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(Vatican Radio) Following his returned to the Vatican on Wednesday evening, Pope Francis telephoned the Archbishop of Spoleto-Norcia, Renato Boccardo, to express his closeness to the people of the Valnerina valley, which is formed by the Nera River, and flows from the Marche region of Italy through the region of Umbria.  The valley was the area most affected by the recent earthquakes of 26 and 30 October.

The Archbishop was in Norcia for the visit of the President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella. He was touring the areas most damaged by the earthquakes.

Archbishop Boccardo said he explained to the Holy Father “the difficulties and the fear of people who are homeless or insecure, in these two months of earthquakes and great loss of the heritage of faith and art located in our valley.”

He added that Pope Francis assured him of his prayers and blessings for the  people affected.

“The Pope also said he was saddened by the collapse of so many sacred buildings, symbols of faith and identity of the people,” Archbishop Boccardo said.

The Archbishop said the entire diocesan Church of Spoleto-Norcia is grateful to the Pope for this additional show of support for the people of the Valnerina valley, after the visit the Holy Father made to San Pellegrino on 4 October, following the earthquake of 24 August, which killed 298 people.

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(Vatican Radio) The Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, told the UN General Assembly the “human rights of every individual, rooted in the innate dignity of the human person, are inviolable, without distinction.”

The Vatican diplomat was speaking during a committee discussion on ‘Elimination Of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia And Related Intolerance.’

“This is not only a founding principle of the United Nations Charter and affirmed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: it is also enshrined in human experience, and represents an enduring truth that we must not only recognize when convenient but at all times,” Archbishop Auza said.

The full statement can be found below

Statement by H.E. Archbishop Bernardito Auza

Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations

Seventy-first Session of the United Nations General Assembly

Third Committee Agenda Item 66: Elimination Of Racism, Racial Discrimination,

Xenophobia And Related Intolerance

Madam Chair,

Last year marked fifty years since the adoption of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. At the time, it was a landmark adoption, signaling the conviction of the international community that racism of any kind cannot be tolerated. However, as we look at the world today, especially in the context of global migration and displacement, we must admit that much of the progress on eliminating racism, racial discrimination, and xenophobia is in serious risk of being eroded, sometimes intentionally.

In this regard, my delegation welcomes the recent report of the Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights Council on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, in which he outlines in stark detail the threat that the spread of extremist political parties, movements and groups in many parts of the world pose to the realization of the peaceful, just and inclusive societies that the Member States of the United Nations have committed themselves to realizing through the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants.

It is, in particular, a grave cause for concern that, according to the report, there has been a marked increase in the number of racist and xenophobic incidents of violence, especially in the public sphere. This resurgence, in many instances politically motivated, seems to be driven by fear of the other, in particular, the fear in front of our responsibility to care for the marginalized and vulnerable, for those in desperate need of our compassion and solidarity.

This year alone, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) calculates that, even with still two months left in the calendar year, the number of deaths of refugees and migrants crossing the Mediterranean has already reached a record high. Despite a significant decrease in the number of people seeking to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, the UNHCR reported that 3,740 lives have already been lost in 2016, just short of the 3,771 reported for the whole of 2015

Madam Chair,

Migrant or resident, human dignity is not negotiable or determined by national laws. The human rights of every individual, rooted in the innate dignity of the human person, are inviolable, without distinction. This is not only a founding principle of the United Nations Charter and affirmed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: it is also enshrined in human experience, and represents an enduring truth that we must not only recognize when convenient but at all times. As Pope Francis reminds us, “from this perspective, it is important to view migrants not only on the basis of their status as regular or irregular, but above all as people whose dignity is to be protected and who are capable of contributing to progress and the general welfare. This is especially the case when they responsibly assume their obligations towards those who receive them, gratefully respecting the material and spiritual heritage of the host country, obeying its laws and helping with its needs.”

Madam Chair,

Alarmed by today’s many manifestations of racial discrimination and other forms of intolerance, the whole human family must reaffirm once more its common determination to fight all forms of discrimination and intolerance as contrary to the dignity and equality inherent in all human beings, and remain resolute to adopt all necessary measures to eliminate them in all their forms and manifestations.

Thank you, Madam Chair

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday urged representatives of different religions to foster a peaceful encounter of believers and genuine religious freedom.

