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(USCCB) Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued the following statement in relation to the July 17 fatal shooting of police officers in Baton Rouge, Lousiana. 

Full statement follows:  

"Stop, no more of this!" (LK 22:51)

A Statement from Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville
President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

I offer my prayers for the officers and families affected by the horrible shooting in Baton Rouge. We find ourselves amid a prolonged prayer of lament as we join to console the grieving and support the suffering. People are suffering because their uniform is blue, suffering because their skin is black and suffering simply because of their station in life.

The temptation to respond to violence with violence is strong. Even St. Peter himself lashed out upon the arrest of our beloved Savior. Jesus' response was clear. "Put your sword back into its sheath, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword" (MT 26:52). As followers of Christ, let us always embrace love and ask ourselves how we can best invite all people of good will to live with us in peace.

The reasons for so much suffering are complex and varied. As a society, we must come together to address the lingering evil of racism, the need to safeguard our citizens from the present danger of extremism and the overall breakdown of civility. As a Church, we will seek out ways to foster this life-saving dialogue. Answers will not come easily nor as quickly as we need. We must continue searching and listening until they do.

As we seek a dialogue that cultivates a true respect for every human being, we should also seek ways, large and small, to be a sign of hope in the everyday routines of life. The next time you are pulled over by a police officer or walk past one on the street, thank him or her for their service. For those in law enforcement, the next time you make a traffic stop, thank the person for their time. The task of building a society upon the strong foundation of love begins with each one of us every day.

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(Vatican Radio) The Vatican has called on the members of the United Nations Security Council to never vote against “a credible draft resolution” before the Security Council on timely and decisive action to prevent or end “the commission of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.”

Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, was speaking on Tuesday at a United Nations Security Council Open Debate on Security Council Working Methods.

“In this regard, my delegation believes that, in situations where evident crimes of genocide, mass atrocities and war crimes are being committed, the action of the international community should not be interpreted as an unwarranted imposition or a limitation of sovereignty of States, provided that it respects the juridical means established in the United Nations Charter and in other international legal instruments,” Archbishop Auza said.

The full text of Archbishop Auza’s address is below

Intervention of H.E. Archbishop Bernardito Auza

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

United Nations Security Council Open Debate on Security Council Working Methods

New York, 19 July 2016

Mr. President,

My delegation wishes to thank Japan’s Presidency for convening this annual Open Debate on the “Security Council Working Methods.”

Without a doubt, this Council deserves our profound gratitude and appreciation for its efforts to preserve nations and peoples from the scourge of war and conflict in the course of its almost seventy-one years of existence. Reform and adaptation to the times is, however, always necessary to make the Council the fittest possible for its purpose. Member States of the United Nations and various sectors of civil society have been increasingly calling for reform to render the Council more transparent, more efficient, more effective, more accountable and more representative.

There are criticisms that national and geopolitical interests override the Council’s primary function to maintain international peace and security. To quell criticisms and suspicions of a self-serving Council, a key feature of a reformed Council would be a commitment by all Members States of the United Nations not to vote, when they are members of the Council, against a credible draft resolution before the Security Council on timely and decisive action to prevent or end the commission of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. This would necessarily include a commitment of the Council’s permanent Members to refrain from casting a veto in situations where such crimes are involved.

In this context, the United Nations in general and this Council in particular would acquire greater legitimacy and authority if they could discern clear and effective criteria for the application of the principle of the “responsibility to protect.” In this regard, my delegation believes that, in situations where evident crimes of genocide, mass atrocities and war crimes are being committed, the action of the international community should not be interpreted as an unwarranted imposition or a limitation of sovereignty of States, provided that it respects the juridical means established in the United Nations Charter and in other international legal instruments.

