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The Archdiocese of Bangalore in Karnataka welcomed migrants from Africa with open arms at the St. Josephs Boys School, where the Archdiocesan Commission for Migrants organised an event just for them on July 17. 

Mgr Bernard Moras, archbishop of Bangalore, told AsiaNews that "the Jubilee of Mercy provided the impetus for the meeting. It is important to take care of the pastoral needs of migrants and dedicate ourselves to their well-being.” 

Some 200 students from Africa attended a Eucharistic celebration and cultural programs that followed. The southern state of Karnataka has become a point of destination for many of Africa’s poor and people fleeing the continent’s conflict zones.

In view of the situation, the local Church has promoted various initiatives, the archbishop said, " for both students and those who leave their homeland in search of job opportunities."

“They are,” the bishop noted, "precious before God and dear to all of us.” For this reason, “We welcome you wholeheartedly. We want you to feel loved, accepted, as if you were at home. "

In order to approach African Christians, who mostly speak French, different parts of the "liturgy are in French, like the songs or readings,” Mgr Moras explained. “Caring for migrants is part of my mission and providing for their spiritual needs in their mother tongue is a major aspect of pastoral care."  For Mgr Moras, "Pastoral care of all migrants is the special focus of our extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy”.

The migrants, more than 100 people, appreciated the diocese’ initiative, whose aims is to favour greater integration with the local community.

Odo Amos Ikechukwu, a young Nigerian, is one of them. "I feel so happy to have found a home away from home,” he said. “I no longer feel lost or alone since I heard that the archdiocese has a commission that takes care of us. We feel that it takes care of us even from the spiritual point of view. "

William Kengne Gatchuessi Guillaume, a native of Cameroon, thanked the Archbishop for having "created a commission that helps people feel a sense of belonging to the Church and God’s love and tender care as we build our careers in India".

Father Martin Puthussery, secretary of the Archdiocesan Commission of Migrants, said that 3,000 Africans come to Bangalore to attend university. At least 1,000 of them are Catholics, said the Jesuit priest.

The diocese is also involved in the care of domestic migrants. (AsiaNews)

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(Vatican Radio) Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildarim has insisted that his country is governed by  rule of law, following last Friday’s attempted coup.

Thousands of military and police officials and members of the judiciary have been suspended and detained, however sources are unable to confirm exact numbers.

Concerns have been raised that Turkey will be in breach of human rights as it attempts to punish those responsible for the failed coup, with President Erdogan refusing to rule out that  the death penalty could be reinstated.

Vatican Radio’s Georgia Gogarty spoke with Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights,  to discuss the current situation in Turkey and how the government must respond.

Listen:

After the attempt to overthrow the government, Ravina Shamdasani said that “in the aftermath there is a lot of work to be done”. Investigations must be carried out, and those responsible for the coup must be brought to justice. She commended the “bravery of the Turkish people” who took to the streets “to defend their country against those who fought to undermine its democracy”. However, she stressed that the government must respond to this coup “by upholding the rule of law” and “by strengthening the protection of human rights”.  

To ensure that human rights are not breached, Shamdasani explained that anyone who has been arrested and subsequently detained must “have the right to a fair trial and due process”. Following that they must either be charged or released. She went on to say that in a post-attempted coup situation, the role of the judiciary is extremely “crucial”. The mass suspension of judges “is cause for serious alarm”, she says, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is urging authorities to “ensure the independence of the judiciary is upheld” and that there “ is transparency in the administration of justice”.

According to Shamdasani, the Turkish government is sending a signal that “human rights may be squandered in the name of security”, as they rush to punish those responsible. What is particularly regrettable for the OHCHR are the comments made by President Erdogan and high level officials that the death penalty may be reinstated in response to the coup. This would be in breach of Turkey’s international human rights obligations.

Following the decision to abolish the death penalty in 2004, Turkey signed the Second Optional Protocol to the International Government on Civil and Political Rights, an international human rights treaty ensuring that the “abolition of the death penalty is irrevocable” and any attempt to reinstate it is in breach of Turkey’s obligations. Moreover, Shamdasani explains that using the death penalty against those responsible is “not possible legally” as Turkey cannot “retroactively apply a new law even if it is to be passed”

The future of Turkey now remains unclear, with Shamdasani saying that there have been “long standing concerns on the direction in which Turkey is going”, even prior to the attempted coup. The OHCHR expresses its hope that the coup will galvanize the government and society to reinforce democracy and the rule of law as opposed to “undermining it”. At this critical stage, Shamdasani urges the country to go down a path “built on the foundations of human rights”. 

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IMAGE: CNS photo/Pascal Rossignol, Reuters

By Junno Arocho Esteves

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis offered his help to the people of Nice in a surprise phone call following a deadly attack during Bastille Day celebrations, said the head of an association of Italians living in France.

Paolo Celi, president of the France-Italy Friendship society, told Vatican Radio that he was shocked upon answering his phone and hearing, "Paolo, I am Pope Francis."

"There was a moment of silence from my part. Then he asked me to impart to the entire city of Nice, to all the families of the victims, his message of solidarity and comfort saying, 'What can I do,'" Celi said in an interview published July 18.

Celi also said the pope expressed his desire to meet with the families of the victims of the July 14 massacre.

"We also spoke for quite some time over the phone about a meeting in Rome in the near future without setting a date," he said.  

The pope also spoke on the phone with Christian Estrosi, former mayor of Nice and president of the Regional Council of Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, Celi said. The call, he said, gave Estrosi "the necessary strength in this situation."

Celi, who had left the promenade shortly before the attack happened, also said he was "greatly comforted" by the pope's gesture.

"With his words, with his comfort, the Holy Father can alleviate this awful memory to restore the vigor and desire for hope of all these people," Celi said.

