(Vatican Radio) On January 1st each year the Church marks the World Day of Peace, a tradition begun by Pope Paul VI who held the first such observance in January 1968. This year Pope Francis has chosen to focus his second World Peace Day message on the theme of modern slavery and trafficking, with the title “Slaves no more, but Brothers and Sisters”.
The annual message is drawn up with the help of the Pontifical Justice and Peace Council, whose officials present the message at a press conference in December. Given the pioneering work that religious women around the world have been doing to combat trafficking, speakers presenting this year’s message also included sisters who’ve been on the front line of the Church’s battle against slavery for the past two decades. Philippa Hitchen reports……
Listen:
Sisters on the front line of the fight against modern slavery were guest speakers in the Vatican press office, sharing their personal experience of working with trafficked victims in Italy, India, Brazil, Nigeria and Costa Rica. They included Sr Gabriella Bottani, the new head of the ‘Talitha Kum’ international network of sisters against trafficking, who spoke of the particular role that Pope Francis has highlighted for women working to raise awareness of this modern form of slavery.
She noted that this year’s message stresses the need for a widespread mobilisation of all people of good will to combat this growing phenomenon, urging us not to turn away and become accomplices to the suffering of our brothers and sisters. Also giving first hand testimony of the work her sisters are doing to support victims and prosecute the traffickers was Sr Sharmi D’Souza from India.
She said the sisters go with the police on raids in the brothels and rescue the girls, for example, in one raid, she said they rescued 37 girls, of whom 11 were working as underage prostitutes. From these girls, she said, they are able to find out all the details of who the traffickers are and where they work, so that her lawyer sisters have already helped to put 30 traffickers in jail.
Sr Sharmi also appealed for the “bishops, priests and pastors” to stand with the sisters and help them in the grass roots work they’re doing in so many countries around the world. I asked the head of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Cardinal Peter Turkson how he can encourage more Church leaders to take up this challenge?
He said the Peace Day Messages are sent via the nuncios to bishops around the world and he encouraged them to constitute study groups to respond to the call of the message. If Christmas and New Year are not a good time to do this, he said, choose another time of year – as India has done – to celebrate and raise awareness around this theme.
In particular the cardinal suggested the date of February 8th, feast day of the Sudanese slave girl, Saint Josephine Bakhita which the Church has designated a day of prayer for all victims of slavery and trafficking.
In the message Pope Francis mentions so many ways in which people continue to be enslaved and exploited today: in domestic or agricultural work, in the manufacturing or mining industry, migrants living and working in inhuman conditions, child soldiers, women forced into arranged marriages, and those trafficked for organ transplants, drug smuggling, begging or other illegal activities. As well as praising the “silent efforts” of so many religious to support and rehabilitate the victims, the Pope also calls for “a shared commitment” by States, businesses, intergovernmental organisations and individuals to “offer hope, open doors” and help combat this intolerable crime against humanity.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday invited the faithful to listen carefully when God knocks at their door. “Too often – he said – Jesus passes by in our lives, he sends an angel and we are so caught up in our thoughts and concerns we do not even notice”.
Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni :
Speaking to the pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Angelus Prayer, the Pope reflected on the liturgy of the last Sunday of Advent that tells of the Annunciation of the Archangel Gabriel to Mary and on how she simply, and humbly – with an attitude of total faith in the Lord – said “yes”. She said “I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1, 38).
Mary – Pope Francis said – did not know what had been laid out for her in the future, she did not know what pains and what risks she would be called to face. But she was aware that the Lord had asked something of her and she trusted in him completely. This – he said – is the faith of Mary!
Another aspect to take note of – Francis continued – is this capacity of Mary to “recognize the time of God”. Thanks to her the Incarnation of the Son of God was possible.
Mary teaches us – the Pope said – to be aware of the favorable moment in which Jesus passes in our lives asking for a ready and generous answer.
And Jesus – he said – does pass in our lives. At Christmas he knocks at the heart of every Christian and each of us is called to respond, like Mary, with a sincere and personal “yes”, putting ourselves at the disposal of God and of his mercy.
