(Vatican Radio) Vatican Weekend for June 4, 2016 features our weekly report on the general audience of Pope Francis with pilgrims from across the world and a musical meditation which focuses on the Sacred Heart. This is followed by a programme to mark the anniversary of the death of Saint John XXIII and a conversation with our popular 'Latin Lover' in which we learn whether the ancient Romans were gossip mongers.Listen to a programme presented and produced by Veronica Scarisbrick:
(Vatican Radio) Vatican Weekend for June 4, 2016 features our weekly report on the general audience of Pope Francis with pilgrims from across the world and a musical meditation which focuses on the Sacred Heart. This is followed by a programme to mark the anniversary of the death of Saint John XXIII and a conversation with our popular 'Latin Lover' in which we learn whether the ancient Romans were gossip mongers.
Listen to a programme presented and produced by Veronica Scarisbrick:
(Vatican Radio) Vatican Weekend for June 5, 2016 features our weekly reflection on the Sunday gospel presented this week by Ryan Black of the Pontifical Scots College here in Rome and an interview with the Vicar General of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception Fr. Joseph Roesch who tells us about the founder of his order Polish born Stanislas Papczynski due to be canonised by Pope Francis this Sunday.The programme ends with 'Joan knows...', a bird's eye view of the past week in the Vatican with Joan Lewis, EWTN bureau chief here in Rome.Listen to a programme presented and produced by Veronica Scarisbrick:
(Vatican Radio) Vatican Weekend for June 5, 2016 features our weekly reflection on the Sunday gospel presented this week by Ryan Black of the Pontifical Scots College here in Rome and an interview with the Vicar General of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception Fr. Joseph Roesch who tells us about the founder of his order Polish born Stanislas Papczynski due to be canonised by Pope Francis this Sunday.The programme ends with 'Joan knows...', a bird's eye view of the past week in the Vatican with Joan Lewis, EWTN bureau chief here in Rome.
Listen to a programme presented and produced by Veronica Scarisbrick:
(Vatican Radio) Dazed migrants and refugees gradually returned to their holding camp on the island of Samos on Friday after a night of mayhem in which migrant youths battled one another with knives and set fire to compound buildings. At least two dozen were reported injured and hospitalized.Listen to John Carr's report: The riot occurred 24 hours after a night of similar unrest in a camp on the island of Lesbos, which also suffered serious damage from fire. Greek officials blame mainly Pakistani, Afghan and Moroccan men whose asylum applications have been denied and feel they’re in a no-hope dead end.There were fears here in Athens on Friday that the violence could spread to other holding camps around Greece, where 54,000 migrants are being kept, with little prospect of ever going anywhere, as Greece’s northern borders remain closed to them.Meanwhile, Greek boats and helicopters have been searching the sea area south of Crete for several hundred migrants miss...
(Vatican Radio) Dazed migrants and refugees gradually returned to their holding camp on the island of Samos on Friday after a night of mayhem in which migrant youths battled one another with knives and set fire to compound buildings. At least two dozen were reported injured and hospitalized.
Listen to John Carr's report:
The riot occurred 24 hours after a night of similar unrest in a camp on the island of Lesbos, which also suffered serious damage from fire. Greek officials blame mainly Pakistani, Afghan and Moroccan men whose asylum applications have been denied and feel they’re in a no-hope dead end.
There were fears here in Athens on Friday that the violence could spread to other holding camps around Greece, where 54,000 migrants are being kept, with little prospect of ever going anywhere, as Greece’s northern borders remain closed to them.
Meanwhile, Greek boats and helicopters have been searching the sea area south of Crete for several hundred migrants missing after their boat capsized. The boat was believed to be coming from Libya and heading for Italy. So far, the bodies of four people have been recovered.
Most survivors were to be transported to Italy, with others to be taken to Egypt, Malta, and Turkey.
And, as the Greek opposition never fails to point out, the government appears not to have the slightest idea about what to do to ease the migrants’ plight.
