December 11, 2007 • 7:10 pm 0
Pope’s World Day of Peace Message for 2008: The Human Family, A Community of Peace. To read the entire text, go to: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/messages/peace/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20071208_xli-world-day-peace_en.html.
Filed under: Papal Teachings, Social Doctrine, Peace
December 2, 2007 • 11:32 pm 0
Pope’s Address to Catholic NGOs
“Called to Take Part in Public Life in a Personal Capacity”
VATICAN CITY, DEC. 2, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Here is the address Benedict XVI gave Saturday upon receiving in audience participants in the Forum of Catholic-Inspired Nongovernmental Organizations.
* * *
Your Excellencies,
Representatives of the Holy See to International Organizations,
Dear Friends,
I am pleased to greet all of you who are assembled in Rome to reflect on the contribution which Catholic-inspired Non-governmental Organizations can offer, in close collaboration with the Holy See, to the solution of the many problems and challenges associated with the various activities of the United Nations and other international and regional organizations. To each of you I offer a cordial welcome. In a particular way I thank the Substitute of the Secretariat of State, who has graciously interpreted your common sentiments, while at the same time informing me of the goals of your Forum. I also greet the young representative of the Non-governmental Organizations present.
Taking part in this important meeting are representatives of groups long associated with the presence and activity of the Catholic laity at the international level, along with members of other, more recent groups which have come into being as part of the current process of global integration. Also present are groups mainly committed to advocacy, and others chiefly concerned with the concrete management of cooperative projects promoting development. Some of your organizations are recognized by the Church as public and private associations of the lay faithful, others share in the charism of certain institutes of consecrated life, while still others enjoy only civil recognition and include non-Catholics and non-Christians among their members. All of you, however, have in common a passion for promoting human dignity. This same passion has constantly inspired the activity of the Holy See in the international community. The real reason for the present meeting, then, is to express gratitude and appreciation for what you are doing in active collaboration with the papal representatives to international organizations. In addition, this meeting seeks to foster a spirit of cooperation among your organizations and consequently the effectiveness of your common activity on behalf of the integral good of the human person and of all humanity.
This unity of purpose can only be achieved through a variety of roles and activities. The multilateral diplomacy of the Holy See, for the most part, strives to reaffirm the great fundamental principles of international life, since the Church’s specific contribution consists in helping “to form consciences in political life and to stimulate greater insight into the authentic requirements of justice as well as greater readiness to act accordingly” (“Deus Caritas Est,” 28). On the other hand, “the direct duty to work for a just ordering of society is proper to the lay faithful” — and in the context of international life this includes Christian diplomats and members of Non-governmental Organizations — who “are called to take part in public life in a personal capacity” and “to configure social life correctly, respecting its legitimate autonomy and cooperating with other citizens according to their respective competences and fulfilling their own responsibility” (ibid., 29).
International cooperation between governments, which was already emerging at the end of the nineteenth century and which grew steadily throughout the last century despite the tragic disruption of two world wars, has significantly contributed towards the creation of a more just international order. In this regard, we can look with satisfaction to achievements such as the universal recognition of the juridical and political primacy of human rights, the adoption of shared goals regarding the full enjoyment of economic and social rights by all the earth’s inhabitants, the efforts being made to develop a just global economy and, more recently, the protection of the environment and the promotion of intercultural dialogue.
At the same time, international discussions often seem marked by a relativistic logic which would consider as the sole guarantee of peaceful coexistence between peoples a refusal to admit the truth about man and his dignity, to say nothing of the possibility of an ethics based on recognition of the natural moral law. This has led, in effect, to the imposition of a notion of law and politics which ultimately makes consensus between states — a consensus conditioned at times by short-term interests or manipulated by ideological pressure — the only real basis of international norms. The bitter fruits of this relativistic logic are sadly evident: we think, for example, of the attempt to consider as human rights the consequences of certain self-centred lifestyles; a lack of concern for the economic and social needs of the poorer nations; contempt for humanitarian law, and a selective defence of human rights. It is my hope that your study and reflection during these days will result in more effective ways of making the Church’s social doctrine better known and accepted on the international level. I encourage you, then, to counter relativism creatively by presenting the great truths about man’s innate dignity and the rights which are derived from that dignity. This in turn will contribute to the forging of a more adequate response to the many issues being discussed today in the international forum. Above all, it will help to advance specific initiatives marked by a spirit of solidarity and freedom.
