Missionary Renegade: Pope’s Morning Homily: No Peace Without Humility... from ZENIT of Roswell, Georgia, United States for Friday, 21 October 2016

Pope’s Morning Homily: No Peace Without Humility... from ZENIT of Roswell, Georgia, United States for Friday, 21 October 2016
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-------Pope’s Morning Homily: No Peace Without Humility by Deborah Castellano Lubov

You cannot have peace without humility and where there’s arrogance, you’ll always have war.
According to Vatican Radio, this was at the heart of Pope Francis’ homily today during his daily morning Mass at his residence Casa Santa Marta, as he gave three attitudes necessary to building unity in the Church, and also in daily life.
Drawing inspiration from the greeting at Mass “peace be with you,” Francis’ homily examined what is required to nurture peace and unity: humility, gentleness and magnanimity
Francis noted that our Lord’s greeting “creates a bond” of peace and unites us, to create a unity of spirit. He warned that if there’s no peace and if we aren’t able to greet each other in the widest sense of the word, there will never be unity.
This concept, the Holy Father explained, applies for unity in the world, in the town, in the district and in the family.
“The evil spirit always sows wars,” he said, noting, “Jealousy, envy, conflicts, gossip…. are things that destroy peace and therefore there cannot be unity.”
“And how should a Christian behave to promote unity, to find this unity?” the Jesuit Pontiff went on to ask. “Paul tells us clearly: ‘live in a manner worthy, with all humility, gentleness and magnanimity.’
“These three attitudes: humility – we cannot sow peace without humility. Where there is arrogance, there is always war and the desire to defeat the other and believing one is superior. Without humility, there is no peace and without peace, there is no unity.”
Nowadays, the Holy Father lamented, we have lost the ability to speak gently and instead tend to shout at each other or speak badly about other people. Rather than this, Francis encouraged, rediscover gentleness, and “be patient and put up with the faults of others, or the things we don’t like.”
“First: humility, second: gentleness with this mutual support, and third: magnanimity: a big heart, a wide-open heart that can accommodate everybody and that does not condemn, that does not become smaller because of trifling things: ‘who said that,’ ‘I heard that,’ ‘who…’ no, a large heart, there is room for everybody.”
These three elements, Francis reiterated, “creates the bond of peace” and are the right way to respond to that call to the mystery of the Church and of Christ.
“The mystery of the Church is the mystery of the Body of Christ: ‘one faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all’ and who works ‘through all and in all:’ this is the unity that Jesus asked the Father to grant us and we must help create this unity with the bond of peace. And the bond of peace grows with humility, with gentleness and mutual support and with magnanimity.”
Pope Francis concluded, praying, “Let us pray for the shepherds who are at the end of their lives and who are waiting for the Lord to take them with Him. And let us pray so that the Lord may give them strength, consolation and the certainty that, although they feel sick and alone, the Lord is with them, close to them.”
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‘Be Men of Hope,’ Pope Tells Augustinian Recollects by Deborah Castellano Lubov

