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A bishop in Timor-Leste, or East Timor, emphasized the importance of Mary in the faith and history of Christianity and encouraged young people to follow her example.   Bishop Virgilio do Carmo da Silva of Dili said Mary did not keep her faith to herself but shared it with others.   "You must follow Mary's example of loving God through daily actions," he told about 700 young Catholics from 30 parishes at the end of a three-day leadership course on May 14 in Dili, a day after the Catholic Church celebrated the centenary of the Marian apparitions in Fatima, Portugal. The training aimed to improve skills in the fields of public speaking, organizing, debate, hospice and chaplaincy work.

In the run-up to the 15th anniversary of the independence Timor-Leste, May 20, the bishop reminded young people to reflect on the struggles of their predecessors who sacrificed themselves for the country's freedom.  "You must be instruments of peace to families, communities, and parishes," he said.

One of the participants, Bernadete de Jesus, said the key to a strong Church and country is the ability to win the hearts of young people.  "They must be furnished with leadership skills to accompany them spiritually and intellectually," she said. 

Father Joao Soares, head of the Youth Commission of Dili Diocese, spoke about the need for young people to participate in parish activities.  "As soon as you go back to your parish, you must help parish priests in outlining programmes for young people," he said.

East Timor was colonised by Portugal from the mid-16th century until 28 November 1975, when the Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor (FRETILIN) declared the territory's independence.  Days later, Indonesia invaded and occupied it, declaring it as its 27th  province the following year.  The next two decades were marked by violence and conflict between separatists and the Indonesian military. In an August 1999 UN-supervised popular referendum, an overwhelming majority of the people of Timor-Leste voted for independence from Indonesia. 

With Catholics forming over 90% of its 1.2 million population, Timor-Leste is Asia’s most Catholic nation, followed by the Philippines with over 80%.   However in absolute numbers the Philippines has the largest Catholic population in Asia.  The three Timor-Leste Dioceses of Dili, Baucau and Maliana come under the jurisdiction of the Holy See. 

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Vatican City, May 16, 2017 / 06:29 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican’s 2016 AIF financial report shows the trend toward transparency of previous years has continued, with a drop in suspicious activity and a growing number of international collaborators.

In May 16 comments to journalists, Rene Brülhart that so far “there has been a steady process in building a functional system, and hopefully a sustainable system” of financial transparency in the Vatican.

“If you look into the facts, into the figures, that's what has been achieved in the last years, and 2016 has been a key moment in getting there,” he said.

Brülhart, a Swiss lawyer, is president of the Vatican’s Financial Intelligence Authority (AIF). Established by Benedict XVI in 2010 and strengthened under Francis, the AIF is the Vatican’s watchdog when it comes to financial supervision and preventing and countering money laundering.

The AIF works alongside other financial entities in the Vatican, including the Secretariat for the Economy and the Council for the Economy, both of which were established by Pope Francis as part of his ongoing reform of the Roman Curia.

Brülhart was present alongside AIF director Tommaso Di Ruzza at a May 16 press briefing on the AIF’s fifth annual report, which covered 2016 and summed up their continued efforts to crack down on suspicious financial activity in the Vatican and strengthen international ties.  

In 2016, the only entity supervised by the AIF was the Institute of Religious Works (IOR), more colloquially referred to as “the Vatican bank.”

In a press release on the report, Brülhart said “a significant fostering of international cooperation of the Vatican competent authority with its foreign counterparts to fight illicit financial activities, a consolidation of the reporting system as well as a further strengthening of the regulatory framework” were key achievements in 2016.

In comments to journalists, he noted that, in continuity with previous years, there had been a “significant increase of international cooperation” in 2016. This is key, he said, given the Holy See’s position as a global institution, which makes bilateral collaboration in the supervisory level “very important.”

According to the 2016 report, the year “was characterized by a continuous increase in supervisory and regulatory activities, especially in the field of prudential supervision.” In this regard, the majority of efforts were spent monitoring relationships among the IOR and foreign financial institutions.

“The unique geographical situation of Vatican City State and the activities carried out by the supervised entity (IOR) implies the necessity to establish relations with foreign financial intermediaries,” the report read.

In 2016, the AIF signed a “Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with the supervisory authorities of Brazil, Italy and Poland. In addition, they also have formal ties with authorities in German, Luxembourg, and the United States.

Through their membership in the Egmont Group, the AIF is also allowed to interact with the financial intelligence units of 152 countries and jurisdictions.

Showing the efficiency of these relationships, AIF in 2016 had 837 international information exchanges, 720 of which were requested by AIF itself, while 116 were requests made by its foreign counterparts – an increase on both fronts from previous years

Part of this increase, according to the AIF report, is due to the increase in foreign counterparts and the AIF’s “preventive and proactive approach” at the international level. On the other hand, it’s also due to the “sophisticated feature of cases under strategic and operational analysis,” which involve various subjects and foreign jurisdictions.

In addition to an increase in international collaboration, 2016 saw a dip in the number of suspicious activity reports (SARs) filed compared to 2015.