The Pancasila “is the nation's iconic platform that encourages the unity of Indonesians - despite the various differences of ethnicity, language, culture, religion - and the value of Indonesia as a country. Thanks to the Pancasila, everyone can live in peace.” With these words Archbishop Ignatius Suharyo welcomed the government's decision to make June 1, the anniversary of the drafting of the “five principles” of the secular Constitution, a national holiday. Already in the weeks before President Joko Widodo’s announcement, the Church had launched a special prayer campaign among all Indonesian faithful, to strengthen national unity. The program, called "How to apply the Pancasila", will last for five years. A "white and red rosary" was distributed and prayed in all parishes, in homage to the colors of the flag.On June 1st thousands of faithful attended the Mass in the Jakarta Cathedral, during which Arch. Su...
The Pancasila “is the nation's iconic platform that encourages the unity of Indonesians - despite the various differences of ethnicity, language, culture, religion - and the value of Indonesia as a country. Thanks to the Pancasila, everyone can live in peace.” With these words Archbishop Ignatius Suharyo welcomed the government's decision to make June 1, the anniversary of the drafting of the “five principles” of the secular Constitution, a national holiday.
Already in the weeks before President Joko Widodo’s announcement, the Church had launched a special prayer campaign among all Indonesian faithful, to strengthen national unity. The program, called "How to apply the Pancasila", will last for five years. A "white and red rosary" was distributed and prayed in all parishes, in homage to the colors of the flag.
On June 1st thousands of faithful attended the Mass in the Jakarta Cathedral, during which Arch. Suharyo urged the community to return to the historical and philosophical-political reasoning that led to the birth of the nation on August 17, 1945 according to the principles of Pancasila. The five principles or pillars of Indonesia are: belief in one God, just and civilized humanity, unity of Indonesia, democracy and social justice They are included as a preamble to the Constitution, forcefully desired by the first president Sukarno. Fr. Harry Sulistyo, head of the Archdiocese communications office said that 65 parishes of the archdiocese the district held Masses to pray for national unity. (Source: AsiaNews)
(Vatican Radio) The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) welcomed as “a positive sign” the approval given by Syria’s government for the delivery of humanitarian aid to at least 11 besieged areas in the nation. The Damascus government has asked the United Nations and the Red Cross to send in the aid convoys. Krista Armstrong is an ICRC spokesperson for the Middle East and she spoke to Susy Hodges about the Red Cross’ reaction to this approval.Listen to the interview with Krista Armstrong, a spokesperson for the Middle East for the International Committee of the Red Cross: Asked for her reaction to the news, Armstrong said for a humanitarian agency like the ICRC such approval is always “a positive sign” and will allow it to meet, assess and “respond to the needs of people (on the ground) impartially.” “Increased humanitarian access”She also noted that this year the UN’s access to besieged areas ...
(Vatican Radio) The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) welcomed as “a positive sign” the approval given by Syria’s government for the delivery of humanitarian aid to at least 11 besieged areas in the nation. The Damascus government has asked the United Nations and the Red Cross to send in the aid convoys. Krista Armstrong is an ICRC spokesperson for the Middle East and she spoke to Susy Hodges about the Red Cross’ reaction to this approval.
Listen to the interview with Krista Armstrong, a spokesperson for the Middle East for the International Committee of the Red Cross:
Asked for her reaction to the news, Armstrong said for a humanitarian agency like the ICRC such approval is always “a positive sign” and will allow it to meet, assess and “respond to the needs of people (on the ground) impartially.”
“Increased humanitarian access”
She also noted that this year the UN’s access to besieged areas in Syria has “improved” and compared to 2015 has almost doubled. Describing the needs as “huge,” Armstrong concedes that these humanitarian aid convoys won’t be “sufficient” to meet the needs of those on the ground (in the besieged areas). What is also important, she continued, is that these aid deliveries are not “one-offs,” saying it was vital to take convoys into the besieged areas on a “repeated basis.” But it has to be recognized said Armstrong that “aid will not resolve this humanitarian crisis” which requires a political solution to the Syrian conflict.
