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(Vatican Radio) The Jubilee for teens got underway Saturday as part of the celebrations for the Extraordinary Year of Mercy. The theme for this three day event is "Growing merciful as the Father”, and brings together 70 thousand teenagers from here in Italy and all over the world.The event kicked off with a pilgrimage to the Holy Door, followed by confessions which were heard by the priests present and by Pope Francis himself, in the colonnade of St Peter’s Basilica.Later on Saturday the teens will travel to Rome’s Olympic Stadium where there will be a video message from the Holy Father.Meanwhile, on Sunday morning the 13 to 16 year olds will be back in St Peter’s Square for a Mass presided over by Pope Francis.Among those who have traveled to Rome to be at this event is the Sullivan family from North Carolina in the United States.Ryan and Emily Sullivan along with their parents Susan and Matt dropped into the studios of Vatican Radio to talk abou...
(Vatican Radio) The Jubilee for teens got underway Saturday as part of the celebrations for the Extraordinary Year of Mercy. The theme for this three day event is "Growing merciful as the Father”, and brings together 70 thousand teenagers from here in Italy and all over the world.
The event kicked off with a pilgrimage to the Holy Door, followed by confessions which were heard by the priests present and by Pope Francis himself, in the colonnade of St Peter’s Basilica.
Later on Saturday the teens will travel to Rome’s Olympic Stadium where there will be a video message from the Holy Father.
Meanwhile, on Sunday morning the 13 to 16 year olds will be back in St Peter’s Square for a Mass presided over by Pope Francis.
Among those who have traveled to Rome to be at this event is the Sullivan family from North Carolina in the United States.
Ryan and Emily Sullivan along with their parents Susan and Matt dropped into the studios of Vatican Radio to talk about the Teen Jubilee with Lydia O’Kane.
Listen to the interview
Both Emily and Ryan spoke of their excitement at being in Rome for such a significant gathering with Emily adding that it was “cool” that this weekend’s Jubilee was for their age group.
“It’s exciting as a youth to be thought of and focused on”, she said.
Parents Matt and Susan are hoping that this experience with resonate with their children and will be an opportunity for them to “explore their faith”.
For Susan having a Teen Jubilee is extremely important, remarking that they are “they future of our Church.”
The Teen Jubilee runs until Monday 25th.
Expressing grave concern over a number of issues regarding the right to housing in India, an independent United Nations human rights expert called on the government on Friday for immediate attention and implementation of the right to ensure adequate housing for the most disadvantaged. “I am extremely concerned for the millions of people who experience exclusion, discrimination, evictions, insecure tenure, homelessness and who lack hope of accessing affordable and adequate housing in their lifetimes,” Leilani Farha, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, warned at the end of her two-week official visit to the country. Discrimination and social exclusion, urban homelessness, and evictions are among some most complex housing issues, according to the UN rights expert. “I have been told that evictions are most often carried out against the most vulnerable populations, most of whom are living below the poverty line,” said Farha, ad...
Expressing grave concern over a number of issues regarding the right to housing in India, an independent United Nations human rights expert called on the government on Friday for immediate attention and implementation of the right to ensure adequate housing for the most disadvantaged. “I am extremely concerned for the millions of people who experience exclusion, discrimination, evictions, insecure tenure, homelessness and who lack hope of accessing affordable and adequate housing in their lifetimes,” Leilani Farha, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, warned at the end of her two-week official visit to the country.
Discrimination and social exclusion, urban homelessness, and evictions are among some most complex housing issues, according to the UN rights expert. “I have been told that evictions are most often carried out against the most vulnerable populations, most of whom are living below the poverty line,” said Farha, adding that “forced evictions are often implemented without any consultation with residents, without sufficient or any notice, and commonly result in homelessness.”
While recognizing India’s efforts to address disparities and the living conditions in slums throughout the country, as well as ensuring water, sanitation and electricity in some rehabilitation and redevelopment sites, Farha stressed that much more needs to be done to improve mounting inequality in urban areas. “A two-track policy response is urgently needed, one that addresses the backlog of housing shortage, and the other that prepares India for upcoming housing needs,” she said.
The UN expert further urged the Government to adopt national housing legislation based in both its national and international human rights commitments. A moratorium on evictions, immediate obligations to adequately address homelessness, and that is in line with some of its most progressive state plans for in situ rehabilitation for slum dwellers are of great urgency and priority,. Farha noted.
