Wednesday, October 12, 2016

God’s Not Interested in ‘Make-up’ Religion, Says Pope in Morning Homily... from ZENIT of Roswell, Georgia, United States for Tuesday, 11 October 2016

God’s Not Interested in ‘Make-up’ Religion, Says Pope in Morning Homily... from ZENIT of Roswell, Georgia, United States for Tuesday, 11 October 2016
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God’s Not Interested in ‘Make-up’ Religion, Says Pope in Morning Homily by ZENIT Staff
Religious practice that is only concerned with looking good — a “make-up” religion — is not what Jesus is looking for, Pope Francis reminded today at the Casa Santa Marta.
In his homily for morning Mass, the Pope spoke about Jesus’ criticism of the Pharisees’ focus on outward appearances.
According to Vatican Radio, Pope Francis noted Jesus’ rebuke to the Pharisee who criticized him for not observing the prescribed washing before the meal.
“’Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil.’” And Jesus repeats this many times in the Gospel to these people: Your interior is wicked, is not good and is not free. ‘You are slaves because you have not accepted the justice that comes from God, the justice that Jesus has given us.'”
The Pope noted that Jesus urges us to pray without being seen, without being show-offs. Our Lord, he stressed, instead shows us the path of humility. Pope Francis went on to explain that, as Jesus said, what is important is the freedom given to us by redemption.
“That inner freedom, that freedom to do good deeds in secret without blowing our trumpets because the path of true religion is Jesus’ path: humility and humiliation. And as Paul says to the Philippians, Jesus humiliates himself, empties himself. This is the only way to remove egoism, cupidity, arrogance, vanity and worldliness from ourselves. On the contrary, these people that Jesus rebukes are people who follow a ‘cosmetic’ religion: (about) show, appearance and pretending to be something but inside… Jesus uses a very strong image to describe these people: ‘You are like whitewashed tombs that look handsome on the outside but inside are full of the bones of the dead and every kind of corruption.'”
Pope Francis pointed out that Jesus asks us to perform good deeds with humility. He said you can do all the good deeds you want but if you don’t do them with humility, as Jesus taught us, these good deeds count for nothing because they are born from you and your self-assurance rather than from the redemption that Jesus gave us.This same redemption comes via “the path of humility and humiliations because humility never comes without humiliation. And we see Jesus humiliated on the Cross.”
“Let us ask the Lord for us never to get tired of journeying along this path, to never get tired of rejecting this religion of show, of appearance, of pretending. And let us journey silently doing good, freely just as we freely received our inner freedom. And may he guard this inner freedom for all of us. Let us ask for this grace.”

Readings provided by the US bishops’ conference:
Reading 1 GAL 5:1-6
Brothers and sisters:
For freedom Christ set us free;
so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.It is I, Paul, who am telling you
that if you have yourselves circumcised,
Christ will be of no benefit to you.
Once again I declare to every man who has himself circumcised
that he is bound to observe the entire law.
You are separated from Christ,
you who are trying to be justified by law;
you have fallen from grace.
For through the Spirit, by faith, we await the hope of righteousness.
For in Christ Jesus,
neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything,
but only faith working through love.
Responsorial Psalm PS 119:41, 43, 44, 45, 47, 48
R. (41a) Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
Let your mercy come to me, O LORD,
your salvation according to your promise.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
Take not the word of truth from my mouth,
for in your ordinances is my hope.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
And I will keep your law continually,
forever and ever.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
And I will walk at liberty,
because I seek your precepts.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
And I will delight in your commands,
which I love.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
And I will lift up my hands to your commands
and meditate on your statutes.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
Alleluia HEB 4:12
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of God is living and effective,
able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel LK 11:37-41
After Jesus had spoken,
a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home.
He entered and reclined at table to eat.
The Pharisee was amazed to see
that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal.
The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees!
Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish,
inside you are filled with plunder and evil.
You fools!
Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?
But as to what is within, give alms,
and behold, everything will be clean for you.”
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Penitential Rite and “Absolution” by Fr. Edward McNamara
Answered by Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy and dean of theology at the Regina Apostolorum university.
Q: At the beginning of Mass, the priest says the words, “May Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to eternal life.” The rubric in the missal states absolution. Is this really an absolution, and should the priest make the sign of the cross? Does it truly reflect forgiveness of sin? — L.B., San Diego, California
A: The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) says the following in No. 51:
“Then the priest invites those present to take part in the Act of Penitence, which, after a brief pause for silence, the entire community carries out through a formula of general confession. The rite concludes with the priest’s absolution, which, however, lacks the efficacy of the Sacrament of Penance.”
The rubrics make no indication that the priest makes the sign of the cross and therefore, since such gestures are always indicated at other moments, it is to be supposed that this is not done.
In the extraordinary form the Confiteor is said twice, first by the priest and then by the server.
After the priest has said the Confiteor, the server addresses him saying:
“May Almighty God have mercy upon you, forgive you your sins, and bring you to life everlasting.”
The priest then says the prayer Indulgentiam:
“May the Almighty and merciful God grant us pardon [he makes the sign of the cross] absolution, and remission of our sins.”
Once more, this formula is not a sacramental absolution but a petition for remission so as to worthily celebrate the mysteries of the Mass.
In spite of the fact that the word “absolution” is used, the formula does not have sacramental effect and does not directly forgive sins. Several conditions normally required for sacramental absolution are missing, such as an explicit confession of at least one concrete sin. Likewise, in the extraordinary form at least, the words are said only over the server and are not intended to be sacramental.
Some form of acknowledgment of our sinful state has formed part of the initial rites from very early times. In Rome, for example, this was done silently by the celebrant and ministers kneeling or prostrating themselves before the altar. Words were added to this silent gesture in Frankish territory (mostly modern-day France and Germany) during the eighth century.
At first the Confiteor was an individual expression; however, from around the 11th century it had generally become a form of dialogue in which the priest recognizes his sinfulness not only before God and heaven but also before those around him and asks for their intercession. This intercession is offered, as can be seen in the formula of the server in the extraordinary form above.
The actual form and method of praying the Confiteor was probably taken from the Divine Office, in particular from the offices of prime and compline, and introduced into the beginning of the Mass. It was in this transfer that the two formulas, the Misereatur, or layman’s intercessory response, and the Indulgentiam, or priest’s formula, were first introduced and became a stable part of the Mass around the year 1000.
This switch was aided by the fact that during this period the formula Indulgentiam, often beginning with the second word “absolutionem,” also served for a time as sacramental absolution during confession. Likewise it was by then becoming common to impart the absolution immediately after sacramental confession, as is the norm today, and not after completion of a time of penance as was the earlier practice. It thus became natural to append the absolution formula to the Confiteor as was customary. This furthermore explains why the sign of the cross accompanies the Indulgentiam in the extraordinary form as it was also used for sacramental absolution.
