Price € 1,00. Back issues € 2,00

L’O S S E RVATOR E ROMANOWEEKLY EDITION

Unicuique suum

IN ENGLISHNon praevalebunt

Fiftieth year, number 21 (2498) Vatican City Friday, 26 May 2017

The Pontiff condemns the senseless act of violence in the United Kingdom

Barbaric attack in ManchesterOn Monday evening, 22 May,after a concert by Americanpop singer Ariana Grande atthe Manchester Arena in north-ern England, a 22-year-old sui-cide bomber struck as thecrowd was exiting the venue.The bombing, which claimed atleast 22 lives and injured scoresof people, was the worst terror-ist incident to occur on Britishsoil since the attack on theLondon transport networkkilled 52 people on 7 July 2005.

On Tuesday, 23 May, in theaftermath of Monday’s horrificattack, Cardinal Pietro Parolin,Secretary of State, dispatched atelegram on behalf of thePontiff, expressing condolencesto all who have been affected.The telegram stated that theHoly Father “was deeplysaddened to learn of the injuryand tragic loss of life caused bythe barbaric attack inManchester, and he expresses hisheartfelt solidarity with all thoseaffected by this senseless act ofviolence. He commends the gen-erous efforts of the emergencyand security personnel, andoffers the assurance of his pray-ers for the injured, and for allwho have died. Mindful in aparticular way of those childrenand young people who have losttheir lives, and of their grievingfamilies, Pope Francis invokesGo d’s blessings of peace, healingand strength upon the nation”.

Leaders respond to UK blast

CONTINUED ON PA G E 3

Leaders from across the globe joinedin the unanimous expression of con-demnation of the barbaric attack atthe Manchester concert which was at-tended by thousands of children andteens. Queen Elizabeth stated that“the whole nation” had been“shocked by the death and injury …of so many people, adults and chil-d re n ”; she expressed her “deep estsympathy to all who have been af-fected by this dreadful event and es-pecially to the families and friends ofthose who have died or were in-j u re d ”. She thanked “all the membersof the emergency services who haveresponded with such professionalismand care”, and expressed her admira-tion “for the way the people ofManchester have responded with hu-manity and compassion, to this act ofbarbarity”.

From the United States, theWhite House indicated that Presi-dent Trump had called British PrimeMinister Theresa May to offer con-dolences to the British people. FromIsrael, where he was visiting at thetime of the attack, Mr Trump notedthat “mostly innocent children” hadbeen targeted. He emphasized that“our society can have no tolerancefor this continuation of bloodshed”,nor “for the slaughter of innocentp eople”, and called for an end tothe “slaughter of innocents”. PrimeMinister May, condemning thebombing as “among the worst ter-rorist incidents we have ever experi-enced in the United Kingdom”, de-

scribed it as “a callous terrorist at-tack” which targeted “some of theyoungest people in our society withcold calculation”.

On behalf of Israel, Prime Minis-ter Benjamin Netanyahu said hisgovernment “strongly condemned theterrible terror attack”. German Chan-cellor Angela Merkel stressed that

such terror would “only strengthenour resolve to work with our Britishfriends against those who plan andexecute such inhuman acts”, offeringher assurance to the British that“Germany stands by [their] side”.Newly elected French President Em-

At the General Audience

The biblical road

PAGE 3

To Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice

Economy with dignity

PAGE 7

To Huntington’s Disease sufferers

Hidden no more

PAGE 5

Pope Francis receives in audiencethe President of the United States

On Wednesday morning, 24 May,Mr Donald Trump, President of theUnited States of America, was re-ceived in Audience by Pope Fran-cis. He subsequently met with Car-dinal Secretary of State PietroPa ro l i n , accompanied by Msgr PaulRichard Gallagher, Secretary forRelations with States.

During the cordial discussions,satisfaction was expressed for thegood existing bilateral relationsbetween the Holy See and the USA,as well as the joint commitment infavour of life, freedom of worshipand conscience. It was hoped thatthere may be serene collaborationbetween the State and the Cathol-ic Church in the USA, engaged inservice to people in the fields ofhealthcare, education and assist-ance to immigrants. Views werethen exchanged on various themesrelating to international affairsand the promotion of peace in theworld through political negoti-ation and interreligious dialogue,with particular reference to thesituation in the Middle East andthe protection of Christian com-munities.

Fr Michael Czerny at UN session

The right to remain

PAGES 8-9

L’OSSERVATORE ROMANOWEEKLY EDITION

Unicuique suumIN ENGLISHNon praevalebunt

Vatican Citye d . e n g l i s h @ o s s ro m .v a

w w w. o s s e r v a t o re ro m a n o .v a

GI O VA N N I MARIA VIANEditor-in-Chief

Giuseppe FiorentinoAssistant Editor

Editorial officevia del Pellegrino, 00120 Vatican City

telephone +390669899300, fax +390669883675

TIPO GRAFIA VAT I C A N A EDITRICEL’OS S E R VAT O R E ROMANO

don Sergio Pellini S.D.B.Director General

Photo Servicephoto@ossrom.va w w w. p h o t o .v a

Advertising AgencyIl Sole 24 Ore S.p.A.

System Comunicazione PubblicitariaVia Monte Rosa 91, 20149 Milano

s e g re t e r i a d i re z i o n e s y s t e m @ i l s o l e 2 4 o re . c o m

Subscription rates: Italy - Vatican: € 58.00; Europe: € 100.00 - US$ 148.00 £ 80.00; Latin America, Africa,Asia: € 110.00 - US$ 160.00 - £ 88.00; Oceania, North America: € 162.00 - US$ 240.00 - £ 130.00.Management Office: phone +390669899480; fax +390669885164; e-mail subscriptions@ossrom.va.For India: The weekly English Edition of L'Osservatore Romano is published and distributed inIndia by Carmel International Publishing House, Cotton Hill, Trivandrum- 695 014, Kerala-India;phone: +91471327253, fax: +91471328191, 329934; e-mail: ciph@md4.vsnl.net.in; loroceania@carmelpublications.com.For North America: L’Osservatore Romano (USPS 016-419) is published fifty times per year (weekly, except third week inAugust and last week in December) by Our Sunday Visitor, L’Osservatore Romano, English Edition, 200 Noll Plaza,Huntington, IN 46750. Periodicals Postage Pending at Huntington, IN, and additional mailing offices, USA – phone:800-348-2440 x2171; fax: 866-891-7390 – e-mail: osvsales@osv.com.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Our Sunday Visitor, 200 Noll Plaza, Huntington, IN 46750

page 2 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 26 May 2017, number 21

VAT I C A N BULLETINAUDIENCES

Tuesday, 16 May

Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Archbish-op of Munich and Freising, FederalRepublic of Germany, President ofthe Commission of the Bishops’Conferences of Europe (COMECE),with: Bishop Gianni Ambrosia ofPiacenza-Bobbio, Italy, Vice Presi-dent; Bishop Czeslaw Kozon ofKøbenhavn, Denmark, Vice Presi-dent; Bishop Rimantas Norvila ofVi l k a v i škis, Lithuania, Vice Presi-dent; Bishop Jean Kockerols, titularBishop of Ypres, Auxiliary ofMechelen-Brussels, Belgium, VicePresident; Fr Olivier Poquillon, O P,Secretary General; Michael Kuhn,Adjunct Secretary General; MatthiasBelafi, collaborator; ArchbishopAlain Paul Lebeaupin, titular Arch-bishop of Vico Equense, ApostolicNuncio to the European UnionThursday, 18 May

Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Archbish-op of Munich and Freising, FederalRepublic of Germany, Coordinatorfor the Council for the EconomyCardinal Angelo Bagnasco, Arch-bishop of Genoa, Italy, President ofthe Council of the European Epis-copal Conferences (CCEE) with Car-dinal Vincent Gerard Nichols, Arch-bishop of Westminster, Great Brit-ain, Vice President; ArchbishopStanisław Gądecki of Poznań, Po-land, Vice President; Msgr DuarteNuno Queiroz de Barros da Cunha,Secretary General; Fr Michel Re-mery, Vice Secretary GeneralFriday, 19 May

Cardinal Ricardo Blázquez Pérez,Archbishop of Valladolid, Spain,President of the Spanish EpiscopalConference; Cardinal Antonio Cañ-izares Llovera, Archbishop of Valen-cia, Vice President, and Fr JoséMaria Gil Tamayo, Secretary Gener-alCardinal George Pell, Prefect of theSecretariat for the EconomyArchbishop Piergiorgio Bertoldi, tit-ular Archbishop of Spello, ApostolicNuncio in Burkina Faso and in Ni-gerMsgr Fernando Chica Arellano, Per-manent Observer of the Holy See tothe UN (FA O, I FA D , WFP)Fr Ángel Fernández Artime, RectorMajor of the Salesian Society ofSaint John BoscoSaturday, 20 May

Cardinal Marc Ouellet, PSS, Prefectof the Congregation for BishopsCardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller,Prefect of the Congregation for theDoctrine of the FaithArchbishop Domenico UmbertoD'Ambrosio of Lecce, ItalyMonday, 22 May

H.E. Mr Michael D. Higgins, Pres-ident of the Republic of Irelandwith his wife, and entourageMembers of the Episcopal Confer-ence of Guatemala, on a visit ad lim-ina Apostolorum:

— Archbishop Oscar Julio VianMorales, SDB, of Santiago deGuatemala with the Auxiliaries:Bishop Raúl Antonio MartínezParedes, titular Bishop of Mizigi;Bishop José Cayetano Parra Novo,O P, titular Bishop of Tubia; BishopGustavo Rodolfo Mendoza Hernán-dez, titular Bishop of Selemselae

— Bishop Víctor Hugo PalmaPaúl of Escuintla

— Bishop Julio Edgar CabreraOvalle of Jalapa en Guatemala

— Bishop Antonio Calderón Cruzof San Francisco de Asís de Jutiapa

— Bishop Bernabé de Jesús Sagas-tume Lemus, OFM Cap., of SantaRosa de Lima

— Bishop Rodolfo ValenzuelaNúñez of Vera Paz, Cobán

— Bishop Ángel Antonio RecinosLemus of Zacapa y Santo Cristo deEsquipulas

— Archbishop Mario Alberto Mo-lina Palma, OAR, of Los Altos, Quet-z a l t e n a n g o - To t o n i c a p á n

— Bishop Álvaro LeonelRamazzini Imeri of Huehuetenango

— Bishop Rosolino BianchettiBoffelli of Quiché

— Bishop Carlos Enrique TrinidadGómez, of San Marcos

— Bishop Gonzalo de Villa yVásquez, S J, of Sololá-Chimalten-ango

— Bishop Pablo Vizcaíno Prado ofSuchitep équez-Retalhuleu

— Bishop Mario Fiandri, SDB, tit-ular Bishop of Madarsuma, VicarApostolic of El Petén

— Bishop Domingo Buezo Leiva,titular Bishop of Dardanus, VicarApostolic of IzabalCardinal Angelo Sodano, Dean ofthe College of CardinalsWednesday, 24 May

H.E. Mr Donald Trump, Presidentof the United States of America,with his wife, and entourage

CHANGES IN EP I S C O PAT E

The Holy Father appointed Fr JorgeEduardo Scheinig, as Auxiliary ofthe Archdiocese of Mercedes-Luján,Argentina, assigning him the titularepiscopal See of Ita. Until now hehas been parish priest of SanGabriel de la Dolorosa in VicenteLópez (18 May).