Speaking to some 200 people gathered in the Vatican for an interreligious audience, Pope Francis reflected on the soon- to-end Year of Mercy saying that mercy extends also to the world around us, “to our common home, which we are called to protect and preserve from unbridled and rapacious consumption”.

He pointed out that in today’s hectic and forgetful world  we need the oxygen of  gratuitous and life-giving love: “We thirst for mercy and no technology can quench that thirst.  We seek a love that endures beyond momentary pleasures, a safe harbour where we can end our restless wanderings, an infinite embrace that forgives and reconciles”.
    
He told those present that common commitment is needed “for an education to sobriety and to respect, to a more simple and orderly way of life”.

Above all, the Pope urged all religions to join in embarking on a path of dialogue, rejecting the aimless paths of disagreement and closed-mindedness.  

He appealed to never let it happen again that religions, because of the conduct of some of their followers, convey a distorted message that is out of tune with that of mercy.  

“Sadly, not a day passes that we do not hear of acts of violence, conflict, kidnapping, terrorist attacks, killings and destruction.  It is horrible that at times, to justify such barbarism, the name of a religion or the name of God himself is invoked.  May there be clear condemnation of these iniquitous attitudes that profane the name of God and sully the religious quest of mankind” he said.

Pope Francis concluded his message calling for the peaceful encounter of believers and genuine religious freedom: “Here, our responsibility before God, humanity and the future is great; it calls for unremitting effort, without dissimulation.  It is a call that challenges us, a path to be taken together, for the good of all, and with hope”. 

 
Please find below the full text of Pope Francis’ address to Representatives of Different Religions:

Dear Friends,

    I offer you a warm welcome.  I am pleased to meet you and I thank you for accepting this invitation to reflect together on the theme of mercy.

    As you are well aware, we are approaching the end of the Holy Year, in which the Catholic Church has pondered the heart of the Christian message from the viewpoint of mercy.  For us, mercy reveals the name of God; it is “the very foundation of the Church’s life” (Misericordiae Vultus, 10).  It is also the key to understanding the mystery of man, of that humanity which, today too, is in great need of forgiveness and peace.

    Yet the mystery of mercy is not to be celebrated in words alone, but above all by deeds, by a truly merciful way of life marked by disinterested love, fraternal service and sincere sharing.  The Church increasingly desires to adopt this way of life, also as part of her “duty to foster unity and charity” among all men and women (Nostra Aetate, 1).  The religions are likewise called to this way of life, in order to be, particularly in our own day, messengers of peace and builders of communion, and to proclaim, in opposition to all those who sow conflict, division and intolerance, that ours is a time of fraternity.   That is why it is important for us to seek occasions of encounter, an encounter which, while avoiding a superficial syncretism, “makes us more open to dialogue, the better to know and understand one another; eliminates every form of closed-mindedness and disrespect; and drives out every form of violence and discrimination” (Misericordiae Vultus, 23).  This is pleasing to God and constitutes an urgent task, responding not only to today’s needs but above all to the summons to love which is the soul of all authentic religion.

    The theme of mercy is familiar to many religious and cultural traditions, where compassion and nonviolence are essential elements pointing to the way of life; in the words of an ancient proverb: “death is hard and stiff; life is soft and supple” (Tao-Te-Ching, 76).  To bow down with compassionate love before the weak and needy is part of the authentic spirit of religion, which rejects the temptation to resort to force, refuses to barter human lives and sees others as brothers and sisters, and never mere statistics.  To draw near to all those living in situations that call for our concern, such as sickness, disability, poverty, injustice and the aftermath of conflicts and migrations: this is a summons rising from the heart of every genuine religious tradition.  It is the echo of the divine voice heard in the conscience of every person, calling him or her to reject selfishness and to be open.  Open to the Other above us, who knocks on the door of our heart, and open to the other at our side, who knocks at the door of our home, asking for attention and assistance.

    The very word “mercy” is a summons to an open and compassionate heart.  It comes from the Latin world misericordia, which evokes a heart – cor – sensitive to suffering, but especially to those who suffer, a heart that overcomes indifference because it shares in the sufferings of others.  In the Semitic languages, like Arabic and Hebrew, the root RHM, which also expresses God’s mercy, has to do with a mother’s womb, the deepest source of human love, the feelings of a mother for the child to whom she will give birth.

