The ad interim Director of the Vatican Press Office, Alessandro Gisotti, issues a statement confirming a meeting that took place in the Vatican between the organizing committee of the “Protection of Minors in the Church” Meeting and several victims of abuse.”As was announced during the course of the Press Conference on 18 February in the Press Office of the Holy See, this morning the Organizing Committee for the Meeting on “The Protection of Minors in the Church” met a group of representatives of victims of sexual abuse by members of the clergy. There were 12 people, men and women, from different parts of the world who belong to various organizations. The meeting lasted a little bit more than two hours. The members of the Committee are very grateful to the victims who participated for their sincerity, the depth and the strength of their testimonies, which will certainly help them to always better understand the gravity and urgency of the difficulties that they will confront during the course of the Meeting.”
GERMAN POLITICIANS ALARMED BY RISING ANTI-SEMITISM IN FRANCE
Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said in an interview with the German Welt am Sonntag newspaper he’s concerned about a sharp rise in anti-Semitic attacks in France.” The anti-Semitic incidents in France are disturbing and frightening for the Jewish community in Germany also,” Schuster said. France is not the only EU country experiencing a spike in antiSemitic acts; both Germany and Britain have also reported an uptick last year, reaching a record 1,652 in the UK.
Philippine Bishop: Duterte’s drug war is ‘illegal, immoral and anti-poor’
A Catholic bishop in the Philippines said his government’s controversial war on drugs is really a war against the country’s poor.
“There is no war against illegal drugs, because the supply is not being stopped. If they are really after illegal drugs, they would go after the big people, the manufacturers, the smugglers, the suppliers. But instead, they go after the victims of these people. So, I have come to the conclusion that this war on illegal drugs is illegal, immoral and antipoor,” said Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan. Sign up for NCR’s Copy Desk Daily, and we’ll email you recommended news and opinion articles in each weekday.
The Philippines has suffered for years from widespread drug abuse, principally shabu, a cheaply produced form of methamphetamine. President Rodrigo Duterte ran for office promising a crackdown on drug use, and since he took office in 2016, rights groups say more than 20,000 people have been killed in extrajudicial killings, mostly carried out by the country’s police.
Church leaders have grown increasingly critical of the violence. The country’s Catholic bishops conference acknowledged in a Jan. 28 pastoral message that they had been slow in responding as a “culture of violence has gradually prevailed in our land.”
The bishops spoke “of mostly poor people being brutally murdered on mere suspicion of being small-time drug users and peddlers, while the big-time smugglers and drug lords went scot-free.” While they said they had “no intention of interfering in the conduct of state affairs,” they said they had “a solemn duty to defend our flock, especially when they are attacked by wolves.”
Duterte has repeatedly slammed the church in response to its criticism, and David, who also serves as vice president of the bishops’ conference, has become the principal target of Duterte’s angry outbursts at the church.
FOR CARD SAKO, THE POPE’S VISIT TO THE UAE BRINGS A MESSAGE AGAINST HATRED, VIOLENCE AND PERSECUTION
Anti-Christian persecution in the Middle East is a major concern, said Pope Francis in Angelus before leaving for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he remained, something Chaldean Patriarch Card Louis Raphael Sako stressed as he spoke about the first papal visit to a Gulf State.
With persecution in Iraq, Syria and Yemen in his mind, the Pope will try to turn a page in ChristianMuslim relations in order to renew the journey of peace.
The 70-year-old cardinal, originally from Zakho in northern Iraq, plays a leading role in interfaith dialogue in his country.
“Pope Francis is saying that this is enough. Let us live in peace, love, tolerance and renounce violence and hatred,” Card Sako noted, adding that in the UAE, the Pope promoted Christian-Muslim outreach, trying to oppose any fanatical, violent or hateful discourse.
According to the prelate, the pontiff will raise awareness among the believers of various religions of the situation of Christians in the region and will refer to the values found in various sacred texts and scriptures, which call for human coexistence.
CASTE-AWAY: DALITS SEEK ESCAPE THROUGH CONVERSION IN NEPAL
The Christian community in Nepal has not been spared the wrath of society’s caste based inequality, even though bottom-rung Dalits are increasingly turning to Christianity as a means to escape their fate.
