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WASHINGTON (AP) -- Former acting Attorney General Sally Yates, speaking publicly for the first time about concerns she brought to the Trump White House on Russia, told Congress on Monday she warned that National Security Adviser Michael Flynn "essentially could be blackmailed" because he apparently had lied to his bosses about his contacts with the Russian ambassador....
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met on Monday with staff and students of Rome’s Pontifical Portuguese College, reflecting on his forthcoming visit to Fatima this weekend.Recalling the apparitions of Our Lady to the three shepherd children of Fatima, exactly a century ago, the Pope said that encounter was a moment of grace, which enabled Francesco, Giacinta and Lucia to know and love Jesus.Like a wise and tender teacher, he said, Mary helped them to understand the love of the Trinitarian God as the most important part of their human existence.In the same way, the Pope said, all those studying and working at the college today must have as their principle goal to know and love Christ, learning how to give themselves totally to him.Whatever academic specialisations they may choose, he continued, the first concern of all priests must be to grow in the experience of the love of God, who is always close to us, just as he was close to the three shepherd children.Look to Mary, Pop...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met on Monday with staff and students of Rome’s Pontifical Portuguese College, reflecting on his forthcoming visit to Fatima this weekend.
Recalling the apparitions of Our Lady to the three shepherd children of Fatima, exactly a century ago, the Pope said that encounter was a moment of grace, which enabled Francesco, Giacinta and Lucia to know and love Jesus.
Like a wise and tender teacher, he said, Mary helped them to understand the love of the Trinitarian God as the most important part of their human existence.
In the same way, the Pope said, all those studying and working at the college today must have as their principle goal to know and love Christ, learning how to give themselves totally to him.
Whatever academic specialisations they may choose, he continued, the first concern of all priests must be to grow in the experience of the love of God, who is always close to us, just as he was close to the three shepherd children.
Look to Mary, Pope Francis urged the seminarians, and learn how to become more humble, but at the same time more courageous in following the Word of God. Our relationship with Mary, he said, also helps us to have a good relationship with the Church, learning how to love each person and become bearers of life, hope and peace to the world.
The Pope concluded with a wish that the college will continue to be a seed bed of apostles, fostering unity between Rome and the local Churches, as a living witness of God’s love for all of humanity.
(Vatican Radio) Watch out against the sin of resisting the Holy Spirit and always be open to the surprises of God. This was the exhortation of Pope Francis in his homily at Mass, Monday morning, in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta residence in the Vatican. He was commenting on the episode of the Acts of the Apostles where St. Peter confronts the first Christian community regarding being open to pagans who joined the Church. Reflecting on the Acts of the Apostles episode, the Pope stressed that Holy Spirit always moves the Church and the Christian community. God always surprises us as He is a loving God who accompanies usThe Pope said the Holy Spirit works miracles and creates new things and “obviously some feared these novelties of the Church.” “The Spirit is the gift of God, of this God, our Father who always surprises us. The God of surprises… Why? Because He is a living God, who dwells in us, a God who mov...
(Vatican Radio) Watch out against the sin of resisting the Holy Spirit and always be open to the surprises of God. This was the exhortation of Pope Francis in his homily at Mass, Monday morning, in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta residence in the Vatican. He was commenting on the episode of the Acts of the Apostles where St. Peter confronts the first Christian community regarding being open to pagans who joined the Church. Reflecting on the Acts of the Apostles episode, the Pope stressed that Holy Spirit always moves the Church and the Christian community.
God always surprises us as He is a loving God who accompanies us
The Pope said the Holy Spirit works miracles and creates new things and “obviously some feared these novelties of the Church.”
“The Spirit is the gift of God, of this God, our Father who always surprises us. The God of surprises… Why? Because He is a living God, who dwells in us, a God who moves our hearts, a God who is in the Church and walks with us and in this journey He surprises us. It is he He who has the creativity to create the world, the creativity to create new thing every day. He is the God who surprises us.”
This, the Pope explained, can create “difficulties” like Peter faced when he was challenged by other disciples because they knew that “even pagans had welcomed the Word of God”. For them, Peter had gone too far and they reprimanded him because according to them he was “a scandal” even to the point of saying, “You, Peter, the rock of the Church! Where are you leading us to?”
