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Indian Cardinal Oswald Gracias has expressed his ‎condolences to the families of the victims of the pre-dawn fire on Sunday at the Puttingal Devi ‎temple complex in the village of Paravoor, in southern India’s Kerala state, which killed at least 110 people and injured more than ‎‎380.  ‎The tragedy began when a spark from an illegal fireworks show ignited a separate stash of fireworks ‎being ‎stored illegally on site. 

“The Catholic Church in India will extend all medical assistance to the ‎more than 350 ‎people injured,” the prelate who is Archbishop of Bombay and president of India’s Latin ‎rite bishops ‎told AsiaNews.  He ‎also assured “the injured of his spiritual closeness”.‎  ‎

Meanwhile, Church-run hospitals are providing medical assistance to the injured.  Father George ‎Rebeiro of Quilon Diocese said around 100 injured people are being treated at the diocese-operated ‎Bishop Benziger Hospital and at the Holy Cross Hospital on the town's outskirts.   "The church is ‎anguished because this was an avoidable tragedy. The death and suffering came invited by human ‎carelessness," Father Rebeiro said.  "There are rules against storing such huge quantities of explosives ‎but unfortunately there seems to be a laxity in enforcing the rules," he said.   Over the last five decades ‎Kerala has had over 400 temple-related accidents — both small and large — where more than 400 ‎people have died, reported One India.‎

Pope Francis also expressed his sadness at the deaths and injury caused by the tragedy.  Writing on behalf of the Holy Father, Vatican Secretary of State, ‎Cardinal ‎Pietro Parolin sent a message saying, “His Holiness Pope Francis was saddened to learn of the ‎tragic ‎fire at the ‎Puttingal temple complex in Paravur, and he sends condolences to the ‎relatives of ‎the ‎deceased and injured.” “Praying for all affected by this ‎tragedy, and for the relief efforts ‎underway, ‎Pope Francis invokes upon the ‎nation the divine blessings of strength and peace,” Cardinal ‎Parolin ‎added. ‎

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a Message to the participants in a major conference sponsored by Pax Christi International, the Catholic Peacebuilding Network, and the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, exploring the theme: Nonviolence and Just Peace: Contributing to the Catholic Understanding of and Commitment to Nonviolence.

Addressed to the President of the Pontical Council for Justice and Peace, Cardinal Peter Turkson, the Message renews the Holy Father's call for an end to the use of the death penalty, and calls on all people of good will to recognize what Christians profess as a consequence of faith: that it is only by considering our peers as brothers and sisters that humanity can overcome wars and conflicts.

Below, please find the full text of the Holy Father's Message, in English

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Your Eminence,

I am delighted to convey my most cordial greetings to you and to all the participants in the Conference on Nonviolence and Just Peace: Contributing to the Catholic Understanding of and Commitment to Nonviolence, which will take place in Rome from the 11^th to 13^th of April 2016.

This encounter, jointly organized by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and Pax Christi International, takes on a very special character and value during the Jubilee Year of Mercy. In effect, mercy is “a source of joy, serenity and peace”,[1] a peace which is essentially interior and flows from reconciliation with the Lord.[2] Nevertheless, the participants’ reflections must also take into account the current circumstances in the world at large and the historical moment in which the Conference is taking place, and of course these factors also heighten expectations for the Conference.

In order to seek solutions to the unique and terrible ‘world war in instalments’ which, directly or indirectly, a large part of humankind is presently undergoing, it helps us to think back in time. Let us rediscover the reasons that led the sons and daughters of a still largely Christian civilization in the last century to create the Pax Christi Movement and the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. From their example we learn that to bring about true peace, it is necessary to bring people together concretely so as to reconcile peoples and groups with opposing ideological positions. It is also necessary to work together for what persons, families, peoples and nations feel is their right, namely, to participate on a social, political and economic level in the goods of the modern world.[3] Further, the “unceasing effort on the part of that higher creative imagination which we call diplomacy”[4] must be continuously nourished; and justice in a globalized world, which is “order in freedom and conscious duty”,[5] must constantly be promoted. In a word, humanity needs to refurbish all the best available tools to help the men and women of today to fulfil their aspirations for justice and peace.

