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Last Updated: 19 February 2013

Also Urges Better Medicines for Children

GENEVA, MAY 21, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The Holy See reminded the U.N. World Health Organization that the Vatican shares its concern for women's well-being, and that it is in the front line of promoting authentic health care.

Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Holy See's permanent observer at the U.N. offices in Geneva, addressed the World Health Assembly, being held from May 14 to 23.

Archbishop Tomasi first expressed his appreciation that Margaret Chan, new director general of WHO, listed women and Africa among her priority concerns.

He said: "The Catholic Church has traditionally been in the first line in the promotion of the authentic health of women, by helping them to harmonize their physical, psychological and social well-being with moral and spiritual values. In this line, the Catholic Church is also convinced of the God-given, equal and complementary dignity of women and men.

"The Catholic Church also prioritizes the most fruitful expression of complementarity between woman and man -- that is, the family which is founded upon lifelong and mutually faithful marriage and which continues to serve as the mainstay of human society."

The 66-year-old archbishop expressed his hope that implementation of resolutions "will never be utilized to 'justify' doing harm to or destroying human life during one of its most vulnerable stages -- when still within the mother's womb."

"Furthermore," he said, "the Holy See wishes to invite the WHO member states once again to understand the term 'gender' as grounded in biological sexual identity, male or female."

Tragic loss

Archbishop Tomasi affirmed that the Holy See shares the concerns expressed in the WHO report on "Better Medicines for Children," regarding the "tragic loss" of life each year for some 10.5 million children less that five years old.

"Many of these children die of diseases that are treatable in adults but for which appropriate dosages and formulations have not yet been developed for pediatric use," he lamented. "The international community can no longer turn a deaf ear to the life-threatening needs of children, many of whom can be counted among our most needy citizens but who represent, as well, the future of the human community."

He encouraged, however, that the United Nations base health initiatives on sound anthropology.

He said: "In all the deliberations during this assembly and in the subsequent implementation of World Health Assembly resolutions at national and local levels, my delegation urges a perspective on health security that is grounded on an anthropology respectful of the human person in his or her integrity and looks far beyond the absence of disease to the full harmony and sound balance of the physical, emotional, spiritual and social forces within the human person."

Code: ZE07052107

Date: 2007-05-21

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Last Updated: 19 February 2013

Receives Ambassador From East Timor

VATICAN CITY, MAY 21, 2007 (Zenit.org).- People are fundamentally more valuable than all the social structures to which they belong, says Benedict XVI.

The Pope said this today when receiving in audience the new ambassador of East Timor to the Holy See, Justino Aparício Guterres, who presented his credentials to the Pontiff.

The Holy Father spoke about the improved relations between the Holy See and East Timor since diplomatic relations were established on May 20, 2002, the same day East Timor declared its national independence.

"It is the integral promotion of the person that will help countries to develop themselves, to be instrumental in their progress and 'partners' of international life, and to face the future with confidence," said the Pontiff, speaking in Portuguese.

Growing democracy

In his remarks concerning recent presidential elections in East Timor, a country struggling with violence and instability since winning independence from Indonesia in 1999, the Pope noted that the enormous voter turnout "showed the great civic maturity of the Timorese people, but also the hope they have to build a democratic state."

The Holy Father encouraged the new politicians "to not delude this hope but to work for a progressive democratization of society."

Benedict XVI encouraged them to "take the way of dialogue and collaboration, avoiding the temptation to lash out at political adversaries, not just because it is morally unacceptable, but also because this way favors democratic dialogue and an integral development for all citizens of the country."

"The task for those involved in politics, social structures and economics in East Timor is hard and not without obstacles," the Bishop of Rome continued. "There are internal and external misunderstandings, there is a lack of necessary resources to meet housing, health, education and employment needs; people are not willing to let go of personal or political interests."

After the Philippines, East Timor has the highest percentages of Catholics in Asia, at 98%. Benedict XVI appealed to Christians there "to collaborate in favor of progress and the common good, without forgetting the attention due to the poorest and least privileged."

"The Church's task," he said, "is not to come up with concrete programs, but rather to illuminate the moral consciences of political leaders, economists and financiers." He underlined "the principle of solidarity as the basis for a true economy of communion and distribution of wealth, both in the international and the national spheres."

The Pope concluded by assuring East Timor's ambassador of "the full and loyal collaboration" of the Church in which he could find "a valid counterpoint for bilateral questions, and in general a constant collaboration to further the common good of the international community."

Code: ZE07052103

Date: 2007-05-21

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Last Updated: 19 February 2013

Emphasizes Human Element of Development

VATICAN CITY, MAY 21, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI says that in today's globalized economy, there is no true development without solidarity.

On Friday and Saturday the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation invited some 350 experts to the Vatican to discuss "The Growing Role of Emerging Countries in Global Competition: Economic, Social and Cultural Consequences." The Pope received them in audience Saturday.

The lay foundation was created in 1993 by Pope John Paul II to promote the social doctrine of the Church in professional and business sectors.

Citing John Paul II's encyclical "Centesimus Annus," Benedict XVI noted: "Development must not be understood solely in economic terms, but in a way that is fully human.

"It is not only a question of raising all peoples to the level currently enjoyed by the richest countries, but rather of building up a more decent life through united labor, of concretely enhancing every individual's dignity and creativity, as well as his capacity to respond to his personal vocation, and thus to God's call."

