(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis greeted journalists travelling with him on the flight to Strasbourg. Introducing the Holy Father, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Father Federico Lombardi, SJ, noted that there were fewer journalists than normal aboard the plane, as many of the news services had correspondents awaiting the Pope in Strasbourg. However, he said, “here we have about fifty of the ‘most faithful’ [journalists],” those who desire to see and hear everything the Pope does. This shows “a great affection for, and attention to” the Holy Father.
Greeting the journalists, Pope Francis said he hoped that the early morning flight and the busy schedule would not be too tiring for them. “A short time, and so much to do!” he said. The Holy Father told the journalists that he would have time to visit with them on the return flight to Rome, assuring them, “I am at your disposal, as usual.”
The Holy Father arrived in Strasbourg at approximately 10:30 local time, for a whirlwind visit to the European Parliament and the Council of Europe.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) The second major encounter of Pope Francis’ brief visit to the European institutions in Strasbourg will be his meeting with the 47 member Council of Europe which seeks to promote human rights, the rule of law and cultural cooperation across the continent.
Pope Francis’ visit comes 26 years on from that of his predecessor, John Paul II who was welcomed by the Council of Europe on October 8th 1988, on the eve of the Institution’s 40th anniversary.
The current Secretary General of the Council is Thorbjorn Jagland who told Linda Bordoni the expectations for Tuesday’s papal visit are extremely high…..
Listen :
Jagland says it’s very important that Pope Francis coming to stress that Europe has to be values-based. There are a lot of problems confronting European countries now, he says, but if we don’t try to solve them on the basis of common values, of human rights and the rule of law, then we will not be able to solve these problems…..
Jagland notes that there are problems of social unrest across the continent, with extremism growing as a result of that. There is also a growing diversity of religions and cultures because of immigration so he insists it’s essential to recall the basic values upon which the continent is founded….
Pope Francis’s message, Jagland says, has always been to look to the needs of the individual, in particular that of poor people are set aside and don’t have a voice. In the current crisis, he says, this is extremely important because there are so many young people in particular who are ‘set aside’ without jobs and without a future and if we understand this, we understand how to find a way out of the economic crisis, which is caused by so many people not working and not paying taxes….
Looking back to the visit of John Paul II in 1988, Jagland says the former pope was a great inspiration at that time and was so important in what happened a year later with the fall of the Berlin Wall…….now, he adds, we have to focus again, not on the freedom of expression and the right to vote, but on the right to be included in society…..so many people don’t have a voice, he says, there is a kind of new Berlin Wall being built up between those who have work, who are included and those who excluded so the Pope can again play a major role in building bridges and tearing down walls….
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday received in audience the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. Following this encounter, the President met with Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. A statement from the Holy See Press Office called their meeting “cordial”, and said the discussions centered around the situation in the Egyptian nation, highlighting the closeness and solidarity of the Church to all the people of Egypt during this period of political transition. At the same time, hope was expressed that within the framework of guarantees enshrined by the new Constitution in terms of the safeguard of human rights and religious freedom, the peaceful coexistence among all components of society may be strengthened and the path to inter-religious dialogue may continue to be pursued. Furthermore, themes of common interest were discussed with particular reference to the role of the country in the promotion of peace and stability in the Middle East and North Africa. In this regard, it was reiterated that dialogue and negotiation are the only options to put an end to the conflicts and to the violence that endanger defenseless populations and cause the loss of human lives. (from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) As has become customary, Pope Francis visited the Basilica of Saint Mary Major on the eve of his Apostolic Voyage to Strasbourg.
The Holy Father visited the Basilica around 17:30 Monday evening, where he paused in prayer before the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title “Salus Populi Romani.” A statement from the Holy See Press Office said Pope Francis spent approximately half an hour in prayer, asking for Mary’ intercession for the success of his visit to the European Parliament and the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. Following his prayer, the Holy Father offered a wreath with blue and yellow roses, the colours of Europe.
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) The European Union’s ambassador to the Holy See says the EU and the Vatican enjoy “very good” relations and there is potential to do “much more” in terms of strengthening cooperation between the two.