The July 14 attack took place when 31-year-old Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel drove a truck through the crowds celebrating Bastille Day along Nice's seaside promenade, leaving 84 dead and over 100 wounded.

In his remarks following the recitation of the Angelus prayer July 17, the pope led pilgrims in a moment of silent prayer for the victims of the massacre "in which so many innocent lives, even many children, were mowed down."

"May God, the good father, receive all the victims in his peace support the wounded and comfort the families; may he dispel every plan of terror and death so that no man dares to spill his brother's blood ever again," he said. 

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Follow Arocho on Twitter: @arochoju.

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IMAGE: CNS photo/Lisa Johnston, St. Louis Review

By Jennifer Brinker

ST. LOUIS (CNS) -- Since its release in the United States July 6, Pokemon Go has quickly become a cultural phenomenon.

In the first week, the mobile game attracted nearly 21 million users, according to data from Survey Monkey, making it the most popular app in U.S. history.

As a result, the nature of the game is driving swarms of players to unsuspecting churches, businesses and other landmarks. But as it grows in popularity, priests, youth groups and others are quickly finding opportunities to evangelize to young people.

Pokemon Go uses augmented reality, a real-world environment that incorporates computer-generated elements, such as GPS data, sound and video. Users move around in the real world as they collect tiny virtual creatures called Pokemon -- short for pocket monsters. The mobile app is based on the popular franchise that began with several Nintendo games in the 1990s.

Churches, businesses and other landmarks have been designated as PokeStops, where users collect resources needed to catch Pokemon; and Gyms, where competitions are held among the creatures.

Assumption Church in south St. Louis County began noticing an influx of visitors to the property July 11.

"On Monday night, we couldn't figure out why all these people were on our property," pastor Father Thomas Keller told the St. Louis Review, the archdiocesan newspaper. "We noticed people walking up, or in their car slowing down. By Tuesday, we figured out we had all these Pokemon stops. I talked to a nice couple pushing a baby carriage who explained everything to me."

The game especially has been attractive to young adults who grew up on Pokemon in the 1990s. Assumption's associate pastor Father David Miloscia, 29, was into Pokemon from the eighth grade to his sophomore year in high school. He geeked out with a group of five teenagers who visited the parish July 14 on their quest to catch more characters.

Father Miloscia sees this latest trend in mobile gaming is opportunity to connect with others. "I talked with some kids last night when they were on the parking lot," he said. "They were happy the church was relating to them in this way," he told the St. Louis Review, archdiocesan newspaper. The next thing is that personal interaction. For me, I just rely on the Holy Spirit to make an opening or say the right words."

Frequently, pastors and church employees have no warning that their church has become a Pokemon spot until the players come knocking.

Kevin Flynn, who works at the front desk at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Arlington, Virginia, noticed a large group of young men in their 20s hanging out in the parking lot with their phones in the air.

"My daughter told me later that the chapel was listed as a Gym," said Flynn.

A Gym is a place where Pokemon players can come and train or do battle with other players. Some players prefer to visit the Gyms in the late evening when fewer people are playing. At least four vehicles were seen at St. Leo Church in Fairfax, Virginia, around 9 p.m. one evening engaged in a battle for the Gym located in the parish's prayer garden.

Many parishes are trying to figure out how to reach out to visiting gamers, while also standing firm about not trespassing overnight or catching Pokemon in the church. Seminarian John Paul Heisler described a group of players who came into Church of the Nativity in Burke, Virginia, during the 11 a.m. Mass one Sunday in search of a Pokemon. According to Heisler, players were oblivious to the sacredness of what was happening.

Father Patrick Posey, pastor of St. James Parish in Falls Church, Virginia, sent a letter informing parishioners about the six Pokemon stops on the church property. He welcomed players to visit the church but asked them to be respectful. He also encouraged players to celebrate the feast day of St. James with parishioners at their July 25 ice cream social.

"Hopefully, once a person finds the Pokemon, they will enter the church and find Christ," Father Posey told the Arlington Catholic Herald, diocesan newspaper. "Just to be clear, I do not believe there is anything wrong with playing Pokemon Go. However, I do think people are happy to search for Pokemon and reluctant to search for Christ because he calls us to give more of ourselves."

What should the church's response be to Pokemon Go?

According to Julianne Stanz, director of the Department of New Evangelization, in the Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin, it should be go -- as in "go and make disciples of all nations."

Stanz and members of her department created a Pokemon Go resource guide for parishes, "A Parish Primer: Responding to Parish Questions and Concerns."

The four-page guide gives a description of Pokemon Go, a definition of key words, the history of Pokemon and an explanation why parishes should care about the game. The guide is available at www.gbdioc.org/images/Pokevangelization.pdf.

In an email to The Compass, Green Bay's diocesan newspaper, Stanz said the parish guide was created "in conjunction with a team of parish leaders skilled in evangelization outreach who are looking at using the technology as part of their ministry."

She added her department had received calls from parishes asking for information about the game.

Bishop David L. Ricken of Green Bay supports the evangelization department's initiative. In fact, he first led the Pokemon Go outreach on his Twitter account July 11. A second tweet followed on July 12.

Stanz said making parishes aware of why people are visiting their church location is the first step in understanding and responding to the Pokemon Go phenomenon.

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Brinker is a staff writer at the St. Louis Review, archdiocesan newspaper. Contributing to this story were Ashleigh Buyers in Arlington and Sam Lucero in Green Bay.

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Copyright © 2016 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. www.catholicnews.com. All rights reserved. Republishing or redistributing of CNS content, including by framing or similar means without prior permission, is prohibited. You may link to stories on our public site. This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To request permission for republishing or redistributing of CNS content, please contact permissions at cns@catholicnews.com.

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