Don’t resist the Holy Spirit, saying “it’s always done this way”
Peter, the Pope recalled, narrated his vision, “as sign of God” that helped him “take a courageous decision.” Peter “was able to welcome God’s surprise.” Hence, faced with the many surprises of God, “the apostles came together, discussed and came to an agreement” in order “to take a step ahead that the Lord wanted.”
“From the times of the prophets until now, the sin to resist the Holy Spirit had always been there: this resistance to the Spirit. This is the sin with which Stephen accuses the members of the Sanhedrin: “You and your fathers have always resisted the Holy Spirit.” No, it has always been done this way, and must be done so. They tell Peter not to bring these newness, to remain calm… take a tranquilizer and calm the nerves… be calm … so the voce of God is shut. In the psalm the Lord speaks to the people: “Do not harden your hearts like your fathers.”
Ask for the grace of discernment to distinguish between good and evil
Commenting to Monday’s Gospel that speaks of the Good Shepherd, the Pope said that the Lord always asks us not to harden our hearts. “What the Lord wants,” he said, “is that there are others” other flocks “that do not belong to Him, but that there will be only one fold and one shepherd.” The Holy Father said that these pagans were condemned; even when they became believers they were regarded as “second-class believers - no one said it but it was a fact.”
The phrase, “It is has always been done like this” shuts and resists the Holy Spirit, and this kills freedom, kills joy, kills fidelity to the Holy Spirit who always acts in advance and carries the Church forward. But then the question - how can I know if it is from the Holy Spirit or from worldliness, the spirit of the world or spirit of the devil? For this, one needs to ask for the grace of discernment - the tool that the very Sprit has granted us. “How should one discern in every occasion? The answer, the Pope said, is the way the apostles did it: they came together, talked and saw the path of the Holy Spirit. Instead, those without this grace or those who did not pray for it remained closed and still.”
The truths of the Church forge ahead and develop with time
Pope Francis said that among the many innovations Christians must “learn how to discern, discern one thing from another, discern newness, the new wine that comes from God and the newness that comes from the spirit of the world and the devil.” “Faith,” he stressed, “never changes. It’s always the same. But it broadens and grows into a movement.” Here the Pope recalled St. Vincent of Lerins, a monk of the early centuries, who said, “The truths of the Church forge ahead: they are strengthened with years, develop with time, become profound with age, and because they grow stronger with time and years and broaden with time and become more prominent with the age of the Church.” The Pope concluded urging those present to ask for the grace of discernment in order not to mistake the path and be trapped in immobility, rigidity and closing of the heart.”
Acts 6: 1-7, I Pt 2: 4-9, John 14: 1-12 “My Father’s house.” When St. John Chrysostom was summoned before the Roman Emperor Arcadius and threatened with banishment, he replied, “You cannot banish me, for the world is my Father’s house.” “Then I will kill you,” exclaimed the Emperor angrily. “No, you cannot,” retorted Chrysostom, “because my life is hidden with Christ in God.” “Your treasures shall be confiscated,” the Emperor replied grimly. “Sir, you can’t do that because my treasures are in heaven as my heart is there.” “I will drive you from your people and you shall have no friends left,” threatened the Emperor. “That you cannot do either, Sir, for I have a Friend in heaven who has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’” I...
Acts 6: 1-7, I Pt 2: 4-9, John 14: 1-12
“My Father’s house.” When St. John Chrysostom was summoned before the Roman Emperor Arcadius and threatened with banishment, he replied, “You cannot banish me, for the world is my Father’s house.” “Then I will kill you,” exclaimed the Emperor angrily. “No, you cannot,” retorted Chrysostom, “because my life is hidden with Christ in God.” “Your treasures shall be confiscated,” the Emperor replied grimly. “Sir, you can’t do that because my treasures are in heaven as my heart is there.” “I will drive you from your people and you shall have no friends left,” threatened the Emperor. “That you cannot do either, Sir, for I have a Friend in heaven who has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’” In today’s Gospel Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life, gives us the same assurance. “In my Father's house, there are many dwelling places. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.”
