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(Vatican Radio) The President of the Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace, Cardinal Peter Turkson, on Monday opened an international seminar entitled “Sustainable development and the future of work  in the context of the Jubilee of Mercy” taking place in Rome.

Cardinal Turkson said it is “essential to seek comprehensive solutions which consider the interactions within natural systems themselves and with social systems.”

“We are faced not with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather with one complex crisis which is both social and environmental,” – he said – “Strategies for a solution demand an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature.”

The full text of Cardinal Turkson’s speech is below

“Sustainable development and the future of work

in the context of the Jubilee of Mercy”

Notre Dame University’s Global Gateway, Rome

Welcome

Cardinal Peter K.A. Turkson

2 May 2016

In this Jubilee Year of Mercy and on behalf of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, it is a great joy to open this Conference on “Sustainable development and the future of work”. Thank you to the International Labour Organization (ILO) and to Caritas Internationalis for working so hard with Justice and Peace as co-sponsors.

Allow me to welcome each and every participant, and to mention some delegations to give a sense of the breadth of our assembly:

Close to a dozen workers who represent national organisations in Asia, Africa and Latin America, and about the same number from the ILO.
Members of Catholic-inspired organizations concerned with decent work, including Caritas Internationalis, Justice and Peace Germany, Kolping, the associations for Christian business leaders (UNIAPAC), the young workers organisations, Catholic, agricultural and rural youth movements in Europe (MIJARC), the International Young Christian Workers (JOCI-IYCW and CiJOC), and the International Secretariat for Catholic Engineers, Agronomists and Industry Officials (SIIAEC).
We welcome Muslim participants from Morocco Egypt, and Ivory Coast, and also Coptic, and Armenian Orthodox representatives.
Social institutes from India, Ivory Coast and Mexico; the Programme for Union and Social Leadership of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, led by Fr Carlos Accaputo; and a significant new group from the U.S.A., organized by Fr Clete Kiley.

Hearing the words of welcome conveys a sense of the global reach and depth of our gathering, a real blessing. On the one hand, we benefit from the I.L.O.’s traditional tri-partite structure representing governments, employers, and workers and involving civil society. On the other, our meeting is “catholic” which essentially means universal. This cannot help but remind us of the frequent urging of Pope Francis to engage in dialogue as the indispensable means for the human family to face the great challenges of our time.

I. Celebrating

Yes, we are gathered to confront very serious challenges, and as we listen with solidarity we will certainly feel a real burden of injustices, indignities and suffering. But we are here to celebrate too:

In 2019, the I.L.O. will mark the centenary of its founding as part of the Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I.

The Preamble of the ILO constitution states, “Whereas universal and lasting peace can be established only if it is based upon social justice… And whereas conditions of labour exist involving such injustice, hardship and privation to large numbers of people as to produce unrest so great that the peace and harmony of the world are imperilled …”[1]

In 2017, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its establishment by Blessed Pope Paul VI. Vatican II explicitly requested that a body of the universal Church be established whose role would be “to stimulate the Catholic Community to foster development in needy regions and social justice among nations.”[2] Pope Paul VI implemented this directive on 6 January 1967 by setting up “Iustitia et Pax” and, two months later, he stated that “the name of this commission, Justice and Peace, aptly describes its program and its goal.”[3]

This year is the 125th anniversary of the first social encyclical, Rerum novarum (1891) of Pope Leo XIII. Pope Leo stressed the centrality of human dignity, stating that “to misuse [people] as though they were things in the pursuit of gain, or to value them solely for their physical powers - that is truly shameful and inhuman.”

The Holy Father argued vigorously that workers were owed a just or living wage. This was not to be equated with the wage determined by the law of the marketplace. Rather, it should obey “a dictate of natural justice more imperious and ancient than any bargain between man and man.” Pope Leo went on to specify: “To defraud any one of wages that are his due is a great crime which cries to the avenging anger of Heaven.” The centrality of work has direct implications for justice in society.

The notion of a just wage is one of the most consistent and central themes of Catholic social teaching. Wages cannot be left solely to the whim of the market, but must be influenced by justice and equity—a wage that allows people to live a truly human life and fulfil family obligations. In the words of Pope Francis, it is one of the ways people “find meaning, a destiny, and to live with dignity, to ‘live well’.” This is just as important today as it was in 1891 and will be throughout the 21st century.

