SUMMARY:
-
HUMAN MOBILITY FINDS ITS APEX IN JESUS, FOREIGNER IN THE WORLD OF MEN
-
MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES: BUILD A BETTER WORLD
-
CARDINAL TAURAN AT THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE CONGRESS OF LEADERS OF
WORLD AND TRADITIONAL RELIGIONS IN KAZAKHSTAN
-
THE HOLY SEE PARTICIPATES IN EUROPEAN HERITAGE DAY
-
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
______________________________________
HUMAN
MOBILITY FINDS ITS APEX IN JESUS, FOREIGNER IN THE WORLD OF MEN
Vatican
City, 24 September 2013 (VIS) – In a press conference held in the
Holy See Press Office this morning, Cardinal Antonio Maria Veglio,
president of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants
and Itinerant Peoples, along with Archbishop Joseph Kalathiparambil
and Fr. Gabriele F. Bentoglio, presented the Holy Father's message
for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which will be celebrated
on 19 January 2014, focusing on the theme of “Migrants and
Refugees: towards a better world”.
Cardinal
Veglio explained that the first message from Pope Francis for this
day centres on the concept of a better world, a concept that should
be considered in the context of the phenomenon of globalisation, with
its positive and negative elements. Against this background, he
outlines the phenomenon of human mobility that Francis, quoting
Benedict XVI, defines as “a sign of the times”. “It would
appear appropriate at this time to recall that the phenomenon of
human mobility is striking precisely because of the multitude of
people affected. According to statistics published by the United
Nations at the beginning of September, 232 million people live
outside their nation of origin. Furthermore, 740 million are internal
migrants, those who move within the territory of their own country.
In total, it is estimated that around a billion human beings
experience migration. With reference to the whole of humanity, these
statistics would indicate that around a seventh of the world
population is affected by migration, and as a consequence, one person
in seven is a migrant”.
“However,
in spite of difficulties and dramatic situations, migration is an
invitation to imagine a different future, in which we glimpse the
creation of a 'better world'. … It is an invitation aimed at the
development of all humanity, including each person with his or her
own spiritual and cultural potential'. … If we accept that culture
is an entirety of spiritual, existential and intellectual aspects
that distinguish a society, including also ways of life, fundamental
rights, value systems, traditions and beliefs, then it will be
possible to confirm that the whole of human existence is permeated by
attitudes of encounter and welcome”.
Archbishop
Kalathiparambil continued by taking up the theme of reintegration of
migrants, emphasising that “no-one can remain in an emergency
situation, such as a refugee camp, on a long-term basis”. He also
referred to the increase in cases of refugees who settle in urban
areas and who are therefore more difficult to identify and help. To
face this problem, innovative methods are being developed, including
communication via text messages on the distribution of benefits,
internet connection, the production of films on refugees' rights,
telephone helplines to provide information and the opportunity to
obtain credit cards enabling financial assistance. “This is all
currently happening in the Middle East, where Syrian refugees are
living in refugee camps and, in most cases, in urban areas”.
“On
the one hand, this is about ensuring a limit to human suffering, and
on the other, to protecting and promoting a dignified life, at the
same time offering adequate structures, stability and hope for the
future. It must be said that there has been an increase in
international minimum standards, for instance in relation to
availability of foodstuffs, shelter, education, healthcare, detention
and repatriation. Besides, these international standards are of a
qualitative nature and are therefore universal and applicable in any
context”.
However,
the welcome offered to refugees also presents some very important
problems. “Some countries are making great sacrifices to face this
phenomenon. For example, more than two million refugees now live in
those countries bordering Syria, while in Europe, especially in
Sweden and Germany, fifty thousand Syrian refugees seek asylum. For
decades millions of refugees, mostly Afghan, have been settling in
Pakistan and in Iran, and of course many refugees are reaching other
countries, such as Ethiopia, South Sudan and Kenya. Initially, it was
expected that the responsibility for these refugees would be shared.
Instead, this aspect has not been considered in the agreements, and
similarly it is not known what will happen to the refugees during and
after their request for asylum. As a consequence, for many years the
countries who have received refugees have been able to count only on
themselves”.
Fr.