Introduction: Today’s readings tell us how the early Church accepted the challenge of keeping Jesus’ memory alive by remaining a dynamic Christian community, bearing witness to Christ by their unity, fidelity in worship and spirit of loving and humble service. They also give the image of the Church as a Church in glory in the Father’s house. They introduce Jesus as the Way to God, the Truth to be accepted and the Life to be shared and lived. Today’s readings demand from us real faith not only in God the Father but also in Jesus precisely because he is “the Way, the Truth and the Life” (Jn. 14:6) and he demanded it from his followers “You have faith in God; have faith also in me” (Jn. 14:1).
The first reading (Acts 6: 1-7), taken from the Acts of the Apostles, shows us the early Church as a loving, serving and worshipping community (Acts 6: 1-7 ) and hence how it easily solved a problem of discrimination, by instituting the diaconate for the service of the community. It also shows how and why the early Church developed social institutions and Church offices to keep Jesus’ memory alive. It tells us how the apostles and early Christians, as a Church community, prayerfully and amicably solved a community problem. It is the famous account of the selection of the first deacons in the church. The Greek-speaking widows complained that the Aramaic-speaking food-ministers were short-changing them at meals in favor of the Aramaic-speaking widows. The apostles solved the problem by convening a meeting of "the whole community of the disciples" and informing them that they should be the ones to work through their problem. Their task: "Select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to the task" of distributing the food (6:3). Note the names of the chosen seven: "Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolaus of Antioch." Everyone is a Greek! Luke tells us that the Church believed that if the Greeks in the community had a problem, then the Greeks in the community were important and gifted enough to solve their problem. The apostles ratified the choice of these community servants by praying over them and laying hands on them. The apostles' choice to solemnize the choosing by the ancient ritual of the imposition of hands on those chosen suggests something very interesting about service in the church. The Apostles seem to be saying that the role of the community servant is worthy of what would become known as “ordination.” That is, service is so important in the life of the Church, that we cannot be the Church of Christ Jesus if we're without mutual service. Service constitutes the Church, as do Word and Sacrament.
The second reading (1 Peter 2: 4-9): : Here, St. Peter advises the early Christians to renew the memory of Jesus by making their community a spiritual edifice built from the “living stones” of believers upon the “Living Cornerstone of Christ” (I Pt 2: 4-5). Peter praises Christians, Gentiles and Jewish, as “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and God’s own people.” Thus, Peter gives us a view of the Church as a spiritual edifice built from “living stones” upon the “Living Cornerstone of Christ” (I Pt 2: 4-5). Our Jewish ancestors in the Faith had once been slaves in Egypt, then nomads in Sinai, then settlers for a few generations, then exiles in Babylon. So the notion of a permanent home, one made (at least in part), of stone, held great appeal for them. Thus, it was natural for Peter, while addressing the then Christians, to use the stone metaphor to describe the place of Jesus in the plan of God. Peter quotes a famous line from Psalm 118 about the stone rejected by the builders becoming the cornerstone and contrasts those who accept Jesus as their cornerstone with those who stumble on the stone. Peter then addresses all Christians, Jews and Gentile, using the loftiest titles applied to Israel in the Old Testament: “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his [God’s] own. Peter uses startling images like newborn babies, a living stone, holy priesthood, chosen race, royal people, God's chosen, God's own, etc., to promote in all Christians a new sense of identity within the community of faith. No one has ever expressed the dignity and importance of being a follower of Jesus more perfectly than Peter.
Gospel exegesis: Today’s gospel in a nutshell: Jesus consoles his apostles who are sad and disheartened at the prospect of his arrest and crucifixion by assuring them that he is going to prepare an everlasting accommodation for them in his Father’s house in heaven. He gives them the assurance that he will come back to take them to their heavenly abodes. It is then that Thomas asks Jesus where he is going and the way to reach him. Jesus answers Thomas’ question with, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.” The basic doctrine of Judaism is that Yahweh is the Way the Truth and the Life. Hence, Jesus is making a revolutionary claim that he is equivalent to Yahweh. Jesus declares that he is the safest and surest way to God, discrediting the notions that all religions are equally sure ways to reach God, or that no organized religion but only living a good life of sharing love is necessary to reach God. But Jesus the Way is narrow because it is the way of loving, humble and sacrificial service. Jesus is the Truth who taught revealed truths about God and God’s relation to man. Jesus also taught moral truths by demonstrating them in his life. Jesus is the Life because as God he possesses the eternal life of God and shares his divine life with his disciples through the Word of God and the sacraments.
