Geneva, 15. “All members of the
international community have a moral and legal duty to save the lives of those
in jeopardy at sea or in transit, regardless of their origin and status”. The
Executive Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC), thus expressed
strong concern for the many migrants in numerous regions around the globe and
especially for those who are “driven to undertake journeys of desperate risk
and danger”. This is the case for Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants and the
peoples from North Africa who are moving en masse towards the coast of Europe.
This statement was published by the executive committee of the ecumenical
council following a visit last week to Echmiadzin, Armenia, the see of the
Armenian Apostolic Church. The purpose of their visit was to pay tribute to the
victims of Metz Yeghém, the “Great Evil” which was carried out in Armenia. The
meeting was also an occasion — the WCC
communiqué reads — to examine several
pressing problems, urgent to the Church and the world. Among these was the
issue of immigration which is “an escalating global problem, with different
expressions and responses in different contexts”. The statement, which meaningfully opens with
a passage from the Gospel about the final judgement (cf. Mt, 25:35) expresses
“deep concern for the lives of the increasing numbers of people globally who,
fleeing from situations of violence, oppression, occupation or economic
deprivation, are driven to undertake journeys of desperate risk and danger”.
The situation is not new, however, today it is increasingly troublesome and is
exemplified by the “deaths of
unprecedented numbers of migrants and refugees seeking to cross the
Mediterranean Sea to Europe” and “of Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants on the
Andaman Sea”. Concerning also are the “recent killings of Ethiopian Christian
migrant workers by the so-called ‘Islamic State’ in Libya, and the xenophobic
violence against migrants in South Africa”. All of these situations involve
vulnerable people who are forced to leave their home country in the pursuit of
safety and a better life for themselves and their families….
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Sunday evening urged parents and families to stand up to “ideological colonizations that poison the soul.”
He was speaking to some 25,000 faithful from the dioceses of Rome for the opening of the Diocese’s annual Ecclesial Convention, dedicated this year to the theme of the family.
Present with Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square for the occasion were many Catholic families as well as the Cardinal Vicar Agostino Vallini and a high percentage of the 350 parish priests of Rome.
During his address to those present, Pope Francis touched on many issues including the need for a “spiritual rebirth” for the city of Rome which is currently shaken by a corruption scandal involving municipal authorities.
But his focus was mostly on the family and on the Synod of Bishops on the Family to be held in the Vatican in October, and he appealed to the many parents present to safeguard their children from ideological attacks against the institution of the family and all that is sacred which – he said – “are so hurtful and destroy society, the Nation, families”.
“This is why – he continued – we are in need of a spiritual and moral rebirth”.
Pope Francis elaborated on the beauty and diversity of male and female characteristics and – he said “complementarity and reciprocity” within families are very important for the healthy growth of children who must not be afraid of differences and must witness the joy of conjugal love in order to grow and develop with confidence and security.
But he also turned his attention to couples who separate urging them never to forget their duties as parents.
“Do not speak ill of each other” he said: that’s how children learn how to be hypocritical and to take advantage of others.
The Pope also had words for the over 600 thousand grandparents who live in Rome and whom – he said – must be loved and respected.
And he appealed to families to consider the option of old-age homes for grandparents only as a last resort.
And noting that a fourth of the population in Rome is elderly, the Pope asked: “Are grandparents treated with respect? I am sure they are at the moment – he continued – because what with the current lack of employment, it is to them and to their pensions that one turns for help”.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has invited everyone to pay attention to environmental issues.
Speaking after the Sunday Angelus in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis said his first encyclical will be published on Thursday, and he said: “This encyclical is aimed at everyone”
Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni:
Calling on everyone to accompany this event with renewed attention to environmental degradation, and the need to act to salvage one’s territory, the Pope said of his encyclical: Let us pray that everyone can receive its message and grow in responsibility toward the common home that God has entrusted to us”.
The document entitled “Laudato Si’, On the Care of Our Common Home” will be launched at a Vatican news conference this week.
