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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met in the Vatican on Wednesday with participants at a Colloquium organised by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the Islamic Culture and Relations Organisation from Teheran.

In brief words of greeting to the group, the Pope said he greatly appreciated the presence of those who had travelled from Iran to attend the meeting. He recalled with joy his meeting last January with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, as well as an encounter he had with the country’s vice president for women and family affairs, Shahindokht Mowlaverdi, who visited the Vatican with a group of female professors in February 2015. That visit, he said left him with a very positive impression of Iranian culture.

LIsten to our report: 

The Pope also underlined the importance of this 10th round of interfaith dialogue and fraternal encounter. He asked his guests to remember to pray for him and asked God to bless all members of the group.

During the two-day meeting, which concludes on Wednesday, the Muslim and Christian scholars have been sharing perspectives on "Extremism and violence in the name of religion: the reasons of the supporters and perpetrators”, "Rational approach to religion: the sign of hope for wounded humanity", and "Humanity and its common home; the contribution of religion for having a better world".

The 9th round of this dialogue between the Pontifical Council and the Islamic Culture and Relations Organisation was held in December 2014 in Tehran on the theme "Constructive Dialogue between Muslims and Christians for the Good of Society"

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(Vatican radio) The Apostleship of the Sea (AoS), the organisation which oversees the spiritual and pastoral care of those working at sea held a two day conference at Cape Town, South Africa, from 22-23rd November this year. Representatives from different countries within the Indian Ocean region of the organisation took part in the conference which comes ahead of a global congress on the fishing industry, expected for 2017.

“We are looking at highlighting the presence of the AoS at the congress next year, especially looking at how best to safeguard the rights of the fishermen in any agreement,” explained Fr Jacques-Henri David, who is the Indian Ocean Regional Coordinator for the Apostleship of the See.

“We must also make people aware of the risks of violence and exploitation of these workers,” he said.

Fr Jacques-Henri went on to explain that much of the organisation’s work takes place whilst ships are in port, with particular attention being given to visiting fishermen who might be in hospital or even prison. He noted that the AoS is often the first point of communication between fishermen, port authorities and families, adding that this work is “essential.”

Also attending the conference was Archbishop Jabulani Adatus Nxumalo, the Archbishop of Bloemfontein and AoS representative for South Africa. Looking ahead to the Global Conference on the fishing industry Archbishop Jabulani spoke of his hopes for greater cooperation with governments and the industry.

“We’re hoping for greater agreements between governments and those in the industry who decide upon the contracts for the fishermen. We want to speak with organisations that represent the fishermen to see if the working conditions can be improved.”

The realities of the industry were also amongst the topics the Archbishop hoped to raise at the AoS conference, hoping that those at the top of the industry would give more recognition to the dignity of this type of work.

“Structures and laws must be put in place to safeguard the workers,” the Archbishop concluded.

Listen to the full interview with Fr Jacques-Henri David and Archbishop Jabulani Nxumalo:  

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(Vatican Radio) The Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in New York, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, has released his address to participants in the UN Security Council's ongoing Open Debate on Maintenance of international peace and security. The focus of Archbishop Auza's remarks was the threefold relationship of water, peace, and global security.

Please find the full text of his remarks, below

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Intervention of H.E. Archbishop Bernardito Auza Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations Security Council Open Debate on Maintenance of international peace and security: water, peace and security