The context: The disciples are gathered together with Jesus on the last Thursday night of his life in the Upper Room for the Last Supper. The departing Jesus instructs them about how they may preserve his memory and carry on his mission. As his final hours on earth approach, Jesus prepares his disciples by explaining to them the full significance of what will happen. He will return to his Father and send them the gift of the Holy Spirit. And after dedicating their lives to leading others to faith through the power of that Holy Spirit, they will be reunited with him in his Father's house. “I am going to prepare a living space for you, a mansion, a place for you for all eternity… I will come again and take you to that place.”
The misinterpreted words of consolation: By reproducing the consoling words of Jesus, the apostle John probably intended to bring a note of comfort to a group of Christians struggling to maintain their identity around the close of the first century. John was attempting to give courage and hope to people who found themselves in the midst of a very nasty fight with their passionate and fanatical Jewish neighbors in the Synagogue. They were the early Judeo-Christians who were frightened, vulnerable and defensive and whose survival as a community of faith and their individual security and safety were in peril. It is clear that John’s aim was pastoral, an attempt to comfort those friends of his who were afraid and who needed assurance. "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me… "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” But some later Christians have used such a text of assurance and comfort, not to comfort one another as Jesus did. Instead, they have used it as a weapon against people who don't believe in Jesus, or who don't believe in Jesus the way they do, or who don't read the Bible the way they do, or who don't talk in public about their faith and the way they feel about it as these folks do. These combative Christians seem to interpret the text as: "There is only one way to Heaven and that is our way!"
The tremendous claim by Jesus. The sages of India prayed every morning centuries before Christ the “Shanti Mantra” (“Mantra prayer of peace”) taken from Brihadaranyaka Upanishads (1.3.28), composed in 700 BCE, in Sanskrit language: “From falsehood lead me to truth, from darkness lead me to light, from mortality lead me to immortality” (“Aasato Ma Sath Gamaya, Thamaso Ma Jyothir Gamaya, Mrtjyor Ma Amritham Gamaya”). Centuries later Jesus gave the answer to their prayer through his tremendous claim: "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life." In fact, Jesus took three of the great basic concepts of the Jewish religion, and made the unique claim that in him all the three found their full realization. This means that he alone is the surest way to God. He alone can authoritatively and flawlessly teach us truths about God and he alone can give God’s life to us. John’s central message is that Jesus is both the revealer and the revelation of God. If we wish to know who God is, what God thinks and what God wants of us, we must attend to Jesus the Word of God. “The Jesus of the Gospel does not only show us the way – his life of humble and generous servanthood is the way; he not just philosophizes about a concept of truth – he is the perfect revelation of the truth about a God of enduring and unlimited love for his people; he is not just a preacher of futuristic promises – he has been raised up by God to a state of existence in God to which he invites all of us. In embracing the Spirit of his Gospel and living the hope of his Word, we encounter, in Christ, God himself.” (Connections).
Jesus is the Way. We go to God the Father who is Truth and Life through Jesus and we call Jesus the "Way" because he is the visible manifestation in human form of all that his Father is. To those who teach that all religions lead us to God or that religion is immaterial provided man lead a good life, Jesus has the answer that he is the safest and surest way to God because he came from God and he can lead us to his heavenly Father. The founders of other religions had either wrong ideas about the way to God or they were not sure guides. Lao-Tse (604-531 BC), the founder of Taoism said: “Get rid of all desires, you will have a contented life on earth, but I am not sure about the next life.” Buddha taught people to reach self-realization through total detachment and “nirvana”, but he was not sure if these would lead one to God. Confucius confessed that he did not know of an eternal life or the way to attain it. The founder of Islam, Mohammed Nabi, admitted that he had no hope of the future unless Allah should put His mantle of mercy on him. However, Jesus claims that he is the only way to God. When a Person is a Way for us to get to the Father and everlasting life, that Way is found only in our relationship with Him, that is, in our union with Him in mind and heart, in will and action. But Jesus’ sure way to God is the narrow way of the cross. It is the least-traveled way of humble, loving, self-giving and committed service to others. To follow the Way of Jesus is to become a special kind of person, a person whose whole being reflects the Truth and the Life that Jesus reveals to us. It is to be a person of Truth and Life who is totally identified with the vision and the values of Jesus. The medieval monk Thomas à Kempis the author of Imitation of Christ explains Jesus’ statement, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life” thus: "Without the way, there is no going; without the truth, there is no knowing; and without the life, there is no living.”