What is needed, in fact, is a spirit of solidarity conducive for promoting as a body those ethical principles which, by their very nature and their role as the basis of social life, remain non-negotiable. A spirit of solidarity imbued with a strong sense of fraternal love leads to a better appreciation of the initiatives of others and a deeper desire to cooperate with them. Thanks to this spirit, one will always, whenever it is useful or necessary, work in collaboration either with the various non-governmental organizations or the representatives of the Holy See, with due respect for their differences of nature, institutional ends and methods of operation. On the other hand, an authentic spirit of freedom, lived in solidarity, will help the initiative of the members of non-governmental organization to create a broad gamut of new approaches and solutions with regard to those temporal affairs which God has left to the free and responsible judgement of every individual. When experienced in solidarity, legitimate pluralism and diversity will lead not to division and competition, but to ever greater effectiveness. The activities of your organizations will bear genuine fruit provided they remain faithful to the Church’s magisterium, anchored in communion with her pastors and above all with the successor of Peter, and meet in a spirit of prudent openness the challenges of the present moment.
Dear friends, I thank you once again for your presence today and for your dedicated efforts to advance the cause of justice and peace within the human family. Assuring you of a special remembrance in my prayers, I invoke upon you, and the organizations you represent, the maternal protection of Mary, Queen of the World. To you, your families and your associates, I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing.
[Original text: English]
© Copyright 2007 — Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Filed under: Social Doctrine, Social Justice
November 28, 2007 • 2:24 pm 0
MESSAGE FOR WORLD DAY MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES PRESENTED
VATICAN CITY, NOV 28, 2007 (VIS) – Today in the Holy See Press Office, Cardinal Raffaele Martino, Archbishop Agostino Marchetto and Msgr. Novatus Rugambwa, respectively president, secretary, and under-secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, presented the Pope’s Message for the 94th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, due to be held on January 13, 2008 on the theme of “Young Migrants.”
Cardinal Martino affirmed that in our own time “the migration of young people is undergoing considerable growth. The young are forced to emigrate because of poverty and want, environmental decay, local and international conflicts, political and religious persecution, the demand for labor in industrialized countries, family reunion, etc.”
“Young migrants,” the cardinal said, “often find themselves alone, in a no-man’s-land halfway between two cultures.” This causes them “to live in a situation of great uncertainty that prevents them from conceiving a feasible project for their future and increases the factors that lead to marginalization, opening the doors to criminality, prostitution, alcohol, drugs and larceny.”
“The crisis of values of our own day,” the president of the pontifical council continued, “leads to the spiritual death of many young immigrants. Most of them are also relatively distant from religious concerns, and often recognize that they have received no … education in this field.”
“Specific pastoral action in support of young immigrants must be undertaken while bearing in mind the existential situation of the individual: … the language, culture, religion, origin and personal history of each young immigrant.”
Archbishop Marchetto focussed above all on aspects concerning the right to asylum and the situation of refugees. After recalling the fact that in some States unaccompanied minors are placed in detention, he turned to consider living conditions in refugee camps.
“Transitional camps,” he said, “must go back to the role for which they were intended: places in which to reside temporarily. … Currently, however, it has become a general practice, especially in countries of the South, to force people to live in overcrowded camps, very often in unspeakable conditions. Normally they are not even allowed to work, while their freedom of movement is limited, and thus they become totally dependent on the internal distribution of food within the camps. Moreover, they are often reduced to a life with a minimum of necessary goods and scant dignity. … Hence there is little future for people who live in these places, which are often located in remote areas.”
Finally, the archbishop praised the work of female religious who, “assisted by Catholic NGOs and by U.N. organizations, care for and accompany young people, especially girls who have suffered violence, rape or threats. There also exist,” he added, “centers for underage mothers, offering them a second chance to complete their interrupted education or to learn a trade.”
In his remarks, Msgr. Rugambwa considered the position of students who emigrate, highlighting how in his Message the Pope presents them “as a gift for man and for the Church. They bring with them the great resources of their youth, and must be open and receptive to new ideas and experiences while, at the same time, capable of remaining anchored in the truth.”