Independent experts or special rapporteurs are appointed by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a country situation or a specific human rights theme. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work. (Source: UN)
Almost two thirds of children who have not been immunized with basic vaccines live in countries that are either partially or entirely affected by conflict, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday, ahead of World Immunization Week. Of countries in conflict, South Sudan has the highest percentage of unimmunized children, with 61 per cent not receiving the most basic childhood vaccines, followed by Somalia (58 per cent) and Syria (57 per cent), UNICEF said in a press release. “Conflict creates an ideal environment for disease outbreaks,” said UNICEF Chief of Immunization Robin Nandy. “Children miss out on basic immunizations because of the breakdown – and sometimes deliberate destruction – of vital health services. Even when medical services are available, insecurity in the area often prevents them from reaching children,” Nandy added.The major causes of childhood illness and death include measles, diarrho...
Almost two thirds of children who have not been immunized with basic vaccines live in countries that are either partially or entirely affected by conflict, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday, ahead of World Immunization Week. Of countries in conflict, South Sudan has the highest percentage of unimmunized children, with 61 per cent not receiving the most basic childhood vaccines, followed by Somalia (58 per cent) and Syria (57 per cent), UNICEF said in a press release. “Conflict creates an ideal environment for disease outbreaks,” said UNICEF Chief of Immunization Robin Nandy. “Children miss out on basic immunizations because of the breakdown – and sometimes deliberate destruction – of vital health services. Even when medical services are available, insecurity in the area often prevents them from reaching children,” Nandy added.
The major causes of childhood illness and death include measles, diarrhoea, respiratory infections and malnutrition, which can worsen in conflict and emergencies, according to UNICEF. When children contract measles in non-conflict settings, less than one per cent of them die. In areas where crowding and malnutrition are rife, such as refugee camps, child deaths from measles can increase to up to 30 per cent of cases. Overcrowding and lack of basic necessities like food, water and shelter make children even more vulnerable to disease, the agency noted.
Children in areas in conflict also see the killing of health workers and the destruction of medical facilities, supplies and equipment, all of which have a disastrous effect on their health. Conflict-affected areas in Pakistan and Afghanistan are the last remaining strongholds of poliovirus, which has otherwise been eliminated from the rest of the world, UNICEF said.
World Immunization Week is marked annually at the end of April to promote the use of life-saving vaccines for all children – particularly those who are consistently excluded. The event is observed by UNICEF, immunization partners, governments and civil society organizations around the world. World Immunization Week 2016 runs from 24 to 30 April. (Source: UN)
Vatican City, Apr 23, 2016 / 06:11 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis on Saturday heard the confessions of young people in St. Peter's Square as part of this weekend's Jubilee for Boys and Girls, an event which is expected to draw tens of thousands of teenagers from around the world. Sitting on simple chairs out in the open along with other priests just within the Square's colonnade, the Pope offered the sacrament of reconciliation to 16 boys and girls between 11:30am and 12:45, the Vatican press office said. More than 150 priests were in the square to hear confessions, according to Vatican Radio. This is not the first time Pope Francis has heard the confessions of pilgrims. Most recently, the Pope took part in a penance service during the March 4 “24 Hours for the Lord.”The Jubilee for Boys and Girls, which is the latest initiative for the Jubilee Year of Mercy, is directed specifically towards young teenagers.The event began at 11am on...
Vatican City, Apr 23, 2016 / 06:11 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis on Saturday heard the confessions of young people in St. Peter's Square as part of this weekend's Jubilee for Boys and Girls, an event which is expected to draw tens of thousands of teenagers from around the world.
Sitting on simple chairs out in the open along with other priests just within the Square's colonnade, the Pope offered the sacrament of reconciliation to 16 boys and girls between 11:30am and 12:45, the Vatican press office said. More than 150 priests were in the square to hear confessions, according to Vatican Radio.
This is not the first time Pope Francis has heard the confessions of pilgrims. Most recently, the Pope took part in a penance service during the March 4 “24 Hours for the Lord.”
The Jubilee for Boys and Girls, which is the latest initiative for the Jubilee Year of Mercy, is directed specifically towards young teenagers.
The event began at 11am on April 23 with confessions continuing through to the afternoon, at 6pm, in St. Peter's Square.
Later in the evening, the young people will make their way to Rome's Olympic Stadium for a youth rally, during which Pope Francis will deliver a video message to those taking part in the event.
On Sunday, the Pope will preside over Mass in St. Peter's Square for the teenagers taking part in the event.
The event officially concludes Monday, which is an Italian national holiday.
According to the Jubilee for Mercy website, pilgrims over the course of the three days “will be able to hear witnesses describing their deep experiences of the Works of Mercy in seven piazzas in the City Center of Rome.”
The Jubilee of Mercy is an Extraordinary Holy Year which December 8 – the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception – with the opening of the Holy Door in St. Peter's Basilica. It will close Nov. 20, 2016 with the Solemnity of Christ the King.
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