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(Vatican Radio) The Vatican on Tuesday said the “logic of fear and mistrust that is epitomized by nuclear deterrence must be replaced with a new global ethic” during a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

“The promotion of nuclear security – preventing, detecting and responding to criminal or intentional unauthorized acts involving, or directed at, nuclear material, other radioactive material, associated facilities or associated activities – is of significant importance to the Holy See, said Msgr. Antoine Camilleri, Undersecretary for Relations with States.

The IAEA is holding the “International Conference on Nuclear Security: Commitments and Actions” in Vienna this week.

The full statement is below

Intervention of Msgr. Antoine Camilleri, Undersecretary for Relations with States

Mr. President,

I have the honour of conveying to you and to all the distinguished participants at this second International Conference on Nuclear Security of the International Atomic Energy Agency the best wishes and cordial greetings of His Holiness Pope Francis.

In his address to the United Nations General Assembly on 25 September 2015, Pope Francis urged the international community “to work for a world free of nuclear weapons, in full application of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, in letter and spirit, with the goal of a complete prohibition of these weapons.” The Holy See is, therefore, most pleased to attend this Conference, thereby lending its support to advancing nuclear security.

Mr. President,

The promotion of nuclear security – preventing, detecting and responding to criminal or intentional unauthorized acts involving, or directed at, nuclear material, other radioactive material, associated facilities or associated activities – is of significant importance to the Holy See. On the one hand, nuclear security advances peace and security by contributing towards strengthening the non-proliferation regime and making much-needed progress toward nuclear disarmament. On the other hand, nuclear security – so closely linked to nuclear safety and a broader “safety culture” – promotes social and scientific development by the peaceful application of nuclear technologies to promote sustainable development by improving agriculture, water management, nutrition and food safety, infectious disease control, and efforts to fight cancer.

Considerable progress has been made in strengthening nuclear security and safety: UN Security Council Resolution 1540, the Nuclear Security Summits, the Nuclear Terrorism Convention, and the IAEA’s Codes of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources and on Research Reactors are some of the important mechanisms already in place. The very existence and the professional activity of the International Atomic Energy Agency also constitute crucial aspects of the work towards nuclear safety, and the Holy See takes this opportunity to thank the Director General and the entire staff of the Agency for their labours in this regard.

At the same time, we should not be complacent. The promotion of nuclear security faces significant challenges, including the limited, insufficient and often stalled efforts to prevent proliferation and move toward a world free of nuclear weapons. Therefore, to respond adequately to the challenges of nuclear security, the Holy See believes it to be essential that the international community embrace an ethic of responsibility, in order to foster a climate of trust, and to strengthen cooperative security through multilateral dialogue.

The logic of fear and mistrust that is epitomized by nuclear deterrence must be replaced with a new global ethic. We need an ethic of responsibility, solidarity, and cooperative security adequate

to the task of controlling the power of nuclear technology. Threats to nuclear security represent serious technical and diplomatic challenges. These must be tackled by addressing the wider security, political, economic and cultural dynamics that lead state and non-state actors to seek security, legitimacy, and power in nuclear weapons. Therefore, the critically important work of strengthening nuclear security must be done in the context of much broader efforts to promote socio-economic development, political participation, respect for fundamental human rights and the rule of law, and cooperation and solidarity at the regional and international level.

Among the particular fields where increased efforts are necessary, my Delegation would emphasise two:

1) The physical protection of nuclear material: ensuring that nuclear and other radioactive material is safely contained must remain central for the work of nuclear security, as failure to control nuclear material could have catastrophic consequences.

2) Counteracting insider threats as well as preventing cyber attacks on sensitive data and facilities: increasing attention has to be paid to the strengthening of information security and computer security as well as to ensuring the confidentiality of information which pertains to nuclear security.

On both issues, it must be recalled that although the responsibility for maintaining effective nuclear security of all nuclear and radioactive material within a State rests primarily with that State, cooperation between States is essential as so many threats to nuclear security do not respect borders and are facilitated by the political instability and crises that sadly plague numerous parts of our world. The Holy See is, therefore, pleased that great efforts have been made by the IAEA and its member states to strengthen the security regime, to assign a high priority to it and to improve and complement the regulations and the legal framework for it. These efforts have to be continued.