Inspired principles

This message, the Holy Father explained, was already present 40 years ago in Pope Paul VI's encyclical "Populorum Progressio."

Benedict XVI said: "Attention to the real needs of the human being, respect for the dignity of every person, a sincere search for the common good are inspired principles that are good to keep in mind when planning a nation's development.

"Unfortunately, however, this does not always happen. Today's globalized society is filled with dramatic imbalances."

During the conference it was noted that China and India are experiencing economic growth, but that growth does not correspond mathematically to widespread social, cultural and economic development for the entire population.

The Holy Father said, "When we consider the sustained increase of taxes on economic growth, when we stop and analyze the problems linked to modern progress, not excluding environmental damage and irresponsible consumption of natural and environmental resources, it is evident that only a globalization that is attentive to the needs of solidarity can ensure an authentic future for humanity and a stable peace for all."

The Pope asked Catholics, in particular those involved in applying the norms of social doctrine in public life, to promote "the culture of solidarity and to favor an economic development that is sensitive to the expectations of individuals and peoples."

He added, "Only by weaving the three threads of development together -- economic, social and human -- can a free and just society be born."

Code: ZE07052102

Date: 2007-05-21

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Last Updated: 19 February 2013

In 330 AD, the Emperor Constantine established a new capital for the Roman Empire on the site of a Greek colony called Byzantium. At its most extensive, in the 6th century, the Byzantine Empire stretched from southern Spain in the west to the border of Persia in the east; but by the middle of the 15th century, it had disappeared. Myrna Kostash tells the story of this political, cultural and economic superpower that stood astride the European and Middle Eastern worlds for more than a thousand years, an empire that, for most of us today, is all but forgotten.

Documentary is by the well known Canadian author Myrna Kostash, who is the author of “All of Baba’s Children” and other titles encompassing may topics, including all things Ukrainian. Along with Kostash as the narrator the show features John-Paul Himka, Robin Cormack, Larry Wolff, Bishop Kallistos Ware, Averil Cameron, Warren Treadgold, Simon Franklin and the Jonathans Harris & Phillips.

Part one airs on CBC Radio One on Monday, May 21, 2007 at 9:00 PM ET

Part two on CBC Radio One on Monday, May 28, 2007 at 9:00 PM ET

To listen live click here. Archive information not available at the time of this writing but archives might be available at www.cbc.ca.

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Last Updated: 19 February 2013

MOSCOW: May 20, 2007 - On May 19, the birthday of Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II, His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus and the members of the official delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia were welcomed at a reception hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Granovitaya Palace in the Kremlin. During the reception, His Eminence greeted the President with the following words:

“Your Excellency, Deeply-esteemed Vladimir Vladimirovich, Your Holiness, Beloved brothers and sisters!

“First of all, I wish to express from the depths of my soul my heartfelt gratitude for your invitation to visit you, for the participation and joint prayer upon the signing of the Act of Canonical Communion between the two parts of the Russian Orthodox Church, for your care for the Russian people in the Fatherland and abroad.

“Today, I and my companions participated in the great consecration of a church dedicated to the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia who suffered in Butovo. “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church,” wrote Tertullian. Today we see how the podvigi , sufferings and death for Christ endured by the martyrs in the 20 th century, killed by the hands of atheists, strike deep into the souls of Russian people, who then find their way to church and return to their historic roots. In church, they come face to face with God, they approach Him, they are sanctified and reborn, following the example of faith and devotion of their ancestors who stood for truth, for our Holy Russian ideals, which we had tried to preserve in the difficult circumstances of exile. And we preserved them in order to serve Russia and our people. It is our moral duty is to include ourselves in this process of the rebirth of Russia and fulfill the mission of the Russian emigration, that is, to bring back to Russia the great inheritance given to us by our ancestors.

“On this blessed day and hour of our communion, I prayerfully wish you, dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, the bountiful help of God in carrying out your lofty duties. In memory of the reestablishment of the fullness of brotherly communion and unity within the Local Russian Orthodox Church, I ask that you accept this gift—an icon of the Kursk-Root Mother of God, the Protectress of the Russian diaspora. May She preserve you, showing you the way in your service to the Russian people!”

Source: www.synod.com - The Official Website of the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia 

Click here for original story and photo coverage at www.synod.com.

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Last Updated: 19 February 2013

21.05.2007, [10:21] // UOC-MP // RISU.ORG.UA

Kyiv – On 17 May 2007, Metropolitan Volodymyr (Sabodan), head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), participated in ceremonies connected with the signing of the “Act of Canonical Communion” of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) and the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (ROCA) at the Church of Christ the Savior in Moscow.

The signing of the act was completed with a Divine Liturgy celebrated by Patriarch Alexis II, head of the ROC, together with Metropolitan Volodymyr and other hierarchs of the Moscow Patriarchate.

According to unian.net, most bishops of the parishes of the ROCA in emigration broke ties with the highest church authorities of the Moscow Patriarchate in the 1920s. They did not want any relations with what they called “Stalin’s church.” After World War II the center of the ROCA was moved from Serbia, where it was founded, to New York. Parishes of the ROCA appeared in Canada, the U.S., Australia, and some European countries, including Ukraine. In Ukraine the ROCA has 30 parishes and one women’s monastery.

Most representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate positively assess the event. However, according to unian.net, the majority of priests of the ROCA oppose the union.

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