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 WASHINGTON- The United States has a moral obligation to protect unaccompanied children and families from persecution in Central America, said Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, Texas, in testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, October 21. Bishop Seitz is an advisor to the USCCB Committee on Migration and a member of the board of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC).

The humanitarian outflow, driven by organized crime in the northern triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, continues, with nearly 40,000 unaccompanied children and an equal number of mothers with children having arrived in the United States in Fiscal Year 2015.

"If we do not respond justly and humanely to this challenge in our own backyard, then we will relinquish our moral leadership and moral influence globally," Bishop Seitz said.

Bishop Seitz pointed to the human consequences of U.S. policies which are designed to deter migration from the region, including U.S. support for Mexican interdiction efforts which are intercepting children and families in Mexico and sending them back to danger, in violation of international law.

Bishop Seitz recommended an end to these interdictions and the introduction of a regional system which would screen children and families for asylum in Mexico and other parts of the region. He also called for Congress to approve and increase a $1 billion aid package proposed by the Administration.

"If we export enforcement," Bishop Seitz said, "we also must export protection."

Bishop Seitz recalled the words of Pope Francis before Congress in September, when he invoked the golden rule in guiding our nation's actions toward those seeking safety in our land.

Quoting the Holy Father, Bishop Seitz repeated to the committee, "'The yardstick we use for others will be the yardstick which time will use for us.'"

"Mr. Chairman, I pray that time, and history, will conclude that we honored this rule in meeting this humanitarian challenge," Bishop Seitz concluded.

Bishop Seitz' testimony can be found at http://www.usccb.org//about/migration-policy/congressional-testimony/upload/seitz-ongoing-migration.pdf

Keywords: Bishop Mark J. Seitz, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Congress, Senate, Committee on Migration, migration, unaccompanied children, violence, Pope Francis
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The Church of Our Lady of Bandel or simply Bandel Church, is the oldest and most famous Catholic ‎Marian shrine in eastern India.  Some 50 kms north of Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal state, the ‎historic monastery on the river Hooghly was built by Portuguese traders in 1599 and entrusted to small ‎group of Augustinian Friars.  Bandel Church came ‎under the charge of the Salesians of Don Bosco in 1928.  Since June 2015, Indian Salesian Fr. T.L. ‎Francis has been the prior as well as parish priest of Bandel Church.  Archbishop Thomas ‎D’Souza of Calcutta has designated Bandel Church as a special Jubilee of Mercy Church during the ‎current Jubilee of Mercy, which Pope Francis officially inaugurated for the worldwide Catholic Church ‎by opening the Holy Door of Mercy of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome on Dec. 8.  We called Fr. on his ‎mobile phone to know about the shrine and its recent developments.  Today, Fr. Francis begins the first ‎of a 2-part interview by explaining how the Holy Year of Mercy was introduced with the opening of ‎the Holy Door of Bandel Church on Dec. 13. ‎

Listen: 

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(Vatican Radio) Each year at Christmas, Vatican Radio invites Church leaders from around the world to help our listeners get into the spirit of the season, by sharing a reflection on how the mystery of the Nativity might inform our action throughout the year. Here are Christmastide greetings from Archbishop Timothy Broglio, the Archbishop for the Military Services, USA.

Click below to hear Christmas greetings from Archbishop Timothy Broglio:

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(Vatican Radio) “How meaningful it is to be gathered together to give praise to the Lord at the end of the year!”

Those were the words of Pope Francis as he celebrated First Vespers for the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God in St Peter’s Basilica on Thursday evening.

Listen to Christopher Wells' report: 

The liturgy at the conclusion of the civil year included the singing of the Te Deum, the Church’s solemn hymn of praise and thanksgiving.

“The Church on so many occasions feels the joy and the duty of lifting up her song to God with these words of praise,” the Pope said in his homily. In particular, the final words of the hymn – “Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, for we have hoped in Thee” – have a special resonance during this Jubilee Year of Mercy.

The Te Deum, he continued, also helps us see the works of God in history and in our own lives, and gives us hope for the new year that lies before us.

