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(Vatican Radio) The Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, has told the United Nations the trafficking of children is “abominable.”

“While human trafficking always exploits the vulnerable, the trafficking of children and youth exploits those most vulnerable of all, something that not only exposes the evil of trafficking in all its repulsive ugliness but something that likewise makes abundantly clear the urgent call for everyone to rise up to protect children, youth and everyone from those who would enslave and dehumanize them in these ways,” he said.

The full text of the intervention is below

Elimination The Trafficking Of Children And Youth

By H. E. Archbishop Bernardito Auza

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

Remarks of Archbishop Bernardito Auza
Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations
Eliminating the Trafficking of Children and Youth
United Nations, New York
July 13, 2016
 

Your Excellencies, Distinguished Panelists, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Holy See has long spoken out against the evil of human trafficking, forced labor and all forms of modern slavery. And through the dedicated work of so many Catholic religious institutes, national and diocesan programs, and groups of faithful the Catholic Church has sought to fight to address its various causes, care for those it victimizes, wake people up to the scourge, and work with anyone and everyone to try to eliminate it.
The Second Vatican Council, St. John Paul II, and Pope Benedict XVI all spoke out passionately and forcefully against the infamy of human trafficking and the widespread hedonistic and commercial culture that encourages this systematic exploitation of human dignity and rights.
Pope Francis has taken the Church’s advocacy and action to another level through his aggressive and incessant denunciation of this social cancer.  He dedicated part of his address to the UN General Assembly to it. He wrote about it in his encyclical Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Homeand in his pastoral plan for the New Evangelization entitled The Joy of the Gospel. He devoted the entirety of his 2015 Message for the World Day of Peace to the subject, making it a key priority of international diplomacy for the Holy See. He has spoken about it to newly accredited diplomats, to international religious leaders, to an alliance of international police chiefs and Church leaders, to social scientists and scholars, to mayors from across the globe, to judges and to various conferences throughout the world.
And he hasn’t merely been talking: He’s been taking action, catalyzing the Holy See’s hosting conferences, spearheading the 2014 Joint Declaration of Religious Leaders against Modern Slavery and willed the creation of the Santa Marta Group, named after his residence in the Vatican, which brings together Catholic leaders and international law enforcement officials to battle this scourge.
His essential message has been that we are dealing with an “open wound on the body of contemporary society,” “a crime against humanity,” and an “atrocious scourge” that is occurring in many of our own neighborhoods.  We cannot remain indifferent before the knowledge that human beings are being bought and sold like objects, even assaulted and killed like abused animals, and that we must together address the economic, environmental, political, anthropological and ethical components of the crisis.
When he was here at the UN last September, he called for “concrete steps and immediate measures for … putting an end as quickly as possible to the phenomenon of … human trafficking, … the sexual exploitation of boys and girls, [and] slave labor, including prostitution,” stressing, “We need to ensure that our institutions are truly effective in the struggle against all these scourges.”
Toward this end, he said that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was “an important sign of hope,” insofar as it focused, in three different targets, the attention and commitment of the world to confront this plague.
In Targets 5.2 and 8.7, the international community committed itself to “eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation,” and “take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labor, end modern slavery and human trafficking.” Those are important steps forward and, together with the Santa Marta Group, the Holy See sponsored on April 7th a very well-attended conference to try to concretize this work.
In today’s conference, we want to focus in a particular way on the third commitment relating to eliminating modern slavery, Target 16.2, which obliges the international community to “end abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children” by 2030.
The trafficking of anyone, no matter what age, is a crime against humanity. But there is something particularly abominable about submitting children to these barbarities. As a Christian and a Catholic bishop, I cannot fail to recall how Jesus reserves his strongest condemnation for those who hurt children, saying that it would be better for such violators to have a millstone tied around their neck and thrown into the depth of the sea than to face God’s judgment for such deeds (Mt 18:6).
Jesus said this because he knows that children are particularly vulnerable and owed a higher level of loving protection. While human trafficking always exploits the vulnerable, the trafficking of children and youth exploits those most vulnerable of all, something that not only exposes the evil of trafficking in all its repulsive ugliness but something that likewise makes abundantly clear the urgent call for everyone to rise up to protect children, youth and everyone from those who would enslave and dehumanize them in these ways.
On behalf of the Holy Father Pope Francis and in my own name, I thank you for coming this afternoon to show solidarity with the children who are victims of trafficking in persons and to express the strongest condemnation possible of this crime.
This conference will seek to make real the faces of the nearly two million children and youth who are presently being trafficked and speak about what’s working, what’s not working, and what needs to be done to free them, help them recover, and prevent other young people from suffering as they have.
We have a powerful program today. We will hear from someone who was trafficked as a child and is now helping to liberate and care for other survivors. We’ll hear from someone who in her powerful advocacy for victims has interviewed hundreds and will be presenting what she’s learned from their compelling stories. We’ll hear from top experts from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the International Labour Organization about the big picture and what’s being done at an international level. And we’ll hear about two particularly troubling dimensions of this crisis: the trafficking of homeless youth and the use of the internet to enslave and traffic the young.
I would like to conclude my Remarks with the words that Pope Francis wrote for our April 7 Event on Ending Human Trafficking by 2030 and the Role of Global Partnerships in Eradicating Modern Slavery: “In your discussions,” Pope Francis wrote, “I hope also that you will keep before you the dignity of every person, and recognize in all your endeavors a true service to the poorest and most marginalized of society, who too often are forgotten and have no voice.”
Working together with perseverance we can eliminate the trafficking of children and youth and together achieve Target 16.2, to “end abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children” by 2030.
Thank you and welcome to this Conference!

