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(Vatican Radio) The President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Cardinal Peter Turkson, on Wednesday spoke to the 3rd German-African Healthcare Symposium about the role of the Catholic Church in healthcare in Africa.

The Symposium, taking place in Berlin, followed the three-day World Health Summit (WHS), which concluded on Tuesday.

The 3rd German-African Healthcare Symposium was organized to introduce business opportunities on the healthcare sector in addition to creating a platform for exchange, networking and for fostering new partnerships between African and German actors.

The full text of Cardinal Turkson’s Address is below

The German-African Healthcare Symposium (GAHS)

Berlin, Germany, 12 October 2016

With warm greetings from the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace to all the participants in today’s Symposium, I wish to thank the organizers for their kind invitation to address this gathering today and for their concern to promote and ensure access to high quality health care to the people of Africa.[1] Indeed, too many Africans have been deprived of such access for too long a period of time, despite the significant progress in the fields of technology, treatment, and prevention that has become commonplace in many high- and middle-income parts of the world.

You are probably already well aware of the significant engagement in health care and in the formation of health professionals by the Catholic Church, at national and local levels, in Africa. The 2014 Statistical Directory of Catholic Church-inspired Programs indicate that our Church maintains 1,298 hospitals; 5,256 dispensaries; 29 leprosy centres; and 632 homes for the elderly, chronically ill, and disabled. Pope Francis has pointed out, on numerous occasions, that the Catholic health care ministry does not limit its attention only to Catholics but rather, “on the basis of this ‘loving attentiveness’, the Church cooperates with all institutions concerned for the good of individuals and communities.”[2]

These and other faith-based organizations often assume significant responsibility for the burden of health care delivery, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, and most especially among the poorest sectors of the population and in rural areas. Too often, however, these same service providers are not allowed a “place at the table” during the formulation of health care plans on the national or local levels. They are also denied an equitable share in the resources – both from the national or local budgets and from international donors. Such funding is essential to facilitate the maintenance of ongoing health systems; the training, recruitment, and retention of professional staff; as well as the scaling up necessary to address the ever-increasing burden of global pandemics such as HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, and other infections, of anti-microbial resistance, and of non-communicable diseases that disproportionately affect the poorest sectors of society.

I will situate my comments today within the context of the Catholic Church’s teaching and tradition of service and ministry to all persons in need, but with particular regard to the most needy and most marginalized and without any limitation based on religious, ethnic, national, or socio-economic status. I propose that Pope Francis’ Encyclical, Laudato Si’, could serve as a very significant resource for our reflection and dialogue on the theme of this conference. Many people incorrectly assume that this letter dealt only with climate change and the environment. As crucial as those issues are in today’s world, Pope Francis did not restrict his teaching to these themes alone. In fact, his principal objective was to propose a social teaching of the Church that creates awareness about the immensity and urgency of the challenge of the present situation of the world and its poor, the two fragilities which lie at the heart of Pope Francis’ integral ecology. He issued an urgent appeal for a new dialogue about how to shape the future of our planet, and he encouraged a response of the entire human family with profound faith and trust in humanity’s ability to work together to build a common home.

The Pope does not mince words in his teaching. He insists that, now more than ever, the world needs leadership in all its fields of endeavour, and the various fields need to work together in pursuit of the common good of humanity. Pope Francis speaks to everyone; everyone must play a role. He exhorts those in high station in politics, business and science, and he encourages those who live and work in very humble circumstances—all must commit to meeting the needs of all who live on this planet and of the planet itself. We are all in this together, each of us responsible for the other.

The major focus of this Third German-African Healthcare Symposium is the urgent need for investing in much stronger health systems and on the special role of new multi- and cross-sectoral strategies and approaches. In this connection, let us keep in mind the powerful messages delivered by Pope Francis. During his visit to Bolivia, in July 2015, he said: “Working for a just distribution of the fruits of the earth and human labour is not mere philanthropy. It is a moral obligation. For Christians, the responsibility is even greater: it is a commandment. It is about giving to the poor and to peoples what is theirs by right. The universal destination of goods is not a figure of speech found in the Church’s Social Teaching. It is a reality prior to private property. Property, especially when it affects natural resources, must always serve the needs of peoples.”[3]

Pope Francis urges us to think of our relationship with the world and with all people. Caring for our common home, and for all people who live on this earth, requires not just an economic and technological revolution, but also a cultural and spiritual revolution—a profoundly different way of living the relationship between people and the environment, a new way of ordering the global economy. He insists on the urgency of changing our sense of progress, our management of the economy, and our style of life.