There have been several formulas for the Confiteor and Misereatur during Mass. Some invoked more saints, some listed types of sins. The advent of scholastic theology clarified sacramental notions and made necessary distinctions between the sacraments and their efficacy. As a result these additions were generally disapproved by contemporary theologians and pastors as it undermined the nature of the Confiteor as a public general confession and not a secret private one. Thus, the third Council of Ravenna in 1314 decreed that aside from Mary, only Michael, John the Baptist and saints Peter and Paul were to be invoked.
Therefore, the rites of the extraordinary form contain pre-scholastic elements that might induce some to believe that the rite was of a sacramental nature. In fact, this error rarely occurs, and the ceremonies serve as a reverent preparation for the celebration of Mass.
The formula of the Confiteor in the ordinary form has been simplified and now mentions only Mary by name. It has also been transformed into a community prayer rather than a dialogue between priest and server at the foot of the altar. The formula Misereatur hitherto said by the server is now transferred to the priest who intercedes for all present.
The sign of the cross is no longer made so as to remove any ambiguity as to the non-sacramental nature of this rite.
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Readers may send questions to zenit.liturgy@gmail.com. Please put the word “Liturgy” in the subject field. The text should include your initials, your city and your state, province or country. Father McNamara can only answer a small selection of the great number of questions that arrive.
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Today’s Feast of Pope John XXIII Commemorates Opening of Vatican II by ZENIT Staff
Pope John XXIII’s feast day is today, as opposed to the day of his death, which was June 3, 1958. This special feast day was intentionally established to commemorate the opening of the Second Vatican Council on October 11, 1962.
Today has the ranking of an optional – not obligatory – memorial.
Watch a three-minute video from Salt and Light TV, recalling the speech John XXIII gave on the night of Oct. 11, 1962, and see the transcript of his address, which included these words, here:
When you go back home, you will find your children: and give them a hug and say,“This is a hug from the Pope. You will find some tears that need to be dried: speak a good word:“The Pope is with us, especially in times of sadness and bitterness.” And then all together let us encourage one another: singing, breathing, weeping, but always full of faith in Christ who helps us and who listens to us, let us continue on our journey.
John XXIII, called “Good Pope,” rejected the opinions of those around him who were “always forecasting disaster.” He referred to them as “prophets of gloom” who lacked a sense of history, which is “the teacher of life.” Divine Providence, he declared, was leading the world into a new and better order of human relations. “And everything, even human differences, leads to the greater good of the Church.”
His stirring words of the Opening Address at the Second Vatican Council on the morning of October 11, 1962 continue to reverberate through the Church today:
In the very day exercise of our pastoral ministry, greatly to our sorrow we sometimes have to listen to those who, although consumed with zeal, do not have very much judgment or balance. To them the modern world is nothing but betrayal and ruination. They claim that this age is far worse than previous ages and they go on as though they had learned nothing from history– and yet history is the great teacher of life. They behave as though the first five centuries saw a complete vindication of the Christian idea and the Christian cause, and as though religious liberty was never put in jeopardy in the past. We feel bound to disagree with these prophets of misfortune who are forever forecasting calamity– as though the end of the world is imminent. Our task is not merely to hoard this precious treasure of doctrine, as though obsessed with the past, but to give ourselves eagerly and without fear to the task that this present age demands of us– and in doing so we will be faithful to what the Church has done in the past 20 centuries.
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Aleppo Another Rwanda, Srebrenica by ZENIT Staff
More than 275,000 people face intensified daily bombardment in eastern Aleppo. As many as 100,000 of the people trapped in the rebel controlled area are children. They are facing a humanitarian catastrophe. The near-continuous siege since mid-July has been compared to infamous massacres in Srebrenica and Rwanda.
“The indiscriminate brutality witnessed in Aleppo must end. The people of Aleppo need an immediate ceasefire,” said Caritas Internationalis Secretary-General Michel Roy.
Health is the priority. Hospitals and clinics are in critical need of assistance. They are struggling to cope with insufficient supplies, staff or space to treat the injured. There is also an acute lack of food in the besieged area.
“Humanitarian agencies need safe, full, regular and unimpeded access. Health infrastructure is devastated. Hundreds of patients in critical conditions need to be evacuated,” said Michel Roy.
Pope Aleppo appeal
On 28 September, Pope Francis said, “Dramatic news continues to reach me concerning the fate of the people of Aleppo, with whom, through prayer and spiritual closeness, I feel united in suffering.”
Pope Francis appealed to those responsible for the bombing. He warned them that they will be “accountable to God” for their actions.
“In expressing my deep sorrow and lively concern for what is happening in that already battered city – where children, the elderly, the sick, young and old, all are dying,” he said, “I renew my appeal to everyone to commit themselves with all their strength to the protection of civilians as an imperative and urgent obligation.”
Humanitarian situation in Aleppo
About two thirds of all hospitals are no longer functioning due to frequent air strikes
The main trauma hospital was recently hit by an airstrike for the third time, leaving it completely unusable.
At least 95 percent of all doctors are gone, either because they fled, have been detained or are dead.
Despite the loss of medical facilities and staff, the health care system still manages to function enough to save lives every day.
In 2010, Aleppo had 33 hospitals, in August 2015 only 10 were still in function. Some hospitals in Aleppo have as few as 2 doctors for the whole facility.
Before the war, there was 1 doctor for every 800 people, in 2015 it 7000 people for 1 doctor.
People have been almost entirely cut off from food, electricity, medicine and water supply.
Peace is possible
Through its Syria: Peace is Possible campaign, Caritas is urging its supporters around the world to put pressure on their governments to:
Ensure all sides of the conflict come together to find a peaceful solution
Support the millions of people affected by the war,
Give Syrians inside and outside the country dignity and hope.
“Syrian people need peace and dignity,” said Bishop Antoine Audo, the Chaldean Bishop of Aleppo and Caritas Syria president, during an encounter with Pope Francis last week. “The solution for Syria is not military, it is political and it must come from inside Syria, from the people of Syria, not imposed from the outside.”
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Of Pencils and Love by ZENIT Staff
This post by Kathryn Cunningham is reprinted from the blog of the Catholic Writers’ Guild.
Isn’t is a curiosity that the most astounding contemporary Saint of our time would choose an image that has nothing to do with who she was? Mother Theresa was in all ways a “doer”. She was the one in the field and getting her hands dirty in places where others would not go. Yet, she was widely quoted, repeated and written about. There are scores of her quotes that are on cards, on plaques and in books, yet she was not really a writer herself. So it is a great curiosity to me that one of her most beloved sayings is about writing. More than that it’s about God writing:
“I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world.” Saint Teresa of Calcutta
Because I am a writer this quote causes me a lot of consternation. What is it, I wonder, that I don’t understand about the importance of writing that Mother Teresa did? One of the things that stirs me about this quote is that I am pretty sure that it was not planned. No persons of note really ever rehearse what comes out of their mouth. Sayings and quotes like the one above are straight out of the person’s soul.
