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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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(Vatican Radio) Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), gave a press statement on the recent terror shooting in San Bernardino, in which 14 people were killed and 22 others injured.

Referring to the Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood shooting and the San Bernardino shooting, Archbishop Kurtz affirmed that “violence and hate in the world around us must be met with resolve and courage”. 

He went on to call all Christians to be “heralds of hope and prophetic voices against senseless violence, a violence which can never be justified by invoking the name of God.”

“Confident in what Jesus asks of us, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops remains steadfast in our commitment to refugees, who are often escaping severe persecution. We will continue to support strengthening social services for persons with mental illness, but we must remember that only a small number of those suffering with these challenges pose a risk to themselves or others. We encourage responsible firearms regulation. And we will advocate on behalf of people facing religious discrimination, including our Muslim brothers and sisters.”

The full statement may be found below:

A Statement from Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

December 14, 2015

 WASHINGTON—In this blessed Advent season, we sing hopeful carols anticipating the miracle of Christmas. We have reason to announce the need for peace and goodwill throughout the world with even stronger voices this year, in light of the recent mass shooting in San Bernardino. Violence and hate in the world around us must be met with resolve and courage.

We pray that family and friends facing the pain of loss and the journey of recovery find strength in the compassion of their community. We draw especially close to the local Church, which has borne the burden of mourning the loss of those who died and of comforting their families, yet has the strength to reach out in love.

We are also reminded of those recovering from the shooting in Colorado Springs. Here, too, the Christmas story inspires us to give of ourselves, as Jesus gave up his body, so we may bring comfort and joy to those in need. We must not respond in fear. We are called to be heralds of hope and prophetic voices against senseless violence, a violence which can never be justified by invoking the name of God.

Watching innocent lives taken and wondering whether the violence will reach our own families rightly stirs our deepest protective emotions. We must resist the hatred and suspicion that leads to policies of discrimination. Instead, we must channel our emotions of concern and protection, born in love, into a vibrant witness to the dignity of every person. We should employ immigration laws that are humane and keep us safe, but should never target specific classes of persons based on religion.

When we fail to see the difference between our enemies and people of good will, we lose a part of who we are as people of faith. Policies of fear and inflammatory rhetoric will only offer extremists fertile soil and pave the way toward a divisive, fearful future. As Pope Francis reminded us in his speech to Congress: "The yardstick by which we measure others is the yardstick by which time will measure us."

Confident in what Jesus asks of us, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops remains steadfast in our commitment to refugees, who are often escaping severe persecution. We will continue to support strengthening social services for persons with mental illness, but we must remember that only a small number of those suffering with these challenges pose a risk to themselves or others. We encourage responsible firearms regulation. And we will advocate on behalf of people facing religious discrimination, including our Muslim brothers and sisters.

Let us confront the extremist threat with courage and compassion, recognizing that Christianity, Islam, Judaism and many other religions are united in opposition to violence carried out in their name.

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(Vatican Radio)  Forensic experts say they have found a mass grave in the northeast part of Bosnia-Herzegovina that most likely contains victims' remains of Europe's worst massacre since World War Two. The apparent victims from the 1995 Srebrenica massacre were discovered while United Nations judges ordered a retrial for two former officials who were acquitted of organizing Serb paramilitary groups involved in these and other atrocities.

Listen to Stefan Bos' report:

Investigators thought they already emptied the site near a gravel pit where more than 1,000 Muslim men and boys were massacred by Serb forces. But more than a decade after that discovery more remains have been found between garbage on the outskirts of Kozluk village some 70 kilometres north of Srebrenica.

Bosnia's prosecution office says the grave was found thanks to satellite images. Investigators suggest the grave contains remains of victims who were buried in July 1995.  So far, incomplete remains from around a dozen different bodies were found.

Bosnian Serbs killed some 8,000 Muslim men and boys when they overran the Bosnian town of Srebrenica during the war in 1995. Many were transported to different sites to hide what became known as the Srebrenica massacre. 

Hope remains

Ahmed Grahic now hopes he can finally burry the remains of more loved ones. "in 2003 when I came to another mass grave I approached it and said: 'this is my father'. A short time later I also found my two brothers and four uncles," he recalled. 

However Grahic still searches for his fourteen of his cousins to give them their own graves.       

Eldar Jahic of Bosnia's prosecution office hopes investigators will soon find the remains of these and other victims. "Already some remains have been brought to a commemorative center in Tuszla," he said, adding that "with help of DNA testing we hope to identify the victims."   

And, this week Bosnia detained a former ethnic Serb police commander suspected of taking part in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre and charged a former Serb army officer over the atrocity.

Separately United Nations ordered a retrial for two former allies of late Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic linked to the massacre.  

Notorious gangs

International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia overturned the acquittals of Jovica Stanisic and Franko Simatovic, who were acquitted in 2013 of setting up and arming notorious Serb paramilitary gangs that committed atrocities in Bosnia and Croatia during the 1990s Balkan wars.

Stanisic's lawyer, Wayne Jordash, called the decision "extremely disappointing" and a retrial, the "worst of all options" as it will likely take years to complete when they will remain detained.

It came as a appointment for Serbia's government who saw the acquittals as a vindication of their long-held stance that Serbia did not deliberately assist crimes by Serb forces in Bosnia and Croatia.

