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(Vatican Radio) To coincide with the fifth anniversary of the conflict in Syria a major joint NGO report has been released.

Over 250,000 people have been killed in Syria since the beginning of the war five years ago; the encompassing report shows that in 2015 the situation hit an all time low.

It estimates that in 2015 alone at least 50,000 people were killed; 1.5 million more people found themselves in need of humanitarian aid; almost a million  were forced to flee their homes; the number of those living in beseiged areas doubled; an additional 400,000 children were out of school. 

Drawn up by some 30 Syrian and international humanitarian organisations, the report entitled “Fuelling the Fire” catalogues the deteriorating conditions in Syria and criticizes permanent UN Security Council members – the US, Britain, France and Russia – for having fanned the flames of war by undermining their own resolutions through inadequate pressure, political and military support to their allies or direct military action.

Vatican Radio’s Linda Bordoni spoke to Daniel Gorevan, the Syria Crisis Campaigns and Policy Manager for Oxfam about the report that, he says, reveals that 2015 has been the worst year yet for the Syrian people.

Listen to the interview:

Gorevan says 2015 saw more people killed in Syria, aid increasingly blocked, an increase by more than twice of the number of people who are living under siege by armed groups.

But, he says, beyond that “what we found was that the permanent members of the Security Council were actively contributing to the conflict, whether through inadequate diplomatic pressure, supporting their allies on the ground militarily or politically, and also directly involving themselves in the conflict”.

The most notable example of this, he says, was the major Russian intervention in September last year which caused a great number of civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.

Gorevan also pointed to the US-led coalition against Security Council-listed terrorist groups.

“This combination of diplomatic inaction, providing military support (arms and ammunition to  allies on the ground) and actually engaging in the conflict themselves contributed to making it the worst year yet in the Syria crisis” he said.

Gorevan explains that the report was drawn up thanks to the collaboration of many NGOs, including Oxfam which is operational inside Syria.

“We worked with major humanitarian organizations and Syrian organizations to pool all our data and experiences, as well as reviewing all the documents that were produced by the United Nations over the course of the past year to give an accurate as possible picture of what is happening on the ground” he said.

He says they found that ‘protected’ civilians were subjected to a huge number of indiscriminate attacks including aerial bombardments, mortars, missiles. And, he said, the targeting of schools and hospitals got worse.

The report also looks at issues such as aid access, besiegement and local ceasefires which, Gorevan said, were continually flouted by the parties on the ground.

“One thing that is important to note is that in the last couple of weeks we’ve seen a glimmer of hope with the cessation of hostilities, and I think that what that shows is that when the international community – particularly Russia and the US – put their mind to it they can actually make a difference on the ground. The question is: why has it taken them so long to do it?” he said.

Gorevan says the report also looks at the effects of the war on children who have been victims of violence or have been caught up in the violence and perhaps displaced; at the damage caused by the intentional targeting of schools.

He says all this means “there is a massive number of children who are unable to claim their right to an education; this is incredibly worrying and bodes ill for the future”.

Gorevan says that the authors of the report hope that it will provide a reminder if not a wake-up call for the permanent members of the Security Council.

“Their job is to ensure peace and security; their job is to ensure the protection of civilians” he said.

He says it seems that their claim to be fighting terrorism trumps the need to protect civilians and to find a resolution to the crisis.

“So we hope that this report be sent to them and they will take it as an indication that the status quo, their approach over the last year, is actually making things worse” he said.

Finally, Gorevan concludes that diplomatic action is needed immediately in Syria to ensure that aid can access besieged communities and that the systematic violation of international humanitarian law be halted.
 
“If we do that –and I think it’s quite a big if – then there is the possibility that there could be progress on political negotiations for the solution of the crisis” he said.     

The full report is available here.
   

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In what Malawian media have described as a “ reality check” for President Peter Mutharika’s Government, the Catholic Bishops in Malawi have issued a Lenten pastoral statement entitled, “Mercy of God as a Path of Hope.” The Bishops have criticised Malawi’s Government on a broad range of issues and policies that hurt the majority poor.