Be men of hope. Trust in God’s mercy.
The Pope gave this encouragement in his address to participants of the 55th General Chapter of the Order of Augustinian Recollects in the Clementine Hall of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace Thursday morning.
With its origins in late 16th Century Spain, the Augustinian Recollect Order is now a global order, with some 1,500 religious in its chapters worldwide.
In the Pope’s address, he acknowledged that, as their motto taken from a prayer of St. Augustine, that all our hope is found in the Lord’s mercy, and in exhorting Him to tell us what He commands of us.
“This invocation leads us to be men of hope, namely, with horizons, capable of putting all our trust in God’s mercy, conscious that we are incapable of addressing, with our strength alone, the challenges that the Lord presents to us.”
Francis acknowledged that although “we are little and unworthy,” our “security and joy is in God.”
He Never Disappoints
“He never disappoints and He it is who leads us by mysterious paths with a Father’s love,” Francis said.
In this General Chapter, the Jesuit Pope noted, “you have wished to review and place before God the life of the Order, with its yearnings and challenges, so that it is He who gives you light and hope.
“To seek renewal and impetus,” he continued, “it is necessary to turn to God and to ask Him: “Give us what you command. “
Francis reminded them how Jesus commanded us to love one another.
Present in Our Lives
“It is what we implore Him to give us: His love so that we are capable of loving. God gives us this love in many ways; God is always giving us this love and He makes himself present in our life,” he said.
Francis urged them to think to their past and the many gifts they have received, and noted that reviewing the past’s real point is really “about discovering the Lord’s presence in each event, in every step of life.”
“The past helps us to return again to the charism, and to relish it in all its freshness and integrity. It also gives us the possibility to underscore the difficulties that have arisen and how they have been surmounted, to be able to address the present challenges, looking to the future. This path beside Jesus will become a prayer of thanksgiving and interior purification.”
The memory, grateful for His love in our past, Francis said, “spurs us to live the present with passion and in an ever more courageous way.”
“To let oneself be commanded by God means that He is the Master of our life and there is no other,” Pope Francis said. “And we know well that, if God does not have the place that corresponds to Him, others will do so for Him. And when the Lord is at the center of our life everything is possible; failure or any other evil does not count, because it is He who is at the center, and it is He who directs us.”
God, the Pontiff explained, asks us at this moment in a special way to be His “creators of communion.”
“We are called to create, with our presence in the midst of the world, a society capable of recognizing the dignity of every person and of sharing the gift that each one is to the other.”
“So many people are waiting for us to go out to encounter them and to look at them with that tenderness that we have experienced and received from our relation with God. This is the power we bear; not the one of our own ideals and projects, but the strength of His mercy, which transforms and gives life.”
Pope Francis concluded, inviting them to maintain “Saint Augustine’s dream with a renewed spirit,” namely “to live as brothers, “with one heart and one soul” (Rule 1,2), which reflects the ideal of the first Christians and is a living prophecy of communion in this world of ours, so that there is no division, no conflicts or exclusion, but concord reigns and dialogue is promoted.”
Francis prayed for Mary to protect them and their order, imparted his blessing, and reminded them to pray for him.
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On ZENIT’s web page:
Full Text: https://zenit.org/articles/popes-address-to-order-of-augustinian-recollects/
On the NET:
About the Augustinian Recollects: http://www.augustinian-recollects.org.uk/
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Pope Francis Receives New Leader of Jesuits by Deborah Castellano Lubov

Last evening, Pope Francis received in audience Venezuelan Jesuit Father Arturo Sosa, recently elected new Superior General of the Society of Jesus.
The announcement of the newly-elected leader came Oct. 14 in the Vatican, as the Jesuits were meeting in Rome for their 36th General Congregation. Fr. Sosa succeeded the 80-year-old Fr. Adolfo Nicolas, who, in 2014, announced his resignation.
After days of prayer and discernment, 212 electors representing the nearly 17,000 Jesuits working around the world chose Fr. Sosa as their leader.
Born in Caracas on Nov. 12, 1948, Arturo Sosa would go on to obtain a doctorate in political sciences, before entering the Jesuits and, in 1977, being ordained a priest.
This week, Fr. Sosa met with press the first time in the Vatican and said he is ready to respond with joy to his new role, that he does not like being called ‘the black pope,’ and that reconciliation and dialogue are among his most important priorities.
**
On ZENIT’s Web page:
Feature: Fr. Sosa Speaks to the Press: https://zenit.org/articles/feature-jesuits-new-superior-general-is-ready-to-respond-with-joy/
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Pope’s Address to John Paul II Foundation by ZENIT Staff