New York, 22 November 2016 Mr. President, The Holy See is pleased that the Presidency of Senegal has chosen this important topic for Open Debate in the Security Council, thus increasing the attention the international community will pay to it. Water scarcity illustrates a paradox: while water covers two-thirds of the Earth’s surface and is not used up when consumed, it is clear that the availability of fresh water is diminishing. With expanding deserts, deforestation and increasing droughts, everyone should be concerned about a potential worldwide calamity caused by a diminished water supply. Water has always been scarce in some places due to their geographical location, but in others, it is scarce because of mismanagement and misallocation, resulting in waste and inequitable distribution. Environmental degradation makes water toxic and climactic changes alter hydrologic cycles. Underground water sources in many places are threatened by the pollution produced in certain mining, farming and industrial activities, especially in countries lacking adequate regulation or controls. Industrial waste, detergents and chemical products continue to pour into our rivers, lakes and seas. Agricultural production, the greatest consumer of fresh water, and industries, the second greatest consumer, demand water more than ever, depleting aquifers much faster than they can be replenished. In many places, demand for water exceeds the sustainable supply, with dramatic consequences for the short and long term, including implications for national, regional and international peace and security. Water poverty especially affects Africa where large sectors of the population have no access to safe drinking water or experience droughts that impede agricultural production and provoke fierce competition. The migration of entire populations from regions that endure drastic water scarcity is seen as a threat to populations in areas with water. In brief, the implications of water for national, regional and international peace and security can hardly be overstated. Indeed, water experts and advocates ominously predict that the Third World War will be about water. When he visited the FAO in 2014, Pope Francis said: “Water is not free, as we so often think. It is a grave problem that can lead to war.”1 Water scarcity also has huge implications for justice and equity. As Pope Francis underlined in the Encyclical Laudato Si’, fresh drinking water is an issue of primary importance for its fundamental role in health and overall wellbeing. 2 In this context, one particularly serious problem is the quality of water available to the poor. Every day, unsafe water-borne diseases, like dysentery and cholera, remain a leading cause of death, especially among infants and children.

Moreover, a growing tendency to privatize water and turn it into a commodity dictated by market laws could seriously compromise access to safe water on the part of the poor, making it conceivable, Pope Francis said, “that the control of water by large multinational businesses may become a major source of conflict in this century.”3 While good water management implies expenditures as well as fees for water use to encourage its wise consumption, it is even more important to remember that access to safe drinkable water is a basic and universal human right, since it is essential to human survival and, as such, is a condition for the exercise of other human rights. Pope Francis affirmed that our world has a grave social debt towards the poor who lack access to drinking water, because they are denied the right to a life consistent with their inalienable dignity.4 Mr. President, Water-related challenges to peace and security, indeed to life itself, must not only be considered as threats, but also as opportunities for nations to collaborate more closely to come up with solutions, instead of engaging in ever fiercer competition for a diminishing essential resource that could ultimately lead to wars and conflicts. New technologies continue to emerge that could enable us to avoid a sustainability crisis through, inter alia, better methods of food production that require less water and industrial manufacturing that minimizes pollution of our aquifers and water systems. Moreover, local and traditional solutions to water-related challenges must not be abandoned in spite of technological advances. My delegation wishes to encourage both the public and private sectors to support community-driven initiatives for water conservation and water allocation. Local communities often know better their own water systems and how best to conserve and harness them. While the water shortage concerns vast areas, local solutions are always key components to coming to grips with the water problem. Finally, education on the fundamental importance of water is crucial. Water continues to be wasted and polluted, not only in the developed world but also in developing countries that possess it in relative abundance. This shows that there is much to do in educating individuals and communities on issues such as water conservation, wise consumption, and equitable use of this universal common good on the part of all. It is important to cultivate among peoples and their leaders a conscientious awareness that considers access to water as a universal right of all human beings, without distinction or discrimination. The water challenges provoking peace and security threats are technical, economic, political, social, but let us not forget that, ultimately, they are ethical and moral issues as well. Thank you, Mr. President.

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis focused on two more of the Spiritual Works of Mercy at his General Audience on Wednesday: “Counseling the Doubtful” and “Instructing the Ignorant”.

Both of these Works can be lived out both individually and in a more organized manner, the Pope said. Instructing the ignorant especially can be the focus of more institutional efforts, as seen by the work of so many sainted men and women throughout the ages. “These ‘pioneers of instruction’,” Pope Francis continued, “fully understood this work of mercy, and found a way of life that was able to transform society itself.” Pope Francis also noted the importance of vocational schools that focus on professional training, without neglecting the importance of teaching students human and Christian values.