Mr. President,

Much of the IAEA’s success in fulfilling its responsibilities depends on the commitment of Member States to live up to their legal and ethical obligations. Therefore, the responsibilities of the Member States must remain at the heart of our discussions. This burden of responsibility falls most heavily, of course, on those Member States that possess nuclear capacity, especially those with nuclear weapons.

In conclusion, the Holy See would like to point out that it has no illusions about the challenges that lie before the international community. However, it is precisely because of these challenges related to nuclear security that the Holy See wishes to reiterate its support for the IAEA as it seeks to fulfil, in ever more effective ways, its indispensable role in ensuring nuclear security as part of a wider effort to strengthen cooperative security. As Pope Francis has said, “The security of our own future depends on guaranteeing the peaceful security of others, for if peace, security and stability are not established globally, they will not be enjoyed at all.” (Message of Pope Francis to the aforementioned Vienna Conference, 2014)

Thank you, Mr President.

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Bishop Ruperto Santos has called on migrant workers coming home to Philippines for Christmas, to take their families to church, not only to shopping malls. 

“Bring families to the Church, not mostly at the mall,” said Bishop Ruperto Santos, chairman of the bishops’ Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People.

He said the Christmas season is an opportunity for OFWs to spend quality time with their families instead of just shopping.

“As you are here, be always available to your children, speak to them, and share meals and stories. Make it quality time with your family,” said the prelate.

Bishop Santos summed up his suggestions as the 3 “S’s”

Spend more time together;
share stories;
and save money

And although the dollar to peso is higher nowadays, the bishop also reminded OFWs and their families to spend wisely.

“Remember always exchange is fluid, not lasting so be thrifty and frugal, not showy,” he said.

The head of the Balanga diocese also reminded OFWs that apart  from being with their loved ones, prayer is also an important aspect of Christmas. 

Filipino workers abroad usually go home during the Christmas season to be with their families.

There are approximately 10 million overseas Filipino workers around the world in 170 countries. (CBCPNews) 

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(Vatican Radio) Christians and Hindus are called to be a “light of peace” in order to challenge violence and hatred, a senior cardinal has said.
 
Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran heralded a new chapter in Christian-Hindu relations and said inter-religious dialogue was a “moral imperative” in his speech to a conference at the Pontifical Gregorian University.
 
The president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue told delegates that religions are not the cause of violence and hatred, “but rather are part of the solutions to problems created by religious fanatics with vested interests”.
 
Cardinal Tauran said: “Our aim is that, more and more, we become Lumen Pacis - light of peace in this world. Therefore, this conference marks a new beginning, moving towards a new set of possibilities in the field of Hindu-Christian dialogue.
 
“These wonderful exchanges not only help us to increase our knowledge of the life and faith of the other, but also to deepen our faith. Every genuine exchange of life and faith like this enriches our way of being and living.”
 
The conference brought together organisations including Religions for Peace, Focolare and the Italian Hindu Union.

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Catholic Priest, Father Peter Lopez of the Gambia Pastoral Institute (GPI) has told Antony Bushfield of UK’s Premier News that the defeat of President Yahya Jammeh in Gambia was totally unexpected. 

“We thought even if Gambians voted this man out, he would have found a way of rigging the elections and coming out as the winner…It is a shock result,” said Fr. Lopez who expressed a sigh of relief among Gambia’s minority Christians. 

In December 2015, Jammeh declared the Muslim-majority country to be an Islamic republic. It was expected that after elections Jammeh would move the country firmly in that direction. Fr. Lopez also spoke of pre-election anxiety among Christians about Jammeh’s other threat to close all Christian schools after elecions. 

The relief in Gambia is not only felt among Christians. Jammeh ruled the country with an iron fist.