Accordingly, your thoughts on revitalising the tools of non-violence, and of active non-violence in particular, will be a needed and positive contribution. This is what as participants in the Rome Conference you propose to do. In this message I would like to remind you of some further points which are especially of concern to me.

The basic premise is that the ultimate and most deeply worthy goal of human beings and of the human community is the abolition of war.[6] In this vein, we recall that the only explicit condemnation issued by the Second Vatican Council was against war,[7] although the Council recognized that, since war has not been eradicated from the human condition, “governments cannot be denied the right to legitimate defence once every means of peaceful settlement has been exhausted.”[8]

Another cornerstone is to recognize that “conflict cannot be ignored or concealed. It has to be faced.”[9] Of course, the purpose is not to remain trapped within a framework of conflict, thus losing our overall perspective and our sense of the profound unity of reality.[10] Rather, we must accept and tackle conflict so as to resolve it and transform it into a link in that new process which “peacemakers” initiate.[11]

As Christians, we also know that it is only by considering our peers as brothers and sisters that we will overcome wars and conflicts. The Church tirelessly repeats that this is true not merely at an individual level but also at the level of peoples and nations, for it truly regards the International Community as the “Family of Nations”. That is why, in this year’s Message for the World Day of Peace, I made an appeal to States’ leaders to renew “their relations with other peoples and to enable their real participation and inclusion in the life of the international community, in order to ensure fraternity within the family of nations as well.”[12]

Furthermore, we know as Christians that, in order to make this happen, the greatest obstacle to be removed is the wall of indifference. Recent history justifies using the word ‘wall’ not in a figurative sense alone, for unhappily it is an all too tangible reality. This phenomenon of indifference touches not only our fellow human beings but also the natural environment, with often disastrous consequences in terms of security and social peace.[13]

Nevertheless, we can succeed in overcoming indifference – but only if, in imitation of the Father, we are able to show mercy. Such mercy is so to speak ‘political’ because it is expressed in solidarity, which is the moral and social attitude that responds best to the awareness of the scourges of our time and of the inter-dependence of life at its different levels – the connections between an individual life, the family, and the local and global community.[14]

In our complex and violent world, it is truly a formidable undertaking to work for peace by living the practice of non-violence! Equally daunting is the aim of achieving full disarmament “by reaching people’s very souls”,[15] building bridges, fighting fear and pursuing open and sincere dialogue. The practice of dialogue is in fact difficult. We must be prepared for give and take. We must not assume that the others are wrong. Instead, accepting our differences and remaining true to our positions, we must seek the good of all; and, after having finally found agreement, we must firmly maintain it.[16]

We can joyfully anticipate an abundance of cultural differences and varied life experiences among the participants in the Rome Conference, and these will only enhance the exchanges and contribute to the renewal of the active witness of non-violence as a “weapon” to achieve peace.

Finally, I would like to invite all those present to support two requests I addressed to governmental authorities in this Jubilee Year: to abolish the death penalty where it is still in force, and to consider the possibility of an amnesty; and to forgive or manage in a sustainable way the international debt of the poorer nations.[17]

I warmly wish Your Eminence and all the participants fruitful and successful labours, and I extend to you all my Apostolic Blessing.

 

                                                                                              Francisco

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(Vatican Radio) The President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Cardinal Peter Turkson, welcomed participants on Monday in a major conference jointly sponsored and organized by the Dicastery he heads, along with Pax Christi International and the Catholic Peacebuilding Network. Cardinal Turkson began by reading the Holy Father's Message to participants in its entirety, before offering a reflection on the true meaning of peace.

Below, please find the text of Cardinal Turkson's reflections in English

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The Christian position does not accept the reduction of social relationships to choices between being the master or the slave. Instead, it calls for a spiritual conversion so that relationships of unjust domination may give way to practices of fraternal love and solidarity. Such is the value of peace as taught by Christ; and this is the option that Pax Christi and CPN embrace.

Let me raise two points that contribute to a Christian assessment of situations of violence.

First, consider the distinction between tension and violence. St John Paul II: “Violence is evil, … violence is unacceptable as a solution to problems, … violence is unworthy of man.”[18] The men and women of our age are inclined to cry out against injustice when they think that their aspirations are being frustrated; so they think it is their duty to support every sort of social upheaval that they deem justified because it aims at ending their frustration. This betrays ignorance of the mechanisms by which social structures evolve.