Jesus is the Truth. Gandhi said, “God is truth.” Jesus is the truth because he is the only one who reveals to us the whole truth about God. He teaches us that God is a loving, merciful, providing and forgiving Father. He also teaches us the truth that our triune God lives in each one of the believers. Jesus is the truth also because he has borne testimony to truth, demonstrating through his life and death the love of God for human beings. Truth here is that complete integrity and harmony which Jesus himself revealed, not only in what he said and did, but in the total manifestation of his life and person. Jesus is the truth, the word of God. To seek the truth elsewhere is to stumble and fall, to deal in falsehood and lies. So we pray the 86th Psalm, "Teach me thy way, O Lord, and I will walk in thy truth." For us to live the Truth in that Way is also to be fully alive, to be a "fully-functioning person,” responding totally to that abundance of life which Jesus has come to give us.
Jesus is the Life. As God, Jesus has eternal life in himself. In addition, he is the one who gives us his life-giving Holy Spirit. Jesus is the Life also in the sense that he allows us to share in God’s Life through the sacraments. Christ rose from the dead for two reasons: first, to give us eternal life; second, to make us fully alive now. His Spirit animates every moment of our lives. To be fully alive is to be in God. Thomas a Kempis of The Imitation of Christ fame wrote, "Without the Way, there is no going. Without the Truth, there is no knowing. Without the Life, there is no living."
Life messages: 1) We need to know Jesus the Truth and walk Jesus the Way: Jesus asked Philip: “Have I been with you all this time and you still do not know me?” He is asking us the same question: “Have I been with you all this time – in the Mass, in the Sacraments, in the Bible in the worshipping community – and you still do not know me?” If we really believe that Jesus is the Way and the Truth and the Life, then we will find fresh and creative ways to keep alive his memory. Jesus asks us to keep alive his memory by reading and praying the Scriptures, by gathering in Jesus’ name and celebrating the Eucharist “in memory” of him, by handing on the great tradition of Christian faith and by living according to his wise teachings. Jesus says, "If you believe in me, you will do the work I do." This is the work he's talking about: creating safe, secure, happy places for one another in which the really important work of life - transformation and big-family building - can happen. We can help one another “get a life” in the same way Jesus did - by recognizing the powerful effect we have on one another, for good or ill, and by consciously deciding to make even our smallest choices add up into safe, secure, happy spaces where every member of our big family can grow whole.
2) We need to possess Jesus the Life. We share the divine life of God by making use of the means Jesus established in his Church: a) By actively participating in the Eucharistic celebration and properly receiving the body and blood of Christ in Holy Communion. b) By the worthy reception of the other Sacraments. c) By the meditative and daily reading of the Word of God. d) By following the guidance of the life-giving Spirit of God, living within us. e) By communicating with God, the source of life, in personal and family prayers. (Prepared by Fr. Anthony Kadavil)
Indonesia’s 14 new priests were ordained this year in different parishes of the dioceses of Manado, Sibolga and Bandung, in the presence of thousands of faithful.What made these ceremonies a "rare opportunity" for local Catholics was that they occurred in parishes. Contrary to usual practice, whereby ordinations are performed in seminaries and episcopal sees, this group of deacons received their consecration among their people, including family and friends.The country has a lot of seminaries, where most ordinations take place. However, for many Catholics this can be a disadvantage due to the great distances and their limited capacity to host visitors.Therefore, ordinations are such a "rare event," a real "liturgical show" when they occur in village parishes, where everyone can participate.This is what just happened, starting in the diocese of Bandung (West Java), on April 25, for three deacons, a diocesan priest and two members of the Orde...
Indonesia’s 14 new priests were ordained this year in different parishes of the dioceses of Manado, Sibolga and Bandung, in the presence of thousands of faithful.
What made these ceremonies a "rare opportunity" for local Catholics was that they occurred in parishes. Contrary to usual practice, whereby ordinations are performed in seminaries and episcopal sees, this group of deacons received their consecration among their people, including family and friends.
The country has a lot of seminaries, where most ordinations take place. However, for many Catholics this can be a disadvantage due to the great distances and their limited capacity to host visitors.