Airdrops seen as “a last resort”
Asked about the call from the U.S., France and the UK for the UN to begin airdrops to besieged areas in Syria, Armstrong said these should be “seen as a last resort” and a short-term solution, describing them as “very difficult, very challenging, expensive and even “dangerous” in heavily populated, urban areas. She said a key advantage of sending in humanitarian aid convoys on the ground was that it enabled humanitarian workers to assess the needs of the local population and help ensure that the most vulnerable groups like the elderly and disabled do not miss out on gaining access to desperately-needed aid when it arrives in the area.
With the spotlight shining on the plight of Syria’s besieged civilians, the global Catholic peace network, Pax Christi International, believes the true number of besieged people across the war-torn nation could be over a million. According to United Nations figures, over half a million Syrians live in 19 areas designated as “besieged” and need sustained and regular access to aid. However, Pax Christi says a study they have done suggests the actual number of besieged Syrians could be almost double the official estimate.
Jan Jaap Van Oosterzee is an expert on Middle East affairs for Pax Christi International. He spoke to Susy Hodges.
(The interview can be listened to following the above interview with Krista Armstrong).
Van Oosterzee explained the reasons why Pax Christi believes the true figure of those Syrians living under siege is more than a million. He said that in their view, sieges “serve no military goal” and are really a form of collective punishment for the local population. What is worse, said Van Oosterzee, is that the different parties fighting in Syria’s conflict can even gain an economic advantage from sieges.
“In some situations, the armed groups may even benefit from sieges because they are in control of the smuggling routes so it’s really a way to punish communities.”
An Indian court on Thursday convicted 24 Hindu men for their role in one of the many deadly religious riots that swept across the western state of Gujarat for three months in 2002, leaving more than 1,000 dead. The Gujarat riots, which erupted after a train car full of Hindu nationalists was engulfed in a fire that killed 60 people inside, pitted mobs of Hindus against Muslims, who were widely blamed for setting the fire, though arson was never confirmed. The riots have long hounded Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was Gujarat's chief minister then, amid allegations that authorities allowed and even encouraged the bloodshed. Modi has repeatedly denied having any role, and India's Supreme Court has said it found no evidence to prosecute him.In the verdict, 11 of the defendants were found guilty of murder, while another 36 were acquitted of all charges in connection with the riot in a Muslim neighborhood called the Gulbarg Society in the city of Ahmadabad. Among...
An Indian court on Thursday convicted 24 Hindu men for their role in one of the many deadly religious riots that swept across the western state of Gujarat for three months in 2002, leaving more than 1,000 dead. The Gujarat riots, which erupted after a train car full of Hindu nationalists was engulfed in a fire that killed 60 people inside, pitted mobs of Hindus against Muslims, who were widely blamed for setting the fire, though arson was never confirmed. The riots have long hounded Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was Gujarat's chief minister then, amid allegations that authorities allowed and even encouraged the bloodshed. Modi has repeatedly denied having any role, and India's Supreme Court has said it found no evidence to prosecute him.
In the verdict, 11 of the defendants were found guilty of murder, while another 36 were acquitted of all charges in connection with the riot in a Muslim neighborhood called the Gulbarg Society in the city of Ahmadabad. Among those acquitted for lack of evidence was a leader of Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, Bipin Patel. In the attack, some 35 homes were set on fire and 69 people were killed, most of them burned to death, including a former lawmaker from the opposition Congress party, Ehsan Jafri. Jafri's widow said she was disappointed so many were acquitted. ``This verdict is half justice to me,'' Zakia Jafri said. The sentences are scheduled to be announced on June 6. Those convicted of murder could be sentenced to death.