The Bishops chastise President Mutharika’s government for its lack of visionary leadership and urge Malawians in general to embrace transformative leadership that can change society. In particular, the Bishops decry Malawi’s poor public service delivery and lack of fiscal discipline.

“God recommends leadership that is visionary, transformative, empowering, caring, serving, protective, people-centered and obedient to Him,” the statement reads. The Bishops add, “As your Pastors, we cannot sit back and watch in the face of shrinking standards or lack of public service delivery, increasing gap between the rich and the poor, lack of fiscal discipline and misplaced priorities in the prevailing tough times which call for tough measures."

The Bishop criticise the Malawi government’s preoccupation with what they have termed unrealistic macroeconomic growth indicators that do not not reflect reality on the ground.

 “We continue to be worried by the continuous presentation of unrealistic macroeconomic growth indicators that do not reflect reality on the ground. We are also deeply worried by the bad performance of our economy,” the Bishops say.

With as many as 2.8 million people facing the prospects of hunger and food shortages in Malawi, this year, the Bishops voice concern regarding the lack of Maize in the country. The majority of Malawians depend on Maize for their staple food. The rains have been very poor resulting in serious crop loss. Many subsistence farmers who rely on the maize they cultivate are already experiencing serious difficulties in feeding themselves and their families.

“We are deeply concerned about the shortage of maize in the country, the exorbitant prices of the same (staple food) at the parallel markets of vendors due to increased demand,” the Bishops note in their pastoral statement that has been well-received by Malawians. The government is yet to officially react to the Bishops’ statement.

The document also draws attention to abortions, homosexual relations and “a culture of death."

“We are deeply concerned about new trends in our society that promote a culture of death instead of a culture of life through the abortion campaign. Because of that, the family and the institution of marriage between man and woman are under direct attack from those campaigning for homosexual rights and homosexual unions.” The statement says.

The statement makes a link with the Extraordinary Year of Mercy announced by Pope Francis. Quoting Pope Francis, the Bishops say that, “The Jubilee of Mercy offers us a path of hope, reconstruction and new beginning guided by God’s mercy and trusting that God is the Father, who never forsakes us.”

(Email: engafrica@vatiradio.va)

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Vatican City, Mar 14, 2016 / 11:51 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Speaking days after the death of a homeless man on the streets of Rome, Pope Francis during Mass on Monday reflected on the challenge of trusting in God in a world where the innocent suffer.

“Three days ago a homeless person died here, on the street,” the Pope said, according to Vatican Radio's translation: “he died of cold.”

Observing how the man had the opportunity to receive the necessary care, he asked: “Why, Lord?  Not even a caress ... But I entrust myself to you because you never let me down.”

Pope Francis' March 14 homily at the chapel of the Vatican's Santa Marta residence touched on other recent tragedies as well, including the recent murder of four Missionaries of Charity in Yemen. He spoke about those suffering in Italy's Campania region, where high cancer rates have been linked to the illegal burning of toxic waste. The Pope also cited the number of refugees who are denied shelter.

“Even when we do not understand,” – for instance, in the case of a sick child – “let us put ourselves in the hands of the Lord who never abandons his people” he said.

He also said we should think of those who die without being caressed one last time.

The Pope centered his reflection on the day's reading from the Book of Daniel, in which Susanna is “soiled” by the “evil desires” of two judges who try to seduce her. He recalled that Susanna trusted in God rather than succumbing to their advances.

Likewise, we must trust in God when we find ourselves in a “valley of darkness,” the Roman Pontiff said.

Whether they are sufferings we cannot control or are the result of something we have done, there is the tendency to ask: “Lord, where are you?”

The Pope considered the "the many dark valleys,” and “misfortunes,” and “the fact there are so many people dying of hunger, there is war, there are so many children with disabilities” – some of whom are suffering from a “rare disease.”

