Catholic News 2

(Vatican Radio) A religious sister has described how children are dying from lack of food in war-torn South Sudan where a famine has been declared.

Sister Yudith Pereira Rico from the association “Solidarity with South Sudan” told Susy Hodges that many children in camps for people displaced by the civil war are visibly malnourished and that people are not able to buy food because of sky-high inflation.

Her comments come after a famine was declared there earlier this week, with the UN saying that 4.9 people are in need of urgent food assistance.

“Almost all of the children are skinny,” said Sister Pereira Rico. “Many of them are ill because they are not getting enough food and this is taking place all over the country.

“People are very worried. We have more than 900 per cent of inflation. So people are unable to buy any food in the market. It’s not the rainy season so even the price of the food is higher. People are dying.”

Her eyewitness description of the crisis comes as Pope Francis called during his Wednesday General Audience for urgent humanitarian aid for South Sudan, saying millions risked being “condemned to death”.

Listen to the interview with Sister Yudith Pereira Rico of "Solidarity with South Sudan":

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(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis held an audience on Wednesday for the Italian family members of those who died in the Dhaka massacre in Bangladesh on 1 July 2016.

The terror attack in Dhaka took place on the Holey Artisan Bakery in the diplomatic district of the capital and claimed the lives of 29 people, nine of whom were Italian.

Bishop Valentino di Cerbo of Alife-Caiazzo in Italy accompanied the group of around 30 people who met Pope Francis ahead of his Wednesday General Audience.

Those present included family members of Marco Tondat, Christian Rossi, Maria Riboli, Vincenzo D’Allestro, Claudio Cappelli, and Simona Monti, who were killed in the terror attack.

Maria Gaudio, the wife of Vincenzo D’Allestro, afterwards said: “Pope Francis thanked us for our witness of love and he said we were an example also for him.”

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(Vatican Radio) The leader of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church has appealed to the international community to take diplomatic action and stop the continuing violence in Eastern Ukraine.

This week a ceasefire between Ukrainian troops and Russian-backed separatists came into effect but the head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OCSE) said violations to the ceasefire are already occurring.  

The conflict, which started in April 2014, has killed some 10,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands from their homes. 3.8 million people are estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance. 

Speaking to Vatican Radio, His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, said that Europe must not allow the humanitarian emergency unfolding at its heart to go unnoticed.

Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni:

Major Archbishop Shevchuk highlighted the plight of three groups of people in particular whom, he said, the international community should be concerned about: 

-    Those who are trapped in the so-called “grey zone” on the border of the occupied territory which has been under constant bombardment for the past three years: almost 200,000 people including many elderly people and families. According to UNICEF some 12,000 children live in this area. He said the Church is present on the territory and supported by funds raised by Pope Francis’ call for a collection that goes towards food, medicine and other basic needs. 

-    Those who are trapped in the occupied territory and who are unable to receive international humanitarian aid. The only way the Church manages to reach these people is through local priests who do their best to travel back and forth to the Ukrainian area, filling their cars with basic goods for the population that is on the brink of hunger.

-    Then there are the hundreds of thousands of displaced persons, many of whom have sought refuge in central and western Ukraine. Unofficial statistics estimate over 2 million internally displaced persons. The national Caritas branch is practically alone in trying to assist these people.

Shevchuk also comments on the recent UNICEF report and its appeal for over 1 million children in need of assistance in eastern Ukraine.

“The suffering of a million children is the suffering of the innocent. This is what led me to make an appeal to the international community to do everything possible to end hostilities” he said, pointing out  that the Church must give a voice to the voiceless.

He said it is really upsetting to see how these children live and how they continue to try to go to school in shattered buildings. He pointed out that 19,000 children are in constant danger of mines and other explosive devices in the area. 

“Although children are told not to touch objects they come across, every day a child is injured because the militants leave toys that are loaded with explosives all over the ground” he said.

Shevchuk said nothing has changed since the change of the administration in the US, but unfortunately none of the agreements brokered so far have had an effect.

“We know there can be no military solution to the conflict in Ukraine that’s why I appeal to the international community to continue to push forward diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire” he said.

