Catholic News 2
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The latest on President Barack Obama's executive actions to tighten gun control in the United States (all times EST):...
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama unveiled an array of measures on Tuesday tightening control and enforcement of firearms in the U.S., using his presidential powers in the absence of legal changes he implored Congress to pass....
(Vatican Radio) Hungary has sent dozens of police officers to Macedonia to help manage the flow of migrants fleeing war and poverty on that Balkan nation's border with Greece. The move comes after Hungary urged the European Union to protect its borders and defended its anti-migrant policies. Listen to Stefan Bos' report: Hungarian police said 31 officers left Monday from Hungary's capital Budapest in several vans and other police vehicles equipped with heat sensors to Macedonia. They will be will be deployed until February 4 to assist their Macedonian colleagues at a time when Europe faces its worst refugee crisis since World War Two.Macedonia and other Balkan countries toughened entry criteria in November, limiting the passage of migrants across their borders to Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans while turning away others. That led to tensions. In one of the latest incidents three migrants from Pakistan have been hospitalized near Macedonia's border with Greec...
(Vatican Radio) Hungary has sent dozens of police officers to Macedonia to help manage the flow of migrants fleeing war and poverty on that Balkan nation's border with Greece. The move comes after Hungary urged the European Union to protect its borders and defended its anti-migrant policies.
Listen to Stefan Bos' report:
Hungarian police said 31 officers left Monday from Hungary's capital Budapest in several vans and other police vehicles equipped with heat sensors to Macedonia. They will be will be deployed until February 4 to assist their Macedonian colleagues at a time when Europe faces its worst refugee crisis since World War Two.
Macedonia and other Balkan countries toughened entry criteria in November, limiting the passage of migrants across their borders to Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans while turning away others. That led to tensions. In one of the latest incidents three migrants from Pakistan have been hospitalized near Macedonia's border with Greece after a car they were traveling in overturned and the driver fled, officials said.
Hungary says it wants to use its experience to help Macedonia better manage the influx of thousands of migrants fleeing war and poverty. Over 391,000 migrants reached Hungary in 2015, nearly all passing through on their way to Germany and other destinations further west, according to official estimates.
However that flow of people practically stopped after Hungary built fences on its borders with Serbia and Croatia by mid-October, forcing migrants to take longer routes to the richer EU countries.
Controversial campaign
Yet, Hungary's right-wing government has been criticized over its anti-migrant policies, which also includes a new media campaign against the EU’s quota plan to distribute asylum seekers across the continent.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has defended Hungary's tough stance and its decision to launch a court case against the proposed quota system. "Any comments on quota are interpreted in the mind and heart of the people who would like to come as an invitation. Quota means that there is a solution to deal with those who would like to come to Europe. Instead of making it clear: 'that please don't risk, don't come. If you have no reason, political or war reason don’t take the risk'," he told reporters recently.
"Quota is an illusion for them, whatever we would like to say by that. And I think it is a responsibility of the leaders who use quota expressions instead of speaking on defending the border," Orbán added.
"Morally and from a human point of view I think this is the proper behaviour to emphasise that there is a control at the border. Regulations are clear. Everybody has to go through that procedure otherwise [they] can't step into the European Union," the prime minister stressed.
He spoke before a campaign began that included newspaper and television ads with the message “The quota increases the terror threat!” and “An illegal immigrant arrives in Europe on average every 12 seconds”.
Government warnings
A government website campaigning against the quota plan says Hungary, with a population of 10 million, would be forced, without consultation, to take in as many as 160,000 people, roughly the population of its third largest town, Szeged.
Critics say that in reality 160,000 people are to be distributed across the whole EU however, with Hungary receiving a maximum of 2,000 people.
Hungary isn't the only country in Central and Eastern Europe calling for tougher actions against the influx of refugees.
Czech President Milos Zeman, who is known for his anti-Islam rhetoric, says Egyptian fundamentalist group Muslim Brotherhood is likely to blame for the Europe migrant crisis, which he earlier described as "an organized invasion."
(Vatican Radio) Archbishop Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to Mexico, said Pope Francis desires to ‘share the life of the Mexican people’ and to be close to the Virgin of Guadalupe during his upcoming Apostolic Journey to Mexico (12-17 February).In an interview with Noticias MVS, Archbishop Pierre spoke about the reasons for the Holy Father’s visit, reminding people to expect the unexpected. “The Pope is coming to share the life of the Mexican people,” the Nuncio said. “He doesn’t pretend to resolve the problems which touch all Mexicans, to make their life easier. I think that is important to say. That is the responsibility of all, politicians and non-politicians alike.”“He desires to partake in the people’s reality, that is what he told me. He desires a simple, straightforward encounter. He knows very well the fervor of the Mexican people. He is very spontaneous and he will surely give us some surpri...