The Pope’s appeal followed a reflection on the Gospel reading of the day that speaks of the seed that sprouts and grows and of the mustard seed which is the smallest of all seeds but becomes the largest of plants.
Francis said that through these images Jesus speaks to us of strength of God’s life-giving Word, and of how Christ’s love transforms that what is small and modest into something that makes the whole world and all of history ferment.
And reminding those present to always carry a pocket-sized copy of the Gospel, and to read a passage every day, the Pope said in the Gospel is the strength that makes the Kingdom of God germinate and sprout within us.
Above all – he said – the two parables teach us something important: the Kingdom of God is a gift of the Lord, but it requires our collaboration.
He said that although our contribution may appear meagre before the complexity of problems in the world, thanks to God’s love each seed of goodness will sprout and grow, and this – Pope Francis said – gives life to hope; notwithstanding the injustice and pain we may come across, the seed of charity and peace will yield its fruits thanks to the mysterious love of God.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met with the Italian Superior Council of the Judiciary at the Vatican on Saturday. The Pope told council members it is important for all public authorities to use their office to promote the human person and to give stability and solidity to society.
Listen to the report by Laura Ieraci:
Globalization brings with it confusion and disorientation and can introduce concepts, norms and customs that are foreign to the social fabric, said Pope Francis.
In a context of such “deep shocks” to a culture’s roots, the Pope said it is important for public authorities to use their office to “make the foundations for human coexistence” more “stable” and “solid” through “the recuperation of fundamental values.”
“To these values, Christianity has offered the most appropriate true foundation: the love of God, which is inseparable from love of others,” he said.
These fundamental values can serve as an “effective dam” against the increase in crime and “the scourge of corruption,” which also affect developed democracies, he said.
Education is also important in this process as a preventive strategy, offering new generations “an anthropology, that is not relativist, and a model of life that are able to meet the high and deep inspirations of the human soul,” he said.
“To this end,” he continued, “institutions are required to recover a long-term strategy, geared to the promotion of the human person and to peaceful co-existence.”
People who have a judicial function contribute to building this, he said.
Speaking on the practical aspect of judicial functions, the Pope said judges are called to intervene when a rule has been violated. Their reaffirmation of that rule in the process, while applied to a single individual, is of interest and impact to the entire community, which in turn reaffirms the value of that rule and identifies with it.
On human rights, the Pope said they are fundamental in “the recognition of the essential dignity of humankind.” However, he warned, this recognition “should be done without abusing that category,” wanting the judiciary to accept “practices and behaviours that, rather than promoting and guaranteeing human dignity, in reality threaten or event violate it.”
“Justice is not done in the abstract,” he said, “but always considering the person in his or her true value, as beings created in the image of God and called to realize, here on earth, his likeness.”
The Pope also remembered a former vice-president of the council, Vittorio Bachelet, who was killed 35 years ago.
“May his witness as a man, a Christian and a jurist continue to animate your commitment to the service of justice and to the common good,” he said.
(from Vatican Radio)…
Pope Francis met this morning with thousands of members of the Association of Italian Catholic Guides and Scouts (AGESCI) in St. Peter’s Square. In his address, the Holy Father thanked the scouts, as well as their leaders and chaplains, saying that they are “a precious part of the Church in Italy.”
Listen to Junno Arocho’s report
“You offer an important contribution to the families in their educational mission to children, youth and young adults,” he said.
The Pope expressed his hope that the scouts may always feel as a part of the greater Christian community.
He also noted that they can bring new fervor to the evangelization and the capacity to build bridges in a society that has the “habit of building walls.”
“You are called to find ways to integrate yourselves in the pastoral care of the particular Church, establishing relationships of respect and collaboration at all levels with your bishops, with pastors and other priests, educators and members of other ecclesial associations present in the parish and in the same territory, and not be content with a ‘decorative’ presence on Sundays or major events.”
Concluding his address, Pope Francis encouraged them to continue working together with local groups in their parishes in order to foster a “richer and more complete personality.”
(Junno Arocho Esteves)
(from Vatican Radio)…