Bishop-elect Scheinig, 57, wasborn in Carapachay, Argentina. Hewas ordained a priest on 9 Decem-ber 1983. He holds a licence in pas-toral theology. He has served in par-ish ministry and as: assessor for theNational Youth Team of the Argen-tine Episcopal Conference; coordina-tor of the Pastoral Board of the Dio-cese of San Isidro; consultor of theCommission of Faith and Culture ofthe Argentine Episcopal Conference;pastoral assessor of Caritas A rg e n -tina; headmaster of San Martín deTours school in San Fernando andSan Gabriel school in VicenteLópez; coordinator of the urbanpastoral team in the Region ofBuenos Aires and Greater BuenosAires; professor of pastoral theologyat the Seminary of San Isidro and atthe Faculty of Theology of theCatholic University of Argentina.

The Holy Father accepted the resig-nation of Bishop Peter Remigius ofKottar, India (20 May).The Holy Father appointed Fr Naz-arene Soosai, as Bishop of Kottar.Until now he has been parish priestof Our Lady of Ransom in Kanya-kumari, Kottar, India (20 May).

Bishop-elect Soosai, 54, was bornin Rajakkalamngalamthurai, India.He holds a doctorate in theology, aMaster’s in political science. He wasordained a priest on 2 April 1989.He has served in parish ministry andas: prefect of studies at the TamilNadu Xavier Mission Home inNagercoil; secretary of the diocesanCommission for Vocations; assistantto the Christian Life Community;secretary of the Diocesan PriestsPersonal Board; dean and professorof theology at the Sacred HeartSeminary in Poonamallee, Chennai;Vicar Forane of the Vicariate ofKanyakumari, and at the same timevisiting professor at the SacredHeart Seminary in Poonamallee,and at various other universities andinstitutes.

The Holy Father appointed Fr An-drzej Przybylski as Auxiliary Bishopof the Archdiocese of Częstochowa,Poland, assigning him the titularepiscopal See of Orte. Until now hehas been parish priest of SaintsPeter and Paul Parish in Zawiercie,Poland (20 May).

Bishop-elect Przybylski, 52, wasborn in Łowicz, Poland. He wasordained a priest on 30 May 1993.He holds a doctorate in humanisticsciences and a specialization inpedagogy. He has served in parishministry and as: private secretary toArchbishop Stanisław Nowak;director of the department foryouth pastoral ministry; diocesanhead of student pastoral ministry;rector of the Major Seminary; VicarForane; member of the PresbyteralCouncil and of the College of Con-sultors.

The Holy Father accepted the resig-nation of Bishop Camilo D.Gregorio as Prelate of the Prelatureof Batanes, the Philippines (20May).The Holy Father appointed FrDanilo B. Ulep from the clergy ofthe Archdiocese of Tuguegarao, thePhilippines, as Bishop Prelate of theTerritorial Prelature of Batanes. Un-til now he has been parish priestand rector of the ArchdiocesanShrine of Santo Niño in San Gabriel(20 May).

Bishop-elect Ulep, 55, was born inTuguegarao City, Cagayan, the Phil-ippines. He holds degrees in philo-sophy, theology, canon law and a li-cence in philosophy. He was or-dained a priest on 10 April 1987. He

With Bishops of Guatemala

On Monday morning, 22 May, the Holy Father received in audiencethe Bishops of Guatemala on a visit ‘ad limina Apostolorum’. CONTINUED ON PA G E 11

number 21, Friday, 26 May 2017 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 3

At the General Audience the Pope offers Emmaus as a model of the Church’s mission

Taking the biblical road

“On the Road to Emmaus”, Georges Roualt

in the worst moments,even in moments of de-feat. That is where theLord is. And this is ourhope. Let us go forwardwith this hope! Becausehe is beside us andwalks with us. Always!

SPECIAL GREETINGS

I greet the English-speaking pilgrims andvisitors taking part into day’s Audience, par-ticularly the groupsfrom England, HongKong, India, Vietnam,the Philippines, Indone-sia, Guam, Zimbabwe,Canada and the UnitedStates of America. Inthe joy of the RisenChrist, I invoke uponyou and your familiesthe loving mercy ofGod our Father. Today,I wish to greet espe-cially the pilgrims fromHong Kong as they cel-ebrate Our Lady ofSheshan. May the Lordbless you all!

I welcome the Italian-speaking pilgrims. On

Response to attack in ManchesterCONTINUED FROM PA G E 1

Dear Brothers and SistersGood Morning!Today, I would like to reflect onthe experience of the two disciplesof Emmaus, narrated in the Gospelof Luke (cf. 24:13-25). Let us imag-ine the scene: two men are walking;disappointed, sad, convinced thatthey are leaving behind them thebitterness of an event which endedbadly. Before that Easter, they hadbeen full of enthusiasm, convincedthat those days would be decisive:their expectations met as well asthe hopes of all the people. Jesus,to whom they had entrusted theirlives, had seemed to arrive at the fi-nal battle. He would now manifesthis power, after a long period ofpreparation and concealment. Thisis what they were expecting. And itwas not to be.

The two pilgrims had been nur-turing a uniquely human hopewhich was now falling to pieces.That Cross raised on Calvary wasthe most eloquent sign of a defeatwhich they had not foreseen. Ifthat Jesus was truly in accordancewith God’s heart, then they had toconclude that God was unarmed,defenceless in the hands of violentpeople, unable to offer any resist-ance to evil.

So on that Sunday morning,these two men flee from Jerusalem.They still envision the events ofthe Passion, the death of Jesus un-fold, and their souls bear the pain-ful torment of those events duringS a t u rd a y ’s forced repose. ThatEaster, which should have inspireda song of liberation, has insteadtransformed into the most painfulday of their lives. They leave Jeru-salem to go elsewhere, to a tranquilvillage. They look like people whoare intent on removing a burningmemory. They are thus on theroad, walking in sadness. Thisscenario — the road — had alreadybeen important in the Gospel nar-ratives. It will now become increas-ingly more important, at the mo-ment in which the history of theChurch begins to be told.

Jesus’ encounter with those twodisciples appears to be completelyfortuitous. It seems to be one ofthose chance meetings that happenin life. The two disciples are walk-ing, deep in thought, and astranger comes up alongside them.It is Jesus, but their eyes are notable to recognize him. And there-fore, Jesus begins his “therapy ofhop e”. What takes place on thisroad is a therapy of hope. Who ad-ministers it? Jesus.

Firstly, He asks and listens. OurGod is not an intrusive God. Eventhough he knows the reason forthe disappointment of those twomen, he gives them time to be ableto deeply fathom the bitternesswhich has overcome them. Out of

this comes a confession that is a re-frain in human existence. “We hadhoped, but.... We had hoped, but...”(v. 21). How much sadness, howmany defeats, how many failuresthere are in the lives of every per-son! Deep down, we are all a littlelike those two disciples. How manytimes we have hoped in our lives.How many times we have felt likewe were one step away from happi-ness only to find ourselves knockedto the ground, disappointed. But,Jesus walks with all people who,discouraged, walk with their headshung low. And walking with themin a discrete manner, he is able torestore hope.

Jesus speaks to them, above allthrough the Scriptures. Those whotake up God’s Book will not en-counter easy heroism, fierce cam-paigns of conquest. True hope nev-er comes cheaply. It always under-goes defeat. The hope of thosewho do not suffer is perhaps noteven [hope]. God does not like tobe loved as one would love a rulerwho leads his people to victory, an-nihilating his enemies in a blood-bath. Our God is a faint lightburning on a cold and windy day,and as fragile as his presence inthis world may appear, he haschosen the place that we all dis-dain.

Jesus then repeats for the dis-ciples the fundamental gesture ofevery Eucharist. He takes bread,blesses it, breaks it and gives it.Does not Jesus’ entire history per-haps lie in this series of gestures?And is there not in every Eucharist,also the symbol of what theChurch should be? Jesus takes us,blesses us, “b re a k s ” our life — b e-cause there is no love without sac-rifice — and offers it to others; heoffers it to everyone.

Jesus’ encounter with the twodisciples of Emmaus is a fleetingone. But the entire destiny of theChurch is contained within it. Ittells us that the Christian com-munity is not enclosed within afortified citadel, but rather jour-neys along its most essential envi-ro n ment, which is the road. Andthere, it encounters people withtheir hopes and disappointments,burdensome at times. The Churchlistens to everyone’s stories as theyemerge from the treasure chest ofpersonal conscience, in order tothen offer the Word of Life, thewitness of love, a love that is faith-ful until the end. And thus, thehearts of people reignite withhop e.

We have all had difficult mo-ments in life, dark moments inwhich we walked in sadness, pen-sive, without horizons, with only awall before us. And Jesus is alwaysbeside us to give us hope, to warmour hearts and to say: “Go ahead, I

am with you. Go ahead”. Thesecret of the road that leads to Em-maus is simply this: despite ap-pearances to the contrary, we con-tinue to be loved and God willnever stop loving us. God willwalk with us always, always, evenin the most painful moments, even

I address a special greeting toyoung people, to the sick and tonewlyweds. Today we celebrate thefeast day of Mary Help of Christi-ans. Dear young people, learn tolove at the school of the Mother ofJesus. Dear sick people, in your suf-fering, ask for the heavenly inter-

In Jesus’ encounter with the disciples of Emmaus, we can see “the entire destinyof the Church” which “is not enclosed within a fortified citadel” but “journeysalong its most essential environment, which is the road”: Pope Francis recalledthis in his catechesis at the General Audience in Saint Peter’s Square onWednesday, 24 May. The following is a translation of the Pontiff’s reflection.

the eve of the Solemnity of theL o rd ’s Ascension, may this visit tothe Eternal City reawaken yourfaith and bolster renewed commit-ment to charity and solidarity.

cession of the Blessed Virgin bypraying the Rosary. And you newly-weds, like Our Lady, may you al-ways know how to listen to God’swill for your family.

manuel Macron voiced his “h o r ro rand shock”, and in a statement is-sued by the Kremlin, Russian Pres-ident Vladimir Putin confirmed hiscountry’s “readiness to bolster anti-terrorism cooperation with our Brit-ish partners, both on a bilateralbasis and in the framework ofbroader international efforts”.

Meanwhile, Bishop John Arnold,whose diocese includes most ofGreater Manchester, issued a state-ment on 23 May condemning the at-tack, expressing gratitude to first re-sponders “for their prompt andspeedy response which saved lives”,and calling the community to worktogether, “to help the victims andtheir families, and to build andstrengthen our community solidar-ity”. He also announced a specialMass for the victims to be held justafter noon that day.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Arch-bishop of Westminster, sent a letterto Bishop Arnold, expressing hiscondolences. He also issued a state-

ment expressing his “shock and dis-may at the horrendous killing ofyoung and innocent people” and as-suring that “Catholics and manyothers will be praying earnestly forthose who have been killed, for thebereaved and for grieving lovedones”, as well as “in support of allthose working so hard in response tothis tragedy: the police and securityforces, hospital staff, neighbours andfriends and for all the people ofManchester”. The Archbishopprayed that “God, in His mercy,strengthen and sustain us and keepus firmly united in the face of allevil”.