Today, Pope Francis said, “our eyes need to focus on the particular signs God has given us, to see His merciful love first-hand.” The Holy Father recalled scenes of violence and death that marked the previous year, the untold suffering of many innocent people, the plight of refugees forced to leave their homes, of the homeless, and the hungry. But he also noted the many acts of kindness, love, and solidarity that often go unnoticed, but which should not be obscured by “the arrogance of evil.” “The good always wins,” the Pope said, “even if at times it can appear weak and hidden.”

Pope Francis concluded his homily with a few words for the people of the local church of Rome, inviting Romans to “go beyond the difficulties of the present moment,” and never miss the opportunity to be “privileged interpreters of faith, welcome, fraternity, and peace.”

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IMAGE: CNS photo/Max Rossi, Reuters

By Junno Arocho Esteves

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Singing is good for one's soul and, as St. Augustine says, Christian life is not a sad path but a joyous one that is done "singing and walking," Pope Francis said.

"Remember this: Sing and walk," the pope said Dec. 31 to 6,000 young choristers, their families, friends and choirmasters from 18 countries. "And in this way, your soul will enjoy more the joy of the gospel."

The young choir members took part in the Dec. 28-Jan. 1 International Congress of Pueri Cantores in Rome. They held concerts at several churches in Rome and were scheduled to sing in St. Peter's Basilica on New Year's Day.

The pope took questions from several young choir members, choosing to address the youth off-the-cuff. A young girl asked the pope what he thought about their music and if he liked to sing.

"I would much rather like to hear you all sing today," the pope said. "But if I sang, I would sound like a donkey because I do not know how to sing. I don't even know how to speak well."

Recalling his childhood, the pope said his mother would sit him and his siblings in front of the radio to listen to operas and explain the meaning of what was sung, so they learned to appreciate music.

"As a child, I learned the pleasure of listening to singing, but I could never sing," he said. "Also my grandfather, who was a carpenter, would always sing while he worked. And the pleasure of listening to someone sing I have had since I was little child."

Singing, he continued, educates the soul and does well for the soul. "St. Augustine says a beautiful phrase, and everyone should learn it. Speaking on Christian life, on the joy of Christian life, he says: 'Sing and walk.' Christian life is a path, but it is not a sad path, it is a joyous path, and this is why one must sing."

The next question, asked by another young girl, took a more personal turn. "How are you so good? Do you ever get angry?" she asked. She also asked the pope if he had any resolutions for the coming new year.

The pope remembered Jesus' response to the young rich man who addressed him as "good master," saying that "only God is good."

"We all have the wound of original sin that brings us to not be good all the time, but always remember, only God is good. And if you want to find goodness, go to God. There you will find all goodness, all love, all mercy," he said.

He laughingly admitted, however, that while he does get angry, "I do not bite." The pope also said that although he gets mad when someone "does something that isn't good," he calms down by reflecting on the times he has angered others.

"Anger is poisonous, it poisons the soul," he warned. "To become angry doesn't only hurt others, it hurts you. There are people who have a bitter soul, always bitter and living angry. It's almost as if they wake up every morning and brush their teeth with vinegar. It is a sickness."

Regarding his New Year resolutions, the pope said that after some time of reflection during a personal spiritual retreat, he resolved "to pray more," adding that, like all bishops, his "first job is to pray."

The final questions asked to the pope came from a young chorister who wondered what the pope dreamed of becoming when he grew up. She also asked if, with so much bad news seen on television, the world would continue to be so broken when she is older.

The pope once again recalled his childhood, saying that when asked by his mother and grandmother what he would like to be when he grew up, he told them he would like to become a butcher.

"The way the butchers would cut meat with their knives was like an art form, and I loved seeing that," he said. "Obviously, I changed my mind, but when I was little, I would've like to become a butcher."

Taking a more serious tone, the pope answered the young girl's second question, saying that although there are many bad things happening in the world, there are also good things that often are not covered by the media.

Pope Francis reminded the young choir members that there is "a war against the truth of God, the truth life and joy" and, as the Bible says, "this battle between the devil and God will continue until the end of time." However, he also said that despite so many negative reports, there are still many who through their lives, manifest the beauty of God.

"Let us not be deceived: in the world there are ugly things that are the work of the devil, but there are also holy things that are the work of God," he said. 

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