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(Vatican Radio) The Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, on Wednesday said it is a “basic right of every individual to remain in peace and enjoy the security that provides the foundation and stability needed for lasting social development.”

“In too many corners of our world, children and youth are raised under the rules of war, rather than the rule of law,” the Vatican diplomat said.

“Lingering political and ethnic strife, persecution and mass atrocities, extreme poverty and rising inequalities force many to become refugees and migrants, displace countless individuals and destroy homes and properties,” – Archbishop Auza continued –“For the victims, there is no peace and security, no human rights and development and, in many cases, no one to turn to for help.”

He said it is “crucial” to address the needs of those forced to migrate.

“Pope Francis does not cease to remind us that at this moment in human history, marked by great movements of migration, the question of identity is not a secondary issue,” continued the Archbishop.

“Those who migrate are forced to change some of their most distinctive characteristics and, whether they like or not, even those who welcome them are also forced to change,” – he concluded – “The challenge before us is not to experience these changes as obstacles, but as opportunities for genuine human, social and spiritual growth, a growth which respects and promotes those values which make us ever more humane.”

The full statement is below

Statement by H.E. Archbishop Bernardito Auza

Apostolic Nuncio, Permanent Observer of the Holy See

Seventy-first Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Third Committee

Agenda Item 26 (a, b): Social Development (Youth, Ageing etc.)

Madam Chair,

Let me congratulate you on your role as Chair of the Third Committee. My delegation looks forward to working constructively with the Committee during your tenure.

Madam Chair,

The United Nations report on the “World Social Situation 2016” reminds us that while poverty has declined dramatically across the world and people are healthier, more educated and better connected than ever before, progress remains uneven. More worrying still is the conclusion that social and economic inequalities persist and in many cases are increasing internationally.1

Perhaps nowhere is this deterioration more apparent than in areas where protracted conflicts have become part of daily life. In too many corners of our world, children and youth are raised under the rules of war, rather than the rule of law. Lingering political and ethnic strife, persecution and mass atrocities, extreme poverty and rising inequalities force many to become refugees and migrants, displace countless individuals and destroy homes and properties. For the victims, there is no peace and security, no human rights and development and, in many cases, no one to turn to for help.

It is a basic right of every individual to remain in peace and enjoy the security that provides the foundation and stability needed for lasting social development. In Lesvos, Greece, Pope Francis called upon “all political leaders to employ every means to ensure that individuals and communities, including Christians, remain in their homelands and enjoy the fundamental right to live in peace and security.”2

In this respect, the 2030 Agenda continues to show great promise in addressing the root causes that have led to the conflicts and crises that we currently face, making themless likely to happen again in the future. If achieved with full respect for human life and the dignity of every person, the 2030 Agenda would eradicate extreme poverty, reverse the trend of rising inequalities, stem

environmental degradation, and lay the foundation for peaceful and inclusive societies in which the common good is truly shared together by everyone, leaving no one behind.

Madame Chair,

It is crucial that we address the needs of those forced to migrate. Unable to secure a regular and orderly way to migrate, they risk their lives in the hands of human smugglers and trafficking networks. If they are lucky enough to reach their intended or any destination, in many cases they are met with more hostility, fear, anxiety, racism and even xenophobia. In his remarks to the Joint Session of the US Congress, Pope Francis applied the Golden Rule in addressing large movements of refugees and migrants, saying, “In a word, if we want security, let us give security, if we want life, let us give life, if we want opportunities, let us give opportunities. The yardstick we use for others will be the yardstick which time will use for us.” My delegation believes that this is not only the right thing to do; it is also the best practice.

The recently adopted New York Declaration on Refugees and Migrants has set the stage for the fulfillment of a series of commitments and for the negotiation of several Global Compacts to face these challenges collectively. This Declaration and the Secretary General’s new global campaign to combat xenophobia are hopeful signs, but they require greater political will, cooperation and solidarity on the part of all to translate that hope into reality.