Archbishop Shevchuk concluded saying Pope Francis is constantly informed on the situation and that the Apostolic Nuncio travels often to the area. He said that everyone hopes and prays that perhaps the Pope himself will be able to accept a standing invitation to visit one day.

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(Vatican Radio) Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, on Wednesday called for a more equitable global economy which can promote peace, development and human dignity for all.

The cardinal was speaking on ‘Migration in an inclusive economy’ during an international forum which is taking place here in Rome, organised by the Vatican’s new office for Integral Human Development, together with the Scalabrini International Migration Network and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

The goal of the forum is to promote creative partnerships between government agencies, international organisations and civil society groups to tackle both the integration of migrants in host countries, as well as supporting sustainable development in their countries of origin.

Philippa Hitchen reports: 

Noting that the gap between rich and poor is unacceptable in a world which has the means to provide for all people, Cardinal Parolin highlighted the links between peace, development and respect for human rights.

But he said we witness, in many places, politics driven by insecurity and fear, conflicts of interest and the violation of human rights.

Such policies, he said, lead to migratory flows of people, seen as one of the major problems facing our world today. When these people encounter obstacles and barriers, they are more likely to seek alternative routes, to be exploited and abused by human traffickers and often lose their lives in the process.

Instead of seeing this as a temporary emergency, Cardinal Parolin said, we must tackle the root causes and work together towards global solutions, sharing the responsibility for safe and sustainable migration flows.

Every state, he said, has the right to control its borders and decide who it can let in, according to the resources and welcome it can provide. But he recalled Pope Francis’ words to the diplomatic corps earlier this year when he urged governments not to see migrants simply as numbers, but to make wise and far-sighted decisions, with concrete gestures that promote peace and strive for the common good.

The cardinal also highlighted the vital contribution that migrants make to the economies and social fabric of their host countries, often showing innovation and initiative, determination, adaptability and resilience in the face of challenges. He urged host nations to protect the rights and dignity of the most vulnerable migrants, offering job flexibility, training opportunities and decent living conditions, without losing sight of the needs and interests of the poorest sectors in their own countries.

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Vatican City, Feb 22, 2017 / 07:19 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Wednesday the Vatican announced plans to monitor with a more careful eye those who print official images of the Pope or the Holy See and sell them for profit, intervening with “appropriate action” when necessary.

A Feb. 22 communique issued by the Secretariat of State said pointed out that among its various tasks, it also has “that of protecting the image of the Holy Father, so that his message can reach the faithful intact and that his person not be exploited.”

Because of this, part of the department is dedicated to protecting “the symbols and coats of arms of the Holy See” through appropriate channels on an international level.

In order to make this “protective action” more effective and to “halt situations of illegality that arise,” the department said they will begin carrying out “systematic surveillance activities apt to monitor the ways in which the image of the Holy Father and the coats of arms of the Holy See are used,” intervening with “appropriate action” if and when needed.

The announcement came just weeks after posters critical of Pope Francis appeared on the walls and buildings of the city center of Rome, depicting a sour-faced pontiff with a list of grievances regarding his recent reform efforts.

A few days after the posters appeared and quickly went down, a spoof version of the Vatican’s daily newspaper L’Osservatore Romano was sent to members of the Curia claiming the Pope had answered the five “dubia” on Amoris Laetitia sent to him by four cardinals in September, which were subsequently published.

However, the Vatican was quick to clarify that there was no link between the anti-Francis propaganda and the Secretariat of State’s decision.

In a Feb. 22 communique, the Holy See Press Office clarified that Secretariat of State’s decision to crack down on the illegal sale of papal symbols and images “does not originate from any recent news report,” but is rather aimed at protecting the image of the Holy Father and his official coat of arms “against cases of illicit use and exploitation for unauthorized profit.”

Paloma Garcia Ovejero, vice-spokesman for the Holy See, told journalists that the decision “deals with all things of value which are sold or used to earn money.”

“We’re talking about the product and the use of the image of the Pope or the Holy Father’s coat of arms or that of the Holy See which are exploited” for economic purposes, she said.

“So no posters, no Osservatore...It has nothing to do with the posters or the fake Osservatore Romano,” she said, “because they weren’t sold.”