“When you look at all this you ask: ‘where is the Lord’, ‘where are you?’ ‘Are you walking with me?’”

“Look at those four slain [Missionaries of Charity]: they were serving with love; they ended up murdered in hatred!” he said.

Similarly, with refugees: “When you see that doors are being closed to refugees who are left out in the cold… you say: ‘Lord, where are You?’ "

Pope Francis acknowledged the difficulty in understanding why these tragedies occur.

“How can I entrust myself to God when I see all these things? And when things happen to me, each of us may say: how can I entrust myself to You?”

“Why does a child suffer? I do not know: it is a mystery to me,” he said.

Pope Francis turned to Christ's agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, and his last words on the cross: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”

“To trust in God who walks with me, walks with his people, walks with the Church: this is an act of faith,” the Pope said: “To entrust myself. I cannot explain it, but I place myself in your hands. You know why.”  
 
“He who entrusts himself to the Lord our Shepherd, shall lack nothing.”

The Roman Pontiff explained that when he finds himself going through a “valley of darkness,” he knows God is with him.

We must ask for the grace to trust in God during these difficult times, he added.

“Lord, teach me to place myself in your hands, to trust in your guidance, even in bad times, in the darkest moments, in the moment of death.”

“We would do well, today, to think about our lives, about the problems we have, and ask for the grace to place ourselves into the hands of the Lord.”

“Lord,” Pope Francis concluded, “I do not understand you. This is a beautiful prayer. Without understanding, I place myself in your hands.”

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IMAGE: CNS photo/Alessandro Bianchi, Reuters

By Cindy Wooden

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- While the Catholic Church tries to help people whose marriages have failed remain or return to an active Catholic life, it also must express its admiration for people who remain faithful to their marriage vows despite great difficulty, Pope Francis said.

"Witnesses to marital fidelity must be encouraged and held up as examples to imitate," Pope Francis said March 12 in a meeting with participants in a course sponsored by the Roman Rota, a Vatican court that deals mainly with marriage cases.

The course focused on documents issued by Pope Francis in September to simplify procedures for determining whether or not a marriage was valid, doing away with the automatic appeal of tribunal decisions, establishing an abbreviated process when the nullity is clear and ordering a reduction in the cost to couples.

The pope told the students and Rota officials that the consultations leading up to the 2014 and 2015 synods of bishops on the family made it clear there was strong support "for making the procedures for the declaration of matrimonial nullity more agile and effective."

"Many faithful, in fact, suffer because their marriages have ended and they often are burdened by doubts about whether or not it was valid," the pope said. "But in many cases these faithful encountered difficulty in accessing the church's juridical structures and felt the need for the procedures to be simplified."

Charity and mercy, and not just experience, led to the decision to reform the process for determining the validity of a marriage, the pope said.

Pope Francis urged tribunal staff members around the world to accept and study the new procedures and the motives behind making them "in order to render a service of justice and charity to families."

"For many people, who have lived through an unhappy marriage experience, the verification of whether or not it was valid represents an important possibility, and these people must be helped to follow this path as easily as possible," he said.

"The church is mother and wants to show everyone the face of God, who is faithful to his love, merciful and always able to give strength and hope," the pope said.

Repeating what he has said about what will be in his postsynodal apostolic exhortation, Pope Francis told the group that what the church is most interested in for the divorced and civilly remarried is that they participate in the life of a parish community.

"But while we take care of the wounds of those who request a verification of the truth about their failed marriage," he said, "we look with admiration to those who, even in difficult situations, remain faithful to the sacramental bond."

"Many women and men," the pope said, "endure heavy, huge things so that they do not destroy their family, being faithful in health and in sickness, in difficulties and when life is tranquil. That is fidelity and they are good!"

Thanking those who work in the church's marriage tribunals, Pope Francis asked them to fulfill their responsibilities "not as a profession or, worse, a power, but as a service to souls, especially those most injured."

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Follow Wooden on Twitter: @Cindy_Wooden.

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