Counseling the doubtful, on the other hand, is not so much a question of imparting knowledge, but of “soothing the pain and suffering that comes from the fear and anguish that are the consequences of doubt.” The Pope explained that this work of mercy is “an act of love” that aims at supporting people who are suffering from uncertainty.

At times, the Pope said, everyone has doubts. These can be positive if they lead us to deepening our faith, and coming to understand the mystery of God’s love. But doubts must be overcome. This can be done both by catechesis, when the proclamation of the faith meets us in our daily lives; and by living out the faith fully. “We do not make of the faith an abstract theory where doubts are multiplied,” Pope Francis said. “Rather, we make the faith our very life. We seek to practice it in the service of the brethren, especially the most needy.” Then, he continued, “so many doubts vanish, because we feel the presence of God and the truth of the Gospel in the love which, without merit of our own, dwells within us, and which we share with others.

We see, then, that these two works of mercy can be a part of our daily lives. “Each one of us can commit ourselves to living them,” he said, “in order to put into practice the word of the Lord when He says that the mystery of the love of God has not been revealed to the wise and the understanding, but to the little ones.” And so, Pope Francis concluded, “the most profound teaching we are called to transmit; and the most secure certainty we can offer, to free us from our doubts, is the love of God with which we are loved.”

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Rome, Italy, Nov 23, 2016 / 03:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In a sit-down interview with CNA Monday, Cardinal Joseph Tobin opened up about his appointment and his thoughts on the U.S. elections, as well as Pope Francis’ warning to cardinal’s against ‘polarization’ and his emphasis on mercy.

The new cardinal, who not only got his red hat Saturday, but was recently appointed Archbishop of Newark, admitted that all the changes he’s undergoing have “been difficult,” and, like Peter walking on the water, he’s had a few “sinking moments” in terms of getting distracted by everything, and is trying to keep his gaze fixed on the Lord.

He also spoke about the recent election of Donald Trump and Mike Pence as president and vice president of the United States, respectively, and how he sees the “polarization” Pope Francis spoke about in his homily to the new cardinals affecting the Church, particularly in the U.S.

As a remedy, Tobin suggested dialogue, saying Pope Francis’ insistence on mercy and stronger collaboration by talking things out is something “he didn’t just dream up,” but is in fact perfectly in tune with his predecessors, and is part of “a great movement of the Holy Spirit, which was the Second Vatican Council.”


Please read below for the full text of CNA’s conversation with Cardinal Tobin:

Q: A lot of people might have asked you this, but you were kind of the surprise pick in this year’s round of American cardinals. Why do you think the Pope chose you?

I think among those people you were talking about, there’s probably no one more surprised than I. I really don’t know why the Holy Father picked me. The best I can figure is because I’ve had a bit of international experience, for 20 years I worked outside of the United States, basically. And I have a couple of languages, but beyond that, you’d have to ask him.

Q: You’ve worked a lot in certain Vatican dicaseries, you’ve headed up a lot of investigations, and you seem to be the ‘go-to’ man on this point. Do you think he perhaps saw a competency there that prompted the decision?

Perhaps. I’ve had different experiences, which have given me maybe a greater sensitivity to some of the challenges facing the Church’s mission today. But I also have enough realism to know that my experience is limited, too. It’s a big world.

Q: You’ve had a lot of experience, and you’ve had a lot of changes recently, too. You were named cardinal, but also as the new Archbishop of Newark. How are you handling all these changes?

It’s really been difficult, because from a spiritual perspective I’ve been very distracted in prayer; it’s been hard to stay focused on Jesus and I consider that so important, because one of the scenes in Scripture that I identify so much with, because I like Peter, I’ve always kind of identified with Peter, and there’s a scene where Jesus is not in the boat with them and the storm is up and they’re really frightened and they think their lives are over and then they see this figure walking on the water, and they cry out in fear. And Peter yells something that I think is pretty silly. He says, ‘if it’s you, let me walk on the water.’ I would have said ‘calm things down,’ ‘get us home,’ ‘make it stop,’ but he said ‘if it’s you let me walk on water,’ and Jesus says ‘come.’ So he steps out of the boat and begins to walk. And the Gospel is pretty clear on this detail: as long as he can keep his eyes fixed on Jesus, he can walk, but when he’s more conscious of the wind and the waves, then he begins to sink. But Jesus pulls him up and says ‘oh man of little faith.’ So I think I’ve had a few of those ‘sinking moments,’ so I’ve been trying to get my eyes back fixed on him.