President-elect Adama Barrow told Associated Press that he would release all political prisoners. "Political prisoners will be released, all of them. If it's politics, you are released," he told the Associated Press. 

Amnesty International was quick to urge the President-elect not to forget other prisoners of conscience in jail simply for expressing an opinion or for participating in peaceful protests.

The UK’s Guardian reported that Gambian Catholic priest, Fr. Bruno Toupan, a close family friend of Barrow was invited to bless the family of the new President. Barrow, a devout Muslim said his decision to call a Catholic to bless his family was proof that he would be a president for all Gambians.

(Email: engafrica@vatiradio.va)

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(Vatican Radio)  He who does not know the tenderness of God does not know the Christian doctrine.  This was the concept at the core of Pope Francis’ homily at morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta, a homily focused largely on the figure of Judas.

Judas, an evangelical image of the lost sheep

Taking his cue from the Gospel reading of the day which recounts the Parable of the lost sheep, Pope Francis spoke of how the Lord never stops looking for us.

Describing the Lord as a kind of a judge, a judge who caresses and is full of tenderness, he said God does everything to save us.

“He does not come to condemn, but to save” the Pope said, and he loves each and every one of us personally. He knows us by name and loves us for what we are.

And speaking of the lost sheep Francis explained that it did not get lost because it didn’t have a compass but because it "had a sick heart" and was running away “to be distant from the Lord and was satiating an inner darkness”.

And pointing out that the Lord knows these things and never neglects to go out and look for the lost sheep, the Pope said the Lord’s attitude towards Judas is so symbolic:

“Judas is the most perfect lost sheep in the Gospel: a man with a bitter heart, someone who always had something to criticize in others, he was always ‘detached’.  He did not know the sweetness that comes of living without second ends with others. He was an unsatisfied man!” he said.

The Pope said that because of the darkness in his heart Judas was separated from the herd. He said – more in general - that darkness can lead to living a double life: “a double life that, perhaps painfully, many Christians, even priests and bishops lead...”  

Pointing out that Judas himself was one of the first bishops, the Pope recalled a beautiful sermon given by Father Mazzolari in which he described Judas as a lost sheep: “Brother Judas, he said, what was happening in your heart?”  Francis said we need to understand lost sheep: each and every one of us has something in us of the lost sheep.

The Repentance of Judas

The Pope went on to explain that is not so much a mistake but a disease of the heart that makes a sheep wander and he said it is something the devil exploits.

Just as it was with Judas whose heart was ‘divided’. And finally when Judas saw what harm his double life had wreaked in the community, when he saw the evil he had sown because of the darkness in his heart that caused him to run away, looking for a light that was not the light of the Lord, but artificial lights like Christmas decorations, he was thrown into despair:

The Pope said that the Bible tells us that “the Lord is good, he never stops looking for the lost sheep” and it tells us that when Judas hanged himself he had repented.

“I believe that the Lord will take that word [repentance] and bring it with Him” he said. And it tells us that right until the end God’s love was working in that soul. 

He said that this is the message, the good news that Christmas brings asking us to rejoice with a sincerity that brings with it a change of heart that leads us to take comfort in the Lord, and not in other ‘escapist’ consolations.

God's power is in His tenderness

When Jesus finds the lost sheep he does not insults it although it caused so much harm, the Pope said, and in the Garden of Olives He calls Judas with the appellative ‘friend’. These, he said, are God's caresses:

"He who does not know the caresses of the Lord does not know Christian doctrine! He who does not allow himself to be caressed by the Lord is lost!” he said.

Pope Francis concluded saying that the consolation that we seek is in God’s tenderness that saves us and brings us back to the fold of his Church.

“May the Lord give us the grace to sincerely recognize our sins as we await Christmas, as we wait for the power of God who comes to console us with the tenderness” he said.

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a Message to the participants in the XXI Joint Meeting of the Pontifical Academies.

The Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, read the Message to participants gathered in the Apostolic Chancery on Tuesday afternoon to explore theme: sparks of beauty to give  a more human visage to our cities, chosen and directed by the President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi.