The Church of England’s Bishopof Salisbury, Rev. Nicholas Holtam,along with representatives of theMuslim Association of Salisbury,Rashid Ullah and Atiqul Hoque, re-leased a joint statement, committing“to reject absolutely this violenceand hatred and the motivation thatlies behind it”, and calling “allpeople to do the same daily bywords and actions of love, compas-sion and reconciliation”.

page 4 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 26 May 2017, number 21

Letter to Archbishop of Assisi for the inauguration of the Shrine of Renunciation

In the footsteps of Saint Francis

“Saint Francis renouncing his worldly goods”, Giotto

Pope Francis sent a letter toArchbishop Domenico Sorrentino ofAssisi-Nocera offering his blessings forthe inauguration on Saturday, 20May, of the Shrine of Renunciation, inthe Church of Saint Mary Major. Theprelate had decided to create the Shrineat the site of Assisi’s former Cathedralin order to commemorate the gesture bywhich the young Francis renouncedearthly goods to become a poor manamong the poor. The following is atranslation of Pope Francis’ l e t t e r.

To My Esteemed BrotherArchbishop DOMENICO SORRENTINO

Bishop of Assisi-NoceraUmbra-Gualdo Tadino

You have informed me, dear brother,of one of your initiatives that is tiedin a special way to the visit that Imade to Assisi on 4 October 2013,when, in the Archbishop’s Resid-ence, I paused in the Room of Re-nunciation. In that place we recallthe act of young Francis, who di-vested himself of all earthly goods,to the point of nakedness, in orderto give himself entirely to God andto his brothers and sisters. In orderto highlight this important episode,you have chosen to establish — inthe Church of Saint Mary Major,former cathedral of Assisi, and inthe places of the Bishopric that were“eyewitnesses” to this event — theShrine of Renunciation. In this wayyou have added a pearl to the reli-gious panorama of the “SeraphicCity”, offering the Christian com-munity and pilgrims yet anothergreat opportunity which one may

rightly hope will bear spiritual andpastoral fruits. I am therefore happyto participate in this official inaugur-ation, which will take place on 20May, with a reflection and blessing.

I recall quite well the emotion ofmy first visit to Assisi. Havingchosen the name of Francis as the

with a representative group of thepoor. In this most eloquent Room,they bore witness to the scandalousreality of a world that is still deeplymarked by the divide between anendless number of the poor who of-ten lack the basic necessities, andthe miniscule number of the wealthywho possess the greatest part of the

wealth and who presume to determ-ine the destiny of all of humanity.Unfortunately, after 2,000 yearssince the proclamation of the Gospeland after eight centuries since Fran-cis’ witness, we are faced with a phe-nomenon of “global inequity” andan “economy that kills” (cf. Apostol-ic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium,52-60). The very day before my ar-rival in Assisi, many migrants losttheir life in the waters ofLampedusa. Speaking in this placeof “re n u n c i a t i o n ”, affected also bythe emotion caused by such a tragicevent, I felt the whole truth of whatyoung Francis had testified to: onlyby reaching out to the poor, in histime represented especially by thosesuffering from leprosy, by practicingmercy toward them, could he experi-ence that “sweetness of soul andb o dy” (Te s t a m e n t , FF 110).

The new Shrine in Assisi is bornas a prophecy of a more just andfraternal society, while reminding theChurch of her duty to live, in thefootsteps of Francis, renouncingworldliness and taking on the valuesof the Gospel. I want to reiteratewhat I said in the Room of Renun-ciation: “We are all called to bepoor, to renounce our very selves;and to do this we must learn how tobe with the poor, to share with thosewho lack basic necessities, to touchthe flesh of Christ! The Christian isnot one who speaks about the poor,no! He is one who encounters them,who looks them in the eye, whotouches them”. Today it is more ne-cessary than ever that the words ofChrist characterize the journey andlifestyle of the Church. If in somany parts of the world that are tra-

while the son, na-ked but now free,throws himself in-to the arms ofBishop Guido. Inthe Upper Ba-silica of SaintFrancis, the sameepisode is depic-ted in a fresco byGiotto, emphasiz-ing the youngman’s mysticalgaze, now projec-ted towards theheavenly Father,while the Bishopcovers him withhis mantle, ex-pressing the ma-ternal embrace ofthe Church.

When I cameto visit the Roomof Renunciation,you asked me tomeet primarily

inspirational ideal of my pontificate,the Room of Renunciation made merelive with particular intensity thatmoment in the Saint’s life. Renoun-cing all earthly goods, he unfetteredhimself from the enchantment of themoney-god that had seduced hisfamily, in particular his father, Pietrodi Bernardone. Certainly the youngconversus did not intend to show hisfather a lack of due respect, but herecalled that a baptized person mustplace love of Christ above all hisdearest affections. In a painting thatadorns the Room of Renunciationwe see clearly the hardened face ofthe parent who is turning away withthe money and clothing of his son,

ditionally Christian we see a dis-tancing from the faith, and we areeven called to a new evangelization,the secret of our preaching is not somuch in the power of our words,but in the attraction of our witness,supported by grace. And the condi-tion is that we cannot ignore the in-structions the Master gave hisApostles in his mission discourse,making a joint appeal for generosityfrom the evangelizers and forfraternal care toward them: “You re-ceived without pay, give without pay.Take no gold nor silver nor copperin your belts; no bag for your jour-ney, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nora staff; for the laborer deserves hisfo o d” (Mt 10:8-10).

Francis of Assisi understood itquite clearly. He assimilated it bymeditating on the Gospel, but espe-cially in contemplating the face ofChrist in the lepers and in the Cruci-fix of Saint Damian, from which hehad received the mandate: “Fr a n c i s ,go, repair my house”. Yes, just as inthe time of Francis, the Church is al-ways in need of “re p a i r ”. She is, infact, holy in the gifts she receivesfrom on high, but is composed ofsinners, and therefore is always inneed of penance and renewal. Andhow can she renew herself, except bylooking to her “naked” Lord? Christis the original example of “re n u n c i -ation”, as you, dear brother, wantedto emphasize by promulgating yourletter instituting the new Shrine inthe solemnity of Christmas. In theBabe of Bethlehem divine glory washidden. It will be even moreshrouded on Golgotha. “Have thismind among yourselves, which was inChrist Jesus, who, though he was inthe form of God, did not countequality with God a thing to begrasped, but emptied himself, takingthe form of a servant, being born inthe likeness of men. And being foundin human form he humbled himselfand became obedient unto death,even death on a cross (Phil 2:5-8).

From Christmas to Easter, Christ’sjourney is entirely a mystery of “re -nunciation”. His Omnipotence is insome way eclipsed, so that the gloryof the Word made Flesh can be ex-pressed first and foremost in loveand mercy. Renunciation is a mysteryof love! It does not express disdainfor the world’s reality. How could it?The world comes entirely from thehand of God. Francis himself invitesus, in the Canticle of Brother Sun, topraise and safeguard the beauty ofall creatures. Renunciation helps usmake use of them in a sober andfraternal manner, with a hierarchy ofvalues that places love in first place.We must renounce, in substance,more than just things, our veryselves, setting aside the selfishnessthat leads us to take shelter withinour interests and our possessions,and prevents us from discovering thebeauty in others and opening ourhearts to them. An authentic Chris-tian journey does not lead to sad-ness, but to joy. In a world markedby so much “desolation and

CONTINUED ON PA G E 11“Saint Francis Giving his Mantle to a Poor Man”, Giotto

number 21, Friday, 26 May 2017 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 5

The Pope launches an appeal on behalf of the Huntington’s Disease community

Hidden no more

Audience with the President of theRepublic of Ireland

Dear Brothers and Sisters,I welcome you with joy, and I greeteach one of you present at this op-portunity for meeting and reflectiondedicated to Huntington’s Disease. Iwholeheartedly thank all those whoworked to make this day possible. Iam grateful to Dr Cattaneo and toMr Sabine for their introductorywords. I would like to extend mygreeting to all people who, in theirbody and in their life, carry signs ofthis disease, as well as those who suf-fer from other so-called rare diseases.

I know that some of you have hadto brave a very long and difficultjourney in order to be here today. Ithank you and I am happy you arehere. I have listened to your ac-counts and the difficulties you must

face each day; I understand howmuch tenacity and dedication yourfamilies, doctors, health care workersand volunteers have as they supportyou in a journey that poses manyuphill climbs, some of which are ex-tremely difficult.

For far too long, the fears and dif-ficulties that characterize the life ofpeople affected by Huntington’s Dis-ease have surrounded them with mis-understandings and barriers, verit-ably excluding them. In many casesthe sick and their families have ex-perienced the tragedy of shame, iso-lation and abandonment. Today,however, we are here because wewant to say to ourselves and all theworld: “HIDDEN NO MORE!”,“O CULTA NUNCA MAS!”, “MAI PIU’N A S C O S TA !”. It is not simply a slogan,

so much as a commitment that we allmust foster. The strength and convic-tion with which we pronounce thesewords derive precisely from what Jesushimself taught us. Throughout hisministry, he met many sick people; hetook on their suffering; he tore downthe walls of stigma and of marginaliza-tion that prevented so many of themfrom feeling respected and loved. ForJesus, disease is never an obstacle toencountering people, but rather, thecontrary. He taught us that the humanperson is always precious, always en-dowed with a dignity that nothing andno one can erase, not even disease.Fragility is not an ill. And disease,which is an expression of fragility, can-not and must not make us forget that inthe eyes of God our value is alwayspriceless.

Disease can also be an opportu-nity for encounter, for sharing, forsolidarity. The sick people who en-countered Jesus were restored aboveall by this awareness. They felt they

ease entails, in a social-health carecontext which often is not orientedto the dignity of the human person.In this way, however, difficultiesmultiply. Often adding to the dis-ease are poverty, forced separationsand a general sense of dismay andmistrust. For this reason, nationaland international associations andinstitutions are vital. You are likehands that God uses to sow hope.You are the voices that these peoplehave so as to claim their rights!

Lastly, geneticists and scientistsare present here, who, for sometime, sparing no energy, have dedi-cated themselves to studying and re-searching a treatment for Hunting-ton’s Disease. Clearly, there is agreat deal of expectation surround-ing your work: resting on your ef-forts are the hopes of finding theway to a definitive cure for the dis-ease, but also of improving the liv-ing conditions of these brothers andsisters, and of accompaniment, espe-cially in the delicate phases of dia-gnosis, at the onset of the firstsymptoms.

May the Lord bless your task! Iencourage you to always pursue itwith means that do not contribute to

The Pope made an appeal for people affected by Huntington’s Disease, during anaudience on Thursday morning, 18 May. More than 150 people afflicted with thedisease, accompanied with family members and representatives from over 30patient organizations from around the world, gathered in the Vatican’s Paul VI

Hall as part of the ‘HDd e n n o m o re ’ initiative. The following is the English text ofthe Holy Father’s address.

On Monday morning, 22May, the Holy Father re-ceived in audience the Pres-ident of Ireland, H.E. MrMichael D. Higgins, whothen met with Cardinal Sec-retary of State Pietro Pa-rolin, accompanied by MsgrPaul Richard Gallagher, Sec-retary for Relations withStates.