Pope Francis does not cease to remind us that at this moment in human history, marked by great movements of migration, the question of identity is not a secondary issue. Those who migrate are forced to change some of their most distinctive characteristics and, whether they like or not, even those who welcome them are also forced to change.3 The challenge before us is not to experience these changes as obstacles, but as opportunities for genuine human, social and spiritual growth, a growth which respects and promotes those values which make us ever more humane.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

1World Social Situation 2016: Leaving No One Behind —the Imperative of Inclusive Development, Note by the Secretariat (A/71/188), 25 July 2016

2 Joint Declaration of His Holiness Bartholomew, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, of His Beatitude Ieronymos, Archbishop of Athens and all of Greece, and His Holiness Pope Francis, Mòria Refugee Camp, Lesvos (16 April 2016)

3 Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2016 (17 January 2016)

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Wednesday greeted participants of Sport at the Service of Humanity's First Global Conference on Sport and Faith, which is being held in the Vatican this week. The event is being organized by the Pontifical Council for Culture, the United Nations, and the International Olympic Committee.

“Sport is a human activity of great value, able to enrich people’s lives; it is enjoyed by men and women of every nation, ethnic group and religious belonging,” Pope Francis said.

“Our religious traditions share the commitment to ensure the respect for the dignity of every human being,” – the Pope continued – “So it is good to know that the world’s sporting institutions have taken so courageously to heart the value of inclusion. The Paralympic movement and other sporting associations sustaining those with disabilities, such as the Special Olympics, have had a decisive role in helping the public recognise and admire the extraordinary performances of athletes with different abilities and capacities.”

The Pope said he also wanted to point out a task and challenge for the participants of the event.

“The challenge is that of maintaining the honesty of sport, of protecting it from the manipulations and commercial abuse,” Pope Francis said.

“It would be sad for sport and for humanity if people were unable to trust in the truth of sporting results, or if cynicism and disenchantment were to drown out enthusiasm or joyful and disinterested participation,” – he continued – “In sport, as in life, competing for the result is important, but playing well and fairly is even more important!”

The full text of Pope Francis' remarks are below

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As Pope Francis met with the directors of the Vodafone Foundation Wednesday, in a private audience, he gave a thumbs-up to the group’s initiative - Instant Schools For Africa. Pope Francis, however, encouraged Vodafone to consider offering Africa “digital access to the sacred texts of various religions” in local languages.

 “I really like what I’ve heard [about this project] – it’s constructive – and nowadays there is a need to be constructive, to do things which promote human advancement...“ said Pope Francis.

What exactly is the Vodafone Instant schools for Africa initiative?

According to Vodafone, this is the  group’s largest philanthropic programme in the Foundation’s 25-year history. The Instant Schools For Africa initiative aims at providing millions of young people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique and Tanzania with free access to online learning materials developed in conjunction with Learning Equality, - a leading not-for-profit provider of open-source educational technology solutions - and with education partners, ministries of education and local education experts in each country. A similar initiative was launched by Vodafone’s South African subsidiary Vodacom which worked with the Department of Basic Education to develop a free education portal – Vodacom e-school - that supports the national curriculum.

The educational resources provided under the Instant Schools For Africa programme will include subjects such as maths and science, providing millions of children and young people in seven countries with access to educational materials - from primary through to advanced high school level - comparable in quality, range and depth to those available in schools in the developed world. The materials – curated to align with local standards – will also include content designed for children who do not benefit from traditional schooling: UNESCO research found that 59 million children aged six to 11 were out of school in 2013, with 30 million of those children living in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Conventional teaching materials such as textbooks, reference books, past examination papers, assessment worksheets and classroom aids are prohibitively expensive for many African schools. Digital learning materials provided via mobile networks - with basic tablets for pupils and a laptop and projector for educators - offer a cost-effective alternative and can be updated instantly to ensure pupils receive the very latest information and insights in the classroom and at home.

Children, young people, educators and others who are customers of Vodafone or its African subsidiaries will not incur any mobile data charges when accessing the Instant Schools for Africa educational resources. The Vodafone Foundation and Vodafone will engage with the other major mobile operators in the countries involved to encourage other providers to adopt a similar non-commercial approach in order to stimulate widespread adoption of what, for many young people, will be life-enhancing opportunities to learn and gain new skills.

The Instant Schools For Africa programme represents a significant expansion of the Vodafone Foundation’s ongoing mission to use digital and mobile technologies to bring critical educational resources to the people who need them most. In March 2015, the Vodafone Foundation announced the creation of the Instant Classroom ‘digital school in a box’ - a portable case containing equipment to enable tablet-based teaching in schools where electricity and internet connectivity are unreliable or non-existent. The Instant Classroom is being deployed in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) Innovation and Education units to schools in refugee settlements in Kenya, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is estimated that the Vodafone Foundation’s work in refugee settlements will benefit at least 62,000 children and young people by the end of 2016 and the Foundation is targeting up to three million children and young people in refugee settlements by 2020.