Below is a ZENIT translation of Pope Francis’ address to the John Paul II Foundation this morning in the Vatican:
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Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I am very happy to receive you. The occasion is to commemorate the 35th anniversary of your activity, which enables you to evaluate the work carried out and, at the same time, to look to the future with new goals and new objectives. I greet you warmly, beginning with the President, Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, whom I thank for the words with which he introduced this meeting. I also greet Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, whom I believe knew Saint John Paul II quite well!
The objective of your Foundation is to support initiatives of an educational, cultural, religious and charitable character, inspired by the figure of Saint John Paul II, whose Liturgical Memorial we celebrate tomorrow. By now, your action embraces several nations, especially in Eastern Europe, and numerous students have benefitted from your support to complete their studies. I encourage you to continue in the commitment of promotion and support in favor of the young generations, so that they can face life’s challenges animated always by evangelical sensibility and a spirit of faith. The formation of youth is an investment for the future: young people must never be robbed of hope for tomorrow!
The Jubilee Year we are concluding has spurred us to reflect and meditate on the greatness of Divine Mercy at a time when man, because of progress in various fields of technology and science, tends to feel self-sufficient, as if he were emancipated from all higher authority, believing that everything depends on himself. Instead, as Christians we are aware that everything is a gift of God and true wealth is not money, which can even render us slaves, but the love of God, which makes us free.
Still alive in me is the memory of the trip to Poland, where I experienced the joy of the faith in the World Youth Day. The Polish land has had two great children in Saint Faustina Kowalska and Saint John Paul II, both apostles of Divine Mercy. The Holy Pope expressed himself thus on the Encyclical Dives in Misericordia: “Especially through His lifestyle and through His actions, Jesus revealed that love is present in the world in which we live – an effective love, a love that addresses itself to man and embraces everything that makes up his humanity. This love makes itself particularly noticed in contact with suffering, injustice and poverty – in contact with the whole historical “human condition,” which in various ways manifests man’s limitation and frailty, both physical and moral.”(n. 3). In her diary, Saint Faustina noted an exhortation addressed to her by the Lord Jesus: “My daughter, look into My Merciful Heart and reflect its compassion in your own heart and in your deeds, so that you, who proclaim My mercy to the world, may yourself be aflame with it.” (n. 1688).
May the words, and especially the examples of life of these two luminous witnesses always inspire your generous commitment. May the Virgin Mary, Mater Misericordiae, protect and accompany you. I bless you all from my heart and your families and communities and I ask you, please, to pray for me. Thank you.[Original text: Italian] [Translation by ZENIT]
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Pope’s Address to International Conference on Vocational Pastoral Care by ZENIT Staff