He forcefully maintains that dialogue is “the only way to confront the problems of our world and to seek solutions that are truly effective". Authentic dialogue is honest and transparent. It does not permit the particular interests of individual countries or specific interest groups to dominate discussions. The Holy Father offered this ideal in his remarks in Nairobi last November: "What is needed is sincere and open dialogue, with responsible cooperation on the part of all: political authorities, the scientific community, the business world and civil society. Positive examples are not lacking; they demonstrate that a genuine cooperation between politics, science and business can achieve significant results."[4]

Catholic Social Teaching contains important principles for true dialogue. How can we promote and sustain positive dialogue that results in positive actions? Three helpful principles for such dialogue are solidarity, subsidiarity, and the common good. Solidarity means we care about the concerns of others as much as our own. Subsidiarity means we accept others as equals; they speak for themselves, we listen; and we help them to participate if they need such help. As for the “what” of dialogue, Catholic Social Teaching tells us to always focus on the common good and to show special concern for the poor and for the earth.

During the discussions today, I sincerely hope that it will be possible to identify and to develop action-oriented strategies to overcome the public health challenges that still plague our global human family. Let us confront them honestly and transparently, and try to search for more effective and efficient solutions. Despite the tremendous progress that has been made, we still find tragic health deficits in low- and some middle-income countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, and even among the poor and marginalized populations in high-income countries. We find significantly higher rates of maternal and under-5 mortality, lack of strong health infrastructures, higher prevalence of infectious as well as non-communicable diseases, and lack of access to even basic but life-saving medicines that are taken for granted by the “privileged few” in the global human family. We must all be part of the solution to accessible, affordable care for these vulnerable brothers and sisters. In this regard, let us be inspired and motivated by this imperative offered by Pope Francis: “There is no human life that is more sacred than another, as there is no human life that is qualitatively more significant than another.”[5]

Cardinal Peter K.A. Turkson

President

[1] With gratitude to Mons. Robert Vitillo, Attaché for Health, Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the UN in Geneva, for advice and help in drafting this address, and to Mr. Robert Czerny, Ottawa, for final editing.

[2] Address to the Members of the Diplomatic Corps Accredited to the Holy See, Vatican City, 13 January 2014.

[3] Address to the Second World Meeting of Popular Movements, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, 9.7.2015, § 3.1

[4] Address at the United Nations Office in Nairobi, 26 November 2015.

[5] Address to the Participants in the Meeting Organized by the International Federation of Catholic Medical Associations, Clementine Hall, 20 September 2013 

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Washington D.C., Oct 12, 2016 / 03:15 am (CNA).- In a country long entrenched in a two-party political system, Mike Maturen faces an uphill battle.

He’s the 2016 presidential candidate for the little-known American Solidarity Party, which holds views rooted in Catholic social thought.

But while Maturen’s name won’t even be on the ballot in most states – he’s running a write-in campaign in several locations – he thinks this November is the time for Americans to voice their dissatisfaction with Republicans and Democrats alike, and create a better option.

Founded in 2011 as the Christian Democracy Party USA, the party later changed its name to better reflect its principles of Catholic Social Teaching.

“The party itself is a secular party that is informed by faith,” Maturen says. While its members come from various religious backgrounds, and some with no faith background at all, the party’s platform is based upon three pillars of Catholic social thought: solidarity, subsidiarity and distributism.

The American Solidarity Party does not find that it fits comfortably into “conservative” or “liberal” camps. Its platform is staunchly pro-life, but adds that this conviction must also include opposition to the death penalty, as well as social services for mothers in need. Its beliefs on marriage and religious liberty would be considered conservative, while its views on the environment, health care and immigration would be considered more liberal.

Maturen himself was raised Catholic, but left the Church in college and spent years as an evangelical Protestant and later an evangelical Episcopalian before returning to the Catholic Church in 2002. His story has appeared on the EWTN show, The Journey Home.

A few months ago, the party had just 200 members. Now it has 1200, in all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. That’s still incredibly small by political party standards, but Maturen believes that dissatisfaction over the current election cycle is driving interest in third party candidates.