“Taking care of people, starting with the smallest and weakest, and of their daily bonds," writes Pope Francis, “necessarily also means taking care of the environment in which they live. Small gestures, simple actions, small sparks of beauty and love can heal, 'mending' the often lacerated and divided human fabric [of society], as well as that of a city and of the environment, representing a concrete alternative to indifference and cynicism.”

The Holy Father’s Message was addressed to Cardinal Ravasi, who also serves as President of the Coordinating Committee for the Pontifical Academies.

Eleven in all, the Pontifical Academies exist to further research and to encourage dialogue within and among scientific, artistic, professional and cultural disciplines. 

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(Vatican Radio) The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors [PCPM] is launching a new website to provide information on the Commission and its Mission.

The website –currently in a ‘beta’ format – has resources divided into four categories: “Healing and Care”, “Guidelines”, “Education”, and the “Day of Prayer [for the Victims and Survivors of Sexual Abuse]”.

It also provides news and information about the Commission in an easily accessible format.

Pope Francis formally appointed the first eight Members of the “Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors” on 22 March 2014, upon the suggestion of the Council of Cardinals.

In a ‘Chirograph’ issued the same day, the Holy Father wrote that the Commission’s task is to advise the Roman Pontiff on effective policies for the protection of minors and vulnerable adults and educational programs for all who are involved in this work.

The website – www.protectionofminors.va – is currently available in English, but will be expanded to Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese in the near future.

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Vatican City, Dec 6, 2016 / 06:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- For the first time, the works of Dutch artist Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn will be displayed at the Vatican.

Organized by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Swedish Embassy, the art show falls about a month after Pope Francis’ visit to Sweden marking the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.

The display, entitled “Rembrandt at the Vatican: Images from Heaven and Earth,” is an extension of that same ecumenism and desire for Christian unity, Arnold Nesselrath, curator of the Vatican Museums, told Rome Reports.

"Sweden is a particularly Protestant country. Holland is a particularly Protestant country. So if you want to set an ecumenical sign through creating events as we've seen on the 31st of October, this is what we wanted to contribute to with this exhibition,” he said.

Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands and Queen Silvia of Sweden were both present at the launch of the exhibit, which opened with a speech by Queen Silvia.

Also present was the director of the Vatican Museums, Antonio Paolucci, who described Rembrandt as a Protestant travelling “to the heart of Roman Catholicism. This happens under the papacy of Francis, who made the unity of Christians one of his goals.”

The son of a Protestant father and a Catholic mother, Rembrandt’s works contain both Catholic and Protestant elements, as he understood the two very well.

There seems to be no evidence that the 17th century artist ever officially joined a church, but he tended towards Protestantism and baptised his children in Protestant communities.

One of his main sources of artistic inspiration was the Bible, and some of his best known works are his biblical scenes such as “The Raising of the Cross” or “Christ Healing the Sick.”

Having never travelled to Italy in his life, Rembrandt’s only Italian artistic influence was from fellow artists who had travelled to Rome or were inspired by Italian artists. He is a renowned visual artist in three media – painting, drawing, and printmaking.

The Vatican exhibition, which contains 53 of Rembrandt’s etchings from the Zorn Museum in Mora, Sweden, will be on display through February 26.

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Vatican City, Dec 6, 2016 / 06:16 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors launched a new website Tuesday, which is designed to help inform the public about their work, and includes resources for Church leaders on safeguarding children and caring for survivors.

Announced by the Vatican Dec. 6, and coinciding with the feast of St. Nicholas, the patron saint of children, the website is considered to be in the “beta” stage and is still undergoing development.

However, the website already includes information on the history, mission and members of the Commission, practical resources and Church documents on the topic of abuse, as well as past and upcoming programs of the commission, and news about their current work.

The commission serves as an advisory body to the Pope, providing recommendations on how the Church can best protect minors and vulnerable adults. It consists of 17 men and women from around the world who work in the field of abuse prevention and recovery, including a few survivors, and is headed by Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston.