Q: As you are moving forward in this transition to Newark, they’ve ever had a cardinal, so what are you hoping to do there, and what do you think the presence of a cardinal will do for the area?

Well I think that other than seeing somebody in red from time to time, what I hope to bring there is the possibility of being a good bishop for them. They may not have had a cardinal, but they’ve had a lot of good bishops and I think that that’s principally what I can bring, which is a pretty serious and daunting expectation. So I want to be a good bishop for the people of those four counties.

Q: I know you’ve probably been asked this a lot as well, but on the U.S. elections: I think many are anticipating that immigration is going to be a very big topic with this administration. You yourself have had conflicts with Pence about this in the past. Are you anticipating difficulty on this issue?

What I would say, and maybe this helps begin to answer your question, is that there were also a lot of things we cooperated on, and we worked very well together. We did have this disagreement about the question of barring Syrian immigrants from Indiana, and I think that probably in the aftermath, the courts have upheld the view that the archdiocese took, that we were actually following the law. But what I’m hoping is that the new administration will be interested in establishing a respectful dialogue with the bishops' conference. We don’t govern the United States of America; there’s a government that does that, but I think the government, in reaching decisions aimed at the common good, should at least take into account the experience of the Catholic Church and its leadership. And I think on the other hand, we have to be respectful of the government and we have to pray for those who govern us while being conscious of what the Gospel calls us to be today.

Q: Given the fact that there are going to be things we’ll agree on and things we’ll disagree on, in your opinion, what do you think are the greatest opportunities that we already have for cooperation with this administration, and what are the areas you think might be problematic?

Let me use an example of where I’ve defended governor Pence, because I think it might illustrate a response to your question. The government was criticized very often in the media in Indiana for presenting itself as a Christian, American conservative. And the media or the people who disagreed with him said ‘you should present yourself only as an American.’ And I would say in his defense, to believing people, that sounds idolatrous. That you would put something else above your relationship with God. So what I would hope the administration would understand is that as believing people, nothing can come above our relationship with God. It’s a relationship that’s not just lived inside the walls of the Church, a synagogue or a mosque. It means that we live in a certain way and we hold certain values as part of it. Now for the longest time in the history of the United States, those values and the values of the government or as the society at large were not as contradictory as they can be, or at least as they feel in these recent decades. So I think because of that we owe it not simply to our life of faith to be authentic, we owe it because our faith is something good we can give to the people of the United States and the people of the world. So hopefully we’ll be able to cooperate with the new administration, and hopefully they will be open to listening to us and to the conclusions we’ve reached in our own life of faith.

Q: Turning to your appointment and the appointment of your brother cardinals, Cardinal Cupich and Cardinal Farrell, we were surprised to see that three Americans were named in this consistory. We expected one or two at most, but three was a surprise. Why do you think the Holy Father placed such an emphasis on Americans this time around?

Once again I’ll have to let myself off the hook, because it would be really interesting to ask him! I think it’s good for Americans to remember, as well established and as good as the Catholic Church is in the United States, in the global picture we’re only six percent of the Church, so we’re a really small little sliver and certainly I think, for better or for worse, we have a lot of opportunities to make a difference in the world and in the Church, but numerically, if that’s what you’re going by, we’re rather small. I don’t know why the Holy Father (did it). Maybe because some cardinals have retired in recent years – Cardinal McCarrick, Cardinal Mahoney, Cardinal Levada, and some have gone home to God, like my friend Cardinal Francis George. Perhaps he felt it was time to renew this particular ministry in the United States.