Below is a ZENIT-provided working translation of Pope Francis’ address to an International Conference on Vocational Pastoral Care, this morning in the Vatican:
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Lord Cardinals,
Dear Brother Bishops and Priests,
Brothers and Sisters,
I receive you with joy at the end of your congress, organized by the Congregation for the Clergy, and I thank Cardinal Beniamino Stella for the courteous words he addressed to me on behalf of all.
I confess to you that I am always a bit afraid to use some common expressions of our ecclesial language: ”vocational pastoral <care>” might make one think of the many sectors of ecclesial action, a Curia office or, perhaps, the elaboration of a plan. I do not say that this isn’t important, but there is much more: vocational pastoral <care> is an encounter with the Lord! When we receive Christ we live a decisive encounter, which sheds light on our existence, removes us from the anguish of our small world and makes us become disciples enamoured of the Master.
It is no accident that you chose as the title of your Congress “Miserando atque eligendo,” word of Bede the Venerable (cf. Om. 21: CCL 122, 149); Liturgia Horarum, 21 Sept., Officium lectionis, lectio II). You know – I have said it other times – that I chose this motto recalling the youthful years in which I felt the Lord’s strong call: it did not happen after a conference or because of a good theory, but because of having experienced Jesus’ merciful gaze upon me. It was like this, I tell you the truth. Therefore, it is good that you came here, from many parts of the world, to reflect on this subject but, please, may it not all end with just a beautiful congress! Vocational pastoral care is to learn Jesus’ style, which happens in places of daily life, pauses without hurry and, looks at brothers with mercy, leading them to the encounter with God the Father.
The evangelists often evidence a particular of Jesus’ mission: He goes out on the streets and sets off (cf. Luke 9:51), “He entered cities and villages” <(cf. Luke 9:35)> and goes to meet the sufferings and the hopes of the people. He is a “God with us,” who lives amid the homes of His children and is not afraid to mix in the crowds of our cities, becoming ferment of novelty where the people struggle for a different life. We find the same detail also in the case of Matthew’s vocation: first Jesus goes out to preach again, then He sees Levi seated on the tax bench and, finally, He calls him (cf. Luke 5:27). We can pause on these three verbs, which indicate the dynamism of all vocational pastoral <care>: go out, see, call.
First of all: go out. Vocational pastoral <care> needs a Church in movement, able to widen her borders, measuring them not on the narrowness of human calculations or the fear of making a mistake, but on the wide measure of God’s merciful heart. There cannot be a fruitful sowing of vocations if we simply remain closed in the “complacent attitude that says: “We have always done it this way,” without “bold and creative in this task of rethinking the goals, structures, style and methods of evangelization in their respective communities” (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 33). We must learn to go out of our rigidities, which make us incapable of communicating the joy of the Gospel, of the standard formulas that are often anachronistic, of the preconceived analyses that box people’s life in cold schemes. We must come out of all this.
I ask it especially of Pastors of the Church, of Bishops and priests: you are the principal responsible ones for Christian and priestly vocations, and this task cannot be relegated to a bureaucratic office. You also lived an encounter that changed your life, when another priest – a parish priest, a confessor, a spiritual director – made you experience the beauty of the love of God. And so you also: going out, listening to young people — patience is needed! –, can help them to discern the movements of their heart and guide their steps. It is sad when a priest lives only for himself, shutting himself in the safe fortress of the Rectory, of the sacristy, or of the narrow group of the “very faithful.” We are called, on the contrary, to be Pastors in the midst of the people, capable of leading a pastoral of encounter and of spending time to receive and listen to all, especially young people.
Second: to see, to go out, to see. When He passes on the streets, Jesus pauses, and His look crosses that of the other, without haste. It is this that makes His call attractive and fascinating. Today, unfortunately, the speed and velocity of the stimulations to which we are subjected do not always leave room for the interior silence in which the Lord’s call resounds. Sometimes, it is possible to run this risk even in our communities: Pastors and pastoral agents prey of speed, excessively concerned with things to do, which risk falling into an empty organizational activism, without being able to pause to meet people. Instead, the Gospel makes us see that a vocation begins with a look of mercy that paused on me. It is that term “miserando,” which expresses at the same time the embrace of the eyes and the heart. It is thus that Jesus looked at Matthew. Finally, this “publican” did not perceive a look on himself of contempt or judgment, but he felt looked at within with love. Jesus challenged people’s prejudices and etiquette. He created an open space, in which Matthew was able to look at his life again and begin a new path.
This is how I like to think of the style of vocational pastoral care. And, allow me, I imagine in the same way the look of every Pastor: attentive, not hasty, capable of pausing and of reading in depth, of entering in the other’s life without ever making him feel threatened or judged. The Pastor’s look is one capable of arousing amazement at the Gospel, of awakening from the torpor in which the culture of consumerism and superficiality immerses us and of arousing genuine questions of happiness, especially in young people. It is a look of discernment, which accompanies individuals, without either taking possession of their conscience or pretending to control God’s grace. In fine, it is an attentive and vigilant look and, therefore, called continually to be purified. And when it is a question of priestly vocations and of entering the Seminary, I beg you to carry out discernment in truth, of having a shrewd and cautious look, without lightness or superficiality. I say it in particular to Brother Bishops: vigilance and prudence. The Church and the world need mature and balanced priests, intrepid and generous Pastors, capable of closeness, of listening and of mercy.
Go out, see and, the third action <is> call. It is the typical verb of the Christian vocation. Jesus does not make long speeches, He does not give a program to which to adhere, He does not engage in proselytism or give pre-packaged answers. Turning to Matthew, He limits Himself to say: “Follow me!” Thus He arouses in him the fascination of discovering a new goal, opening his life to a “place” that goes beyond the small bench where he is seated. Jesus’ desire is to get people to set off, to move them from a lethal sedentariness, to break the illusion that one can live happily remaining comfortably seated among one’s securities.
This desire to search, which often dwells in the youngest, is the treasure that the Lord puts in our hands and that we must look after, cultivate and have sprout. We look at Jesus, who passes along the banks of existence, gathering the desire of one who seeks, the disappointment of a night of fishing that did not go well. The burning thirst of a woman who goes to the well and draws water, or the strong need to change one’s life. So, we too, instead of reducing the faith to a book of recipes or to a whole of norms to be observed, can help young people to pose the right questions to themselves; to set off and to discover the joy of the Gospel.
I know well that your task is not an easy one and that, sometimes, despite a generous commitment, the results can be scarce and we risk frustration and discouragement. However, if we do not close ourselves in complaint and continue to “go out” to proclaim the Gospel, the Lord stays besides us and gives us the courage to throw out the nets even when we are tired and disappointed for not having caught anything.
To Bishops and priests especially, I would like to say: persevere in making yourselves close, in closeness – that synkatabasis of the Father and the Son with us –; persevere in going out, in sowing the Word, with looks of mercy. Vocational pastoral <care> is entrusted to your pastoral action, to your discernment and to your prayer. Take care to promote it adopting possible methods, exercising the art of discernment and giving impulse, through evangelization, to the subject of priestly vocations and consecrated life. Do not be afraid to proclaim the Gospel, to encounter, to direct the life of young people. And do not be timid in proposing to them the way of priestly life, showing, first of all with your joyful witness, how good it is to follow the Lord and to give Him your life forever. And, as foundation of this work, always remember to entrust yourselves to the Lord, imploring Him for new labourers for His harvest and supporting prayer initiatives to support vocations.
I hope that these days – in which so much richness has circulated, thanks also to the Relators that took part – will contribute to recall that vocational pastoral care is a fundamental task in the Church and calls into question the ministry of Pastors and of the laity. It is an urgent mission that the Lord asks us to carry out with generosity. I assure you of my prayer and you, please, do not forget to pray for me. Thank you.[Original text: Italian] [Working Translation by ZENIT]
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Chaldean Patriarch Eyes Post-ISIS Future by ZENIT Staff