So the mission of Justice and Peace, the Constitution of the I.L.O. and the social teaching of the Church coincide in linking development, justice, sustainability and peace with decent work.

II. Work in our Common Home

Laudato si’ is very much in the vision and tradition just outlined. It is fully in continuity with the major labour issues treated in Catholic Social Teaching from the beginning.

If you pick up Laudato si’ and ask, “What’s at the heart of this Encyclical of 246 paragraphs?” -- you will happily discover that at the very centre are six paragraphs (LS §§ 124-129) entitled “The need to protect employment.” It’s as if to affirm that decent and sustainable work is fundamental to how we care for our common home. Work acquires its true character when it is decent and sustainable for workers, employers, governments, communities, and the environment. Such work is the means for developing and expressing every individual’s human dignity, and it participates in the ongoing creative work of God. To quote Pope Francis: “we ourselves become the instrument used by God to bring out the potential which he himself inscribed in things” (§124). Unless decent work is sustainably provided for all, it will prove impossible to care for our common home. This may seem almost too simple to be true, but it is far too true to continue to be overlooked and violated!

Today we are living in the age of sustainable development. Last September, the leaders of the world endorsed the 17 Sustainable Developments Goals, which must guide and orient us over the next few decades. The basic idea behind sustainable development is that it is no longer sufficient to measure human progress in terms of economic growth and the accumulation of material wealth. True development must rest on three legs—economic development, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability. And if one leg collapses, then the entire structure collapses.

This sustainable development agenda was endorsed by Pope Francis in Laudato si’, and again at the United Nations last September when he opened the global summit that led to the endorsement of the goals. As he said in Laudato si’,

It is essential to seek comprehensive solutions which consider the interactions within natural systems themselves and with social systems. We are faced not with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather with one complex crisis which is both social and environmental. Strategies for a solution demand an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature. (LS §139)

Let me repeat, the idea of work is central to both sustainable development and the social doctrine of the Catholic Church. SDG 8 calls for us to “promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all.” In other words, a strong and vibrant economy is a “bottom up” economy, not a “top down” economy—it flows from the dignity of each individual who is able to participate in the common good and share in its benefits. The future of work, then, must be understood in this context of sustainable development and of the environment challenges that must be addressed throughout the world, no less in the North than in the South.

In Laudato si’, Pope Francis dwells on this issue in the context of sustainability. He notes that when the focus is on profit alone, not only are the poor excluded, but our common home is degraded. This reflects the technocratic paradigm—the tendency to see nature as something to be manipulated, mastered and controlled, with no concern for its inherent value or limits. Business is central to the challenges, and it must transform if it is to play a constructive role. This starts with bearing the true “economic and social costs of using up shared environmental resources”, which is a precondition for ethical behaviour. Pope Francis then calls for business to unleash its creativity and ingenuity to invest in sustainable business practices. This too is an aspect of the “work” that provides meaning, purpose, and fulfilment. After all, for a “noble” vocation, what could be nobler than saving the planet from human-induced ruin? More than anything else in this age of sustainable development, I believe that this will define the future of work.

Pope Francis has repeatedly warned against the temptation to reduce costs by replacing workers with advanced technology. The replacement of workers by technology raises grave ethical challenges because it elevates economic efficiency and productivity over human dignity. Pope Francis argues that in taking this path, “we end up working against ourselves”. As he puts it, “to stop investing in people, in order to gain greater short-term financial gain, is bad business for society.” I would say that it is bad business for business too. It is – and will be – much better business to put technology at the service of the common good, and the common good includes decent work for everyone in our sincle common home.

III. Conclusion

Quoting the mission of Justice and Peace, the I.L.O. Constitution and especially the Social Teaching of the Church from Pope Leo XIII to Pope Francis, I have posed many questions for our Conference to tackle. What will be the answer – what will greatly help to construct the answer -- is the sort of dialogue which we look forward to during this conference, thanks to the broad and deep representation which the Conference enjoys and the fundamental values and beliefs that bring us together.