Yet the organization "Mothers of Srebrenica" which gathers widows of the victims of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, has welcomed the decision saying no crime in Bosnia could have been committed without their help.

Complicating efforts however is pressure on the U.N.-funded court to complete its remaining cases and close down.

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(Vatican Radio)  Religious tolerance for Christians in large parts of Iraq has deteriorated after the rise of the so-called Islamic State. Under Sharia law in areas controlled by the Islamist group, Christians have been forced to convert or flee.

Fr. Samer Soreshow Yohanna Oaoc, the rector of the Pontifical Babel College for philosophy and theology in Erbil, Iraq, spoke to Vatican Radio about the hemorrhaging of Christianity caused by migration and the goal of Babel College’s Catholic presence in the country.

Listen to the full interview:

Fr. Yohanna Oaoc stressed that migration is a choice that is being forced upon the people of Iraq because their lives are being threatened. "Christians in Iraq are suffering the hemorrhaging of migration because they [have been] attacked several times and displaced from their homes, their villages, their cities."

He said that around 80% of the remaining Christians in Iraq are displaced persons (IDPs).

Iraqi Christian education promotes tolerance

In response to this crisis, Church leaders are trying to provide "pastoral support, financial aid and, above all, education for these displaced persons".

"Our hope", Fr. Yohanna Oaoc said, "is to give a message that we are here present in our country; we are not visitors; we are indigenous people of this place. We want to serve this country by providing education to IDPs and to residents of the country."

The presence of the Pontifical Babel College for Philosophy and Theology in Erbil hopes "to promote education as a means to disseminate tolerance and a humane society based on human rights and tolerance."

European integration

When asked about those Christians who have already migrated to Europe, Fr. Yohanna Oaoc affirmed his desire that "the hosting countries in Europe be more wise in how to welcome these groups, integrate them, and give them, not only shelter, but basic human needs in order to be newly transplanted in society, to live freely and express their faith and hopes."

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis held his weekly General Audience on Wednsday. In his catechetical remarks to the faithful, the Holy Father focused on the signs of the recently-opened Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, saying that by practicing charity, mercy and forgiveness, we can be a sign of the power of God’s love to transform hearts and to bring reconciliation and peace.

Below, please find the official English summary of the Holy Father's reflection

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Dear Brothers and Sisters: The Jubilee of Mercy was inaugurated this past week by the opening of the Holy Door, not only here in Rome but in dioceses worldwide, as a visible expression of our communion in the universal Church. Fifty years ago, the Second Vatican Council reminded us that the Church is called to be, in Christ, the visible sign of God’s merciful love for the entire human family. Each of us, by practicing charity, mercy and forgiveness, can be a sign of the power of God’s love to transform hearts and to bring reconciliation and peace. By passing through the Door of Mercy during this Holy Year, we show our desire to enter more deeply into the mystery of Christ’s redemptive love. Jesus tells us that he himself is the door to eternal life (cf. Jn 10:9), and he asks us, through genuine conversion, to open the doors of our hearts to a more sincere love of God and neighbour. A special sign of grace in this Jubilee of Mercy is the sacrament of Penance, in which Christ invites us to acknowledge our sinfulness, to experience his mercy, and to receive the grace which can make us ever more effective signs of his reconciling love at work in our world.

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(Vatican Radio) Mercy and forgiveness are not just nice words, but must be put into practice in our daily lives. That was Pope Francis message to pilgrims gathered in St Peter’s Square on Wednesday for his weekly general audience.

Philippa Hitchen reports: 

Reflecting on the opening of the Holy Door of Mercy, which has been taking place in churches and cathedrals around the world, as well as here in Rome this week, Pope Francis said he wanted the Jubilee to be an experience shared by all people. Noting that the first door was opened in the heart of Africa, during his visit to the Central African Republic, the Pope said Rome is the visible symbol of that mystery of communion between the Universal and each local Church.

In the same way, he said, mercy and forgiveness are not just nice words, but they are visible signs that faith has transformed our hearts. In our daily lives, the Pope said, we must never grow tired of loving and forgiving others as God loves and forgives us.

The Pope recalled Jesus’ own words, when he said “I am the door: whoever enters through me will be saved”. Going through the Holy Door then, is a sign of our trust in the Lord who did not come to judge, but rather to save us. Speaking off the cuff, the Pope said make sure that no-one asks you to pay for going through that door, because you don’t pay for salvation and Jesus is for free!

Going through the Holy Door, Pope Francis continued, is a sign of our conversion of heart and as we go through, we must also remember to keep the door of our hearts wide open. Just as the Holy Door stays open as a sign of the welcome that God reserves for each one of us, so the door of our hearts must always be open  - to include even those people who annoy us most.

The Pope said the Sacrament of Confession is an important sign of the Jubilee as through it we can experience directly God’s mercy and forgiveness. Through Confession, he said, we find God the Father who understands our limits and our contradictions. When we confess our sins, he said, Jesus rejoices and draws closer to us, urging us to proceed without discouragement.

Pope Francis acknowledged it’s not easy to forgive – how often, he said, people say “Father, I can’t forgive my neighbour, my colleague, my mother-in-law or sister-in-law”.  It’s not easy to forgive  through our strength alone, he concluded, but if we open our hearts to welcome God’s mercy for us, then we in turn are able to forgive others.

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