Pope Francis gave a very detailed analysis of this phenomenon in his a braccio speech to the World Youth Forum on 13 August 2015. Tension, he said, is inevitable; differences between individuals and groups are not always an evil. Moreover, he added, a society without tension would be rather sad; tensions are part of life, and some of them can present opportunities for struggle over ways to create greater fraternity among people and to constantly intensify this search.

Second, we ought to think about what is needed to “establish peace” – a reflection in Gaudium et Spes (§78) that led to the establishment of the Pontifical Council (cf § 90).

Pope Francis speaks in simple terms about peace-making. These terms, found in three paragraphs of Evangelii Gaudium, convey the philosophical foundations for building peace, from local harmony to a fraternal international community.

The Holy Father begins with a focus on the dignity of the human person and the common good:

Peace in society cannot be understood as pacification or the mere absence of violence resulting from the domination of one part of society over others. Nor does true peace act as a pretext for justifying a social structure which silences or appeases the poor, so that the more affluent can placidly support their lifestyle while others have to make do as they can. Demands involving the distribution of wealth, concern for the poor and human rights cannot be suppressed under the guise of creating a consensus on paper or a transient peace for a contented minority. The dignity of the human person and the common good rank higher than the comfort of those who refuse to renounce their privileges. When these values are threatened, a prophetic voice must be raised. (§218)

So the foundation of peace is justice. In this Pope Francis echoes St John XXIII, whose Pacem in Terris sought peace not in the absence of war but in human hearts. As Blessed Paul VI asserted, peace is not “simply the absence of warfare, based on a precarious balance of power; it is fashioned by efforts directed day after day towards the establishment of the ordered universe willed by God, with a more perfect justice among men”.[19] So “In the end,” says Pope Francis, “a peace which is not the result of integral development will be doomed; it will always spawn new conflicts and various forms of violence.” (§220)

Pope Francis sums up the positive action he would expect from every man and every woman this way:

People in every nation enhance the social dimension of their lives by acting as committed and responsible citizens, not as a mob swayed by the powers that be. Let us not forget that “responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation”[20]. Yet becoming a people demands something more. It is an ongoing process in which every new generation must take part: a slow and arduous effort calling for a desire for integration and a willingness to achieve this through the growth of a peaceful and multifaceted culture of encounter. (§221)

The way ahead

So much remains to be done. What goals might Pax Christi and CPN work for? What contribution can be made, from the Christian point of view, to consolidating peace by pursuing the objectives of freedom, equality and solidarity within and between nations?

The tensions of our day grow clearly out of the fact that viewpoints are often different, and even opposed, on how to resolve the tensions and conflicts that divide the international community. It would be dangerous to identify the Gospel message with this or that political program – from this, nationalisms are born, which believe their vocation is to impose their mark on other peoples. The same thing happened with supposedly ‘progressive’ movements of the past that claimed to find human salvation in an ideology – and then persisted in applying that ideology in spite of the accompanying violations of human rights.

To remain true to itself, the Christian contribution to peace must take a different path. On this path, the steps are practical measures chosen in light of higher duties. The involvement of a Christian in the promotion of peace presupposes a constant dialogue of everyone between the needs and threats of which each is aware, and the possibility of a fraternal communion established by Christ when he refused the legions of angels that his Father could have provided in order to save him.

This has implications for our reflections on just war theory. The media, and public opinion influenced by the media, convey an incorrect interpretation of the religious concept of just war. It origins are in St. Augustine, and St. Thomas formulated it clearly; but its fuller treatment arose when Europe was governed by barbarian peoples for whom the only thing that counted was violence. At the same time, however, these peoples regarded the Church as a civilizing Power because of its religious nature. Therefore, what the Church attempted to do was to enlarge the scope of peace by continually reducing the conditions under which a Prince could justify his recourse to the use of force. The Prince, of course, wished to avoid being considered sinful and risking the canonical penalties of the Church. The law of God, which the Church interpreted, was recognized as being normative; it achieved a progressive transformation of consciences, and in fact, the recourse to violence was no longer seen as the only possible way to resolve conflicts. But a shift occurred with the secularization of Western societies, and each Prince claimed the right to decide whether or not his recourse to war was just.