We draw great inspiration from Pope Francis. Yesterday at the Regina Coeli, the Holy Father blessed our deliberations on sustainable development and the more vulnerable forms of work. He expressed the hope we all share: that this gathering may raise the awareness of political authorities, leaders in the economic realm, and all civil society so as to promote a model of development that takes human dignity into account, while it fully respects the labour laws and environmental norms as well.

With these words of warm welcome, I ask God to bless our Conference abundantly with the gift and grace of dialogue.

[1] http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/leg/download/constitution.pdf

[2] Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes, § 90.

[3] Paul VI, Populorum Progressio, § 5.

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday received the participants in the General Chapter of the The Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy – the Mercedarian Order – which was founded in 1218 by Saint Peter Nolasco, as an international community of priests and brothers, who live a life of prayer and communal fraternity based on the Rule of Saint Augustine, with the distinguishing characteristic of their charism being their willingness – expressed in a special vow – to lay down their lives for those in danger, especially those in danger of losing their faith.

Mercedarians have always understood the redemption of captives as a permanent service for the faith of those Christians who were most in danger of denying Jesus Christ and, as a result, in danger of losing their souls.

The Mercedarians are celebrating their General Chapter in view of the upcoming 800^th Jubilee of their Order’s founding.

In remarks prepared for the occasion and delivered on Monday morning, Pope Francis celebrated the illustrious history of the Mercedarian Order, and called on participants to make a prayerful search for ways to adapt their history of heroic witness to the needs of the present.

“May this chapter may be a privileged occasion for a sincere and fruitful dialogue,” said Pope Francis, “[one] that will not remain in the glorious past, but examines the difficulties encountered on that path, hesitations and errors.” The Holy Father went on to say, “The real life of the Order must be sought in the ongoing effort to adapt and renew itself, in order to give a generous response to the real needs of the world and the Church, in a manner faithful to the perennial heritage of which [the Mercedarians of today] are depositaries.”

In the world today, the Mercedarians are present in 17 countries, where they continue to rescue people from modern types of captivity, especially those social, political, and psychological forms of captivity, which endanger their faith. They work in jails, marginal neighborhoods, among addicts, and in hospitals. In the United States, the Order of Mercy gives special emphasis to preserving the faith of families through education and parish work.

The Holy Father concluded with an exhortation, saying, “In the eighth centenary of the Order, do not cease ‘to proclaim the Year of Favor of the Lord’ to all those to whom you are sent: to those held prisoner and persecuted because of their faith; to victims of trafficking; to the young people in your schools; to all those who are served by your works of mercy and to all the faithful you serve in the parishes and missions with which you have been entrusted by the Church.”

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(Vatican Radio) On the Sixth Sunday of Easter at the Pontifical Scots College in Rome, three seminarians were ordained to the diaconate.

Listen: 

The three men were ordained by Bishop Joseph Toal from the Diocese of Motherwell in Scotland. Paul Denney, Bernard Mournian and Jonathan Whitworth have been in priestly formation for six years. The men are now transitional deacons, meaning that they have made promises of obedience and celibacy. They intend to be ordained to the priesthood in Scotland next year.

Whitworth, from the Diocese of Paisley and a student of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family, said the entire day was a humbling experience. Reflecting on the Mass, he noted, “What comes to mind is the Litany of the Saints, when we were prostrated on the ground. When you hear the names of the saints being called out, asking them for their petitions, it is a deeply humbling experience. That’s what will stay with me forever, I’m sure.”

Bishop Toal was invited to the Eternal City to ordain the men because two of them are from his own diocese. Speaking ahead of the Ordination Mass, he said, “As some of the young men from today’s group of Scottish seminarians come to their diaconate ordination the Church in Scotland looks forward with anticipation and longing to their diaconal and priestly ministry in our dioceses – some may also be called later to the episcopal ministry, although it is unlikely I will be around to reminisce!”

Although the formation programme at the Scots College lasts seven years, Mournian believes that it is important to soak up as much of the Roman way of life as possible before returning to Scotland. “The gift of these years in Rome has been an incomparably precious privilege as I continue in my vocation. I cannot thank the Lord enough for giving me the opportunity to study and live in this wonderful place, which I will always consider as my second home.”

