Leaving migrants to die at sea is akin to abortion or euthanasia, says Pope Francis

Civilisation is not just about technological advancements but the ability to protect life, says the pontiff

By Andrea Vogt, Verona

2:58PM BST 31 May 2015

Letting migrants die at sea was an "attack against life" akin to abortion or euthanasia, Pope Francis has said.

Decrying victims of abortion, euthanasia, terrorism, trafficking and other travesties, the pontiff told members of the Italian Science and Life Association on Saturday that progress in civilisation should not just be measured technological advancements, but also by the ability to "protect life during the most fragile stages."

"Abortion is an attack against life. Leaving our brothers on boats to die in the Sicilian channel is an attack against life," the pontiff said.

His comments came as reception centres across Sicily and southern mainland Italy struggle to host the latest wave of more than 5,000 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean at the weekend, according to Frontex, the European Union's border agency.

^{Pope Francis during a meeting with participants in the Children's Train event at the Vatican on Saturday (AFP)}

During 22 separate operations carried out by naval vessels and merchant ships, 4,200 migrants were saved in 24 hours.

Authorities were expected to carry out autopsies in coming days of the 17 migrants found dead by Italian Navy rescuers in order to determine cause of death. The most recent fatalities brings the death toll of men, women and children to die or go missing at sea this year to nearly 1,800, according to the International Organisation for Migration.

• Why the Mediterranean death toll is surging

So far, approximately 45,000 migrants have landed in Italy. One of them, a 92-year old Syrian grandfather named Abdel Fahim Taktak, told Italian authorities that he, his son, his son's wife and his three small grandchildren reached Egypt from Syria by truck, then arrived in Italy five days and six nights after debarking by boat from an Egyptian beach.

Others, especially sub-Saharan African workers, report being forced onto boats from Libya, often after months of abuse and imprisonment along the treacherous migrant route north.

^{Mapped: Migrant deaths attempting to reach Europe by sea since 2000}

The Pope's comments came on the heels of another Vatican official's harsh critique of EU migration policy.

Cardinal Antonio Maria Veglio, president of the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Itinerant People, said in an interview with Vatican Radio that the EU was ignoring the root cause of migration.

"What is the cause of immigration and refugees? For immigration, poverty. For refugees, war," he said. "Until there is an end to poverty and war, nothing will change."

Cardinal Veglio called the European refugee policy system of quotas "not very humane and not very Christian" and called on Europe to create concrete new policies as opposed to quick temporary solutions to emergency situations.

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Taken from: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/the-pope/11641723/Leaving-migrants-to-die-at-sea-is-akin-to-abortion-or-euthanasia-says-Pope-Francis.html

Pope Francis proves how stagnant Israel has become



The new spirit Pope Francis is trying to bring to the world isn't suitable for us Israelis.

By Yossi Sarid | May 29, 2015 | 9:12 AM | 1
      

Pope Francis waves as he arrives to lead his weekly audience in St.Peter's square, at the Vatican City, May 13, 2015. Photo by Reuters

     

By Nir Hasson | May 11, 2015 | 6:15 PM | 1   

                              

What’s his story? Why is he butting in? How many divisions does he have that he keeps advancing forward? Since his election, the smoke hasn’t stopped coming out of his chambers.

Maybe he doesn’t know, maybe his cardinals haven’t briefed him. Here, in the Holy Land, nobody speaks of peace any more, or of justice, either. So what’s the point of recognizing the “State of Palestine” now, of all occasions? And why praise a terrorist like Mahmoud Abbas and call him “a man of peace” – just to hurt our feelings?

The whispered rumors are that the Vatican is plotting and scheming to use the Holy See’s status to bring Israeli and Palestinian hearts closer, as though the embers were still crackling and there was still hope.

Had he asked us, we’d have told him not to wake the dead, nobody here is interested. One more statement like that and we’ll bring up the Church’s notorious anti-Semitism and pin it on you. Take an example from Barack Obama – another naive, well-wishing type like yourself – he understands who he’s dealing with now.

In the past week you made the same grave error Obama made before you. You distinguished between a nation and its government. I ask you, is it possible to be a friend of Israel and not to tolerate our Bibi? You’ll take the best of us, but not the worst? And how can you declare two Palestinian nuns saints and ignore Santa Sara?

Something’s gone to your head, Papa. Perhaps your success in thawing the relations between America and Cuba confused you and gave you illusions. Lo, old enemies are smoothing over their differences and ending 50 years of being bad neighbors.

The Middle East, for your information, is not Latin America. Israel as a power is not shabby Cuba. We cannot live without dying, it’s not easy to kick the drug-of-death habit. What will Netanyahu do without the dead to ensure his longevity?

