SUMMARY:
-
ENCOUNTER BETWEEN ARCHBISHOP PAROLIN AND THE U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE
KERRY
-
APPEAL FOR AN IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE IN SYRIA
-
CATHOLICS AND JEWS, DIALOGUE IN CONTINUAL DEVELOPMENT
-
AUDIENCES
______________________________________
ENCOUNTER
BETWEEN ARCHBISHOP PAROLIN AND THE U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY
Vatican
City, 14 January 2014 (VIS) – This morning in the Vatican
Archbishop Pietro Parolin, secretary of State, met with John Kerry,
secretary of State of the U.S.A. During the meeting, which focused on
themes linked to foreign policy, the Parties discussed the peace
process in the Middle East, especially the situation in Syria and the
preparations for the Geneva II Middle East Peace Conference, and
negotiations between Israel and Palestine.
The
meeting, which lasted an hour and forty minutes, was also attended by
Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States,
and Kenneth F. Hackett, ambassador of the United States to the Holy
See. Other issues considered during the meeting were the situation in
Africa, especially South Sudan, and matters of special interest to
the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops such as healthcare
reform.
APPEAL
FOR AN IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE IN SYRIA
Vatican
City, 14 January 2014 (VIS) – The Pontifical Academy for Sciences
held a workshop in the Vatican yesterday on the civil war in Syria,
in which an appeal was made for an immediate end to violence and the
commencement of reconstruction and dialogue between the various
communities within the country. The meeting, which took place a week
before the upcoming Geneva Peace Conference, was inaugurated by the
president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue,
Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran.
In
a communique published this morning, hope is expressed that the
Geneva II Middle East Peace Conference will enable “the people of
Syria, the region and the world to conceive of a new beginning, to
put an end to the violence that has claimed over 130,000 lives and
left a beautiful country in ruin and chaos”.
According
to the international experts who participated in the workshop, the
first step is a ceasefire and an end to violence: “all the
combatants must lay down their arms; all foreign powers must adopt
immediate measures to stop the flow of arms and their financing”.
“The
Holy See is committed to supporting all religious faiths and
communities in Syria, to reach new understanding and a meaningful
restoration of trust, after years of violence between communities”,
continues the communique. Therefore, dialogue must focus on “urgent
needs of spiritual and communitarian reconstruction”.
The
participants in the conference also expressed their concern for the
situation of millions of Syrian refugees who “suffer extreme and
potentially deadly deprivations in terms of food, healthcare,
electricity, telecommunications, transport and other basic human
needs”.
CATHOLICS
AND JEWS, DIALOGUE IN CONTINUAL DEVELOPMENT
Vatican
City, 14 January 2014 (VIS) – On 16 January Italy celebrates its
18th Annual Day for the furthering and development of dialogue
between Catholics and Jews. In the light of this a Conference has
been organised by Rabbi Abraham Skorka, to be held at the Pontifical
Gregorian University.
Rabbi
Skorka is rector of the Latin American Rabbinical Seminary of Buenos
Aires, and is the co-author, with Pope Francis, of the book “El
cielo y la terra”, the result of a number of conversations on
themes fundamental to human life and on the possibility of shared
ethics.
The
conference considers “Jewish-Catholic dialogue, 50 years after
'Nostra Aetate'. A Latin-American perspective”, and will be
presided over by Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical
Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews.
AUDIENCES
Vatican
City, 14 January 2014 (VIS) – This morning, the Holy Father
received in separate audiences:
-
Cardinal Severino Poletto, archbishop of Turin, Italy.
-
His Grace Anthony Palmer, Bishop and International Ecumenical Officer
of Evangelical Episcopal Churches.
-
Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga, archbishop of Tegucigalpa,
Honduras.
-
Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, president of the Pontifical
Council “Justice and Peace”.
You
can find more information at: www.visnews.org
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