The Chaldean Patriarchate Media has created the following summary of an address that Chaldean Patriach Louis Sako I of Babylon gave in Berlin, Germany, Oct.17-19, during a task force to discuss Iraq’s future. This document was made available to international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need:
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His Beatitude Patriarch Louis Raphael Sako accompanied by His Excellency, the Auxiliary Bishop Basilio Yaldo, participated in a Task Force to Discuss the Future of Iraq on 17 -19 Oct 2017, Berlin – Germany
The meeting was organized by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, which is affiliated with the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party in Germany. The moderator was the US Ambassador, Mr. Ryan Crocker. The topic was, as Mr. Crocker stated, to present a vision to the new American administration about the future of Iraq and especially that of its minorities.
In the presentation H.B. the Patriarch focused on:
Certain areas of Iraq are still occupied by ISIS (Daesh), where civilians are killed, slaughtered, displaced in millions, homes are ruined and infrastructure destroyed on daily basis, serving the Western political agenda. Therefore, the “responsible” Western countries should make an effort to stop such daily suffering of our people, support the liberation of all our lands and enhance the chances of reconciliation by pursuing a peaceful resolution of the conflicts. We hope the liberation of Mosul and the Nineveh plain that has started can be successful. I hope there will be a clear, wise and unified vision based on reality which will enable to avoid the following mess, and to help achieving peace in order to bring back stability to this part of the world and to stop the bloodsheds, the damages and the tragedy of refugees. I hope the liberation of Mosul and the Nineveh plain that has started can be successful. This is a sign of hope for all of us.
After the liberation and the end of these conflicts, the involved Western governments should assist the refugees in returning to their homes; securing areas of conflict; providing full protection for them; restoring their rights and properties; contributing to the reconstruction of towns and cities; compensating the resulted damages and helping the restoration of the cultural and religious heritage of all its components.
Then, Iraqis will be able to outline a realistic vision for their future, based on an overall national reform and development roadmap, through a civil and quiet dialogue that takes into account their national, ethical and political convictions, distant from the mentality of conflict and revenge.
In Iraq, the establishment of a standard of citizenship in which all persons are integrated in dignity and equality regardless of their religion or ethnicity is needed. UN and other institutions should push for the change of some points of the constitution and the respect of human rights. Freedom and democracy are a purpose for all. No force in the world can impose it through weapons. Religion and state must be separated.
Regarding the situation of Christians,
His Beatitude stressed the importance for Christians of being wise, rational and realistic, stopping neutrality and hands-off policy, but rather taking responsibility in participating and having a positive impact on making changes consistent with their aspiration. In this way, Christians can obtain their rights and be freed from discrimination and intolerance through a dialogue with their partners in the homeland.
The Patriarch concluded that in order for Christians to survive it is necessary for them to engage in the political process and to participate energetically in activities that pursue the building and the developing of the homeland based on citizenship, respect of the laws and responsibilities, and the diffusion of equality, freedom and national partnership values.
Briefly, what we need is to be encouraged to stay in our homeland hoping for a promising future. Iraqi Christians love their land where their roots date as far back as thousands of years and would like to stay here, no matter what.
+Louis Raphaël Sako I[Summary created by Chaldean Patriarchate Media] [Made Available to ZENIT through Aid to the Church in Need]
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Pope to Personally Award Ratzinger Prize to Inos Biffi And Ioannis Kourempeles by Zenit Team