    In this regard, the prophet Isaiah conveys a magnificent message, which, on God’s part, is both a promise of love and a challenge: “Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb?  Even through she may forget, yet I will never forget you” (Is 49:15).   All too often, sad to say, we forget, our hearts grow heedless and indifferent.  We distance ourselves from God, our neighbour and even our historical memory, and we end up repeating, in even more cruel forms, tragic errors of the past.

    This is the drama of evil, of the grim depths to which our freedom can plunge when tempted by evil, ever-present, waiting to strike and bring us down.  Yet precisely here, before the great riddle of evil that tests every religious experience, we find the most amazing aspect of merciful love.  That love does not leave us prey to evil or to our own frailty; it does not “forget”, but “remembers”, and draws near to every human misery in order to relieve it.  Like a mother.  Whatever the evil done by her child, a mother always sees past the sin to recognize the face she bore in her womb.

    In today’s ever more hectic and forgetful word, which leaves so many men and women behind as it races on, breathlessly and aimlessly, we need the oxygen of this gratuitous and life-giving love.  We thirst for mercy and no technology can quench that thirst.  We seek a love that endures beyond momentary pleasures, a safe harbour where we can end our restless wanderings, an infinite embrace that forgives and reconciles.

    How important this is, when we consider today’s widespread fear that it is impossible to be forgiven, rehabilitated and redeemed from our weaknesses.  For us Catholics, among the most meaningful rites of the Holy Year is that of walking with humility and trust through the door – the Holy Door – to find ourselves fully reconciled by the mercy of God, who forgives our trespasses.  But this demands that we too forgive those who trespass against us (cf. Mt  6:12), the brothers and sisters who have offended us.  We receive God’s forgiveness in order to share it with others.  
Forgiveness is surely the greatest gift we can give to others, because it is the most costly.  Yet at the same time, it is what makes us most like God.

    Mercy extends also to the world around us, to our common home, which we are called to protect and preserve from unbridled and rapacious consumption.  Our commitment is needed for an education to sobriety and to respect, to a more simple and orderly way of life, in which the resources of creation are used with wisdom and moderation, with concern for humanity as a whole and coming generations, not simply the interests of our particular group and the benefits of the present moment.  Today in particular, “the gravity of the ecological crisis demands that we all look to the common good, embarking on a path of dialogue which requires patience, self-discipline and generosity” (Laudato Si’, 201).

    May this be the path we take.  May we reject the aimless paths of disagreement and closed-mindedness.  May it never happen again that the religions, because of the conduct of some of their followers, convey a distorted message, out of tune with that of mercy.  Sadly, not a day passes that we do not hear of acts of violence, conflict, kidnapping, terrorist attacks, killings and destruction.  It is horrible that at times, to justify such barbarism, the name of a religion or the name of God himself is invoked.  May there be clear condemnation of these iniquitous attitudes that profane the name of God and sully the religious quest of mankind.  May there instead be fostered everywhere the peaceful encounter of believers and genuine religious freedom.  Here, our responsibility before God, humanity and the future is great; it calls for unremitting effort, without dissimulation.  It is a call that challenges us, a path to be taken together, for the good of all, and with hope.  May the religions be wombs of life, bearing the merciful love of God to a wounded and needy humanity; may they be doors of hope helping to penetrate the walls erected by pride and fear.

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis prayed in the Vatican Grottos on Wednesday evening, after his return from celebrating the Mass of All Souls in the Roman cemetery of Prima Porta.

The Vatican Grottos – located under St. Peter’s Basilica - the grottos contain tombs of kings, queens and popes, dating from the 10th century.

Pope Francis prayed privately at the tombs of his 20th century predecessor: Benedict XV, Pius XI, Pius XII, Blessed Paul VI, John Paul I.

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Washington D.C., Nov 3, 2016 / 03:09 am (CNA).- Religious liberty is a pressing issue in this election, advocates say – but both major presidential candidates have shown serious deficiencies when it comes to protecting freedom of religion.

“What the friends of religious freedom need in the White House is a real, well-informed, energetic defender of religious freedom. And I don’t see one leading either party at the moment,” Dr. Matthew Franck, director of the William E. and Carol G. Simon Center on Religion and the Constitution, told CNA.

The next president may directly affect the outcome of religious freedom conflicts, either through their administration’s policies or their appointments to the judiciary.