The cordial discussionsbegan by evoking the con-structive relations that unitethe Holy See and Ireland,and their collaboration. Theparties then focused on sev-eral themes of mutual interest,such as the protection of the rightsof humanity and its dignity inevery stage and condition of life,the issue of migration and the wel-come of refugees, safeguarding theenvironment, and sustainable de-velopment. Special attention was

paid to the young and to families.The importance of ethical criteriain facing the challenges of global-ization, especially at the economiclevel, was then highlighted.

Finally, there was an exchange ofviews on the future prospects ofthe European project.

fuelling that “t h ro w - a w a y c u l t u re ”that at times infiltrates even theworld of scientific research. Somebranches of research, in fact, utilizehuman embryos, inevitably causingtheir destruction. But we know thatno ends, even noble in themselves,such as a predicted utility for sci-ence, for other human beings or forsociety, can justify the destruction ofhuman embryos.

Brothers and sisters, as you see,you are a large and motivated com-munity. May the life of each of you— both of those who are directly af-fected by Huntington’s Disease andthose who work hard every day tosupport the sick in their pain anddifficulty — be a living witness tothe hope that Christ has given us.Even through suffering there passesa path of abundant good, which wecan travel together.

I thank all of you! May the Lordbless you, and please, do not forgetto pray for me, as I will pray foryou. Thank you.

were listened to, respected,loved. May none of you everfeel you are alone; may none ofyou feel you are a burden; mayno one feel the need to runaway. You are precious in theeyes of God; you are preciousin the eyes of the Church!

I now turn to the families.Those who experience Hun-tington’s Disease know that noone can really overcome loneli-ness and despair if they do nothave people at their side who,with self-sacrifice and stead-fastness, make themselves‘travel companions’. You areall this: fathers, mothers, hus-bands, wives, children, broth-ers and sisters who, on a dailybasis, silently but effectively,accompany your family mem-bers on this difficult path. Foryou, too, at times, the path isan uphill climb. For this rea-son, I encourage you, too, notto feel you are alone; not togive in to the temptation ofthe sense of shame or guilt.The family is the privilegedplace of life and of dignity,and you can cooperate tobuild that network of solidarity andof help that the family alone canguarantee, and which the family isfirst called to live.

I speak to you, physicians, healthcare workers, volunteers of the asso-ciations that are involved withHuntington’s Disease and withthose who suffer from it. Amongyou there are also workers from theOspedale Casa Sollievo della Soffer-enza, who, both with assistance andwith research, express the contribu-tion of a work of the Holy See inthis most important field. The ser-vice that you all provide is valuable,because it is surely your dedicationand your initiative that give tangibleshape to the hope and motivation ofthe families who trust in you. Thedisease poses many challenges re-lated to diagnostics, therapy and as-sistance. May the Lord bless yourwork: may you be a point of refer-ence for patients and their familieswho, in various circumstances, findthemselves having to face thealready difficult trials that the dis-

page 6 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 26 May 2017, number 21

To newly accredited Diplomats the Pontiff condemns the use of force and violence in the name of God

Not in taking but in saving lives

MauritaniaH.E. Mrs Aichetou Mint M’Haiham,53, is the first Ambassador of Maur-itania to the Holy See, followingthe establishment of diplomatic rela-tions between the two countries on9 December 2016. She was born inMagta Lahjar, in the Brakna region, and is married with one daughter.She holds degrees in secondaryschool teaching and in environment-al agronomy. Mrs Mint M’Haihamhas taught Natural Biophysics atthe Tevragh-Zeina Lyceum (1990-1991) and has served as: officer atthe Ministry of National Education(1991-1996); officer at the ÉcoleNormale Supérieure (1996-1997);S e c re tary of State for the status ofwomen (1997-1998); president andcoordinator of National Women’sNGOs (1998-2003); adviser to thePresidency of the Republic, incharge of Cultural and SocialAffairs (2005); assistant commis-sioner for Food Safety (2009-2014);commissioner for Human Rights,Humanitarian Action (February

first secretary at the Embassy inChina (1994-1998); undersecretary ofthe Department of Protocol and In-ternational Organizations and of theUN at the M FA (1998-2001); first sec-retary at the Embassy in Saudi Ara-bia (2001-2004); adviser and sub-sequently minister counsellor at theEmbassy in Bangladesh (2005-2009);undersecretary of the Department ofMultilateral Economic Affairs andPassports at the M FA (2009-2010);minister counsellor at the Embassyin Israel (2010-2013); Director Gener-al of the Department of Passports atthe M FA (2013-2014); and sub-sequently head of Protocol at theM FA (2015-2016).

Trinidad and TobagoH.E. Mr Colin Michael Connelly, 55,was born in Trinidad and Tobago,West Indies. He is married and hasone son. He holds degrees in his-tory, language, literature; a diplomain international relations and educa-tion; a certificate in negotiating forconflict and dispute resolutions atthe United Nations Institute forTraining and Research (U N I TA R ),and a Master’s in international se-curity studies. He has served as:desk officer in the Protocol andConsular Division of the Ministry of

Foreign Affairs (M FA ) (1999-2000);desk officer in the M FA departmentfor Africa, Asia, the Middle Eastand the Pacific (2000-2004); adjunctdirector in the M FA department forAfrica, Asia, the Middle East andthe Pacific (2003-2004); first secre-tary at the High Commission, Lon-don (2004-2007); counsellor at theEmbassy in Abuja, Nigeria (2007-2012); desk officer in the M FA de-partment for Africa, Asia, theMiddle East and the Pacific (2012-2014). He has served since 2014 ascounsellor and chargé d’affaires ad in-terim in Washington D.C.

SudanH.E. Mr Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Os-man, 62, was born in Sinja, Sudan.He is married and has two daughters.He holds degrees in literature and ininternational relations. He has servedas: translator at the Central PostalOffice, Taif City, Saudi Arabia (1978-

On Thursday morning, 18 May, the Holy Father accepted Letters of Credencefrom six new Ambassadors accredited to the Holy See. The diplomats, amongwhom are two women and four men, are representatives of Mauritania, Nepal,Trinidad and Tobago, Sudan, Kazakhstan and Niger.

NepalH.E. Mr Ramesh Prasad Khanal, 55,is married with two children. Heholds diplomas in journalism and inJapanese, and carried out a special-ized course in security at the AsiaPacific Centre for Security Studies.He holds a degree in law and a Mas-ter’s in Political Science. He hasserved as: undersecretary at the De-partments for Europe-America, andSouth, South-East and North Asia atthe Ministry of Foreign Affairs (M FA )(1988-1994); second and subsequently CONTINUED ON PA G E 7

“Those who befoul the image of God”must be “confronted by a concertedcommitment” to demonstrate that “thosewho honour God’s name save lives, nottake them”. Pope Francis emphasizedthis message during an audience in theClementine Hall on Thursday morning,18 May, with the six new Ambassadorswho presented Letters accrediting themto the Holy See. The following is theEnglish text of the Holy Father’sa d d re s s .

I am pleased to receive you on theoccasion of the presentation of theLetters by which you are accreditedas Ambassadors Extraordinary andPlenipotentiary of your countries tothe Holy See: Kazakhstan, Mauri-tania, Nepal, Niger, Sudan and Trin-idad and Tobago. I offer a particularwelcome to Mrs M’Haiham, the firstAmbassador of Mauritania to theHoly See. I would ask all of youkindly to convey my sentiments ofgratitude and respect to your re-spective Heads of State, with the as-surance of my prayers for them andfor the peoples whom they represent.

The international scene is atpresent marked by great complexity,nor is it free of dark clouds. This re-quires a greater awareness of the ap-proaches and actions needed to pur-sue the path of peace and to lessentensions. Among the factors aggra-

vating problems is an economic andfinancial system that, rather than be-ing at the service of people, is set upprincipally to serve itself and toevade oversight by public authorities.Those authorities are responsible forthe common good, yet they lack themeans necessary to moderate the dis-proportionate appetites of the few.

We also see a greater readiness tohave recourse to force, not as a lastresort but practically as one meansamong many, ready to be usedwithout a full consideration of itsconsequences.

Yet another factor exacerbatingconflicts is fundamentalism, theabuse of religion to justify a thirst

for power, the manipulation ofGo d’s holy name to advance by anymeans possible one’s own plans togain power.

The response to these distortionsand the risks they pose to worldpeace must be the creation of a re-sponsible economic and financialsystem responsive to the needs of in-dividuals and the communities inwhich they live. Men and women,not money, must once more becomethe goal of the economy! We mustalso confront differences with thecourageous patience of dialogue anddiplomacy, with initiatives of en-counter and peace, and not withshows of force and its hasty and ill-

advised use. It is likewise essentialto isolate those who seek to turn areligious affiliation or identity into amotive of hate for all others. Thosewho befoul the image of God in thisway need to be confronted by a con-certed commitment to demonstratingthat those who honour God’s namesave lives, not take them; they bringreconciliation and peace, not divi-sion and war; they show mercy andcompassion, not indifference andbrutality. If we move decisively inthis direction, the cause of peaceand justice — the conditions of abalanced development for all — willmake tangible progress.

Dear Ambassadors, I would liketo express, through you, my greet-ings to the pastors and faithful ofthe Catholic communities present inyour countries. I encourage them tocontinue their witness of faith andto offer their generous contributionto the common good.

As you officially begin your newmission, I extend to you my bestwishes and I assure you of the con-stant support of the various officesof the Roman Curia in the fulfil-ment of your responsibilities. To thisend, I willingly invoke upon youand your families, as well as all yourfellow citizens, an abundance of di-vine blessings.

Six new Ambassadors

2014). She is currently Ambassadorto France.

number 21, Friday, 26 May 2017 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 7

To the ‘Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice’ Fo u n d a t i o n

For an economy withhuman dignity at its core

Pope Francis called for the developmentof “economic growth models centred ondignity, liberty and creativity” duringhis address to members of the‘Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice’Foundation on Saturday, 20 May inthe Clementine Hall. The following isthe English text of the Pope’s address.

Dear Friends,I offer you a warm welcome on theoccasion of the International Con-ference of the Centesimus Annus ProPontifice Foundation. I thank yourPresident, Mr Domingo SugranyesBickel, for his kind greeting in yourname. I express my appreciation foryour efforts to seek other ways ofunderstanding the economy andprogress, and business, to meet theethical challenges posed by the im-

position of new paradigms and formsof power derived from technology,the throwaway culture and lifestylesthat ignore the poor and despise theweak (cf. Enc. Laudato Si’, 16).

Many people are struggling tobring the whole human family to-gether to seek a sustainable and in-tegral development, for we knowthat things can change (cf. ibid, 13).Your Foundation is also making avaluable contribution precisely byapproaching business and financesboth in the light of the rich heritageof the Church’s social doctrine andthe intelligent search for “c o n s t ru c -tive alternatives”. Drawing on yourown expertise and experience, andin cooperation with other people ofgood will, you are committed to de-veloping models of economic growthcentred on the dignity, freedom and

demands dialogue and engagementwith people’s needs and aspirations,listening to the poor and their dailyexperience of “multidimensional,overlapping deprivations”, and de-vising specific responses to concretesituations. This calls for the creation,

within communities and betweencommunities and business, of medi-ating structures capable of bringingpeople and resources together, initi-ating processes in which the poorare the principal actors and benefi-ciaries. Such a person-based ap-proach to economic activity will en-courage initiative and creativity, theentrepreneurial spirit and communit-ies of labour and enterprise, andthus favour social inclusion and thegrowth of a culture of effectives o l i d a r i t y.