Q: I wanted to ask another follow-up question on the Pope’s homily. He spoke about the importance of staying united and not falling into polarized attitudes. The Holy Father is obviously bringing it up for a reason, so in your opinion, where do you see this polarization in the Church, and how can it be overcome?

I think he’s bringing it up because it’s a reality. It’s a reality because we live in a polarized world and there’s always a risk that (believers) uncritically adopt in the Church some of the tendencies, if you will, in the wider world. I’ve seen that in my work in other countries, for example in Eastern Europe. People there had little use for communism and had real reasons to oppose it and criticize it and finally make it fall. But some of the shadow side of communism affected the people living there. This sort of distrust that characterized people in a sort of Soviet-state, passed into the Church. I would visit communities say in Ukraine, or Belarus, where the priest did not want to talk to me inside the house for fear of being overheard. Well, that’s not the sort of confidence and trust we want to have in the body of Christ. I think coming back to the States after 20 years, I was a bit surprised at the degree to which the “red state, blue state” model has come into the Church, where we like to figure out a label we can put on somebody. So we’ll ask questions like ‘what do you read?’ or ‘what websites do you visit?’ That’s an important one for people. Because if I can figure it out, then I can put a label on you rather than saying ‘oh you’re a disciple of Jesus like me,’ or ‘I’m like you.’ But it’s rather ‘are you a real one or not? Because I figure I am.’ So I think that and the lack of dialogue at times in sort-of combative groups even within the Church, is another sign of this polarization the Holy Father was addressing. So I think the homily was beautiful because it was directed at real situations, and showing us just how important our work as cardinals would be, and addressing the polarization and providing an alternative to it.

Q: How do you think that can best be done?

The first encyclical Paul VI wrote during the Second Vatican Council was called Ecclesiam Suam, and among other things it proposed dialogue, not just as a nice way of talking with each other, but as a real way of loving each other and different characteristics of dialogue, of authentic dialogue, like meekness. I don’t believe that I have a corner around all the truth, but (that) I can learn something by listening to you. Confidence that God doesn’t want us to live in hermetically-sealed units. The ultimate mission is always the mission of Jesus from the heart of God. To do what? Well, to reconcile; we just heard it yesterday from the reading from Colossians. So I think that dialogue that is aimed at reconciliation is the greatest antidote to polarization.

Q: On the topic of dialogue, Pope Francis has been emphasizing the topic of dialogue and mercy a lot. In one of his interviews leading up to the close of the Jubilee, he spoke about how he sees it as the path of the Second Vatican Council moving forward, and that it takes a century to really unpack the fruits of it. Do you think that with this emphasis we’re starting to see on dialogue, on stronger collaboration to pull away from these polarizations and the emphasis on mercy, are we perhaps starting to see some of the fruits of the Council?

I think so. Certainly things coming out of the Council, once again referring to that encyclical, these are things Paul VI proposed, before you were born, in 1965, 1964. So it was out there, but I think it was always challenged too by these sort of centrifugal forces that fragment societies and threaten to fragment even the body of Christ. So you have a very good insight in that what the Holy Father is proposing, he didn’t just dream up. It’s part of, particularly, a great movement of the Holy Spirit, which was the Second Vatican Council. And if you look at the opening address of John XXIII, “Gaudet Mater Ecclesia,” “Mother Church Rejoices,” it’s astounding to see. You say, my God, Francis could have written that. But it means that he’s that much in tune with what’s happening.

Q: So What Francis is doing isn’t necessarily anything new?

No, no, no. It’s as old as the Gospel. And it’s as fresh as the challenges we face today.

Q: So do you think his emphasis on being open to the Holy Spirit is following the same path? That it’s perhaps what we’ve seen before? He talks about his predecessors a lot, so we see his predecessors doing the same things, but is Francis just doing it with a fresh gaze?

Absolutely. This openness, what you’re describing very well, is what goes by the fancy name of ‘discernment.’ I found it interesting in 2012, just the documents in preparing for the Synod on the New Evangelization, one of the preliminary documents mentioned the word discernment 24 times, so what it's saying is that our mission today isn’t simply a recipe that we’ve had all along. What we have, we have to apply to the circumstances of today. And how do we do it? I think in that sense the Holy Father is following very closely to St. John Paul II and Benedict on the need for discernment, which is examining the signs and times and places in the light of faith.