The Secretariat of State’s crackdown is a follow-up of their 2009 decision to issue a strict copyright of the Pope’s name, image and symbols.

In the Dec. 19, 2009, statement announcing the copyright deal, the Vatican stressed that “it alone has the right to ensure the respect due to the Successors of Peter, and therefore, to protect the figure and personal identity of the Pope from the unauthorized use of his name and/or the papal coat of arms for ends and activities which have little or nothing to do with the Catholic Church.”

“Consequently, the use of anything referring directly to the person or office of the Supreme Pontiff... and/or the use of the title 'Pontifical,' must receive previous and express authorization from the Holy See,” the statement read.

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By Junno Arocho Esteves

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Humanity's greed and selfishness can turn creation into a sad and desolate world instead of the sign of God's love that it was meant to be, Pope Francis said.

Human beings are often tempted to view creation as "a possession we can exploit as we please and for which we do not have to answer to anyone," the pope said Feb. 22 at his weekly general audience.

"When carried away by selfishness, human beings end up ruining even the most beautiful things that have been entrusted to them," the pope said.

As an early sign of spring, the audience was held in St. Peter's Square for the first time since November. Despite the chilly morning temperatures, the pope made the rounds in his popemobile, greeting pilgrims and kissing bundled-up infants.

Continuing his series of talks on Christian hope, the pope reflected on St. Paul's Letter to the Romans, which expresses the hope "that creation itself would be set free from slavery to corruption."

St. Paul, the pope said, reminds Christians that creation is a "marvelous gift that God has placed in our hands."

Through this gift, he said, "we can enter into a relationship with him and recognize the imprint of his loving plan, which we are all called to achieve together."

Sin, however, breaks communion not only with God but with his creation, "thus making it a slave, submissive to our frailty," the pope said.  

"Think about water. Water is a beautiful thing; it is so important. Water gives us life and it helps us in everything. But when minerals are exploited, water is contaminated and creation is destroyed and dirtied. This is just one example; there are many," he said, departing from his prepared remarks.

When people break their relationship with creation, they not only lose their original beauty, he said, but they also "disfigure everything surrounding them," causing a reminder of God's love to become a bleak sign of pride and greed.

St. Paul tells believers that hope comes from knowing that God in his mercy wants to heal the "wounded and humbled hearts" of all men and women and, through them, "regenerate a new world and a new humanity, reconciled in his love," Pope Francis said.

"The Holy Spirit sees beyond the negative appearances for us and reveals to us the new heavens and the new earth that the Lord is preparing for humanity," the pope said.

"This is the content of our hope. A Christian does not live outside of the world; he knows how to recognize the signs of evil, selfishness and sin in his own life and in what surrounds him," he said. "But at the same time, a Christian has learned to read all of this with the eyes of Easter, with the eyes of the risen Christ."

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By Junno Arocho Esteves

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis appealed for humanitarian assistance to South Sudan where famine threatens the lives of millions of people already suffering due to a three-year civil war.

In the "martyred South Sudan," he said, "a fratricidal conflict is compounded by a serious food crisis, which has struck the Horn of Africa and condemns millions of people to starve to death, among them many children," the pope said.

At the end of his weekly general audience at the Vatican Feb. 22, the pope said that a solid commitment from the international community to assist South Sudan is crucial "now more than ever."

The United Nations Feb. 21 declared a famine in two counties of South Sudan, adding that the catastrophic food shortages will continue to spread, threatening millions of lives.

Civil war has destabilized the world's youngest country for more than three years due to a political power struggle between President Salva Kiir and former Vice-President Riek Machar.

"This famine is man-made," said Joyce Luma, director of the U.N. World Food Program.

Despite efforts to hold off the famine, she added, "there is only so much that humanitarian assistance can achieve in the absence of meaningful peace and security, both for relief workers and the crisis-affected people they serve."

Pope Francis urged governments and international organizations to "not stop at just making statements," but take concrete steps so that necessary food aid "can reach the suffering population."

"May the Lord sustain these, our brothers and sisters, and those who work to help them," Pope Francis said.

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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.

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