To maintain and further consolidate the Council’s authoritativeness, it would be opportune to consider seriously the calls of Member States for a Council that is more representative and that better reflects present-day geopolitical realities. While appeals for a more representative Council are not necessarily motivated by selfless altruism, and while an enlarged Council is not a guarantee for greater efficiency, a more representative Security Council is among the “elements of convergence” that the majority of the Member States proposed during the informal meetings of the Intergovernmental Negotiations on Security Council Reform held during the Seventieth Session of the General Assembly. Dismissing or ignoring these “elements of convergence” would not help the Council’s appeal, credibility and authority.

Another element that has constantly emerged from consultations and debates on Security Council reform is the call for greater transparency. This has been getting stronger during these last months, not only in the context of the larger question of the reinvigoration of the work of the United Nations as it turns seventy-one, but also in the more immediate context of the election of this Organization’s next Secretary General.

The call for greater transparency also includes the need to continue to improve the means and methods of dialogue between the Security Council and the General Assembly and other United Nations structures and partners. It likewise suggests a reasonable increase in the number of Council’s open debates, while recognizing the great importance of closed consultations.

The need for greater transparency also extends to the working methods and procedures of the Council’s subsidiary bodies, particularly in the sanctions committees, in order to ensure and strengthen the protection of the fundamental rights of individuals and the rule of law. In this regard, my delegation would like to recall paragraph 109 of the 2005 World Summit Outcome document on the necessity of ensuring a fair and clear procedure for placing individuals and entities on the list of sanctions, for removing them, and for considering humanitarian exemptions.

Mr. President,

The reform of the Security Council will require great prudence, wisdom, magnanimity and resolve on the part of all. At the end of the day, any meaningful reform of the Security Council must be guided by its fundamental mission effectively to ensure international peace and security. When all is said and done and whatever shape and size it may eventually take, a reformed Council must be better equipped than ever to spare us and future generations from the unspeakable horrors of genocide, mass atrocities, war crimes and other grave violations of fundamental human rights and of international humanitarian law.

Thank you, Mr. President.

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(Vatican Radio) More details have been released about Pope Francis’ upcoming pilgrimage for the eighth centenary of Franciscan feast of the “Pardon of Assisi.”

On 4 Aug, the Pope will make a private pilgrimage to Assisi, a small medieval town in the Italian region of Umbria known for being the birthplace of the Franciscan order. While there, he will pray in the Porziuncola chapel, where the feast of the “Pardon of Assisi” originated.

According to new details released on the local website for the Franciscan order, the Holy Father will arrive in Assisi by helicopter at 3:40pm. At 4pm, he will arrive at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels, inside which the small Porziuncola chapel is located. There, he will take a moment of silent prayer in the chapel, before offering a reflection on the Gospel of Matthew 18:21-35.

Afterwards, Pope Francis will meet with Franciscan bishops and superiors, and then will greet pilgrims gathered in the piazza outside the basilica.

At 6pm, the Pope will be taken by car to the Migaghelli sports field, before travelling back to the Vatican via helicopter.

Over the course of his short visit, the Pope will be received by several local religious authorities, including Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino of Assisi-Nocera, Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor Fr Michael Anthony Perry, and provincial minister of the Friars Minor of Umbria, Fr Claudio Durighetto.

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(Vatican Radio) UNICEF is warning that thousands of children are starving and face death in areas of Nigeria’s Borno state that were formerly controlled by Boko Haram militants. The UN children’s agency said nearly a quarter of a million children in the area are suffering from severe acute malnutrition and one in five of them would die unless they are treated soon. Doune Porter is the Head of Communications for UNICEF in Nigeria and she spoke to Susy Hodges about this developing humanitarian crisis. 

Listen to the interview with Doune Porter of UNICEF: 

Aid workers have found thousands of people without water, food or sanitation in areas of northern Nigeria where Boko Haram militants had been in control before their recapture by government troops.With homes and business destroyed and farmland devasted, the UN has warned that some 50,000 children could starve to death in Borno State alone this year if nothing is done. Porter said as more areas become accessible to humanitarian help, the extent of the nutrition crisis affecting children is becoming more apparent.

