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(Vatican Radio) In light of increasing wildlife crime in countries around the world, the United Nations is celebrating World Wildlife Day on March 3, hoping to inspire individuals to join the fight against this illegal killing and trading of wild animals.

The theme for the day is “the future of wildlife is in our hands” with a special focus on saving elephants from the ivory poachers who killed around 100,000 of them between 2010 and 2012.

Wildlife crime currently prevails in Asia’s Golden Triangle, where the desire for exotic animals drives uncontrolled markets selling products of wild elephants, rhinos, and pangolins, a rare kind of scaly anteater. Reports estimate that if trade continues at this rate, these species will be pushed to extinction in the next 10-15 years.   

The themes for this year’s World Wildlife Day echo the words of Pope Francis’ speech to UN officials in Nairobi last November, in which he said “we cannot be silent about forms of illegal trafficking which arise in situations of poverty and in turn lead to great poverty and exclusion.” In particular, the Pope mentioned the illegal trade in diamonds and precious stones, as well as animal products, such as ivory trafficking and the relative killing of elephants, which fuels political instability, organized crime and terrorism. This situation, he said, is a “cry rising up from humanity and the earth itself, one which needs to be heard by the international community.”

For more about this year’s event, Sophia Pizzi talked to John Scanlon, Head of CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

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With the theme “the future of wildlife is in our hands,” Scanlon says the main focus of this year’s World Wildlife Day is that “the challenges we are confronting with the survival of wildlife are not the result of a natural phenomenon, like a cyclone or a drought. It’s a result of what people are doing.” When people are the problem, he says, they must also be the solution. “When it comes to tackling issues such as illicit trafficking in wildlife, we have to tackle human greed, ignorance, and indifference.”

We are all responsible

In order to accomplish this, Scanlon stresses the importance of individual actions. On a regular basis, we can be “informed consumers” by being conscious of the products we buy and we can be “active citizens” by being vocal about wildlife concerns to government officials. “If individuals are expressing they believe wildlife is important, then that will resonate with the politicians and they will take it more seriously,” Scanlon says.

Other individuals, based on their work, are on the front lines of combating wildlife crime. Customs officials, police officers, and rangers, for example, all play major roles in enforcing laws against the illicit trafficking of wild animals.

Progress at international level

The theme of this year’s World Wildlife Day builds upon the themes of the past two years, stressing that we need to combat wildlife crime with the same tools we use to combat other serious crimes such as trafficking in people, arms, or narcotics. Both of these years had a great impact, seeing “fantastic resolutions” come out of last year’s United Nations’ General Assembly.

The voice of the Catholic Church

As an international treaty, CITES was “delighted to see the Holy Father in his encyclical, Laudato Si’, make reference to the importance of international agreements.” Scanlon views the Pope’s words as positive and influential, and says that CITES hopes that one day the Holy See may formally join the 182 countries working together to combat worldwide wildlife issues.

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Vatican City, Mar 2, 2016 / 10:37 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Wednesday, Pope Francis issued a harsh condemnation of those who exploit others and then donate to the Church, telling them their “dirty money” isn’t wanted.

Taking his cue from the first chapter of the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, Pope Francis said March 2 that God doesn’t like “the blood of bulls and lambs, especially if the offering is done with hands dirty with the blood of their brothers.”

Francis spoke to pilgrims present in St. Peter’s Square for his general audience. He has dedicated the catechesis of the weekly address to the theme of mercy as seen in Scripture, as part of the Jubilee of Mercy.

In his speech, he said that when Isaiah tells the Israelites to “Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me…when you spread forth your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood,” he thinks of certain Church benefactors.

There are some people, he said, who come with a generous offering, but which is “a fruit of the blood of so many people who are exploited, mistreated and enslaved by poorly paid jobs!”

“I say to these people: please, take back your check, burn it,” he said, adding that the Church “doesn't need dirty money, it needs hearts open to the mercy of God.”

Pope Francis centered his address on the image offered by Isaiah of God as a father who corrects his children for rejecting him and doing evil, but who is also merciful and welcomes them back when they repent, never disowning them.