“As the Holy Father says,” indicated Msgr. Rugambwa, “these young people, must not only increase their openness to the dynamism of inculturation, but also seek opportunities for dialogue between cultures and religions, … thus they will experience the universality of the Church.”
OP/EMIGRANTS:REFUGEES/MARTINO:MARCHETTO VIS 071128 (590)
YOUNG MIGRANTS, THE THEME OF THE POPE’S MESSAGE
VATICAN CITY, NOV 28, 2007 (VIS) – “Young migrants” is the theme of the Message of the Holy Father Benedict XVI for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which is to be celebrated on January 13, 2008. The Message has been published in Italian, French, English, German, Spanish and Portuguese. Large extracts of the English-language version are given below:
“The theme of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees invites us this year to reflect in particular on young migrants. … The vast globalization process underway around the world brings a need for mobility, which also induces many young people to emigrate and live far from their families and their countries. The result is that many times the young people endowed with the best intellectual resources leave their countries of origin, while in the countries that receive the migrants, laws are in force that make their actual insertion difficult.”
“For the young migrants, the problems of the so-called ‘difficulty of dual belonging’ seem to be felt in a particular way: on the one hand, they feel a strong need not to lose their culture of origin, while on the other, the understandable desire emerges in them to be inserted organically into the society that receives them, but without this implying a complete assimilation and the resulting loss of their ancestral traditions. Among the young people, there are also girls who fall victim more easily to exploitation, moral forms of blackmail, and even abuses of all kinds.
“Next, looking more closely at the sector of forced migrants, refugees and the victims of human trafficking, we unhappily find many children and adolescents too. On this subject it is impossible to remain silent before the distressing images of the great refugee camps present in different parts of the world. … These children and adolescents have only had as their life experience the permanent, compulsory ‘camps’ where they are segregated, far from inhabited towns, with no possibility normally to attend school.”
“The question is raised of how to respond to the expectations of the young migrants? What can be done to help them? Of course, it is necessary to aim first of all at support for the family and schools. But how complex the situations are, and how numerous the difficulties these young people encounter in their family and school contexts! In families, the traditional roles that existed in the countries of origin have broken down, and a clash is often seen between parents still tied to their culture and children quickly acculturated in the new social contexts.
“Likewise, the difficulty should not be underestimated which the young people find in getting inserted into the educational course of study in force in the country where they are hosted. Therefore, the scholastic system itself should take their conditions into consideration and provide specific formative paths of integration for the immigrant boys and girls that are suited to their needs. The commitment will also be important to create a climate of mutual respect and dialogue among all the students in the classrooms based on the universal principles and values that are common to all cultures.”
“The Church looks with very particular attention at the world of migrants and asks those who have received a Christian formation in their countries of origin to make this heritage of faith and evangelical values bear fruit in order to offer a consistent witness in the different life contexts.”
“Among the migrants … there is one category to consider in a special way: the students from other countries who because of their studies, are far from home. … They are young people who need a specific pastoral care because they are not just students, like all the rest, but also temporary migrants. They often feel alone under the pressure of their studies and sometimes they are also constricted by economic difficulties.”
“It is necessary to help them find a way to open up to the dynamism of inter-culturality and be enriched in their contact with other students of different cultures and religions. For young Christians, this study and formation experience can be a useful area for the maturation of their faith, a stimulus to be open to the universalism that is a constitutive element of the Catholic Church.
“Dear young migrants, prepare yourselves to build together your young peers a more just and fraternal society by fulfilling your duties scrupulously and seriously towards your families and the State. Be respectful of the laws and never let yourselves be carried away by hatred and violence. Try instead to be protagonists as of now of a world where understanding and solidarity, justice and peace will reign.”
“The Church needs you too and is counting on your contribution. You can play a very providential role in the current context of evangelization. Coming from different cultures, but all united by belonging to the one Church of Christ, you can show that the Gospel is alive and suited to every situation; it is an old and ever new message. It is a word of hope and salvation for the people of all races and cultures, of all ages and eras.”
MESS/YOUNG MIGRANTS/… VIS 071128 (870)
Filed under: Migration, Papal Teachings, Social Doctrine
November 23, 2007 • 11:37 pm 0
Caritas Leader Sees a Threat in Latin America
Honduran Cardinal Sounds Warning About Underdevelopment
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 23, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Underdevelopment plaguing Latin America provokes tensions conspiring against peace, said the president of Caritas Internationalis.