Vodafone Foundation Director Andrew Dunnett, said: “Education is a powerful antidote to poverty. Children and young people in some of the poorest countries on earth are desperate to learn but parents, teachers and other educators often lack both means and materials to teach them. Mobile and digital changes everything. Instant Schools For Africa programme will put a wide range of advanced learning materials - tailored for each local language and culture – into classrooms everywhere, from city slums to remote villages. Vodafone believes Instant Schools For Africa could transform the life chances for very large numbers of young people.”

(Vodafone Foundation)

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Vatican City, Oct 5, 2016 / 06:05 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Wednesday Pope Francis gave a recap of his recent trip to Georgia and Azerbaijan, noting how this year both nations will celebrate the 25th anniversary of their independence from the Soviet regime.

“Both of these countries have very ancient historic, cultural and religious roots, but at the same time are living a new phase,” the Pope said Oct. 5, noting that for “a good part of the 20th century” they were both under the Soviet regime.

However, although both have been independent for 25 years, “at this stage these countries meet various difficulties in different spheres of social life,” he said, explaining that the Church “is called to be present and to be close, especially in the name of charity and human promotion.”

Pope Francis spoke during his weekly general audience, just days after returning from his Sept. 30-Oct. 2 papal visit to Georgia and Azerbaijan. The trip was seen as a continuation and completion of his visit to Armenia in June.

By visiting Georgia and Azerbaijan, “I could – thanks to God – realize the project of visiting all of these Caucasus nations, to confirm the Catholic Church that lives in them and to encourage the journey of these populations toward peace and brotherhood,” he said.

Francis' words come as both Georgia and Azerbaijan are in conflicts with other countries. While Azerbaijan currently maintains tense relations with Armenia, Georgia is widely affected by the Russian occupation of the partially-recognized states of Abkhazia and South Ossetia since the Russo-Georgian War of 2008.

According to the news agency Aljazeera, although Abkhazia and South Ossetia declared their own independence from Georgia soon after the war, only a few nations, including Russia, recognize it. The majority of the international community, including the United States and the European Union, consider the territories to be occupied, and have condemned Russia’s military presence.

The Pope stressed the importance of interreligious collaboration, saying that while accompanying these nations amid their current difficulties, the Church must always seek to do so “in communion with the other Churches and Christian communities, and in dialogue with other religious communities, in the certainty that God is the Father of all and that we are all brothers and sisters.”

Recalling his visit to Georgia, the Pope noted how the Church’s mission in the country “passes naturally through collaboration with our Orthodox brothers, who form the vast majority of the population.”

“So it was a very important sign that when I arrived at Tbilisi, to receive me at the airport I found, together with the President of the Republic, also the venerable Patriarch Ilia II,” the Pope said, adding that “the meeting with him that afternoon, it was moving.”

In Georgia, there is tension between the Georgian Orthodox Church – an Eastern Orthodox Church to which more than 80 percent of Georgians adhere – and the Roman Catholic Church, which constitutes only one percent of Georgia's population.

The Georgian Orthodox Church, while not an established national religion, is considered part of the national identity; and the Georgian constitution does acknowledge Georgian Orthodoxy's special role in the nation.

Fr. Akaki Chelidze, a Camillian Father who serves as chancellor of the Apostolic Administration of the Caucasus, told CNA that the Orthodox Church in Georgia has always considered itself the “necessary glue to keep the nation together.”

And this is probably why it considers other religious denominations as “rivals, or even obstacles, for the unity of the country.”

In Georgia, Pope Francis also said Mass for Latin Catholics, Armenians and Assyrian-Chaldeans on the feast of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, the patroness of Missions.

St. Therese, he said, serves as a reminder “that the real mission is never proselytism, but attraction to Christ from a strong union with Him in prayer, adoration and concrete charity, which is service to Jesus present in the least of our brothers.”

The Pope said the religious men and women he met in Tbilisi, Georgia as well as in Baku, Azerbaijan all exemplified “prayer and charitable and promotional works.”

“I encouraged them to be steadfast in the faith, with memory, courage and hope,” he said. “And then there are the Christian families: how precious it is, their present reception, accompaniment, discernment and integration into the community!”

