christian. Being of service and reaching out to others both require going out from themselves: going out to serve and meet others, to embrace another person. Through Mary’s service towards others, through that encounter, our Lord’s promise is renewed and makes it happen now, just as it did then. And it is really our Lord – as we heard during the first Reading: ‘The Lord, your God, is in your midst’ – the Lord is about helping other people, the Lord is about meeting other people.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis celebrated Mass in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta on Monday morning. In remarks to the faithful following the Readings of the Day, the Holy Father focused on the threefold theme of the dynamic unity in Christian life, the signs of which are living memory, the prophetic spirit, and the sure horizon of hope.
The Pope took as the central focus of his reflection the Gospel passage of the day – from the Gospel according to St. Mark (12:1-12), in which Jesus addresses the Priests, Scribes and Pharisees with the parable of the murderous tenant-farmers. Against the landowner who planted a well-organized vineyard and entrusted them with its care, the tenants decided to revolt, insulting, beating and killing first the servants the master sent to reclaim the land and collect his due, and then, at the climax of the drama, murdering the only son of the owner – wrongly believing that such an act could earn them a right to inherit the owner’s substance.
Casuistry and freedom
The killing of the master’s servants and of the master’s own son – a Biblical image of the prophets and of Christ Himself – shows a people closed in on itself, one not open to the promises of God, a people that does not await the fulfilment of God’s promises: a people without memory, without prophecy and without hope. The leaders of the people, in particular, are interested in erecting a wall of laws, a “closed juridical system”, and nothing else:
“Memory is no concern: as for prophecy, it were better that no prophets come; and hope? But everyone will see it. This is the system through which they legitimate: the lawyers, theologians who always go the way of casuistry and do not allow the freedom of the Holy Spirit; they do not recognize God’s gift, the gift of the Spirit; and they cage the Spirit, because they do not allow prophecy in hope.”
This is the religious system to which Jesus speaks: “A system – as the First Reading says – of corruption, worldliness and concupiscence,’ so St. Peter says in the First Reading.”
Memory makes us free
Pope Francis went on to say that, at bottom, “Jesus was Himself tempted to lose the memory of His own mission, to not give way to prophecy and to prefer security instead of Hope,” i.e. the essence of the three temptations suffered in the desert. Therefore, Pope Francis said:
“To this people Jesus, because he knew temptation in Himself, reproaches: ‘You traverse half the world to have one proselyte, and when you find him, you make him a slave.’ This people thus organized, this Church so organized, makes slaves – and so it is understandable how Paul reacts when he speaks of slavery to the law and of the liberty that grace gives: a people is free, a Church is free, when it has memory, when it makes room for prophets, when it does not lose hope”
An open heart, or a heart in a cage?
The Holy Father stressed that the well-organized vineyard is in fact “the image of the People of God, the image of the Church and also the image of our soul,” for which the Father always cares “with so much love and tenderness.” To rebel against Him is, as it was for the murderous tenants, “to lose the memory of the gift” received from God, while, “in order to remember and not make mistakes on the way,” it is important “always to return to the roots”:
“Do I have the memory of the wonders that the Lord has wrought in my life? Can I remember the gifts of the Lord? I am able to open my heart to the prophets, i.e. to him, who says to me, ‘this isn’t working, you have to go beyond: go ahead, take a risk’? This is what prophets do: am I open to that, or am I afraid, and do I prefer to close myself within the cage of the law? Finally: do I have hope in God’s promises, such as had our father Abraham, who left his home without knowing where he was going, only because he hoped in God? It will do us well to ask ourselves these three questions.”
(from Vatican Radio)…