Hillary Clinton’s support for broad anti-discrimination protections have concerned faith leaders that churches and religious charities will be forced to perform services that violate their religious mission, or be punished by the government for alleged discrimination.

For example, Catholic adoption agencies in several states have been forced to close rather than obey state mandates to place children with same-sex couples, against their religious beliefs.

Franck predicted there “could be a national push for this” under a Clinton presidency, and the Clinton campaign’s website says that “[Hillary] will end discriminatory treatment of LGBT families in adoptions.”

Another policy Clinton supports is the Equality Act, a proposed bill supported by most Democrats in Congress. Experts say it would force citizens and organizations to approve of acts they consider immoral.

Under the bill, “traditional orthodox Christian views about marriage and so forth are really expressions of bigotry, and not to be publicly tolerated,” V. Bradley Lewis, professor of philosophy at The Catholic University of America, explained to CNA.

Clinton has been a long-time promoter of access to contraceptives and abortions for women, and has promoted this agenda both domestically and internationally.

In her keynote address at the 2015 Women in the World summit, Clinton maintained that “far too many women are denied access to reproductive health care and safe childbirth, and laws don’t count for much if they’re not enforced.” She added that “laws have to be backed up with resources and political will, and deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs, and structural biases have to be changed.”

Clinton would probably continue the HHS birth control mandate, which forces all employers to include in their employee health plans contraceptives, sterilizations, and drugs that can cause abortions. This could mean continued litigation against objecting religious non-profits until the cases are resolved by the Supreme Court.

And the appointment of a Supreme Court justice is another concern for religious freedom advocates after Justice Antonin Scalia’s death in February created a vacancy that will be filled by the next president’s appointee. This justice could be the deciding swing vote in a 5-4 religious freedom case.

Clinton has said she would appoint justices who would uphold the right to abortion and same-sex marriage. A major case involving the birth control mandate, Zubik v. Burwell, is still being litigated and resolved at the federal court level after the Supreme Court sent the case back to the circuit courts.

The Little Sisters of the Poor and other charitable organizations stood to win their case at the Supreme Court if the late Justice Antonin Scalia were on the bench, Franck noted, but under a justice appointed by Clinton if she were to be president, “they’re probably losers.”

Clinton also would support the transgender mandate, the Obama administration’s rule that would force doctors and physicians around the country to perform gender transition services if asked, even if they thought it harmful to the patient’s health.

Franck called it a “serious attack on physician freedom, including religious freedom,” and added, “I think that Hillary would keep that in place” and “might even expand on it.”

Earlier this year, the state of California mandated that pro-life crisis pregnancy centers had to inform patients on where and how they could procure abortions. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Hillary Clinton wanted to make that [law] national, if she could,” Franck said.

Another concern is that the Department of Education, with direct oversight of college accrediting bodies, could demand that these bodies withhold accreditation of religious schools until they support same-sex marriage.

And that’s just the domestic policy agenda. Internationally, Clinton could continue the State Department’s recent promotion of LGBT rights abroad as a “main” pillar of their diplomacy while focusing “very little” on religious freedom, Lewis noted.

Also of note are the recent release of past emails of Clinton’s campaign chair John Podesta, published by the website WikiLeaks.

Podesta, in a 2012 email thread about the Catholic bishops’ opposition to the Obama administration’s birth control mandate, was asked about the possibility of a “Catholic spring” to generate popular Catholic opposition to the bishops and bring about “the end of a middle ages dictatorship and the beginning of a little democracy and respect for gender equality in the Catholic church.”

He responded that Catholic groups like Catholics United and Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good had been created for “a moment like this.”

The “moment” Podesta is referring to could be “the eruption of a conflict between the Catholic Church and the liberal state,” Franck said, a “pseudo-Catholic front for generating dissent inside the Catholic Church when it comes into conflict with the government in order to weaken that side in the conflict.”

That it comes from the campaign chair of a major presidential candidate is all the more troubling, Franck insisted.

“That’s straight from somebody who is linked, for his whole career,” he said, “with the Clintons, and would be an important figure in a new Clinton administration.”

“I think what we can expect to see out of a Hillary Clinton administration is a continuation of the trajectory we’ve already seen in the two terms of the Obama administration,” Franck said, adding that “I would have serious, serious doubts that it would be better” or that Clinton’s administration would be “persuaded to moderate or retreat from any of the Obama initiatives that have been damaging to religious freedom.”