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(Vatican Radio) Theologians and experts on Christianity in China are meeting in Hong Kong this week for an international conference examining the history of ecumenical and interfaith relations across the region.

The 10th annual conference of the ‘Ecclesiological Investigations International Research Network’ will also be exploring broader issues of dialogue between faith and culture in China, as well as looking at the impressive growth rates of religious faith in other Asian countries too.

The encounter, entitled ‘Christianity and Religions in China: Past, Present and Future’ runs from July 20th to 24th.  Among the organisers is Georgetown University Professor Gerard Mannion, founding chair of the Ecclesiological Investigations Network. He sat down with Philippa Hitchen to talk about the importance of Asia’s ecumenical and interfaith context for the whole of the Catholic world today…

Listen: 

Mannion notes that China ranks 7th in the world in terms of the size of its Christian population, though it’s very hard to obtain accurate statistics about the numbers of believers. Estimates range from 20 million, up to 120 million, with the number of Catholics believed to be around 9 million and Protestants the most numerous Christian community.

“Certainly religion is very important in China”, he says, with Christianity one of the five main faith communities. “People who practice faith”, he adds, “are almost double the number of Communist Party members”.

The conference will look back at the history of Christianity in the region as early as the 7th and 8th centuries, exploring the “deep and rich” traditions that exists across the different denominations. The Ecclesiological Investigations Network exists, Mannion recalls, “to encourage dialogue, to bring people together, to encounter different contexts and perspectives”, therefore it was long overdue for the group to hold an annual conference within the Asian setting.

Looking back to the last conference at Georgetown University focused on the legacy of the Second Vatican Council, Mannion says this year will build on that work and explore how much the Church as a whole can gain from the Asian Church’s “embracing of Vatican II”.  Interfaith and ecumenical relations have been “a day to day factor for Asians a lot longer than it has been in the European and North American context”, Mannion explains, adding that the conference will feature “cutting-edge researchers” on theology, philanthropy and Catholic Social Teaching in China.

Noting the “blurring of the distinction” between philosophy and religion in the Asian faith communities, Mannion says in “post-Enlightenment” Western countries we have “compartmentalized” our faith so “we have a lot to learn from our Asian brothers and sisters”. 

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Gen 18:20-32, Col  2:12-14, Lk 11:1-13

A little boy was standing on the banks of the Mississippi River waving and shouting at a steamboat that was going by. He was beckoning the steamboat to come to shore. A stranger came by and said, "That's foolish young man. The boat will never come ashore because of your request. The captain is too busy to notice your waving and shouting." Just then the boat turned and headed for shore. The little boy grinned and said to the stranger, "The captain is my daddy." The captain of the universe is our Abba. He pays attention to our petitions because he loves us. The first words in the Lord's Prayer encourage us to believe in the affectionate intimacy of the Lord of the universe, but that doesn't mean we should take God for granted.

Introduction: The main themes of today’s Scripture readings are the power of intercessory prayer, the Our Father as the ideal prayer, and the necessity for persistence and perseverance in prayer, with trusting faith and boldness. In short, they teach us what to pray and how to pray.  The first reading, taken from the book of Genesis, gives us the model for intercessory prayer provided by Abraham in his dialogue with God. Although Abraham seems to be trying to manipulate God through his skillful bargaining and humble, persistent intercession, God is actually being moved to mercy by the goodness of a few innocent souls. The Responsorial Psalm (Ps 138), with the Psalm Response, “Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me,” is a hymn of hope and trust in the Lord, reminding us that God is close to the humble of heart and to all those who call upon Him in their need. The second reading, taken from the Letter to the Colossians, does not deal with prayer directly, but it provides a basis for all Christian prayers, especially for liturgical prayer:  the mystery of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul assures us that even when we were dead in sin, God gave us new life through Jesus and pardoned all our sins.  In the Gospel passage, after teaching a model prayer, Jesus instructs his disciples to pray to God their Heavenly Father with the same boldness, daring, intimacy, conviction, persistence and perseverance Abraham displayed and the friend in need in the parable employed. He gives us the assurance that God will not be irritated by our requests or unwilling to meet them with generosity.