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Vatican City, Nov 23, 2016 / 03:42 am (CNA/EWTN News).- While the Jubilee might be over, Pope Francis hasn’t stopped talking about mercy, telling faithful Wednesday that the works of mercy of counseling the doubtful and instructing the ignorant, are rooted in a deep faith, and are things we can do every day.

“In certain moments doubts come to everyone! Doubts that touch the faith, in a positive sense, are a sign that we want to know God, Jesus, and the mystery of his love for us better and more deeply,” the Pope said Nov. 23.

Because of this, he said it’s good to ask ourselves questions about the faith, because they push us to deepen in it.

“Doubts, then, can also be overcome,” he said, pointing to catechesis as “an important path” that helps to quell doubts. With catechesis, “the announcement of faith comes to meet us in the concreteness of personal and communitarian life.”

At the same time, Francis said another equally important path to follow “is living the faith as much as possible.”

“Let us not make faith an abstract theory where doubts multiply. Rather, let us make faith our life. Let us try to practice it in the service of our brothers, especially the neediest,” he said.

If we live our faith with this intensity, “then many doubts vanish, because we feel the presence of God and the truth of the Gospel in the love that, without our merit, lives in us and which we share with others.”

Pope Francis spoke to the thousands of pilgrims gathered in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall for his weekly general audience. He continued his catechesis on mercy, which he launched during the Jubilee of Mercy as a way of making it present in our daily lives.

While the Jubilee might be over, the Pope continued his most recent reflections on the spiritual works of mercy, focusing specifically on the acts of counseling the doubtful and instructing the ignorant.

These two works, he said, are “strongly linked,” because they are actions that can be lived either in “a simple, familiar dimension accessible to all, or – especially the second, to teach – on an institutional, organized level.”

He pointed to the fact that many children throughout the world suffer from illiteracy and from the lack of education. This is particularly the case in warzones such as Iraq and Syria, where schools have been shut down due to bombings, and many children who have fled are left with no formal education.
 
To lack education, the Pope said, is a “serious injustice that undermines the very dignity of the human being. Without instruction, one then becomes easy prey to exploitation and various forms of social disadvantage.”

Francis noted how throughout the centuries, the Church has made it her mission to commit in the area of education, saying this is because her task of evangelization “involves the commitment of restoring dignity to the most poor.”

There is a long list of saints who throughout the ages have spent their lives bringing education to the most remote and disadvantaged areas with the knowledge that through it, “they could overcome misery and discrimination,” he said.

Specifically, he pointed to the example of St. John Bosco and the Salesians, praising the emphasis they place on education. This is an example that hits home for Francis, who attended a Salesian school as a child.

He also noted that many Christian laity, consecrated persons and priests “have given their own lives for education,” and asked the audience to pay them tribute with “a big round of applause.”

“Instruction, then, is truly a special form of evangelization,” he said, adding that a good education teaches us “the critical method, which also includes a certain type of doubt.”

This doubt, he said, is useful in terms of proposing questions and verifying achieved results for the sake of having a greater awareness. However, he stressed that the work of mercy “counseling the doubtful,” refers to a different kind of doubt.

Showing mercy to doubters means “soothing that pain and that suffering which comes from the fear and anguish that are consequences of doubt,” he said, adding that it is “an act of true love with which one intends to support a person in the weakness caused by uncertainty.”

Pope Francis closed his audience saying these two works of mercy aren’t removed from our lives, but are things we can commit to by putting the Word of God into practice, specifically the line in scripture when the Lord says that “the mystery of the love of God was not revealed to the wise and intelligent, but to the little ones.”

“The most profound teaching we are called to transmit and the surest certainty out of doubt, is the love of God with which we are called to love,” he said. “A great love, free and given forever, from which we need to feel a strong responsibility to be witnesses offering mercy to our brothers.”

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