In these days, you have paid par-ticular attention to the critical issueof job creation in the context of theongoing new technological revolu-tion. How can we not be concernedabout the grave problem of unem-ployment among the young andamong adults who have not themeans to “upgrade” themselves?This has reached a very grave point,very grave. It is a problem that hasreached truly dramatic proportionsin both developed and developingcountries, and needs to be ad-dressed, not least out of a sense ofintergenerational justice and re-sponsibility for the future. In a sim-ilar way, efforts to address the com-plex of issues associated with thegrowth of new technologies, thetransformation of markets and thelegitimate aspirations of the work-force must take into account notonly individuals but families as well.This, as you know, was a concernexpressed by the recent Synod as-semblies on the family, which notedthat uncertainty about work situ-ations often contributes to familypressures and problems, and has aneffect on the family’s ability to parti-cipate fruitfully in the life of society(cf. Post-Syn. Ap. Ex. Amoris Laeti-tia, 44).

Dear friends, I encourage you, Iencourage your efforts to bring thelight of the Gospel and the richnessof the Church’s social teaching tothese pressing issues by contributingto informed discussion, dialogue andresearch, but also by committingyourselves for that change of atti-tudes, opinions and lifestyles whichis essential for building a world ofgreater justice, freedom and har-m o n y.

In offering my prayerful goodwishes for the fruitfulness of yourwork, I cordially invoke upon you,your families and your associatesGo d’s blessings of joy and peace.

creativity that are thehallmark of the hu-man person.

Your Foundation’s2017 Statement rightlynotes that the fightagainst poverty de-mands a better under-standing of the realityof poverty as a humanand not merely eco-nomic phenomenon.Promoting integralhuman development

New diplomatic representativesCONTINUED FROM PA G E 6

1979); third and subsequently secondsecretary at the Ministry of ForeignAffairs (M FA ) (1980-1983); secondsecretary at the Embassy in Bangui(1983-1986); first secretary to the per-manent mission to the United Na-tions in Geneva (1986-1989); firstsecretary at the M FA (1989-1991);counsellor at the Embassy in Seoul(1990-1992); counsellor at the Em-bassy in Cairo (1992-1994) and Con-sul General in Alexandria, Egypt(1993-1994); counsellor and ministerat the M FA (1994-1996); PermanentRepresentative to the United Nations,New York (1996-2000, 2010-2013); re-porter at the National Preparatory

Ka z a k h s t a nH.E. Mrs Zhanar Aitzhanova, 52,was born in Almaty, Kazakhstan.She is married with two children.After obtaining degrees in historyand English language, she attendeda postgraduate research programmeat Moscow State University. Shecompleted postgraduate studies atthe Charles University and theCentral European University inPrague (1991-1992), took an execu-tive course in economy and publicfinance, and obtained a Master’s inpublic administration. She hasserved as: programme officer, headof the sector for Administrationand Economic Transition at the UN-DP office (1993-1996); assistant res-ident representative of the UNDP inMongolia (1998-1999); programmecoordinator at the regional office ofthe UNDP for Europe and the CIS inNew York (1999-2002); deputy min-ister for Trade and Industry (2003-2010); special representative ofKazakhstan at the negotiations forjoining the WTO (2005-2016); minis-ter for Economic Development andTrade (2010-2011); minister for Eco-nomic Integration (2011-2016).Since 2016 she has served as Am-bassador in Berne and as Perma-nent Representative to the UN andOther International Organizationsin Geneva.

NigerH.E. Mr Boubacar Boureima, 59,was born in Dargol, Niger. He ismarried with five children. Heholds a Master’s in diplomacy andlaw of international organizations,and a Master’s in law with a spe-cialization in international studies.He has served as: managing direc-tor of the Department for Africaand the Middle East at the Min-istry of Foreign Affairs (M FA )(1990-1992); counsellor for foreign affairsand, subsequently, director of legaland consular affairs at the M FA(1992-1994); deputy secretary gener-al and director ad interim of pro-tocol at the M FA (1994-1995); direc-tor of legal and consular affairs atthe M FA (1996-1999); director of le-gal affairs at the Secretariat of theAccord on Non-Aggression andDefence (ANAD) in the Ivory Coast(1999-2001); head of the division forCooperation and Decentralization

Committee for the World Summit onthe Information Society (WSIS) (2001-2004); head of the national authorityfor the implementation of the provi-sions of the Convention on the Pro-hibition of Chemical Weapons (2001-2004); director of the Department forInternational Organisations at theM FA (2001-2004); Ambassador in Is-lamabad (2004-2008); director generalof the Zaver Petroleum Corporation,Sudan; director general of the M FA(2014-2016). Since 2016, he has servedas Ambassador to France, Portugal andthe Principality of Monaco.

in the Department for Decentraliza-tion and for Non-GovernmentalOrganizations of the M FA (2001-2004); counsellor to the UnitedNations in New York (2004-2010);secretary general of the M FA (2010-2012); Permanent Representative tothe United Nations in New York(2012-2015). Since 2016, he hasserved as Ambassador to Germany.

page 8 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 26 May 2017, number 21

Undersecretary of Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development speaks at UN side event

Assuring the right to remain

“Ensuring the right of all toremain in dignity, peace andsecurity in their countries oforigin” was the theme of a sideevent at the UN on Monday, 22May, in New York. At a sessionjointly prepared by a number oforganizations along with theHoly See’s Permanent ObserverMission to the United Nations,Fr Michael Czerny, SJ,Undersecretary of the Vatican’snew Dicastery, delivered theaccompanying discourse on thecomplex drivers of migration,and offered strategies to addressthe issue.

vulnerable to thedisturbances of cli-mate change. Warand conflict, perse-cution and dictator-ships are inter-re-lated drivers likelyto exacerbatealready precariousliving conditions.

In fact, the ma-jority of forced mi-grants avoid goingtoo far away. Theychoose a relativelyfamiliar place of

Getty Images

Few would deny that today’s largemovements of refugees and mi-grants are very complex, often dis-orderly, unpredictable and danger-ous; have reached crisis propor-tions; seem likely to continue andindeed increase; and currently con-stitute a most alarming issue ortopic. They seem to clutter manyminds with overwhelming statisticsand fill many imaginations withdistressing images.

graph 43 of the New York Declara-tion which states:

“We will analyse and respond tothe factors, including in countriesof origin, which lead or contributeto large movements. We will co-operate to create conditions thatallow communities and individualsto live in peace and prosperity intheir homelands. Migration shouldbe a choice, not a necessity. Wewill take measures, inter alia, to im-plement the 2030 Agenda for Sus-tainable Development, whose ob-jectives include eradicating extremepoverty and inequality, revitalizingthe Global Partnership for Sustain-able Development, promotingpeaceful and inclusive societiesbased on international humanrights and the rule of law, creatingconditions for balanced, sustain-able and inclusive economicgrowth and employment, combat-ing environmental degradation andensuring effective responses to nat-ural disasters and the adverse im-pacts of climate change”.1

Migration will be “orderly, safe,regular and responsible” (para-graph 16) only when people arereally free to stay. To make today’smigration a choice, not a necessity,is an enormous challenge. It wouldseem to depend, inter alia, onnothing less than the full imple-mentation of the Sustainable De-velopment Goals and the Paris Cli-mate Agreement. To motivate andorient such an enormous world-wide coordinated effort, will surelytake a reliable compass, a sharedsense of direction. This is what theHoly See Delegation and the othersponsoring organizations wish tooffer under the deceptively simpletitle “Ensuring the right of all toremain in dignity, peace and secu-rity in their countries of origin.”

To elaborate and promote theright to remain is deeply rooted inthe Church’s faith and in her socialteaching. Instead of putting the ac-cent on control, promoting theright to remain is a deeper andmore practical way of addressingthe root causes. This then is ourconviction: in order to preventforced, involuntary and disorderlymigration, which translates inevita-bly into unmanageable or ungov-ernable migration, there is a needto reaffirm the right to remain inone’s homeland and to live there in

dignity, peace, and security. Theright to remain includes access tothe common good, protection ofhuman dignity, and access to sus-tainable human development.These are rights which should beeffectively guaranteed in one’s owncountry and by one’s own State.With these assured, then, migra-tion can flow from a free choice.2

And therefore the theme of thisside-event: the right to remain isthe indispensable basis or condi-tion for the free choice to migrate.The right to remain is prior to,deeper and broader than, the rightto migrate. The right to remainreally addresses those drivers of mi-

Experiential drivers Let us firstlook at the drivers as people actu-ally experience them. Deciding toleave one’s place is a very hard de-cision. It can be triggered bysomething unpredictable like a nat-ural disaster (earthquake, tornadoetc.); the destruction, continuingdanger and ensuing suffering drivepeople to abandon the area.

In other cases, living conditionsgradually become more difficultand dangerous, due to lack ofwork, criminal organization, cor-ru p t i o n , 3 etc. Such causes are fre-quently multidimensional. For ex-ample, countries which are toopoor to offer steady work, are also

To deal with today’s large dislo-cations responsibly, a first step is toemploy adequate tools of analysis,rather than letting fear and self-i n t e re s t prevail. On closer examina-tion, there is much to appreciaterather than to fear, and much to dotogether rather than reject outright.For very plausible reasons, peopleopt to risk their lives in a danger-ous journey hoping for better livingconditions in the country of desti-nation. The total world scenario ismade up of many millions of indi-vidual situations. Each one repre-sents a particular reality to whichfundamental rights apply, and theprotection of those rights must al-ways be a priority. This challengecalls us to steadiness of purposeand fidelity to our deeper values.Let these be the marks of the cur-rent thematic session and indeed ofthe whole Compacts process.

Everyone wants migration flowsto be “safe, orderly and regular”;the Sutherland report calls for their“management” or, better, for their“governance”. But these values caneasily, if unconsciously, get reducedto control, national control, policecontrol. Control, as just one legit-imate dimension, cannot be exer-cised in neglect of other essentialfactors, many of which are embod-ied in the right to remain. Humansecurity takes precedence over na-tional security.

The current informal thematicsession, the second, wisely seeks toaddress “the drivers that create orexacerbate large movements”. Ittakes its orientation from Para-

gration which compel people toabandon their homes and countriesand contribute to disorderly, un-predictable and dangerous migra-tion flows.

Drivers of migration

So what forces coerce emigra-tion? What convinces people thatit is necessary and urgent to flee?The drivers of forced migration areevils which oblige people to fleebecause their lives and/or the fu-ture of their children are at seriousrisk. The conditions have longbeen worsening and now becomeimpossible, leaving absolutely nogrounds for projecting a better fu-t u re .

Accordingly, to assure forced mi-grants a safe, orderly journey andintegration on arrival is good. Butit is even better and more basic tohelp them to remain at homewhere, indeed, the vast majoritywants to stay. What, then, drivesinvoluntary migration?

refuge (climate, language, culture,etc.), and they definitely expect toreturn as soon as conditions per-mit.

Extreme poverty and inhumaneliving, without access to water,food and sanitation, healthcare andother necessary infrastructure, arethe experiences which drive peopleout. Such situations, we spontane-ously recognize, are not fit for hu-man life. Moreover, personal andfamily development seem totallyout of reach. Unaccompanied childmigrants are often fleeing violenceor insecurity, and their flight dra-matically expresses the total lack ofprotection, education and so alsoof any future.