According to Indian Jesuit human rights and peace activist, Fr. Cedric Prakash, "The verdict needs to be respected: at least 24 people have been convicted. There is some justice which has been done, but the fact is that is not enough!" The priest from Gujarat Jesuit province, who founded Prashant, the Ahmedabad-based Jesuit Centre for Human Rights, Justice, and Peace, has been one of the voices championing the cause of the Muslims and other minorities following the Gujarat carnage. Fr. Prakash noted that Jafri and her family and many other victim-survivors, who have lost a loved one, their kith and kin, there is naturally a feeling of dissatisfaction. He commended them saying, "These heroic persons, have demonstrated sheer grit and determination – for more than fourteen years now, in their struggle for truth and justice." "They have had to brave all hostilities, attempts at co-option and even betrayals- but they have stood resolute in their stand- as witnesses of what actually happened" While sharing Zakia's disillusionment over only 11 persons responsible for the murder of 69, while the big ones have be allowed to scot-free, Fr. Prakash said that victim-survivors, human rights defenders and many others would "continue their relentless pursuit of truth and justice, till the biggest perpetrators of the Gujarat Genocide are brought to book. Still a long way to go!"
IMAGE: CNS photo/Ghulamullah Habibi, EPABy Carol GlatzVATICANCITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis has requested a special study session at the Vaticanto look at how to solve the growing problem of drug abuse, especially narcotics.Leadingexperts from around the world are being invited "to examine and discusspossible innovative socio-political solutions" to drug use, abuse andprevention, a papal academy said."Followinga special wish of Pope Francis, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences is organizinga two-day workshop" Nov. 23-24 on the global problem of and solutions tothe abuse of narcotics, according to the academy's website, www.casinapioiv.va.Narcotics or opiates include heroin, oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine andmorphine.Theprogram will look at the history of drug use; how drugs are being produced,distributed and consumed; and preventing substance abuse, especially inchildren and young people, the website said."Drugsare one of the scourges of our globalized world, despite the enormous resou...
IMAGE: CNS photo/Ghulamullah Habibi, EPA
By Carol Glatz
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis has requested a special study session at the Vatican to look at how to solve the growing problem of drug abuse, especially narcotics.
Leading experts from around the world are being invited "to examine and discuss possible innovative socio-political solutions" to drug use, abuse and prevention, a papal academy said.
"Following a special wish of Pope Francis, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences is organizing a two-day workshop" Nov. 23-24 on the global problem of and solutions to the abuse of narcotics, according to the academy's website, www.casinapioiv.va. Narcotics or opiates include heroin, oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine and morphine.
The program will look at the history of drug use; how drugs are being produced, distributed and consumed; and preventing substance abuse, especially in children and young people, the website said.
"Drugs are one of the scourges of our globalized world, despite the enormous resources employed all over the world to fight drug trafficking and production," it said.
The workshop will look at the "relatively easy production of drugs in cities, slums and the countryside;" ways to fight the conditions fostering drug use; children being exploited by crime networks involved in the narcotics trade; and the effect legalizing "soft" or recreational drugs has had on communities.
It will also focus on scientific aspects, such as the effects of hard and soft drugs on the human body and brain "as well as the potential medical uses of certain drugs for specific diseases and disorders."
"Leading professionals, scientists, experts, medical doctors, researchers, practitioners, members of civil society, judges" and members of the pontifical academy are being invited to attend the workshop, it said.
When speaking to the U.N. General Assembly in 2015, Pope Francis said the narcotics trade was waging a new kind of war on society, calling it "a war which is taken for granted and poorly fought" in part because of corruption on multiple levels. "Drug trafficking is, by its very nature, accompanied by trafficking in persons, money laundering, the arms trade, child exploitation and other forms of corruption," he said.
When meeting drug enforcement personnel in 2014, he also condemned the legalization of recreational drugs, saying such measures were "not only highly questionable from a legislative standpoint, but they fail to produce the desired effects."
"No to every type of drug use. It is as simple as that," he said.
"Drug addiction is an evil, and with evil there can be no yielding or compromise. To think that harm can be reduced by permitting drug addicts to use narcotics in no way resolves the problem."
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