Anyway, the new spirit you’re trying to bring to the world isn’t suitable for us. Israel isn’t ready yet to allow a bride to marry a bride and a groom to marry a groom. Don’t pretend to be naïve: We all know that without your silent consent, the Irish – devout Catholics that they are – wouldn’t have voted for same-sex marriage.

Also, your war against the corrupt clergy isn’t our war. We prefer the rabbinate the way it is, rotten. The papal solidarity with the world’s poor seems considerably exaggerated to us. Already they say you’re a Marxist in a red cape. Not our cup of tea.

A few days ago an OECD report was released. Israel, which came ninth in the Eurovision, won second place in the poverty category. Another small effort and we’ll get the coveted title of the West’s champion in the battle for poverty. Our eternal capital will soon be known as “Jerusalem of Squalor.”

Has the voice of the chief rabbi sounded in our land as has the voice of Pope Franciscus, warning day and night of injustice and inequality as the main threats to the human race? When have we last heard a rabbi taking on the fight of a poor, underprivileged person? Our rabbis are small–time religious functionaries, whose hearts are closed to their flock. Only gay people, Reform Jews, rebellious women and Arabs can galvanize them out of their inertia.

What does an old man have in his life, if not the last match that still burns and lights flames? Old age does not have to be humiliating, sometimes it can even be uplifting. Not everyone is like good old Benny Begin.

No one in the Jewish world today can match the pope’s stature; no rabbi can light a candle to his holiness. The Torah world, like its teachers and rabbis, is stagnant.

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Taken from: http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.658676

Pope Francis' powerful signal to the poor

By Raul A. Reyes

Updated 1512 GMT (2212 HKT) May 27, 2015

Raul A. Reyes is an attorney and member of the USA Today board of contributors. Follow him on Twitter @RaulAReyes. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

(CNN)On Saturday, thousands gathered in El Salvador to celebrate a jubilant moment in their country's history. In a special ceremony held in the capital city of San Salvador, former Archbishop Oscar Romero was beatified, putting him one step closer to sainthood.

 

Raul Reyes

It is unfortunate that many Americans have probably never heard of Romero. Like Mahatma Gandhi and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., he was a believer in nonviolence and the innate dignity of all people. Sadly, just like Gandhi and King, Romero died a violent death. A champion of the poor, Romero was shot and killed while celebrating Mass in a hospital chapel 35 years ago. He was 62.

The beatification of Romero is welcome news for El Salvador, Latin America and the Roman Catholic Church. It is overdue recognition of a humble man who was not afraid to speak out on behalf of oppressed people. Plus, it is further evidence of Pope Francis' commitment to reforming the church.

Romero was an unlikely social crusader. He had a middle-class upbringing and was regarded as conservative when he became archbishop. But after a Jesuit colleague was killed by a death squad in 1977, Romero became outspoken against the country's repressive regime.

He often ended his homilies, which were broadcast on the radio, with a recitation of the week's disappearances, decapitations and murders. One month before he was killed, Romero wrote to then-President Jimmy Carter and asked him to stop supporting El Salvador's government. On the day before he was killed, he appealed to Salvadoran soldiers to stop killing their fellow citizens.

Such acts led the political establishment to unfairly label Romero as a revolutionary and a radical. Then on March 24, 1980, he was murdered. His death helped propel the country into a civil war that lasted for 12 years and claimed the lives of over 75,000 civilians.

Now Romero's beatification serves as a rebuke to charges by El Salvador's elites that that he was a subversive, a communist or a Marxist.

Romero was none of these things. He was a man who lived his conscience by speaking out against injustice. His impassioned calls for peace are still relevant in the age of ISIS and Boko Haram. And his activism could serve as an inspiration to people of all faiths who are fighting for human rights, whether they are in Central America, Ferguson or Baltimore.

The fact that Pope Francis facilitated Romero's beatification is notable.

In the Roman Catholic Church, a person was traditionally declared a martyr if they died for refusing to renounce their faith. But earlier this year, Francis declared Romero a martyr for dying "in hatred of the faith." The Pope said, in effect, that a person could become a martyr for dying because of others' hatred for their Gospel-inspired work. This move cements Romero's legacy as a spiritual -- rather than political -- figure.

Romero's beatification also reflects Francis' interest in creating "a church that is poor and for the poor." Consider that he has revived interest in "liberation theology," a Latin American movement that places special emphasis on serving the poor. Or that the beatification process has started for Latin Americans such as Father Rutilio Grande, whose killing inspired Romero's social justice work, and Bishop Enrique Angelelli, who died in a suspicious car crash in Argentina.