(Vatican Radio) Archbishop Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio to Mexico, said Pope Francis desires to ‘share the life of the Mexican people’ and to be close to the Virgin of Guadalupe during his upcoming Apostolic Journey to Mexico (12-17 February).
In an interview with Noticias MVS, Archbishop Pierre spoke about the reasons for the Holy Father’s visit, reminding people to expect the unexpected.
“The Pope is coming to share the life of the Mexican people,” the Nuncio said. “He doesn’t pretend to resolve the problems which touch all Mexicans, to make their life easier. I think that is important to say. That is the responsibility of all, politicians and non-politicians alike.”
“He desires to partake in the people’s reality, that is what he told me. He desires a simple, straightforward encounter. He knows very well the fervor of the Mexican people. He is very spontaneous and he will surely give us some surprises of which we are not yet aware. Much space must be given to these surprises,” he said.
Archbishop Pierre concluded, saying “This is not the first time a Pope goes to the border or addresses the problems which affect Mexicans. The Holy Father wanted to visit the country from border to border and to meet with people who are living through difficult situations. These are problems which affect all, such as migration and poverty.”
Washington D.C., Jan 5, 2016 / 03:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- As the number of displaced persons is at its highest worldwide, Catholics must remember that “extremely vulnerable” refugees often flee circumstances where their very lives are at risk, a bishop has said.“People often forget that the Holy Family themselves were refugees fleeing into Egypt,” Bishop Eusebio Elizondo Almaguer, auxiliary bishop of Seattle, said in a Dec. 30 statement in advance of National Migration Week, which is observed Jan. 3-9.“Likewise, refugees around the world, all of whom are extremely vulnerable, are fleeing for their lives,” added the chair of the U.S. bishops' committee on migration. “As Catholics, we are called to welcome and support these families who also need our help.”The theme of National Migration Week 2016 is “A Stranger and You Welcomed Me.” It focuses especially on the Syrian refugee crisis, where more than 4.1 million have fled...
Washington D.C., Jan 5, 2016 / 03:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- As the number of displaced persons is at its highest worldwide, Catholics must remember that “extremely vulnerable” refugees often flee circumstances where their very lives are at risk, a bishop has said.
“People often forget that the Holy Family themselves were refugees fleeing into Egypt,” Bishop Eusebio Elizondo Almaguer, auxiliary bishop of Seattle, said in a Dec. 30 statement in advance of National Migration Week, which is observed Jan. 3-9.
“Likewise, refugees around the world, all of whom are extremely vulnerable, are fleeing for their lives,” added the chair of the U.S. bishops' committee on migration. “As Catholics, we are called to welcome and support these families who also need our help.”
The theme of National Migration Week 2016 is “A Stranger and You Welcomed Me.” It focuses especially on the Syrian refugee crisis, where more than 4.1 million have fled the country since 2011 due to an ongoing civil war among rebel factions and the Assad regime.
To observe the week and raise awareness about the plights of migrants, the migration committee has provided prayer resources, including Mass intentions for migrants and civil leaders, and prayers to St. Juan Diego and St. Josephine Bakhita, a Sudanese-born nun who was sold into slavery as a young girl.
Some of the committee’s policy recommendations for the Syrian crisis include the U.S. sending development aid to surrounding countries that are overwhelmed by the number of refugees, and increasing the annual intake of Syrian refugees by preparing to accept 100,000 every year.
The number of persons displaced is at the highest ever recorded – 59.5 million at the end of 2014, according to the United Nations’ refugee agency, UNHCR. It has seen its largest jump in a single year, up from 51.2 million displaced in 2013 and 37.5 million a decade prior. Conflict in Syria is the biggest cause of the increase in migration, the UNHCR claimed in its 2014 Global Trends Report: World at War.
Half of the refugees were children, and only 126,800 returned to their home countries in 2014, the report added.
Ultimately, Catholics must focus on addressing the root causes of migration to best treat the global problem, said Bill O’Keefe, vice president of government relations and advocacy with Catholic Relief Services, in an interview with CNA on International Migrants Day.
“We all need to be focusing on the root causes of migration, and what are the factors that drive people to make what, in this case, is an incredibly dangerous voyage to seek safety and security and opportunity for their families,” he told CNA.