First reading: Genesis 20: 18-32: The first reading is the story of Abraham's negotiating for mercy with God on behalf of some innocent potential victims of Sodom and Gomorrah (including his nephew Lot and his family), when God had decided to destroy those cities which were almost entirely inhabited by people who led wicked and sexually-perverted lives. Abraham acknowledged that (1) he  was “dust and ashes” breathed into existence by the very breath of God (Genesis 2:7), (2) he had been called to become a covenantal partner of God (15:1-18), and (3) he had been blessed with the Divine promise of land, progeny protection and prosperity (12:1-3). But, as a close friend of God, the great patriarch of the Jews felt free to bargain with God when God told him He had decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah: “If you find fifty righteous people in those wicked and immoral cities," Abraham said,” you won’t destroy it, will you, God?” God said, “No, if I find fifty righteous people in the city, I will not destroy it.” “How about forty, thirty, twenty? ten?” Although there were not even ten just people in those cities, God went beyond the terms of negotiation and spared the only just inhabitants of the cities, Abraham's nephew and his family, because God is much more merciful than we are. Sodom’s destruction, in spite of Abraham’s intercession, teaches contemporary believers the valuable lesson that those who tolerate the evils perpetrated in human society and who refuse to protest against them by word, prayer and example leave themselves open to being swallowed up by them.

Second Reading: Colossians 2:12-14: The Christians at Colossae were being exposed to a variety of philosophical and theological teachings, many of which were incompatible with the Gospel. Hence, in his letter to the Colossians, Paul tried to establish that Christ was superior to any other possible mediator between humanity and God. In today’s passage, Paul answered the question, “How, then, do we get Christ in us?" Assuming that the ritual of Baptism obviously simulates burial and resurrection, Paul's declared that when we were buried in the waters of Baptism, we were united with Jesus in his saving death, and when we emerged from the baptismal font we were joined to Christ in his Resurrection. Long before "confession" came into existence, Paul taught that our sins were forgiven because the person who had committed those sins was no longer alive. That person died when he or she became one with the risen Jesus through Baptism. The new person who had come into existence at that point was not responsible for the dead person's transgressions. His or her sins had been literally wiped out or erased from the mind and memory of God, having been snatched up and nailed to the cross (v. 14), i.e. put to death, through the saving sacrifice of Jesus.

Exegesis: Luke’s version and Matthew’s version: Matthew's version of the Lord’s Prayer is given in the context of the Sermon on the Mount as part of Jesus' teaching on how to pray, while Luke's version is set in one of those occasions just after our Lord had been at prayer. Luke's version of the Lord's Prayer is shorter than the more familiar version found in Matthew's Gospel. However, it teaches us all we need to know about how to pray and what to pray for.  It has only five petitions while Mathew adds two more ("Your will be done…" and "deliver us from the evil one.") The first two petitions have to do with praise and worship of God, while   the next three petitions present to Him our needs – daily bread, forgiveness and protection from the evil one. The Church uses the longer form of the Lord's Prayer.

The structure of the Our Father: The prayer consists of two parts. In the first part, we praise and worship God and express our ardent desire for His rule in human hearts, enabling us to do His will in the most perfect way. In the second part we present our needs before God our Father with filial love and trusting Faith. We offer before God our present (daily bread), our past (forgiveness of sins) and our future (protection against temptations).  By this prayer we also invite the Trinitarian God into our lives: God the Father, the Creator and Provider, by asking for daily bread; God the Son, Jesus, our Savior, by requesting forgiveness of our sins; and God the Holy Spirit by asking for deliverance from temptations (“the final test.”).

The petitions: The petitions cover our present needs, the forgiveness of our past sins, and protection from future temptations. We need not only bodily nourishment, but also daily spiritual nourishment, so that we may be strong enough to forgive those who offend us.    In the next petition, Jesus links the giving and receiving of forgiveness.  If we expect God to forgive us, we must forgive one another (“Forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us”). The last petition- "and do not subject us to the final test"- covers future trials and temptations. We need God's protection both from the evil one (the devil) and from the evils in society that seek to destroy us.  It is quite appropriate for us to pray for deliverance from evil for ourselves, our loved ones, our community, our nation, and our world.

Prayer: persistent and persevering: In the second part of today’s Gospel, by presenting the parable of a friend in need, Jesus emphasizes our need for persistent and persevering prayer, acknowledging our total dependence on God. In the ancient Hebrew world, hospitality was the essence of one's goodness.  To welcome a visitor without food and drink was unthinkable. A traveler who was traveling in the evening to avoid the heat of the afternoon, might well arrive late at night.  But the villagers used to go to bed early, as they had no electricity.  So in this parable, when a man received unexpected guests late at night and found his cupboard bare, he went to his neighbor and woke him in order to borrow a loaf of bread.   In those days, people generally slept in one room, the children bedded down with the adults. Rising to answer the door would disrupt the whole family and hence the neighbor was reluctant to get up.   Finally, however, because of the persistence of his guest, he got up and gave bread to his neighbor. This parable does not mean that God is a reluctant giver. Rather it stresses the necessity of our persisting in prayer as the expression of our total dependence on God. Persevering in prayer helps us to purify our prayer, to make clear to ourselves our values and hopes, and to lead us to ask for what is really in our very best interests. St. Paul tells us to “pray without ceasing” (Romans), “pray at all times” (Ephesians), “be steadfast in prayer” (Colossians), and “pray constantly” (Thessalonians). Jesus assures us, "Knock and the door shall be opened." 