For Brülhart, the decrease is “no surprise, but a logical follow-up to the path we have been taking these years.”

However, the report insisted that the number was still higher than in previous years, showing “an ever-increasing and effective implementation of reporting requirements by supervised entities,” Di Ruzza said in the press release.

The report also showed an improvement in the quality of SARs reports, with a positive impact in terms of their dissemination to the Vatican Promoter of Justice, “which are leading to domestic prosecution.”

If a transaction is flagged and found to be problematic, it is sent to the office of the Promoter of Justice, currently Gian Piero Milano. In 2016, 22 reports were sent to the office, 5 of which had action taken against them: 4 of the transactions were suspended, totally over $2 million, while the account was frozen for the remaining 1, worth over $1.5 million.

Asked about the fact that to date there has been no known public prosecution of persons found guilty of wrongdoing in the Vatican, Brülhart said he “cannot speak for the Promoter of Justice,” but, without getting into detail, acknowledged that “there have been relevant developments in recent times.”

He did explain, however, that the delay is likely due to several factors, including the fact that the system they put into place is still new, and lacks sufficient IT resources and qualified people who can develop the cases flagged by AIF before sending them to Milano’s office.

Bureaucracy is also part of the equation, he said, explaining that after receiving a case, Milano must request information from international agencies, which frequently slows down the process.

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Vatican City, May 16, 2017 / 07:52 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Tuesday Pope Francis sent a telegram to the new President of France, Emmanuel Macron, offering his prayers and wishes that in his new role, he will support the rich moral and spiritual traditions of the country, including that of Christianity.

“I pray that God support you so that your country, faithful to the rich diversity of its moral traditions and its spiritual heritage marked also by the Christian tradition, may always endeavor to build a more just and fraternal society,” Pope Francis said in the May 16 message.

“With respect for difference and attention to those in situations of vulnerability and exclusion, may it contribute to the cooperation and solidarity between nations,” Francis continued.

On the occasion of the investiture of the new president, which took place on May 14, the Pope sent his good wishes for the exercise of the office, that it be “at the service” of all the people of France.

Pope Francis also urged the country of France to continue to nurture an appreciation and defense of the dignity of every person, including “respect for life” and a search for peace and the common good in Europe and around the world.

He concluded his brief telegram by invoking the Lord’s blessing on President Macron and on all the inhabitants of France.

In France’s presidential election on May 7, 39-year-old centrist Macron beat Marine Le Pen, the far right candidate of the National Front party with 66 percent of the vote. He is the youngest president to ever be elected in France.

President Macron took office May 14 and will now have to deal with a slate of difficulties for the country, such as unemployment, terrorist threats and political division.

Having never been elected to any other political office, he ran as the head of a new movement, En March!, instead of an established political party. His politics have been described as liberal and progressive, though he has said he hopes to transcend the divides of the left and right political parties.

He was not the only candidate who appealed to the latent Catholics of France during the election season. François Fillon, former prime minister of France and a practicing Catholic, shocked pundits and political commentators throughout the country when he pulled ahead in the Republican party and beat out the moderate former Prime Minister Alain Juppé (himself a self-described “agnostic Catholic”) by a wide margin.  
 
His Catholicism was such a strong part of his political identity that a headline in the newspaper Libération proclaimed: “Help, Jesus has returned!”

President Macron has said that he supports the French principle of secularism (laïcité). He has also said that "we have a duty to let everybody practice their religion with dignity," though he believes that “when one enters the public realm, the laws of the Republic must prevail over religious law."

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IMAGE: CNS photo/courtesy World Youth Day USA

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PANAMA CITY (CNS) -- A logo depicting symbols for Mary, Panama and the Panama Canal was selected as the winning design to promote World Youth Day 2019.

The design by Amber Calvo, 20, a Panamanian student studying architecture, was chosen from 103 entries submitted for the event that will take place Jan. 22-27, 2019.

The entries were first evaluated by a group of graphic design and marketing professionals who settled on three designs submitted for review by the WYD Executive Committee 2019 and the Vatican's Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life.

In introducing the logo, Archbishop Jose Ulloa Mendieta of Panama said the design "captures the message we wish to send to the youth of the world, the smallness of our country and the greatness of our heart, open to all held by the hand of Our Lady, who is a model of youth and courage, commitment and generosity, especially when she (said) yes to God's call."

Calvo's design is in the shape of a stylized heart. It is two shades of blue with a red cross. The artwork includes a silhouette of Mary on the right at the moment she says, "Thy will be done" to God. The Panama Canal flows through Mary, symbolizing the pilgrim's path through Mary to Jesus.

At the left in red, is an image of the Pilgrim Cross.

The Isthmus of Panama, the site of the event, is represented across the top of the design in the shape of a stylized "M." The image refers to the Panamanian theme, "Bridge of the World, Heart of the Universe." It also suggests the name of Mary and her motherly heart leads the pilgrim to Jesus, her son.

Within the image of Panama and above Mary's head are five small white dots that represent her crown as well as the fact that pilgrims will travel to the event from five continents outside of North America.

The logo will appear on all World Youth Day materials, handouts, social media and websites.

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