Bentoglio concluded the presentation by summarising the history of
World Day for Migrants and Refugees, instituted during the
pontificate of Benedict XV and celebrated the first time on 21
February 1915. Intended initially for the Italian dioceses and later
for those frequented by Italian immigrants in America, it acquired a
universal nature with the Apostolic Constitution Exsul Familia
promulgated in 1952 by Pius XII, which recommended the activation of
adequate support structures to assist migratory pastoral activity; it
also calls for “solidarity”. From the 1970s onwards “the
ecclesiological vision of the Vatican Council II is mirrored also in
migratory pastoral care … the migrant emerges as a person and as a
citizen with rights and duties and, first as a beneficiary of works
of Christian charity, the migrant becomes a subject of
evangelisation, agent of God's providential plan for the edifying
encounter between peoples and the diffusion of the Gospel. Finally,
we again uphold the tradition that the Holy Father himself signs the
annual message for this Day, which reaches out to all the Catholic
Church, including migrants and refugees. It is clearly understood
that this is a special occasion for offering a biblical-theological
approach to the pastoral care of human mobility, which finds its apex
in Jesus the Saviour, a foreigner in the world of men, who continues
his work of salvation through the foreigners of today, migrants and
refugees”.
MIGRANTS
AND REFUGEES: BUILD A BETTER WORLD
Vatican
City, 24 September 2013 (VIS) – The first message of Pope Francesco
for World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which will be celebrated on
19 January 2014, will focus on “Migrants and Refugees: Towards a
Better World”, a theme inspired by the hope of all people for a
better future in an historical moment which sees the greatest
migratory flows of all times. The full English-language text of the
message, dated 5 August 2013, is published below:
“Our
societies are experiencing, in an unprecedented way, processes of
mutual interdependence and interaction on the global level. While not
lacking problematic or negative elements, these processes are aimed
at improving the living conditions of the human family, not only
economically, but politically and culturally as well. Each individual
is a part of humanity and, with the entire family of peoples, shares
the hope of a better future. This consideration inspired the theme I
have chosen for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees this year:
Migrants and Refugees: Towards a Better World.
“In
our changing world, the growing phenomenon of human mobility emerges,
to use the words of Pope Benedict XVI, as a 'sign of the times'.
While it is true that migrations often reveal failures and
shortcomings on the part of States and the international community,
they also point to the aspiration of humanity to enjoy a unity marked
by respect for differences, by attitudes of acceptance and
hospitality which enable an equitable sharing of the world’s goods,
and by the protection and the advancement of the dignity and
centrality of each human being.
“From
the Christian standpoint, the reality of migration, like other human
realities, points to the tension between the beauty of creation,
marked by Grace and the Redemption, and the mystery of sin.
Solidarity, acceptance, and signs of fraternity and understanding
exist side by side with rejection, discrimination, trafficking and
exploitation, suffering and death. Particularly disturbing are those
situations where migration is not only involuntary, but actually set
in motion by various forms of human trafficking and enslavement.
Nowadays, 'slave labour' is common coin! Yet despite the problems,
risks and difficulties to be faced, great numbers of migrants and
refugees continue to be inspired by confidence and hope; in their
hearts they long for a better future, not only for themselves but for
their families and those closest to them.
“What
is involved in the creation of 'a better world'? The expression does
not allude naively to abstract notions or unattainable ideals;
rather, it aims at an authentic and integral development, at efforts
to provide dignified living conditions for everyone, at finding just
responses to the needs of individuals and families, and at ensuring
that God’s gift of creation is respected, safeguarded and
cultivated. The Venerable Paul VI described the aspirations of people
today in this way: 'to secure a sure food supply, cures for diseases
and steady employment… to exercise greater personal resonsibility;
to do more, to learn more, and have more, in order to be more'.
“Our
hearts do desire something 'more'. Beyond greater knowledge or
possessions, they want to 'be' more. Development cannot be reduced to
economic growth alone, often attained without a thought for the poor
and the vulnerable. A better world will come about only if attention
is first paid to individuals; if human promotion is integral, taking
account of every dimension of the person, including the spiritual; if
no one is neglected, including the poor, the sick, prisoners, the
needy and the stranger; if we can prove capable of leaving behind a
throwaway culture and embracing one of encounter and acceptance.