Ambassador Laurence Argimon- Pistre, also Head of the EU Delegation to the Order of Malta and U.N. Organizations in Rome, spoke to Vatican Radio ahead of Pope Francis’ visit to the European Parliament and Council of Europe in Strasbourg on Tuesday, 25 November.
Listen to Linda Bordoni’s interview with Ambassador Argimon-Pistre:
“There is a long-standing relationship between the European Union and the Vatican,” she explains, noting that nearly half of the continent’s population is Catholic. “The Vatican is interested in what the EU is doing because it has relevance for this Catholic population.” By the same token, the European Union is interested “in what the Vatican is thinking and what the Vatican advises on the activities the European Union is developing” in various areas. The EU shares “the same values and… the same respect of fundamental rights, human dignity… So there is a lot to do together.”
Ambassador Argimon- Pistre observes that the Church has been supporting the construction of the European Union since the very beginning. “But the real diplomatic connections were established in 1999 when the Vatican opened its nunciature to the European Union institutions so there’s a special embassy of the Vatican in Brussels – it used to be merged with the Belgian embassy but then it became a single embassy.”
The European Union opened its own embassy to the Holy See in Rome in 2006.
Argimon- Pistre confirms that she and the European Union’s 21 ambassadors in Rome meet regularly, also meeting with Vatican officials and cardinals, including the Secretary for Relations with States.
“There is an enormous potential to work together – especially on things like foreign affairs,” the Ambassador notes. Some of the issues of concern where the Holy See and EU can cooperate more, she adds, include protection of Christians in Middle East, migrants and social protections for youth and combatting human trafficking.
“These are matters which are also key today in Europe because we are going through a crisis; we are doing everything we can to keep our social system, to respect our values but on the other hand, we are also in a very difficult situation. You can see it with the (rise) of extremist parties in Europe which is very worrying. So there, we have a lot to do together. And this is why I think the visit of Pope Francis in Strasbourg is going to be so important.”
Asked what do European political leaders in Strasbourg need to hear from the Pope, Argimon- Pistre responds, “They need to hear that by being together, we are stronger.”
The construction of the European Union, she warns, “is not something that is totally irreversible – there are threats to what we have been building and there are threats to the peace we have been able to cherish during basically now nearly 70 years. And people think that this is something, well, they take peace for granted. But peace is not granted, never, ever. And we see it today because we have definitely a lot of terrible signals coming from everywhere: both in terms of Ukraine, and also what’s going on in the Middle East, and we’ve seen (this sort) of barbarian, barbaric Islamist system which is being set up in Syria and Iraq.”
Climate change is another threat to the entire planet, she adds: “climate change is really making life difficult for the poorest.”
The Ambassador recalls that the European Union received the Nobel prize for peace: it “is actually a real guarantee for peace. It has always been a defender of all these values which stand for human rights, for democracy, for rule of law, for protection of the poorest, for solidarity.”
Argimon- Pistre cites the example of Poland which she says has seen its quality of life improve five times over since it joined the EU. And, after a recent visit to Bucharest, Romania, she says “I was impressed by the level of growth and the optimism of the people. This is produced by the EU – being part of the European union gives people this possibility really to have the impression of getting into a system which is protecting them better. And this is important. The European union protects its citizens. Protects them socially, protects them in terms of rights.”
Asked if Pope Francis’ voice is heard by EU legislators as they debate new challenges and social policies, Ambassador Argimon- Pistre responds, “Pope Francis is listened (to) not only by the Catholics, he’s listened by everybody. I am amazed at the number of people for instance when I go back to France who tell me: ‘oh, I love this pope – you know, even if I’m not Catholic or even if I’m not practicing, I think he speaks so true and he says things which are so important!’ So I think Pope Francis, today in the world, is probably one of the most respected voices – wherever, in Europe, in Latin America, in Asia – he’s a respected voice. And it is very important that he recalls to people that they have to preserve this very special treasure they’ve been able to build, which is Europe and the European construction of the European Union.”
European legislators need to recall, she adds, that the EU “has a duty of preserving the welfare of each citizen. To protect his (or her) human dignity.” They must also help migrants and act in solidarity, “to be active in the world to help the suffering (and) to protect freedom of religion which is something we have directly in our charter, …. And this is something on which we have to be very, very careful.”
(from Vatican Radio)…