The misconception: The parable teaches us that prayer is not putting coins in a vending machine called God to get whatever we wish. We must not look upon God as a sort of genie who grants all our requests. God is our loving Father Who knows what to give, when to give and how to give. This includes not only our daily bread to satisfy our physical hunger but also “bread” to satisfy our spiritual hunger. Prayer is a relationship -- an intimate, loving, caring, parent-child relationship. The Greek text means: "Ask and you will receive something good,"--not just whatever we ask for. The New Testament Greek also instructs us, "ask and keep on asking...seek and keep on seeking...knock and keep on knocking.”  Hence, we are to be persistent declaring our trusting faith and dependence on God. One thing that is sometimes overlooked in this story is that this, like the story of Abraham bargaining with God for the lives of Lot and his family, is primarily a story about intercessory prayer. One friend goes to another friend on behalf of someone else.

"Prayer doesn't change God; it changes me." A colleague asked C.S. Lewis if he really thought he could change God with his prayer for the cure of his wife’s cancer. Lewis replied: "Prayer doesn't change God; it changes me." William McGill summed it up this way. "The value of persistent prayer is not that God will hear us but that we will finally hear God." Keep in mind that Jesus has taught us to address God as Father.  A loving Father listens to his child, but does not blindly endorse every request.  Instead, the loving Father provides what is needed, including discipline. Bishop Sheen has this comment on prayer: "The man who thinks only of himself says prayers of petition. He who thinks of his neighbor says prayers of intercession. He who thinks only of loving and serving God says prayers of abandonment to God's will, and that is the prayer of the saints." The Our Father is the "summary of the whole Gospel" (Tertullian) and it is the “perfect prayer” (St. Thomas Aquinas).

Messages for Life: 1) Lame reasons why we don’t pray and the sad result. Modern Christians give four lame excuses for not praying.   a) The first excuse: We are too busy. The richer a culture is, the less time it has for prayer, because money and wealth provide distractions. Researchers say that the average Christian living in a wealthy country prays four minutes a day. Often the first thing given up by a busy Christian is his prayer life. b) A second excuse: We don’t believe prayer does that much good, other than giving us psychological motivation to be better persons.  Besides psychological motivation, prayer establishes and augments our relationship with God, the source of our power. c) A third excuse: A loving God should provide for us and protect us from the disasters of life, such as disease or accidents, without our asking Him.  Prayer expresses our awareness of our need for God and our dependence on Him. d) A fourth excuse: Prayer is boring.  People who use this excuse forget the fact that prayer is a conversation with God: listening to God speaking to us through the Bible and talking to God.  You can’t have a close relationship with anyone, including God, without persistent and intimate conversation. Four minutes a day is not much intimate conversation. Since our society concludes that prayer doesn’t work, it turns to sex, violence and unhealthy addictions resulting in broken marriages, broken families, psychological problems, moral decadence, spiritual poverty, law-and-order problems, and prison populations.  

2) Prayer is essential for Christian family life. Fidelity is one of the original blessings of married life.  To be truly faithful in marriage, spouses must pray, not only individually, but together.  Married couples should come together before God every day as prayer partners, thanking God and offering intercessory prayers for each other, for their children and for their dear ones.    Daily prayer will help married couples to celebrate and reverence God’s vision of human sexuality and honor life from conception to natural death.  Here is St. John Marie Vianney’s advice to a couple who asked him how to pray: "Spend three minutes praising and thanking God for all you have. Spend three minutes asking God’s pardon for your sins and presenting your needs before Him. Spend three minutes reading the Bible and listening to God in silence. And do this every day."

The following lines should help us keep our prayers in the proper perspective:

I asked God for strength that I might achieve; I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.

I asked for health that I might do great things; I was given infirmity that I might do better things.

I asked for riches that I might be happy; I was given poverty that I might be wise.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life; I was given life that I might enjoy all things.

I got nothing that I asked for but everything I had hoped for; despite myself, my prayers were answered.

I am, among all people, most richly blessed.

(Homilies of Fr. Anthony Kadavil)

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a telegram to the Master General of the Order of Preachers – the Dominicans – who are currently holding the General Chapter of Priors Provincial in the central Italian city of Bologna.

The General Chapter of Priors General is the second of three specific kinds of General Chapters, each being held at three-year intervals for a 9-year cycle that ends with the election of a new Master General. The sequence begins with General Chapter of delegates – called “diffinitors” in Dominican parlance; then the General Chapter of Priors Provincial; and then, the Elective General Chapter.

This General Chapter of Priors Provincial is taking place in the context of the 800^th anniversary of the confirmation of the Order under Pope Honorius III, and in the middle of the Jubilee Year of Mercy.

In his telegram, signed by the Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, Pope Francis expresses the hope that all Dominicans find the spiritual wherewithal to rededicate themselves to the charism and legacy of St Dominic their Founder, who was, “a tireless apostle of grace and forgiveness, compassionate towards the poor and an ardent defender of truth.” The Holy Father also calls on all Dominicans, saying, “Testify to mercy, professing it and embodying it in life.”