How often – the Pope pointed out – we so caught up in our own thoughts and concerns, perhaps in these very days in our preparations for Christmas, that we do not even notice that he is knocking at the doors of our hearts, asking for a welcome, asking for a “yes”.
And recalling the words of a Saint who used to say “I am afraid that the Lord will pass me by” the Pope explained that he was really afraid that he would not notice the Lord’s presence and would not be ready to respond. This attitude – Francis said – and this fear that we feel in our hearts “is really the Lord knocking” and it makes us want to be better, to be close to others and to God.
“If this is what you feel, stop” – the Pope said – “the Lord is there! Pray, go to confession, do some cleaning up… this is good. But remember: if you feel this wish to be better, it is He who is knocking. Don’t let him pass you by!”
And Pope Francis concluded his reflection recalling the silent, prayerful figure of Joseph, as he is portrayed in every nativity scene.
The example of Mary and Joseph – he said – is an invitation to all of us to welcome Jesus openly; he comes to bring the gift of peace: “peace on earth to those on whom his favor rests” ((Luke 2, 14).
Just as the angels said to the shepherds – Pope Francis said – the precious gift of Christmas is peace, and Christ is our true peace: “Christ is knocking at the doors of our hearts go give us His peace. Let us open those doors to Christ!”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) His Royal Highness Jaime de Bourbon de Parme is the new Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Holy See.
He presented his Letters of Credence to Pope Francis on Saturday morning in the Vatican and spent time discussing a series of issues of mutual concern including peace, the environment and Cuba.
Speaking to Vatican Radio’s Sean-Patrick Lovett straight after that encounter, the Ambassador highlighted his wish to continue his work in building peace economies.
Listen to the interview:
His Highness explains that diplomacy and conflict management have been very much part of his life up until this moment.
He tells of his work in conflict zones doing peace negotiations in Afghanistan, in Iraq and in African countries like Congo.
Conflict management, he says, is also in his genes. His grandfather, Xavier Bourbon de Parme, fought in the 1st World War, the Spanish civil war, and for the Resistance during World War II. He was confined in a concentration camp – and survived.
For generations his family has been marked by a history of war and a longing for peace, a longing he carries with him today
“Coming to the Vatican is a culmination of my experience”, he says. The Ambassador has a wealth of field experience which includes international work with aid organizations, think tanks and businesses, always within the perspective of finding solutions and creating peace economies. Which is why he values the opportunites offered by his new role: “I have never worked with value-based organizations”, he says. “The biggest value-based organization in the world is the Holy See, and that is what brings me here today”.
His Highness also talks about a series of documentaries he made called “Africa: War is Business” which took him to the Congo, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Experiencing conflict close up left an indelible impression on him: “I lost 22 colleagues in a bomb attack in Iraq. First you feel incredible anger and only months later, sorrow. So just imagine what the people who live in war zones feel… What if you live in Iraq and your own family is under fire? The experience created a sense of compassion and comprehension for what happens in war zones”.
In Congo he saw first-hand the relationship between economy and conflict: “There are specific mines in Kivu that provide the war lords with an income and the money to buy weapons. But who buys these minerals? We all do. Indirectly we all contribute to the war in Congo. Once I realized that, with a group of industry, we managed to create a peace economy in Eastern Congo”.
The Ambassador also describes his meeting with Pope Francis in the Vatican. He says they spoke at length in Spanish, his father’s language, about peace and the latest developments regarding Cuba.
“One of the things I asked the Pope was why it was possible now. He said: ‘Well, they wanted peace but they couldn’t find each other so they needed a bridge’. And so the Pope played the role of a bridge in the peace talks in Cuba…”
And that, in synthesis, is how His Highness Jaime de Bourbon de Parme sees his own role as the Netherland’s new Ambassador: a bridge between the government and people of his country and the “value-based, faith-based organization” that is the Holy See.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) His Royal Highness Jaime de Bourbon de Parme is the new Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Holy See.
He presented his Letters of Credence to Pope Francis on Saturday morning in the Vatican and spent time discussing a series of issues of mutual concern including peace, the environment and Cuba.