Trump, meanwhile, caused a stir last year when, after November’s Paris terror attacks and purportedly for national security reasons, he advocated “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on.”

Lewis called that policy, singling out a religious group, “in and of itself problematic on religious freedom grounds.”

Trump presented an “expansion” of that plan this summer, a ban on immigration from countries and territories that have been “compromised” by terrorism. His running mate Mike Pence said that Christians and Jews from such countries would also be included under such a ban.

Meanwhile, Trump’s rhetoric on other religious freedom issues shows that he lacks a presidential command of the topic, advocates say.

Although Trump could be “marginally better” than Clinton on religious freedom in that he would hire staff members who did not promote radical secularism, “I don’t really see Mr. Trump mounting much of a challenge to the agenda of the sexual revolution on same-sex marriage and transgender issues,” Franck said.

“On a generous reading of his statements, one might imagine that Trump simply doesn’t care about religious freedom, and perhaps doesn’t understand what is at stake,” Rachel Lu, a professor of philosophy at the University of St. Thomas, wrote for the Religious Freedom Institute.

For instance, Trump “waffled on North Carolina’s transgendered bathroom law, but his immediate impulse was to criticize the state for infringing on the rights of the transgendered,” she wrote.

Trump was asked about religious freedom by EWTN’s Raymond Arroyo on “The World Over” last Thursday.

He responded by championing the repeal of the Johnson Amendment, which prohibits clergy from endorsing political candidates from the pulpit, and as Trump put it, stops faith leaders from endorsing him as a candidate.  

“I think it’s one of the most important things that I’ll be doing for the evangelicals and for religion,” he said. “So, I think it’s very, very important.”

However, while repealing the amendment is a good step, it is “way, way down the list [of importance] for every religious leader I talked to,” Franck said.

Furthermore, some say Trump’s rhetoric toward ethnic and religious minorities has inflamed social tensions and could spell trouble for them if he is elected president.

In a piece published by the Religious Freedom Institute, two representatives of the Ahmadyyia Muslim community harshly criticized Trump for his rhetoric and policy proposals for religious minorities, saying the policies are a “sharp departure from anything that we have seen in decades.”

In addition to his proposed Muslim ban, Trump had advocated the “surveillance of certain mosques” as a national security measure in the wake of the Paris attacks.

“It has become apparent that Trump responds emotionally to current events and does not always think his proposals through and whether or not they violate the principles of the constitution,” Rasheed Reno and Qasim Rashid wrote. “They are often inspired by fear and anger which is a dangerous and irresponsible use of a leadership position.”

This volatile behavior by a presidential candidate could spell danger for religious minorities under his administration, they insisted.

“When a president shows willingness to violate the civil liberties of its citizens,” like through a Muslim ban, “it sets a dangerous example which leads to violence and unrest against religious minorities,” they added.

“This has already been demonstrated in the short period of Trump’s candidacy, where violence against Muslims and other minorities has increased significantly.”

When he was asked by a Muslim-American about this uptick in violence during the second presidential debate, instead of explaining how he would protect the religious freedom of U.S. Muslims, Trump immediately pivoted to the need for Muslims to report suspicious activity in their own communities, they pointed out.

What can Catholics do when religious freedom is under attack, and may continue to be under attack in the next presidential administration? Church leaders must continue publicly defending it, Lewis maintained, pointing to initiatives like the U.S. bishops’ Fortnight for Freedom campaign.

Also, though the eyes of the nation are on the presidential race, there are plenty of key congressional races, Lewis added. “We have to know what the views of candidates for Congress are on these questions as well,” he said, as “it’s in their hands to approve legislation” like the First Amendment Defense Act, which would establish religious freedom protections.

The Church must also tell its story if religious charities are to gain a sympathetic ear from the public, he said, as the freedom of religious charities is threatened by laws like the birth control mandate and state laws preventing churches from serving undocumented immigrants.

“It’s important to continue to articulate the fact that those institutions do their work as part of their apostolic commissions,” Lewis said. “It’s not the case that the Church just runs charitable organizations just to run charitable organizations.”

“There’s no separating what they do from the very heart of the Christian mission.”

 

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