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Pope Francis’ telegram concludes with an exhortation to the whole Dominican family and all its members to be signs of the nearness and tenderness of God, that society might in this day rediscover the urgency of solidarity, love, and forgiveness.

Please find the full text of the English translation prepared by the Dominicans, below

***********************************************

R BRUNO CADORE, OP
MASTER GENERAL
ORDER OF PREACHERS
CONVENTO SANTA SABINA
PIAZZA PIETRO D'ILLIRIA, 1
00153 ROMA

ON THE OCCASION OF THE GENERAL CHAPTER OF THE PRIORS PROVINCIAL OF THE ORDER OF PREACHERS, TAKING PLACE IN BOLOGNA, IN THE CONTEXT OF THE EXTRAORDINARY JUBILEE YEAR OF MERCY AND OF THE EIGHT HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CONFIRMATION OF THE ORDER BY POPE HONORIUS III, HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS, IN SENDING HIS CORDIAL AND GOOD WISHES, INVOKES THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, RECALLING THAT MERCY IS THE PILLAR THAT SUPPORTS THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH.

ALL OF ITS PASTORAL ACTION MUST BE EMBRACED BY TENDERNESS AND NOTHING OF ITS PROCLAMATION OR WITNESS BEFORE THE WORLD CAN BE WITHOUT MERCY. THE CREDIBILITY OF THE CHURCH COMES THROUGH THE PATH OF MERCIFUL AND COMPASSIONATE LOVE WHICH GIVES NEW LIFE AND THE COURAGE TO LOOK TO THE FUTURE WITH HOPE.

THE HOLY FATHER WISHES THAT ALL WHO FOLLOW THE CHARISM OF SAINT DOMINIC - TIRELESS APOSTLE OF GRACE AND FORGIVENESS, COMPASSIONATE TOWARDS THE POOR AND AN ARDENT DEFENDER OF TRUTH - SHOULD TESTIFY TO MERCY, PROFESSING IT AND EMBODYING IT IN LIFE, AND SHOULD BE SIGNS OF THE NEARNESS AND TENDERNESS OF GOD, SO THAT SOCIETY TODAY MIGHT REDISCOVER THE URGENCY OF SOLIDARITY, LOVE AND FORGIVENESS.

WHILE REQUESTING YOUR PRAYERS TO SUPPORT HIS PETRINE MINISTRY, HE, THROUGH THE INTERCESSION OF OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY AND OF ALL THE SAINTS OF THE DOMINICAN FAMILY, IMPARTS TO YOU, AS WELL AS TO ALL THE CAPITULAR FRIARS, THE REQUESTED APOSTOLIC BLESSING, EXTENDING IT GLADLY TO THE ENTIRE ORDER.

FROM THE VATICAN, 15 JULY 2016

CARDINAL PIETRO PAROLIN

SECRETARY OF STATE OF THE HOLY FATHER

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(Vatican Radio) The Holy See has addressed the XIV Ministerial Conference of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The full text of the intervention is below.

Intervention of H.E. Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic, Apostolic Nuncio,

Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations Office and other

International Organizations in Geneva

at the XIV Ministerial Conference of UNCTAD

Nairobi, 19th July 2016

Mr. President,

At the outset, the Holy See wishes to thank warmly the Government of Kenya  and  the  city  of  Nairobi  for hosting  this Ministerial  Conference.  The  theme  “From  Decision  to  Action:  moving  toward  an  inclusive  and  equitable  global  economic  environment for trade and development” clearly signals the ambition and intent we  must bring to the attention of the international community.

1.  The  Holy  See  strongly  supported  the  original  aspiration  of  UNCTAD which aimed at creating a global trading system supporting the development of poor  countries:  a  system  able  to  promote  the  rebalancing  of  international  economic  relations  to  promote  justice  and  equity,  to  promote  social  progress  and  better  standards of life in  greater freedom, to create a better and more effective system of  international economic cooperation, as part of a new and just global economic order  whereby the division of the world into areas of poverty and plenty may be overcome and  prosperity  achieved  by  all.  This  system  facilitates  regional  trade  and  corrects imbalances  between  different  trade  partners,  with  special  concern  for  trade  in  raw  materials and food. The  last  conference  in  Doha  took  place  during  a  critical  phase  of  the  world  economic  crisis  which  left  many  governments  struggling  to  offset  the  effects  of  financial retrenchments in  banks, businesses  and households as they seek to correct their  balance  sheets.  In  this  context,  many  developed  economies  have  turned  to  “unconventional” monetary policy instruments in efforts at recovery.