“(W)e will be a force to be reckoned with in the future,” he says.

CNA spoke to Maturen about the American Solidarity Party and its goal of creating a platform based upon Catholic Social Teaching. His comments are below:

 

Can you give a brief overview of your basic platform? Would you consider yourself conservative, liberal, or something else?  

Politically, I lean to the conservative side, having spent most of my adult years as a conservative Republican. However, after meditating upon my religious faith and my political beliefs, I realized that the two didn't always match up. I decided to research further what the Church teaches about the various issues our country deals with. It was then that I discovered the richness of Catholic Social Teaching. I began to work to align my politics with my faith. In that process, I discovered the American Solidarity Party. Our platform is based on Catholic Social Teaching. We could best be described as "centrist" as a party...but not centrist by today's definition… Politically, we would be considered center-right on social issues and center-left on economic issues. We believe in the economic concept of distributism as taught by GK Chesterton and Hilaire Belloc. We also believe in solidarity (we are all in this together) and subsidiarity, which teaches that problems are best solved where they reside – at the most local level possible. Higher levels of government should only intervene if asked, or if necessary.  For instance, national security issues are best handled at the Federal level, while education issues are best handled at the local/parental level.


The American Solidarity Party calls itself a "whole life party." What does that mean, and how does it differ from the two major parties today?  

The term "whole life" is a short descriptive of believing in the sanctity and dignity of human life from conception to natural death...the WHOLE life. We subscribe to what is often referred to as a “consistent life ethic.” When describing the positions of the two major parties, I like to use the analogy of a bowling alley. The Republican Party by and large has settled into the extreme right, while the Democrats have largely settled into the extreme left. We call these in bowling “the gutters.” Republicans are pro-life in that they are anti-abortion, but often they forget that life does not end when the umbilical cord is cut. The Democrats only seem to care about the babies AFTER they are born. Until then, they are free to sacrifice the unborn on the altar of convenience. Once the baby is born, the left is very good at providing for their care, with a social safety net, etc. We like to think that we take the best of both parties. We need to ensure that the unborn are protected. I believe that we need to have a constitutional or legal definition of personhood for the unborn. That will ensure their right to life. Once that baby is born, we need to be certain that tools are in place for their proper care, to include medical, social, etc. We also believe that a social safety net for the elderly, impoverished and disabled is a key component to the pro-life stance. Finally, we also believe that part of the consistent life ethic is to oppose euthanasia, assisted suicide, embryonic stem cell research and the death penalty.


Your economic plan involves the distributism model. Can you explain a little more about what this would practically look like? 

There really are several ways this can be implemented, either fully or incrementally. The core of distributism is to bring the economic engine closer to home. Rather than having a huge portion of our economy wrapped up in the hands and control of a few major corporations, we believe that it is the small business – the mom and pop shops – that drive the economy best. We would propose to re-write regulations to favor the small businesses and family farms, rather than the major corporations that also just so happen to be the major donors to our government officials. Regulations, taxes, etc all need to be re-thought and revamped.


How would you assess the state of the country right now? What are its most pressing needs?

I think our country is still among the greatest in the world. However, our society has become coarse. The current election cycle and the antics of the two major party candidates is really what is driving the growth of third parties and independents. The vulgarity, coarseness and pure venom of this presidential election is disgusting. Our politics should reflect our national ethic. What is missing today are the qualities of statesmanship and diplomacy. We can no longer have a national discussion without it devolving into insults, lies and mudslinging. While these things have always existed in politics, it has risen to a level never before seen. It is time to change the face of American politics and bring a fresh new perspective. We intend to be a catalyst for that change. Our pressing needs are many and varied. We need to reform immigration. We need to have a healthcare system that is fair and just. We need for taxes to be fair and equitable. We need to ensure that a social safety net is in place to care for those among us who are unable to care for themselves. We need to replace our current culture of death with a culture of life. We can do this by guaranteeing the right to life for ALL human beings, born and unborn. We believe in a hope for a future of peace, following the Just War theory. We also believe that we need to care for our shared home, the earth.


After economic issues, terrorism is the topic that ranks highest in voter concern this election. What is your plan to deal with ISIS?