Almost two hundred people were present at the Mass. Special guests of honor included the newly ordained deacons’ families and a second Scottish Bishop, Stephen Robson, who was formerly a Spiritual Director at the College. The Rector, Fr Daniel Fitzpatrick, was delighted with how smoothly everything went, giving special thanks to the College community for their support and prayers in the period before the ordination.

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The Bishop of Nsukka Diocese in Nigeria, Godfrey Igwebuike Onah has joined people of his area in accusing local police and security of literally abandoning them when herdsmen brutally attacked the mostly farming area. The killings termed by some Nigerian media as a “blood bath” took place on 25 April 2016 and were perpetrated by invading militants suspected to be Fulani herdsmen.

The figures vary but estimates say as many as 40 innocent people of Nimbo in Uzo-Uwani local Government Area, Enugu State may have been killed. Nigeria’s mass-circulating daily, ‘This Day,' quoting local sources, put the figure of those killed at 48. In a Press Statement entitled, “Stop the Madness,” Bishop Onah accused the local police and security forces of “tactically withdrawing” shortly before the attack only to return to the scene later. He also said the police and local security made no attempt to pursue immediately and arrest the perpetrators.

The Bishop further wonders why mostly Christians and their properties were targetted.

“The invading militants killed and maimed anybody they could find. The only houses they attacked were Christian religious houses. They burnt the house of one Pastor and from there headed straight to the residence of the Catholic Priest, where they attempted to burn the house but could not, since they did not find any petrol in the car or in a motorcycle parked there,” Bishop Onah said in the Press Statement.

Nigeria’s Vanguard newspaper quoted critics of President Muhammadu Buhari, castigating him and his government for not reacting decisively to attacks by herdsmen since taking office. Last week, the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed told Nigerian media that the government was working "silently" to end the carnage.  Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka has also added his voice and expressed disquiet at what he said was Buhari’s “inability to rein-in on the violent activities of herdsmen across the country.”

An earlier attack in Agatu, Benue State during the month of March left more than 100 people dead. The Jama’atu Nasril Islam, (JNI), an umbrella group of all Nigerian Muslims on Sunday told ‘This Day’ newspaper that it “was absurd to blame Fulani herdsmen for the brutal murders of innocent citizens in Agatu, Benue State and Nimbo, Enugu State and some parts of Nasarawa State.” Nigeria’s Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) worldwide and the Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) of Nigeria instead condemned the Northern Governors Forum (NGF) for refusing to criminalise the actions of the Fulani herdsmen.

President Muhammadu Buhari reacted to the recent escalation in communal violence by ordering police and the military to “stop the carnage.”

Still reeling from the Boko Haram insurgency, the clashes involving Fulani herdsmen are not, however, new to Nigeria. The low-level conflict has raged on for over twenty years in the north of the country. Recently, though, that conflict has shown signs of escalating and of steadily being taken southwards. The methods and weapons used are now more sophisticated and deadly. Equally disturbing in the latest April attack is the fact that it was more or less expected to happen.

At the heart of it all is the changing climate.

Extremely low rainfall has led to increased desertification of the common nomadic grazing lands of the nomadic Fulani tribes in the north of the country. The Fulani herdsmen are now pushing farther south in search of new pasture and water for their cattle. Their move southwards has at times been violent and in the recent clashes ofApril, the herdsmen were armed with deadly AK 47 assault rifles.

There are genuine fears in Nigeria and abroad that if nothing is done to curb the violence, the Fulani herdsmen could become radicalised and more dangerous than Boko Haram. 

(Email: engafrica@vatiradio.va)

Below is the full Press Statement following the Massacre of Innocent Citizens in Nimbo, by Suspected Fulani Herdsmen

NSUKKA, NIGERIA - Apr 30, 2016

STOP THIS MADNESS!
(A Press Statement following the Massacre of Innocent Citizens in Nimbo, by Suspected Fulani Herdsmen)

«A voice is heard in Ramah, lamenting and weeping bitterly: it is Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children, because they are no more» (Jer 31:15).