So what is it that Mother “knows” from God himself that is reflected in this snippet of wisdom? No doubt it is a pretty accurate view of the deepest heart of God! Her trust of him was unfailing. Trust opens the door to knowledge, especially of “the other”. In fact, love is not possible without crossing over blindly into trust sooner or later. I guess that I might even find the above quote a little scary. Pencil, pencil in someone else’s hand? That would mean I had completely surrendered any ability and/or influence that I might have to the wielder of the pencil. Huh, that would mean that I would not be free to express and write down my own thoughts unchallenged! That would mean I would have to “shut up” and let God completely have his own way with none of my interference and/or advice!
There it is: Father I am nothing in your presence, Jesus I Trust in You, Spirit I know nothing without you.
What a totally unsafe position to be in. That would mean I would have to place myself into the arms of Jesus with ZERO reservations. It seems that St. Teresa of Calcutta did this every minute of every day. She was able to totally remove all the barriers she had between herself and God. With a constant listening ear she was able to translate this to the world. The famous stories about her revolve around her willingness to touch the nastiest and most damaged in the human species. Without mask, gown, or any kind of barrier she embraced the dying, lepers, people with tuberculosis, those who had wounds filled with maggots, humans covered with waste and those overwhelmed by vermin in their flesh. Nothing was repugnant to her. She taught us, of course, that this was the fulfilled and complete definition of love as God himself taught her.
Always loving, she told us Americans that this kind of ministry is not for everyone. Here at home we should find “our own Calcutta”. But then again, there’s that “pencil” thing. As that quote looks me in the face, I must admit that it is beyond my level of courage. The quote, however, does not leave my head. That’s why they call it evangelization. It has changed me, it will change me. It will keep changing me along with its challenge. Just a tiny string of words. When you speak or write never underestimate the effect for now and for the future! That’s how God writes! Thank you Mother.
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Young People Welcome Theme of 2018 Synod by ZENIT Staff
The XV General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, to be held in October 2018, will focus on “Young people, the faith and discerment of vocation,” Pope Francis has decided.
Young people of the Focolare Movement are among those reacting to the decision with enthusiasm.
Read some of the response:
Gloria, Uganda: “This is good news and it is also a response. The choice corresponds to the need. … We are so happy that the Pope has thought of us!”
Ryan, USA: “Great news. If young people are not offered a good environment in today’s Church, tomorrow’s Church will lack good culture. I think Pope Francis wants to leave the Church in good hands. We need good ideas about living the vocation, not just about future choices: getting married, becoming a priest, a religious, a focolarino….In my Focolare formation I have learned to consider the vocation as an anwer to a call that has to be lived also presently, right away. I hope that the Synod will also focus on this aspect so that the Church will be in good hands”.
Amanda, Brazil: “It’s a surprise! I am sure the Pope knows how to get to all young people. Many of those who no longer participate in the life Church have shown great interest in his encyclical on the environment. I consider this synod as a great opportunity. It will be fantastic if it reaches everyone”
Aileen, India: “What I have learned from the Catholic Church in the State where I grew up differs in certain aspects from its teaching in another State. Ideas vary even though the same material, as for example Youcat, is used. Globalization and social media put us in contact even with what the Church teaches in other parts of the world. Differences in approach on important issues can cause confusion in the absense of a clear voice.The Pope and the universal Church have a very important role in this, while they take into consideration the different cultures. I think the Synod offers excellent prospects”.
Jorge, Peru: “Young people are getting to know more about Church problems, especially about hot issues: scandals, social problems, Church and politics. In Peru, for example, such issues cause further distance between the position of the clergy and the reality of youth. The news of the Synod fills me with hope: the contribution and the ideas of the youth,using the media and the social networks in a transparent and convergent manner, can show a more human face of the Church.”
Dam, Argentina: “I grew up in the parish, and I think that the theme on vocation and youth should have been addressed years ago. Today we are in the midst of a crisis of vocations: family, religious life, as citizens, etc. So I say: Well done for chosing this theme, even if late”.
Jorge, El Salvador: “World Youth Days have shown the Church’s openness towards youth. Giving priority to youth shows that Pope Francis now wants to pass from words to deeds; even because we have to be the ones to find solutions for world problems. Sometimes one tends to think that we are unable to address problems, but together with mature and experienced persons we do arrive to solutions. It seems as if the Pope is telling us: you are ready for this challenge”.
Jose Luis, Brazil: “Who knows what will really happen during the Synod! It would be great if some young people would actually be present. I think we all wish to have someone voicing us in this Synod”.
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Founder of Hogar de Nazaret Recognized as Venerable by ZENIT Staff
On Monday, Francis received in a private audience Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, during which he authorised the Congregation to promulgate the following decrees:
HEROIC VIRTUES
– Servant of God Luis Zambrano Blanco, Spanish diocesan priest and founder of the Hogar de Nazareth Secular Institute (1909-1983);
– Servant of God Tiburcio Arnáiz Muñoz, Spanish professed priest of the Society of Jesus (1865-1926);
– Servant of God Maria Teresa Spinelli, Italian woman religious and founder of the Congregation of Augustinian Sisters, Servants of Jesus and Mary (1789-1850);
– Servant of God Maria Costanza Panas (née Agnese Pacifica), Italian professed religious of the Capuchin Poor Clares of the Monastery of Fabriano (1896-1963).
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Meet Brother Solomon, to Be Canonized Oct. 16 by ZENIT Staff
The LaSalle Religious Family has made available this brief biography of their first martyr, Salomon Leclercq, a French priest (1745-1792).
He will be canonized next weekend, along with José Sanchez del Río (1913-1928); Manuel González García, Spanish bishop (1877-1940); Lodovico Pavoni, Italian priest (1784-1849); Alfonso Maria Fusco, Italian priest (1839-1910), Elisabeth de la Trinité, French woman religious (1880-1906); and José Gabriel del Rosario Brochero, Argentine priest (1840-1914).

BROTHER SOLOMON: TEACHING UP TO THE END – A TEACHER MARTYR, WITH YOUNG PEOPLE AT HEART
He was a teacher and educator, often of disadvantaged children. He was also the bursar of a large college and then General Secretary of his Congregation. Nicolas was born in 1745, the gentle, reserved son of a family of merchants in Boulogne-sur-Mer Boulogne, a major port on the northern coast of France. He grew up in a family that was well-off and numerous, and which held to solid religious principles. His mother was ever present and full of joy, giving comfort and security. His father was upright and honest in his business as a dealer in food and wines, besides owning two salt beds near Rochelle.