So the experiences which drivepeople to flee include conflicts andwars, persecutions, dictatorships,famines, destructive weather eventsand natural disasters. Submittingthese experiential drivers to analy-sis, then, the social sciences uncov-er the systemic causes or driversunderlying people’s sufferings andi n s e c u r i t y.

Systemic or underlying causesAmong the systemic causes andprobably heading the list are theworld’s worsening inequalities oreconomic asymmetries. Developedcountries benefit from huge mul-tinational businesses and financialcorporations which exercise deci-sive influence in their own interest.Since wealth and decision-makingare concentrated elsewhere, the so-called developing countries sufferfrom such unfavourable conditionsof production and trade, far frombenefiting their workers and theirfamilies.

With his customary critical clar-ity, Pope Francis explains: “‘Weneed, then, to find ways by whichall may benefit from the fruits of

number 21, Friday, 26 May 2017 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 9

Reuters/Thaier Al-Sudani

DEALING AND WHEELING IN SMALL ARMS. © SanderFrancken Film

facilitate their integration.Special concern should bepaid to the conditions forlegal residency, since havingto live clandestinely canlead to criminal beha-v i o u r. ”13

Conclusion

In conclusion, we ask:How can migration flowsbe rendered controllable,manageable and governable,if they are driven by in-equity and injustice? Hav-ing considered the experien-tial and systemic drivers, wesee that disorderly, unpre-dictable and dangerous mi-gration flows are a reliable

the earth, not only to avoid thewidening gap between those whohave more and those who must becontent with the crumbs, butabove all because it is a questionof justice, equality and respect forevery human being.’ One group ofindividuals cannot control half ofthe world’s resources. We cannotallow for persons and entirepeoples to have a right only togather the remaining crumbs.”4

“Ensuring justice means also rec-onciling history with our presentglobalized situation, without per-petuating mind-sets which exploitpeople and places, a consequenceof the most cynical use of the mar-ket in order to increase the well-being of the few. As Pope Benedictaffirmed, the process of decoloni-zation was delayed ‘both becauseof new forms of colonialism andcontinued dependence on old andnew foreign powers, and becauseof grave irresponsibility within thevery countries that have achievedindep endence.’ For all this theremust be redress.”5

So the underlying causes or sys-temic drivers include world eco-nomic asymmetries, failed pro-cesses of decolonization, economicand therefore political dependence,corruption and poor governance,dominance of multinationals,deprivation or maldevelopment ofresources, climate changes.

Keeping these two levels inmind -- the direct experiences andthe underlying causes, let us con-sider how to address the driverswhich, if not addressed, will inevit-ably force people from theirhomes.

In the long run:a) Sustainable and inclusive devel-

opment: Grinding poverty causesthe absence, not only of the essen-tials but also of all prospects forimprovement. Such poverty can beaddressed only by promoting sus-tainable and inclusive developmentin the countries of origin, accord-ing to the principle of subsidiarity.To support, in the words of PopeFrancis, “processes of developmentand paths of peace in the countriesfrom which these brothers and sis-ters are fleeing or have left behindto seek a better future.”6

b) Development assistance mustreach and include the poor: “T h e reare millions of sons and daughtersof the Church who today live inthe diaspora or who are in transit,journeying to the north in searchof new opportunities. Many ofthem have left behind their roots

in order to brave the future, evenin clandestine conditions which in-volve so many risks; they do this toseek the “green light” which theyregard as hope. So many familiesare separated; and integration intoa supposed “promised land” is notalways as easy as some believe.”7

c) Reduce self-interest in the allo-cation and delivery of internationalassistance: A huge second driver isthe (ab)use of overseas assistanceto further the interests and advan-tages of donor countries. Pro-grammes of international coopera-tion must be freed from thedonor’s self-interests. An effectiveway of doing this is to involve thepoor local communities as activeprotagonists and really promotetheir interests -- to involve people,in other words, before they areforced to consider becoming mi-grants!

In the medium run:a) Fostering regional processes like

the free circulation of workers and es-tablishing regional charters of rightsfor migrants and refugees: “Collab-orate to create sources of worthy,stable and abundant work, both inthe places of origin and in those ofarrival, and in the latter, for boththe local population and for im-migrants. Immigration must con-tinue to be an important factor indevelopment.”8

b) Strengthening the process ofd e m o c ra t i z a t i o n : “The State doesnot need to have identical charac-teristics everywhere: the supportaimed at strengthening weak con-stitutional systems can easily be ac-companied by the development ofother political players, of a cultur-al, social, territorial or religiousnature, alongside the State. The ar-ticulation of political authority atthe local, national and internation-al levels is one of the best ways ofgiving direction to the process ofeconomic globalization. It is alsothe way to ensure that it does notactually undermine the foundationsof democracy.”9

c) Promoting bilateral and multi-lateral agreements on migration andasylum: “A more decisive and con-structive action is required, onewhich relies on a universal networkof cooperation, based on safe-guarding the dignity and centralityof every human person. This willlead to greater effectiveness in thefight against the shameful andcriminal trafficking of human be-ings, the violation of fundamentalrights, and all forms of violence,oppression and enslavement.”10

In the short run:a) Stopping the sale of arms to

countries with on-going (or potential)internal or international conflicts:“Today, too, the victims aremany.... How is this possible? It isso because in today’s world, be-hind the scenes, there are interests,geopolitical strategies, lust formoney and power, and there is themanufacture and sale of arms,which seem to be so important!”11

b) Reducing the unscrupulous ex-ploitation of territories and resources:“The first task is to put the econ-omy at the service of peoples. Hu-man beings and nature must notbe at the service of money. Let ussay ‘NO’ to an economy of exclu-sion and inequality, where moneyrules, rather than service. Thateconomy kills. That economy ex-cludes. That economy destroysMother Earth.”12

c) Opening new and accessiblechannels for asylum and legal migra-tion: “With regard to migrants, Iwould ask that legislation on mi-gration be reviewed, so, while re-specting reciprocal rights and re-sponsibilities, it can reflect a readi-ness to welcome migrants and to

barometer of injustice. Indeed theyare linked, in inverse proportion: asjustice and equality decrease,forced or “driven” migration in-c re a s e s .

In response, we have consideredthe right to remain. The most hon-est, comprehensive and effectiveway of addressing the drivers offorced migration is to ensure theright of all to remain in dignity, peaceand security in their countries of ori-gin.

Pope Francis sums up our topicdecisively: “The human promotionof migrants and their families be-gins with their communities of ori-gin. That is where such promotionshould be guaranteed, joined tothe right of being able to emigrate,as well as the right to not be con-s t ra i n e d to emigrate, namely theright to find in one’s own home-land the conditions necessary forliving a dignified life. To this end,efforts must be encouraged thatlead to the implementation of pro-grammes of international coopera-tion, free from partisan interests,and programmes of transnationaldevelopment which involve mi-grants as active protagonists.”14

1 New York Declaration, http://-www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp-?symb ol=A/71/L.1

2 For example, Gaspar Rivera-Salgado, “The Right to Stay Home: Equityand the struggle of migrant indigenous peoples.” Indigenous Mexican mi-grants claimed that rather than having migration as the only alternative tomake a living, they wanted to have the opportunity to make ends meet andrealize their dreams in their home communities. They wanted migration tobecome the last resort of choice for survival rather than the first and some-times the only alternative for survival, since they were losing an entire newgeneration of youth, who in order to escape poverty had to migrate hun-dreds of miles away in a foreign land where they were losing their tradition-al ways, their language and their culture.

3 Pope Francis, “Corruption is the worst social evil,” Address to Parti-cipants in the International Conference on the Christian Union of Business Exec-utives, 17 November 2016.

4 Pope Francis, Address to the International Forum on Migration and Peace,21 February 2017, quoting Message for the World Day of Peace, 8 December2013, § 9.

5 Pope Francis, Address to the International Forum on Migration and Peace,quoting Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate, § 33.

6 Pope Francis, Address to Caritas Internationalis, 17 November 2016.7 Pope Francis, Address to the Bishops of Mexico in the Metropolitan Cathe-

dral of the Assumption, Mexico City, 13 February 2016.8 Pope Francis Address to U N I A PA C , 17 November 2016.9 Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate, § 41.10 Pope Francis, Message for the 101st World Day of Migrants and Refugees

(2015), “Church without frontiers, Mother to all”.11 Pope Francis, H o m i l y, 13 September 2014.12 Pope Francis, Address to the Popular Movements, Santa Cruz, Bolivia, 9

July 2015.13 Pope Francis, Message for the 2016 World Day of Peace, 8 December

2015.14 Pope Francis, Address to the International Forum on Migration and Peace,

21 February 2017, with reference to Benedict XVI, Message for the World Dayof Migrants and Refugees, 12 October 2012.

page 10 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 26 May 2017, number 21

Mass at the Domus Sanctae MarthaeMonday, 8 May

God of surprisesPeter had the courage to be surprisedby the novelty of the Holy Spirit, tobreak the rigid response of “this isthe way it has always been done”.He was not afraid of creating “scan-dal” or of not fulfilling his mission asthe “ro ck”. He had the freedom notto hinder “Go d’s grace”, and not to“silence the din that the Spirit makeswhen he comes to the Church”. Inhis homily at Mass on Mondaymorning, 8 May, Pope Francis in-vited the faithful to ask the Fatherfor the “grace of discernment”, andurged them not to commit the “sinof resisting the Holy Spirit”.

“In these chapters that we haveread in the last few weeks from theActs of the Apostles” (11:1-18), thePontiff began, “we can see the Chris-tian community is moving; and whatmoves the community is the HolySpirit”. It is important to remember,Francis said, “that Jesus himself hadpromised this to the disciples at theLast Supper: ‘I will not leave you allalone. I will send you the spirit oftruth; he will guide you to the fulltruth; he will teach you and remindyou’”. Thus, “it is the Holy Spirithimself who moves this Church: wehave heard of many miracles, manycurious things”, the Pontiff said.“Some were surely afraid of thesenovelties in the Church”.

“The Spirit is the gift of God”,the Pope explained, “of this God,our Father, who always surprises us:the God of surprises”. This is “b e-cause he is a living God, a God whoabides in us, a God who moves ourheart, a God who is in the Churchand walks with us; and he alwayssurprises us on this path”. Thus,“just as he had the creativity to cre-ate the world, so he has the creativ-ity to create new things every day”,the Pope continued. He “is the Godwho surprises”.

However, Francis continued, “thisalso creates difficulty: for examplethe Apostles, the brothers who werein Judea came to know that theGentiles had also accepted God’sw o rd ”. Referring to them as “the un-c i rc u m c i s e d ”, they wondered: “Howcan this happen? Peter and the oth-ers must be mistaken; they wentbeyond searching for a novelty”.And thus, the Pope explained, “mis-trust began” and it reached thepoint that “when Peter went up toJerusalem, the circumcised faithfulscolded him, saying: ‘You went intothe homes of uncircumcised menand ate with them!’”. It was as if tosay, “look at the scandal you arecausing! You, Peter, the rock of theChurch, where are you taking us?”.