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Taken from: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/27/opinions/reyes-romero-pope-francis/

Pope to bishops: Stop ordering faithful around, fight graft



VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has told bishops to strongly denounce corruption and to act more like pastors than "pilots" telling the faithful what to do.

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5. Raul Castro meets pope, says might return to the Church Reuters

Francis' strong words were aimed at members of the Italian bishops' conference, who opened their annual meeting at the Vatican on Monday. Francis, who is also the bishop of Rome, urged his bishops to be more Christ-like in showing humility, compassion, mercy and wisdom.

He told them to not shy away from denouncing the "diffuse mentality" of public and private corruption that he said impoverished families, honest workers and retirees, while marginalizing the neediest and depriving young people of hope. Italy is rife with corruption scandals, and its youth unemployment rate stands at 43 percent.

Francis asked the bishops to reinforce the "indispensable role" of ordinary folk in their dioceses. "In reality, lay people who have an authentic Christian formation shouldn't need a bishop-pilot, or a monsignor-pilot, or clerical input to assume their responsibilities at every level, from political to social, economic to legislative," he said.
"Rather, what they all need is a Bishop Pastor!"
He complained that often official church documents are too heavy on doctrine and theory "as if our orientation isn't aimed at our people and country but rather students and specialists."

View gallery

                                                                            

A bishop photographs Pope Francis as he delivers his speech during the opening session of a Italian  …

Francis has complained about an over-emphasis on doctrine and "small-minded rules" and lamented that theologians can get in the way of the church's evangelizing work. On Monday, he urged bishops to make sure their documents "are translated in concrete and comprehensible proposals."
Francis also complained that the church often organizes conferences where "the same voices" are heard over and over, an apparent reference to the practice of hosting only like-minded speakers at church-sponsored academic conferences.
Francis said such a practice "drugs the community, homogenizing choices, opinions and people." He urged bishops to instead go "where the Holy Spirit asks them to go."
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Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield

Pope says environmental sinners will face God's judgment for world hunger

• Francis declares ‘powerful of the Earth’ have obligation to feed the world
• Pontiff to publish encyclical on environmental issues

Pope Francis leads a mass in St Peter’s basilica before the opening of the general assembly of Caritas. ‘We must do what we can so that everyone has something to eat,’ he said. Photograph: Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images

AFP in Vatican City

Wednesday 13 May 2015 03.53 AEST Last modified on Wednesday 13 May 2015 07.22 AEST

Pope Francis has warned “the powerful of the Earth” they will answer to God if they fail to protect the environment to ensure the world can feed its population.

“The planet has enough food for all, but it seems that there is a lack of willingness to share it with everyone,” Francis said at a mass to mark the opening of the general assembly of the Catholic charitable organisation Caritas.

Pope Francis plants a flag in the ground on climate change

John Abraham: The Pope’s expected actions continue a tradition of leadership       

                              

“We must do what we can so that everyone has something to eat, but we must also remind the powerful of the Earth that God will call them to judgment one day and there it will be revealed if they really tried to provide food for Him in every person and if they did what they could to preserve the environment so that it could produce this food.”

The striking comments from the Argentinian pontiff came ahead of the upcoming publication of a papal encyclical on the ethical aspects of environmental issues that is eagerly awaited by campaigners for action to address global warming.

An encyclical is a statement of fundamental principles designed to guide Catholic teaching on a subject. It is issued in the form of a letter from the pope to bishops around the world.

Campaigners on climate change believe that a signal from Francis that the church considers global warming a grave danger could influence the global discussion on the severity of the problem, what has caused it and what can be done.

The pope is due to address the UN Special Summit on Sustainable Development in September and the international community will seek to reach a universal agreement on climate change at a summit in Paris in December.

Climate change sceptics have warned Francis not to take sides in the debate but all the signs so far are that he sees the problem as man-made and as one which can be alleviated by political action.

Caritas is a confederation of 165 Catholic charity and aid groups operating in 200 countries worldwide.

It holds a general assembly once every four years. This year’s meeting, the first under Francis’s papacy, runs to Saturday.

The archbishop of Manila, Luis Antonio Tagle, is tipped to take over from the Honduran cardinal Oscar Rodríguez Maradiaga as the organisation’s president, the latter cleric having served the maximum two terms.