Describing the situation facing these children in Borno State as “dire and critical” Porter said these “extremely malnourished” children are “9 times more likely” to die from common childhood illnesses like diarrhea than those who are properly nourished. She said as more parts of the Borno State formerly under the control of Boko Haram were liberated they were continuing to see “new areas” where “the conditions are really terrible" and "tragic."

Famine risk

Asked about fatalities, Porter said UNICEF estimates that around 134 children will die every day from causes linked to malnutrition unless humanitarian aid reaches them soon and said some deaths have already occurred. She conceded that “there is a risk that famine will develop” in these areas if the humanitarian response for these vulnerable children is not scaled up very quickly.  

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Munich, Germany, Jul 20, 2016 / 03:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In the midst of her stressful overseas voyage to Europe, Vivian, a very pregnant Nigerian woman who departed from the Libyan coast, ended up giving birth on the German naval ship that rescued her and her 654 companions.

Her first request when she saw the military chaplain on board? That her newborn son get baptized.

According to the German Military Chaplaincy, Vivian, who is Catholic and likely fleeing ongoing violence and persecution in her country, was one of 655 people who piled onto four flimsy dinghies in order to reach Europe with the hope of a better life.

On July 6, their first day at sea, a German naval ship saw the boats, and, recognizing the precarious condition of the dinghies, described as “un-seaworthy,” brought them on board.

When military chaplain Fr. Jochen Folz saw that Vivian had given birth on board the ship after being rescued, he and the medical team immediately offered their support. After only a few minutes Vivan made one wish very clear: she was Catholic, and she wanted her newborn son to be baptized.

So Fr. Folz got to work right away with the help of ship's officers and crew: the radio operator enabled the Internet so the priest could access the English texts needed for the rite of Baptism, while others found a sauceboat and matching tray for a makeshift “baptismal” font. A candle also emerged from the officers' wardrobe.

A woman named Martina O., who was also rescued from the dinghies, was allowed to accompany the birth, and agreed to take on the role of the child's godmother.

Though it was dark outside, the medical container was brightly lit by neon lights, and was filled with soldiers who wanted to be present for the special moment.

Fr. Folz began by greeting the attendees and offering a brief introduction to the baptism. The rite then proceeded as usual: Fr. Folz asked Vivian: “What name will you give your child,” to which she replied: “Ikpomosa.”

When the priest asked her “What do you ask of the Church for Ikpomosa?” Vivian smiled and said proudly: “Baptism, faith and eternal life.” The priest then traced a sign of the cross on the newborn's forehead, inviting his mother and godmother to do the same.

After pouring water over the child's head three times with the sauceboat while reciting the ancient biblical formula: “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” the priest then lit the candle and passed to his godmother.

When the time came to place a white garment over the baby as a sign of his new life in Christ, Fr. Folz draped his white priestly stole over the newborn as a symbol of the divine sonship since there was obviously no white baptismal gown.

As a baptismal gift, baby Ikpomosa was given a medal of  St. Michael the Archangel, while Vivian and Martina were each given a medal of the Virgin Mary. All three had been prepared by a medical soldier, who tied a ribbon on each so they could be hung or tied somewhere safe.

While this wasn't the first time Fr. Folz has baptized someone in action, it did mark the first time he did so for a refugee child.

The rescue operation marked the priest's first experience in the Navy, after having served in several land operations. While serving in Afghanistan, he baptized two German soldiers and one American soldier, and has administered the Sacrament of Confirmation on several occasions.

However, the baptism in the Mediterranean of a child born to a woman risking her life at sea in hopes of a better life for herself and her child, was something completely new and out of the ordinary.

In light of their uncertain future, Fr. Folz told Vivian and Martina that “the Church offers us a home all over the world, and Ikpomosa is now under the special protection of heaven.”

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