2.  The  trade  slowdown  of  the  last  three  years  has  been  widespread  across  most of the developing and developed countries. Average trade growth rates for all  regions  are  now  very  low  and  just  a  fraction  of  what  they  were  in  the  pre-crisis  period. The reasons for the ongoing trade slowdown are to be found in a variety of  factors. While some of these factors are likely to have only temporary effects and  are  possible  cyclical  in  nature,  others  are  likely  to  be  more  long  lasting  and  related  to  structural shifts. As usual, it is very  difficult to make predictions, but there are still  valid  reasons  to  believe  that trade growth  in  the  future  will  be  driven  by  different  factors than in the past. This implies that developing countries willing to benefit from  international  trade  should  be  ready  to  adapt  their  trade  strategies  by  taking  into  account some of the recent changes in trends in international trade. Economic  and  financial  actors,  both  at  the  international  and  national  levels,  need to recognize that economic activities  function not  only through self-regulation  of  the  market  and  agreements  limited  to  reconciling  the  interests  of  the  most  powerful countries, but they need also to take into account that they are at the service  of  persons  who  work  and  contribute  to  development.  Most  importantly  any  development and growth strategy needs  to be centred on the human person and on  the  primacy  of  human  work.  The  Holy  See  believes  that  in  order  to  achieve  this  result  it  is  of  primary  importance  to  integrate  the  different  social  and  economic dimensions of development,  so as  to create an international system balanced on an  idea of  development that would  be truly sustainable,  inclusive and equitable at all  levels.

3.  In  this  sense,  agriculture  plays  a  crucial  role  in  the  economy  of  poor  countries: it accounts for more than one fourth of  the  GDP and more than a third of  employment,  reaching  more  than  50%  in  the  poorest  countries.  Promoting  agricultural  productivity  is  important  for  several  reasons.  First,  it  addresses  the  problem of food insecurity which still plagues a large part of the population of LDCs.  Despite  the  recent  improvement  in  economic  conditions  throughout  the  world  hunger is still claiming too many lives among the poorest Agricultural development is also crucial in terms of  global sustainability. It is  well known that in developing countries there is a high concentration of forest and  ecosystems  that  are  crucial  for  ecological  development.  In  these  countries  agricultural  production  is  intimately  linked  with  natural  resources  exploitation,  deforestation and biodiversity preservation. The opportunity to combine agricultural  development  with  ecological  sustainability  has  too  enormous  stakes  and  consequences for the entire planet for it not to be considered a priority action.

In  this  respect,  trade  can  be  an  important  channel  for  fostering  agricultural  development in local communities;  moreover,  the development of small farmers and  small  producers  could  be  vital  not  only  in  reducing  poverty  but  also  in  providing  new ways for preserving local ecosystems.  In the agricultural sector there is in fact  the  danger  that  its  development  could  ultimately  damage  small  farmers.  Civil  authorities have the right and duty to adopt clear and firm measures in support of  small producers and differentiated production

4.  The  international  trading  system  is  regulated  by  an  increasing  number  of  preferential trade agreements  (PTAs). Most of the recent trade agreements address  not  only  goods  but  also  services,  and  deal  with  rules  beyond  reciprocal  tariff  concessions.  The Holy See strongly stresses the importance of recognising a primacy  of multilateral agreements over bilateral and regional ones. Despite its limits and its  complexity,  the  multilateral  framework  gives  pluralism  a  universal  dimension  and  facilitates an inclusive dialogue.  More  specifically  in  a  multilateral  framework  weaker  and  smaller  countries  are better safeguarded than in a regional and bilateral setting where the counterparts  are  large  and  strong  countries.  In  such  asymmetric  settings  advanced  economies  inevitably have more bargaining power with respect to LDCs, with the result that the  latter are not fully able to benefit  from the agreements.

5.  The  issue  of  foreign  debt  and  the  alleviation  of  the  debt  burden  for  poor  countries  remain  a  major  concern  for  the  Holy  See.  In  fact  the  Holy  Father  has  recently  made  an  appeal  to  the  leaders  of  nations  to  “to  forgive  or  manage  in  a  sustainable  way  the  international  debt  of  the  poorer  nations” The  debt  of  developing countries must be placed in a broader context of economic, political and  technological  relations  which  has  brought  an  increased  interdependence  between  countries,  as  well  as  the  need  for  international  collaboration  in  pursuing  the  objectives of the common good. This interdependence should give rise to a new and  broader concept of solidarity that respect the equal dignity of all peoples, rather than  leading  to  domination  by  the  strongest,  national  self-interest,  inequalities  and  injustices.  As  Pope  Francis  stated,  “It  must  never  be  forgotten  that  political  and  economic  activity  is  only  effective  when  it  is  understood  as  a  prudential  activity,  guided  by  a  perennial  concept  of  justice  and  constantly  conscious  of  the  fact  that,  above  and  beyond  our  plans  and  programs,  we  are  dealing  with  real  men  and  women who live, struggle and suffer, and are often forced to live in great poverty,  deprived of all rights.”

