SUMMARY:
-
The Pope thanks the Italian police for their efforts in receiving
immigrants and fighting human trafficking
-
Presentation of the Second International Conference on Women
-
Audiences
-
Other Pontifical Acts
______________________________________
The
Pope thanks the Italian police for their efforts in receiving
immigrants and fighting human trafficking
Vatican
City, 21 May 2015 (VIS) – This morning in the Paul VI Hall the Holy
Father received in audience six hundred relatives of members of the
State Police gravely injured in killed in service, and thanked them
for their witness of Christian hope and for their faithfulness to
institutions and to a mission that “demands the courage of helping
those in danger and stopping the aggressor”. Society as a whole, he
added, “is indebted to you for the possibility of conducting an
orderly life, free of the arrogance of the violent and the corrupt”.
“Those
who, day after day, take on the seriousness and commitment of their
profession and place themselves at the disposal of the community, and
especially those who are in danger or find themselves in situations
of grave difficulty, 'go forth' to their neighbours and serve. Acting
in this way, they live their life, even in the eventuality of losing
it, as Jesus did, dying on the Cross. Only by contemplating Jesus on
the Cross can we find the strength to forgive and the consolation
that our crosses too will redeem His; therefore, every sacrifice and
every tragedy will find redemption in Him”, affirmed the Holy
Father.
“The
witness of Christian values is even more eloquent in our times, in
which the generous zeal of so many is not often accompanied by the
capacity to channel it in a coherent and constant way. In our times,
evidently, it proves easier to commit oneself to something temporary
or partial. On the contrary, the work of the Police force requires
something solid in time and, although contingent situations change,
there is a constant in all ages: that of guaranteeing legality and
order for all citizens, allowing us to reap the benefits”.
The
Pope also remarked that during recent years the police have carried
out decisive action in managing the impact of the flow of refugees
arriving in Italy, seeking refuge from wars and persecution. “You
are on the front line both in the initial reception of immigrants,
and in counteracting unscrupulous traffickers. In this task … you
are distinguished by your spirit of service and humanity, motivated
not only by the law but first and foremost by the moral imperative to
do good, to save as many people as possible and to spare no energy or
time in this commitment”.
“Be
proud of your work and continue to serve the state, every citizen and
every person in danger. In defending the weak and the law you will
find the truest meaning of your service and will be an example to the
country, which needs people who serve it with altruism, and
generosity and constancy”.
Presentation
of the Second International Conference on Women
Vatican
City, 21 May 2015 (VIS) – This morning a press conference was held
in the Holy See Press Office to present the second International
Conference on Women (22-24 May, ex Domus Pacis, Rome) organised –
like the first Conference held in 2009 – by the Pontifical Council
“Justice and Peace”, in collaboration with the World Union of
Catholic Women's Organisations (WUCWO) and the World Women's Alliance
for Life and Family (WWALF). The theme of the conference will be
“Women and the post-2015 development agenda - the challenges of the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”. The conference will be
attended by over a hundred participants – mostly women, but to a
lesser extent also men – from diverse cultural and social contexts
and from all five continents, and will aim to offer the most complete
overview possible of the main issues that affect women throughout the
world in our times.
The
speakers at the conference were Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson,
president of the Pontifical Council “Justice and Peace”; Flaminia
Giovanelli, under-secretary of the same dicastery; Olimpia Tarzia,
president of the WWALF, and Maria Giovanni Ruggieri, president of the
WUCWO.
Cardinal
Turkson explained that the first day, 22 May, will begin with an
analysis of female anthropology in the context of modern culture,
which will also seek to shed light on recent and increasingly
incisive semantic changes in terms of reference. The second panel
will focus on the theme of education and the role of women in this
field, as well as “the alliance between men and women and their
mutual respect … in order to combat violence and abuse of power”.
The cardinal emphasised that “education is an essential resource
for ensuring the right to life, which is still denied in some parts
of the planet where the birth of a female child is seen as a
misfortune, since the sole destiny of a woman is an arranged marriage
for which the family is required to provide a dowry”.
Another
theme is interreligious dialogue as a path towards lasting peace, and
the role of women in this context. “The many episodes in recent
times in which women and girls have been victims of unspeakable
atrocities involving sexual violence, also and above all due to their
Christian faith, are an important challenge to us. Such episodes
demand that we intensify interreligious dialogue and appeal to our
shared human nature, that transcends all religions and cultures, to
forcefully condemn such atrocities in order to protect those under
threat”.
The
second International Conference on Women will also offer the
opportunity to discuss the many old and new forms of slavery and
violence that affect women in various ways in different parts of the
world. While in the western world domestic violence prevails and
there is an increasing incidence of episodes of so-called “femicide”,
in other poorer areas of developing countries the infanticide of
female children and selective abortion of female foetuses are
widespread practices. Inspired by Pope Francis' Message for Peace,
the theme of which this year is “Slaves no more, but brothers and
sisters”, the Conference will denounce the phenomenon of human
trafficking which the Pontiff has on numerous occasions described as
a crime against humanity whose victims are, for the most part, girls
and women.
“While
in many countries there has certainly been significant progress in
favour of women, especially in the fields of education, political
representation and economic participation, much still remains to be
done”, observed the president of Justice and Peace, noting that it
is true that poverty continues to affect women disproportionately,
and many women “have no protection in many fields, including
domestic, manufacturing and agricultural work”.
However,
the Conference does not intend merely to provide an overview of the
most urgent matters linked to the conditions of women, or to be
simply an opportunity to denounce the violations of the dignity of
women and their rights. It will also endeavour to offer a
contribution that may be useful within the framework of current
negotiations for the new agenda for post-2015 developments.
Therefore, on the second day of the meeting, on Saturday 23 May,
working groups will focus on the main thematic areas of the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “The question of women is
transversal and crucial in the majority of the current proposals of
the SDGs: women play a key role in the reduction of poverty, hunger
throughout the world, and education, and are also the guardians of
life in all its phases”.
Audiences
Vatican
City, 21 May 2015 (VIS) – Today, the Holy Father received in
audience:
-
Mabel Chitiga, ambassador of Zimbabwe to the Holy See, presenting her
credential letters;
-
Josel Musa Nhleko, ambassador of Swaziland to the Holy See,
presenting his credential letters;
-
Cardinal Fernando Filone, prefect of the Congregation for the
Evangelisation of Peoples;
-
Cardinal Carlo Caffara, archbishop of Bologna, Italy.
Other
Pontifical Acts
Vatican
City, 21 May 2015 (VIS) – The Holy Father has:
-
accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the archdiocese of
Merida-Badajoz, Spain, presented by Bishop Santiago Garcia Aracil
upon reaching the age limit. He is succeeded by Bishop Celso Moga
Iruzubieta, coadjutor of the same archdiocese.
-
appointed Rev. Fr. Dominique Blanchet as bishop of
Belfort-Montbeliard (area 1,472, population 327,800, Catholics
249,500, priests 73, permanent deacons 14, religious 36), France. The
bishop-elect was born in Cholet, France in 1966 and was ordained a
priest in 1999. He has served in a number of pastoral roles in the
diocese of Angers, France, including episcopal delegate for youth
pastoral ministry and parish priest. He is currently vicar general of
the diocese of Angers, moderator of the Curia, administrator of the
parish of Chalonnes-sur-Loire and parish priest of the parish of Sts.
Lazarus and Nicholas in Angers.
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