We read in the Acts, the Pontiffobserved, that “Peter recounts whathappened, and, in all simplicity”, hedescribes “that vision in the sky”.He then also speaks about those“men who ask him to go to thisGentile’s home”. And just as Peterwas speaking to them, the HolyFather continued, “the Holy Spiritdescends, disrupts everything andPeter baptises: he understands God’ssign and is capable of making a

brave decision; he is capable of ac-cepting God’s surprise”, Pope Fran-cis said.

At the end of his discourse, Peter“excuses himself” saying thesewords: “if then God gave the samegift to them as he gave to us whenwe believed in the Lord JesusChrist, who was I that I could with-stand God?”. This, Pope Francispointed out, is “truly the word ofthe apostolic instrument, of thatApostle who feels as an instrumentof God: who am I to stop God’sgrace, to silence the din of the HolySpirit when he comes to theC h u rc h ? ”.

“Before the Lord’s many surprises— after this, the Apostles have tomeet and discuss and reach anagreement in order to take the stepforward that the Lord wants — b e-fore so many things”, the Holy Fath-er had “two words” in mind: resis-tance and closure.

“Always, since the time of theprophets until today, there has beenthe sin of resisting the Holy Spirit:

the same, but it moves; it grows; itb ro a d e n s ”, he explained. “Saint Vin-cent of Lérins, an elderly monk fromthe 5th century, said these words:‘the truths of the Church go for-w a rd ’; ‘ut annis consolidetur, dilateturtempore sublimetur aetate’” . That is,Francis explained, “they strengthenwith the years, develop with timeand become deeper with age”. Thatis, “they become stronger with time,with the years; they broaden withtime and grow with the age of theC h u rc h ”. This is the way, hestressed. “It is the same truth, but ithelps us understand better”. Jesus’words come to our aid: “there shallbe one flock”. In fact, “the disciplesdid not understand what Jesus wastrying to say”, which was: “the Gen-tiles will also receive the Holy Spir-it”.

The Pontiff ended by inviting thefaithful to ask “the Lord for thegrace of discernment so as not totake the wrong path and not to fall

into idleness, into rigidness, into theclosing of the heart”.

Tuesday, 9 May

Resistance vs docilityPope Francis praised early evange-lizers for their “docility to the HolySpirit in welcoming and announcingthe Word”. He pointed out duringMass at Santa Marta on Tuesdaymorning, 9 May, that this was thesecret to that first and extraordinaryevangelization.

Lay people, “dispersed by the per-secution that broke out because ofStephen’s martyrdom”, were theones who brought “the Word to theGentiles of Antioch”, the Pope said.It was there that “they were called‘Christian’ for the first time”, receiv-ing the encouragement of the com-munity of the Apostles in Jerusalem,through Barnabas. The Holy Fatherrenewed the call for prayers “for An-tio ch” and offered the Mass to “thesisters of Casa Santa Marta” — theDaughters of Charity of Saint Vin-cent De Paul — who were celebrat-ing “the feast day of their co-founder, Saint Louise de Marillac”.

Pope Francis quoted a passagefrom the day’s first reading from theActs of the Apostles: “it begins withthese words: ‘in those days, thosewho were scattered because of thepersecution that arose over Ste-phen’” (Acts 11:19-26). In fact, he ex-plained, “after Stephen’s martyrdom,a great persecution broke out inJ e ru salem and the believers werescattered everywhere”. The Pope re-marked that “only the Apostles” re -mained while “lay people left, weredispersed. It was they who broughtthe Good News of Jesus: the dis-p ersed”, he pointed out.

Persecution followed the martyr-dom of Stephen “who so manytimes — many times! — had reprim-anded the leaders, the doctors of thelaw, for their hardheartedness”.Stephen’s “harshest words” which he“continuously repeated” were in-deed: “You have always resisted theHoly Spirit”. He spoke against this“resisting the Holy Spirit, being re-sistant to the Holy Spirit”. “We havespoken at length about this resis-tance to the Holy Spirit in the lastfew days”, the Pope added.

“To day’s readings reveal anotherattitude, the opposite one: docilityto the Holy Spirit which is the atti-tude of Christians”. Exploring thisthought and referring to the Acts ofthe Apostles, the Pope said: “I askmyself ... why did those people whotravelled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus,Antioch speak ‘the word to none ex-cept Jews’”; why “did they still havethis mentality that salvation was forJews [alone]?”. However, PopeFrancis observed, the passage goeson to say that, “‘there were some ofthem, men of Cyprus and Cyrenewho, on coming to Antioch, spoketo the Greeks also, preaching theLord Jesus. And the hand of theLord was with them and a greatnumber that believed turned to theL o rd ’”.

“Saint Peter”, Vladimir Zunuzin

CONTINUED ON PA G E 11

of the Holy Spirit”. Onthe other hand, “thosewho did not have thisgift, or who had notprayed, so as to ask forit, remained closed andstill”. Christians “mustknow how to discern, es-pecially at a time with somuch communication,with so many novelties,to know how to discern:to discern one thing fromanother, to discern whichis the novelty, the newwine that comes fromGod; which is news thatcomes from the spirit ofthe world and which isnews that comes fromspirit of the devil”.

“Some may wonder”,the Pope suggested: “ifthese Gentiles were sin-ners and were damnedand then they changed,then does faith change?”.The answer is “no”, thePope responded. “Fa i t hnever changes. Faith is

resistance to the Spirit”, Pope Fran-cis stated. “This is the sin for whichStephen scolds the very members ofthe Sanhedrin: ‘You and your fath-ers have always resisted the HolySpirit’”. This resistance can also beexpressed by saying: “no, this is theway it has always been done”, al-most as if to say: “do not come withthese novelties: Peter, calm down,take a pill to calm your nerves, keepcalm”, the Pontiff added.

But this is actually “closure to thevoice of God”, Pope Franciswarned. “In Psalm 95[94], the Lordtells his people: harden not yourhearts as your fathers did at Meri-bah”. Instead, “seek the Lord’s will,the Lord’s voice, what the Lordwants”, the Pontiff stressed. “Whatthe Lord wants is other people; weheard this in the Gospel: ‘I haveother sheep that are not of this fold;I must bring them also, and theywill heed my voice. So there shall beone flock, one shepherd’” (Jn 10:11-18). Instead, the Gentiles were

judged, as if “condemned”, and eventhe “proselytes, the Gentiles who be-came believers” were seen as “secondclass believers; no one said it but infact”, it was so, Francis explained.

“Closure, resistance to the HolySpirit”, the Pope continued, also oc-curs through “that phrase that alwayscloses, that stops you: ‘This is how ithas always been done’”. However, hepointed out that this way of doingthings “kills; it kills freedom; it killsjoy; it kills faithfulness to the HolySpirit who always moves forward,leading the Church forward”. Afterall, the Pontiff continued, “how canI know whether something is of theHoly Spirit or of worldliness, wheth-er of the spirit of the world or of thespirit of the devil?”.

The only way is “to ask for thegrace of discernment”, Pope Francisexplained. “The instrument that theSpirit himself gives us is discern-ment: to discern, in any case, as onemust do”. Indeed, “this is what theApostles did. They met, they spokeand they saw that this was the path

number 21, Friday, 26 May 2017 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO page 11

In the footsteps of Saint Francis

VAT I C A N BULLETINCONTINUED FROM PA G E 2

open our hearts to the Spirit who al-lows us to understand the Word”, hecontinued. “The fruit of receivingthe Word, of bringing it with us, ofthis becoming familiar with theWord, is a great ‘f ru i t ’. The attitudeof someone who does this”, is anim-ated by “kindness, benevolence, joy,peace, self control, meekness”, PopeFrancis said. This is also “everythingthat Paul says to the Galatians inthe fifth chapter of his Letter”, thePontiff added.

“This is the way that gives usmeekness before the Spirit”, PopeFrancis said. However, “I have toreceive the Spirit who leads me tothe Word with meekness, and this

For these Christians, the Pontiffexplained, it was natural to take “thestep of announcing Jesus Christ tothe Gentiles, because they felt theHoly Spirit within them urgingthem to do so: they were meek”. Itwas thus “lay people who broughtthe Word after the persecution be-cause they had this docility to theHoly Spirit”.

“Today I would like to saysomething about this docility”, PopeFrancis said. James, the Apostle, “inthe first chapter of his letter advisesus to receive the Word with meek-ness, welcoming it as it comes: theWord that the Holy Spirit brings”.And to do so we must be “open, notclosed, not rigid: open”, he stressed.“The first step is to welcome theWord. The first step in the journeyof meekness is to welcome the Word:to open our heart, receive it, allow itto enter like a seed that will sprout”.

Once the Word is welcomed, “itcan later be examined moreclosely”, the Pope noted. “Thesecond step is to know the Word: toknow the Word and to know Jesus”.In today’s Alleluia refrain, he ob-served, “we sang: ‘My sheep hearmy voice says the Lord: I knowthem, and they follow me’”. Thus,“they know me and they follow me”(cf. Jn 10:22-30). “The flock doesnot follow bandits; it does not fol-low those who do not enter throughthe door”, the Pope said, emphasiz-ing the words ‘to know’: “they know

docility, that is, not resisting theSpirit, will lead me to this way ofliving, to this way of acting”, thePontiff explained.

The correct path to follow there-fore, is to “receive the Word withmeekness, to know it and to ask theSpirit for the grace to make it beknown”. And then to leave “spacefor this seed to sprout and grow intothose attitudes of kindness, meek-ness, good will, peace, charity, selfcontrol: all of this makes up theChristian way”, Pope Francis said.

The Acts of the Apostles tells usthat “when news came to Jerusalemthat these people from Cyprus andCyrene were announcing the Wordto the Gentiles, they too weresomewhat afraid and sent Barnabasto Antioch: ‘But what is happen-ing? These people are ruining thefaith; why is the Word beingpreached to Gentiles, to the uncir-cumcised? Why do they preach it,not the Apostles, but these peoplewhom we do not know?’”, the Popere f l e c t e d .

“They sent Barnabas to Antioch”,the Pope continued. “When he ar-rived and saw the grace of God, hewas glad; and he exhorted them allto be faithful to the Lord withsteadfast hearts, faithful to theL o rd ”. Barnabas, as recounted in the

Acts, “was a good man, full of theHoly Spirit and of faith” (Acts11:23).

“Thus, the Holy Spirit guides usnot to err”, but “to welcome theSpirit with docility, to know theSpirit in Word and to live accordingto the Spirit”, the Pope explained.This attitude is the opposite of “theresistance for which Stephen reprim-ands the leaders, the doctors of thelaw: ‘you have always resisted theHoly Spirit’”.

Pope Francis then invited thefaithful to question “whether we re-sist the Spirit, whether we make anyresistance to him or whether we wel-come him with meekness. These arethe words of James: ‘to receive withmeekness’”. It can be simplified into“resistance versus docility”, the Popesaid as he invited the faithful to askfor the grace of being meek.

In his concluding remarks, thePope said he wished to addsomething which was slightly be-yond the scope of his homily: “I liketo say this, which is how this read-ing ends: it was in the city of Anti-och that they first gave us our sur-name; in that very place. The dis-ciples were called ‘Christian’ for thefirst time in Antioch. This is beauti-ful, but let us pray for Antioch”, thePope concluded.

has served in parish ministry and as:rector of the San Jacinto MinorSeminary of Alimannao, Cagayan;director of the commission for voca-tions and seminaries; episcopal vicarof Alcala; director of the biblicalapostolate and president of thepriests’ assembly of the Archdioceseof Tuguegarao.