Speaking to Vatican Radio’s Sean-Patrick Lovett straight after that encounter, the Ambassador highlighted his wish to continue his work in building peace economies.
Listen to the interview:
His Highness explains that diplomacy and conflict management have been very much part of his life up until this moment.
He tells of his work in conflict zones doing peace negotiations in Afghanistan, in Iraq and in African countries like Congo.
Conflict management, he says, is also in his genes. His grandfather, Xavier Bourbon de Parme, fought in the 1st World War, the Spanish civil war, and for the Resistance during World War II. He was confined in a concentration camp – and survived.
For generations his family has been marked by a history of war and a longing for peace, a longing he carries with him today
“Coming to the Vatican is a culmination of my experience”, he says. The Ambassador has a wealth of field experience which includes international work with aid organizations, think tanks and businesses, always within the perspective of finding solutions and creating peace economies. Which is why he values the opportunites offered by his new role: “I have never worked with value-based organizations”, he says. “The biggest value-based organization in the world is the Holy See, and that is what brings me here today”.
His Highness also talks about a series of documentaries he made called “Africa: War is Business” which took him to the Congo, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Experiencing conflict close up left an indelible impression on him: “I lost 22 colleagues in a bomb attack in Iraq. First you feel incredible anger and only months later, sorrow. So just imagine what the people who live in war zones feel… What if you live in Iraq and your own family is under fire? The experience created a sense of compassion and comprehension for what happens in war zones”.
In Congo he saw first-hand the relationship between economy and conflict: “There are specific mines in Kivu that provide the war lords with an income and the money to buy weapons. But who buys these minerals? We all do. Indirectly we all contribute to the war in Congo. Once I realized that, with a group of industry, we managed to create a peace economy in Eastern Congo”.
The Ambassador also describes his meeting with Pope Francis in the Vatican. He says they spoke at length in Spanish, his father’s language, about peace and the latest developments regarding Cuba.
“One of the things I asked the Pope was why it was possible now. He said: ‘Well, they wanted peace but they couldn’t find each other so they needed a bridge’. And so the Pope played the role of a bridge in the peace talks in Cuba…”
And that, in synthesis, is how His Highness Jaime de Bourbon de Parme sees his own role as the Netherland’s new Ambassador: a bridge between the government and people of his country and the “value-based, faith-based organization” that is the Holy See.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received nearly 8 thousand members and associates of the Pope St. John XXIII Community on Saturday. Now recognized as an Association of Lay Faithful, the Pope John XXIII Community was founded by Fr. Oreste Benzi of the clergy of the Diocese of Rimini in 1968, on the basis of his decade of experience with young people – mostly teenagers – who had accepted his invitation and participated in his initiatives encouraging what he called, “A friendly encounter with Christ,” especially through service to and with the disabled, marginalized, the excluded, and forgotten.
Click below to hear our report
The work of the foundation has involved numberless teens who had drifted away from the Church, offering them the chance to have a truly liberating experience and choose to live the way Christ calls them to live. In remarks prepared for the participants in the audience in Paul VI Hall on Saturday, Pope Francis said, “Providence has made you grow, proving the vitality of the charism of your Founder, who liked to say, ‘In order to stand on your feet, you must get on your knees.'”
Indeed, the centrality of prayer to the life of Christian service has been a keystone of the Community’s ethos from the beginning.
The vocation of the members of the Community is to shape their lives in the image of Christ who constantly does the will of the Father. Prompted by the spirit to follow Jesus in his poverty and service, they undertake to share the lives of the least of their brothers and sisters by sharing their experiences and helping them to bear their plight. They place their shoulders under the Cross borne by others. Love for their poor brothers and sisters must urge them to try to eliminate the causes of need, and lead the Community to make a commitment to build up a more just world, and to speak out for those without a voice. This vocation requires space for prayer and contemplation, living the life of the poor, being led by obedience, and practicing fellowship according to the Gospel.
The John XXIII Community officially became an association of the faithful of Pontifical right in 1998, and is now present in 34 countries around the globe.
(from Vatican Radio)…