“Migrants
and refugees are not pawns on the chessboard of humanity. They are
children, women and men who leave or who are forced to leave their
homes for various reasons, who share a legitimate desire for knowing
and having, but above all for being more. The sheer number of people
migrating from one continent to another, or shifting places within
their own countries and geographical areas, is striking. Contemporary
movements of migration represent the largest movement of individuals,
if not of peoples, in history. As the Church accompanies migrants and
refugees on their journey, she seeks to understand the causes of
migration, but she also works to overcome its negative effects, and
to maximize its positive influence on the communities of origin,
transit and destination.
“While
encouraging the development of a better world, we cannot remain
silent about the scandal of poverty in its various forms. Violence,
exploitation, discrimination, marginalization, restrictive approaches
to fundamental freedoms, whether of individuals or of groups: these
are some of the chief elements of poverty which need to be overcome.
Often these are precisely the elements which mark migratory
movements, thus linking migration to poverty. Fleeing from situations
of extreme poverty or persecution in the hope of a better future, or
simply to save their own lives, millions of persons choose to
migrate. Despite their hopes and expectations, they often encounter
mistrust, rejection and exclusion, to say nothing of tragedies and
disasters which offend their human dignity.
“The
reality of migration, given its new dimensions in our age of
globalization, needs to be approached and managed in a new, equitable
and effective manner; more than anything, this calls for
international cooperation and a spirit of profound solidarity and
compassion. Cooperation at different levels is critical, including
the broad adoption of policies and rules aimed at protecting and
promoting the human person. Pope Benedict XVI sketched the parameters
of such policies, stating that they 'should set out from close
collaboration between the migrants’ countries of origin and their
countries of destination; they should be accompanied by adequate
international norms able to coordinate different legislative systems
with a view to safeguarding the needs and rights of individual
migrants and their families, and at the same time, those of the host
countries'. Working together for a better world requires that
countries help one another, in a spirit of willingness and trust,
without raising insurmountable barriers. A good synergy can be a
source of encouragement to government leaders as they confront
socio-economic imbalances and an unregulated globalization, which are
among some of the causes of migration movements in which individuals
are more victims than protagonists. No country can single-handedly
face the difficulties associated with this phenomenon, which is now
so widespread that it affects every continent in the twofold movement
of immigration and emigration.
“It
must also be emphasized that such cooperation begins with the efforts
of each country to create better economic and social conditions at
home, so that emigration will not be the only option left for those
who seek peace, justice, security and full respect of their human
dignity. The creation of opportunities for employment in the local
economies will also avoid the separation of families and ensure that
individuals and groups enjoy conditions of stability and serenity.
“Finally,
in considering the situation of migrants and refugees, I would point
to yet another element in building a better world, namely, the
elimination of prejudices and presuppositions in the approach to
migration. Not infrequently, the arrival of migrants, displaced
persons, asylum-seekers and refugees gives rise to suspicion and
hostility. There is a fear that society will become less secure, that
identity and culture will be lost, that competition for jobs will
become stiffer and even that criminal activity will increase. The
communications media have a role of great responsibility in this
regard: it is up to them, in fact, to break down stereotypes and to
offer correct information in reporting the errors of a few as well as
the honesty, rectitude and goodness of the majority. A change of
attitude towards migrants and refugees is needed on the part of
everyone, moving away from attitudes of defensiveness and fear,
indifference and marginalization – all typical of a throwaway
culture – towards attitudes based on a culture of encounter, the
only culture capable of building a better, more just and fraternal
world. The communications media are themselves called to embrace this
'conversion of attitudes' and to promote this change in the way
migrants and refugees are treated.
“I
think of how even the Holy Family of Nazareth experienced initial
rejection: Mary 'gave birth to her first-born son, and wrapped him in
swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no
place for them in the inn'. Jesus, Mary and Joseph knew what it meant
to leave their own country and become migrants: threatened by Herod’s
lust for power, they were forced to take flight and seek refuge in
Egypt. But the maternal heart of Mary and the compassionate heart of
Joseph, the Protector of the Holy Family, never doubted that God
would always be with them. Through their intercession, may that same
firm certainty dwell in the heart of every migrant and refugee.