Pope Francis will personally award the 2016 Ratzinger Prize to Inos Biffi and Ioannis Kourempeles, on Nov. 26, at 11 a.m. in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace. The recognition, assigned by the Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation, awards those scholars who have distinguished themselves particularly in scientific research activity in the realm of theology.
The names of the winners were presented to Pope Francis by the Foundation’s Scientific Committee, made up of Cardinals Angelo Amato, who is its President, Kurt Koch, Gianfranco Ravasi and Archbishop Luis Francisco Ladaria.
Native of Lomagna, Lecco, where he was born in 1943, Monsignor Biffi is ordinary emeritus of Systematic Theology and of the History of Medieval Theology at the Faculty of Theology of Lugano. In addition, he is a member of the Pontifical Academy of Theology, president of the Institute for the History of Medieval Theology of Milan and director of the Institute of History of Theology at the Faculty of Theology of Lugano.
Ioannis Kourempeles, born in Athens in 1965, studied theology at the theological faculties of Salonika, Erlangen and Heidelberg. He teaches History of Dogmas and Dogmatic and Symbolic Theology at the Faculty of Theology of the “Aristotle” University of Salonika. He is the first Orthodox to be awarded the Ratzinger Prize.
The awarding of the prize will take place at the end of the International Symposium on “Eschatology: Analysis and Perspectives,” which will be held in Rome from Nov. 24-26 at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.
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Holy See’s Statement on Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space by ZENIT Staff

“Our history has born witness to this particular spiritual bond with the Holy See, especially during the 38 years of the pontificate of our beloved Pope from the Polish nation, St. John Paul II,” said the Polish Primate Archbishop Wojciech Polak, on Oct. 21, at the Lateran Basilica, during the National Pilgrimage.
The Polish Primate reminded the faithful that the first ruler of the Poles published a kind of testament, before his death at the end of the 10thcentury, known in history as the Dagome iudex, placing his state of Gniezno under the spiritual care of the Holy See. In this way, he established a special bond with the See of Peter in Rome.
“This spiritual offering of the young state to the Holy See had a very important symbolical meaning, because in this way Mieszko I insisted that his monarchy is part of the Christian world and is in a direct relationship with the successors of St. Peter and puts itself under their care,” said Archbishop Wojciech Polak.
The Polish National Pilgrimage is being held Oct. 20-23. Masses in four Patriarchal Basilicas and a meeting with Pope Francis, on Saturday, Oct. 22, are the highlights of this pilgrimage.
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Article done in collaboration with Episkopat.pl
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Holy See’s Statement on Promotion, Protection of Children’s Rights by ZENIT Staff