Cardinal Oscar Rodríguez Maradiaga affirmed this Wednesday, the second day of work for the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, which focused on consideration of Paul VI’s “Populorum Progressio.”
The archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, said, “The objective of development is not just elevating all people to the level of the rich countries, but rather basing a more dignified life in the work of solidarity, a life in which the dignity and creativity of each person can effectively increase, as well as his capacity of responding to his own vocation, and therefore, to God’s call.”
The cardinal added, “The integral development of the human person is favored by the productivity and efficacy of work,” although a business should not be considered only “a society of capital” but “a society of persons.”
Given this, he explained, the Church’s social doctrine emphasizes the concept of social responsibility of a business, and places emphasis on the priority of the human person and the common good.
The archbishop of Tegucigalpa said that “just as there exists a collective responsibility to avoid war, there should also exist a collective responsibility to promote development.”
Echoing a theme of Paul VI, the cardinal said: “If development is a new name of peace, Latin American underdevelopment, with particular characteristics in each country, is a situation of injustice that promotes tensions conspiring against peace.”
“In the work of evangelization,” he concluded, “the practice of charity and the fight for justice should be considered a permanent model for the Church.”
Filed under: Caritas, Social Doctrine
November 22, 2007 • 4:05 pm 0
ENSURE THAT NO ONE WILL EVER BE HUNGRY AGAIN
VATICAN CITY, NOV 22, 2007 (VIS) – At midday today, the Pope received participants in the 34th general conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which has its headquarters in Rome.
In his English-language talk to the delegates, the Pope indicated that “all forms of discrimination, and particularly those that thwart agricultural development, must be rejected since they constitute a violation of the basic right of every person to be ‘free from hunger.’ These convictions are in fact demanded by the very nature of your work on behalf of the common good of humanity.”
Benedict XVI highlighted the paradox of “the relentless spread of poverty in a world that is also experiencing unprecedented prosperity, not only in the economic sphere but also in the rapidly developing fields of science and technology.”
Such obstacles as “armed conflicts, outbreaks of disease, adverse atmospheric and environmental conditions and the massive forced displacement of peoples,” said the Pope, “should serve as a motivation to redouble our efforts to provide each person with his or her daily bread.
“For her part, the Church is convinced that the quest for more effective technical solutions in an ever-changing and expanding world calls for far-sighted programs embodying enduring values grounded in the inalienable dignity and rights of the human person,” he added.
“The united effort of the international community to eliminate malnutrition and promote genuine development necessarily calls for clear structures of management and supervision, and a realistic assessment of the resources needed to address a wide range of different situations. It requires the contribution of every member of society – individuals, volunteer organizations, businesses, and local and national governments – always with due regard for those ethical and moral principles which are the common patrimony of all people and the foundation of all social life.”
Benedict XVI continued his talk by saying that “today more than ever, the human family needs to find the tools and strategies capable of overcoming the conflicts caused by social differences, ethnic rivalries, and the gross disparity in levels of economic development.”
“Religion, as a potent spiritual force for healing the wounds of conflict and division, has its own distinctive contribution to make in this regard, especially through the work of forming minds and hearts in accordance with a vision of the human person.”
“Technical progress, important as it is, is not everything,” the Pope told the FAO delegates. “Progress must be placed within the wider context of the integral good of the human person. It must constantly draw nourishment from the common patrimony of values which can inspire concrete initiatives aimed at a more equitable distribution of spiritual and material goods.”
“This principle,” he explained, “has a special application to the world of agriculture, in which the work of those who are often considered the ‘lowliest’ members of society should be duly acknowledged and esteemed.”
In conclusion the Holy Father recalled how “FAO’s outstanding activity on behalf of development and food security clearly points to the correlation between the spread of poverty and the denial of basic human rights, beginning with the fundamental right to adequate nutrition. Peace, prosperity, and respect for human rights are inseparably linked. The time has come to ensure, for the sake of peace, that no man, woman and child will ever be hungry again!”
AC/HUNGER/FAO VIS 071122 (570)
Filed under: Social Doctrine, Social Justice
Brian R Corbin's Reflections on Religion and Life 