Perhaps the reason why his parents chose to send him to the Lasallian school was because it excelled in teaching calculus, precisely in order to make that discipline available to the children of traders and artisans in the XVIII century. His father had attended the same school and held it in high esteem and appreciation. These were precious days for the growing boy, who was fascinated by the big book about «God’s heroes» which he preferred to adventure stories. During his years in school, he absorbed the daily example of the serious devotion of his educators, and thus they prepared the ground for the development of his future vocation. He finished school at sixteen and began his apprenticeship. With an eye on the family business, he was first sent to Devres, not far from Boulogne, and then to Paris for work experience. There he found himself in the midst of the tumult of the capital city. It was characterised by hostility towards religion, and the young people (such as those with whom he lodged in the pension Vessette) were out of control. Because of this, there grew in him a rejection of the disorders of social life and an increasing desire to find fulfilment.
He returned home and expressed his determination. “I want to be like my teachers, the Brothers, following them in their piety, their austerity and their service to young people.”
It was a call to be different, similar to that of St Benedict, and he entered the novitiate at the age of twenty-one. His happiness at having finally found the right path to the end is evident in the many letters he wrote to his family whom he regarded as a great gift from heaven. He became a teacher at the age of twenty-three, first in Rennes and then in Rouen. Now fully occupied as a teacher, he sometimes had classes of up to 130 pupils, to whom he taught “reading, writing and calculus” from morning to evening. Some of them, like those in Maréville, were difficult teenagers, sent to the school for re-education. At some personal cost, he learned how to get through to them by tenderness, kindness and authority. He exchanged his natural timidity for a joyful, healthy approach, and he was concerned not only to teach them but also to accompany them patiently, while fully aware of the limited viewpoints of their old established families.
At the age of 27, he made final vows and a few months later he became Director of Novices. This new post involved the delicate and difficult work of discerning and supporting future religious. Guided by his profound understanding of the Lasallian constitutions and Rule, he initiated them into the constant practice of virtue in the course of the one year of the novitiate. It was a time of asceticism, when he was happy at having chosen «the essential» as opposed to the meaningless life offered by the world with its rush for material things and riches which fade.
The main features of his spirituality were his understanding that he was and wanted to be the humble instrument of grace, his daily efforts to choose what was right, with the strong support of the sacraments, his devotion to the Sacred Heart and to Mary and his trust in Providence. At the age of 32, we find him in Maréville in charge of a big educational complex, with around 1,000 students, including 150 “difficult” boys committed by the courts, plus a novitiate and a Community of 40 Brothers. He did a small amount of teaching, but his main work was that of administration. He was responsible for looking after a number of buildings, animals, vineyards and orchards belonging to the property, seeing to the provisions, maintaining the structures, negotiating with the farmers and tradesmen. It represented a sudden change in his life which brought him back to the affairs of the world, and he was strengthend by the balanced judgement he had learned from his father. He was guided by the one main idea of eternal salvation, which inspired everything, even when he was up on the scaffolding supervising the building works.
Nine years later, he was sent to Melun to teach mathematics in the scholasticate, the teacher training centre for the Brothers. He stayed there for five years. His good sense, simplicity, discretion and great ability were evident to his students, who appreciated his intelligence and skill in synthesising things and admired his perfect handwriting.
During the General Chapter of 1787, he was appointed to the delicate role of secretary. He did not go unnoticed by the Superior General, who recognised in him an attentive and wise observer, with a skill in making interventions and relating to those in authority. He appointed him as his personal secretary. Two years later, the French Revolution exploded and became increasingly anticlerical. Brother Solomon continued to do his work for a higher court of law. Like many of the Brothers, he refused to take the oath of allegiance to the state. Religious congregations were abolished, and the Brothers’ schools were closed. They were driven from their houses and reduced to total poverty. Those who could went back to their families. When Solomon met Father Clorivière, a Jesuit, he discussed with him his idea of transforming religious institutes during times of persecution into what would later be known as secular institutes, living out their vocation in the world. Just before his time of trial, he made a retreat in the forest of Senart.
Brother Salomon and the Brother Superior General did all they could to ensure the dignity of the Brothers. The Revolution was at its height, and it suspended all individual rights in the name of democracy and equality. The Constitutive Assembly did try to introduce legislative compromises, but the Paris municipality inflamed people’s minds. When the Prussians were at the gates of Paris, violence broke out and was also expressed in the press. Many religious suffered because of it. In his last letter, dated 15 August 1792, Brother Solomon remained calm before the storm and was more worried about his family and the Brothers than about himself. “We bear with joy and gratitude the crosses and afflictions that come our way. As for me, I do not seem to be worthy to suffer for Him, since up to now nothing bad has happened to me, while there are so many confessors of the faith who are in difficulty.” A few hours later, he was arrested by a squad of about fifty men, along with 166 “refractory” priests and religious. He was imprisoned in the Carmelite Convent in Paris. Having been interrogated during the night, he spent his final days without any food. Brother Abraham, who was in prison with him, managed to escape and to tell people about the last hours that were spent as though in a Lasallian retreat of spiritual exercises developing detachment from material things in preparation for martyrdom.
On 2 September, they received the final order to take the oath to the Civil Constitution. After that, they were taken out into the garden in two successive waves at the usual time for their fresh air break. They were met by their killers, joined by hired assassins, who killed them with swords and guns. Some of them were praying. Their bodies were thrown into the well or buried in mass graves dug in the garden.
They were beatified on October 17, 1926, by Pope Pius XI, as a group of 191 victims of the massacres of September, 1792. Brother Salomon was the first Lasallian martyr, and he was followed by three other Brothers who died during those years in the prison ships of Rochefort. They were beatified in 1995.
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Genoa Prelate Elected to Lead European Bishops by ZENIT Staff
On Saturday, the Presidents of Europe’s Bishops’ Conferences, members by right of CCEE (the Council of European Episcopal Conferences) elected the new CCEE Presidency for the five-year mandate 2016-2021.
Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, Archbishop of Genoa and President of the Italian Bishops’ Conference (former CCEE Vice President for the five years’ period 2011-2016), was elected as President, and to the roles of Vice-presidents were elected Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, and His Grace Mgr Stanisław Gądecki, Archbishop of Poznań and President of the Polish Bishops’ Conference.
The Plenary Assembly thanked the newly-elected Vice-presidents for their willingness and wished them a period of profitable work in the service of evangelization and the Church in Europe, At the same time, the participants thanked the members of the outgoing Presidency for the work they have undertaken for the good of the Church and for their dedication in promoting fraternal communion between the European episcopates.
The new Presidency has started its term of office immediately after the election.
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‘We Need Profound Conversion and Urgent Revival of Faith,’ Says Pope... from ZENIT of Roswell, Georgia, United States for Monday, 10 October 2016
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‘We Need Profound Conversion and Urgent Revival of Faith,’ Says Pope by Deborah Castellano Lubov
In this world, we need profound conversion and an urgent revival of faith in Christ.