The Holy Father accepted the resig-nation of Archbishop Giovanni To-nucci, from his office as Prelate ofLoreto and Pontifical Delegate forthe Shrine of Loreto, and for theBasilica of Saint Anthony in Padua(20 May).

The Holy Father appointed MsgrFabio Dal Cin as Archbishop Prelateof Loreto, Pontifical Delegate forthe Shrine of Loreto, and PontificalDelegate for the Basilica of SaintAnthony of Padua. Until now hehas served as Official at the Con-gregation for Bishops (20 May).

Archbishop-elect Dal Cin, 52, wasborn in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. Hewas ordained a priest on 7 Decem-ber 1990. He holds a licence in sa-cred theology and a specialization inpastoral liturgy, a doctorate in theo-logy. He has served in parish min-istry and as: animator of the youthcommunity of the diocesan MinorSeminary; deputy director of thediocesan centre for vocations; epis-

copal delegate for vocational pasto-ral ministry; director of the diocesancentre for vocations; professor ofliturgy at the interdiocesan theologi-cal studio in Treviso-Vittorio Veneto;Master of Ceremonies; member ofthe Commission for the Formationand Ministry of Permanent Deacons.

SPECIAL ENVOY

The Holy Father has appointed Car-dinal Giuseppe Bertello, Presidentof the Governorate of Vatican CityState as his Special Envoy to thecelebration of the bicentenary of theestablishment of the Diocese ofCuneo, Italy, to be held at the

Cathedral of Santa Maria Assuntaon 16 July 2017 (20 May).

NECROLO GY

Bishop Thomas Vose Daily, Bishopemeritus of Brooklyn, USA, at age 89(15 May)

Bishop Emilio Lorenzo Stehle, Bish-op emeritus of Santo Domingo delos Colorados, Ecuador, at age 90(16 May)

Bishop Miguel Mykycej, F D P, Bishopemeritus of the Eparchy of SantaMaría del Patrocinio en BuenosAires for Ukrainians, Argentina, atage 82 (20 May)

anguish” (Ap. Exhort. Evangelii Gaudium, 2), theShrine of Renunciation is intended to foster in theChurch and in society evangelical, simple and fraternalj o y.

A beautiful aspect of the new Shrine comes from thefact that in the event of Francis’ renunciation we alsosee the figure of a Pastor, Bishop Guido, who probablyknew him, if not actually accompanied him in his jour-ney of conversion, and now embraces him in his deci-sive choice. It is an image of the Church’s maternalnature, which deserves to be rediscovered, while thecondition of youth, in a general context of societalcrisis, raises serious questions that I wished to focus onby calling for a Synod on the topic. Young peopleneed to be welcomed, appreciated, and accompanied.We need not be afraid of proposing to them Christ

and the demanding ideals of the Gospel. However, wemust be among them and journey with them. Thus,the new Shrine has the added value of being a pre-cious place where young people can be helped in dis-cerning their vocation. At the same time adults arecalled there to join together in a unity of intentionsand sentiments so that the Church can show ever moreclearly her family character, and the new generationscan feel supported in their journey.

Therefore, I cordially bless the new Shrine, extend-ing my blessing to the pilgrims who will visit it and tothe whole diocesan community. May the Blessed Vir-gin, to whom the Shrine will be dedicated, make hermotherly protection felt by all.

16 April 2017, Easter Sunday

what is the Word ofJesus thanks to thepower of the HolySpirit because they

are meek before theSpirit”.

“And thus,the thirdstep is be-

coming familiarwith the Word”,

the Pontiff explained.It is in fact, import-ant “to always takethe Word with us, toread it, to open ourhearts to the Word,

Mass at Santa Marta

CONTINUED FROM PA G E 4

page 12 L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO Friday, 26 May 2017, number 21

At the Regina Caeli an appeal for peace in the Central African Republic

Learn the art of loving every day

The Pope announces five Cardinals to be created in June Consistory

From four continents

“The Last Supper”, André Derain (1911)

After the Regina Caeli, Pope Francisannounced a Consistory and the creationof five new Cardinals next month. Chosenfrom four different continents, the HolyFather expressed the hope that they will be“authentic servants of ecclesialcommunion”. The following is a translationof the announcement he made in Italian.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,I wish to announce that I will hold aConsistory for the appointment of fivenew Cardinals on Wednesday, 28 June.Coming from different parts of theworld, they manifest the Catholicity ofthe Church spread out across the entireEarth. The assignment of a title or di-

Dear Brothers and Sisters, good morning!To day’s Gospel (cf. Jn 14:15-21), the continuationof that of last Sunday, takes us back to the mov-ing and dramatic moment of Jesus’ Last Supperwith his disciples. John the Evangelist gathersfrom the lips and heart of the Lord His lastteachings, before His Passion and death. Jesuspromises his friends, at that sad, dark moment,that after him, they will receive “anotherPa r a c l e t e ” (v. 16). This word means another “Ad-vo cate”, another Defender, another Counsellor:“the Spirit of Truth” (v. 17); and he adds, “I willnot leave you desolate; I will come to you” ( v.18). These words convey the joy of a new Comingof Christ. He, Risen and glorified, dwells in theFather and at the same time comes to us in theHoly Spirit. And in his new coming, he revealsour union with him and with the Father: “Yo uwill know that I am in my Father, and you in me,and I in you” (v. 20).

Today, by meditating on these words of Jesus,we perceive with the sense of faith that we are thePeople of God in communion with the Fatherand with Jesus through the Holy Spirit. TheChurch finds the inexhaustible source of her verymission, which is achieved through love, in thismystery of communion. Jesus says in today’s Gos-pel: “He who has my commandments and keepsthem, he it is who loves me; and he who loves mewill be loved by my Father, and I will love himand manifest myself to him” (v. 21). So, love in-troduces us to the knowledge of Jesus, thanks tothe action of this “Advo cate” that Jesus sent, thatis, the Holy Spirit. Love for God and neighbouris the greatest commandment of the Gospel. The

in the charity of Christ, and instead, it is preciselythere that the evil one “sets his foot in” andsometimes we allow ourselves to be deceived. Andthose who pay the price are those who are spiritu-ally weaker. How many of them — and you knowsome of them — how many of them have dis-tanced themselves because they did not feel wel-comed, did not feel understood, did not feelloved. How many people have distanced them-selves, for example, from some parish or com-munity because of the environment of gossip,jealousy, and envy they found there. Even for aChristian, knowing how to love is never a thingacquired once and for all. We must begin anewevery day. We must practice it so that our love forthe brothers and sisters we encounter may be-come mature and purified from those limitationsor sins that render it incomplete, egotistical,sterile, and unfaithful. We have to learn the art of

loving every day. Listen to this: every day wemust learn the art of loving; every day we mustpatiently follow the school of Christ. Every daywe must forgive and look to Jesus, and do thiswith the help of this “Advo cate”, of this Counsel-lor whom Jesus has sent to us that is the HolySpirit.

May the Virgin Mary, the perfect disciple ofher Son and Lord, help us to be more and moredocile to the Paraclete, the Spirit of Truth, tolearn every day how to love each other as Jesusloved us.

After the Regina Caeli, the Pope continued:

Dear brothers and sisters,Distressing news comes from the Central AfricanRepublic, which I carry in my heart, especiallyfollowing my visit in November 2015. Armedclashes have claimed many victims and displacedmany people, and threaten the peace process. Iam close to the people and to the bishops and toall those who work for the good of the peopleand for peaceful coexistence. I pray for the deadand the wounded and renew my Appeal: mayweapons be silenced and may the good will todialogue prevail so as to give the country peaceand development.

On 24 May, we will all join in spirit the Cath-olic faithful in China for the celebration of theBlessed Virgin Mary, “Help of Christians” vener-ated in the Shrine of Sheshan in Shanghai. Tothe Catholics of China I say: let us lift our gazeto our Mother Mary, to help us discern God’swill concerning the concrete journey of theChurch in China and to support us in generouslywelcoming his project of love. May Mary encour-age us to offer our personal contribution to thecommunion of believers and to the harmony ofthe whole of society. Let us not forget to bear wit-ness to the faith with prayer and with love, alwaysremaining open to encounter and to dialogue.

I extend my cordial greeting to you, the faith-ful of Rome and pilgrims. Especially to the Ca-pilla de Música of the Pamplona Cathedral; to theColégio São Tomás group from Lisbon; the faithfulof the Chapelle Saint-Charles de la Croix-Saint-Simon Hospital in Paris; to those from Torrent,Valencia, Spain, from Canada and from theUnited States of America, including those fromthe island of Guam.

A special greeting goes to the confirmedyoungsters and the confirmands of the Diocese ofGenoa: with the help of God, I will come to visityour city next Saturday. As well as to the Coc-cinelle from Frosinone and the faithful from theParish of Santa Maria Goretti in Rome.

I wish everyone a happy Sunday. Please, donot forget to pray for me. Enjoy your lunch.Ar r i v e d e rc i !

aconate in the city expresses the Cardinals’membership in the Diocese of Rome that, ac-cording to the well known expression of SaintIgnatius [of Antioch], presides over the charityof all the Churches. And on Thursday, 29 June,the Solemnity of the Holy Apostle Saints Peterand Paul, I will concelebrate Holy Mass withthe new Cardinals, the College of Cardinals, thenew Bishops, the Metropolitan Archbishops, theBishops and several priests.

Here are the names of the new Cardinals:Archbishop Jean Zerbo of Bamako, Mali;

Archbishop Juan José Omella of Barcelona,Spain; Bishop Anders Arborelius, O CD, ofStockholm, Sweden; Bishop Louis-Marie Ling

Mangkhanekhoun, titular Bishop of Acquaenovae in Proconsulari, Vicar Apostolic of Paksé,in Laos; Bishop Gregorio Rosa Chávez, titularBishop of Mulli, Auxiliary of the Archdiocese ofSan Salvador, El Salvador.

Let us entrust the new Cardinals to the pro-tection of Saints Peter and Paul, so that with theintercession of the Prince of the Apostles, theymay be authentic servants of ecclesial commu-nion, and with that of the Apostle of the Gen-tiles, they may be joyful announcers of the Gos-pel throughout the world, and with their witnessand their counsel, support me more intensely inmy service as Bishop of Rome, the universalPastor of the Church.

Lord today calls us to resp ond gen-erously to the Gospel’s call to love,placing God at the centre of ourlives and dedicating ourselves to theservice of our brothers and sisters,especially those most in need ofsupport and consolation.

If ever there is an attitude that isnever easy, even for a Christiancommunity, it is precisely how tolove oneself, to love after the Lord’sexample and with his grace. Some-times disagreements, pride, envy, di-visions, leave their mark even on thebeautiful face of the Church. Acommunity of Christians should live

During the Regina Caeli on Sunday, 21 May, Pope Francis spoke about the importance of theHoly Spirit as an Advocate sent to us by Jesus, so we may learn how to love as he did. “Evenfor a Christian”, the Pontiff noted, “knowing how to love is never a thing acquired once andfor all”. Indeed, we must “practice it” and “learn the art of loving every day”. The following isa translation of the Holy Father’s reflection, which he offered in Italian.