Therefore, ordinations are such a "rare event," a real "liturgical show" when they occur in village parishes, where everyone can participate.
This is what just happened, starting in the diocese of Bandung (West Java), on April 25, for three deacons, a diocesan priest and two members of the Order of the Holy Cross.
Their consecration ceremony was held at the Santa Maria Fatima Church in in Lembang (the province’s most famous tourist resort) in the presence of Mgr Antonius Bunjamin Subianto OSC.
Seven other priests were ordained in late April at the St Yohanes (Saint John the Baptist) Church in Laikit, in the diocese of Manado. Five of them are diocesan and are two Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.
On May 3, the third ceremony took place in the diocese of Sibolga, on the island of Nias (North Sumatra province). Four deacons (three capuchins and one diocesan) were consecrated in Santa Maria, Mother of All Nations in Gunungsitoli.
Indonesia is an Islamic majority country (more than 85 per cent of a population of almost 256 million). In recent years Indonesia has been experiencing a sharp growth in the number of candidates to priesthood and religious life.
Pope Francis in his message for 54th World Day of Prayer for Vocations which we celebrated on May 7th said that we do not receive the gift of God’s love for our personal consolation, nor are we called to promote ourselves, or a business concern. We are simply men and women touched and transformed by the joy of God’s love, who cannot keep this experience just to ourselves he added. Through his message he urges all Catholics to reflect on the missionary dimension of our Christian calling. (AsiaNews)
(Vatican Radio) The Vatican’s representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic addressed a consultation conference on Monday, preparing for the way for an international agreement on migration and human rights.The agreement, known as a ‘global compact’ aims to draw up a list of principles and commitments addressing all aspects of international migration.At the meeting, the Vatican envoy called for fraternity and solidarity to take precedence over political divisions and geographical borders. Focusing especially on the need to protect child migrants, he appealed for a “far-sighted and people-centered Global Compact which hinges on migrants as the active protagonists”.Please see below the full statement by H.E. Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva at the First Thematic Consultation on the Global Compact for safe, orderly and regular migra...
(Vatican Radio) The Vatican’s representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic addressed a consultation conference on Monday, preparing for the way for an international agreement on migration and human rights.
The agreement, known as a ‘global compact’ aims to draw up a list of principles and commitments addressing all aspects of international migration.
At the meeting, the Vatican envoy called for fraternity and solidarity to take precedence over political divisions and geographical borders. Focusing especially on the need to protect child migrants, he appealed for a “far-sighted and people-centered Global Compact which hinges on migrants as the active protagonists”.
Please see below the full statement by H.E. Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva at the First Thematic Consultation on the Global Compact for safe, orderly and regular migration
Panel 1: “Human Rights of all Migrants”
Geneva, 8 May 2017
Mr. Chairman,
The Holy See Delegation wishes to thank the two co-facilitators for their initial remarks and the panelists for their presentations during this first panel of the first thematic consultation on the Global Compact on Migration.
Through the New York Declaration, Heads of States and Governments and High Representatives committed “to protect the safety, dignity, and human rights and fundamental freedoms of all migrants, regardless of their migratory status, at all times”.1 Now, the consultations on the Global Compact on Migration present the international community with an unprecedented opportunity to shift from a “reactive” approach to a more predictable, coordinated, manageable, and thus effective response to the human reality and experience of migration within an holistic and integrated approach.
However, the only way we can be successful in improving the global governance of migration is by shaping a far-sighted and people-centered Global Compact which hinges on migrants as the active protagonists. The outcome of the negotiations on this Compact truly will serve as the litmus test of fraternity and solidarity among the family of nations over and above any political divisions or geographical borders.
In this regard, the Holy See wishes to launch a strong appeal to protect the dignity of every person and to implement, without reserve, humanitarian principles and policies in response to people on the move, especially those who are most vulnerable.
As Pope Francis recently stated: “Every migrant is a human person who, as such, possesses fundamental, inalienable rights that must be respected by everyone and in every circumstance… irregular legal status cannot allow the migrant to lose his dignity, since he is endowed with inalienable rights, which can neither be violated nor ignored”2. Indeed, when handled with humanity, migration can contribute to the well-being of countries of origin and destination in a “win-win situation”.