ISIS is a tough pill to swallow. Our constant intervention in the affairs of other countries has led, at least partially, to the creation of ISIS. We do not believe in preemptive strikes. However, we do believe in a secure nation. If attacked, we will defend ourselves, and do so with force. We also need to use diplomacy to reduce the conditions that allow for ISIS to exist. Working with the leadership of the countries where ISIS lives and works, we can help to reduce this threat to not just the United States, but to nations in every corner of the world...and we can do so without interventionism and foreign entanglements, which the Founding Fathers warned us about.


Have you seen growth in your party over this past year?  

Yes. We really only got started at gaining ballot access in July. We have grown from a handful of members in a few states to members in all 50 states plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. We have caught the attention of media, large and small...including mentions in publications from Ireland, Italy and the UK. While still comparatively small, we will be a force to be reckoned with in the future.


What would you say to voters who are disillusioned by their choices in this election?  

There is a better way. Don't be stuck in the rut of the two party system. Voting for the lesser of two evils is STILL voting for evil, and only perpetuates the mindset that has gotten us to this point in our political history. The only wasted vote is a vote that is not cast. Do not listen to the apologists of the two-party system that a vote for a minor party candidate is a vote for Hillary, or a vote for Donald. These things are simply not true. A vote for Mike Maturen is a vote for Mike Maturen. The American Solidarity Party offers people of goodwill an opportunity to vote with a clear conscience. Take advantage of that opportunity, and help us to reshape the face of American politics.

 

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Vatican City, Oct 12, 2016 / 04:36 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Wednesday Pope Francis begged for an end to the terrible conflict in Syria, asking for an immediate ceasefire to allow the evacuation of civilians, especially children.

“I want to emphasize and reiterate my closeness to all victims of the inhuman conflict in Syria. With a sense of urgency I renew my appeal, pleading, with all my strength,” the Pope said at the end of his general audience Oct. 12.

“(May) those responsible ensure arrangements are made for an immediate ceasefire, which is imposed and respected at least for the time necessary to allow the evacuation of civilians, especially children, who are still trapped under the bloody bombing.”

The Pope's comments come amid the backdrop of intensified fighting in Aleppo, with hundreds of children having been killed in airstrikes in recent weeks.

The already dire situation in Syria has only worsened in recent days and weeks as an attempted ceasefire collapsed and other diplomacies failed. Less than two weeks ago, hundreds of airstrikes left neighborhoods in rebel-held eastern Aleppo battered, killing an estimated 100 people and leaving at least 50 more, including children, trapped under the rubble.

The recent use of so-called bunker-busting bombs, which weigh about a ton and can blast through two meters of underground, reinforced concrete have only added to the horror and destruction in the past few days.

A humanitarian truce, called for by the United Nations and brokered this month by the United States and Russia, fell apart less than a week after its institution after U.S. forces struck a Syrian position killing dozens of soldiers, though the move was reportedly unintentional.

The Syrian civil war, which began in March 2011, has claimed the lives of between and estimated 280,000 and 470,000 people, and forced 4.8 million to become refugees, about half of them children. Another 8 million Syrians are believed to have been internally displaced by the violence.

In his catechesis, the Pope focused on both the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, as found in the Gospels, emphasizing that it is through these small works that people can change the world.

“The works of mercy awaken in us the need and the ability to make a living and active faith with charity. I am convinced that these simple everyday actions can make a real cultural revolution, as it was in the past,” he said.

The Church has a “preferential love for the weakest,” Francis said, emphasizing that it is often those who are closest to us who need our help the most. But it doesn’t have to be through complicated or “superhuman gestures.”

“It is best to start from the most simple,” he said, adding that the Lord shows us what is “most urgent.”

In a world “unfortunately stricken with the virus of indifference,” Pope Francis said the works of mercy “are the best antidote.”

“How then can we be witnesses of mercy?” he asked, noting how “Jesus says that every time we feed the hungry and give drink to the thirsty, clothe a naked person and welcome a stranger, visit a sick person or someone in prison, we do it to Him.”

And the spiritual works of mercy are equally important to the corporal especially today, Francis said, “because they touch the soul and often make people suffer more.”

“‘Bear wrongs patiently.’ It might seem like a minor thing, which makes us smile, but instead it contains a feeling of deep love,” he said.