Pope Francis stressed this when addressing members of the General Assembly of the Pallottine Fathers this morning in the Vatican.
Francis began his discourse praising their founder, St. Vincent Pallotti’s, great charism, noting, “he has become an enlightening and inspiring beacon in the Church,” especially how it “calls upon the faithful to actively engage in Gospel witness.”
The Holy Father underscored how he wished to remember their founder in a special way in this Jubilee Year of Mercy, for the saint recognized that Jesus is “the Apostle of the Father, Who is rich in and full of mercy.”
“This mystery of God’s fatherhood, which opens to every man, through the work of the Son, His heart full of love and compassion, acquires special significance in our times,” Francis said.
Before daily scenes of violence and brutality, Francis told the priests, “we need to remind ourselves of that Father, whose heart thinks of all and desires the salvation of every man.”
The Pontiff urged that each member of their Pallottine Family to keep Christ and the faithful following them always as its core.
“Contemplating the life of Jesus and looking at our life as pilgrims in this world with so many challenges, we feel the need of a profound conversion and the urgency of reviving faith in Him,” Francis stressed.
“Only then,” he continued, “can we serve our neighbor in charity! Every day we are called to renew our trust in Christ and His life and get inspired to fulfill our mission.”
The Holy Father encouraged them to continue their path with joy and hope, committing theirselves completely in charity, so their founder’s charism continues ” to bear abundant fruit, also in our time.”
“The Church,” Francis stressed, “is called to operate with renewed vigor to reawaken faith and rekindle charity, especially among the most vulnerable population, poor spiritually and materially.”
Pope Francis concluded, entrusting all of the fathers to Mary’s protection and her model of perfect apostolic zeal and charity, and also imparted on them, his apostolic blessing.
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Pope Warns Mercy Is Not ‘Philanthropy’ Nor ‘Pitying’ by Deborah Castellano Lubov
Pope Francis has reminded faithful to make sure they have straight what mercy truly is.
According to Vatican Radio, the Pontiff had done so in a video-message he sent Saturday to the participants of the 14th national meeting of the ‘Open Hands’ gathering in Santa Fe, Argentina, warning that mercy should not be confused for pitying nor philanthropy.
The Christian volunteer organization, Manos Abiertas “Open Hands,” was founded in 1992 at Villa de Mayo, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, by Jesuit Father Angel Rossi, with the motto “love and serve.” The theme of the national event this year was “Mercy: A Trip from the Heart to the Hands.””
In his video-message, Pope Francis recalled the parable of the Good Samaritan, and how it exemplifies mercy.
“The heart, which in the Good Samaritan is like that of Jesus, was touched by misery: The misery he saw there, the misery of that widowed mother whom Jesus saw, that misery of pain and the misery of the beaten man who was seen by the Samaritan.” When his heart was united with the other’s suffering, that, Francis pointed out, was true mercy.
Pitying Is Different
Mercy, the Pontiff stated, is not the same as pitying.
“When the misery of the other comes into my heart, I feel mercy; which is not the same as to have pity, pity is another feeling,” the Pope said.
“I can feel pity when I see a wounded animal or such a situation, but mercy is another feeling,” Francis added. “It is when the misery of another, or a situation of pain or misery, gets into my heart, and I permit the situation to touch my heart. I say this: It is an outward journey, the journey of misery to the heart. And this is the path: It is not mercy if it is not of the heart, a heart wounded by the misery of another.”
Not Mere Philanthropy
Mercy, the Pontiff also underscored, is not ‘mere philanthropy.’
“It is distinct from having good feelings; this is not mercy, it is having good feelings,” Pope Francis explained. “It is distinct from hands-on philanthropy, which is not mercy: It is good, it is good, philanthropy is not a bad thing, but it is not mercy, which is another thing.
“Mercy is the journey of misery to my heart, taken up by my heart, that moves my heart; and sometimes it moves so much that the heart becomes like a compass at the North Pole, and does not know where to stop, because of what it feels.”
Some Advice
Francis then went on to explain how one can discern whether something is mercy or pity.
“First,” he advised, “you must ask for the grace to have mercy; it is a grace, and we must ask it of the Lord.”
“The only way to have mercy is to yourself recognize your own sin, and be forgiven by the Lord; through recognizing sin and forgiveness. You can be merciful only if you truly feel that you have received the mercy of the Lord, otherwise you cannot be merciful … and having received mercy, you will be merciful.”
The Pope then encouraged faithful to let the mercy they’ve ever received inspire them to bring it to others.
“Stop torturing yourself over what wounded your heart, both by others and yourself,” Francis stressed, concluding, “Let yourself receive mercy and begin the ‘return trip,’ and with your hands give mercy to others, spreading mercy and love.”
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On ZENIT’s Web page:
Full Translation: to be made available shortly
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Remember the Priest Who Made Francis Cry in Albania? He’s the Only Non-Bishop on the List of New Cardinals by Anita Bourdin
“I am a poor priest and my only richness is Christ,” are the words that his Italian biographer, Mimmo Muolo, retains of Cardinal-designate Ernest Simoni, hero of the Gospel under the Albanian Communist regimes, who endured condemnation to death and was a slave labourer for almost 30 years.
Father Ernest Simoni is the only non-bishop on the list of 17 who will receive the red hat in November.
Tortured and imprisoned at the time of the Communist persecution, his testimony moved Pope Francis to tears during the apostolic visit to Tirana in 2014.
More than 80 years old, Cardinal Simoni will be a non-elector in case of a Conclave.
On announcing his name yesterday, Sunday, October 9, the Pope specified that he chose “a priest who rendered a clear Christian testimony.”
During Vespers in the Cathedral of Saint Paul in Tirana on November 21, 2014, in the presence of Pope Francis, Father Simoni — who will celebrate his 88th birthday on October 18 — recounted his arrest in 1963, after eight years of priesthood. Beaten and tortured because he proclaimed Christ, he spent years in prison and in forced labour until the collapse of the regime in 1990. Becoming the Spiritual Father of numerous prisoners, he celebrated Mass in Latin by heart, distributed Communion and heard confessions secretly. He wrote on the wall of his cell: “Jesus is my life.”
“Today we have touched martyrs,” said Pope Francis after his testimony and that of a woman religious: “With this simplicity, they suffered very much physically, psychically, with the anguish of uncertainty, not knowing if they would be shot or not, and they lived with this anguish. The Lord consoled them. (…) He consoles in the depth of the heart and by His strength.”
Pope Francis saw this elderly priest again during a General Audience last April: he then kissed his hands in sign of respect.
Here is what his biographer shared with Zenit.