This passage from the Prophet Jeremiah captures the present mood in Nsukka and, especially, in the hitherto quiet and peaceful farming community of Nimbo in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area. When the news broke about the massacre of innocent, unarmed and defenceless citizens of Nimbo in the early hours of Monday 25 April by invading armed militants, suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, the first question that popped into my mind was: “Again?” This was because similar stories had been heard from many parts of the country in recent times, including Abbi, another community in our Diocese, also in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area. The news of the attack was soon followed by a flood of human beings fleeing their homes and emptying into the urban centre of Nsukka, many of them scantily clad women clutching only their babies. Wailing filled the air as vans brought in lifeless bodies of persons who were slaughtered like animals for the crime of having been found in their homes or on the way to their farms. Such scenes sent the minds of the older ones back to similar scenes in 1966, when our people had to flee the places they had considered their homes in other parts of the country, as a result of the first ethnic cleansing in modern African history. The big difference now, 50 years after, is that we are being chased out of our homes in our own land, from our own farms, from our Churches, from our schools and from our village markets. As our people say, if a man is pursued from outside, he runs into his house; but when he is pursued from his house, he has no place to run to.

The most painful aspect of the Nimbo massacre is that it was announced, expected and executed without inhibition – in broad daylight! The State Government is reported to have made attempts to provide security in the area prior to the incident. But what those who lost their dear ones (especially those little babies now blankly staring into an uncertain future, because their fathers have been senselessly murdered) and all of us want to know is why, as the reports go, the security forces “tactically” withdrew shortly before the attack and why, when they later returned to the scene, there was no attempt to immediately pursue and arrest the perpetrators. At present, nobody can say with certainty the number of those killed, given that more of those who were badly wounded are still dying and some bodies are still being recovered from the bush where the people had been killed while taking refuge. Today, Nimbo is like a ghost town.

It is equally disturbing that whereas the invading militants killed and maimed anybody they could find, the only houses they attacked were Christian religious houses. They burnt the house of one Pastor and from there headed straight to the residence of the Catholic Priest, where they attempted to burn the house but could not, since they did not find any petrol in the car and a motorcycle parked there, in the generator, and in the containers. When their attempt to break into the house also failed, they fired gunshots into the rooms, in an attempt to kill all those whom they suspected were hiding inside. And we are forced to ask: If these men were only herdsmen, why did they particularly single out Churches for their attack?

Nsukka people are peace-loving people. Why would anybody single them out for this type of massacre? In the name of God, I appeal to my peace-loving people to please remain law abiding and not to take the law into their hands. But even as I do this, I hear them asking aloud: Are there really any laws in this country guaranteeing the safety of our life and property even in our homes? If there are, is there anybody out there ready to enforce them? Or has this become a lawless country where violent persons can kidnap and kill, rob and rape innocent citizens in their homes, on the road, in their farms, at any time of the day or night, unhindered? How are we supposed to react to these threats to our very survival as a people when the Federal Government, who controls the security agencies, seems unwilling to protect us and the State Government appears incapable of defending us, since it has no control over these agencies? Our young people are asking us why the Police and the Armed Forces of the Federal Government are so swift and sometimes so high-handed in their reaction when unarmed persons march the streets in protest in the South East and so heavy-footed when it comes to stopping the massacre of the South Easterners anywhere in the country, even in their own homes. They are asking whether Boko Haram has actually been weakened or has only been redeployed from the North East to the South East. And we are scratching our heads in vain for the correct answers.

While we wait for these answers, we shout a loud and an absolute “NO!” to any form of violence even in the face of this persistent provocation. Reprisal attacks are not the answer. They are wrong; they are unlawful; they are un-Christian. Besides, we should not give the Police and the Army any excuses for adding to our woes, as they are sure to respond rapidly to any perceived form of aggression on our part.

We appreciate the position taken by President Muhammadu Buhari on this latest war-like attack on a peaceful community and hope that his directives will be carried out promptly. Protection of life and property of citizens is the primary responsibility of government and every other act of governance would lose its meaning if this was not guaranteed. We are consoled by what the President said. But only concrete actions can lead to the return of normalcy in the community. Nimbo and its neighbouring communities are among the few remaining farming communities in our area and the herdsmen had earlier chased the people out of their larger farms. The rains have just started and they had begun work in the smaller farms nearer to their homes. And even from there too they have now been chased out. It is sad that in these hard times, when many have been crushed by the harsh economic conditions in the country, in addition to the loss of loved ones, many of our people are now homeless and all of us will also face the problem of acute food shortage in the near future.

