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Rome, Italy, Jul 27, 2016 / 11:44 am (CNA/EWTN News).- As thousands of youth gather in Krakow this week for World Youth Day with Pope Francis, hundreds of undocumented immigrants in Texas who couldn't make it got a special message from the pontiff.

“Dear youth of the diocese of Brownsville…I want to be close to you. I want to tell you to always look forward, always look to the horizon. Don’t let life put walls in front of you, always look to the horizon,” the Pope said in a July 26 video message to the Texan youth.

“Always have the courage to want more, more and more...but courageously, while not forgetting to look back at the heritage that you have received from your ancestors, from your grandparents, from your parents; the legacy of your faith, this faith which now you have in your hands as you look forward.”

On Tuesday the diocese of Brownsville hosted a diocesan-wide event called the World Youth Encounter, set to coincide with the official July 26 launch of WYD in Krakow, Poland. The event took place at St. Anne Parish in the impoverished Peñitas area of the city.

Many families in the community, which numbers around 10,000, live in circumstances of extreme poverty, and some even lack running water and sewage systems.

The extreme levels of poverty and the lack of a legal immigration status made it impossible for many of the youth to make it to Poland, which is why the Pope decided to send the youth the special message in Spanish.

He told the youth to “play life to the full! Take the memory you have received, look toward the horizon and, today, take the reality and advance it, making it bear fruit, making it fertile.”

“God is calling you to be fruitful! God is calling you to transmit this life. God is calling you to create hope. God is calling you to receive mercy and to give mercy. God is calling you to be happy,” Francis said, telling the youth “don't be afraid! Play life to the full.”

Before leaving for the airport to go to Krakow July 27, Pope Francis met with 15 young refugees in a similar situation at his residence in the Vatican’s Santa Marta guesthouse.

The group was made of nine boys and six girls from different nationalities who recently arrived in Italy, and still don’t have the documents needed enabling them to travel abroad.

According to a July 27 communique from the Vatican, the youth were accompanied by Vatican Almoner Archbishop Konrad Krajewski, wished the Pope a good trip and a “joyful participation” in WYD.

Since they couldn’t join in person, the youth said they would be “participating spiritually.”

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Washington D.C., Jul 27, 2016 / 12:23 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine has reportedly changed his mind on a long-standing policy preventing government funding of most abortions, less than three weeks after affirming his support for the measure.

The reported change has led critics to charge that the Democratic Party is intolerant of those within its ranks who hold pro-life views – even moderate ones.

For 30 years, the Hyde Amendment has prohibited certain taxpayer funds – generally those through the Department of Health and Human Services – from going toward abortions, except in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is deemed to be at stake.

The amendment has enjoyed widespread bipartisan support and has been renewed every year since 1976 in annual appropriations bills, regardless of which party was in power at the time.

For the first time, however, the Democratic platform this year explicitly called for a repeal of the Hyde Amendment, prompting pro-life activists to call it the “most extreme” platform on abortion ever.

Kaine is a Catholic with a complicated record on abortion. While he says that he personally opposes abortion, he supports it politically.

As Governor of Virginia, he often spoke of adoption as the best solution to unwanted pregnancy, and approved the sale of “Choose Life” license plates, whose proceeds help fund pro-life clinics. He supported abstinence-only sex education for a time (although he later cut funding saying the program was not working), and backed Virginia’s informed consent law, which requires women seeking an abortion to receive an ultrasound of the developing fetus prior to the procedure.

However, since entering the Senate in 2010, his record has shifted significantly. He has maintained a consistently pro-abortion voting record, earning him a 100 percent rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America.

On July 6, Kaine was asked by The Weekly Standard about language in a draft of the Democratic Party’s platform which called for an end to the Hyde Amendment.  

Kaine said that he was not aware of change, adding, “I have traditionally been a supporter of the Hyde amendment, but I'll check it out.”