ZENIT: Mimmo Muolo, last year you published — in Italian — a biography of the Albanian Franciscan priest that Pope Francis has just chosen to be a cardinal (“Father Ernest Simoni. From Forced Labour to the Meeting with the Pope,” Pauline Publications 2016): How did the idea come about of this book on Father Ernest Simoni?
Muolo: Paoline Libri publishing house asked me for the book, after my article on the Pope’s visit to Albania, in the course of which Father Ernest’s testimony of his experience made Pope Francis weep.
ZENIT: How did you do it?
Muolo: I met Father Ernest in Florence, where he goes often to visit Albanian faithful of the diaspora, and I stayed two days with him. He recounted his life to me <and> I wrote. That was a great grace for me!
ZENIT: What are the principal stages of his unbelievable life?
Muolo: First of all he had his vocation, in his childhood, when he “played” at celebrating Mass, then his Ordination among a thousand dangers and his first priestly ministry. Then his arrest, and his death sentence commuted to 25 years of forced labour. In the end, he served 28, first in a quarry then in the mines, and finally in the sewers of Scutari – a “martyr” according to the term used by Pope Francis.
ZENIT: Is he a model for the Jubilee of Mercy?
Muolo: Certainly. He is a model of mercy because he always forgave his persecutors.
ZENIT: What can Father Simoni’s role be as Cardinal?
Muolo: Father Simoni is a living witness of fidelity to Christ in all the situations of life, including the most extreme. And as Cardinal, he will also remind us that there is nothing more important than Jesus.
ZENIT: What are your wishes for this hero of the faith so justly named Cardinal?
Muolo: I hope he will continue to spend himself without stopping to proclaim the Gospel until the last moment of this earthly life. It is what he does at present, at 88, with different health concerns.
ZENIT: What question would you like to ask him?
Muolo: I would like to ask him if he ever imagined that one day he would become Cardinal. But I know his reply: “I am a poor priest and my only richness is Christ.” It’s what he has always said to me. And he will say it again now.[Translation by ZENIT]

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As a real practice of street evangelization, the Seoul Federation of Catholic Students (SFCS) hosted the 2nd PAX Festival on Oct. 8 at Sinchon—one of the most vibrant neighborhoods in Seoul where many young people gather.
The festival featured a line-up of activity booths, traditional folk music and singing performance by the SFCS student members. A staff member wore the mask of Pope Francis as the event mascot and caught the eyes of many passers-by. The whole program began at 1 p.m. and concluded at 6 p.m. with a Holy Mass celebrated outdoors.
When Pope Francis visited Korea in 2014 for the Asian Youth Day, he told the young people during his homily to “wake up and go forward” because “no one who sleeps can sing, dance or rejoice. I don’t like to see young people who are sleeping.”
Keeping the Holy Father’s words in mind, the SFCS initiated the PAX Festival in 2015 under the theme “Young people, wake up! No one who sleeps can dance.” The event is designed to bring together Catholic university students for street evangelization: it isn’t held near a church, but on the streets of urban Seoul.
“Through this kind of public event, we hope to encourage our student members to feel proud of their Catholic faith instead of trying to hide it,” said Clara Oh Yu-jung, the president the SFCS, a sophomore at Sookmyong Woman’s University.
“Sometime we feel embarrassed to reveal our Catholic identity in public. We try not to do the sign of cross before having a meal in a restaurant. The purpose of the PAX Festival is to encourage young people to go out and interact with people outside the Church, to have the courage to become the witnesses of God,” she said.
An unforgettable event occurred when a man saw the Pope Francis mask, he did the Sign of Cross, only in the wrong order.
“The staff wearing the mask immediately taught him how to do it correctly. The man smiled in appreciation and high-fived with ‘the Pope,’” Clara said. “The man later told us that he has heard about Pope Francis and is very interested in Catholicism. I believe everyone nearby was touched by the moment. This is the kind of opportunity we hope to give our student members: to retain the pride of being a Catholic.”
Fr. Peter Choi Bong-yong, the instructor of the SFCS, said that PAX Festival is a way for the students to bring the message of Jesus to the outside world.
“By introducing the Gospel to non-Catholic people, the students realize that the most precious thing they will ever possess is faith.”
The Catholic student movement began in Korea in 1954 when the Korean Catholic Student Association was established. In the same year, the association became a member of Pax Romana, the international federation of Catholic university students and graduates.
SFCS has about 1,200 student members from 36 universities around Seoul— every Sunday, members of the same school gather for Holy Mass together; during summer vacation, they go to countryside and participate in farming experience programs in real working farm.

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Pope’s Address to Pallotine Society by ZENIT Staff
Today, Pope Francis received in audience participants in the General Chapter of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate (Pallotines).
Here is a ZENIT translation of the Pope’s address to those present.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters, welcome!
I am happy to receive you on the occasion of your 21st General Assembly. I greet you cordially and I thank the Superior General for his words. I extend my greeting to all the members of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate and to all those who share the charism of Saint Vincent Pallotti. He became an illuminating beacon and inspirer in the Church. His charism is a precious gift of the Holy Spirit, because it aroused and arouses various forms of apostolic life and spurs the faithful to commit themselves actively in evangelical witness.
Your Founder understood that to be able to live communion with God, Jesus must be at the center, “the Divine Model of the whole human race” (Complete Works II, p. 541). In this Holy Year of Mercy, I like to recall that Vincent Pallotti had the gift to recognize that Jesus is the Father’s Apostle; great in love and rich in mercy is He who fulfils His mission revealing to all the tender love and infinite mercy of the Father. This mystery of God’s paternity, which opens to each one through the work of the Son, His heart full of love and compassion, acquires a special significance in our times. Every day scenes of violence, merciless faces and hardened and desolate hearts pass before our eyes. We are in so much need of remembering that Father whose heart thinks of all and wants the salvation of every man. Mercy is “the force that conquers all, that fills the heart with love and that consoles with forgiveness” (Bull Misericordiae Vultus, 9).
The reflections of your General Assembly are focused on the following words of your holy Founder: “The fundamental rule of our little Congregation is the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, to imitate Him with humility and trust with all the possible perfection in all the works of the hidden life and of the public evangelical ministry” (Complete Works III, p. 40). In the light of these valuable pointers, every member of the Pallotine Family is called to put the person of Christ and the faithful following of Him, as the foundation of his existence.
Contemplating the life of Jesus and looking at our life as pilgrims in this world with so many challenges, we perceive the necessity of a profound conversion and the urgency to revive faith in Him. Only in this way will we be able to serve our neighbor in charity! Every day we are called to renew our trust in Christ and to draw inspiration from His life to carry out our mission, because “Jesus is the first and greatest evangelizer. The primacy in any form of evangelization is always God, who has willed to call us to collaborate with Him and to stimulate us with the strength of His Spirit” (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 12).