The  Addis  Ababa  Action  Agenda  (AAAA)  provides  a   clear  mandate  to  address  the  vulture  funds  problem  The  role  of  UNCTAD  in  helping  developing  countries  to  attain  such  long-term  debt  sustainability  has  been  of  great  importance  and  will  remain  indispensable  for  the  foreseeable  future.  In  this  sense,  it  is  crucial  that UNCTAD continues its research and analysis of the international financial and  monetary  system  and  price  volatility  of  commodities  and  it  should  propose  recommendations  to  address  the  problems  in  financial  markets  that  result  in macroeconomic instability, distortions of international trade and increased levels of  poverty and inequality.

In conclusion Mr. President,

6.  The  international  community  should  use  this  Conference  outcome  document as an instrument also to promote innovative economic policies, to support  the  development  of  agricultural  sector  in  poor  areas  and  to  promote  the  SME  participation in global and South-South trade. These policies need adequately fund  through  development  aid,  aimed  at  fulfilling  the  needs  of  the  poorest  and  marginalized segments of the world population. Given the productive, technological  and scientific capacities  of the world economy in the 21st century, the  international  community cannot  wait until the end of the current global economic crisis, or until

the  transition  of  least  developing  countries  into  emerging  economies,  in  order  to  fulfill the fundamental human rights that millions of people are still not enjoying,  in  particular, but not exclusively, in Africa.

7.  The Holy See believes that this Conference should therefore aim at a high  level of ambition and should focus on how the international community will ensure  that  UNCTAD  plays  its  full  and  meaningful  role  in  supporting  the  new  global  development agenda, with a particular attention to the needs of poor countries and  of  the  poor  people.  UNCTAD  XIV  should  address  the  contemporary  needs  and  priorities  of  developing  countries  in  the  current  volatile  and  unbalanced  global  environment.  As stated by Pope Francis,  It is important that ethics once again play its  due  part  in  the  world  of  finance  and  that  markets  serve  the  interests  of  peoples  and  the  common good of humanity

In fact, we should reaffirm that  an essential ingredient for  an  enabling  international  environment  for  development  is  a  healthy  and  positive  approach to the issue of good global governance.

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Rome, Italy, Jul 19, 2016 / 03:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Our Lady of Czestochowa, also known as the “Black Madonna,” will be one of Pope Francis' primary stops during his visit to Poland at the end of this month for the global World Youth Day gathering.

The image, which has been crowned the “Queen of Poland” and is highly venerated throughout Europe, is almost a given stop for any Pope who visits the country.

Located in southern Poland, Czestochowa was the location of the 1991 global WYD gathering – the first major world event after the fall of the Iron Curtain, and which also marked the first time youth from Eastern European countries were able to set foot in the Western half.

In comments made to CNA in March, Cardinal Stanisalw Dziwisz, Archbishop of Krakow, noted how the WYD celebration this year falls on the 25th anniversary of the 1991 WYD at the Our Lady of Czestochowa shrine, which was a key year for the end of Cold War tensions.

“For the first time in history, young people coming from the Eastern countries, from beyond the Iron Curtain, took part in World Youth Day. It was the first time World Youth Day was a really a worldwide event,” Cardinal Dziwisz said.

Now, 25 years later, Pope Francis will follow in his predecessors' footsteps, and will go to venerate the image during his July 27-31 visit to Poland.

He is set to visit the monastery of Jasna Gora, which houses the image, July 28, where he will offer Mass for the 1,050 anniversary of the baptism of Poland.

But while the image holds significant meaning for Europe and for Poles in particular, what is the story behind the Black Madonna?

Legend has it the image dates back to the time of the Twelve Apostles, and was painted by the hand of St. Luke the Evangelist, who is believed to have used a tabletop from a table built by Jesus during his time as a carpenter.

According to the legend, it was while Luke was painting Mary that she recounted to him the events in the life of Jesus that would eventually be used in his Gospel.

The same legend states that when St. Helen came to Jerusalem in 326 AD to look for the true Cross, she also happened to find this image of Our Lady. She then gave it as a gift to her son Constantine, who built a shrine to venerate it.

In a major battle with the Saracens, the image was displayed from the walls of Constantinople and the Saracen army was subsequently defeated, leading many to credit the portrait with saving the city.

The image eventually fell to the care of Charlemagne, who presented it to Price Leo of Ruthenia (northwest Hungary). It was placed in the Ruthenian palace where it remained until an invasion in the 11th century.

Fearful for the fate of his city, the king prayed to Our Lady to assist his small army. The result, according to legend, was that a darkness overshadowed enemy troops, leading them to attack one another.

In the 14th century the image was transferred to Jasna Gora in Poland as an answer to a request made in a dream of Prince Ladislaus of Opola. The history of the image is better documented in while in his care.

In 1382 Tartars invaded the Prince’s fortress at Belz, and during the attack one of the Tartar arrows struck the painting and lodged in the neck of the Madonna. The prince, fearful that the image would fall into the enemy’s hands, fled during the night and stopped in the town of Czestochowa.

The painting was placed inside a small church, and the prince later had a Pauline monastery and church built at the location to ensure the painting’s safety.

However, in 1430 the Hussites overran the monastery, attempting to take the image. In the process one of the looters took the painting and put it into a wagon and tried to drive away. But when the horses refused to move, he struck the painting twice with his sword. As he raised his hand to strike it again, he suddenly fell over writhing in pain and died.