On July 22, Kaine was officially announced as Hillary Clinton’s running mate. Four days later, CNN reported that the Virginia senator had changed his stance on the Hyde Amendment.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Clinton&#39;s Robby Mook to <a href="https://twitter.com/jaketapper">@jaketapper</a>: &quot;(Kaine) has said he will stand w/ Sec Clinton to...repeal the Hyde amendment.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/x4hwaZCcKJ">https://t.co/x4hwaZCcKJ</a></p>&mdash; Edward Mejia Davis (@TeddyDavisCNN) <a href="https://twitter.com/TeddyDavisCNN/status/758039183571189761">July 26, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Clinton spokesman <a href="https://twitter.com/JesseFFerguson">@JesseFFerguson</a> tells me <a href="https://twitter.com/timkaine">@TimKaine</a>&#39;s commitment to stand w/ Hillary on repealing the Hyde amendment &quot;was made privately.&quot;</p>&mdash; Edward Mejia Davis (@TeddyDavisCNN) <a href="https://twitter.com/TeddyDavisCNN/status/758056421825060864">July 26, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List, blasted the decision as caving to the demands of the abortion industry.
 
“Just 20 days ago Senator Kaine said he supported the Hyde Amendment, which stops taxpayers from funding abortion on-demand,” she said. “What has changed? The Democratic Party has become so bound to the abortion industry that there is no room for conscience. Before he could be considered fit for the role of VP to Hillary Clinton, Sen. Kaine had to divest himself of even the appearance of moderation on the abortion issue.”

“Clinton, Kaine, and (Planned Parenthood head Cecile) Richards are absolute extremists pushing the Democratic Party further and further on abortion, alienating the one-third of Democrats who call themselves pro-life,” Dannenfelser added.

 

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IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring

By Junno Arocho Esteves

KRAKOW, Poland (CNS) -- Poland's memory and identity are the two catalysts that will lead the country forward and turn hopeless situations -- such as those facing migrants -- into opportunities for future generations, Pope Francis said.

Cloudy skies and a light drizzle did little to dampen the spirits of pilgrims cheering loudly as the pope's plane landed in Krakow July 27. The arrival ceremony at Krakow's John Paul II International Airport was marked by the presence of hundreds of Polish men and women, dressed in traditional clothes and dancing.

Stepping down from his plane and before he departed for Wawel Castle, Pope Francis was greeted by Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow, Polish President Andrzej Duda and first lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda.

Addressing civil authorities and members of the country's diplomatic corps, the pope noted that "memory is the hallmark of the Polish people;" a notable characteristic of his predecessor, St. John Paul II.

He said being aware of identity was "indispensable for establishing a national community on the foundation of its human, social, political, economic and religious heritage," but that people must remain open to renewal and to change. He added that while good memory can remind society of God and his saving work, bad memory keeps the mind and heart "obsessively fixed on evil, especially the wrongs committed by others," he said.

Pope Francis called on the people of Poland to hold on to their positive memories so they can look to the future with hope in respecting human dignity, economical and environmental concerns and "the complex phenomenon of migration."

The issue of migration, he added, "calls for great wisdom and compassion, in order to overcome fear and to achieve the greater good."

"Also needed is a spirit of readiness to welcome those fleeing from wars and hunger, and solidarity with those deprived of their fundamental rights, including the right to profess one's faith in freedom and safety," he said.

Pope Francis, who has brought attention to the plight of migrants in the past, met with 15 young refugees prior to his departure to Krakow. The Vatican press office said the young refugees are currently in Italy without documents that will allow them to travel out of the country.

"The youths, accompanied by the papal almoner, wished the pope a good journey and a happy participation at WYD, to which they cannot participate but are united spiritually," the Vatican said.

Inviting Polish people to "look with hope to the future," the pope said the memory of their thousand-year history would create a climate of respect that fosters a better life for future generations.

"The young should not simply have to deal with problems, but rather be able to enjoy the beauty of creation, the benefits we can provide and the hope we can offer," he said.

Social policies, he added, must also support families who are "the primary and fundamental cell of society" as well as "helping responsibly to welcome life" so that children may be seen as a gift and not a burden.

"Life must always be welcome and protected. These two things go together, welcome and protection, from conception to natural death. All of us are called to respect life and care for it."

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Follow Arocho on Twitter: @arochoju.

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