Dear Brothers, I encourage you to continue your journey with joy and hope, committing yourselves with all your heart and all your strength, so that the charism of your Founder bears abundant fruits also in our time. He liked to repeat that the calling of the apostolate is not reserved for some, but is addressed to all, “regardless of their state, their condition, their profession, their fortune, all can take part” (Complete Works IV, p. 346). The Union of the Catholic Apostolate, which is bearer of Saint Vincent Pallotti’s charism, offers many areas and opens new horizons to participate in the mission of the Church. Therefore, it is called to work with renewed impetus to reawaken faith and rekindle charity, especially in the weakest segments of the population, poor spiritually and materially. In this, you are supported by the example of so many of your fellow brothers, genuine witnesses of the Gospel, who dedicated their life to the service of others. I knew them also during my pastoral service in Argentina and I have a happy memory of them.
Following in the footsteps of Saint Vincent Palloti, who considered himself a prodigy of God’s mercy, you can help all those you meet in your minostry to rediscover the immense love of God in our life. He wrote: “O my Jesus, shining in you is the incomprehensible excess of your infinite love and your infinite mercy” (Complete Works XIII, p. 169).
I entrust you all to the protection of Mary Most Holy, whom Saint Vincent Palloti venerated in a particular way as Queen of the Apostles. She, effective example of apostolic zeal and perfect charity, invites us to incessant prayer to invoke the gifts of the Holy Spirit on today’s apostles, so that her Son’s Gospel is proclaimed in every part of the world. I also entrust myself to your prayers and, while I hope for the best fruits of the works of your Assembly, I impart to you my heartfelt Apostolic Blessing.
[Original text: Italian] [Translation by ZENIT]
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Pope’s Videomessage to Argentine Conference on Mercy by ZENIT Staff
Below is the Vatican-provided transcription of the videomessage Pope Francis sent Saturday to participants of the “Manos Abiertas” (Open Hands) gathering in Santa Fe, Argentina. In 1992, Jesuit Father Angel Rossi founded the voluntary association on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, with the motto: “To love and to serve,” and the theme of their encounter this year was “mercy: a journey from the heart to the hands:”
***
Dear Friends of “Open Hands,”
You are gathered in this National Meeting whose theme is “Mercy, a Trip from the Heart to the Hands.” We take two texts from the Gospel: when the Good Samaritan finds that man on the road, the Gospel says he felt compassion in his heart and then got off his horse, touched <the man> and cared for him; his compassionate heart led him to do a job with his hands. Another scene of the Gospel talks about Jesus, at the gate of the city of Naim, who sees the funeral cortege of the young son of a widowed mother, and the mother following it, and He feels compassion for that mother <who is left> alone. He approached her and said to her: “Do not weep,” and His hands began to act. He then touched the coffin and said: “Young man, arise” — a trip from the heart to the hands. Jesus is like this, so the Gospel teaches us: to act but from the heart.
The heart of the Good Samaritan as well as that of Jesus was touched by misery: the misery He saw there, the misery of that widowed mother that Jesus saw, the misery of that grief, the misery of that beaten man that the Samaritan saw. The heart united with the misery of the other, and that is mercy. When the other’s misery enters my heart I feel mercy, which is not the same as to feel pity; pity is another sentiment. I can feel pity in face of a wounded animal or a situation, but mercy is another sentiment; it is when the other’s misery, or a situation of grief or misery, enters my heart and I let that situation touch my heart. I would say: it’s the one-way trip, the trip of misery to the heart. And this is the way: there is no mercy unless the heart is broken, a heart wounded by another’s misery, because of another’s painful situation; <it is> a heart that lets itself be wounded. To have good sentiments is different, it’s not mercy, it’s good sentiments.
To engage in philanthropy with one’s hands is different, it’s not mercy, it’s good, it’s good, it’s not bad to engage in philanthropy, but it isn’t mercy, it’s something else. Mercy is that one-way trip from misery to my heart, assumed by my heart, which moves my heart and that sometimes moves it in such a way that the heart is like a compass in the North Pole, which doesn’t know where it is standing because of what it’s feeling.
Of course, some of you might ask me: How can one have mercy and not pity? Well, first one has to ask for the grace to have mercy; it is a grace, and it must be asked for from the Lord. But the only way to have mercy is through one’s acknowledged sin forgiven by the Lord, through admitted and forgiven sin. One can only be merciful if one has truly felt the Lord’s mercy, otherwise one cannot be merciful. If you feel that your sin is assumed, forgiven, forgotten by God, you are merciful, and from having experienced mercy you will be able to be merciful. If mercy doesn’t come from your heart, it isn’t mercy.
And the return trip begins here. If the one-way trip was to let my heart be wounded by others’ misery, the stable trip in my heart is to acknowledge my sin, my misery, my lowness, and feel myself forgiven by the Lord’s mercy, then the return trip begins, from the heart to the hands. And thus the path goes from my misery that has received mercy, to the misery of the other; from my misery loved by God, to the love of the other’s misery; from my misery loved in my heart, to its expression with my hands, and that is mercy. Mercy is a trip from the heart to the hands. What do I do, do I open my hands or my heart? Both things. Let your heart be wounded by misery, by that of others and by your own; Allow yourself to experience mercy and begin the return trip, and with your hands have mercy for others, lavishing mercy and love.
May God bless you and make you have a fecund meeting, fruitful for the whole community of “Open Hands.” And, please, don’t forget to pray for me.[Original text: Spanish] [Translation by ZENIT]
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At UN, Holy See Asks, Does Everyone Get Fair Recognition in Legal System? by ZENIT Staff
Last week, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Permanent Observer of the Holy See, addressed the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Sixth Committee, on the Rule of Law at the National and International Levels.
Here is the text of his Oct. 6 address:
__
Mr. Chair,
I congratulate you and the other members of your Bureau on your election, and I assure you of my delegation’s continued collaboration.
The Secretary General’s report “Strengthening and coordinating United Nations rule of law activities” describes the efforts of the United Nations in support of national implementation of multilateral treaties. The Holy See notes with satisfaction that these efforts are ultimately aimed at “facilitating access to justice for all, including the poorest and most vulnerable.”
Thus my delegation welcomes, in particular, the initiatives that provide practical resources and on-the-ground assessments focused on ensuring access to justice for people in vulnerable situations, including detainees, indigent persons, refugees, and other displaced persons. Concern for the neediest is not only a moral imperative; it has become the yardstick with which to measure the success or failure of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, whose primary objective is to leave no one behind. The rule of law is meant to fulfill a role beyond maintaining harmony and order; it is also supposed to be an exemplary teacher. In this case, it ought to be an expression of society’s capacity to lift the poor and the excluded, the infirm and the imprisoned.