We call on the Federal Government not only to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of the massacre as well as their sponsors and collaborators, as the President has directed, but also to disarm all those who carry assault rifles publicly when they have no permission to bear arms. Some people predicted that Nigeria would be a failed State by the year 2015. All of us heaved a sigh of relief after the general elections and the smooth handover last year. But any further delay in dealing with this and similar cases all over the country may lead those who made that prediction to affirm that its realization has only been delayed not avoided. If these incessant attacks and raids going on in many parts of the country are not stopped immediately, it may happen that by the time our President has won the war against corruption, there will no longer be any Nigeria left for him to govern.
We thank Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for the efforts he made to prevent the tragedy and for his timely interventions after, without which more lives would certainly have been lost. We expect, however, that he will use the tools at his disposal to prevent its reoccurrence in any part of the State and to find out why, despite his efforts and prior information, the security agents failed to protect the lives of innocent citizens. To our Senator Chuka Utazi, we say “Gbagaa!”, in all the meanings of that word, for what he has been and done for his people during this time of crisis. We also thank the Inspector General of Police Solomon Arase, for promptly visiting Nimbo and for promising to bring those responsible for the massacre to book. But we are forced to wonder whether it does not bother him that some herdsmen in this country are better armed than some of our Policemen. Does it mean that the lives of cattle in some parts of the country are worth more than the lives of human beings in some other parts?

The Catholic Diocese of Nsukka is in mourning for her dead children and in pains for the displaced ones. We are also living in fear because we do not know where and when the armed militants will strike next. In the meantime, we shall do what we can to offer some help to the displaced persons, relying on the usual generosity of our people. But we have absolute faith in the abiding presence of God among us. In these difficult and trying times, all of us, especially those who have lost dear ones, should know that God is even nearer to us than we thought. Let us turn to him in prayer, asking him to receive our dead ones in his kingdom and heal our bleeding hearts. We direct that Masses and prayers be offered in all the Churches in the Diocese next Sunday, while awaiting the detailed programme for our prayer in this period which will be announced later. As good Christians, we should, like our Lord Jesus Christ, pray for those who persecute and kill us: «Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing» (Lk 23:34). We also pray for those whose responsibility it is to protect and defend us. We are sure that in no distant time we shall also hear the voice of the Lord saying to us: «Stop your weeping dry your eyes… There is hope for your future after all… your children will return to their homeland» (Jer 31:16-17).

Nigeria is a country richly blessed by God with abundant human and natural resources. For decades we have continued to senselessly slaughter ourselves, squander our resources and destroy our environment. We call on all to please stop this madness, so that, as a people, we may realize our full potentials for the benefit of all and to the glory of God.

Godfrey Igwebuike ONAH

(Catholic Bishop of Nsukka)

Friday 29 April 2016

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis is to receive 6 thousand homeless people from all over Europe, who will be making a pilgrimage to Rome from November 11^th to 13^th, at the close of the Year of Mercy.

Organized by the FRATELLO Association – an initiative born in the wake of the 2014 pilgrimage of 150 people then living on the streets in France – the 2016 pilgrimage is one in which organizations throughout Europe aiding the poorest and most vulnerable brothers and sisters in society are invited to participate.

The event program for the 2016 European Festival of Joy and Mercy, includes catechetical sessions – including several occasions to pray with and hear from Pope Francis – group activities organized by language, and breakout sessions with team leaders. 

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Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila met with HIV patients and their families on April 30 at the San Lazaro Hospital in Sta. Cruz, Manila.

The Cardinal told the people with HIV to have courage and "never lose their faith." It was an emotional moment for the cardinal, who spent half an hour with around 25 patients and their families.

Father Emerico Sixto San Juan, who was also inside the ward, said the cardinal urged the patients to keep praying and find their strength from faith.

"The cardinal told them to have courage and keep their faith in God," said Father San Juan, who is also the rector of the San Carlos Minor Seminary.

Cardinal Tagle, who just came from a three-day Caritas Solidarity Conference in Nepal, also spoke with the patients' families and warned against the damage done to children when they see their parents fighting. The cardinal said it is normal that couples fight but urged them not to end the day without making peace.

"Cardinal told the parents to immediately settle their differences because it adds to the physical sickness of their children with HIV," Father San Juan added. (UCAN)

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