While visiting the Patriarchal Cathedral in Georgia, Francis prayed for peace in Syria, Iraq and throughout the Middle East with the Assyrian-Chaldeans, who are one of the most persecuted communities there.

“This style of evangelical presence as the seed of the Kingdom of God is, if anything, even more necessary in Azerbaijan,” Pope Francis said, “where the majority of the population are Muslims and Catholics are a few hundred.”

Thankfully the Catholics in Azerbaijan have a good relationship with everyone, in particular Orthodox Christians, the Pope noted.

He said that in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, there were two moments of faith that showed a proper balance of prayer and ecumenism: the celebration of the Eucharist in the Holy Mass and an inter-religious meeting.

“In this perspective, addressing myself to the Azerbaijani authorities, I hope that the open questions can find good solutions and all Caucasian peoples may live in peace and in mutual respect,” the Pope said.

“The Eucharist with the Catholic community, where the Spirit harmonizes the different languages and gives strength to the witness,” he said, adding that this communion in Christ “does not impede” relations, but “in fact pushes one to try to meet and have a dialogue with all those who believe in God, to jointly build a more just and fraternal world.”

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Farmville, Va., Oct 5, 2016 / 09:20 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The topic of abortion made an appearance at the vice presidential debate last night, as both candidates discussed the role of faith in their lives, and how it aligns with their political views.

Democratic candidate Sen. Tim Kaine (Va.) insisted he was personally opposed to abortion but would not, as a public official, infringe upon a woman’s choice to have an abortion.

“We support Roe v. Wade. We support the constitutional right of American women to consult their own conscience” and “make their own decision about pregnancy,” he said.

People of faith should be “convincing each other, dialoguing with each other about important moral issues of the day,” he added, “but on fundamental issues of morality, we should let women make their own decisions.”

His words met harsh criticism from Republican Mike Pence, governor of Indiana, who reiterated his support for the pro-life cause and noted that his state has significantly increased its adoption rate in recent years.

The topic was raised toward the end of the Oct. 4 vice presidential debate.

“You have both been open about the role that faith has played in your lives. Can you discuss, in detail, a time when you struggled to balance your faith and a public policy position?” moderator Elaine Quijano of CBS News asked both candidates.

Sen. Kaine, a baptized Catholic who has attended St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish in the diocese of Richmond, Va., made it clear that he tries to follow Church teaching in his personal life but is careful not to let that same teaching determine his decisions as a public servant.

“I try to practice my religion in a very devout way and follow the teachings of my church in my own personal life,” he said at Tuesday’s debate. However, he added, “I think it is really, really important that those of us who have deep faith lives don’t feel like we can just substitute our views for everybody else in society regardless of their views.”

“It is not the role of the public servant to mandate that [faith] for everybody else,” he insisted.

Kaine has openly conflicted with Church teaching on both abortion and same-sex marriage while on the campaign trail, drawing criticism from several Catholic bishops for doing so.

However, he gave the example of his inner conflict on the death penalty as the governor of Virginia, because he personally opposed its use but allowed for it as governor because it was the law of the state.

On the death penalty, the Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “Assuming that the guilty party's identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor.”

“If, however, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people's safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and more in conformity to the dignity of the human person,” it adds, saying that because of advances in modern security, “the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity ‘are very rare, if not practically nonexistent’.”

Kaine presided over the execution of 11 people as governor of Virginia. “I had to grapple with that,” he explained, saying that as governor he had to operate by the laws of the state.

“It was very, very difficult to allow executions to go forward, but in circumstance here I didn’t feel like there was a case for clemency, I told Virginia voters I would uphold the law, and I did,” he said.

Pence, meanwhile, who was raised Catholic, answered that “my Christian faith became real for me when I made a personal decision for Christ when I was a Freshman in college. And I’ve tried to live that out, however imperfectly, every day of my life ever since.”

For his part, Pence left out his own support of the death penalty, as well as his public conflict last year with Archbishop Joseph Tobin of Indianapolis when Catholic Charities was set to resettle a Syrian refugee family that had been waiting in line for two years. Gov. Pence had tried to halt resettlement of Syrian refugees in his state until the federal government gave sufficient confirmation that the resettlement program was secure.

Archbishop Tobin went ahead and resettled the family against Pence’s wishes. Pence met with the archbishop and afterwards said he “respectfully disagreed” with the resettlement.