In the first chapter of Isaiah, God is seen as “an affectionate but attentive and strict father” who calls Israel out for their infidelity and corruption, but only “in order to bring them back to the path of righteousness,” Francis said.

It is the educative mission of parents to help their children grow in freedom and learn to be responsible in carrying out good acts both for themselves and for others, he said.

However, the Pope noted that, thanks to sin, this freedom can also become a pretense for autonomy and pride, which in turn leads to opposition and “the illusion of self-sufficiency.”

Instead of living our relationship with God in fidelity and obedience and with the knowledge that everything is a gift, Francis noted that too often we are privy to vanity, foolishness and idolatry.

One suffers as a consequence of sin, he said, explaining that when God is rejected, “life is no longer possible, existence loses its roots and everything seems perverted and destroyed,” like what happened to Jerusalem.

However, he noted that even these painful moments are tests so that people can feel “the bitterness of those who abandoned God, and therefore confront themselves with the desolate face of the choice of death.”

When God recognizes that this is the choice his people have made, he intervenes and tells them they have taken the wrong path, Francis said, adding that God “never disowns us.”

When the suffering caused due to one’s poor decisions leads the sinner to open themselves to conversion and forgiveness, “this is the path of divine mercy,” the Pope explained.

“God doesn't treat us according to our faults,” but uses his chastisements as a means to cause reflection, he said, adding that salvation implies making the decision “to listen and allow ourselves to be converted, but to always give thanks.”

In reference to Isaiah, Francis noted that instead of accepting Israel’s ritual sacrifices, he uses the prophet to tell them he wants justice instead.

This, he said, is not because the offerings were bad in themselves, but because they had become a distraction from growing close to God and accepting his love.

“Many times we don't go to the Lord, but prefer a mistaken path, looking for an excuse, justice, peace outside of him,” he said, explaining that this is like a sick person who decides to visit “a sorcerer” instead of a doctor: “they are not healed.”

Pope Francis pointed to Isaiah’s instruction for the people to wash and purify themselves by turning away from evil and choosing to do good instead.

“Sins, even if they bleed scarlet, become white like the snow, and pure white like wool, and the people will be able to nourish themselves on the goods of the earth and live in peace,” he said, quoting the passage from Isaiah.

This, he said, “is the miracle of the forgiveness of God; the forgiveness which God as Father wants to give to his people.”

 

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IMAGE: CNS photo/Kevin Lamarque, Reuters

By Carol Zimmermann

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in its first abortion case in nine years March 2 in a challenge by Texas abortion clinics to a 2013 state law that requires them to comply with standards of ambulatory surgical centers and their doctors to have admitting privileges at local hospitals.

In 2007, the Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision upheld the federal ban on partial-birth abortion, signed into law in 2003 by President George W. Bush. The law had withstood several court challenges on constitutional grounds before it was upheld.

The 90 minutes of oral arguments March 2 was before a court left with eight members following the Feb. 13 death of Justice Antonin Scalia, who regularly voted to uphold abortion limitations and was expected to have provided the fifth vote in this case to uphold the requirements.

Opponents of the Texas law have said its requirements for clinics and doctors are simply aimed at closing abortion clinics and have created an "undue burden" on women who want an abortion; the state has maintained the law is protecting women's health.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and other religious groups submitted a joint friend of the court brief in the case supporting the Texas law. The brief said the Supreme Court has held since Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case legalizing abortion in the U.S., that states may enforce standards regarding the qualifications of doctors who perform abortions and the conditions of facilities in which abortions are carried out.

"To hold that states may not enact measures like the Texas law challenged here would be a betrayal of over 40 years of precedent," the brief said.

Legal analyst Lyle Denniston, writing for the www.scotusblog.com, a blog on the Supreme Court, said the Texas case "provides almost a textbook example of challenging abortion by new regulations of clinic procedures." He pointed out that before the Texas Legislature adopted two new restrictions three years ago, there were 41 clinics in Texas performing abortions, but after the law was passed -- and before it was blocked by the high court -- that number dropped to 19, and is likely to drop to 10 clinics in the state if the court upholds the law.