How do we apply the distinction nowadays between just and unjust war? As you would expect, the guidance of Pope Francis is nuanced. This is what he said with reference to ISIS:

In these cases, where there is an unjust aggression, I can only say that it is licit to stop the unjust aggressor. I emphasize the word: “stop”. I’m not saying drop bombs, make war, but stop the aggressor. The means used to stop him would have to be evaluated. Stopping an unjust aggressor is licit. But we also need to remember! How many times, with this excuse of stopping an unjust aggressor, the powers have taken over peoples and carried on an actual war of conquest! One nation alone cannot determine how to stop an unjust aggressor.[21] 

Conclusion

I trust you find renewed vigour in the link that Pope Francis makes between the reduction of violence and the increase in justice, compassion and dialogue. Please receive this introduction as a basket of gifts, a big basket of generous gifts, beginning with the Message of Pope Francis and surrounded by the Gospel as lived and reflected and passed on in the Church. So it is a powerful, inspiring and utterly vital ecclesial tradition that you stand in and carry forward. May our sharing and deliberations in this Year of Mercy, as Pax Christi, Catholic Peacebuilding Network and Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, shed the bright light of Gospel peacemaking on our Church and our world in the 21^st century.

 

Cardinal Peter K.A. Turkson

President

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IMAGE: CNS photo/courtesy of Salesians

By Carol Glatz

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis appealed for the release of all people being held captive in the world's battle zones, including Salesian Father Thomas Uzhunnalil, who was abducted in Yemen.

"I renew my appeal for the liberation of all people kidnapped in areas of armed conflict," the pope said after praying the "Regina Coeli" with pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square April 10.

"In particular, I want to remember Salesian Father Tom Uzhunnalil, abducted in Aden in Yemen March 4," the pope said.

Father Uzhunnalil was kidnapped from a home for the aged and disabled run by the Missionaries of Charity in Aden. Four Missionaries of Charity and 12 others were murdered in the attack.

Born in Kerala, India, the 56-year-old priest had been serving in Yemen for the past four years as a chaplain to the sisters.

When the situation in Yemen began to deteriorate, two of the five Salesians, including Father Uzhunnalil, decided to stay in the country along with a handful of other Catholics despite the risks to their safety, Salesian Father Francesco Cereda, vicar of the order's superior, told AsiaNews March 10.

The Salesians, he said, have been present in Yemen since 1987 and were the only priests working in the Muslim-majority nation. "We understood that if everyone left, we would have been deprived of the only organized Catholic presence in Yemen," Father Cereda had said in March.

The Holy See, the Indian government, India's Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Salesian community were all working to secure the priest's release, he said.

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By Carol Glatz

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A heart that clings to the letter of the law is closed to the Holy Spirit and God's truth, Pope Francis said at morning Mass.

Such hardened hearts often were behind the persecution of innocent men and women seeking to follow God's will, the pope said April 11 in his homily during Mass in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where he lives.

The history of the church "tells us of many people who were judged and killed, although they were innocent -- judged according to the Word of God, against the Word of God," he said. "Let's think about the witch hunts or St. Joan of Arc, many others who were burned, condemned because -- according to the judges -- they weren't in line with the Word of God."

"This is the role model of Jesus, who, in order to be faithful and having obeyed the word of the Father, ends up on the cross," he said.

The day's first reading, from the Acts of the Apostles, recounted how Stephen, who was filled with God's grace and power, "was working great wonders and signs" among the people, which raised the ire of a number of leaders. Stephen was brought before the Sanhedrin with false accusations of blasphemy.

This incident shows how "the heart closed to God's truth is only clinging to the truth of the law, of the letter," the pope said, "and finds no other way out than with lies, false testimony and death."

Those who opposed and harshly condemned the work of the prophets, he said, then "washed their hands (of everything) and judged themselves pure."

"The heart is closed to God's word, it is closed to truth, and it is closed to God's messenger, who brings the prophecy so that God's people may go forward."