In this respect, while acknowledging the fundamental roles of judges, prosecutors, attorneys, and other vital participants in the implementation of the rule of law, my delegation is particularly concerned about the persons subject to legal action, particularly those illegally detained, those unjustly accused, those with physical and mental disabilities, and those who have no advocate, no political influence and no resources to vindicate their rights. The Holy See is focused on whether these categories of persons find recognition within the legal system. If one of the concerns of this Committee is to propose and evaluate rule of law indicators, then it must look beyond codifications and legal infrastructure and examine whether the least among us are in practice able to exercise their substantive and procedural rights under the law; whether they are able to understand and navigate the legal system; whether they are able to trust and rely on it; whether they find justice and compassion within it.
The Secretary General’s report, moreover, surveys many of the important steps States have taken within the last year to embrace an international framework of norms and standards on subjects such as ecology, access to justice, and the fight against transnational crime. The report also highlights capacity-building and technical-support projects undertaken by various United Nations entities. My delegation would like to recommend that such surveys be supplemented with practical reflections on whether these accomplishments are effective, inclusive and sustainable. Rule of law does not exist in a vacuum nor does it stand or fall alone. Reflection on the rule of law, therefore, should explore the cultural and social ethos in which the law is being implemented. It should look more deeply into the intersection between law and the lively world of non-state institutions and grassroots organizations, in order to assess more meaningfully how the rule of law can better take root and flourish in a given society. After all, justice, which is the constant and perpetual will to give to each one his or her due, is learned and fostered primarily within the family, religious communities and civil society.
Mr. Chair,
The Holy See wishes to underline the connection between the rule of law and the freedom of opinion and expression, as recognized under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The imprisonment and murder of journalists, researchers or activists is often a signal that some powerful interest is trying to evade accountability, which is antithetical to the rule of law.
This Committee must therefore encourage the appropriate independence of the judiciary. Encouraging those who stress the need for responsible freedom in the exercise of their judicial function, Pope Francis stated that “lacking such freedom, a nation’s judiciary is corrupt and corrupting.”3 A captive judiciary is corrupted, to use Pope Francis’ expression, because political factors are illegitimately weighed on the scales of justice; a captive judiciary is corrupting because its decisions, which lack the legitimacy of an objective and impartial application of law, infect the body of law with unsound principles, thereby jeopardizing justice and the common good. With a corrupt and corrupting judiciary, the rule of law ultimately gives way to a rule of force.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.

1 A/71/169 (July 20, 2016).2 Id. at 3.
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Holy See at UN: We Can’t Win Fight Against Drugs With Drugs by ZENIT Staff
The laws of supply and demand are behind the production and trafficking of illicit drugs and the accompanying trafficking of humans. Thus, the only way to win the war on drugs is “not only to say ‘no’ to drugs” but to say “‘yes’ to life, to love, to family, to all that is positive and healthy for the full enjoyment of life.”
This was the assertion made last week by Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Permanent Observer of the Holy See at the United Nations, when addressing the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Third Committee, on crime prevention and criminal justice, and international drug control
Here is the text of the Oct. 6 address:

Madam Chair,
I am pleased to join previous speakers in congratulating you and the other members of the bureau of this Committee on your election. The Holy See strongly shares the determination of the international community to tackle the world drug problem and to promote actively a society free of drug abuse, one in which all people can lead healthy lives, enjoy peace and live in social harmony.
National and international authorities must resolutely fight the narcotics trade. In his Address to the General Assembly in September 2015, Pope Francis described the narcotics trade as a new kind of war against society, a war that is “taken for granted and poorly fought”, in part because of corruption on multiple levels. The evils of drug trade are amplified because, as the Pope pointed out, “drug trafficking is, by its very nature, accompanied by trafficking in persons, money laundering, the arms trade, child exploitation and other forms of corruption.”
The production and trafficking of illicit drugs obeys the law of supply and demand: drug trafficking exists because there is a lucrative market created by individuals addicted to illicit drugs. Thus, preventing and fighting the consumption of such drugs is key to preventing and fighting their production and trafficking.
In this regard, my delegation wishes to reaffirm the Holy See’s opposition to legalizing drug use as a means to fight drug addiction. As Pope Francis stated in his June 2014 address to the International Drug Enforcement Conference in Rome, “The fight against drugs cannot be won with drugs. Drugs are an evil, and with evil there can be neither surrender nor compromise.”
Madam Chair,
The Holy See believes that the fight against the drug problem must be guided by the fundamental principles of respect for human dignity, of the primacy of prevention, and of the role of the family as a bulwark for both drug prevention and addiction treatment.
Respect for the human dignity of all must be ultimately at the core of every international drug control and crime prevention strategy. Individuals who have fallen into drug addiction must be treated with compassion and understanding. Numerous Catholic organizations and religious orders are already active both in the fields of prevention and rehabilitation, adopting preventive measures that start with educating children and young people to reject the temptation of an illusionary bliss provoked by drug consumption, or the lure of easy money coming from drug trafficking.
The suffering of a drug addict is not confined to the addicted individual; it also engulfs the family and the whole of society. The family is the first to suffer from substance-abusing members, with consequences such as domestic violence, economic collapse and other dysfunctions that can lead to the breakdown of the family.
For this reason, the Holy See cannot place enough emphasis on the importance of the family as the cornerstone of prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, reintegration and health strategies. Families form the very basis of a society. Illicit drug abuse destroys the fabric of individual families and of entire communities, leading ultimately to the destabilization of society. The Holy See thus supports programs, as recommended by the Secretary General’s Report, “aimed at preventing risk factors from resulting in the commission of crime and drug abuse among young people by strengthening parenting skills.”
Madam Chair,
In order to prevent drug addiction, it is necessary not only to say “no” to drugs. It is also essential to say “yes” to life, to love, to family, to all that is positive and healthy for the full enjoyment of life.
Thank you, Madam Chair.

1 A/71/316, 54.
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Pope’s Telegram for Hurricane Matthew in Haiti by ZENIT Staff
Below is the Vatican-released condolence telegram sent by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, on Pope Francis’ behalf, to Cardinal Chibly Langlois, president of the Episcopal Conference of Haiti, for the victims of Hurricane Matthew, which has claimed many lives, including more than 800 in Haiti, and caused considerable damage:
***
Cardinal Chibly Langlois
President of the Episcopal Conference of Haiti
LES CAYES
His Holiness Pope Francis wishes to express his sorrow and to join in prayer in the suffering of all those who have lost loved ones. He conveys to them his sincerest condolences and assures them of his deep sympathy in these painful circumstances. He entrusts the departed to the mercy of God, that He welcome them in His light. He assures them of his spiritual closeness and his affection for the injured, and for all those who have lost their homes and possessions in the disaster. Welcoming and encouraging solidarity in this new hardship the country must face, the Holy Father entrusts all Haitians to the maternal protection of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and imparts to them, as a sign of consolation and hope, a special apostolic blessing.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin
Secretary of State[Original text: French] [Vatican-provided translation]
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