O’Keefe had just returned from a trip to Greece, Macedonia, and Serbia to oversee CRS’ work there helping refugees and migrants from Africa and the Middle East coming to Europe. He said he saw 5,000 a day passing through Macedonia and Serbia, tired after their “long and exhausting trip already.”
“It just felt like a river of humanity looking for a place to find peace and security,” O’Keefe said.
Refugees and migrants are “people like us,” he insisted, “people who are looking for a better life for their kids, who are interested in education and in a job and in safety.”
They would rather not leave their home for another country, but are compelled to do so by their present circumstances, he added. Many fleeing Syria were part of the economic middle-class there before the civil war, but they saw the situation deteriorate over the years – witnessing appalling acts of violence – and eventually had no choice but to leave.
Many migrants from Central America to the U.S. in recent years have had to make the same decision, he pointed out, fleeing “exclusion, and social inequality, and violence.”
O’Keefe praised one example of action taken to address the root causes of migration – the omnibus spending bill passed by Congress Dec. 18. The bill more than doubled funding for education and youth engagement programs in Central America which help youth at risk of gang violence and recruitment, which are chief causes of child emigration in the region. This was a “great step,” he said.
Also, he said the effects of climate change are already increasing migration worldwide, with longer droughts and unusual weather patterns hurting crop yields. This forces some to move elsewhere for employment or away from food scarcity.
Scarcity of vital resources such as water can even further social unrest and conflict, he added.
CRS has helped about 800,000 refugees from Iraq and Syria, O’Keefe noted, and is providing food, water, and clothing to refugees passing through the “transit countries” of Greece, Serbia, and Macedonia on their way to northern Europe. In Iraq, they are building on to incomplete shelters to provide cheap housing for refugees there.
Ultimately, treating migration is not about handing out to materials to crowds, but encountering persons.
“The Holy Father, when he was here, reminded us when he spoke to the Congress that the refugees and migrants are not just numbers, but are people and faces,” O’Keefe said.
BEIJING (AP) -- Yang Lihua was one of millions of small investors Beijing encouraged to join a stock-buying frenzy last year. But the Shanghai newspaper editor sold after prices collapsed in June and she vowed never to return....
STONY BROOK, N.Y. (AP) -- Dunia Sibomana was considered the lucky one two years ago when a group of chimpanzees jumped from the trees and attacked him and two other boys as they played near a preserve in their native Democratic Republic of the Congo....
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- Diplomatic tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which began with the kingdom's execution of a Shiite cleric and later saw attacks on Saudi diplomatic posts in the Islamic Republic, have seen countries around the world respond....
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran's president said on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia cannot "cover up" its crime of executing a leading Shiite cleric by severing diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic, even as the kingdom's allies began limiting their links to his country....
The Governor of the troubled Mexican State of Morelos, where a Mayor Elect was shot dead, has thrown down the gauntlet to organized crime rings, as regional correspondent James Blears reports.Listen Morelos State Governor Graco Ramírez has declared: "The Government will not be intimidated by organized crime." Accordingly, he has ordered State Pólice to take control of 15 cities, towns and municipalities away from local Municipal Pólice. This follows the assassination of Gisela Mota, on Saturday. less than 24 hours after she'd been inaugurated Mayor of Temixco. She was gunned down in her home. Pólice shot dead two of her attackers and arrested three others, including a 32 year old woman, an 18 year old man and a youth.The Bishop of Cuernavaca Ramon Castro held a mass at Gisela Mota's home on Sunday, before her funeral.Drug cartels often target figures of respect, authority and power to intimidate the rest of the commun...
The Governor of the troubled Mexican State of Morelos, where a Mayor Elect was shot dead, has thrown down the gauntlet to organized crime rings, as regional correspondent James Blears reports.
Listen
Morelos State Governor Graco Ramírez has declared: "The Government will not be intimidated by organized crime." Accordingly, he has ordered State Pólice to take control of 15 cities, towns and municipalities away from local Municipal Pólice. This follows the assassination of Gisela Mota, on Saturday. less than 24 hours after she'd been inaugurated Mayor of Temixco. She was gunned down in her home. Pólice shot dead two of her attackers and arrested three others, including a 32 year old woman, an 18 year old man and a youth.
The Bishop of Cuernavaca Ramon Castro held a mass at Gisela Mota's home on Sunday, before her funeral.
Drug cartels often target figures of respect, authority and power to intimidate the rest of the community. The State Governor is pressing for State Pólice to hold control of all law and order matters. Gisela Mota supported this proposal, but not all Mayors want to relinquish this power to the State.