Despite previous attempts to repair the scars from the arrow and the blows from the sword, restorers had trouble in covering them up since the painting was done with tempera infused with diluted wax. The marks remain visible to this day.

Later, in 1655 when Poland was almost entirely overrun by King Charles X of Sweden, only the area surrounding the monastery remained unconquered. Miraculously, the monks who lived there were somehow able to defend the portrait throughout a 40 day siege, and Poland was eventually able to drive out the invaders.

After the miraculous event, King John II Casimir Vasa crowned the image of Our Lady of Czestochowa as Queen of Poland, placing the entire country under her care and protection.

More recent stories surrounding the image involve the Russian invasion of Poland in 1920, holding that when the Russian army was gathering on the banks of the Vistula River and threatening Warsaw, they saw an image of Our Lady in the clouds over the city, prompting them to withdraw.

The image of Our Lady of Czestochowa gets its nickname “Black Madonna” from the soot residue which discolors the painting as a result of centuries of votive lights and candles burned in front of it.

Since the fall of communism in Poland, pilgrimages to the image have significantly increased.

As many as 2.5 million pilgrims expected to gather in Krakow for this year’s WYD event. While not all of them will join Pope Francis in Czestochowa, his visit will surely attract more pilgrims to the spot.

In his comments to CNA, Cardinal Dziwisz said that given the history of WYD and the Czestochowa image, this year’s gathering is particularly significant for European countries, such as Ukraine, who are facing dramatic conflicts.

“We mustn’t forget that the World Youth Day which took place in Czestochowa 25 years ago was the first with youth who came from the countries of the east. There were around 200,000, coming from Ukraine, from Russia and Belarus,” he noted.

“For the first time, that event was truly global. We must help youth from the Eastern countries to come…above all from Belarus and Ukraine,” he said, adding that while the Ukraine conflict makes travel in the region difficult, “we don’t exclude anyone.”

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Washington D.C., Jul 19, 2016 / 06:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Two of the largest chain restaurants with free WiFi in the United States, McDonald’s and Starbucks, are adding pornography filters to their internet.

Following the campaign of anti-porn group Enough is Enough and the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, McDonald’s has added internet filters to its public WiFi throughout the country, a change that was announced last week.

“McDonald’s is committed to providing a safe environment for our customers, and we are pleased to share that Wi-Fi filtering has been activated in the majority of McDonald’s nearly 14,000 restaurants nationwide,” a spokesperson for the fast food restaurant said in a statement.

“We had not heard from our customers that this was an issue, but we saw an opportunity that is consistent with our goal of providing an enjoyable experience for families.”

McDonald’s and Starbucks had already implemented pornography filtering at its locations in the U.K. Smaller chains like Panera and Chik Fil A already provide pornography filtering in the U.S.

Enough is Enough and the National Center on Sexual Exploitation have appealed to Starbucks to follow McDonald’s lead. On Friday, Starbucks said it plans to implement filtering in its stores throughout the world, once they are sure that the filtering doesn’t unintentionally block additional content.

“In the meantime, we reserve the right to stop any behavior that interferes with our customer experience, including what is accessed on our free Wi-Fi," a Starbucks spokesperson told CNNMoney.

Enough is Enough (EIE) is a non-profit with the goal of making the “internet safer for children and families” by seeking to block illegal pornography and to stop the sexual exploitation of children through the internet. In 2014, EIE launched its "National Porn Free Wi-Fi" campaign" encouraging McDonald's and Starbucks to lead Corporate America in filtering Wi-Fi.

In two consecutive statements following the announcements of the filtering by both chains, Donna Rice Hughes, president of EIE, praised both McDonald’s and Starbucks for recognizing pornography as a public health crisis and as a threat to children’s safety.

"Internet safety is now the fourth top-ranked health issue for U.S. children with peer- reviewed research confirming Internet pornography as a public health crisis. Pervasive online child pornography, which is the actual sexual abuse of children, is a crime to produce, distribute or download,” Hughes said.

“We commend both Starbucks and McDonalds for leading the way for corporate America to provide safer Wi-Fi. We will vigorously continue to encourage other businesses and venues such as hotels, airlines, shopping malls, and libraries to filter pornography and child abuse images on publically available Wi-Fi in order to protect children and families.”

Fight the New Drug, an organization dedicated to education on pornography’s effects on the brain and society, also praised McDonald’s filtering in a blog post.

“The Golden Arches restaurant has 99 billion served when it comes to hamburgers, and now hopefully it will be reaching another number when it comes to porn accessed in its restaurants: zero.”

The changes come at a time of increasing awareness about the harmful effects of pornography. Last fall, Hyatt Hotels cut off access to on-demand video pornography in all of their hotel rooms across the globe. In March, the Utah legislature declared pornography a public health hazard and TIME Magazine extensively covered pornography addiction. In April, Australian bishops said exposing children to pornography amounted to abuse. The Republican Party is also expected to declare pornography a public health crisis at its convention this week.

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