Below is the text of the Holy See’s intervention given by Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, at the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, regarding the “Third Committee Agenda Item 64: Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Children”It was published on Oct. 14. on The Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nation website:
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Statement by H.E. Archbishop Bernardito Auza
Apostolic Nuncio, Permanent Observer of the Holy See
Seventy-First Session of the United Nations General Assembly
Third Committee Agenda Item 64: Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Children
The most recent reports on the situation of children in the world present a global picture that is, at first sight, rather encouraging. Serious surveys and solid analyses on health and vital records of children show that since the 1990s, the global mortality rate of children under the age of five has been reduced by more than half. In the last 15 years, all regions in the world registered major progress in child survival rates. These improvements were particularly significant in sub-Saharan Africa.
Maternal mortality rates have also been significantly reduced. In the same period that saw such dramatic reduction in child mortality, maternal deaths also decreased by 43 percent. School enrollment, access to safe water and a number of other vital and social indicators also showed steady progress. While these advances happened in a variety of contexts, indicating that progress can be achieved in highly differentiated economic, social and political environments, they were even more impressive in some of the world’s poorest countries.
These noteworthy achievements have been accompanied, however, by very negative data: 16,000 children are still dying every day, mostly from preventable or treatable causes; nearly half of all deaths in children under the age of five are due to malnutrition and under-nutrition; about a third of nearly 230 million children worldwide under the age of five have not been officially recorded, depriving them of their right to a name and nationality; millions of children are HIV infected; about one third of women worldwide between 20 and 24 years old were child brides; every 10 minutes, somewhere in the world a girl dies as a result of violence.
The grave humanitarian crises in many regions of the world have exacerbated this already disheartening picture. Fifty million children around the world are on the move. They are running from conflict, extreme poverty and various forms of abuse and exploitation. Their numbers have dramatically increased in recent years. For instance, according to Catholic Charities, the number of unaccompanied children apprehended at the U.S./Mexico border between 2004 and 2011 averaged 6,800 per year. In 2012, that total jumped to over 13,000 children, then to 24,000 in 2013, and then up to 90,000 in 2014. A couple of weeks ago, 10,000 refugees and migrants, in just two days, were rescued from sinking boats in the Mediterranean Sea. Between 20 and 40 percent of them were unaccompanied children.
Refugee and migrant children, in particular unaccompanied ones, face multiple dangers. They are prime targets for traffickers and exploiters. When a boat sinks, they are the most likely to drown. They are the first ones to suffer hunger and thirst. They are the most vulnerable to extreme weather as they move through deserts and forests. These children in extremely vulnerable situations need protection and are entitled to the rights guaranteed under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is therefore urgent to ensure that measures and policies are in place wherever these children are to be found, like refugee routes and passageways of clandestine migrants.
Madam Chair,
Millions more children are caught in situations of conflict, trapped in situations of extreme poverty or live in areas of extreme environmental vulnerability. These harrowing situations of children remind us to commit ourselves to fighting the root causes of their sufferings. The Holy See notes with particular sadness that the primary cause of today’s mass displacements of populations is man-made: namely, wars and conflicts. Indeed, twenty-eight million of the fifty million children on the move were driven away from their homes by conflict. The Secretary-General’s reports on Children and Armed Conflict contain horrible lists of violations against the rights of children, which have been increasing both in number and in intensity. In certain conflicts, up to 40 percent of the victims are children. Never in recent memory have so many children been subjected to such violent brutality: children used as soldiers, suicide bombers, sex slaves, and disposable intelligence-gatherers in the most dangerous military operations. The deliberate destruction of their schools and hospitals in total disregard of international humanitarian law has become a strategy of war. As the Secretary-General stated in his 2015 report, “The impact on children of our collective failure to prevent and end conflict is severe.”
Since human choices provoke conflicts and wars, it is well within our power and responsibility to address the conflicts and wars that drive millions to become refugees, forced migrants and internally displaced persons, including millions of children. The Holy See thus pleads for a common commitment on the part of individual governments and the International Community to bring to an end every situation of violence, fighting, and hatred, and to pursue peace and reconciliation. While we wait for an end to these conflicts, it is nevertheless urgent to collaborate to alleviate the sufferings of children caught in the snares.
Madame Chair,
Other serious violations of the rights of children exist, among them child labour. Pope Francis has appealed to the International Community to “unite and renew [its] efforts to remove this cause of modern slavery, which deprives millions of children of some fundamental rights and exposes them to serious dangers.”
The dramatic progress made in the reductions in child mortality and increased access to schooling and safe drinking water must strengthen our resolve to bring similar progress to areas in which millions of children still suffer extraordinary indignities each day.
Thank you, Madame Chair.
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Missionary Renegade

Saturday, October 22, 2016

Pope’s Morning Homily: No Peace Without Humility... from ZENIT of Roswell, Georgia, United States for Friday, 21 October 2016

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