The journeys of most migrants are by no means comfortable; most often they involve traumatic experiences that can only be sustained by hope and faith. People move at great personal costs, and frequently are exposed to exploitation, abuse and violence. Defending the inalienable rights of migrants, ensuring their fundamental freedoms, and respecting their dignity is not only a moral duty but also a shared ethical responsibility that must be translated into concrete and measurable actions.
Ensuring protection, however, is not enough. As long as dramatic situations of poverty, conflict, persecution, and widespread violence persist in countries of origin, the commercial interests of smugglers will continue to thrive, and the hopes of migrants will be violated, no matter how strong our commitments to protect the human rights of people on the move. “What is required is the promotion of an integral human development of migrants which requires a multi-stakeholder approach: from the political community to civil society, from international organizations to religious institutions… The human promotion of migrants and their families begins with their communities of origin. That is where such promotion should be guaranteed, joined to the right of being able to emigrate, as well as the right to not be constrained to emigrate, namely the right to find in one’s own homeland the conditions necessary for living a dignified life.”3
Of considerable concern for the Holy See is the condition of child migrants - which is worsened when they are unaccompanied or separated from their parents and other family members- since they are more exposed to various kinds of abuse and violence. Children on the move lack a voice and political and social influence in most receiving countries, so their needs are often forgotten or ignored. Mindful of the well acknowledged international standards regarding the right to education, we deem it necessary to reaffirm also the primary responsibility and the prior rights of parents in the education and upbringing of their children.
My Delegation would like to invite the panelists to share their views on how to ensure that our commitments do not end up being just a comprehensive collection of existing rights and political commitments but are implemented both in spirit and in action through concrete and measurable outcomes in the Global Compact.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
IMAGE: CNS/Paul HaringBy Carol GlatzVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Be readywith the spiritual weapon of faith because the biggest battle facing the SwissGuard today is fighting the devil and worldly vices, Pope Francis told theguard's members.The Swiss Guards' colorful andvaluable presence at the service of the pope and Vatican City State "is anoccasion to grow as courageous 'soldiers of Christ'" and be witnesses ofholiness to countless tourists and visitors, he said.The pope held a private audiencewith the Swiss Guard, including 40 new recruits and their family members, themorning of May 6, the day of the guard's annual swearing-in ceremony.New recruits pledge to"faithfully, loyally and honorably" serve and protect the pontiffand, if necessary, sacrifice their lives for him.The colorful induction ceremonyis held May 6 every year to mark the date in 1527 when 147 Swiss Guards losttheir lives defending Pope Clement VII in the Sack of Rome. Only 42 guardssurvived. Holding the ceremony on the ...
IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring
By Carol Glatz
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Be ready with the spiritual weapon of faith because the biggest battle facing the Swiss Guard today is fighting the devil and worldly vices, Pope Francis told the guard's members.
The Swiss Guards' colorful and valuable presence at the service of the pope and Vatican City State "is an occasion to grow as courageous 'soldiers of Christ'" and be witnesses of holiness to countless tourists and visitors, he said.
The pope held a private audience with the Swiss Guard, including 40 new recruits and their family members, the morning of May 6, the day of the guard's annual swearing-in ceremony.
New recruits pledge to "faithfully, loyally and honorably" serve and protect the pontiff and, if necessary, sacrifice their lives for him.
The colorful induction ceremony is held May 6 every year to mark the date in 1527 when 147 Swiss Guards lost their lives defending Pope Clement VII in the Sack of Rome. Only 42 guards survived. Holding the ceremony on the anniversary is meant to remind new guards of the seriousness of their commitment.
Pope Francis told the guard that "today you are not called to this heroic offering of one's physical life, but to another sacrifice that is no less arduous: that is, to serve the power of faith."
Faith is an effective shield against the different "forces and powers of this earth and above all (against) he who is 'the prince of this world,' the 'father of lies,' who prowls around 'like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour,'" the pope said.
"You are called to be strong and valiant, sustained by faith in Christ and his word of salvation," he said.
That way tourists and pilgrims, too, will be inspired when they see in the Swiss Guard this combination of "poise, precision and competent professionalism, also generous Christian witness and holiness of life," the pope said. "May this be your primary concern."