“The
Church, responding to Christ’s command to 'go and make disciples of
all nations', is called to be the People of God which embraces all
peoples and brings to them the proclamation of the Gospel, for the
face of each person bears the mark of the face of Christ! Here we
find the deepest foundation of the dignity of the human person, which
must always be respected and safeguarded. It is less the criteria of
efficiency, productivity, social class, or ethnic or religious
belonging which ground that personal dignity, so much as the fact of
being created in God’s own image and likeness and, even more so,
being children of God. Every human being is a child of God! He or she
bears the image of Christ! We ourselves need to see, and then to
enable others to see, that migrants and refugees do not only
represent a problem to be solved, but are brothers and sisters to be
welcomed, respected and loved. They are an occasion that Providence
gives us to help build a more just society, a more perfect democracy,
a more united country, a more fraternal world and a more open and
evangelical Christian community. Migration can offer possibilities
for a new evangelisation, open vistas for the growth of a new
humanity foreshadowed in the paschal mystery: a humanity for which
every foreign country is a homeland and every homeland is a foreign
country.
“Dear
migrants and refugees! Never lose the hope that you too are facing a
more secure future, that on your journey you will encounter an
outstretched hand, and that you can experience fraternal solidarity
and the warmth of friendship! To all of you, and to those who have
devoted their lives and their efforts to helping you, I give the
assurance of my prayers and I cordially impart my Apostolic
Blessing”.
CARDINAL
TAURAN AT THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE CONGRESS OF LEADERS OF WORLD AND
TRADITIONAL RELIGIONS IN KAZAKHSTAN
Vatican
City, 24 September 2013 (VIS) – Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran,
president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue,
travelled to Kazakhstan on 20 September, invited by Kairat Mami,
president of the Senate of the Republic of Kazakhstan and head of the
secretariat of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional
Religions, to participate in the celebration of the tenth anniversary
of the Congress. The Cardinal also met with representatives of the
local Church.
THE
HOLY SEE PARTICIPATES IN EUROPEAN HERITAGE DAY
Vatican
City, 24 September 2013 (VIS) – The Holy See will also participate
in this year's European Heritage Day, a common initiative of the
Council of Europe and the European Commission which will be
celebrated by fifty countries throughout the continent on Sunday 29
September.
The
general theme is “The Image of the Faith in European Heritage”
and the programme has been developed with the collaboration of the
Pontifical Council for Culture and the Vatican Museums. On the
occasion of European Heritage Day, entry to the Vatican Museums will
be free.
OTHER
PONTIFICAL ACTS
Vatican
City, 24 September 2013 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father:
-
appointed Bishop Raul Martin as bishop of Santa Rosa (area 143,440,
population 348,000, Catholics 172,600, priests 38, religious 75),
Argentina. Bishop Martin, previously auxiliary of Buenos Aires,
Argentina was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1957, was ordained
to the priesthood in 1990, and received episcopal ordination in 2006.
-
appointed Bishop Pietro Maria Fragnelli as bishop of Trapani (area
1,089, population 208,216, Catholics 207,000, priests 103, permanent
deacons 17, religious 212), Italy. Bishop Fragnelli, previously
bishop of Castellaneta, Italy was born in Crispiano, Italy in 1952,
was ordained to the priesthood in 1977, and received episcopal
ordination in 2003.
-
appointed Bishop Bernard A. Hebda as coadjutor archbishop of Newark
(area 1,328, population 3,089,000, Catholics 1,427,000, priests 774,
permanent deacons 184, religious 1,076), U.S.A. Archbishop-elect
Hebda, previously bishop of Gaylord, U.S.A, was born in Pittsburgh,
U.S.A. in 1959, was ordained to the priesthood in 1989, and received
episcopal ordination in 2009.
-
confirmed Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko as president of the Pontifical
Council for the Laity, and Bishop Josef Clemens as secretary of the
same dicastery, for the current five-year period. All members and
consultors of the same dicastery have been confirmed until 31
December 2013.
-
confirmed Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson as president of the
Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace and Bishop Mario Toso as
secretary of the same dicastery, as well as all members and
consultors, for the current five-year period.
You
can find more information at: www.visnews.org
The
news items contained in the Vatican Information Service may be used,
in part or in their entirety, by quoting the source:
V.I.S.
-Vatican Information Service.
Copyright
© Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City
No comments:
Post a Comment