Pence referred to himself as an “Evangelical-Catholic” in a 1994 interview, began attending an Evangelical megachurch with his family, and now says he is a “Christian.” Pence emphasized that his faith hinges upon upholding the “sanctity of life.”

“It all for me begins with cherishing the dignity, the worth, the value of every human life,” Pence said on the debate stage. “For me the sanctity of life proceeds out of the belief that ancient principle that where God says before you were formed in the womb I knew you,” he stated.

And then Pence took Kaine to task for his – and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s – support for abortion. Kaine has earned a 100 percent rating by the abortion rights group NARAL in his time in the Senate.

“The very idea that a child that is almost born into the world could still have their life taken from them is just anathema to me. And I can’t conscience about a party that supports that,” Pence said.

Pence also noted Hillary Clinton’s support of partial-birth abortion, and defended the Hyde Amendment, a decades-old provision with bipartisan support that prohibits the taxpayer funding of elective abortion. The Democratic Party platform and Hillary Clinton have called for the repeal of the Hyde Amendment, but Kaine after several different answers said he supported it, back in July.

Kaine reiterated his support for a woman’s right to “consult their own conscience” on abortion.

Pence countered that “we can create a culture of life,” invoking Mother Teresa’s famous address to the National Prayer Breakfast in 1994 where she called abortion “the greatest destroyer of peace today…because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child.”

“As Mother Teresa said at that famous National Prayer Breakfast, let’s welcome the children into our world. There are so many families around the country who can’t have children,” Pence said.

“Because a society can be judged by how it deals with its most vulnerable, the aged, the infirm, the disabled, and the unborn.”

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IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring

By Junno Arocho Esteves

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Christians are called to follow the example of St. Therese of Lisieux, who helped draw people to Jesus by way of attraction, not by proselytizing, Pope Francis said.

She was a reminder that an authentic witness is proclaimed through a union with Christ "in prayer, adoration and in concrete charity, which is serving Jesus, who is present in the least of our brothers and sisters," he said Oct. 5 during his weekly general audience.

Among the estimated 25,000 in St. Peter's Square were 33 former prisoners of the Auschwitz concentration camp, whom he greeted after the audience and posed for pictures.

Addressing the former prisoners and Polish pilgrims present, he said the day's feast of St. Faustina Kowalska "reminded the world that God is rich in mercy and that his love is more powerful than death, than sin and every evil."

In his main audience talk, Pope Francis reflected on his Sept. 30-Oct. 2 visit to Georgia and Azerbaijan, which, along with his visit in June to Armenia, fulfilled his desire to encourage the Catholic communities in the Caucasus region, he said.

Recalling the Oct. 1 Mass in Tbilisi celebrating the feast of St. Therese, the patroness of the missions, the pope said, "This is what the religious men and women I met in Tbilisi do, as well as in Baku: They do it with prayer and charitable works. I encouraged them to be steadfast in the faith with memory, courage and hope."

Although both countries celebrated the 25th anniversary of their independence from the Soviet regime, they still "face numerous difficulties in different aspects of social life" and the Catholic Church, in collaboration with other churches and Christian communities are called to be "a sign of charity and human development, he said.

"In Georgia, this mission naturally passes through the collaboration with our Orthodox brothers and sisters, who form the vast majority of the populations," the pope said.

Pope Francis said a "very important sign" of this collaboration was the presence of Orthodox Patriarch Ilia II at the airport upon his arrival as well as their meeting at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, which houses the seamless tunic of Jesus, a garment the pope described as a "symbol of unity of the church."

"This unity is supported by the blood of so many martyrs of different Christian confessions. Among the most tested are the Assyrian-Chaldeans in Tbilisi with whom I lived an intense moment of prayer for peace in Syria, Iraq and in the whole Middle East," the pope said.

The witness of love and unity given by religious men and women as well as Christian families in Georgia was also witnessed in Azerbaijan. Although the majority of the population is Muslim, he said, they share a good relationship with the small Catholic community there and "maintain fraternal ties with Orthodox Christians."

Pope Francis said the celebration of the Eucharist and the interreligious meeting in Baku were proof that "faith knows how to maintain the right relationship" between different faiths and expressed his hope that through this unity, the people of the Caucasus may "live in peace and mutual respect."

The Eucharist is "where the spirit harmonizes different languages and gives the strength of witness" which creates communion in Christ and drives Christians to "seek an encounter and dialogue with all who believe in God, to build together a more just and fraternal world," the pope said.

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