“And so also for the other six, which it is good to remember: to counsel the doubtful, to teach the ignorant, to admonish sinners, to comfort the afflicted, to forgive offenses, to pray to God for the living and for the dead.”

Promising to focus on these in his next catechesis, Francis explained that these spiritual and corporal works of mercy are given to us by the Church as a concrete way to live out compassion.

“Over the centuries, many simple people have put them into practice,” such as the newly canonized St. Teresa of Calcutta.

Her works of mercy, the Pope said, “are the traits of the face of Jesus Christ who takes care of his younger siblings to bring everyone the tenderness and closeness of God,” something we should all try to put into practice.

At the audience, Pope Francis also spoke about the Oct. 13 International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction, asking for everyone to protect “our common home, promoting a culture of prevention” in order to reduce the risk to the most vulnerable among us.

These natural disasters could be avoided or limited, he said, since their effects “are often due to environmental care deficiencies on the part of man.”

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Detroit, Mich., Oct 12, 2016 / 12:59 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Seeking God’s forgiveness for generations of failures in the Church, the Archdiocese of Detroit held a Mass of Pardon asking God for grace and mercy.

“Repent and believe in the Good News, this is an inseparable prayer,” Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron said in his homily for the Oct. 7 Mass.

He said the Mass is about “transforming those faults in our sins, the wounds we bear that bear death, and transforming those wounds into new sources of life.”

“That’s what pardon is in the Kingdom of God. It’s not about forgetting, it’s about transformation. Transforming our lives though Jesus Christ, now and forever,” the archbishop said, according to the Michigan Catholic.

Auxiliary Bishops Michael Byrnes, Arturo Cepeda and Donald Hanchon concelebrated the Mass with the archbishop at Detroit’s Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament.

At the start of Mass, the archbishop and bishops processed in and laid prostate before the altar as a long litany of sins and failures was recited between sung portions of the Kyrie, “Lord have mercy.”

The litany asked forgiveness for sins committed throughout the years, by clergy and faithful. They asked forgiveness, as a Church, for “ignoring the Word of God… and hiding behind policies and procedures,” for failures to protect children from sex abuse and for failing “to take to heart the Lord’s condemnation of those who scandalize ‘the little ones’.”

They sought pardon for “turning a deaf ear to the cries of the poor,” abandoning the widow and orphan, and institutionalized racism. Their other objects of penitence included “cowardice in confronting the culture of death,” “turning a blind eye to corruption,” and even for ill-prepared homilies.

They sought pardon for “tearing each other to pieces by our choosing bitterness, vanity, self-glory and worldly ways” and for “not picking up our crosses and following Jesus, for avoiding the purifying pains that come with a life of faith, hope and love.”

Archbishop Vigneron’s homily further reflected on penitence as an inherent part of Christian life.

“We’re repenting so that we can receive the Good News and share the Good News,” the archbishop said. “To be a band of joyful missionary disciples, we must first be evangelized. And to be evangelized, we must first repent.”

The Archdiocese of Detroit said the event was “an act of repentance before God.” It was an opportunity for the archbishop to represent the archdiocese before God and repent of “all the sins that have been committed, and in many cases were part of the culture of the Archdiocese, over many decades.”

In a September 2016 letter, Archbishop Vigneron explained the Mass of Pardon. He would go “personally before God to repent on behalf of the Archdiocese for the sins committed over the generations by our bishops, our priests, our lay ministers, our institutions, and all the faithful - sins which, all too often, have become embedded in our church-culture.”

He described the Mass of Pardon as a chance for “repentance and humility for every member of the archdiocese,” linking it to the Catholic Church’s Year of Mercy

The archbishop compared the Mass of Pardon to the Sacrament of Confession. The Mass is “a vital step in our imploring the Holy Spirit to grant us all the graces of a New Pentecost in our Archdiocese.”

“In God’s unfathomable wisdom, He gave us, sinners though we are, the responsibility of spreading the Good News, knowing that in our humanity we would err – but promising us deliverance from sin and death with our heartfelt repentance,” the Archbishop said.

The archbishop invited the faithful to join in prayers for forgiveness by saying a rosary, offering a day of fasting, visiting the Door of Mercy at the cathedral, or going to confession.

The Mass comes ahead of the upcoming archdiocesan synod, set for Nov. 18-20. It follows the example of St. John Paul II, who celebrated a similar Mass in March 2000.

 

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