Religious conversions are illegal in Nepal but the numbers suggest many consider it a risk worth taking as the “untouchables” are among the most oppressed by this complex social system, which leaves no sphere untouched. Testament to how legions of Dalits are prepared to gamble on breaking the law in search of a more dignified life, Nepal now harbours one of the fastest growing Christian populations in the world. At least 12,000 churches have been built and millions are believed to have turned to Christianity despite a 2011 census claiming Christians make up just 1.4% of the population, or several hundred thousand people. A whopping 65% of the newly converted are Dalits, according to the National Christian Federation of Nepal.
WORLD GOVERNMENT SUMMIT 2019 IN DUBAI: SHAPING THE FUTURE OF THE WORLD
Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed said: “The Pope’s visit was a call for peace. Throughout history we see, people who make war are two types of people, politicians and religious leaders. That is why wanted to take a step towards achieving peace. Summit gathers 4,000 high-profile officials from 140 countries, heads of state “We must be responsible to put an end to our conflicts and try hard to put an end to the wars. “We may not succeed but we will most definitely try.
“Religions did not come to push people to violence. But we know it has been distorted throughout history to justify war and violence.”
He added: “The declaration that was signed during the papal visit was a call for peace.
“The UAE has decided to extend the declaration and initiate a Zayed fund for cohabitation. A fund will be dedicated to organisations making an effort to create peace and harmony among various communities. In order to promote the values of tolerance and fraternity all over the world. “We are happy that this document will be a part of our UAE school curriculum starting next year.
“We in the UAE were very proud to see 180,000 of our Catholic brothers gather for this event.
“This meeting was a message by the UAE The UAE are not only responsible to provide you with a good life but also respect your religion because it is our national duty and your right.”
3,000 CATHOLICS REMEMBER SOUTH KOREA’S FIRST CARDINAL
About 3,000 people gathered in Myeongdong Cathedral to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the death of South Korea’s first cardinal and most respected spiritual leader.
A memorial Mass for Cardinal Stephen Kim Souhwan was celebrated by Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, bishops and priests.
A memorial ceremony included speeches by Archbishop Alfred Xuereb, apostolic nuncio to South Korea, and Archbishop Hyginus Kim Heejoong, chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea. A speech by South Korean President Moon Jae-in was read by Kim Yong-sam, viceminister in the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.
“This commemoratory Mass was not only just to miss him. Even in the many difficulties and challenges all of us are undergoing in everyday life, we all should try to inherit his message of love and gratitude engraved in his last words ‘Thank you, love each other,’” Cardinal Yeom said in his homily on Feb. 16.
ASIAN BISHOPS VISIT COX’S BAZAR, ASK FOR A SOLUTION TO ROHINGYA REFUGEE PROBLEM
A delegation from the Office of Human Development (OHD) of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) visited Cox’s Bazar, the largest refugee area in the world with at least 750,000 Rohingya.
The visit took place between 11 and 17 February, ending with the delegation issuing an official statement urging the international community to find a diplomatic solution to the on-going refugee crises around Asia. Its goal was to meet migrants, listen to their stories, and assess options for renewable energy in Asia.
The group was led by Card Patrick D’Rozario, archbishop of Dhaka and president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Bangladesh, and by the Vatican envoy Msgr George Kocherry.
Peace convention stresses women’s equal right
Society expects women to console and love others, but it does not realize that women also need to be consoled and loved, a woman police officer has told a peace convention.
“Women have the right to be consoled and loved,” asserted Anuradha Shankar, additional director general of police of Madhya Pradesh, at the inauguration of the fifth national peace convention at Shofar Conference Centre Gurgaon, Haryana, on January 30, the 71st death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
The police officer cited the example of Gandhi’s wife Kasturba who played a crucial role in India’s independence struggle. “Gandhiji became Mahatma because of the support of Kasthurba, Shankar said.
“While Gandhiji learned from the books, Kasturba learned from the book of life. Kasturba had the courage to organize protest of women in South Africa. Similarly she was leading the anti-liquor movement in Bardoli while Gandhiji was leading the Dandi March,” she explained.
Supreme Court denies bail to jailed Mother Teresa nun
India’s Supreme Court has rejected bail for a Missionaries of Charity nun arrest-ed and remanded in custody in the eastern State of Jharkhand six months ago on suspicion of child trafficking. The top court turned down the plea from MC Sister Concilia on Jan. 29 on grounds that police had not yet pressed charges in the case. However, the court left the door open for her to file another application and also told the police to file formal charges soon. Sister Concilia, who headed the Nirmal Hriday (tender heart) home for unmarried mothers in Jharkhand’s State capital Ranchi, was initially remanded in judicial custody for 14 days on July 5.