The pope said he is especially saddened when he reads St. Matthew's account of Judas deeply regretting his betrayal of Jesus, and yet -- seeking repentance -- finds nothing but indifference and derision from the chief priests and elders.

When Judas tries to give back the 30 pieces of silver he took from them to betray Jesus, the priests respond: "What is that to us? Look to it yourself."

The pope said this reflects "a heart closed before this poor repentant man, who didn't know what to do."

"And what do they do when Judas goes to hang himself? Do they talk and say, 'Oh, poor man.'? No. Immediately money. 'This money is the price of blood. It cannot go in the temple.'" Their narrow focus on rules and not the man's fate characterizes these "doctors of the letter," he said.

"The life of a man doesn't matter to them, Judas' repentance doesn't matter to them," he said. "The only thing that matters to them is their framework of laws, many words and many things they built."

The pope asked that people pray God helps them the same way he helped the bewildered and confused disciples on the way to Emmaus. Pray that God looks just as tenderly upon "the little and great foolishness of our heart, caresses us and tells us 'Oh foolish and slow of heart' and begins to explain things to us."

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Follow Glatz on Twitter: @CarolGlatz.

 

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LIMA, Peru (AP) -- The daughter of jailed former President Alberto Fujimori held a strong lead Monday in preliminary results from the first round of Peru's presidential election and appeared headed to a showdown with another center-right candidate in a June runoff....

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KIEV, Ukraine (AP) -- Swept into office by the mass protests that deposed the Russia-friendly president two years ago, Ukraine's new leaders promised that the country would soon be welcomed into Europe as a thriving new democracy....

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WASHINGTON (AP) -- Forty-two rules govern the Republican Party and how it picks a presidential candidate. Yet with the nomination potentially up for grabs at July's GOP convention, one reality prevails: Delegates can change their procedures to help or hurt any candidate they want....

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(Vatican Radio)  Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has announced his resignation on Sunday saying he would support the country's parliamentary speaker to replace him after a public outcry over perceived slow reforms and rampant corruption.

Speaking on national television, a visibly upset Yatsenyuk said he would step down for severfal reasons including what he called "the political crisis in the country."

He said he views his goals as broader than the powers of the head of government. "My devotion to national principles and strength of character are the essence of a real national leader for me." Therefore," I decided to resign as the Prime Minister of Ukraine. On Tuesday, April 12th, I will submit my resignation in the Verkhovna Rada," Ukraine's parliament, he added.

Yatsenyuk cautioned that the "political crisis in the country is artificial". He said: "The desire to change one person blinded and paralyzed political will for real change in the country. The process of changing the government became a mindless walking without progress. The authors of the crisis became hostages to these circumstances, and turned all of us - the government, the society, and state - into hostages as well." 

He made clear that the next prime minister could become Parliamentary speaker Volodymyr Groysman, an ally of Western-backed President Petro Poroshenko.

Political battle

Yatsenyuk's resignation followed a long political battle. His cabinet survived a no confidence vote in February, but officials and two parties left the government amid frustration over the worsening economy and perceived slow pace of reforms, including tackling corruption.

Kiev residents have mixed feelings about resignation. “Yatsenyuk was a populist. Actually all measures he initiated, all the work he did was for the sake of his image," a man said. "In reality the laws they passed were aimed at lobbying particular groups and certain interests. They were just splitting the funds and channeling away the money.”

Another woman agrees saying: “I think it (situation) will become even worse. Perhaps it looks like it can’t get any worse than it is now already but judging by the fact that (parliamentary speaker Volodymyr) Groysman will be appointed a new prime minister, as experts say, it will be even worse for us.”

And the crisis comes at a difficult time for Ukraine amid reports of renewed fighting in the east between government forces and Russian backed separatists as part of what international observers have described as the worst ceasefire violations since the autumn. 

Ukraine’s European Union ambitions also suffered a setback last week when voters in the Netherlands roundly rejected a landmark EU association agreement with the unstable former Soviet state in a referendum. Additionally, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has threatened to withhold billions of dollars in aid money if Ukraine does not carry out reforms.

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LIMA, Peru (AP) -- The daughter of jailed former President Alberto Fujimori held a strong lead Monday in preliminary results from the first round of Peru's presidential election and appeared headed to a showdown with another center-right candidate in a June runoff....

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