In this case, the court is dealing with a Texas law, similar to other laws in states across the country that restrict abortion clinics, an approach that some argue could have a better chance of success with the court than challenges to abortion procedures.

The March 2 case, Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt, had been filed previously as Whole Woman's Health v. Cole, but the name was changed because John Hellerstedt was appointed commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services Jan. 1.

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By Cindy Wooden

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Leaders of faith communities in Baltimore, seeking healing and unity a year after the death of Freddie Gray, carried the pain and the hopes of their faithful to the Vatican, asking Pope Francis to bless their work.

When Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore introduced the leaders to the pope March 2 at the end of his weekly general audience, he not only offered his support, but he also asked for their prayers.

"We're here to help reconcile a badly fragmented community," Archbishop Lori told Catholic News Service after the meeting.

Being in Rome together March 1, he said, it was not possible to ignore the "Super Tuesday" political primaries going on at home.

"One of the themes that kept coming up in our conversation is how divided our political discourse has become, how uncivil it has become, how pronounced the tendencies are to erect barriers" while people of faith are called to build bridges, the archbishop said.

The Rev. Frank Reid III, senior pastor of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, said the trip to Rome was important because "this pope is the pope of hope, the pope of mercy and a pope who is grabbing the attention of the millennials," the young adults who in particular are looking for signs of hope after the tension and violence in Baltimore that followed the death of Gray, 25, in police custody last April.

With a variety of Christian leaders, an imam and a rabbi traveling together, praying alongside one another and meeting the pope, Rev. Reid said, the trip is a way "to continue the healing process."

With the U.S. presidential primaries underway, the A.M.E. pastor said the tone of the political campaign is "a wake-up call for the greater work that our communities, our faith communities, have to do." The campaign rhetoric shows that "not only are our poor, underserved African-Americans and Latinos having challenges, but the culture of anger and fear also exists among middle-class white Americans -- baby boomers -- who are worried about their future."

Father Donald Sterling, pastor of New All Saints Catholic Church, said it was important to travel to Rome with a group of his peers, a group that shares "the same heartbeat for life and for love of God and neighbor" and one that recognizes "there is power in prayer."

Rabbi Steven Fink, the senior rabbi at Temple Oheb Shalom, gave Pope Francis a bag filled with local Baltimore snacks and baked goods.

"He said, 'Please pray for me,' which was a rather incredible statement coming from one of the most powerful men on earth," the rabbi said. "It shows how humble and modest he is."

Rabbi Fink said Pope Francis' audience talk, reflecting on a passage from the Prophet Isaiah, spoke of God's love for all people. "It's a message of acceptance and mercy."

After working together in Baltimore to promote healing and unity, the rabbi said he made the pilgrimage because the leaders have become his friends and not just colleagues. "We have common values and a similar background and common respect for each other, for faith and for God."

The mood in Baltimore a year after Gray's death "is still very unsettled," Rabbi Fink said, but city officials, religious and community leaders realize they have "to work together to make it a healthier, safer and more prosperous city."

Imam Earl El-Amin, the resident imam at the Muslim Community Cultural Center of Baltimore, said the pilgrimage for him was a time of special "supplication," of calling upon God's mercy -- which Muslims do every time they invoke God's name -- and pleading for God's help in recognizing that whatever ethnic group or religion one belongs to, all people are members of the human family first.

The Rev. Alvin C. Hathaway Sr., senior pastor at Union Baptist Church, said in Baltimore that one still feels "a sense of desperation, there's a sense of disillusionment and there's a sense of fear," which faith leaders are called to help address.

Lutheran Bishop Wolfgang D. Herz-Lane of Delaware-Maryland said the pilgrimage was a reminder that many of the concerns of faith communities in Baltimore are actually universal concerns. "People being divided, systemic racism, people not respecting one another, violence, a breakdown of community and family -- those are not things that are particular to Baltimore" and Pope Francis "has spoken very powerfully to these very same issues."

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Follow Wooden on Twitter: @Cindy_Wooden.

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