Today, the 110 Swiss soldiers are responsible for guarding all entrances into Vatican City State as well as keeping watch over the pope and his residence in the Domus Sanctae Marthae. They also provide security and ceremonial services during liturgical events and visits of heads of state and other dignitaries to the Vatican.
At the swearing-in ceremony in the Vatican's St. Damasus courtyard, the corps' commander, Col. Christoph Graf, told the new recruits that when it comes to human resource management, the best and most successful guidance comes from the Bible and its emphasis on humility, honesty, compassion and loving one's neighbor.
Also, a "superior" or leader is only credible and successful if he or she acts as a role model, living the way he or she demands others live, Col. Graf said.
"Whoever wants to lead with success must first learn to love people," he said.
During a ceremony May 5 honoring the guards who died during the brutal "Sack of Rome" in 1527, Col. Graf highlighted the numerous forms of violence at work in the world today, like the civil war in Syria, famine in the Horn of Africa, Nigeria and Yemen, unsafe passage for refugees as well as euthanasia and abortion, which has become so "normal" that it "unfortunately is silently accepted by the majority of people, even by us Christians."
Because of selfishness, a thirst for power and ideological, political, economic and personal interests, "many innocent people are forced to lose their lives," he said, even though the world possesses the means necessary to stop all these "mass deaths, this indescribable suffering."
"Where is the voice of us Christians? It
can't be that the only one to speak out publicly about these situations is the
Holy Father," he said.
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By Cindy WoodenVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Two months after bishops of theMelkite Catholic Church declared they had reconciled with each other and founda way to move forward together, the Vatican announced Pope Francis had acceptedthe resignation of Melkite Patriarch Gregoire III Laham.In a letter released by the Vatican May 6, Pope Francis saidthat in February, the 84-year-old Syrian-born patriarch "spontaneouslypresented me with his renunciation of the patriarchal office, asking me todecide the most favorable moment to accept it.""After praying and reflecting attentively, I considerit opportune and necessary for the good of the Greek Melkite Church to accepthis resignation today," said the letter addressed to Patriarch Laham and all the bishops of the Melkite Church.Pope Francis thanked the patriarch for his service and,especially, for his work to keep the suffering and the needs of the people ofSyria in the public eye.Patriarch Laham had convoked a synod of the Melkitebishops in June ...
By Cindy Wooden
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Two months after bishops of the Melkite Catholic Church declared they had reconciled with each other and found a way to move forward together, the Vatican announced Pope Francis had accepted the resignation of Melkite Patriarch Gregoire III Laham.
In a letter released by the Vatican May 6, Pope Francis said that in February, the 84-year-old Syrian-born patriarch "spontaneously presented me with his renunciation of the patriarchal office, asking me to decide the most favorable moment to accept it."
"After praying and reflecting attentively, I consider it opportune and necessary for the good of the Greek Melkite Church to accept his resignation today," said the letter addressed to Patriarch Laham and all the bishops of the Melkite Church.
Pope Francis thanked the patriarch for his service and, especially, for his work to keep the suffering and the needs of the people of Syria in the public eye.
Patriarch Laham had convoked a synod of the Melkite bishops in June 2016, but the meeting was postponed because half the Melkite bishops boycotted the gathering and called for the patriarch's resignation. One of the main issues of contention was the management of church property, but also leadership styles.
At the time, the patriarch called the bishops' absence a "case of open rebellion."
After eight months, the synod met in February at the patriarchate in Rebweh, Lebanon. Afterward, the bishops issued a statement thanking God "for the spirit of reconciliation and renewed commitment to walk together in partnership to restore peace in the church."
The bishops also scheduled another synod assembly for June.
Between the resignation of Patriarch Laham and the election of a new patriarch by the synod, the church will be administered by the member who has been a bishop the longest, in this case Melkite Archbishop Jean-Clement Jeanbart of Aleppo, Syria, 74.
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Copyright © 2017 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. www.catholicnews.com. All rights reserved. Republishing or redistributing of CNS content, including by framing or similar means without prior permission, is prohibited. You may link to stories on our public site. This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To request permission for republishing or redistributing of CNS content, please contact permissions at cns@catholicnews.com.
BERLIN (AP) -- German police say a gold-and-platinum tiara adorned with 367 diamonds that once belonged to a duchess has been stolen from a state museum....