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Taken from: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/12/pope-environmental-sinners-will-face-god-judgment

'Many powerful people don't want peace,' Pope tells children

Pope Francis kisses a child during an audience with the boys and girls of the

"Fabbrica della Pace" groups at the Vatican, May 11, 2015. (Reuters/Max Rossi)

                                   

The "industry of death" exists in the world as many people in power live off war, Pope Francis told Italian schoolkids in the Vatican on Monday.
“Many powerful people don't want peace because they live off war," the Pontiff said as he met with pupils from Rome’s primary schools in the Nervi Audience Hall.
Talking to children during the audience organized by the Peace Factory Foundation, he explained that every war has the arms industry behind it.
"This is serious. Some powerful people make their living with the production of arms and sell them to one country for them to use against another country,” the Pope was cited by AGI news agency as saying.
The head of the Catholic Church labeled the arms trade “the industry of death, the greed that harms us all, the desire to have more money."
“The economic system orbits around money and not men, women,” he told 7,000 kids present at the audience.
Despite the fact that wars “lose lives, health, education,” they are being waged to defend money and make even more profit, the Pope said.
“The devil enters through greed and this is why they don't want peace," 78-year-old Francis said.
"There can be no peace without justice," the Pope said and asked the children to repeat those words out loud three times.

Pope Francis calls to end 'barbarous violence' and bloodshed in global hotspots

“Peace must be built day by day and even if, one day in the future, we can say that there will finally be no more wars, then too peace will be built day by day because peace is not an industrial product, it is artisanal: it is built day by day through our mutual love, our closeness,” he said.
In his April Easter Address, the Pontiff urged to end “absurd” violence, bloodshed and persecution in hotspots around the world.
“We ask for peace, above all, for Syria and Iraq, that the roar of arms may cease and that peaceful relations may be restored among the various groups which make up those beloved countries,” he told tens of thousands of pilgrims at St. Peter's Square in Vatican.
Francis also asked the Lord to “bring light to beloved Ukraine” and called for resuming the “peace process” between Israelis and Palestinians “to end years of suffering and division.”


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Taken from: http://rt.com/news/257545-pope-francis-war-arms/

Raul Castro thanks Pope Francis for brokering Cuba-US deal



 

 

Cuban President Raul Castro has praised Pope Francis for brokering the restoration of relations between Cuba and the US, announced in December.

At the end of an audience at the Vatican, Mr Castro said he had thanked the Pope for his contribution for the historic rapprochement.
Secret negotiations to put an end to more than five decades of hostilities were carried out inside the Vatican.
The Pope will visit Cuba on his way to the US in September.
"I am very happy. I have come here to thank him for what he has done to begin solving the problems of the United States and Cuba," said Mr Castro.

The communist leader had stopped at the Vatican after attending Russia's World War Two Victory Day in Moscow.
After the audience with the Pope, Mr Castro said he was so impressed by a Vatican audience with Pope Francis that he might return to the faith he was born into.
Mr Castro praised the pontiff's wisdom, adding: "I will resume praying and turn to the Church again if the Pope continues in this vein."
The Catholic Church has maintained ties with Havana since the 1959 revolution.

Analysis: Will Grant, BBC correspondent, Havana

The fact that the man who helped lead the Cuban Revolution would even joke about returning to the Catholic Church shows just how far the relationship between Havana and the Vatican has moved forward recently.
That has been particularly true under Pope Francis. First, the Pontiff played a crucial role in smoothing the path to negotiations between Cuba and the US over the past 18 months. Furthermore, he has given his blessing to the process and to the Cuban government by arranging to come to Cuba in September before his visit to the US.
As a Latin American himself, Pope Francis has always been able to maintain good ties with Latin American leaders from both the left and the right. He has repeatedly called for the US trade embargo on Cuba to be lifted, for example.
Now he has hosted, and seemingly wooed, Raul Castro in Rome strengthening the ties even further. Hardly surprising Mr Castro is considering returning to Mass!
But the state-run newspaper Granma omitted Mr Castro's comments about returning to the Church when it reported the meeting on its website. A reflection, perhaps, of how surprising it is for Cubans to hear Mr Castro make such comments, whether tongue-in-cheek or not.

Secret talks

For Pope Francis, the restoration of relations between the US and Cuba has been a major diplomatic achievement, says the BBC's David Willey in Rome.
The US had imposed a trade embargo after Cuba's revolution, which it began to lift late last year.
After the 50-minute private audience on Sunday, Mr Castro told reporters: "The pontiff is a Jesuit, and I, in some way, am too. I studied at Jesuit schools."
After suggesting he might turn again to the Church, he added: "I mean what I say."
Both Mr Castro and his brother, revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, were baptised as Roman Catholics, but most Church activities were suppressed after the revolution.
Francis will be the third Pope to travel to Cuba, following visits there by John Paul II in 1998 and Benedict XVI in 2012.

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Taken from: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32679290