The group was first proposed to the Pope by his Council of Cardinals in December 2013. After he approved the proposal, Francis appointed Cardinal O’Malley to form the commission and carry forward their work.

The new website aims to promote a spirit of transparency, including information on the educational programs and conferences they have given at the Vatican and in other parts of the world, such as a recent presentation given to bishops Sept. 15 during a formation course for new bishops at the Vatican.

Under the website’s resources section can be found guidelines and practical advice on responding to complaints of abuse, advice for meeting with survivors, using prayer in the healing process, and how to contact the commission with recommendations or information.

There are also links to important commission documents and to addresses, speeches and letters of St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI on the topic of the protection of minors and vulnerable adults by the Church.

And finally, a press and media section includes press releases and links to news on the commission’s work.

According to the website, engaging with the media is considered an important aspect of the commission’s promotion of “public awareness about the need to ensure the protection of minors throughout the Church.”

The website is currently only available in English, but will eventually be expanded to include Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and French language versions.

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Vatican City, Dec 6, 2016 / 07:47 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Tuesday the Vatican announced that Bishop Wilfredo Pino Estévez, who has led the Cuban diocese of Guantánamo-Baracoa for the past 10 years, will now be taking over as the new Archbishop of Camagüey.

Announced Dec. 6, the appointment of Pino as the new Archbishop of Camaguey comes after the prelate’s lengthy time in the diocese of Guantanamo-Baracoa diocese.

Born in Camaguey Oct. 12, 1950, the bishop studied philosophy and theology at the Major Seminary of San Carlos y San Ambrosio in San Cristóbal de La Habana.

He was ordained a priest Aug. 1, 1975, for the Archdiocese of Camaguey, where he then served in various capacities, including as Parochial Vicar of Nuevitas; Treasurer of the parish in Florida, Cuba; National Director of the Pontifical Missionary Works and as pastor of Sant Cruz del Sur.

Pino was also on the diocesan committee that organized St. John Paul II’s visit to Cuba in 1998. In addition, he later served as pastor of Merced, Rector of the Diocesan House, Episcopal Vicar for the city of Camaguey and director of the diocese’s newsletter.

He was appointed as Bishop of Guantánamo-Baracoa by Benedict XVI Dec. 13, 2006, officially taking the reins in January 2017.

During his time as bishop of Guantanamo, Pino has had to oversee the diocese throughout many years of conflict regarding the disputed U.S. Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba.

The detention facility in Guantanamo Bay was opened in 2002 as a supposedly secure way to detain terror suspects who were captured from the War in Afghanistan, and later in Iraq, and who were deemed too much of a national security threat to keep on American soil.

Detainees were treated as “enemy combatants,” and since they belonged to a terrorist group rather than a country, the U.S. considered as complying with the Geneva Convention to hold them on non-U.S. soil and try them in a military court. Almost 800 detainees reportedly passed through Guantanamo from 2001-2008.

Human rights experts commissioned by the United Nations expressed concern about interrogation techniques used at the prison in a 2006 U.N. report based on information from the U.S., former detainees and their lawyers. According to the report, the techniques were considered “degrading treatment.”

In recent years, the U.N.’s human rights head repeatedly asked the United States to close the prison, speaking out against the prolonged detention of prisoners without trial.

Many bishops in the U.S. and at the Vatican have in the past disapproved of the indefinite detention of prisoners at Guantanamo and the conditions at the prison, however, the Cuban bishops themselves have typically refrained from making major statements, given the sensitivity of the political situation in the country.

In December 2014, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with Vatican officials to seek their help in re-settling remaining detainees.

In February of this year, U.S. President Barack Obama announced his intent to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, a proposal that Catholic bishops have long supported.

According to the Guardian, the Pentagon said the release of Yemeni prisoner Shawqi Awad Balzuhair, announced Sunday, has lowered the number of prisoners held at the base to 59, with 20 of the remaining prisoners having also been approved for release.

However, as the Obama administration prepares to step down following the election of Donald Trump as the next U.S. president, doubt has arisen as to whether the plans to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center will in fact move forward.

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